- >>You have gotten by only because of Fluttershy
- >>She doesn't know it, but you are broke. Poverty stricken. You have no money
- >>It is all you can do to keep a roof over your head
- >>All of your bits for food have been redirected to this singular goal
- >>You have failed to hunt that chicken, but at least you got a salad
- >>Your stomach rumbles
- >>You refuse to actually ask anyp0ny for help
- >>That's not the kind of person Anonymous is
- >>You bang on the door to a ramshackle shed on the outskirts of P0nyville
- Jack
- >>No answer
- >>Knock again
- Jack, we need to talk
- >>The door creaked open, and out popped the head of a fully grown horse
- >>He angled his head low, swishing it left and right before he pulled you in with a hoof
- >>The door shut behind you
- >>The warehouse was dark, save for a few beams of light from the windows
- >>You could see the dust particles as they went in and out of the light
- >>To the back of the room was a round table occupied by five steeds
- >>They were playing cards
- >>You knew them all by name
- >>They were your work associates
- >>As you walk in, they silently greet you with sinister smiles before returning to their game
- >>Jack steps in front of you
- >>“What're ya, crazy? Don't use my stage name out there!”
- >>You hold up your hands, motioning him to calm down
- >>But he just leans in further
- >>“Ever since that little incident of yer's, the guard has been all over us like roaches! If they find me, they'll toin me to hamboigah!”
- >>The other ponies look up in interest at the conversation, laying down their respective hands
- >>Or 'hooves,' as the case is here
- >>“This the guy, boss?”
- >>One of them spoke up
- >>“Yeah, yeah. This'ere's Pug. He's the guy who massacred dat chump, William.”
- >>Pug was your stage name in the fight stage
- >>It was short for 'pugilist'
- What I wanted to talk to you about
- >>Jack raised an eyebrow at you.
- >>He stood tall, and he was one of those business man types
- >>Fast talker, shrewd
- I'm broke. I need to fight again.
- >>Jack sneered and shook his head
- >>“Sorry, kid. It ain't in the'cards.”
- >>Funny. His cutie mark was a hand of cards and a pair of dice
- >>Yeah, he was definitely your former manager, alright.
- >>“See, ever since that story about William the Conqueror being killed, all of our fight spots are under close watch. This town's dried up. The circuit is skipping Ponyville.”
- >>You are disheartened
- >>“The guys an' I are gonna get heading to the next city, see? Rebuild our little shindig there.”
- >>You open your mouth
- >>A hoof jabs into your chest
- >>“NO”
- >>The other ponies get up from their seats and meander towards you and Jack
- >>“Look, kid. You're a loose cannon. No manager in his right mind'll take ya. Too risky.”
- >>All these ponies who participated in the fight circuit did so for the same reason you did. They couldn't get jobs elsewhere
- >>You effectively destroyed their livelihoods
- >>The guilt builds
- >>Another one of the stallions speaks up
- >>“Yeah! Why'd you have to do that, for? What, was one gallon of blood not enough for ya? Had to go for two?”
- >>You cringe
- >>You still have not forgiven yourself for that day
- >>That life you took
- >>And you know for damn sure that Twilight hasn't
- >>That woman has been nothing but a sister to you
- >>She housed you, taught you the world, helped you determine right and wrong
- >>And even now she protects you. She hasn’t told any of your friends about it
- >>She doesn't talk to you anymore
- >>She doesn't want to associate herself with a murderer
- >>A hoof jabbing your chest wakes you up
- >>“Sorry, Kid. You were good. Real good. Good money maker, too. You fought like no one else in Equestria. You had the moves that made the crowd go wild. But ya weren't the best, and now yer' washed up!”
- >>Your spirits drained. This was your last hope for income
- >>You can't do anything else that ponies can't do better
- >>You can't even read their language
- >>“...We had a really good thing going here, Pug”
- >>Jack spoke up again
- >>“But you're out of the game. What's stopping you from telling the guards where we are?”
- >>The other stallions close in on you
- Wait, wait
- >>You plead, holding your hands at chest height
- >>“Sorry, Pug. Say 'hi' to William for me when you get to Tartarus.”
