A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I had an… upgrade in the computer department but forgot to transfer this chapter, and couldn't pull it back up and save it to a flash drive until recently. Anyways, life goes on, I'm busy, you're busy, and we can't get into Equestria. (I'm working on it, guys. And if I do, hope that this story isn't real. Or Cupcakes. Or Rainbow Factory. Or Wheller's massive tale spanning multiple fanfictions.) The usual.
Exception being that I drew Brian on the computer, have a link. (I apologize if quality is bad, I had a hard time because it was my first attempt at drawing using my computer, not to mention I used a mouse.)
browse. deviantart ?qh=§ion=&q= LazerShaman #/d509c9s
(Get rid of the spaces, add the little www and preceding URL thingies. [won't let me type it... why do links suck so much here?] If that doesn't work, just search LazerShaman on deviantArt, should be the only one.)
SuperDarthVader1 (Anon): I actually had (and I still do, don't know why everyone was bitching about the ending. Seemed alright to me, even if it was a bit vague. Though, now, the extended cut thingy is out, but I haven't done it yet.) Mass Effect on the brain, thinking of how Shepard had to build his team to defeat Saren, the Collectors, and the Reapers. (Well, he was trying to stop the Reapers the whole time, not just in ME3) As for Trixie… I've thought about it.
Flamesinger599: Write more? You want me to write more? *crosses arms over chest* I refuse.
Opal Rider: I do my best—to me, they didn't really see things from Gilda's point of view. (This might be me overanalyzing things, but whatever) I think that Gilda saw Pinkie as someone who wanted to steal Rainbow Dash from her, and as far as I can tell they were close. Gilda's way of coping with this was to get Pinkie out of the way, even if it took being… well, the way she was. However, I do think the stealing from Granny Smith was uncalled for. About Aidan; He's pretty much going to be… himself. Optimistic, random... you get the idea.
ShiningShadow1965: It's hard to accept that a person has changed, especially if they have hurt someone you care about. That's sort of what Twilight went through, and Rarity is liable to do the same. Off topic, but I read the last part of your review in Discord's voice. XD
Bearie: Yes, yes it did.
On with the story, then.
I awoke to sun in my eyes. Some 93 million miles away, and it still has perfect accuracy. Wait, not on Earth anymore. Right. Almost forgot about that. I sat up, rubbing my eyes.
"Sleep well?" Gilda was already awake, and was reading an ancient-looking book. I was surprised, but didn't say anything. She's definitely not the type that picks up a book and reads very often.
"No, but thanks for asking." I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
"About yesterday…" Gilda stood up and fully faced me. Her eyes were still puffy from last night.
"In the field?"
"Not a word. You hear me? Not a peep."
"Wasn't going to say anything about it anyways." This was true. She's obviously proud of her 'tough' façade, and isn't willing to let that go. She's a nice person, but she doesn't act like herself. Just wish she'd be the real Gilda instead of the mean one. "I was just thinking about what Celestia said last night. You know, the whole building a team thing?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know anyone around here. I'm supposed to recruit the six Elements of Harmony, and you're with me already. I'm not just gonna take a few guards. I want people who are capable, and I wasn't impressed with the soldiers who 'assisted' us."
"I wouldn't know anyone around here either, don't look at me." I laughed at her response, her pose was comical: raised arms, wide eyes.
"Got any gryphon friends that'd help?" Gilda's eyes immediately darkened. Bad question to ask.
"No. I don't." The silence between us was deafening. About five minutes later, I spoke up again.
"Well, if I don't know anyone, and you don't know anyone, I guess we'll have to go out and find someone. Should start with Applejack and Fluttershy." I scrawled a short note, for when Twilight woke up. In town. Don't know when will be back. Brian. I left it on the couch that I had slept on. "You coming with?" She crossed her arms.
"I don't think the town will be too happy to see me. No thanks."
"If you say so. If you change your mind, come find me." When I stepped out of [semi]darkness of the library, I had two things on my mind, Gilda the Gryphon and a way home. (A/N: Somebody better see what I did there. *cough cough* Ponyboy *cough cough*) I was thinking about Gilda, as I was worried about her. You can't suppress yourself for so long without some side-effects. It's taking a toll on her, and I need her at 100%. The murmur of the town around me kept me aware. I didn't want to hurt anyone with my size.
