Chapter 13

My body felt like it was floating in mid air instead of feeling like I was laying down. Once I was able to slowly open my eyes, I was met with the familiar void from before.

“Dante?” I called out, but no response. “Dante, are you there?” Still nothing. “Huh, guess I’m finally on my own in my dreams. But I wonder where Moon is?”

“Actually, I wonder if you wouldn’t mind conversing with me tonight.”

I turned around to see the moon and from it a silhouette of a person stepping through it. Once the light died down, I saw that it was Princess Luna in her moonlight glory.

“Princess Luna?”

“Indeed, how are you fairing this night Mr. Rickert?”

“It’s not bad.” I shrugged. “Also you can call me Axel, calling me mister makes me feel old.”

Luna giggled at that. “Apologies, then I hope you wouldn’t mind if you were to address me as Luna?”

“You sure? I wouldn’t wanna be rude and stuff.”

“I am quite sure, in fact, I insist you do if we are to be good friends.” Luna said with a smile.

“Well alright, whatever you say, Luna.” I said, smiling back.

“How is…Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked hesitantly.

“She’s fine, more than that, we actually had a blast at the party Pinkie Pie threw for us.”

“The Element of Laughter held a celebration for you and Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked, surprised.

“Sure did, I’d even be confident to say that Moon was able to show the people that she’s not as big of a threat as they thought she was. All it takes is to make a strong first impression and she nailed it. Though, I couldn’t really say the same for me.” I said sheepishly.

“What do you mean?” Luna asked warily. “Did you attempt to harm any of our subjects?”

“No, of course not.” I said. “But I did let Dante beat those bearded bastards full size.”

“Dante?” Luna asked, looking confused. “Who is this Dante?”

I sighed since the mention of Dante had to be talked about eventually with someone like Luna or Celestia. I then spent the next hour explaining everything that happened to me from my past, what happened when Dante showed up and who he is, what happened on the train, and what had happened with the bearded bastards in town. Once I finished my story, Luna looked a little disappointed in me.

“Why did you not feel the need to inform my sister and I about this Dante before you had left Canterlot?”

“I don’t know, maybe I just didn’t feel like it was that big of a deal?” I shrugged.

“You call threatening the Northerners with their lives and even attacking them and wounding them not a big deal? Axel, this alternate persona of yours seems to be much more dangerous than you claim him not to be.”

“Look, I’m not naïve enough to say he’s not dangerous. He’s more of a loose cannon, but a manageable one at best. Besides those assholes deserved it after what we saw them about to do. Sounds like they’ve been giving everyone a hard time recently.”

“I shall admit that the Northerners have become much more…overzealous as of late. But that does not mean you or Dante can do as you please.”

“So what, you gonna put me under watch again?” I scoffed.

“No, but all I am asking is that you show just a tad more restraint and not do anything that might jeopardize our kingdom and subjects.”

“Do you honestly expect me to just look the other way when I see people like those Northern bastards do shitty things to innocent people?” I questioned.

“You don’t understand, we can’t afford to provoke the Northerners any more than you already have.”

“If they have a problem with being run out of town, then they can take it up with me personally. I just did what needed to be done for those girls who I knew were about to be tossed around like a couple of common street walkers.”

“Do you honestly believe that?”

“Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn’t get a sickening vibe from those men from the throne room.” Luna was about to retort but she caught herself and didn’t say anything. “That’s what I thought. You and Celestia should really look into forbidding them from setting foot anywhere around here.”

“But we cannot, we are still unfamiliar with this group and what their leader’s motives are.” Luna argued.

“Seemed pretty damn obvious to me.” I grumbled. “Especially the way they eyed Moon, I didn’t like it one bit.

“But Axel-”

“Trust me, whatever they’re here for, it’s not for any friendly relations whatsoever. They’re a bad crowd, the lot of them. And I can promise you this, if I see any of them in this town or even in my field of vision, I’ll fry them like the shit stains they are.”

