Chapters Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 1 - Look before you leap!
NOTE:
The reason for this writing style should make more sense once you hit chp. 3.
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"Alright, let's get this show on the road! You ready?"
"As ready as I can be."
"Yeah, I'm curious about seeing his circumstances firsthoof"
"Onwards we go, then~!"
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August the 16th, 1991.
Denmark.
The city of Herlev.
06:47am
What was supposed to be a normal Friday, suddenly took an unexpected turn for a young boy.
He had only just turned 6 two days ago and was on his way to the last day of his first school-week.
As he walked down the road towards the path to the school, he heard some commotion up ahead,
but due to the patch of trees and bushes in the area, he couldn't see what happened.
On the other side of the greenery, a mysterious portal opened out of nowhere in front of three other kids.
Inside stood a man with a slightly insane look on his face, pointing a weird gun at one of the kids.
"Hahahaahahaa!! I did it! I made a portal to the past! You, young Nicholai, are about to become the vessel for my revenge!" he yelled in a slightly cracking voice.
The kid in the middle, Nicholai just looked at him, before wetting himself in fear of the lunatic in the portal.
But just then voices could be heard from inside the portal.
"He's there! Shoot him! Shoot him before he does anything to harm the past!!"
What followed was the mad man getting an unhealthy dose of lead and falling, dying, to the ground.
But not before pulling the trigger on his gun, though in the middle of dying, he didn't get to aim, so the shot disappeared into the greenery in the area,
so the guards that shot him thought nothing of it and just shut the portal down, leaving 3 traumatized kids wetting themselves in the middle of the street.
On the other side of the greenery though, lay a young boy, with a hole in his head and his own blood covering the ground under him.
Yet despite all this, he was still conscious, and though he couldn't move or say anything, he could still see and hear what happened around him,
as a girl started screaming and grownups came running yelling for someone to find a pay-phone and call an ambulance.
The young boy fought hard not to slip into unconsciousness as the medics finally arrived and took a look at him.
The last thing he heard was a "Poor kid.. so young, why did he have to leave this world at such an age..?"
And then darkness finally claimed him, as he drifted into a deep, dark void of nothing.
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The next thing he saw, was a white ceiling, he was in a hospital, he guessed.
Though he hated the place, he must have been there for a reason, but that didn't stop him from getting scared shitless from the situation.
He tried calling for help a few times, before a man in a white doctor's coat finally entered the room,
eyes wide from the sight of a boy that had a hole in his head when he arrived, now sitting there looking as healthy as he should, the hole replaced by a weird symbol instead.
"Where am I, doctor?" the young boy asked.
Shaken out of his stupor, the doctor rubbed his eyes, checking to see if they were just playing tricks on him, but no, he was still sitting there.
"You.. You're in Herlev Hospital. We brought you in, dead, with a hole in your head."
The boy just looked at him, his face more or less screaming "Are you kidding me!?"
The doctor shook his head and went over to the bed, taking a closer look at the symbol.
It looked like 3 halves of the yin-yang sign, all placed with the rounded part facing each others.
He then cleared his throat before talking again.
"My name is doctor Hans. You took quite the blow to your head, so I want to ask you some questions."
The kid looked at him, not sure of what to do, but thought it might be best to just answer the man.
"Firstly, do you remember your name?"
"Yeah.. It's Kim. Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen"
"That's quite the long name you have there, any reason for that?"
"Yup. I wanted to have all the names from both my moms and my dads side, so that I could proudly say that I'm their son, so I had them added."
Kim flashed him a big toothy grin.
"Well then" Hans continued,
"Do you remember your family?"
"Yeah, I have my mom, who I live with and my dad who's always working outside the country, I think it was a land called tajland?"
"Aah, so he works in Thailand, that must be nice." Hans said, almost dreaming of going on a holiday there.
"I guess.. But because of that, I rarely see him, besides, he has his own family to look after.." As he said the last part, a small frown formed on his face.
"I see.. What about brothers or sisters?"
"I have a big brother and an adopted big sister, they're both so nice." Kim said, smiling again.
"That sounds nic-" Hans was interrupted by a loudspeaker.
"Doctor Hans, Doctor Hans Schilling! You're required by the ambulance bay."
Hans looked back at Kim before getting up and giving a slight bow.
"I'll be back later, do try to get some rest, you did just survive something that kills anyone else."
Kim just nodded and lay back down as Hans walked out of the room.
It didn't take him long before he drifted off again, being shot in the head kinda does that to you.
As he was once again floating through the darkness, weird designs started flooding his vision.
Blueprints to all sorts of devices that he had never seen before.
All of it should make no sense, yet it somehow did.
"What is this..?" Kim asked, knowing that nobody would be there to answer him.
"That there is your future" a deep yet kind voice said.
"Who's there!?" Kim yelled, spinning around only to see that nothing was there.
"You shouldn't worry about me, Kim. Let's just say that I'm your muse for the evening and I'm here to grant you the knowledge of these devices."
"But.. what does all this do? I don't even know half of these items, yet somehow it's like I've always known them and their functions.."
"Well, let's just say that I gave you some added knowledge as well,
can't have a 6 year old child running around with high-powered tech like that, and not know what he's messing with, if you catch my drift."
The bodiless voice chuckled.
"But.. Why would I even want to use this device?"
"Let's just say that you will be wanting it's powers soon enough.. And with that, I give you my condolences.. Goodbye for now, Kim, we will meet again."
With that, Kim woke up and more or less jumped out of the bed, startling the poor nurse and Doctor Hans who had just finished a conversation, and were now looking quite glum.
"Kim" he started "Do you know exactly what death means..?"
"Yeah, I do.. Why..?" Kim already knew more than enough about death, thanks to the added knowledge that currently surged through his head.
"Dear god.. How do I tell you this.."
"Doctor.. If I'm dying, I want you to tell me straight.." Kim said.
"Don't worry, it's not you.. How do I tell you this.. I have some bad news.. When you were brought in, we checked your health card and contacted your mother.
She immediately left for the hospital, but on the way here, a truck that was speeding along the road, didn't see her until it was too late..
He collided with your mothers moped, and it was not.. Pretty.. Your mother was brought in, still alive, but she died on the way to the operation room..
We did our best to bring her back, but she was already gone.. I'm so sorry to have to bring you such bad news after you yourself just got back up.
If it's any help, your brother is on the way here as we speak." Hans finished, as Kim just fell limp to the floor, tears flowing from his eyes.
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"Wasn't that doctor kind of blunt?"
"Well, he is a doctor, it's his job to tell family members of such events, and seeing as Munck already knew the meaning of death due to the knowledge I gave him, he asked him not to hold back."
"Still, he was only a child, no reason to be that blunt.."
"True, but as they say, the show must go on!"
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The next week was a blur.
Kenn, Kim's brother, had arrived shortly after at the hospital.
Seeing his little brother crying like that, he already knew what had happened, so he hurried over and picked up his little brother.
Embracing him, as he himself started crying as well.
It was just two brothers, crying over the loss of their beloved mother.
Afterwards, Hans took some samples from Kim, to test if anything was wrong with him, after his own little accident earlier that day.
Kim didn't even care, he was too devastated from the loss.
But now the voice he had heard, suddenly made a little more sense to him, but he just pushed it all to the back of his mind, there was too many other things occupying it now.
Kenn had brought him back home to his wife, being 18 years older than his little brother, he was already in the middle of building a life.
They had all spend the day mourning their loss, and had pretty much emptied their tears for a life time.
Within the week, the funeral was held.
It was nothing big, but the nearest family and a few good friends was there to say their goodbyes.
Watching as his grandparents broke down, Kim quietly slipped outside the chapel.
He needed some air and alone time.
Roughly 30min passed, before the grownups carried the casket to the car that would bring it to the crematory and watched it as it drove away.
The time after the funeral was a quiet affair as well.
Family and close friends sat around, reminiscing about the past, drinking coffee and tea while enjoying some home baked goods.
Kim was dead tired by now, so he curled up on a couch in the next room and drifted off to the familiar void of darkness yet again.
"I see that you're done saying your goodbyes" Said the body-less voice
"Yeah.. Thank you for your condolences, even though my world broke down that day, I still recalled your words.. Thank you." Kim said as a final tear rolled down his cheek
"I'm just surprised you could remember that, I really thought you'd have lost all memories of our chat due to shock and sorrow..
Maybe I gave you a tad too much logic, calm and intelligence.. But what's done is done." The voice said, with a sound of mixed amusement and concern.
