You’re awakened by a slight stinging sensation coming from your upper chest region. You look down to see Gloria applying a cotton ball to one of your many wounds.
“Thought you were out of disinfectant...” you mumble out groggily.
“I was, I still am actually.” Gloria says before holding up a full bottle of clear liquid. “Potato liquor, 100 Proof. Works as well as disinfectant in a pinch, also good for parties...”
“You didn't go out drinking without me, did you?” You ask, as Gloria soaks the ball and applies it to another region, making you wince.
“No, I bought this during dinner last night, remember? Anyways, want to do some shopping after breakfast?” Gloria replies, throwing the cotton ball in the nearby trash can.
“Sure, that sounds fun. And after that we’re going to be hitching a train to Ponyville, right?” you ask as you get out of bed
“Yep, we’ll be having lunch on the train, and after we meet my friend we’ll have dinner at her house” Gloria says
as she walks out the door.
“Well, you managed to bribe me with promises of food. Let’s go” you reply, putting on your shirt and jacket before hurrying out in pursuit.

“I still don’t understand it... Meat is forbidden, yet consuming the unborn youth of chickens is perfectly okay?” you ask as you and Gloria walk towards the shopping district, having just finished a breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs with peppers.
“You make it sound like our society’s morals are strange and juxtaposed. Besides, a main ingredient in most sweets is eggs. And trust me, most ponies love sweets, especially cake. I'm not one of them, however” Gloria says, as the two of you reach the shopping district, and immediately enter a general store.
“Point taken, so why are we here?” you ask, looking around at the various items
“Canned goods” Gloria says as she browses the wares “If we’re going to be heading into the glaciers to find that medallion, it would greatly help if we were able to locate it before starving to death.”
“Speak for yourself, Gloria. There’d be nothing for you to forage in a frozen wasteland, but I’m sure I’d be able to come across something... tasty.” You say, your mouth watering slightly at the thought.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it... you’re a meat eater. But considering that the majority of those animals would be polar bears, wolves, wolverines, pissed-off walruses, and the occasional yeti, I’m pretty convinced you’d have your work cut out for you. No snakes for you, Blondie.” Gloria says as she finds what she’s looking for
“Well, you know me... I like a challenge. Hm?” you reply before something catches your attention. “Wait, ponies smoke?” You ask as a feeling of familiarity comes over you.
“Yeah, some do… why?” Gloria says as she walks to your side to see what you’re curious about, before inhaling a breath through her teeth and pausing slightly.
“You’re going to pester me until I relent if I say ‘no’, aren’t you?” she asks, seeing that you’re ogling a box containing 50 Ponita cigars, and a carton of Felix Ictus cigarettes.
“Yep, pretty much“ you say casually, as you make slight puppy dog eyes at her.
“Fine, I’ll buy you them just this once. But once you smoke them all, you’re on your own.” She says with a sigh, pulling out a bunch of coins and paying for the goods.
“Thought you said you didn’t carry bits.” You remark with an incredulous look.
“I made a withdrawal of 100,000 bits before waking you up this morning. I don’t like using the bank card. Now come on, we’re going to miss the train” Gloria says, before the two of you depart for the train station.

You walk as fast as your still-sore body will allow as you follow Gloria to the empty train station. The khaki Pegasus pulls out 200 bits to pay for two tickets. You wait patiently, noting that only one other customer has arrived thus far. Eventually, the steam engine pulls into the station, the chatter of passengers audible even from a distance. You and Gloria board the train, and all goes silent.
“Why are they staring at me?” you ask Gloria, noticing every face in this compartment is looking straight at you.
“Pori doesn’t receive many visitors, so its people just considered you another foreigner. This train however is filled with people from the main cities, like Canterlot... and they know that you’re an... uh... oddity” Gloria says, trying to be as soft as possible as the train starts to move
“Oddity, huh? I’m pretty sure the word you were looking for is ‘freak’” you reply, spotting an empty bench. Gloria makes no response and the two of you take the empty bench and sit down. You close your eyes as you pull a cigarette out from its pack with your teeth, and inhale its aroma through your nostrils as you light it. You sigh and part your eyes slightly to see that every pony in the train car is still staring at you.
“Hey, Gloria” you say, trying to get your partner’s attention
“Yes, what is it?” she responds, looking disdainfully at the cigarette hanging from the corner of your mouth.
“What time is it?” you ask, leaning your head against the wall to stare at the ceiling.
“Um, 9:38 in the morning, why?” Gloria answers, checking her watch
“No reason... how long until we reach Ponyville?” You reply, the cigarette unmoving with your mouth as you inhale.
“About 6 hours, why are you asking so many questions?” Gloria answers, looking at you with an inquisitive expression on her face as you take a deep drag on your cigarette, before putting it out.
“Right, fuck this, I’m not sticking around so these assholes can stare at me like a circus freak. I’m going to take a leak.” You say, getting up to head to the bathroom.
“Didn't need to hear that, Dye Job” Gloria responds, audibly disgusted by your crudeness.