“But what of the people? They might use them against you and my sister and I. What if they go as far as to threaten them and attempt to bring harm to them?”

“I’ll deal with it.”

“Will you truly? Are you willing to go out of your way to help anyone in danger who is threatened by them? Not to mention that there are a great many other dangers that dwell in this world.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“But not everyone else can. These people are not like you, Axel, they do not have unique abilities such as yours. My sister and I, we have lived for many, many moons, before I was banished. We have faced dangers that have threatened Equestria and at times we put our very lives on the line. You say you insist that this is not as serious a situation as most would believe, when in fact it is quite the opposite. You were able to somehow convince the populace of Ponyville that Nightmare Moon is not a threat, but they are still just as innocent and not used to acts of extreme violence.” Luna explained.

“So what exactly do you want me to do? Sit on the sidelines and let scumbags like those Northern men do whatever the hell they want? I can’t do that, Luna, that’s not what I was sent here to do.”

“You were sent here?” Luna questioned and I nodded. “By whom?”

“I was just a regular two bit guy who made a shitty living at a dead end job. I went to this thing called a convention and met a man who gave me my Amp and chain. He only went by the name The Merchant, and he sent me to this world somehow for some reason I’ve yet to find out. Besides this world is ten times better than my old home, I didn’t really have much going on with my life. But here, I guess you could say this is a sort of fresh start for me. You, Celestia, the girls, and especially Moon have made me feel like I matter and care about me as a friend. I didn’t really have that before and I don’t want it to be taken away when I just found it again. So you know what, yeah, I would be willing to try and help anyone who needs it.”

Luna stared at me questionably but I stared right back with a stern gaze, letting her know I was dead serious about what I said. I was probably pushing my luck by proclaiming myself to be some kind of protector of Ponyville, even though I just got here but I didn’t care. I wanted to finally be proud of something in my life by doing something good for the sake of others and not be a bitter loner.

“Very well, you seem to have your heart in the right place so I shall refrain from changing your mind. All I can ask is that you tread carefully on the path you have chosen for yourself.” Luna informed me.

“I aim to, I just got here after all.” I joked. Soon the world around me began to fade away which meant that I was about to wake up. Luna took the opportunity to leave my dream back the way she came by flying back towards the moon.

“Oh yes, before I forget.” Luna said as she glanced over her shoulder to me. “My sister has informed me to tell you that we would like to invite you back to Canterlot one day for a visit, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“A visit? What for?” I wondered.

“Probably just for a cup of tea.” Luna shrugged. “Celestia seemed very insistent about inviting you.”

I had no idea what she meant by that and before I could question any further, the area around me faded more away along with my vision as I started to wake up.

I slowly but surely began to stir from my sleep as my eyes opened. It didn’t help that there was a little crust in my eyes which was always a damn pet peeve of mine. As my body started to wake up as well, I felt something laying on the left side of my chest. I glanced down to see a refreshing sight as Moon had her head resting on my chest. Although when my eyes trailed down from her face, my cheeks started to heat up a bit. Her night gown had sagged a bit which caused her breasts to show a bit more cleavage than I bargained for.

Not a bad view, eh?

I swear to god, shut your yap!

What, do you swing the other way or something?

No! I just don’t wanna pitch a tent as soon as I wake up!

Why are you getting so flustered? She is your girlfriend, after all.

That’s not the point! I just don’t want to label myself as some creep that likes her for her body, which I don’t.

You ever considered that you might be overthinking this just a tad?

I don’t wanna fuck this up, Dante, so excuse me for keeping my gaurd up.

How can you? She obviously trusts you enough already, I doubt you’d do anything that would make her hate you. There’s no need for you to keep any kind of so-called guard.

Be that as it may, I just don’t want to be left alone anymore. I’ve been alone for too long back home, ever since I had that falling out with my parents.