- >>One of the other fighter ponies turned and hit you with a fully drawn buck in the stomach, causing you to fly into the wall
- >>The bang rattles your brain case, knocks you for a loop
- >>You try to get up, but your ribcage is busted
- >>In the ring with draft horses such as these, you were a glass cannon
- >>You could never afford to take too many hits
- >>And you just did
- >>You manage to crawl up to your feet, your right hand holding your side where a shreiking pain is restricting your movement
- >>You look up
- >>Hoof to the face
- >>Your head rocks back, lashing forward on the rebound only to get clocked by another, right in the eye
- >>You can't even track their movements
- >>Vision becomes wobbly
- >>You feel like you're going to vomit
- >>And you do
- >>Blood
- >>Your footing drifts, you helplessly sway and try to regain your footing, using your momentum to try and escape
- >>But it just leads you to another one of the unforgiving steeds
- >>A hoof hooks around your shoulder and pulls you into a headbutt, which you were not ready to accept
- >>Your ancestors are rattled
- >>Pegasus ponies hit like wimps, Unicorns were glass cannons who relied on their telekinesis to fight for them in most cases, or a good charge
- >>But these were earth ponies
- >>If you feared anything in the ring, it was an earth pony
- >>Another headbutt rattled your brain case, and you stumbled back
- >>In fact, you nearly lost your balance and fell back
- >>But you were nailed by a full draw buck right in your spine
- >>You fly forward and land on your head
- >>That is it. You're done.
- >>Celestia, thou hast forsaken your servant
- >>A hoof rests on your head
- >>“So long, Pug”
- >>The pressure increases
- >>They're going to execute you by crushing your skull
- >>You now appreciate the pain you lived off of
- >>Just before your lights go out, the window breaks
- >>“Hey!”
- >>There is a racket
- >>“Hold on, Anon!”
- >>Some sort of rough tussle
- >>But you can't look to see what is going on
- >>Consciousness escapes you
- >>Syncope takes over
- >>A dim blue glow fills your consciousness as your eyes crease open
- >>You groan
- >>Suddenly the pain comes back to you, and you flinch
- >>But that only causes your ribs to scream in pain
- >>Where are you?
- >>You panic
- Huh?! Ugn! No!
- >>You scrape and flail, but it is no use
- >>Your body is restrained in bandages and casts
- >>“Shhh”
- >>You slowly calm yourself
- >>“Anon, calm down”
- >>You take stock of your situation
- >>You're in a hospital
- >>It's night
- >>A look to your right reveals Twilight looking down at you
- >>Before you can say anything, she lowers a purple hoof to your mouth
- >>You look at her inquisitively
- >>She removes her hoof and points to your opposite side
- >>You look over, and Dash is in just as bad of condition as you are
- >>Fast asleep
- >>You hastily look over to Twilight and mouth 'What happened?'
- >>“She was looking for you after her shift and found you right when you went in to that building”
- >>“She was watching through the windows”
- >>“She saw the whole thing”
- >>You turned your head to the sleeping Cyan angel
- >>“She saved you, Anon”
- >>She was willing to fight off a half dozen fighting stallions to rescue you?
- >>What a bro
- >>What a fucking bro
- >>But it did leave some questions
- >>You look back to Twilight, then
- She is so hurt, though. How...?
- >>“Applejack was in the neighborhood and carried you both here”
- >>You cringe
- >>Twilight rolls her eyes
- >>“She didn't do anything, Anon. Said it wouldn't be honest if she took you unconscious”
- >>You look down the length of your body
- >>You recall the letter from Applejack a while ago. It said the same thing when she floored you that one time
- >>“She also said that she owes it to a good friend”
- >>You then remember her last rape attempt, where you talked her down by using the 'F' word. 'Friend.'
- By Celestia
- >>Your voice is a whisper. Your lungs fluctuating brings you pain
- >>You cringe
- >>“Yeah, well,”
- >>Twilight speaks up
- >>“You deserved this. Rainbow didn't.”
- I'm so sorry
- >>“Yeah, you are”
- >>You wince
- >>Twilight walks away from you, her hooves clopping against the cold ground of the hospital
- >>She stops and looks at the sleeping Rainbow
- >>Twilight shakes her head and continues, letting her head hang low
- >>She leaves and closes the door behind her
- >>Why didn't you say anything?
- >>What could you say?
- >>What could you do?
- >>Celestia's purpose for you was twisted
- >>For a moment you reasoned that she has forsaken you
- >>But, ultimately, you have no one to blame but yourself for how things turned out
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The Story That Never Was - Chapter 12
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