“Hm, I wonder if I’ll receive the same reception in Ponyville” you mutter to yourself as you drain your bladder into the urinal. “I don’t doubt it, and considering that Gloria’s plan is to meet her egghead friend I guessing that they’ll want to dissect me or something.” You continue as you flush, before going to the sink to wash your hands. You hear a stall door open behind you, and glance into the mirror to note the pony coming out. “Hm, it’s that one from the station.” You think to yourself as you turn on the tap. You momentarily look over the pony before taking your eyes off it: Black body, a long blonde mane, black latex body suit, an extremely feminine face accentuated by vivid cerise-tinted eyes, and most telling of all, a small dagger in its left hoof. Also, an almost unnoticeable bulge in the groin area informs you of the murderous pony’s gender, to your slight surprise. You casually continue to wash your hands as the effeminate stallion slowly approaches you, unaware that you know of his intentions. You wait until the stallion’s hoof steps stop, before taking a cigarette, lighting it, and quickly turning on your heel with your fist clenched to strike the would-be assassin. The assassin anticipates this, and ducks underneath your preemptive strike before he thrusts forwards with his blade, but you dodge easily and deliver a punch to the left side of his face. The assassin retaliates with a slash across your face, forcing you to arch your back against the sink to avoid the blow.
The black stallion immediately follows up with a stab to your left shoulder, and you take this opportunity the punch him in the eye with your right, causing him to reflexively relinquish his grip on the blade as you follow up with an uppercut to the stallion’s jaw, knocking him unconscious before he has an opportunity to regain his footing. You casually pull out a notebook, which has the words ‘Silvia Azure’, ‘Canterlot’, and “SP Desert” on the first line of the first page under the title ‘Kills’. You apathetically pull out a pen and put the title ‘Interrogations’ at the top of the second page, before closing the notebook and stuffing it back into the breast pocket of your black overcoat as you inhale the tobacco smoke into your lungs while you dismissively pull off the sheath strapped to his left foreleg and claim it for your own. You then stuff the stallion's unconscious body into a bathroom stall, tying him to the toilet, and clean up as best you can, remembering to pull the knife out of your shoulder, leaving a noticeable hole in your coat, and slide it into its sheath before strapping it under your right pant leg. "Damn it, that bastard owes me a new overcoat" you think to yourself as you depart the faculties.

You return to the carriage as Gloria looks at you with slight concern.
“What took you so long, Araki?” she asks, visibly concerned.
“Just got an unexpected visitor in the bathroom” You say casually, causing Gloria’s eyes to go wide.
“What? Somepony tried to kill you?” She asks quietly, trying not to draw attention.
“Yep, he’s unconscious now, so I had an idea. Let’s grab him and move to a carriage with private compartments. I want to… interrogate him when he wakes up. The excuse is that he got drunk and we, a pair of good Samaritans, are taking him back to his compartment.” You say, putting out your cigarette and throwing it in the trash with a single smooth motion.
“Sounds like a plan, let’s do it.” Gloria says, as the two of you vacate your bench and head towards the bathroom. The two of you open the stall, untie the stallion and carry him belly up, with Gloria holding the upper portion and you carrying the lower. You take this time to note that a hole has been purposely cut into his body suit to show of his cutie mark, which consists of a small dagger cloaked in shadow. You are slightly uncomfortable with how you are carrying him due to the sight you’re forced to deal with as you hoist him past intrigued bystanders that fill the carriage’s corridor, constantly trying to deflect attention with the phrase ‘It’s alright folks, he just had a bit too much to drink’ while suspecting it’s not the unconscious, ambiguously gendered pony they’re intrigued by. Eventually, the two of you find an unoccupied compartment, and lay the unconscious stallion on the couch before taking the one opposite. You take a cigar out of your pack, light it, and take a deep drag while noting its heavenly fragrant aroma before leaning forwards to softly slap the right side of the stallion’s face until he groggily comes to.

“Ugh… I rather thought I would wake up dead… Or not wake up at all, as the case may be… But, I see you haven’t killed me yet.” The stallion says with a voice as feminine as the rest of him, still not quite awake as he opens his pink eyes.
“I decided to torture you for information, it's the least I should do to you for fucking up my coat” you bluff casually while pointing to the hole, trying to be as intimidating as possible to make the assassin think twice about attempting to finish the job.
“Oooh… Kinky, I like a pony who knows how to push my buttons in all the right ways. But I think I’ll pass on ‘fun time’ for now and get to the point. My name is Midnight Shadow, I’m an assassin sent by Volkiba to kill a pair of escaped prisoners… And I have obviously failed in that regard. So, if you’re not bent on killing me, then I have a proposition for you” the stallion says, now fully awake. You roll your eyes and make a ‘get on with it’ gesture with your fingers.
“Well, here’s the thing, I failed to kill you. So, I can’t go back to Volkiba, she knows what kinds of ‘fun’ I don’t like… so, I’m thinking I should join you. I’m quite good at information gathering, as well as all the skills that come from being an assassin for 10 years. I also know 50 different massage techniques.” Midnight says, giving you a suggestive look on the last sentence.
“Hm… How do I know you won’t kill me when you have the chance?” you ask, taking a drag on your cigar.
“Well… You don’t. But, if my honesty is anything to go on then you can rest easy. Besides, you've already beaten me once. I’m sure you could overpower me again if the... need arose” Midnight says, giving another suggestive look. You give an inward sigh as you turn to Gloria, who’s sitting right next to you.
“What do you think?” you ask your partner, who’s flapping her wings in deep thought.
“Hm… I don’t know, we will need allies now that we've put ourselves at the top of Volkiba’s list. I've been thinking about buying a house in Ponyville, due to its central location and relative safety… Plus, I have more than enough money to build a decent underground base…” Gloria says, pondering the prospects before turning to the assassin and asking if he has any knowledge in construction.
“Not really… But I’m a fast learner. I could even teach you some things, mon amour,” Midnight answers, casting a seductive look in Gloria’s direction.
“Uh… no thanks, just helping us with construction would be good for a start” Gloria says, visibly blushing.
“Hah, a pity… But, I’ll join you two beautiful ladies regardless.” Midnight says, catching you slightly off-guard.
“Um… yeah, I could say the same thing about you.” You say, scratching the back of your head in embarrassment.
“Oh? Oh... My apologies… Still, gender doesn't matter much to me; when you’re born in a brothel, you tend to overlook such... constricting notions in favor of something physically constricting. That reminds me… where’s the rope?” Midnight says in a playful manner.
“Uh… how did you know I have rope?” you ask, somewhat impressed by Midnight’s perceptive capabilities.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been tied up while unconscious, maybe the first time after being knocked unconscious… Anyways, my shoulders are always stiff after those types of games. But, I digress... is it a deal? Am I to join your merry troupe?” Midnight asks, with a distinct glimmer in his eyes.
“You have got to be one of the most perverted ponies I will ever meet. Plus, you tried to kill me less than an hour ago… Still, if you’re capable of what you say you are, and plan to stay loyal to us… then I guess you can tag along” You say, closing your eyes resignedly before feeling a kiss on your left cheek.
“Midnight… you better not be doing what I think you’re doing” you say irritably with your eyes still closed, unable to deny a slight exhilaration towards the notion.
“My apologies, I tend to be quite… showy in my affections,” Midnight says, before whispering “But, part of you enjoyed it, don't deny that” directly into your ear before returning to his side of the compartment. “This is going to be a long train ride” you think to yourself with a sigh. You spend the rest of the trip making small talk with Gloria and your new ally, the two of you deflecting his constant flirtations, until you finally reach Ponyville.