Ax, you’re in a new world for a fresh start, you’ve already made a bunch of pretty decent friends, you have a wonderful girlfriend who cares about you and your well-being, and you basically told Princess Luna that you would be this town’s self-proclaimed protetor. Honestly, I doubt you’d be alone any time soon.

Yeah, unless you do something stupid like provoke someone in a way that’ll get us into trouble.

I’ll make sure to try and be on my best behavior, but no promises.

“Mmm…” Moon started to stir.

And that’s my cue, smell ya later.

As Dante retreated back into my kind, Moon’s eyes fluttered open and she yearned cutely. She looked up at me and smiled as she lifted her head to bring her face just inches apart from mine.

“Good morning.” She whispered.

“Mornin’.” I said back. “Sleep well?”

“Very well, your heartbeat is nice and soothing to listen to.”

Moon pecked me on the lips and I returned the gesture by pecking her lips back. Only as soon as I did that, she proceeded to actually lock lips with me and brought her arms up to wrap around the back of my neck. It wasn’t anything too intense like French kissing, just our lips pressed against each other. Moon pulled back and stared into my eyes with a smile.

“Your eyes are quite alluring, Ax, they’re so green it feels like I’m starting at an open meadow.”

“You think so? People have said the opposite, that they’re too green and it’s weird.”

“They only say those things because they’re jealous that they don’t have eyes like yours. They’re unique and full of kindness, unlike when Dante takes over.” Moon said a little abrasive.

“Still sore about that, huh?”

“A little, I understand the circumstances but I wish you would have spoken to me first about it. As I have said, your predicament is similar to what I and Luna went through.”

“And you’re paranoid that he might take over and run amok?”

“Yes.” Moon frowned.

“Moon, do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Then all I ask is that you have faith in me. I promise, nothing like what happened before won’t happen with me. Dante and I have come to a solid agreement and he’s promised me to play by the rules, most of the time.”

“And you trust him to honor his agreement?”

“I do in fact, otherwise we’d be having a different kind of conversation.”

Moon stared at me for a moment until she sighed in defeat. “Very well, if you are positive that Dante is not a threat then I won’t pester you about it.”

“Thanks Moon, I appreciate it.”

Moon smiled as we got out of bed and got ready for the day. We both took turns using the bathroom and we got dressed and headed downstairs. The scent of freshly made pancakes filled the room as we saw Twilight sitting at the table reading some kind of scroll and drinking a mug of coffee. Spike was at the stove, wearing a simple shirt and pants, and flipped a few more pancakes on the platter next to him.

“Good morning you two.” I greeted them.

“Oh, good morning Axel, Nightmare.” Twilight said back.

“Sup dude, grab a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.” Spike said.

“Smells great, man, I’m starved.” I said, making the dragon kid laugh.

Moon and I sat down at the table and Moon surprisingly sat down next to Twilight as she poured her own mug of coffee. Twilight then began talking with Moon and asking her what Equestria was like a thousand years ago. As they were talking, I pulled out my smartphone and decided to play a little game. Subway Surfer was a good game to pass the time but I always get cocky whenever I get a high score and mess up. I swiped my finger and dodged the train cars and obstacles while trying to collect as many coins as possible. The noise from my game caught the attention of Moon and she scooted over to watch me play.

“What is this?” She asked.

“Oh nothing.” I said while trying to keep focused. “Just an app on my phone I like to play whenever I’m bored.”

“Why is that little human running on the train tracks? Doesn’t he know that it is dangerous to do that?”

“It’s just a game Moon, the characters aren’t real.” I tried to explain as I narrowly dodged a hurdle and used a skateboard.

“I see…then you are controlling this little character?”

“Yep, I can make him dodge the train cars and avoid obstacles by swiping my finger.”

“Is there a point to this?”

“The goal is to get as far as possible without crashing. If you look on the top right corner my score goes up the longer I last. Below is my high score, I made it pretty far before and I’ve been trying to beat it for some time. Shit…!” I cursed as I accidentally swiped too early and the fat cop caught up.