"… the green one? You know, the one wearing the cape? He was, like, so handsome!" I overheard a conversation from a group of gossiping mares sitting at a nearby table. This made me think of the mysterious stallion that had saluted me yesterday. Find him? Well… I do need all the help I can get.
"Excuse me?" As it turns out, the pink mare with the lily in her mane was part of the group, and gawked at me. I continued like I didn't notice her horrified stare. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Would you happen to know where he is?" Okay, she is seriously creeping me out now. Luckily, one of the others answered.
"Just saw him heading towards Sweet Apple Acres, you could probably catch him there!" … I have no clue where that is.
"Could you tell me how to get to there from here?" I felt pretty stupid asking for directions. Now I know why everyone is so reluctant to do so. Luckily, she didn't give me a hard time or anything.
"Sure! Just down this street, take the first street on the right. Once you get to Sugarcube Corner, take a left onto Mane Street and follow the road out of town."
"Thanks." As I set off, I heard them say something about me.
"Isn't he the human from the party?"
"DUH! He's the only human! Never really got a good look at him, he's kind of-" I didn't hear the last part, for I had turned around the corner.
I came across what I thought was Sugarcube Corner, as there was a building that resembled a gingerbread house. Taking a left, I started into a light jog. Feels good to run without threat of being a rotten egg or death. I chuckled at my own dry humor. Who knows? Maybe being an egg is worse than death. But isn't an egg a sign of new life? Wait, this is a rotten egg I'm talking about. Er… thinking about. I barely noticed that I was out of the town and on empty road again. I finally did notice when I ran head first into a tree branch, snapping me back to reality.
"Ow…" I look around again, and notice the red fruit hanging on the trees. Apples. More specifically, red delicious apples. With a few braeburn trees scattered around. It took me a moment to piece things together. Oh, right. Green pony. Got it. I break into a sprint now, focusing on catching him. Dunno how long I spent just running like that, but I need to get my ass in gear. Unfortunately for me, the trees were trimmed to about four feet above the ground, so limbs crashed into me often, or rather, I crashed into them. Eventually, the road gave way to a large clearing of land, and a hill rose up out of nowhere. I scanned the surrounding area. Huge, almost mountain-like hills surrounded the clearing. Where the hell did those come from? In the clearing laid a large, red barn and some other structures. A stand stood about fifteen feet away from me, the familiar in appearance but otherwise a stranger to me Applejack, and the dark green pony. I noticed now that he was wearing a cloak reminiscent of his color, covering most of his body. A collar hid his neck, and the most I could see was his hooves, his face, and his dark brown tail and mane. He still wore a wide brimmed hat, but I knew that it was no cowboy hat. It was intentionally pulled low, and kept the light off of his face, making him almost completely anonymous.
"… ya don't say? Well, thank ya kindly Mr…. uh…" I overheard, remembering the voice from my first night after meeting Twilight and Co. Hard to forget a voice like that. Especially with that accent. Cute. … what the hell did I just think? She was still wearing her hat, a detail from before forgotten until the current moment. That's strange. I don't forget things easily. The green pony took notice of her struggle, tipping his hat as he spoke.
"Trailblazer."
"Well Trailblazer, thank ya for stopping by."
"Not a problem." I decided now to make my presence known, using the green stallion's name.
"Trailblazer?" He turned to me, and I could barely make out a smirk beneath the shadow of his hat.
"Heard you coming, Brian." Trailblazer said, shocking me for a moment, but I retained my composure.
"I see you know my name." I was mildly amused. Not every day you get to feel like a celebrity.
"Who doesn't?" This made me brighten even more. It was my turn to smirk.
"Why do you say that?" I said, scratching my head.
"I don't know, maybe the fact that you're the only human on this planet with that name, at least as far as I know. Not to mention many ponies saw you slay the raven. You're famous for that." Hm. I don't like this. Not the attention, at least.