“Well… this looks peaceful” You casually remark as you and your allies exit the train and step onto the small boarding station. The first thing you see is an oak tree that has a sign of a book attached to a limb.
“Hm, at least Pori had a brothel, even if it was shamefully tucked away in an obscure back alley… this place just looks like a nunnery to me. Pity” Midnight says flatly, giving his blonde tail a disgruntled flick.
“Yeah well… At least its climate is more agreeable” Gloria says to Midnight, slightly amused by his luridness.
“So… What’s going to be first, visitation of friends or purchase of property?” you ask Gloria, pointing towards the oak tree.
“Yep, that looks to be her style. Still, I think it would be nice to buy a house first, so Midnight can get a tiny headstart on the ‘renovations’ while we visit my friend’s house.” Gloria says as the three of you walk past the tree, and towards the town square. The three of you come across town hall and walk inside. A grey-maned pony with half-moon bifocals looks up from her desk and gives you a smile.

“Ah, visitors. My name is Mayor Mare. What can I help you with?” Mayor Mare says as she gets up to greet you.
“Hello, my name is Gloria, and these are my friends, Araki and Midnight. We were looking to buy a house in Ponyville.” Gloria says, bowing in the same manner she did with Mehmet in Pori. “Oh my, it’s rare to see such politeness.” Mayor Mare says, visibly delighted as she goes to her desk to look through some papers.
“Well, you’re in luck; there’s a house for sale across from the Carousel Boutique, if you’re interested. Only 50000 bits, too.” Mayor Mare says, showing you a picture of the house. The you and Gloria grimace slightly at the picture, while Midnight whistles at the sight of a house that looks like it would topple in a stiff breeze, but you buy it nonetheless after deciding to fix it up over the next few months. Gloria hands over 50, 000 bits for the house deed, before the two of you depart the town hall.

“God, this place is a dive…” You mumble to yourself, as you look over the house: It’s a two story cottage, with broken windows and a small stairway leading to the front porch and door. The roof is full of holes, and the timber that was used in its construction has cracked and bended with time.
“Oh, I don’t know, this place has character… like a few brothels I’ve been to in my travels.” Midnight says, nostalgia evident in his voice.
“Is that all you think about?” You ask, raising an eyebrow with a disdained bemusement.
“When I’m not on the job… yeah, pretty much. By the way, did you know that the average colt or stallion thinks about sex every seven seconds? So, really, I’m not all that unusual, I just voice my thoughts more often that the average stallion.” Midnight remarks as the three of you walk onto the railed front porch and through the front door. The inside of the house has the same dilapidated look, with no furniture except a battered and rusty stove that’s visible in the kitchen across from the front door. The entire ceiling is covered with cobwebs, the majority of which are still occupied, causing you to shudder.
“Aw, what’s wrong, Araki? Don’t like spiders?” Gloria asks, gleeful at the chance to finally get you back for the remark you made when she was faced with a snake. You casually reach up with your right arm and slowly crush a hairy spider that has a diameter of 5 inches with your bare hand, all the while staring defiantly at Gloria with a bored expression on your face.
“… You were saying something?” you casually ask as Gloria snorts in disappointment, before adopting a softer demeanor to your face. “Yeah, I’m afraid of spiders,” You confess, “but I’m not about to let you hold it over me”. You note that Gloria has a vaguely impressed look in her rainbow eyes after this remark. “Well, I’ll get busy here while the two of you talk to your friend over in the library.” Midnight says as you and Gloria depart your new lodgings.