"Maybe, but thanks to that, I didn't break down mentally.. I'm still able to move on." Kim said, a hint of determination in his voice.
"Can you tell me about these blueprints I have in my head now?" he then asked.. Now that he thought about it, the voice knew him, but he didn't know the voice.
"Before that, though.. Do you even have a name?" Kim then asked.
"A name.. I've never needed one before.. Just call me what you want." the voice said.
"Ok then, Bob, what is it with all these blueprints floating around inside my head?" Kim said, with a little smile forming on his lips.
"Bob..? Seriously? *sigh* Whatever.. Those blueprints are for all sorts of stuff, high-tech gadgets, medicines and weapons, all from the future, aren't you the lucky bastard?" Bob said, letting a little chuckle go.
"If you call a bullet to the head, followed by your moms death for lucky, then "Yes" I'm a lucky bastard.." Kim said with a high dose of sarcasm and spite in his voice.
"Ok, ok.. Bad choice of words from my side.. Sorry, though it seems I also gave you quite the bit of sarcasm with the package, might come in handy, so hang on to it."
Kim sighed and started wondering again.
"Now that I take time to think about it, You turned up inside my head after I got shot.. Am I going crazy?"
"Naah, you just got shot with an Intelligence Bullet from 60 years in the future, it holds a lot of information and with the right DNA code grafted into the bullet, it's possible to control your past self like a puppet.
Lucky for you, though, the bullets DNA code was meant for another person, so you only gained all the knowledge stored in the bullet."
"So all this.. Is knowledge from 60 years in the future!?"
"Yeah and I'm the AI for this bullet, nice to meet you, though I should probably have said that when we first met.. A well, water under the bridge." Bob let out a hearty laugh.
"AI? I know what it means somehow, but I still have a hard time grasping it.."
"Well, think of me as your guide through the many wonders of this Intelligence Bullet."
"I see.. Then, will I be able to use all these blueprints as I'd like?" Kim asked, hoping that there might be a resurrection gadget amongst them.
"Pretty much, but I'd keep it to yourself, unless you want to end up as a slave for some shadowy organization."
"Yeah.. I can kinda guess that that would be bad.."
"Anyway! You can't sleep your life away, so time to get up!" Bob then said, snapping his invisible fingers.
With that, Kim woke up, to see that most guests were getting ready to leave.
Kim was then told that his Brother would be taking him in, since he lived in the same area, so that Kim wouldn't have to move to another school.
This one had all his friends from kindergarten after all, and they decided that he would need them all more than ever now.
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"So you're like a library of future knowledge inside his head?"
"Yeah.. That's a pretty good way of looking at it"
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It was time for Kim to go back to his daily life.
He had talked with Bob a few times since, and they had come to an agreement that Kim wouldn't use any of the knowledge for at least 3 years, just in case that some organization was watching him.
School was a simple affair.
The real classes didn't start until next year, as the first year was just there to ease kids into the new system.
A little bit of Danish and math lessons every now and then.
To Kim, this was all boring, seeing as he already knew more than enough to pass the schools final exams.
Didn't stop him from enjoying his old friends shenanigans, though.
The only friend he didn't see around, was Nicholai, who had been in and out of the loony bin ever since.
Nobody believed his story, nobody except for Kim, who had been on the receiving end of the Intelligence Bullet that was meant for his friend.
At least the teachers had taught them all about how it was to loose a loved one while Kim was gone, so he didn't get bothered with questions about it, which suited him just fine.
The less he had to think about it, the better he thought.
As time went on, though, small changes happened to Kim.
The first was the symbol on his forehead, where the bullet-hole once was.
It had become much sharper and stood out now, making people think it was a tattoo, which was unheard off on a 6 year old kid.
The other thing was his black curly hair.
The tips of the curls had turned crimson and a silver streak ran through the hair just above the symbol.
This led to people thinking that he was just seeking attention from those around him, now that he had lost his mom and his dad was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, that gave the local bullies a new target to pick on, and pick on him they did.
Not a single day went by, without Kim getting verbally assaulted, harassed or beaten up.
He tried to take it as well as possible, knowing that it was just some kids with inferiority complexes, trying to act big and tough so that they wouldn't turn into bully fodder themselves.
But as each day went by, it got harder and harder to ignore them, and one day Kim finally decided that enough is enough.
Later that night, he got in touch with Bob.
"What's up Kim? You don't drop by too often." Bob said, with a bit of amusement in his voice.
"I was wondering if there's anything about self defense amongst the knowledge in the bullet." Kim said with a serious tone.
"Whoa there partner.. You should know better than to use the knowledge in this bullet yet."
"I know.. But I need to teach these bullies a lesson, otherwise they'll NEVER stop.."
"*sigh* Right, Even I can feel all the pain they inflict, I am after all, a part of you now.. But martial arts can be dangerous if used in the wrong way, you should know that."
"Don't worry, it's not like I plan on putting them in a wheelchair for life, I just want to be able to defend us the next time they try to beat me up, who knows, maybe they'll even stop bothering us." Kim said, sincerity in his voice.
"I get your point, alright.. I'll open the access to some Judo, since they're retards, you know that they'll get as close as possible to beat you up, so use that to your advantage and throw 'em around for a bit." Bob said, snickering a bit at the thought of bullies flying through the air.
"Don't worry, I'll send 'em flying for the both of us" Kim said, joining the laughing.
"I'm also gonna give you access to your bodies limiters, if you release them, you will gain a boost in speed, power and thought processing, just beware that it puts a huge strain on your body and mind, so once you shut it down and the adrenaline wears off, you will probably be asleep for the rest of the day."
"Right, I'll remember that, so how do I activate it?" Kim asked.
"Just concentrate on buffing yourself and say some sort of keyword."
"Like "It's Hammer Time"?"
"Oh lord.. That's cheesy as hell, but we'll roll with it." Bob laughed.
"Right then, see you tomorrow, if we survive." Kim said, snickering a bit.
The next morning, Kim left half an hour earlier than usual and went to the little forest near the school, to get his body used to the new moves it knew.
Things went quite well and he felt like he could take on the world, as long as the world tried to grab him, that is.
Fortunately, though, the world decided not to grab Kim that day, instead everyone heard a loud "IT'S HAMMER TIME!!" as 5 bullies was in the middle of flying through the air, much to all the kids in the schoolyards amusement.
Even the teachers stood there, shocked at the sight of bullies charging a kid smaller than them, only to have their power used against them and get send flying.
In the end, though, one of the teachers finally stopped it.
The principal gave the bullies 1 weeks suspension and 1 weeks toilet cleaning afterwards.
Kim got off with a warning, though he gave Kim a thumbs up as he got up to leave.
But then the after effects finally hit and he collapsed to the floor, snoring soundly as the principal had a teacher carry him to the school nurses room.
After that, the bullies stayed away from Kim, and his life finally started to settle down.
All in all, it was pretty good.
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"Hah! Mighty fine job he did there." the voice chuckled.
"YEEEEAAAAAAH!! He'll make a fine guard some day!"
"Yes, he did do rather fine, but I'm still against violence like that, though in this case, I guess it couldn't really be helped.."
"I'm just happy that they left him alone after that, I know how good a colt he is and he didn't deserve to be bullied like that."
"Indeed, but now we're gonna skip ahead in time, after all, I doubt you all want to see 3 years of him just going to school like a good kid."
"Actually, I would like that, but I know we don't have time for it.." The voice said, sounding a bit sad.
"Right then, onwards we go~"
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It had now been 3 years since the accident.
Life was moving on, as Kim had just recently turned 9.
He now had a little niece named Line, a cute little bundle of energy, she was everywhere at once, much to her parents "joy".
But with this, there was suddenly another mouth to feed in the already little home.
So Kim finally decided that it was time to take a look at the knowledge the Intelligence Bullet held within.
See if there was anything that could help him out.
"Yo Bob, you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here. So It's finally time?"
"Yup, I want to find something that can help lessen the burden on my brother and his family."
"You always had a strong sense of not wanting to be a burden to anyone. Alright, let's see what we have!"
As Bob said that, a few hundred blueprints started flying by as Kim was looking them over.
"Wait, Stop! What's this one, Bob?"
"Hmm.. A hand-held portal device, that can punch a hole through space and in some cases even time and dimensions."
"That sounds kinda awesome! So with this, I would be able to move anywhere I wanted?"
"Yeah, though, it is a bit unstable, until you calibrate it just right you never know where a portal might connect to."