"That's flattering and all, but there's a reason I came for you." He shifted his weight, his body language suggesting surprise.
"You followed me for a reason?" Trailblazer's voice remained calm, the way it was before. His body language had still given off signs of surprise, though.
"I don't know if this is too much to ask or not, but here goes." I took a deep breath. I saw Applejack watching the scene with some amusement. "This goes for you too, Applejack." She gave a slight start at my words, but then nodded. "You obviously know that I defeated the raven monster." They both nodded. "Now imagine about a million of those. Except these are all different creatures. Bears, lions, dragons… let your imagination do the work." Applejack's eyes went wide. I realized she must've seen the guard dragging the body back to wherever, because I hadn't seen a camera yet. Or photographs, for that matter. Trailblazer remained the same.
"That's not even the worst part. They aren't even… well, they weren't like that to begin with. I've been told that they're 'infected.' I'm assuming this caused them to mutate into things like the raven. This also leads me to believe that they're being controlled by the Elders."
"Elders? What 'n tarnation are they?" Applejack asked. Trailblazer merely nodded. Aloof. Reminds me of me. Although, I have been considerably more talkative lately. I wonder if that's a good thing or not.
"They're… Well, I don't really know. All I know is that they're attacking us. And that's it." That's not true. You know more.
"So why are you approaching me about this?" Shoot, he got it.
"You… might not believe this one." I took another deep breath.
"Try us."
"… There's a prophecy. About a fallen angel. And these Elders. I think it's me." I paused. "Scratch that, I'm pretty damn sure it's me. Princess Celestia has told me to gather a team. I need you, Applejack." She gave me a strange look.
"Me? Why would ya need me? Ah'm just a farmpony."
"You are the Element of Honesty, are you not?" Applejack gave me another weird look, but this one was more out of surprise.
"Ah-Ah dunno what'cher talkin' about."
"… Princess Celestia told me. While politicians are total dickweeds on Earth, I'm taking a leap of faith and saying that she's not like that. Besides, Twilight Sparkle herself stood to agree with her. Yes, I know. You're also a terrible liar."
"Am not."
"Please, your inability to look me in the eye is enough of an indicator. And I can't forget about your stutter, or the fact that when you lied you immediately looked around to find a way to get away from me. Your body language was another clue, as you gave me an uneasy grin and tensed up."
"I'm impressed." Trailblazer mumbled from under his hat, very obviously observing my actions. Applejack shifted around again, then looked me in the eye, a look of defeat in her eyes.
"Fine. Ah'm the Element of Honesty. What's yer point?"
"I'm supposed to enlist the help of the Elements. Including you."
"And me? I didn't hear anything about a green stallion in there." Trailblazer butted in.
"Don't need a reason. I need all the help I can get. You seem capable." I faced him.
"I am capable. And I don't say that to be boastful, mind you."
"Action. Not words." I said firmly. He nodded and his cloak glowed, revealing a surprising item. Under his cloak lay what seemed to be the pony equivalent of an oak longbow, along with a quiver. He pulled the bow off of his back, pulling it up to his level. Trailblazer was now on his back two feet, and was just as tall as me. First of all, he just used magic, why is he holding it with his hooves, and second, how is he holding that without hands? That's not even possible! Oh wait, I'm in Equestria, where ponies rule the world, unicorns and pegasuses… pegasi… pegapeople… flying horses exist, and seemingly omnipotent creatures known as Elders threaten life as they know it. Why am I even surprised anymore? An arrow with dark brown and forest green fletching was pulled out of the quiver now, was knocked, and drawn to full strength. He looked over at Applejack.
"May I?"
"Go fer it." I now noticed that he was aiming at one of the trees. He released the arrow, a whistling sound breaking the silence. The arrow cut an apple off of the tree. The apple rebounded off the tree in an ridiculously cartoony way, and landed in my hand. Once again, physics appear to be in play about half the time here.
"Quite the shot. I think I'd like to see you hit a moving target, though."
"No problem." He's confident. Just have to hope it's the good type of confident, rather than cocky.
"I hope you're ready."