“Oh, look Sweetie Belle, new neighbors. Why, hello there, darlings!” A cheerful and elegant voice calls from direction of the Carousel Boutique. You see a pair of light-gray female unicorns, one noticeably younger than the other, approaching you. The one on the left has an indigo mane, azure eyes, and a cutie mark consisting of three radiant gems in a pyramid formation. You cast your eyes downwards to note that she’s also wearing a quartet of fancy shoes on her hooves. The one on the right has a light purple mane with pink streaks, light green eyes, and lacks a cutie mark. “Hello, my name’s Araki, but I also answer to ‘Dye Job’ or ‘Blondie’. This is my friend, Gloria, and we have another pony named Midnight Shadow living with us.” You say, shaking the older pony’s hoof.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Araki. My name is Rarity, and this is my little sister, Sweetie Belle. We are the current proprietors of the Carousel Boutique, which specializes in the absolute height of Ponyville fashion and also doubles as our simply gorgeous home.” Rarity says, before being interrupted by Sweetie Belle.
“Big sis, can I go now? Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are waiting for me at the CMC Clubhouse.” Sweetie Belle says, visibly anxious as Rarity heaves a small sigh.
“Yes, you can go and play with your friends, Sweetie” Rarity says, even though Sweetie was already gone at the word ‘yes’. “My sincerest apologies for my little sister’s eagerness; she and her friends spend the majority of the day trying to find their cutie marks, completely obsessed with it. Came up with an admittedly fetching name for themselves too, The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Hah, everypony tells them that they’ll get their marks when the time is right, but kids will be kids. Plus, it’s good for them to have something to do… even if that something usually amounts to causing chaos on a daily basis” Rarity says with a bemused flip of her mane.
“Yes… anyways, we should get going; we’ve got a very important errand to run at the moment. Sorry we can’t say and chat” you say, holding out your hand.
“Oh that’s quite alright; I’m quite busy myself at the moment what with an order of 6 gem-encrusted dresses for the “Pony of Pop”, Sapphire Stones. I was kidnapped by this underground trio of ruffians calling themselves the ‘Diamond Dogs’ in the process, but as you can see, I got out thanks to my friends and… Spike. Anyways, I’ve held you up for far too long, darling. Toodles.” Rarity says, curtsying gracefully before returning to her home and workshop. “Diamond Dogs… That’s a pretty good name” you think to yourself as you and Gloria start towards the library.

You and Gloria make your way to the Golden Oak Library and knock on the door. You hear movement from behind the door before it opens to reveal… a small, purple lizard with green eyes, an equally green set of smooth spikes running down from head to tail, and the capability of bipedal motion.
“Hello? Can I help you?” The bipedal lizard asks, it’s tail swishing occasionally.
“Well, that’s new. What are you supposed to be?” you ask the purple and green lizard.
“I could say the same about you. Anyways, the name’s Spike, and I’m a dragon” the purple says, causing you to raise an eyebrow with intrigue.
“Yeah, should have known… Anyways, my name’s Araki and this is Gloria. We’re looking for an egghead to tell us about this relic we came across.” You say as you regain your composure.
“Oh, then you’ll want to talk to Twilight Sparkle. She decided to stay out with her friends a while longer after today’s events, so you two can come in and I’ll put the kettle on while we wait.” Spike says, as the two of you follow the dragon into the library. You’re eyes widen with slight surprise at the circular room that makes up the majority of the first floor of the library, to the right is a stairwell leading up to what appears to be a bedroom, to the left is a reading desk and an open door leading to what appears to be a kitchen, in the exact centre of the room is a statue-burdened table that you assume is whatever it needs to be when in use, and the walls are indented to form an expansive bookshelf running the length of the wall, with the two doors being the only interruption to this pattern. “It seems… bigger on the inside” you think to yourself as you realize just how spacious this room is compared to what it looked like on the outside. You and Gloria take a spot at the table as you hear the whistle of a kettle emanate from the kitchen. Spike brings three cups of tea shortly afterwards and the three of you start conversing.

“So… what do you do around here, Spike?” you ask as the dragon hands you a cup of tea.
“Well, I’m Twilight’s assistant. I mainly organize and fetch her books while she’s engaged in research, I also write her letters to Princess Celestia, keep her checklists in order and help her practice magic” Spike says as he takes a sip from his cup.
“So, Twilight’s a Unicorn?” you ask, sipping your tea ungracefully.
“Yep, she’s also the owner of an Element of Harmony; specifically, she represents the Element of Magic.” Spike says, causing Gloria to spit out her tea in shock, creating a puddle on the floor.
“Wait… so that was Twilight who helped purify Princess Luna?” Gloria asks, her rainbow-colored eyes wide with surprise, as the purple dragon grabs a mop to clean up the mess.
“Yep, she had help from her friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and… Rarity” the purple dragon says with a noticeable amount of longing in his voice in regards to the last one.
“Oh-ho… I know that tone. Sounds like someone has a crush” you say, causing Spike to go beat-red.
“N-no I don’t, why would I? B-besides, I’m a dragon, a b-baby one at that. Why would she…” the purple dragon says as he focuses on mopping before you put a hand on his shoulder, causing the dragon to immediately quiet.
“You doth protest too much, my new friend,” you say with a knowing chuckle, having noticed that exact same type of hesitation from Rarity, “Anyways, if you play your cards right, I have a feeling you’ll win her affection. Hell, maybe I’ll help you with that once my business is done” you continue, before hearing the front door open behind you and a cheerful “I’m home” resound from who you assume to be Twilight Sparkle. You turn your head towards the owner of the voice, and see a purple Unicorn with purple eyes, a shoulder-length dark blue mane with streaks of pink and purple, a matching tail, a cutie mark of a large pink sparkle surrounded by smaller white sparkles on its flanks, and a confused expression on its face.