“Who is that large human?”

“Well think of him as a guard. The character I’m playing as painted on something he wasn’t supposed to so this guy is chasing him.”

“So the young human is a criminal?”

“Eh, depends on how you look at it.” I shrugged. “It’s just a game after all.”

“I see.”

I was about to use another skateboard when my finger swiped a little, making the character run straight into a train and making him fly towards the screen and the game ended.

“Damn, not even halfway to my high score…” I sighed as I turned off my phone. “Better luck next time, I guess.”

“Pancakes are ready, everyone!” Spike announced as he walked over to the table with a platter full of pancakes.

He set the platter down and my mouth immediately began to water at the mere sight of them. These flapjacks looked like they could put any diner’s breakfast to shame. Each pancake looked as fluffy as a pillow, softer than a feather, and smelled like I wanted to shrink myself down and smother myself in their pillowy goodness. Spike was kind enough to hand Moon and I a plate and even served us each a few pancakes. I cut my first piece and brought it up to my mouth and took the first bite.

“Holy shit…” I muttered as my tastebuds twitched. “This is so damn good!” I scooped up a bigger piece and scarfed it down. “This is the best damn pancake I’ve ever had!”

“I must say, these are truly delectable!” Moon said as she ate her breakfast with a satisfied smile. “My utmost compliments to the chef, young Spike.”

“Seconded! You sure know your way around the flapjack!” I added.

All these complaints made the dragon human’s cheeks flush red as he smiled bashfully and looked the other way. “Aw, come on guys, they’re just something I make on a regular basis.”

“I certainly wouldn’t mind if I had these every friggin day!” I said as I stuffed my mouth. “I can’t get enough of them!”

“Ax, sweetie, slow down or you will choke.” Moon warned as she ate her breakfast more calmly. “I understand they are delicious but it is not worth the risk.”

I was about to protest when I could see my ballooning cheeks from the corners of my eyes. Twilight was giggling and Spike was chuckling at me, probably because I looked like a chipmunk or something silly like that. I relented and took my time to chew and swallow my food until it was all gone.

“Sorry about that, just goes to show you how good these things are.” I said as I too ate at a slower pace.

“I don’t exactly blame you, Axel, Spike’s breakfasts have always been satisfactory.” Twilight said before sipping her coffee and Spike blushed again. “So what do you have planned to do today?”

“Well I was hoping that I could look around town to get used to my surroundings.” I said as I sipped my orange juice. “And maybe find some kind of employment.”

“Employment?” Twilight repeated. “What for?”

“Well I can’t just live here for free.” I stated.

“Oh but I don’t mind it, Axel.” Twilight protested. “You two are my guests, it’s my pleasure to have you both here.”

“Be that as it may, my morals say otherwise.” I argued. “You are kind enough to let us crash here and even feed us. As a friend, I’ll always be appreciative, but as a man I feel as though it’s only fair I earn my keep. Besides, for someone like me, a Conduit from another world, there’s bound to be something that meets my standards for a job.”

“I agree with Ax.” Moon said. “I no longer don my crown for I hold no royal title at the moment. I may be an alicorn human, but I would still like to try to live as an ordinary citizen.”

Alicorn?

“Well…when you both put it that way, I suppose I can’t argue.”

“Wait, what’s an alicorn?” I asked, making Twilight perk up.

“Oh! I can answer that!” Twilight said excitedly. “First allow me to ask you, have you noticed anything about this world Axel? For example, the names of the towns and cities?”

“Hmm, well now that you mention it, Canterlot, Ponyville, I think I heard Applejack mentioned a city called Manehatten? They all sound like they are horse themed.”

“The correct term is pony, but you would be correct. You see, though we are humans there are specific kinds of humans that differ from others, like how Spike here is a dragon human. There are different human species in this world and we are called pony humans. The reason is because of our deity whom we pray to.”