"Why wouldn't I—whoa!" I had thrown the apple into the air when he was talking, taking him by surprise. However, he recovered in that same instant, and the apple soon came to the ground. I looked at where it landed, and surely enough, the arrow had found its target.
"Nice recovery, but you're going to have to learn how to be more prepared. Scout motto, 'Be Prepared.' You'd do well to follow it. But, considering you'll be working with me, ."
"You'll take me?" He asked, his calm demeanor giving way to an incredulous one. I could easily read his face now that his hat was off.
"I don't see why I shouldn't. You seem like you want to do this." I offered a hand, which he took with his hoof. We shook, then he stepped back.
"I want to. No, I need to. The guard didn't cut it for me anymore." I cocked an eyebrow at this.
"You left the guard?"
"Sometimes you've got to do things outside of your comfort zone. They don't understand that there." I nodded, as I'd known the same feeling a few times before.
"Understandable. So, um, welcome to the team, population… uh… three."
"Make it four. Ah'll help ya. 'Sides, if ah didn't, and you lost, ah'm afraid there wouldn't be a farm to come back to. Don't have much of a choice." Applejack said tipping her own hat. What is with them and tipping their hats?
"When do I start?" Trailblazer asked.
"Now. But right now I've got other work to do. You live anywhere nearby?"
"Whitetail Wood. Look for the smoke, should be easy enough to see."
"You live in the woods? Damn, you are just like me." Did I just say that out loud? Luckily, he just chuckled.
"You too? And I thought I was the only one. Other than that one zebra, Zecora, I think." We both laughed.
"Yeah, I know that feel. I'll contact you when I need you. If you need to find me, look for me in town, or at the library."
"Will do… er… Brian." I noticed his hesitation.
"Cat got your tongue?" I said, almost teasingly.
"No sir. I mean, no Brian. Just used to referring to rank. Nothing serious."
"I don't mind. Anyways, I've got work to do. I'll talk to you later, Trailblazer. You too, Applejack."
"Goodbye Chief—er… Brian."
"Seeya later Brian!"
It was now about noon, and I was back in town. I stopped by Carousel Boutique to see if Rarity needed any help. I don't know how much time I've got until the princess sends me anywhere… doesn't mean I shouldn't help out Rarity. Also have to ask her about recruitment. I pushed open the door, and was greeted by a gentle ringing of bells.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and—oh, it's you." She had been working at her sewing machine. I chuckled at her reaction.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." I thought for a moment before continuing. She was working. I interrupted. Great… "Uh… is it a bad thing? 'Cause I don't want to bother you or anything."
"Oh no, not at all dear. Just had a WONDERFUL idea for a new line. You see-" I cut her off with my hand, not really wanting to hear the details.
"I'm glad to hear that, but I was actually wondering if you've got any work for me to do?" She thought about it for a moment. Please have something to do. I need to keep occupied, otherwise I'll probably do something stupid.
"No, nothing at the moment. I would like to finish the dress I was working on, but thanks for stopping by!" I hate forcing myself to stay when she's trying to work, but I have to ask her about joining the team. Then again, she doesn't really have a choice. I snapped myself out of my thoughts.
"I'm sorry to keep you from getting back to work, but there's one more thing I have to ask you." She turned around with a bit of a smile, which she lost when she saw my serious face.
"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow. Wait, how does she raise one eyebrow if she doesn't even have any? Seriously, what is this—Oh, yeah. Magic. Dammit.
"Princess Celestia visited Twilight, Gilda, and I last night."
"Whatever for?"
"About the Elders. You know, the big, mean, raven that kept Dash and I in a cave for five days? The same one that almost killed one of us…" I paused to count on my fingers, but gave up. "… it doesn't matter how many times, but you get the idea. That wasn't even an Elder."
"You're pulling my leg, right?"
"No. I'm not. It was only under Elder control. I'm assuming you can figure out the rest."
"There's more than that one. In fact, there could be hundreds, or thousands of them! Oh my, this is horrible! Of all things that could have possible happened, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING." I watched the rant, as she dramatically fell back onto a couch-thing that appeared out of nowhere. Where did that even come from? More magic?