“Oh… I didn’t realize I was expecting company. Huh, Gloria, is that you?” the purple Unicorn asks, visibly surprised by the familiar face.
“Twilight, it’s good to see you.” Gloria says, getting up to greet the Unicorn
“So, you two are friends?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Somewhat, we talked a few times at the Canterlot Museum whenever she brought in a new relic” Twilight says, summoning a pair of sofas out of thin air for the three of you the lounge on.
“Speaking of friends, Twilight, I remember you being quite the shut-in when you were living in Canterlot. So, how’d you come to have 5 friends?” Gloria asks as you take your seats.
“That was one of Celestia’s elaborate plans, I’ll give you the abridged version. I found this prophecy regarding Nightmare Moon’s return, she sent me here to make friends, I made friends and together we saved Equestria and purged the corrupting influence from Nightmare Moon, hence converting her back to Princess Luna. Celestia later told me that she had planned the whole thing, from the very beginning” Twilight says with mile-a-minute speed, now visibly panting as she glances at you.
“By the way… What exactly are you?” Twilight asks, her attention now completely focused on you.
“I was kind of hoping you’d be able to answer that, considering the only thing I know is that my name is Araki” you say, as the Unicorn gets off her couch to examine you more closely
“Well, I can tell that you don’t belong here, Araki. I’ve never seen your kind in any of my books.” Twilight says, examining you closely. She sniffs your clothes and raises her left eyebrow in great intrigue. “Artron energy…” She mumbles, before telling Spike to get the core sample from the basement while she rushes upstairs. She comes back down, carrying a small item that’s more technologically advanced than anything you've seen so far. It’s about the shape and size of a pen, with a red diode at one end and a switch on the other.

“Um, What is that?” you ask, pointing at the device.
“I don’t know, to be honest. Dr. Whooves lent it to me a week ago, saying ‘you’ll need this a week from now’ before informing me what artron energy smells like. He then said to ‘switch it on and use setting KS-7258’ before recommending I acquire a core sample from one of the archaeological digs. After that, he disappeared and I haven’t seen him since.” Twilight says, causing you to scratch your head in utter confusion.
“Question: Is he insane?” Gloria asks, raising her left foreleg slightly as one would in a classroom.
“Well, he does refer to himself only as The Doctor, goes on about Daleks, Cybermen, and about how he needs to fix something called a TARDIS in order to stop a chinchilla from eating the universe. On the other hand, he’s insanely smart, and has helped solve quite a few impossible math questions in his spare time. Plus, he said he took the liberty of making ‘transdimensional improvements’, whatever that means, to every house in Ponyville before I first arrived here” Twilight says, before pointing the device at you and turning it on, causing a warbling sound to be emitted from the device as the red diode lights up. A slight burning sensation immediately starts at the top of your head before quickly working its way down to your feet. Twilight looks at the device quizzically, before holding it next to her ear and flicking the switch again.

“Interesting… so that’s how this thing works. It’s a multi-functional tool. Anyways, it just scanned you, and it’s now giving me the read-out” Twilight says straining her ear slightly.
“Yeah, I kind of got that impression. Anyways, what’s it saying?” You ask as
“Well, you are apparently 22 years old and were born on the 3rd day of… August? Hm, I’ve never heard of that month before. And… that is not possible…“ Twilight says, her voice petering out as her eyes go wide.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” you ask with concern as to Twilight’s shift in demeanor.
“Araki, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… You’re entire race is extinct.” Twilight says solemnly, eliciting a sharp gasp from Gloria.
“What?” you ask sharply with a surprised tone.
“Also, whatever killed your race caused a temporal distortion that pulled you into the future” Twilight continues, ignoring your question.
“What!?” you repeat, with a higher-pitched tone.
“Finally… the resulting temporal distortion was so severe that it automatically induced a time-lock on itself, meaning there’s no way to make it back without destroying the universe in the process.” Twilight finishes, giving you a sympathetic look
“… What?” you say with a flat tone, now deeply desiring a cigarette.

“Twilight, I got that core sample you wanted” Spike says as he reemerges from the basement, carrying a cylindrical tube made of stone before placing it at Twilight's feet.
“Thank you, Spike. Now then…” Twilight says as she points the device at the core sample, and flicks the switch. The devices warbling sound continues at a steady rate as Twilight slowly moves it down the layers of rock. When she reaches a black ash layer, the device’s warbling becomes frantic.
“Yep, I figured as much” Twilight says with a sigh before turning to you.
“What is it now?” you ask, not wanting to hear anymore bad news today.
“Well, first of all; you’re probably a member of what that tome found in the San Palomino Desert referred to as ‘humanity’, due to the residue artron energy being from around the same time period. Judging from your anatomy, I’d say that you evolved from some sort of ape. Other than that, nothing else can be garnered except wild hypotheses.” Twilight says, putting the device down on the central table.
“Everything Burns” you mumble to yourself, causing Twilight to raise an eyebrow.
“What did you say?” she asks, perplexed by your random statement.
“Hm? Nothing, just a dream I had. The phrase ‘Everything Burns’ was prominent in it… Wait a minute” you say, realization dawning upon you. You reach down into your right boot and pull out the ruby-red medallion and lightly toss it to Twilight, who grimaces slightly at where you were keeping it. Twilight catches it and examines the medallion for about 5 seconds before gasping slightly, causing Gloria’s ears to perk up in expectation.

