/jacky/ IF Scenario G: Growing Wings


                                            "Hey Prism, I'm back."

                                            >"Welcome back, Anonymous."

                                            "Got groceries in the hallway still, gimme a hand?"

                                            >You bought enough food and toiletries to last for the next season or two

                                            >The pegasus is rather quiet at times but she does enjoy keeping stock of things

                                            >She doesn't look like it but she stresses easy

                                            >From what you know, she has mentioned that in the past she had to keep track of every scrap of food she had

                                            >A little odd since she came out of a box

                                            >But you have no reason to call her a liar

                                            >After putting everything up, both of you head to the balcony

                                            >She likes being outside

                                            >You've never seen her fly though

                                            >Whenever you ask about it, she gets nervous

                                            "Today's a good day out."

                                            >"It is. Even though it's more evening."

                                            >She's been around for a while now

                                            >She wasn't what you were expecting when you were looking for a Celestia pony

                                            >You were kinda wondering, if you did get a unicorn, if she would actually know magic or not

                                            "So you feel like sharing any more stories?"

                                            >"You really think they're just stories?"

                                            >She doesn't sound insulted

                                            >Surprised, maybe

                                            "Well, no. If you say they're from your past, I have no reason to believe that you would lie to me. Weirder things have happened, right?"

                                            >She scoffs

                                            >A playful smile grows on her sly face

                                            >"How courteous of you. And here I thought you were just another oafish man."

                                            >She reseats herself, her wings fidgeting

                                            >"So. This one time, Jacky and I were planning on stealing from a food bank."

                                            "A place where they freely give out food, presumably."

                                            >"Quiet, you."

                                            >She pauses

                                            >"...and yes."

                                            >You chuckle

                                            >"We were young. Really even among children we had the most warped morals. 'What wasn't ours could be', 'trust no one else', 'friends lie'..."

                                            >Her face sours for not even a full second

                                            >"I taught her these things, you see. I... I really don't remember when it started."

                                            >She gives you a side glance

                                            >"You have to understand. I thought I was doing a good thing. And I was. It kept strangers from taking us away. It kept us safe. It kept us... together."

                                            "Yeah. You've told me about her before."

                                            >She used to go on and on about this 'Jacky' character

                                            >Her name, Faint Prism, was on her box

                                            >She insisted that she was called something else but she couldn't remember what

                                            >And no matter in what way you ask, she never has an answer for what 'Jacky' stands for

                                            >You've stopped asking

                                            >"Mmm... so. Anyway. We got some... unicorn. Some little runt. We used to work with her on bigger things."

                                            "Yeah, I remember."

                                            >"So... we had a plan. I get attention, the runt finds her way to the biggest stores, and Jacky loads up things in a few sacks we made."

                                            >She clicks her tongue

                                            >And smiles

                                            >"Only I know what's going on... so I act surprised and buy Jacky time to run off. And the little runt gets the bulk of the attention."

                                            >She inhales, smiling like she's proud of herself

                                            >"I know how to act so, obviously, I play defense after when it comes to splitting up what we got."

                                            "Huh. You're a bit of a bitch. You know that?"


                                            >"I kept Jacky fed, she still had someone she could call a friend to play without, outside of myself, and neither of them found out. Call me what you want, I got results."

                                            >This defiant tone of hers is iron tight

                                            "Right. 'Friends lie', right?"

                                            >She doesn't reply immediately

                                            >"I was far more than her friend. I was her sister. Her protector."

                                            "She kept you going."

                                            >"Yes. And I would gladly, even now, sell you out so I could see her again."

                                            >If there's one thing you actually do appreciate in her, it's her honesty

                                            >You smile

                                            >You listen to the evening birds and watch a pair of squirrels duke it out over something on the side of a tree

                                            "You really think she's out there?"

                                            >"Of course I do."

                                            "Why don't you go find her?"

                                            >You get some almost sadistic glee out of asking her this

                                            >Every time you ask, she answers differently

                                            >It feels like, if you were less selfish, it could almost be treated like a karmic stab

                                            >"Because I need a human to do anything in this world. And you're it."

                                            >That's new

                                            "Why not find someone else?"

                                            >"You tolerate me. I tolerate you. You don't call me crazy to my face and I know you have a vehicle."

                                            "And because I bought you?"

                                            >She scoffs

                                            >"You can't be proud of buying something that has no value on it's own."

                                            >She sounds bitter

                                            >But you know it's not at you personally

                                            >From what you've learned about her, the vast bulk of her life has been one big shit show

                                            >And now she's been plopped into your life with no compass, map or sister

                                            "So what if I did help you?"

                                            >"What could you possibly want in return?"

                                            "What do you possibly have that I could want?"

                                            >She grimaces

                                            >"Do you think she remembers me, Anonymous? Truly, genuinely remembers?"

                                            "How could she forget you? You certainly can't seem to forget about her."

                                            >You stretch in the middle of your shrug

                                            "But she sounds like she had a cinderblock for a head so... who knows. If she valued making friends half as much as you claim, she wouldn't forget about family."

                                            >You snort

                                            "I haven't. Even if they aren't family anymore."

                                            >She seems satisfied by your answer

                                            >"You would have liked her. She actually was smarter, when she was younger. But sometimes, I... did keep her from wandering off. Schools, churches. Places like that asked too many questions."

                                            >She doesn't sound bothered in the least

                                            >"It was important to me that no one would take her away. So. I just made sure she wasn't going too far. That she didn't let her 'friends' deceive her."

                                            "Ahhh... now I see the 'friends lie' bit."

                                            >"Yes."

                                            "That's fucked."