“I see, so who’s this deity?”

“She is known as the great Lady Faust, the creator of Equestria.” Twilight explained. “There are scriptures that say that she once took the form of an Equine but used her godly magic to transform herself into a human. She is responsible for the creation of these lands and there are three different races of pony humans. The first is earth pony humans who specialize in great strength and endurance, second are the pegasus humans who have wings and can manage the weather, and finally there are the unicorn humans who specialize in magic wielding and spell casting, like me.”

“And I’m guessing that because Faust was once an Equine all the names of the towns and cities are pony themed?” I asked and she nodded. “So which one was this Faust character?”

“Lady Faust was all three in one known as an alicorn human. The humans who were naturally born as alicorn humans were Princess Celestia and Luna, but there are some cases when a normal pony human can become an alicorn human.”

“How do they do that?”

“I’ve read that it can only happen when someone performs a great act. I used to have a babysitter who became an alicorn human.”

“Wow, that all seems pretty interesting.” I said. “But how can you tell the difference between an earth pony human and a unicorn pony human?”

“That’s easy.” Twilight reached up and made her hand glow a little above her head. A magic silhouette of what looked like a small horn appeared on her forehead. “This is how you can tell, just hold a little magic up here and this horn appears. Earth pony humans don’t have this since they can’t use magic.”

“Huh, sounds like I have a lot to remember.” I said. I glanced at my watch and saw it was just past 10. “Guess I better get going.” I downed the last of my juice and wiped my mouth. I stood up and grabbed my pack and Amp that I left in my room and headed to the door. I went to pull out my beanie from my pocket to put on but I remembered that it was still damaged from my fight with Opal and her gang. “Hey Twilight, is there any place in town I can fix my beanie?”

“I know a place!” Spike said excitedly. “You should head for Rarity’s boutique, she can fix anything that has to do with clothes.” He sighed with a dopey smile plastered across his face which made me chuckle a little.

“I guess I’ll look into it, thanks.” I said as I opened the door.

“Goodbye Axel, good luck!” Moon called out and I waved to her over my shoulder.

“Sorry partner, but Ah’m afraid Ah gotta decline.” Applejack shook her head.

Damnit, rejected again…

For the past hour I’ve been walking around town trying to find a suitable source of employment but I’ve had little to no luck so far. I tried asking this guy who ran a shop selling metalworks but he turned me away. I went to this lady who ran a sweet shop but she was still a little spooked after Dante’s little performance so that was a dead end. I even tried to go and see if Lapis would have some kind of part time guard position, but she just slammed the door in my face. I managed to run into Applejack in the market and asked if she needed any extra hands at her apple farm I had heard her talk about at the party but it seems I’m shit out of luck once again.

“May I ask why?” I wondered.

“It’s just mah farm is a family run business.” Applejack said. “ Mah brother, little sister, even mah granny helps out around the farm. We’ve been managing just fine and aren’t really lookin’ fer any extra hands. Ya seem like a dependable feller, but it’s just a matter of principle. I hope ya can understand.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it, Applejack.” I said as I waved my hand dismissively. “I understand you have your principles. I’ll just keep on looking.”

Though I wish you would’ve at least been my saving grace…

“Thank ya kindly, Axel, and sorry again.”

“No worries, I’ll see you later.”

I parted ways from the farm girl and walked through the streets of Ponyville. I was now in a crummy mood since I was having arguably the worst luck trying to find a job. I felt like I was back home and all the good jobs were taken and I’d end up with a shitty job like my manager job at GameStop.

“Hmm, maybe the local post office is in need of an extra delivery boy?” I wondered out loud.

“Pardon me, sir.”

I turned to the sound of a voice to see an older fellow dressed as a butler. He had short curly grey hair on the sides of his head and was bending over slightly.

“Are you perhaps Mr. Axel Rickert?” He asked politely.

“I am, who’s asking old timer?” I asked.