“So, what is it, Twilight? I heard it was part of a key to an ancient treasure of virtually infinite wealth.” Gloria says, slightly hopeful.
“That’s one possibility… But there is another legend attached to the supposed purpose of these items.” Twilight says as she stares at the medallion.
“Well, what is it then?” you ask, now intrigued as to what this other legend may portend.
“Well, the other legend states that this medallion was one of six that belonged to an ancient Alicorn king whose name has been lost to time. This king was apparently so powerful, that his mere existence started to threaten the whole of reality. In an effort to prevent the cataclysm, the king divided his very essence and infused it into six medallions. Allegedly, if one is able to gather these six medallions, that pony would be given such immense power that none would be able to stand in their way. The Alicorn king knew of this, and so he used the remainder of his vast essence to fashion 6 powerful guardians in order to protect the medallions. He fashioned them after their namesakes: The Topaz Hornet of Agony, The Emerald Spider of Terror, The Amethyst Octopus of Death, The Ruby Raven of Anger, The Sapphire Wolf of Sadness, and The Diamond Snake of Joy. Apparently, the catch is that only an Alicorn would be able to use these medallions, however… anypony would be able to absorb the essence held in the colossi, even you, Araki. I’m pretty sure the wizard devised it as a fail-safe, because the only way one would be able to retrieve the essence of a guardian that somepony else killed would be to kill that pony; which would be very difficult due to the fact the essence of even one guardian apparently is able to increase the power of it's killer exponentially. While both legends state that a powerful Alicorn wizard did indeed fabricate the guardians with a portion of his essence, the true purpose of the medallions could be one or the other” Twilight says, looking at you.

“So… it may not be a virtually infinite source of wealth, but some kind of overly elaborate doomsday device instead… Great. Hey Spike, I need a light.” you say, giving in to your desire as you pull a cigarette out of its package with your teeth as Spike walks up to you, before kneeling slightly to allow the purple dragon to exhale a small, green flame that turns the tip to ember. You thank the dragon as he saunters off.
“Why didn’t you just use your lighter?” Gloria asks disdainfully, her eyebrow raised.
“Because, if I’m going to die under the foot of a giant wolf, or spider, or whatever we’re going to come across in the glaciers, then I want to at least be able to say ‘I had a dragon light my cigarette for me’ before I kick off.” You say casually, sitting back on the couch.
“Yeah, a baby dragon” Gloria says with a scoff, causing you to waggle a finger at her.
“Nobody needs to know that. Besides, he’s pretty cool, and I’m going to get him a date with Ms. Rarity if I somehow manage to survive this whole thing. Can’t exactly be a ‘baby’ dragon if he has a girlfriend, right?” you reply as you lean your head over the back of the couch, your arms spread out across the top. Gloria lets out an irritated sigh before turning back to Twilight, who is visibly grinning at what you just said.
“Twi, would it be okay to leave the medallion with you? We can’t afford to let Volkiba get her hands on it, less so now given the additional possibility.” The khaki Pegasus asks, causing the purple unicorn’s smile to disappear slightly.
“Of course, it’d be fine. I’ll inform Celestia about this too, maybe we’ll be able to capture Volkiba before she becomes too much of a problem.” Twilight says, her smile widening once more at the thought of Princess Celestia.
“Somehow I doubt it’ll be so easy, Twilight. You said it yourself, Gloria; Volkiba has outposts all throughout this country, possibly the world, all of them decked out as beautifully as the one we saw.” You say, shuddering slightly at the memory, causing Twilight’s smile to vanish completely.
“Oh, what happened?” Twilight asks, causing Gloria to regale the entire sordid affair from start to finish.
“I was afraid of this, if Volkiba has indeed slain one of the guardians as you theorize, then there's no telling how powerful she actually is. For the sake of Celestia, tell me if there is anything else I can do to assist you.” Twilight says anxiously.
“Well, there is one thing. Do you have any idea where these medallions could be?” Gloria asks, causing Twilight to tap her forehead in an attempt to jog her memory.
“I do remember that I read something about them a long time ago. But it’ll probably take a few days for me to find the text, as you can tell” Twilight says, making a sweeping gesture towards the vast number of bookshelves with her right foreleg. “In the meantime, why don’t you stay the night, it’s just about dinner time anyways” Twilight continues, as you crack your left eye open partially at the mention of food.
“Oh no, we couldn't intrude. Besides, we've already bought a house here and it’s in serious need of renovation.” Gloria says, causing you to sit up straight.
“Huh? But you promis-“ you say before Gloria cuts you off with a sharp glare of her rainbow-colored eyes. You return to your former position with a grumble as Gloria and Twilight make small talk before parting ways. You follow Gloria out of the door, the cigarette hanging lazily from the corner of your mouth.

“You promised me dinner…” you say irritably as soon as the front door closes behind you.
“Yeah well, I thought it’d be nice if my pseudo-coltfriend tried my home cooking before meeting the rest of the neighbors” Gloria responds as the two of you make your way back to your new lodgings. The two of you slow to a standstill as the recently purchased property comes in to view. “What... the… fuck...?” You mutter with a wide-eyed expression as your cigarette falls out of your slack-jawed mouth. The house is now completely repaired, with a fresh coat of yellow paint to boot. You and Gloria break into a sprint as Midnight comes from around a corner, a wide smile on his face as a cheerful, multi-voiced “Surprise!” is heard and a small amount of ponies leap out from the nearby bushes. “Midnight… How did you…?” you start before the feminine stallion raises his right hoof to silence you. “Simple, when you have looks as good as mine and know how to use them along with a promise in regards to certain ‘rewards’, finding additional help becomes the easiest thing in the world. On that note, we have five new recruits; three of them are expert carpenters and the remaining two being a pair of attractive metal working sisters, twins no less. We could have had fifty, but the other forty-five prospective recruits fled in quite a panic after I revealed my actual gender to them. On the plus side, they were so shocked by the revelation that it never crossed their minds to stick around and demand payment. Oh, and don’t worry, the recruits who were tolerant enough to overlook the ploy will live in their own homes until our planned ‘additions’ begin. So, be honest, big boy; Am I good or am I good?” He says with an extravagant flip of his long mane.