"Sounds fair enough, I guess.. And it even looks build-able.." Kim thought about it for a moment.. With this, he could move wherever he wanted to in the world,
he could have an adventure of a lifetime and at the same time, not be a burden to his Brother who already had his hands full with his own family.
"You know what? Let's build it!" Kim said, flashing a big grin.
"Whatever you say mon capitan!" Bob said, giving a hearty laugh.
Another 8 months went by, as Kim continued working on his portal device.
He had made it a part of his daily schedule to drop by the junkyard to scavenge for any usable electronic junk, that could be used for the device.
Luckily, his brother was a computer technician, so he had all the tools Kim needed.
And while Kenn had wondered what his brother was up to, he just waved it off as Kim wanting to play with electronics, trying to emulate what he did for a living.
But Kim had soon finished his portal device.
It looked rather crude and nothing like the thing on the blueprint in his head, but who cares about looks, as long as it actually works.
Of course, he wouldn't know that until he actually used it, but seeing as it required quite a bit of power, he wanted to wait until he had tied up all unfinished business.
He decided that he would do that tomorrow and went to bed.
The next day went quietly by.
He enjoyed the final day in school, saying a goodbye to the few friends he had kept close to him the last couple of years.
They just looked at him weirdly before saying that they'd see him after the weekend, so he didn't need to say it like that.
Kim just smiled a bit, as he grabbed his bag and went back home.
He then went over the letter he had written to his brother.
"Dear Kenn.
When you read this, I will not be around anymore.
Don't worry, I didn't kill myself, I think, I just went out on a trip to find my own place in this crazy world of ours.
I can't thank you enough for looking after me these past, almost 4 years.
But I don't want to be a burden to you, Lonnie and Line, I mean, you have MORE than enough in keeping your own family happy.
That's why I've been working on a device that can take me anywhere in the world, if it works correctly, but I'll still go wherever the portal takes me, be it USA, Russia or Japan, it will still be an adventure.
I know this might all sound crazy and selfish to you, but just know, that I love you all.
And I wish you all the best.
-Kim"
"Looks good enough.. Alright, time to get going!" Kim said to nobody in particular.
He grabbed his bag, that he had emptied for books and placed some clothes, a wrapped up sandwich, a bottle of cola and some candy.
Then he strapped on a tool belt he had made with some of all the spare tools his brother had.
And with that, he moved down to the apartments basement floor, where he could hook into the main power of the block.
He then equipped his portal device to his right arm and plugged it in, it started lighting up and Kim pointed to the wall in front of him, pulling the trigger.
Suddenly every light in the block started flickering as the device drew all the power it needed and blew a portal in the wall next to the power socket.
"This is it.." Kim mumbled, before he boldly stepped through the portal.
But his foot didn't meet solid ground on the other side, instead there was air and the gravity started pulling as he fell down with a loud thud,
apparently the portal had appeared on the ceiling of where ever he had warped to.
But it also meant that the plug had been pulled out in the fall and the portal home had closed for good.
Kim slowly sat up, only to see the biggest eyes he had ever seen.. Big.. Purple.. Eyes..
The creature they belonged to started backing away and Kim could now see what looked like a little purple pony.. With a horn? That couldn't be right.. Unicorns were mythological beings, then again.. Ponies weren't purple.
They both opened their mouths at the same time.
"What are you/Hvad er du?"
...
"Wait! You can talk!?/Vent! Du kan tale!?"
...
"What language is that?/Oh right, you're speaking English!"
...
They both jumped up and grabbed each others hands/hoofs and started dancing around.
"You can talk!"
"No, you can talk!"
"This is so amazing!" The purple unicorn said.
"No way! You're the amazing one!" Kim said, letting out a hearty laugh.
The joy didn't last long though, as they both heard a scream and a thud.
Kim looked towards the sound, to see a unicorn who had fainted just outside the room.
"Mom!" She screamed.
"This is not a good sign" Kim mumbled as the purple unicorn ran to the other one and hoofsteps could be heard coming towards the room.
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"And that brings us to the end of our tour, please don't forget any baggage you might have brought, and please clean out your trash before you leave the bus!"
-To be continued!!-
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Authors notes.
Well, this is the first time in about 10 years that I have written anything longer than a chat message.
And I must say, I rather enjoyed it.
Just be warned, this is my first time writing fiction outside my written Danish Exam, 11 years ago, so I don't have any idea where it will go, or how it will go for that matter.
My English is most likely not the best, having been raised with both American, British, Scottish and Australian English around me, so It's all one big mess in my head.
But if ya can live with that, then I'll be a happy lad.
I hope you enjoyed the read.
And feel free to leave comments on what parts of my story writing that needs a lift.
-Munck
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View Online
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 2 - Talking Ponies and a lack of Portals!
"MOM!" The purple unicorn screamed as she ran towards her unconscious mother.
"This is not a good sign" I mumbled out loud
"Ya think!?" Bob shouted inside my head.
"Oh hush, Bob.. This isn't the time for bickering, we need to do something before this turns into a mess!" I yelled inside myself.
Just as I finished saying that, another Unicorn came running.
"Velvet! What happened here Twi-! Oh my goddess! What is that thing!" he shouted and jumped in front of his child and unconscious wife.
If eyes could kill, I'd be pretty dead right now.
So I did what I thought would be the best was to show that I meant no harm, and dropped my ass on the floor and put my arms in the air while saying "I surrender! Please don't kill me.."
The blue unicorn looked at me, with both shock and amazement.
You could practically see what he was thinking at that moment, the creature could talk, and it didn't attack them, even though it had the chance before.
"What.. Are you?" He asked.
"Me? I'm a human, kinda like a hairless ape, if you know what an ape is." I said and smiled a bit, as to not make him more nervous than he was.
"I've never heard of hoomens before, but we do know what apes are, though they don't talk.." He said
"Well, where I'm from, we have ponies as well, but they don't come as colorful as you, nor do they talk.. Not to mention that you lot have horns, like the unicorns from old myths."
With that he looked at me like I was a nut case.
"What do you mean "myths" Unicorns are everywhere, as are pegasi and earth-ponies!" he said with a stern tone
"You have pegasi as well!? *Sigh* Well.. That kinda confirms my fears.." I said, my voice starting to sound a bit sad.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I build a portal device to travel around my own world, in order to find my place in life and lessen the burden on my brother who had taken me in, after our mother died.."
At that, his eyes softened a bit.
"But, this device has some kinks the first few times you use it, so I wanted to step through and see where it had put me before I went through for good.
I just didn't expect it to form on the ceiling of this room, causing me to fall through, unplugging the device on the other side of the portal, hence closing my way back home.."
With this he came over and sat down next to me, the purple one sitting in front of us so she could listen in.
_________
"So, you're telling me that you have no way back to the world you came from, due to a failed magic experiment?"
I looked at him, probably a bit funny, 'cause he raised an eyebrow.
"Magic? You have magic here?" I said, my voice having a hint of disbelief in it.
"Of course we do. Every unicorn can use magic! Just look at my daughter, Twilight Sparkle, even though she's still a little filly, she's training hard each day." He said, beaming a big smile at his daughter, who blushed a little at the praise.
Her horn then glowed a faint purple, as she started flipping through pages in a book.
"You really can use magic! That's so awesome!" I said to her, smiling just as wide as her father did, causing her to try and hide her face behind her mane which was a bit hard, seeing how short it was.
"But" her father interrupted.
"If you can't use magic.. Then how did you make a portal here?" he asked.
"Well, we don't have magic, but we do have technology. I made a handheld portal device, the thing on my arm here." I said, showing it to him.
"Though, right now it's pretty much just a useless paperweight, until I find a new source of power for it" I frowned a bit..
"It uses highly condensed energy to punch a hole through time and space, though it was only supposed to make one for a random place on my own planet, but it seems the kinks in this thing was worse than I feared, I mean, here I am, talking to a unicorn." I said, chuckling a bit, causing the blue unicorn to smile.
"Well, I don't know what my wife will say when she wakes up, but if you want, you can stay here until you figure something out, I'm not cold enough to leave somepony in need of help alone."
He smiled back at me, as I sat there, my jaw almost touching the floor.
"You.. You would do that for me? But, I don't even know you? And you don't even know me." I said, trying to keep a calm voice.
"You're right, we don't know each other yet, but I do know that you can't be bad, after all, if you were, you'd have been able to harm both my daughter and wife before I even got close to the room!" He said, with a serious look in his eyes.