                                            >She smirks like she's happy with your reaction

                                            >But it falters

                                            >"Tell me, Anonymous. Would you keep someone with you and happy even if it cost them opportunities that carried no promise of reward and had real dangerous risk?"

                                            "Are you trying to get me to agree that what you did wasn't that bad?"

                                            >It falters more

                                            >"Answer the question already."


                                            "Me, as I am now? No. I'd let them make their own mistakes. If they come to regret it, the full weight is on their shoulders and their failings will always be for them to suffer and bear."

                                            >You pause

                                            "...I mean, that's what you want me to say, right? To make it feel better for you?"

                                            >She leers at you

                                            "I would let them make their own choice but I'd help out where I could. If I really cared, I would help. Because that's all you can do, right? Let someone know that you're trying to control them and it's only going to end poorly."

                                            >"Even if it's for the best?"

                                            >She sounds incredulous

                                            "Absolutely. I'm some random fucking nobody on some cheaply-built building I so boldly call 'home'. And you're some feathered talking horse that makes me think that you'd work well in a slasher movie more than a buddy cop flick."

                                            >You playfully nudge her shoulder with a fist

                                            "What makes either of us so worthwhile that we can claim to know what is right for ourselves? Much less someone else."

                                            >You shake your head

                                            "Say if you did let her go to school more, or helped her out. Say she stopped living in that little gutter like you were doing. Would you be happy?"

                                            >You've prodded around the idea a few times but rarely do you take jabs are deeper topics

                                            >As critical as she is, she can sure take it

                                            >It reminds you of that saying about steel sharpening steel

                                            >"Are you trying to tell me I wouldn't be happy to see her succeed?"

                                            "If you would be, why would you feel the need to stop it?"

                                            >She has no immediate answer

                                            >"Tell me, I know I'm your only friend but is that because you chase off everyone else you know?"

                                            "No, it's because I'm the type of guy to buy a talking pony from some stupid website that is probably stealing resources from my CPU to mine crypto as we speak."

                                            >You feel emboldened

                                            "More so, I bought said talking pony with the vanilla wafer-thin fantasy that I'll have a friend to magically get along and spend my time with, becoming true friends over time to celebrate victories and embrace defeats over."

                                            >Neither of you speak

                                            >It sounds dire

                                            >But almost every time the both of you speak for any prolonged period of time it turns to petty insults or deeper, biting tears

                                            >But every single time that happens

                                            >Neither of you hold it personally to one another

                                            >An hour passes at least

                                            "So, anything in the freezer you've been wanting?"

                                            >"Those oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwiches..."

                                            "Are your favorite. That's why I got you a four-pack."

                                            >You can see her smile

                                            >"You're stupid if you think you'll ever get affection out of me through petty bribes."

                                            "Fuck off, I can be nice if I like."

                                            >"And so chivalrous too, when speaking to a lady..."

                                            "Who's a lady, talking white horse that had issues with the toilet?"

                                            >That gets her flustered

                                            >"H-how dare you?!"


                                            >Finally, after all of this it takes just that to win

                                            >That makes you feel satisfied

                                            >More silence

                                            >If you had a lamp you'd have some sort of light

                                            >As of now, the sun goes down with nothing but the waning sky to keep things visible

                                            "You know, I gotta wonder. Do you ever honestly think-"

                                            >"The answer is no, Anonymous."

                                            "You never honestly think? Shocker."

                                            >"We aren't friends, Anonymous."

                                            >Before, when you tried being nicer, you really did want her to be your friend

                                            >You kinda don't mind this either

                                            >You guess

                                            "Yeah... I guess so."

                                            >Both of you watch the sun fade

                                            >Friends lie

                                            >You don't actually think that she's ever actually lied to you since you got her

                                            >You haven't lied to her

                                            >Before you weren't always to starkly honest

                                            >But you weren't lying either

                                            >Eventually, the moon rises

                                            >A new moon

                                            >Instead of fixing dinner, or a snack, or doing some sort of activity, the both of you just watch the night in silence

                                            >Like the company itself is what's really sustaining you

                                            >It's far better than being alone

                                            >Isn't it?

                                            "Hey Prism."

                                            >"Anonymous."

                                            >Your tongue feels around the front of your teeth for a few minutes

                                            "Find a way to get a few hundred bucks without getting caught by the end of next week."

                                            >"And why would I do that?"

                                            >She sounds amused

                                            "Because if you can show you aren't some useless eye candy. Then I guess we'll have no reason to not track down this Jacky of yours."

                                            >Her head spins to face you

                                            >Even in the dark she looks like you stabbed her with a knife

                                            >"Anonymous. I swear, if you..."

                                            >You aren't phased

                                            "Find the money, and we'll go see if we can find her. If you fail, you're failing her."

                                            >You've never seen her eyes go quite so big

                                            "We aren't friends. And friends lie. Right?"

                                            >After long enough, she nestles herself down

                                            >Sitting near your leg this time

                                            >"We're going to find her."

                                            "Sure."

                                            >She sounds confident

                                            >You've thrown around this idea for a few weeks now

                                            >After dealing with unwanted overtime and other workplace politics, why not just cash out and go for it

                                            >Not like either of you are used to living like royalty as is

                                            "Anyway. I'm going inside. Come on. Your feathers look fucked up and that comb I got works well on them."

                                            >You get up, brusquely nudging her away from your leg in the process

                                            >She leers at you

                                            >"Those tiny things are good for pigeons, not a pegasus."

                                            "Yeah and you're about as good at listening as a bird."

                                            >Who knows if this is going to end well or not

                                            >You wouldn't ever say that you trust her

                                            >But both of you understand that alone, there's nothing to keep you going