“Ha… I’ll admit you are pretty good, Midnight” You say with an impressed chuckle as the stallion mentions that he also took the liberty of using some bits he picked out of Gloria’s side pack to buy furniture. Gloria is still too stunned by the improvements to the house to notice this blatant admittance as the three of you make your way into the house, letting the new recruits return to whatever task they were previously occupied with. The inside of the house has been equally improved, with a dining room to the left decked out with a fine oak table and matching chairs, and the kitchen utilities have been replaced with newer models. The main living room now has a sofa with plush cushions and an oaken frame, matching armchairs, a bookshelf adorned with various books and decorations, and a soft carpet underneath all this. You rush up the stairs for the first time to see a hallway with two doors on each side, three of which are name-tagged, each leading to what you assume to be four medium sized bedrooms judging by the similarities between your room and the still-unclaimed quarters; both have a bed matching the texture of the couch and chairs, a nightstand, a personal bookshelf, a dresser and a chest for one’s clothes and personal belongings. At the end of the hallway is a door leading to a large bathroom with an opulent marble sink, and bathing utilities of similar quality. “Fuck… we were gone for only 3 hours and they managed to do all this…? Damn” you think to yourself as you go down the stairwell and into the basement and note that, in addition to the usual utilities, there is a slightly dirty pickaxe, a small hole in the floor that designates the beginning of further planned ‘additions’, and various bits of metal framework that will no doubt be placed in the hole when the time is right.

You walk up the stairwell to the first floor, the smell of cooking in the air as you make your way to the kitchen. You see Gloria and Midnight both making separate sets of meals, their dialogue leaving no doubt that they’re competing for who will be the chef of the group. You roll your eyes in bemusement as you head into the living room and sit in the middle of the three-seat sofa… and that’s when the joyous illusion the renovation provided shatters and the reality of your situation finally comes crashing down around you. Your entire race is dead, and that means that you are the last of your kind. You cup your face in your hands as an emotional emptiness washes over you, rendering you incapable of any reaction as all sound and sight fades away and your world shrinks down to the microscopic space between your face and the fingers that cloak it. You feel no anger, no sorrow, and no fear, just a deep sense of longing, loss, and self-pity. You don’t know how long you remain like this, but when you finally gather the effort to raise your head out of your hands the first thing see as the world comes back into focus is Gloria and Midnight, sitting on the sofa alongside you with sympathetic looks on their faces. Before you have a chance to say anything you’re smothered in a group hug, giving a shaky sigh as your as you open your mouth in an attempt to speak. “I’m the only one left. The last of my kind” you say emotionlessly.
“Yeah… do you want to talk about it?” Gloria asks, caressing you as a mother would to calm her infant as Midnight does the same.
“What’s the point? There’s no way to change the outcome, and I can’t even remember a thing about my race anyways. So, really… there’s nothing to talk about. I have no past, no future. I’m incapable of turning my genetic material into a new generation. What will my legacy be… if I cannot pass the torch?” You say flatly, shaking the two ponies off you.
“Life isn’t just about passing on your genes, Araki,” Midnight says as he places his right foreleg around your shoulder. “We can leave behind much more than just that. Through actions, speech, literature and music; we can make our mark on history… Besides, I’m pretty sure somepony out there can whip up something that will make you capable of reproduction… though, it may turn out that the resultant offspring is some strange pony-human hybrid” the feminine stallion states with a wry smile that helps to cheer you up somewhat.
“Hmph, for a deadly assassin, you seem to know an unusual amount about the philosophies of life” you say with a strained chuckle as you pat the black pony on the shoulder.
“Yeah, I know, I’m a living contradiction in that regard.” Midnight says, visibly happy that his efforts were not in vain.
“So… feeling any better, Araki?” Gloria asks as she hugs you once more.
“No… not really, but at least I have enough energy to get off this couch and go to bed” You say with a yawn.
"Agreed, goodnight Araki." Gloria says with a kiss on your cheek before departing your company and heading upstairs. You try to follow suit before being stopped by Midnight.
“Oh no you don’t, big boy. You’re not going anywhere until you have some nibbles.” The feminine four-foot stallion says as he pushes you back onto the sofa before heading to the kitchen. He comes back carrying a plate with a wide variety of foods on it. The smell of meat makes its way to your nostrils as your eyes go wide in delight at such a surprise. “How did you know?” you ask as Midnight sets the plate in your lap.
“Gloria told me about what happened at Twilight’s house while we were cooking, so we decided to make something extra special for you to help you cheer up. Ha, Gloria gagged somewhat while making it, but soldiered on anyways. I grew up around such smells, due to that brothel I was born in being situated within the walls of Gryphonia’s main capital, Scythia, so I’m able to tolerate it… Still, doesn't change the fact that meat wreaks havoc on my digestive tract” he says with a smile as you greedily dig into the meal. You finish your meal in record time, and unleash a satisfied belch that elicits a humored chuckle from your friends.
“So, you were born in the land of the Griffins?” You ask with an intrigued eyebrow.
“Yep, that’s part of the reason I’m so feminine… due to the fact that at the time of my birth, they were trying to curtail an overpopulation problem so bad, that they were literally offering free sterilizations to its citizens with no questions asked. My mother, who ran the brothel alongside her husband, was already pregnant with me by the time the program went into effect. However, she died while birthing me; and the loss possibly drove my father insane because he denied my existence and even chose to have me sterilized almost immediately after I was out of the womb. When I was eight, he sold me to an assassin’s guild, happy to finally be rid of me. The last thing he said to me was “This will be the perfect line of work for a pony whose first act of his life was murder”. When I entered my teens, the effects of my sterilization became readily apparent. I had an equal amount of testosterone and estrogen in my body, which caused me to acquire my androgynous facial features and voice. Also, all my other… masculine features were stunted by the decreased testosterone to such an extent that I couldn't grow a facial mane even if I wanted to. Still, can’t complain with the perks it’s given me, because no one ever assumes that such a sweet-looking pony like me could possibly be a deadly assassin until it’s too late. Anyways, after ten years of training and killing under the assassin guild’s flag, this pony named Volkiba hired me to do a job six months ago; she was so impressed with the outcome that I was the first person she contacted when a pair of prisoners managed to escape her jungle outpost. And we all know how that story played out, in a way I don’t regret in the slightest” Midnight says with a giggle.
"That explains your philosophy... guess that means we’re in the same boat when it comes to reproductive prospects. So, what was the first job Volkiba gave you?” you ask with great intrigue, but Midnight simply chuckles and sticks his tongue out at you.
“Ah-ah-ah, I don’t normally kiss and tell. But because you were kind enough to spare my life, I think I’ll simply shelve that story for another day. Besides, I think it’s about time we went to bed, ourselves” Midnight says as the two of you vacate the sofa and head towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