"Heheh.. Yeah, I wouldn't hurt anyone as cute as you lot" I said, smiling a little.
"Anyone? Don't you mean anypony?" he corrected.
"That's what you say here? I'll have to learn that.. Anyway. I forgot my manners." I said, as I stood back up, reaching just up to the tip of his horn as he stood up as well.
"My name is Kim, Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen!" I said with a smile.
He almost sat down again at the sudden and long and alien name.
"Just call me Munck (Monk), that's what my friends call me." I said, still smiling.
That helped him out of his stupor.
"Right, then, Munck. My name is Night Light, you've already met my lovely daughter, Twilight Sparkle"
I nodded and bent down to shake Twilight's hoof.
"And, still sleeping over there, is my wife, Twilight Velvet." He said with a little chuckle.
"Right, I'll need to give her an apology for scaring her like that."
"And last, but not least, I have a son as well, Shining Armor, but he isn't home at the moment."
"Right, just please warn him about me before he does come back, I don't want to die from a kick to the head before I turn 10.." I said a bit jokingly.
"Wait.. How old are you even?" Night Light suddenly asked.
"I'm 9, though I turn 10 in about 4 months now." I answered.
"Then you're only a year older than Twilight, but.. You're so tall already" He said, a bit of shock in his voice.
"Well, a human can grow to be around or over 2m tall" I stated
"Though, most usually end up at around 165~185cm"
At this, the poor fella finally sat down again as me and Twilight laughed a bit.
_________
As if on cue, Velvet started to wake up.
She looked over and saw me standing there, with her husband and daughter, and her eyes widened.
"Umm, Mr. Light, I think your wife is about to faint again.." I said and pointed behind him.
"Oh dear.. Velvet! It's ok, he's not dangerous!" Night Light yelled, rousing Twilight Velvet from her near unconscious state again.
"W-w-what is that.. THING!?" Velvet then screamed
"It's ok Velvet! He's a 9 years old hoomen child, a being from another world who got stranded here in an accident with a portal he made, and now he's got nowhere to go and is all alone in Equestria" Night Light said,
causing Velvet to calm down, more concerned now with the poor creature that lost his only way home, and he was only a year older than her own daughter, she could hardly believe that such a young child would even try to leave like that.
I took this as a sign to finally apologize for before.
"I'm very sorry about scaring you like that, Mrs. Velvet.. I didn't know where I was, but when I met a friendly being that could not only talk, but looked really cute as well, I kinda lost it in my joy and scared you as I was dancing around.."
Velvet broke out in a smile and trotted over to give med a hug.. It was nice, something I hadn't felt in a long time.. A mothers warmth.
At this, the dam finally broke, and tears started running down my cheeks, wetting Velvets coat, but she just hugged me tighter, as if telling me that it was ok to let it go.
3 years of pent up sorrow, insecurity and everything else I had held in, as to not bother anyone with it, and now joy, started rolling out my tear ducts.
Even Twilight came over, carrying a stuffed toy, and hugged my leg.
"It's ok Munck, you can cry and I'll even lend you miss Smarty Pants, so you won't be lonely tonight" she said, giving my leg an extra hug.
I slowly released myself from Velvet's hug and dried my eyes a bit, before bending down and giving Twilight a big hug as well.
"Thanks Twilight, but it's ok, I'll be ok." I said with a little smile.
_________
Just as I released her from my hug, my stomach finally decided to make itself noticed, by growling like a mad dog causing me to blush a little.
"Hah! Well, it is getting rather late, and if I recall correctly, Velvet was on her way up to tell Twilight that it was dinner time, when she saw you." Night Light mused.
"Now that I think about it, what do you hoomens eat?" He asked.
"Well.. We're omnivores, so that means we can pretty much eat anything, as long as it's properly prepared, and doesn't contain anything poisonous to our system.."
"What's an omnivore?" Twilight suddenly asked.
"Well.. Do you know what an herbivore and carnivore is?" I asked her back.
"Umm.. Ummm.. One is us ponies! We eat hay, grass, flowers, fruits, cakes and veggies! Right?" She asked, beaming a little smile.
"That is totally correct, now imagine the carnivores as a creature that mostly only eats meat from other animals."
"I don't like that.." she said, looking a little sad.
What I was about to teach her now, didn't really sit well with me, but I might as well just get it over with.
"Well" I said and pointed each index finger in the air, much to Twilights confusion, I could see that both Velvet and Night Light knew where I was going with this, but didn't want to disturb me.
"If you think of each of these as herbivore and carnivore, then.." I started moving both finger towards each others, until they met midway "This, is an omnivore, one who can survive on both diets." I finished.
She looked at my fingers for a bit, before her eyes suddenly started widening a bit.
"You.. You don't eat ponies, do you? because, you seem too nice to be a meat eater.." She said, almost teary eyed.
"Don't worry, I would never dream of eating a pony, and besides, I can easily adapt to your food here, I hope, so it shouldn't be a problem." I said, stroking her mane a bit, this seemed to calm her down.
Night Light finally spoke again.
"Well then, why don't we god won and see if you can handle some of my wifes delicious cooking?" he said with a smile, as he and Velvet turned around and walked out.
"Thanks, that would be so nice right now" I said, as my stomach started growling again.
Twilight giggled a bit and started trotting out of her room, as I followed her down to the kitchen.
_________
Dinner was nice and Velvet's cooking really was delicious, hay, even the hayfries was awesome, I guess deep frying things really does make it 20% better.
During dinner Twilight kept asking me questions about my world, I didn't want to startle them with tales of war, so instead I told her a bit about technology, about computers and TV's and of course, home consoles.
Her eyes got bigger and bigger as I told her about it all.
Then I remembered that I still had a sandwich and cola in my back, so i bowed down and took 'em out.
"I actually brought and egg-salad sandwich and a cola.. It is ok to eat eggs here, right..?" I asked, a bit scared that it wouldn't be.
"Of course it is, after all, we use eggs for all sorts of things here." Night Light answered.
"That's good" I said, as I unwrapped the sandwich.
Twilight looked at it with curious eyes, it was after all, food from another world.
Of course I noticed this, and used a knife to cut it in 4 pieces, I then offered her and her parents a slice each, Twilight and Night Light each took one, but Velvet passed it.
"I would love to try it, but eggs tend to give me gas" She said, giving a little chuckle.
"That's alright" I said "Happens to me too, but I love it too much to let it bother me" I gave a hearty laugh.
In the mean time, Twilight snatched her mothers piece as well, I noticed this and looked at her.
"Umm, it's for miss Smarty Pants!" She said, trying to look innocent.
I just laughed a bit "That's ok Twilight, just be careful that miss Smarty Pants doesn't get a tummy ache" I said and ruffled her mane a bit as she blushed and nodded.
Velvet saw that I was about to open the cola "Munck, why don't we put that cola in the fridge, we have a cold one there that we can have tonight instead" She then used her magic to levitate the cola from the table and over to the fridge, where she switched it out with a cold one.
"I'll never get tired of seeing magic like that." I said, still amazed at the fact that Magic was really real.
Velvet just smiled as she poured us all a glass of cold Colt-a-Cola and levitated them to the table.
I took a swig, and it was delicious, not as sweet as our worlds cola, but sweet doesn't always mean better.
It had a nice hint of spices and really quenched the thirst.
"This is really good!" I said, smiling ear to ear.
"The cola in our world tastes a tad too sweet and synthetic, if you ask me, but this is so natural, and the hint of spices is just right."
They all laughed a bit at my constant surprises at things they thought natural.
_________
"Well, I think it's about time for little fillies and colts to hit the hay." Night Light said.
"Munck, you can borrow Shining Armor's room for tonight, I'm sure he won't mind" Velvet added.
"Thank you all so much." I said and gave them both a hug.
"I doubt anyo- I mean, anypony on my world ever be so helpful to a random colt that just dropped by" I said, giving a little laugh at the fact that I just corrected myself to pony speech.
"Well, I don't know about your world, but here in Equestria, we try to help each other out" Said Night Light.
"But for now, why don't you show Munck where the bathroom is, Twilight, then we'll go get the bed ready for him" he added.
Twilight hopped down, balancing her tray with the egg-salad sandwich on it and trotted up the stairs, with me following her.
The bathroom was nice a spacey, then again, it had to accommodate ponies, which were a bit bigger to tango with, than a regular human, so the floor was a bit bigger than you'd suspect of a human bathroom.