"Yeah. It is." I chose my next words carefully. Psh. Fairly obvious she enjoys the drama, might as well let her enjoy it. "But don't lose hope." Rarity opened her eyes and gave me a curious look. "We can fight them. I have to fight them, and I'm sure I can win. The Elements of Harmony are needed to fight them." I pointed at her. "You. You can fight them." She looked appalled.
"Me? Fighting? But I'm just a fashionista! What can I do?"
"I know you're the element of generosity, Rarity. And I'm taking a leap of faith in saying this, but I need all six of the elements to help, otherwise it doesn't have as much of an effect. I don't have any other choice than to do this. I have to fight. Odds are, fate brought me here TO fight." Flattery? Flattery. "You've got an eye for detail, I see. That's something I need." Another one, that is. Great, now I'm flattering myself. "Not only that, but your magic would come in handy as well." She was blushing slightly at my compliments. Let's use the 'friend's already doing it' card.
"Twilight's already doing it." It was, at this point, that Rarity was considering doing it. She had cocked her head in thought. I saw a few books on a shelf towards the back of the shop and recognized the title of the mushy romance novel I had partially read in the library. "And…" I let myself trail off, smirking slightly. Let's hope this works.
"And what?" She tilted her head even more.
"Andthere'."
"What was that? I'm sorry dear, but you're going to have to slow down a bit."
"There's a stallion who will be helping me. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Well, there's one way to alienate the only male you've seen here. If this works, that is. Although, judging by the way her eyes just got stars in them, I think it did.
"Really? What is he like? I hope he's not like Blue-"
"Up-up-up! Will you help me to fight?"
"Of course! I was going to help you from the beginning, dear! I just wanted to hear all the perks… er, perk, that comes with it! And-" She looked at me with half-lidded eyes. So that's what a sultry look looks like. She's like this, and yet, she hasn't even met Trailblazer. "I have to say that it sounds like a wonderful bonus."
"Uh… maybe I shouldn't have said anything about Trailblazer." Her eyes shot back open, pupils the size of pinpricks.
"Trailblazer? He's working with you?" … And there goes the neighborhood.
"Is there a problem?"
"No! Oh nonononononono! That's wonderful news! I haven't seen him in years! I don't believe I've talked to him since we were filly and colt! I wonder how he is…" She paused and gave me a strange look. "Why would you ever think there was a problem, dear?" Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you were shocked out of your calm state at the mere mention of his name?
"Well, the way you… nevermind. Are you sure there's no work to be done? Anything about the armor?" I asked, remembering how she had accepted the job of making it.
"Yes, I'm sure, no, I have not received the metals to even begin production." Damn. At least she's joining the fight. So that's… three elements, two others, and myself. I looked out the window to see that there was about an hour of sunlight left. I should start heading back to the library.
"… okay. Can you give me a heads-up when you do get the material? I'd like to help you with it. Well, I'd like to help you in any way I can."
"Absolutely." We stood there awkwardly. I looked down at my feet for a moment. Shit, this is weird. Uh… what was I going to say..? Oh yeah, go back to library, sleep, continue recruitment, rinse and repeat until I have as many ponies/people/sentient beings as I need, or are called into action.
"I should let you get back to work. You know where to find me."
"Oh no, it wasn't a problem at-" I was already out the door. I hate goodbyes. I'm so bad with them. I think I preferred leaving home for the first time, it's not like I had to kiss Mom before I left. Heh, if I kissed Mom I'd probably suffocate from her breath alone.
"Thanks Rarity!" I called over my shoulder as I began the walk back to the tree-brary.
"So… you're saying we gotta read up on these things? Like, studying? Do you even know me?" A tomboyish voice came from the library. I wasn't too far away now, in fact, I was within ten yards of it.
"Gilda, be reasonable. We're not going to learn how to stop the infected creatures if we don't know about them! I mean, sure, there's probably not much about-" … I get no more than twenty feet away from the library and I can hear Twilight and Gilda arguing.
"Trial by fire."
"Which doesn't always work! Besides, we have already fought infected animals."