“Oh, pardon me, I am Randolph.” He introduced himself with a small bow. “I am a personal butler for my employer. I was asked to come and invite you to the meeting for an important conversation.”

“Um, did I do something wrong?”

“Quite the opposite, in fact, my employer is interested in offering you an opportunity for employment.”

“A job?” I said surprised. I was about to accept right off the bat but hesitated. “Why me?”

“I’m afraid I do not know. I was merely sent to deliver the invitation.”

“…Screw it, take me to your boss.” I shrugged.

“Very well, follow me.” Randolph said.

I followed the old butler for about ten minutes until we arrived at a house, no, a mansion that looked like something you’d see in the ritzy part of Beverly Hills. We walked up the steps and Randolph opened the double doors that had dollar signs for door knobs. The interior was just as fancy as the outside as Randolph led me through the halls and brought me to a room with a couple chairs and a small table sitting in between.

“Please wait here, my employer will be with you shortly.” Randolph said.

“Sure.” I nodded and took a seat.

I placed my pack beside me as he left to go get his boss. I just sat in the room by myself just humming a tune because I had nothing better to do until I heard footsteps. A fancy looking man wearing a navy blue suit and a tie that had a dollar sign on it walked in. When he saw me, he smiled and approached me while reaching his hand out.

“Ah, you must me Mr. Rickert. I am Mr. Berry F. Rich, a pleasure to meet you.” He greeted with a warm tone.

I stood up from my seat and politely shook his hand back. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Rich.”

“I see you have good manners, young lad, a good quality in the world of business.” Mr. Rich said as we both sat down. “Now then, I am a man who likes to get straight to the point so I shall do just that. Mr. Rickert, may you please show me what you can do?”

“Um, come again?” I said confused.

“I am a very resourceful man, Mr. Rickert.” Mr. Rich said as he folded his hands on his lap. “But I didn’t need to try too hard to hear about what you did to those troublesome Northerners. You seem to wield a very unique magic, the likes of which no one has seen before. I wish to see what all the talk is about.”

I was unsure how to respond to his request but seeing how he wanted to offer me a job I guess showing him just a little bit of my power wouldn’t hurt. I raised my hand and activated Smoke. Black trails of smoke swirled around my hand and tiny cinders floated into the air. Mr. Rich watched with deep fascination as I allowed the smoke trails to swirl up and down my whole arm. Just before I let the smoke increase any more, I deactivated my power and exhaled.

“There, that’s what I can do.” I said, making him blink and clear his throat.

“Astonishing, in all my years, I’ve never seen such magic before.”

“It’s not magic.” I commented. “It’s my own special power I can do. That, along with some other abilities.”

“Other abilities? Such as?”

“With all due respect, Mr. Rich, but I have to insist that I not show you any more. The origin of my abilities are a bit on the confidential side. Since there’s only a select few people who know about my power. I usually don’t show off my power to any who ask for it, but since I was told you wanted to offer me some kind of employment I figured I’d take a gamble and show off just a little of it. In time I probably will show off more of my power up front, but for now I must ask you not question it any further. I hope you can understand.”

“Hmm, you seem quite serious about this.” I nodded in response. “May I inquire as to how confidential your situation is?”

“To put it mildly, the Princesses are the select few who know about my power.” I half lied.

“My word, the Princesses? Then you must be someone quite important.”

“I wouldn’t say important, just unique.” I shrugged. “Does this mean I won’t get the job?”

“On the contrary, I believe you are more than a perfect choice for my position.” Mr. Rich said as he snapped his fingers. Randolph walked in with a few papers and a small pouch full of something and placed them both on the table. “You might have been asking yourself just what kind of business I run. I am the C.E.O. of Barnyard Bargains, a trading company that handles the distribution of certain goods. For example, I am business partners with the residents of Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Sweet Apple Acres? Applejack’s place?”