After getting myself ready for bed, I said goodnight to Twilight and went down the hall, to the next room, where Night Light was waiting.
"This is where you will be sleeping tonight, Shining Armor shouldn't be back for a few days, so he shouldn't mind if we lent his bed out" Night Light said.
"I still can't thank you enough for this, Mr. Light"
"Aah, it's no problem at all, Munck." He smiled "After all, we got to meet the first Hoomen to set foot in Equestria, to our knowledge at least." he mused.
And then Velvet entered, levitating a fresh pillow and a nice quilted blanket.
"Here you go, Munck, sleep tight" she said.
I just walked over and gave her a hug "Thank you and goodnight Mrs. Velvet" she just smiled and levitated the things over on the bed.
I then gave Night Light a goodnight hug as well, before climbing onto the bed and cuddling in under the blanket.
It was nice and comfy and I soon fell asleep.
"What's up "Munck" finally decided to drop by?" Bob said with a laugh.
"Yeah, couldn't exactly run around talking to myself while they were still trying to figure out whether I was dangerous or not.."
"True.. True, ah well, you'd better tell Mr. Light about us tomorrow, though, might as well get it out of the system sooner, rather than later."
"Agreed.. G'night Bob" I said and shut down for the night.
-To be continued!-
__________
Authors notes:
Well, this is the second chapter in a day, and honestly, my fingers are killing me now, so I don't know when next chapter will be done, as we say here, "En klovborg ost tager den tid, en klovborg ost skal ta" or "A fic takes the time a fic does!".
Again, Any pointers would be much appreciated, since I have zero experience writing stuff like this.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
-Munck
View Online
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Special Chapter: A "What if" story! Death of the Bronies, Birth of the Ponies.
NOTE: This is a what if story that I just had to write down.
__________
Did you ever wonder what would have happened if the special forces didn't stop that mad lunatic in the portal?
So have I, that's why I'll rewind the wheels of time to that fateful Friday on August the 16th, 1991..
__________
It was a bright Friday morning.
I had decided to leave for school a bit earlier than usual, meeting up with two other kids from my new school.
"Did you see that new show yesterday?" one of them asked.
"Yeah! It was sooo AWESOME!" the other one replied.
I was about to ask what show it was, when suddenly the air around us started buzzing and out of nowhere a big glowing.. Door of light appeared, a weird man standing on the other side, pointing something at me.
"Hahahaahahaa!! I did it! I made a portal to the past! You, young Nicholai, are about to become the vessel for my revenge!" he yelled in a slightly cracking voice.
He was scary.. The most scary person I had ever seen, I was so scared that I just fell to the ground, wetting myself.. So uncool..
"Wh.. Who.. Are you..?" I croaked.
"Oh, you don't need to think about that, hehee, actually, hehehee, you don't need to think at all! Hahahaahaaa!!" He started laughing again.
It was at this, that he raised what looked like a gun and pointed it straight at my head.
"Don't worry.. I have big plans for you.."
*BLAM!*
I felt immense pain for a moment, before I fell lifeless to the ground.
The two kids who had been with me started screaming their heads off, as the man started laughing again, before the door disappeared just as suddenly as it had showed up.
Then darkness finally claimed me, as I drifted into the black void of unconsciousness..
__________
The next thing I remember, was waking up in a white room, my mom sobbing right next to me, but for some reason, I couldn't move my body or talk.
"Mom..?" The voice came from me, but it wasn't me who said it..
"NICHOLAI! You're alive! Doctor! DOCTOR!!" She screamed.
"Yes mom, I'm alive." My face smiled.
"What's with the screaming?" A doctor said as he entered the room, but when he saw me, his jaw almost hit the floor.
"He's alive? but that should be impossible! He had a bullet hole in his head, by all rights he should be dead! This must be some sort of miracle!" The doctor yelled.
"Oh, I'm VERY much alive, doctor.." My voice said, a smug smile growing on my lips.
"Right! We will need to keep you here for the night, So that we can run some tests, it's not every day someone survives a hole in the head, after all."
"Of course, but can my mom stay as well, she did just nearly lose me, so I think she might want to stay here for the night." My voice said, feigning concern.
"That shouldn't be a problem, I'll be back later to get some blood samples, why don't you try to rest for a bit?"
"Sounds like a plan, doctor."
And so the doctor left, my mom hugged the body that no longer belonged to me and left to get us something to drink.
My body on the other hand, decided to drift off into sleep.
__________
"..."
"Where am I..?" I wondered out loud.
"So.. I see he got you after all.." Said a deep voice with a hint of sorrow.
"Who are you..?"
"I'm th-"
"Shut up, you stupid AI.. I may have built you and given you a personality, but that doesn't mean shit! You're here for me to use you and the same goes for the brat!"
"But, that kid is y-!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"Why.. Why are you inside my head!?" I yelled, fear clearly in my voice.
"Oh, don't you worry about that.. When you wake up, you won't even remember any of this, not until that fateful day on October the 10th, 2010! So enjoy your remaining 19 years of freedom while you can.." The voice said, evil intent seething from his words.
"..."
At this, light suddenly flooded the darkness and I woke up, everything that had just happened seemed like a far off dream now.
__________
For a month, I continued to go back between my home and the hospital, for tests and scans, but the doctors never found anything unusual in me.
It was as if everything had been one long, bad dream..
But, it was time for me to go back to my daily life now.
And I was actually looking forward to seeing my friends again, especially Kim, who I heard was the one that found us after I got shot, and called for help.
Unfortunately, he had also seen the moment when I had received the bullet to my head and had fallen into a depression..
It wasn't long after this, that he gave up on fighting the nightmares and took his own life, leaving everyone shocked and sad.
But life goes on and time heals the wounds.
I was almost 16 now and had just finished school.
It was time to get myself an education, but something in my head stopped me from doing so, instead I got settled with a job as a cashier in the local discount store, never questioning why.
I still lived at home, so I didn't have to pay too much in rent, and because of that, I had quite a bit of money left, yet something stopped me from using it.
Even after I turned 18 and got a job as the local mailman, I still didn't stop saving up cash, it was like my brain was hardwired to do so.
This went on for another 7 years.
Just working, living and raking in cash for an unknown purpose.
Even my mom was getting worried, but thought that I was probably saving up to move out and get my own place.
But then it happened...
__________
Sunday, October the 10th. 2010.
It was a pretty normal day, nothing special had happened, like usual.
So when I finally got back home that night, I decided to head on to youtube, see what shit people had uploaded.
"What the hell.. My Little Pony..? Why would anyone even upload this shi-"
My mouth froze, and my body control left me.
"Hello, Nicholai.. It's been a while.. what, 19 years now? How have you been?"
"No.. Nononononono.. NOOO! You're supposed to be a dream! A bad dream! Why are you here!?"
"..."
"My.. So much rage~! I'm just here to claim your body, nothing else.. So if you would please shut the fuck up and go cry in a corner of your mind that I won't be using, then we can all get on with our lives... And don't even think about talking to the brat, AI!"
"... Fine.. I'll let you get on with your sick plan.."
"Thank you. And now it's time to get to work! Muahahaahahaahaaa~!!"
"Dear god.. save me..!"
__________
Over the course of the next 2 years, the insane bastard used all my savings on bits and parts for his master plan.
He didn't care to explain anything, and i was kept locked away inside my own head, only able to observe as the bastard drew closer to his goal.
Then the fateful day came.
Saturday, June the 30th, 2012
The Summer BroNYCon.
Right in the middle of the Q&A Panel with Lauren Faust, a portal appeared, and out of it stepped none other than Nicholai, with a strange device trapped to his body.
"Right then, you brony bastards.. It's time for you all to end, now, before anyone gets any stupid ideas, just know that the instant I'm attacked, or die, this device will blow up.."
The room filled with gasps and yelps of panic.
"Now, before I end you all, I guess you might want to know "Why" I'm doing this.. In this very room, is every single brony scum that changed the future to the sickening peaceful place it is.. And I don't like it! Love and tolerance, my ass!! You bronies have fucked up my life!
First my fiancé left me for a fucking brony! Then a brony backed into my car! Do you have any idea how long it took to save up for that thing!?
As if that wasn't bad enough, our fucking president was a brony! Soon, half the world leaders were bronies! And they enforced love and toleration on the entire fucking planet, making it a peaceful place with with retarded pony loving bastards!!