"By we, I think you mean me, Dash, and Brian have already fought them."
"You don't understand! I fought one too! In fact, Brian would be dead if I didn't!" Ouch, right in the ego. I owe her my life on more than one occasion, two if I'm keeping track. "You need to see that we need to focus on the absolutes!" By now I was posted up against the door of the library and was listening in. I'm liking Gilda's approach more and more, but the 'trial by fire' thing isn't gonna work too well. Twilight's right in that we're going to have to take risks—but I'm damn well going to make sure that it's not in vain. There was a lull here, and I assumed that Gilda was formulating a response.
"And there are none." I opened the door, speaking as I came in. As it turns out, the scene was much how I thought it was. Gilda and Twilight were on opposite ends of a table, stacks of books on either end. Spike (I didn't know his name at that point in time, as we had never been introduced properly.) remained behind Twilight, half quivering in fear, half quivering in anger. Poor guy.
"You both fail to understand what kind of shit we're dealing with here. Mostly with chances. You," I pointed at Gilda. "need to learn that these are calculated risks. If it comes down to something where we are in a dangerous situation we are NOT going to throw lives away. And you," My hand now pointed to Twilight. "need to know that we're going to have to take chances in the first place. It will happen. This isn't like math, there isn't always the same way to solve a problem to get the same answer. But like math, there's a different answer to every problem- and a different way to solve it." Nice one with the student-esque simile, me. Pat on the mental back. Why am I talking to myself in my head? How am I even doing this in the very short time that I have before I continue? Why am I not thinking about what to say next? What the hell is the author thinking? "Do you understand?" A short nod from both ended the conversation.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the balcony. If you need something, that's where I'll be. If not, goodnight." With that, I climbed the stairs and laid down on the aforementioned balcony. Where to even begin…
Gilda is obviously going to have problems with the other members of the team—at least all members that have met her before, which all happen to be elements of harmony. The prior offense against the elements, which I still haven't heard the full story on, will be a cause of mistrust between them. I believe the only way to mitigate (at the very least) the damage is to solve the problem.
I don't know how to approach others about joining the team—especially Fluttershy. I mean, Pinkie Pie is the element of laughter... and is kind of out-there. Scratch that, she's freaking insane. Beserker? ... maybe, but might crack under pressure. May be a problem if in survival situation. Rainbow Dash might be pretty hard to get considering she still has some problems with Gilda. May also have problem listening- that's assuming I take leadership role. Hit and run tactic would work well with her. But Fluttershy... from what I've learned, she's definitely not fighting material. We can't exactly weaponize adorable-ness, now can we?
Did I just think that? … The overall girliness of the talking, pastel-colored ponies is getting to me.
…
Moving on.
While the stare she gave me when I made my bad first impression was… out of character, to say the least, it was effective. Granted, we're not going to hold down the Elders, whatever the hell they are, and give them a stern lecture about trying to kill everybody in the world. Gah, I can't even say that! I don't even know why they're trying to kill us. If I could get my hands on the poetry book that Twilight found the prophecy in, maybe I could—
"Brian? Are you awake?" Speak of the devil. My thoughts were interrupted by the unicorn librarian, standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, I'm awake. Did you need something?"
"I should be asking you that. You are my guest." Dammit, I'm overstaying my welcome, aren't I? Er… I'll work that out tomorrow.
"I guess." An awkward silence passed in a moment. Uhh… think of something to say. Goddamn my lack of ability in keeping a conversation going. "But seriously, did you need me?"
"Well, I don't need you... I was sort of curious-" I took a wild guess at what she was about to say and interrupted.
"About me? About Earth?" She nodded.
"Not much to tell. At least, not much more than you already know."
"I was actually going to start off with something that you're looking at right now." What I'm looking at right now. Trees, stars, the sky, her…
"No, we don't have unicorns or pegasi. Just normal ponies, and they aren't every color imaginable, nor are they sentient beings. They don't talk, which partly explains why I ran away from you when I first arrived."