“Ah, I see you already know Miss Applejack. Yes, I do business with her farm and deliver her apple shipments throughout Equestria. My company has been around since I was just a young man with a small trading route. I built this company with hard earned work, but like all businesses there will always be, shall we say, complications.”

“Such as?”

“I have heard rumors.” Mr. Rich said as he glanced out the nearby window. “Those Northerners have been popping up pretty much everywhere in Equestria, but I fear as though that they are not the only concern. There’s talk of a group of people, a sort of syndicate if you will, who have been making moves in the major cities. Manehattan’s crime rate has increased somewhat, the nobles of Canterlot supposedly have some kind of plot to expose one of their own, Las Pegasus is turning into a shadow of its former glory, and Vanhoover’s is facing some kind of financial issue that is causing its residents to lose employment. I have only heard of these conspiracies through my employees who report back to me, and I must admit, it has me concerned.”

“So what does it have to do with me?”

“I care about this kingdom, not just as a businessman, but for the sake of its people and my family. I wish to help, but I’m afraid I do not have the proper manpower to face these supposed threats, even with my vast wealth. But you.” Mr. Rich leaned forward to look me dead in the eye. “You, as you have said, are unique. You have abilities that were able to chase off the Northerners who were giving this town too much grief for anyone to care to admit. I have an agenda to assist those in need within the major cities and any neighboring towns. I would like you to help me.”

“So I’d be like some kind of bodyguard?” I guessed.

“Body guard, running errands, sending messages, a second voice of reason, take your pick.” Mr. Rich listed out. “I personally prefer the term business partner, and rest assured, you will be well compensated for your work.” Mr. Rich grabbed the pouch and opened it. He reached inside and pulled out a blue gem. “This is what I will pay you with.”

“Hold up…gems?” I said, completely shocked. “You’ll pay me in gems?!”

“Indeed, a fitting payment, no?”

“But wouldn’t that be too much? I mean, money alone is one thing, but actual gems? It seems a bit too generous, even for me.”

“Your modesty is also a good quality.” Mr. Rich nodded in approval. “However I believe it is a fitting payment for a young man like yourself. So what say you, Mr. Axel, do you accept?”

I took a moment to process Mr. Rich’s offer, but I also thought about the other things he had told me. There’s something else besides those bearded guys going on around here, something that seems to be one big crime group. Does Celestia know about this? She probably has her hands full with the Northerners, but still. Then there’s that payment, actual gems like the ones in jewelry cases I’ve seen at the mall. It’d be a major raise compared to what I was getting paid at my old job. There’s still so much I don’t know about this world and I might be walking into something bigger than I’d be bargaining for.

Dante.

You called?

You up to speed on everything?

More or less, I say go for it.

You think so?

Hey, you’re the one who wanted to go all protector and shit, I’m just along for the ride. Which has become much more interesting since there seems to be more action opportunities out there. So long as I get my fair share of kicking ass whenever need be, I have no complaints.

“Okay, I accept.” I nodded.

“Splendid! Just sign these papers and our partnership shall begin.” Mr. Rich said.

I nodded and picked up the pen and began initialing the papers. After a few signatures later and explanations concerning the fine print, everything was set and ready.

“Welcome to Barnyard Bargains, Mr. Axel Rickert.” My new employer said as we both stood up and we shook hands.

“Glad to be working for you, Mr. Rich sir, and please, call me Axel.”

Author's Note

New threats seem to be making themselves known throughout the land. At least Axel has found an interesting line of work. Question is, just what kind of agenda does Filthy Rich have planned for the sake of Equestria?

Side note: So very sorry for taking so long with this chapter and my other stories. My finals, the holidays, and work have been quite preoccupying this month. But now I have some free time and will be dedicating it to writing! Also, let me know about what you think about Twilight's explanation about the different humans of this world. Did I do okay? Does it make sense? Also, I decided to make Spike a human instead of a regular dragon or an anthro. I hope that's okay as well.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building...