AND EVERY TIME SOMEONE TRIED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT, WE WERE TOLD TO LOVE AND TOLERATE!! I'LL SHOW YOU SICK FUCKS LOVE AND TOLERATION AS I BLOW EVERY HUMAN BEING ON THIS PLANET TO ATOMIC DUST!!"
"But.. But, won't that kill you as well?" A Brony asked.
"Good question, you little piece of filth! I'm not even here! I set this plan in motion 21 years ago, when I shot my past self with a DNA controlling bullet that had all my knowledge in it, that way forcing him to become my puppet and do the dirty work!"
"But, if you destroy your past, won't your future self disappear as well?" Another one said.
"Again, good question, you motherfucking pony lover! But fret not, I have developed a system that will warp me through a protected space and 500.000 years into the future, where life should have started again, and then I will finally be rid of you sick fucks.. FOREVEEER!!"
"Bu-!" One started.
"No more questions, goodbye!"
*Beep!*
__________
The crazy man took off his helmet that he had used to control his past self with and hurried over to another portal as the world around him began to fade.
"HAHAHAAHAAAAHAAHAA!! I DID IT!!" He gleefully laughed as he jumped into the portal.
He couldn't wait to see what the new future looked like, and soon after, the end of the portal appeared and he jumped right through it as it closed behind him.
He was in a little rustic looking town, in front of the town fountain.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! MONSTER!!" A female voice boomed behind him.
He turned around to see the source of the scream, but as he did, he dropped to his knees.
"No.. NO..! NONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOO!!! NOT PONIES!! NOT FUCKING PONIES!! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!" He roared as he got back up.
"ALL OF YOU!! I'LL KILL EVERY SINGLE O-!"
*TWACK!*
The mad man fell unconscious to the ground, as a Lavender unicorn stood behind him with a levitated club.
__________
1 Year later.
The dungeons of Canterlot.
"Hey! You filthy ape! Your grub is here!" One of the guards shouted, as he opened the door to see the mysterious ape man chained up at the end of the room.
If eyes could kill, the guard would have been dead a long time ago, but he had gotten used to the death glare and threats that the ape would give him.
"I'm only eating this filthy shit you call food, so that I can live long enough to break out of here.. And when I do, you're the first one I'll kill!" He growled.
"Yeah yeah, and I'm Princess Celestia, any other nonsense you wanna get off your chest..? No? Good, now eat your food and behave." The guard said as he turned around and left the cell, locking the door again.
"I WILL KILL YOU!! I WILL KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!" The mad man screamed.
"Should I go shut him up?" Asked the other guard.
"Naah.. Just let him rage.. Come on, let's go get some food. I'm starving"
"Right behind you!"
And so ends the story of what could have happened.
Goodnight, and sleep tight...
__________
The End
Authors notes:
I had so much fun writing this one.
Just going crazy with Future Nicholai was delicious~!
Also, no, I don't hate Bronies nor Ponies, otherwise I wouldn't be here. ;P
I Hope you all enjoyed this random brain fart of mine.
Chapter 3 is still under constrction, though, and I'm also working on fixing up chp. 1 and 2.
-Munck
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 3 - Rusty with a chance of Snowflakes!
"Hay! This just sucks..!" I growled at nopony in particular.
It was still too early in the morning for anypony to be out and about.
Yet here I was, on my way back from a big party.
I was supposed to have stayed at my friends place, but his marefriend suddenly decided to drop by, and I know that she didn't want me there to get in the way..
Still, this sucks! I was so looking forward to a nice weekend with my old friend.
"Oh well.. I'm just looking forward to getting home and hitting the hay.."
As I entered our home, I could see that everypony was still asleep, then again, it was only a little past 6.. I just hope that my parents won't try to wake me when they get up.
I climbed up the stairs as quietly as possible, I didn't want to wake Twi. She is a little filly after all and needs her sleep.
I could see that somepony was cuddled up on my bed, under the blanket.
"Must be Twi~" I chuckled a little, she did sometimes sneak in and steal my bed when I wasn't around.
"I'll just levitate the blanket off her and levitate her gently back to her roo-"
That's not Twi!
"WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT THING!" I roared.
"GET THE BUCK OUT OF MY BED, BEFORE I CAVE YOUR HEAD IN!!"
__________
"WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT THING!" something roared, rousing me from my slumber.
Why must everything nice always come to an end..
"Because life hates us.." Bob mumbled.
"GET THE BUCK OUT OF MY BED, BEFORE I CAVE YOUR HEAD IN!!" Cave my he-! OH NO YOU DONT!
I rolled out on the opposite side of the bed, grabbing the blanket that the white unicorn in front of my had dropped in shock.
"I ain't planning on dying today mate.." I mumbled, trying to get the last sleep out of my system.
"I don't care what you want, you're going down!" He shouted and ran towards me, horn flaring.
So I did the only thing I could think of, that would prevent me from getting a stomach piercing.
I threw the blanket at his face, preventing him from aiming at me and dropped down, swiping his hooves away under him, with a well timed kick.
As he fell down on his side, I quickly jumped on him and held my nails against his throat.
"If I wanted to, I could easily end your life.." I grumbled, trying to sound threatening.
This seemed to stop his struggling and at the same time, the other ponies of the household came in.
"What's happening here!?" Mr. Light yelled
"Munck are you alr-! Shining? is that you!?" Mrs. Velvet yelled.
"What are you doing to my big brother, Munck?" Twilight piped in.
"Well, he came in, started yelling at me and threatened to cave my head in, so I rolled off the bed, said I didn't want to die and then he just charged at me, so I defended myself" I said, as I got up from Shining Armor.
But the moment I was off him, he kicked my legs away from under me, and now it was my turn to lie on the ground as he stood threatening over me.
"I will end you, monster..!" He growled.
"Shining! STOP!" Mr. Light now yelled.
He did so, but didn't get off of me, instead he placed a hoof, rather hard in my stomach causing me to cough a bit.
Twilight then ran over to us and stared at her big brother with pleading eyes.
"Please Shine.. Munck isn't evil, he's a nice hoomen!"
Shining Armor couldn't resist his sisters pleading eyes, so he finally let go of me.
"Alright.. But I'm watching you, Thing!" he growled.
"The feeling's mutual, Sir. Rust-a-lot.." I mumbled.
"My name is Shining Armor, and you will call me so, Thing!" He yelled.
"And my name is too long and complicated for your hot head to handle, but you will call me Munck, Rusty!" I growled back.
"BOYS! Break it up!" Mrs. Velvet now shouted.
"Sorry mom/Mrs. Velvet" We both said in unison, much to Twilight entertainment.
"*Sigh* I'm gonna go grab something to drink.." Rusty said as he went down to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry about him, he's a bit hot headed, being a teenager and all.. We also thought he was gonna be out the entire weekend, so we could prepare for your meeting with him." Mr. Light said apologetically.
I went over to my bag and grabbed some clean clothes.
"It's ok, I can see why he might have been mad and all.. Mr. Light, I have something else you all should know about me, but could I take a shower before I tell you?"
"Of course, we'll be downstairs getting some breakfast ready then, can you eat Oatmeal?"
"I love oatmeal, actually, I love most porridge type foods." I said with a smile.
"That's good to know." Velvet said with a little laugh before leaving.
"Then we'll see you in a bit. Come now Twilight, Munck probably wants some privacy while he takes a shower."
"Ok dad, see you later Munck." She waved a bit before trotting downstairs.
"Right then, see you." Mr. Light said as he trotted downstairs as well.
Velvet returned with a towel and then left to make breakfast as I headed to the bathroom and took a shower.
__________
"Right then, better get this over with" I mumbled I was drying myself off.
"Yeah, it's not exactly gonna be easy to explain this." Bob said.
"We'll manage somehow, besides I have an idea of how to go about it."
"I know, I am a part of your mind, after all." He said, as smug as ever.
I just shrugged it off and got dressed before heading downstairs, enjoying the smell of oatmeal coming from the kitchen area.
"Sure smells delicious Mrs. Velvet." I said with a smile.
"Thank you Munck, now, why don't we get some breakfast and then you can explain whatever it is you need to tell us."
"Right, I'm curious as to what else you have to tell us." Mr. Light said.
"Don't tell me you're gonna let that Thing eat at the table.." Rusty growled.
"Of course he's gonna eat at the table, he's our guest!" Mr. Light said.
"That's it.. I'm eating in the living room.." Rusty MacBuck'it said as he levitated his oatmeal and left.
We all looked after him as he disappeared into the living room.
"Oh well, his choice." I shrugged.