"That's not what I was going to ask." I cocked one eyebrow at this. "… Okay, maybe it was one of my questions. But that's beside the point. I was going to ask about the sky, and the weather, and… I'm babbling, aren't I?"
"Yes, yes you are. But the sky? What about the sky?"
"Is it like ours?"
"In the way of stars? Not at all. The only thing that is remotely close to Earth's stars is the Big Dipper and the moon."
"What about the weather?"
"As far as I can tell everything's the same—besides the fact that you can control your weather. We can't do that, and it's probably better that way."
"Why would it be better that way?"
"I already told you that Earth's a messed up place, right?"
"You did."
"Well, by messed up, I mean seriously screwy. We are forever at war with each other, murder numbers go up every year… it's bad. I mean, look at me! I'm a thirteen year old guy whose father died when I was just seven, which in turn caused my mother to turn to alcoholism. Eventually she ended up taking out her pain on me, and I chose to run away from my problems when I was nine. I'd been living alone in the forest for FOUR YEARS before getting dumped here. The sad part is that there is even more kids like me, who can't run away. There's kids who turn to drugs, join gangs, and end up dead because of it. There have even been shootings at schools! Teens who are just so sick of everything they bring a gun to school and take pot-shots at their classmates and friends! And that's not even the beginning." Another minute of silence fell on us, but this time, it was because we had nothing to say.
"But then—I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"How could you say that? I mean, from what you've just described, that's horrible! Why would you want to go back there?"
"Because it's my home. This," I pulled my arm from behind my head and gestured around me. "is a wonderful place, and I wish Earth could be this peaceful. This is a true utopia—but it doesn't make up for the fact that I don't belong here. It's not where I belong. There's a saying, 'Home is where the heart is.' My heart isn't here. It's on Earth. That's how I know I don't belong here."
"… You don't really mean that, do you?"
"I do. I really only talked about the bad back home. There's good, more than you could ever imagine. As long as there's good in the world, we'll get by." As long as there are people in the world, there's good in it. "My friends… er… friend, is still back there. If I stayed here and deserted her, what kind of person would I be?"
"Not a good one."
"Exactly. To betray your friends is to lose them, and I'm not losing them."
"Can I ask you something that may or may not be personal?" May or may not be personal, huh? Let's see what's on your mind.
"Shoot."
"You, uh, used the feminine pronoun 'her' so I was wondering if you misspoke?"
"No, I didn't."
"So… is she your mare-friend?" Mare-friend? She must mean girlfriend.
"The word you're looking for is 'girlfriend', and no, she's not. Even if she was, I'd probably do something to screw our relationship up."
"Oh." Her eyes shifted towards the door again, and I could tell she was trying to think of something to say to leave.
"Go ahead and leave, that is, if you're done."
"Thank you." I was alone. Alone again… I sighed. Now where was I…
"Hey Brian." Or not. Gilda had dropped onto the balcony from a branch above. "I was wondering when she'd leave."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I was going to force her."
"So what's her name?" She probably means Cordelia.
"You're very up-front, I'll give you that. It's Cordelia."
"And you're not dating?"
"No, we're not. Like I said, assuming you overheard this, even if she was my girlfriend I'd mess things up."
"I was gonna say, you don't seem like the kind of guy that would be dating girls right now." She said in a tone I couldn't quite recognize. Somewhat of a joking voice, but there's a slight quiver to it as well. Is she nervous about talking to me? I chuckled quietly and smiled at her.
"I'm not gay, if that's what you're implying." She blushed and began to stutter. Okay, seriously, how does she blush through white feathers? Are they really just see-through, or does blood run through her feathers somehow? It's funny, really, how before I would've totally dismissed that idea, but now it's like anything is possible.
"That's not- I wasn't saying- I didn't mean to"
"I know, I'm just messing with you."
"I'm… er…"
"No need. You're right, though. To be honest, I've had the 'crushes' here and there throughout my life, but nothing serious. I've always had a bigger problem to worry about, or I was too young." I said, interrupting her. "Just look at the current situation. There's a few important things that may or may not decide my personal destiny and the end of this world. Number one on this list is the Elders. If what we've seen so far are only mere possessions of them, God knows how powerful they may be. I don't even know how many of them there are—we're walking into the unknown with this whole thing. Maybe whoever's working on the raven's corpse will find something useful, or maybe we'll all just die tomorrow. I'm trying my best to look on the bright side, but the odds of our survival," I made eye contact with the gryphon. "are about a million to one." I broke eye contact and gazed up at the stars.