“By the way, Midnight; you said you were well-versed in information gathering.” you say, stopping the stallion midway up the stairs.
“Yes… am I to assume that you have use for them already?” the feminine stallion asks, raising an eyebrow in intrigue.
“Exactly. While Gloria and I were infiltrating the outpost, I managed to interrogate a Unicorn guard at knifepoint who said she had a wife and adopted kids waiting for her in Ponyville. I can’t know for certain, but judging from the way she talked about it, she seemed about ready to desert her post right then and there…” You say thoughtfully, as Midnight’s rosy eyes take on a knowing look to them.
“Ah, I see what you’re getting at. You want me to confirm your suspicions as to whether this Unicorn did indeed desert her post out of the desperate desire to see her family again; and in the chance that she is indeed present in this town, you want me to follow up by using the fact that you spared her life as leverage to recruit her into our ranks as a lieutenant in order to payback that favor. Am I right so far?” Midnight asks, causing you to chuckle.
“Damn… you weren't kidding when you said you were good at information gathering.” You say, as the two of you resume your ascent of the stairwell leading to the second floor bedrooms.
“It was hardly a difficult deduction. Anyways, I’ll start on that first thing tomorrow. Besides, adding a Unicorn to the group would complete the little ‘variety pack’ we have going on; a magic user would be a boon when we head into the glaciers to look for the medallion. Hell, maybe later on we can further expand our diversity to include other nationalities” Midnight says as the two of our stop in front of your respective rooms.
“Considering that we’re going to have to be an army without a nation like Volkiba's Wandering Wolves are if we’re to have any chance of effectively standing up to her horde, that’s more or less inevitable. I even heard the perfect name from Rarity, who said she came across a trio of tunnel-dwelling ruffians today who go by the same title: Diamond Dogs” You say folding your arms in agreement.
“Catchy, I like it. And considering the fact we’re going to be living under similar, if improved, conditions once work on those additions is underway, we may just end up bringing them under our wing in the process. By the way... you sure you’re feeling okay, Boss? I mean, I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now” Midnight says as he takes on a somber tone, before you raise your right hand slightly to silence him.
"I said it before, Shads. There’s no point in me getting upset over events I have no memory of in the first place. Maybe when… if my memory returns I’ll allow myself more time to grief about whatever part I played in my previous life. But, for the moment, I’m the last human… And I intend to show the people of this world what my race is capable of." You say determinedly.
"Hmph, you’re a tough one. No wonder I wasn't able to beat you… Well, good night Boss" Midnight says as he opens the door of his bedroom, causing a noticeable smell of sweat, lust, and feminine perfume that likely belonged to a certain set of attractive twins to break free from the confines of his quarters and snake it's way into your nostrils. You chuckle to yourself at the lurid implications before entering your room. You take off your clothes as you make your way to the bed until you're down to your underwear, before falling face-first on the soft mattress and letting sleep wrap you in it's warm embrace.

Author's Note

Author: Big_Boss_MSF
Editors: Big_Boss_MSF

Well, this is another reference-heavy chapter, mainly for gamers and... nerds like me (Though to be fair to myself, I'm a tough nerd and gamer...). Though the decision to make reference to Doctor Whooves was merely one of two possibilities for that particular scene; the other being that Twilight, already a science-oriented type, would have had a way to scan him; most likely magic due to her being a unicorn. Still, the 'Doctor Whooves' path worked out well, somewhat humorous... No? Little bit?... Anyways, the addition of Rarity was not planned, but helps to further ease a certain 'character drought' I've been trying to fix. Also, it gives the main character something to do in regards to the subsequent 'Downtime' chapters that I plan to have on occasion. Also, seeing as how I've started introducing characters from the actual show, this does raise the question of "What constitutes a main character?". Well, simply put... if a character appears in... let's say between 50 and 75% of the story, then I will add them to the MC roster. On that note, I'm already making plans in regards to potentially incorporating the Mane 6 into the roster later on due to their unique talents (Ex. Rainbow Dash making a good scout, messenger, and combatant due to her incredible speed; Twilight being in weapons R&D due to her sciency persona... and, of course, Pinkie Pie would probably be the one who helps keep morale high by planning a lot parties.)

So yeah, big chapter, might be my biggest, might not be. Who Knows? After all, I'm not writing the story... it's writing itself in my mind, and I'm just putting it to paper. I have to assume that's how most authors feel about their works; never talked to an author before, so I wouldn't know.