"Now then.. As I told you, I originally made the portal device to move around in my own world and try to find my place in life."
"Right, you mentioned that you didn't want to be a burden to your brother who had taken you in when your mother died." Said Night Light.
"Indeed, but the day my mother died, something else happened as well.. I was shot and killed." I said with a grim tone.
"You where WHAT!?" Mr. Light said as Velvet looked at me with disbelief.
At this, Rusty decided to pop his head into the kitchen area.
"Yeah, I was shot in the head, something that would normally kill anypony.. But I survived because nothing about the situation was normal."
At this, I moved my silver colored curl aside.
"See this weird mark on my forehead? That's where the bullet entered my brain." I said, letting them all see it.
"Turns out, it wasn't a normal bullet, otherwise I would have died.. This was an Intelligence Bullet, a sort of device that holds a lot of knowledge, injected directly into the brain." I said, letting my hair fall back in place.
"Now, inside this bullet was knowledge from 60 years in the future, where a mad scientist who was pissed off about something in the past, had put plans for all his inventions and schematics he had stolen from secret organizations..
These include practical devices like the portal device, medicines that can mend broken bones in 10 seconds flat and weapons of mass destruction that can wipe all life off the face of the planet.."
Mr. Light stared at me with eyes full of both wonder and terror.
"Don't worry, it's not like I can make any of it here, unless I find some way of making up for the lack of technology in this world." I said, and could see that he calmed down again.
"But, that's not all that came with this bullet."
"THERE'S MORE!?" He yelled in shock.
"Well, yeah.. You didn't ever think that I rather rather grown up way of speaking, for a 9 years old colt?"
"Now that you mention it.. I tend to forget your age because of your height and way of talking.." He mumbled.
"While I may only be 9 years old, the bullet came with an AI.. A sort of guardian and guide to all the knowledge contained within. He granted me both greater knowledge, logic, common sense and a big dose of sarcasm." I chuckled a little.
"He also gave me the ability to release my limiters if I ever get into some nasty situation..
This gives me a boost to both power, speed and thought processing, but, it comes with a heavy strain to my body and mind, also, as soon as it's over, I instantly fall asleep for a days time.. So yeah, gotta think before I use it." I said with a little smile.
"Isn't that dangerous? What if you can't win even with that, and end up falling asleep in front of the enemy? Wouldn't that just get you killed!?" He said while looking to his wife, who looked both shocked and a bit sad.
"Well, life isn't easy.. I've learned this the hard way. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't fight against what is wrong, even if there's a risk to ourselves."
"You know.. You're absolutely right." Said Mr. Light.
"Anyway, all this was actually just to lead up to the next part."
"The guardian of the bullet that I mentioned, I've named him Bob, and we can talk together, though you can't hear him.. So I just wanted to warn you about it, so you don't think I've totally lost it when I talk to myself" I said.
"Oh great.. So not only is he a freak of nature, but now he's bucking insane as well!?" Rusty growled from the doorway.
"Shining Armor! Would you please stop that nonsense right this instance and apologize!?" Velvet snarled.
"It's ok Mrs. Velvet, I'll just let Bob speak for himself." With this I closed my eyes and let him take over..
__________
"... I'll just let Bob speak for himself." It said as it closed it's eyes.
By the goddess.. Why does my parents slow that thing to stay here and even go as far as letting it explain, I mean, it's obvious that it's crazy! It's just a matter of time before it tries to hurt us..!
Oh joy.. It's opening them aga-!
"Wait a minute! Weren't your eyes green before? How did you change them to red!?" I said.
This was proof.. He's a freak alright.
"Oh, hush now, Rusty.." Said a voice quite different from before.
"Who are you..?" My dad asked it.
"Me? I'm Bob, AI, Guardian and guide to the wonderful world of the Intelligence Bullet~!" It almost sang out.
"Normally an AI like me wouldn't be able to speak to you directly, but me and Munck has been fused over the past, almost 4 years, so he can let me take control of his body when he wants to.. Of course, the moment he wills it, I will be forced back inside again, so it's all a matter of trust." it said, a bit of pride sneaking into it's voice.
"Anyway. Normally we wouldn't let any of this information out in our old world, but, we decided that since you were nice enough to take us in, everything considered, that we wouldn't keep any secrets from you. We want to show you that we trust you and that you can trust us."
As if I could ever trust that freak!
"Ok.. I will trust you, or rather Munck.. He doesn't seem like a colt that would ever try to hurt others." I couldn't believe that my dad would agree to this madness!
"Thank you good sir. I'll give control back to Munck now." With this, it closed it's eyes again and when opened, they were once again green.
__________
I opened my eyes to see Mr. Light give a sigh of relief, probably because my eyes were back to being green.
Thanks to Rusty, I now knew that they changed color when I let Bob through, so at least he's been good for something today.
"And that's pretty much my situation right now."
"Now, I want to ask if there's any place in town where I could perhaps start researching a way of getting my portal device up and running again." I asked.
"After all, as long as it isn't working, I'm pretty much stuck here."
"Well.. There is the Royal Magic Research Institute.. But it would require the approval of Princess Celestia to get in there." Mr. Light told me.
"And I take it that it isn't easy to get an audience with her?"
"That shouldn't be too hard, considering that she holds court every day, so that ponies can come and tell her of their problems or give her thanks for all she does.. If we can get in there, you should be able to ask her."
"Sounds like a plan." I said
"But.. The problem is that we have to walk to the castle.. And you're not exactly a pony, if you get where I'm going with this." Mr. Light said.
"Riiight.. Still, we might as well get this over with. I know that I could probably hide out in here, but after a while I'd end up going crazy and perhaps try sneaking out by myself, which could end bad if I was alone when discovered.. Like this, I would at least have you with me to help diffuse a bad situation, right?" I asked.
"Can't beat the logic in that." He laughed.
"Now, before we head out, why don't you eat your oatmeal, before it gets too cold." Mrs. Velvet said with a little smile.
"Right! I'd nearly forgotten about it while talking."
Oh man, this is good~
"This is so good, even when half-cold, it still tastes awesome!"
"Glad you like it." Mrs. Velvet said, giving a big smile.
After finishing breakfast, I hurried back upstairs to grab my stuff.
In case I got to use the lab, I would need my tools and the portal device, so I strapped on both tool belt around my waist and the P.D. on my right arm, before I headed down again.
Back downstairs, they were all waiting for me at the front door, even Twilight and Rusty was there.
"Ready to head out?" Mr. Light asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Right.. Let's go then! Just stick close, so we can help you out of trouble." He said.
This was my first time out and about, and I must admit, it was a beautiful city.
Not all that concrete and glass, like back on earth. Everything was retro, and it just looked.. Right.
Of course, the sudden appearance of a never-seen-before creature roaming the streets of Canterlot, drew quite a bit of attention.
At least nopony tried to attack me, they opted instead to look at me and start whispering with other ponies around them.
I felt like a darn zoo exhibit, but I could live with that, if it meant getting a chance to talk with the princess about borrowing the lab.
"At least everypony seems to be taking it alright." Mr. Light said.
"Well, they can see that he's with us, so they can probably guess that he isn't gonna hurt anypony" Mrs. Velvet replied.
"I'm just happy that nopony has tried to kill "The evil monster" like a certain other pony did.." I mumbled towards Rusty.
He just shot me a glare which I just shrugged off.
We had walked for a good 15 minutes when the giant doors to the castle was within sight.
In front of them stood 2 guards clad in golden armor.
"Hello good sirs. We are here to request an audience with Princess Celestia, is she still seeing town ponies?" Mr. Light asked one of them, a huge muscular pony, a pegasus I guessed from his tiny wings.
"YEEEEAAAAH! She is, but I can't allow you to bring your weird pet inside!" He shouted.
"I'm not a pet, besides, me not going inside kinda defeats the purpose of coming here, since I'm the one who needs to see her.." I replied.
He looked at me like he had just seen a ghost.
"That thing can talk..? Are you sure it isn't dangerous?" He then asked Mr. Light.
"Of course he isn't dangerous, after all, he spent an entire night at our place and didn't try anything. He's actually quite pleasant to talk to" He replied.
He seemed to be thinking for a moment.
"YEEEEEEAAAAAH!! Alright! Come along, I'll take you to the throne room! But I'm sticking close, so I know you won't be trying any funny business!" He growled while looking me straight in the eyes.
The doors then opened and we all entered the magnificent castle.
__________
As we walked through the halls, I admired the grand beauty of it all.