"Granted, we don't know specifics yet, so I can't make that assumption. I'm basing that on what I have seen, and that's the inability of the guards here in Ponyville, or, at the very least, their lack of weapons and training. I also don't know how the "team" is going to perform under stress."
"Did anyone new join? Or are we gonna end up dead because we can't get anyone to help?" she asked.
"Funny that you should ask. Another element of harmony, and a former guard."
"Thought you said the guards' skills were lame."
"They were." I rolled my eyes.
"Then why would you get some old one?"
"Not that old. He proved he could sharpshoot with a bow."
"Anything beyond that?"
"Frankly, he's better than most of our options."
"Well, duh, the ponies are pansies when it comes to fighting. Mostly just 'run away and hope it gets someone else' or 'let's try and befriend it!'."
"Not entirely true. Rainbow fought the raven, the guard, while failing to do anything to hurt it, offered us protection during the battle, and Twilight Sparkle killed a giant beetle under Elder possession. Saved my life, I owe her two of them now. I just hope I can repay her."
"You mean to tell me that the lame librarian saved YOUR life, not only once, but twice?"
"Yes, and I'd watch yourself. That same librarian is sheltering you until I can find a way to become self-sufficient." Did I make the right choice in saying that? … that was a right versus wrong choice- and I know I made the right one. A silence fell upon us, as Gilda was interpreting what I had just said.
"Wait, you mean," I interrupted her sentence, knowing exactly what she was about to say.
"You said you were kicked out of your house. By family, I'm assuming." Her reaction confirmed this. "You're not going back to the forest."
"I can't let you," I cut her off again. Note to self, stop interrupting people.
"You can't let me what? Offer you a home once I have one of my own? Gilda, I left my own home, not because I was forced, but because if I had stayed, I very well may have been killed. I know you didn't have a choice, and I did. But I what kind of person would I be if I didn't allow you to get back on your feet?
Look, I don't know how long I'm going to be here. I don't know if we're going to die doing this. Those 'things' were hard as hell to kill. Like I said before, it's unlikely we'll survive, at least in my opinion. But if either of us deserves to live more, it's you."
"But… why? I think we both know that in movies the gryphon dies first." They have movies here? And yet, they don't have—nevermind, saw an arcade. Perhaps they have radios, walkie-talkies, or something. Sure would help communication if in any combat situation. … Must remain on track, conversation top priority at moment.
"Does that matter? That's a movie. This is the real life." Or is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide… NO STAY ON TARGET! "Your race doesn't matter. What matters is who you are."
"But I'm just a mean old bully to the scaredy-ponies."
"That was then. This is now. The past is the past, now you have to look towards the future. I'm not asking you to change yourself. You be who you want to be. But I will give my opinion on the matter.
You are…. Special. We all are. You see the stars up in the sky? Every one of those is different. Every. Single. One. It's almost like snowflakes, but we don't melt in a matter of seconds. We leave a legacy. We leave something to be remembered by. Those stars leave their light. Somewhere in this universe, there's a star for you. Somewhere in my universe, there's a star for me. Our stars outshine the ones around them—and those dim ones are like our hidden talents, the parts of us that never show. I believe that there's a part of you that you just won't show to anyone else. It's not only your sensitivity, but your kindness. You can be as nice as anyone around here, you've just got an edge. Being nice, showing kindness, and letting on a little sensitivity can't take that edge. There's nothing wrong with it. In conclusion, let me ask you this, and I want you to think about it." Gilda nodded once, twice, then my brown eyes met her gold eyes.
"Do you want to be remembered as that mean old gryphon, because that's who you made yourself out to be, or do you want to be remembered as who you really are, as Gilda?"
*whispering so as to not kill the moment* review... pony... on...
-LazerShaman