The stained glass windows, telling the tales of times past was probably my favorite thing.
"Alright you.."
"Munck" I said
"My name is Munck, and you?" I asked the huge pegasus.
"My name is Snowflake! Rookie guard! Now then, Munck. Remember to be at your best behavior in front of the princess! She is after all the ruler of our land and the pony who raises both the Sun and the Moon!" He half-shouted, guess that must be his normal way of speech.
"Wait.. She raises both the sun and the moon..? Is she some sort of goddess?"
"Of course she is! Where have you been all your life!? Under a rock!?" he replied.
"Actually I've been in another world, which is why I'm here.."
He looked at me with questioning eyes.
"Let's just say that an experiment went kinda wrong and now I'm here. Said experiment is right here on my arm, but it isn't working, which is why I'm seeking the princesses help."
His curiosity sated, he gave a nod and resumed leading us to the throne room.
__________
As we entered into the throne room, I saw the most magnificent pony yet.
She was quite the bit taller than the average pony, I'd say about two ponies height.
Her coat was white with a weak hint of pink and her multi-colored mane and tail seemed to flow in some unknown breeze.
All in all, she was beautiful.
She finished her audience with the pony that was there before us and looked this way before signaling for us to get closer.
Everypony bowed before her and I followed troop, Snowflake was the first to speak.
"YEEEEAAAAAH! Your majesty, I bring you this weird being who seeks an audience with you!" He said in his trade-mark yell.
"You may rise, my little ponies." She said with a gentle voice.
We all rose up and she looked me right in the eyes.
I swear, those light magenta eyes could probably see every inch of my soul.
"So, young creature, you're here to seek an audience with me?" She asked, her voice still gentle and calm, even when facing something she didn't know.
"Yes, your majesty. My name is Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen, but please, just call me Munck. And I'm a human from another world, think of us as a sort of highly intelligent hairless apes."
She looked me in the eyes again, probably to see if I was lying.
"I see no lies in you, young Munck. So tell me, why do you seek an audience with me?"
"I want to ask for permission to use the facilities at the Royal Magic Research Institute, in hope of finding a way to fix this."
I then showed her the portal device on my arm.
"And what, pray tell, is this device?" She asked.
"It is a portal device that can open up portals to other places around the world.. Or that was it's supposed function, instead I ended up in Twilight's room." I said, nodding towards Twilight who was too busy being mesmerized by the sight of Princess
She now came down and stood in front of me, using her magic to lift my arm closer to her, so she could inspect it.
"And how did one as young as you, manage to build something capable of that?" She asked, looking me directly in the eyes again.
"It's a bit of a long story, but if you wa- Wait a minute, you can all use magic, right?"
She nodded.
"Do you happen to know a spell that lets you see past events in someponys memories?" I asked, hoping that I wouldn't have to retell my story yet again.
"I do happen to know of such a spell." She told me.
I gave a sigh of relief.
"It will allow me to bring myself and 3 others into you memories and watch the one you want us to see." She said.
"Then please do so, I'm sure Bob will be happy to show you around" I said with a smile.
She raised an eyebrow.
"And who might this "Bob" Be?"
"He's like a guide to the knowledge in my mind and also one of the reasons why I'm here in this world" I answered.
She still looked confused, but saw no lies in my eyes.
Then she turned towards the others and asked "As I said before, I can bring 3 of you with me into his memories, does anypony want to go?"
Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet both stood forth.
"We would both like to come along. He did tell us about it, but I'm curious about how his world is." Mr. Light said
"YEEEEEEAAAAAH!" Snowflake boomed as he came up to me as well.
We all looked at him.
"What!? I'm beginning to like this colt! As such I would like to see his circumstances as well!" He boomed.
"Is this fine with you, Munck?" Celestia asked.
"Of course, saves me the long explanation and you get a better look at who I am and where I come from." I replied
Her horn then started giving off a yellow glow, warm as the light from the summer sun.
"All three of you should gather around him." She instructed.
Once everypony was in position, she touched my forehead with her horn, and a nice warm sensation washed over me.
"Hello there Princess~"
"I take it that you are Bob?"
"That I am! And I see you bring guests~ This is so wonderful!" He said with glee.
"Hello again, Bob" Mr. Light said.
"It's nice to meet you again." Mrs. Velvet said.
"The pleasure is all mine~! And who's our musclebound friend?" He then asked.
"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!! I'm Snowflake!" He boomed.
"Riiight then, pleasure to meet you."
"Now, I take it that you're here to see Munck's past" Bob said
"Yes, that is our purpose here" Celestia replied.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road! You ready?"
"As ready as I can be."
"Yeah, I'm curious about seeing his circumstances firsthoof"
"Onwards we go, then~!"
->Flashback time~ <-
"And that brings us to the end of our tour, please don't forget any baggage you might have brought, and please clean out your trash before you leave the bus!" Bob joked.
"YEEEEEAAAAAAH!! That was quite the ride! I like that little fighter even more now!" Snowflake boomed.
"I'm actually happy that he ended up at our place now." Mr. Light said.
"Indeed, what if he had ended up someplace bad, like the Everfree Forest? I don't even want to think about him getting hurt there." Mrs. Velvet said.
"Indeed, but now it's time for us to return." Celestia told them.
"It was a pleasure meeting you all, bye bye~" Bob chuckled a bit.
__________
"I see that you're all back." I said as they all seemed to get out of their meditational state.
"Indeed we are, and I have reached my conclusion." Celestia said with a smile.
"I will allow you access to the Royal Magic Research Institute on one condition."
I looked at her, waiting for the condition.
"You must share some of the blueprints you have, not any of the weapons, since that could only go wrong, but useful stuff like the elixirs might be a good idea." She said, looking at me for my reply.
"That sounds like a fair trade, but there is one problem.."
"And what might that be?" She asked.
"Well, all these are made for use with stuff from my planet."
She was about to open her mouth.
"But! I may have a way around this." I added.
She nodded for me to continue.
"There is a scanning device, that can tell me whether or not something can be used in conjunction with a blueprint, I guess it was made exactly for the situation I'm in right now..
Problem is, that it's also made with earth parts, but I might be able to make it work, if I use my Portal Device as parts and get some help from the scientists at the lab, then maybe we can merge magic and technology to create something new.. Magitech!"
-To be Continued-
__________
Authors notes:
With this, I've modified the first chapter a bit, most big changes are mentioned in this chapter, so past readers shouldn't need to go re-read it, unless you want to see the commentaries that the gang adds while watching his past.
Those are devided and coloured, though.
So feel free to check them out. :P
I also added a little edit to chp. 2.
Since one of my friends who isn't that far into the show, didn't know who Miss Smarty Pants was.
Thanks for readin.
-Munck
PS. I've been told that getting me some o' those proofreaders would be a good idea, but I don't know any, so if yer feel up to it, please give me a holler!
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Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 4 - "How to befriend a city full of ponies", for Humans!
"Magitech?" Celestia asked, thinking for a bit.
"That might be a possibility, but first I think we need to let the ponies of Canterlot know that there is a new being in town and that you aren't gonna be a danger to them." She said.
"As loving and caring as I'd like to think all my little ponies are, I also know that they can be quite easily scared of the unknown."
"Well, I'm sure half of Canterlot dropped by to see the "freak show" as we walked here, but if there is some way of letting them all know about me in one fell swoop, then let's do it." I said.
"That's why we will be holding a public announcement in front of all of Canterlot."
"That way, we can let the ponies know about you, and I'll be there to reassure them that you aren't evil." She smiled.
"Sounds like a plan, Princess~" I chuckled a bit.
"Now you're starting to sound like Bob." She said with a smirk.
"Well, what can I say, we have been a part of each other for a good 4 years now, so he's rubbed off on me and vice versa." I said with a smile.
"Right. But for now. Snowflake, please gather the other guards and go into town." She turned to Snowflake.
"I then want you to tell everypony that we're announcing something big and that they should gather at the town square, in about one hour."
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Consider it done, your majesty! I'll see you later, Munck!" He boomed as he ran out of the throne room.
Celestia then looked to the others.
"Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle, it has been a pleasure to see you all." She said with a smile.
I'm pretty sure that I could hear Twilight give a little squee as the princess mentioned her name.
"But I must ask you all to head for the town square ahead of us. There's something I need to talk to young Munck about." She said.
"Hmph! Suits me fine, I don't want to spend more time around that Thing, than I have to.." Rusty growled as he spun around and walked off.
"What was that about?" The princess asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing much Princess, just that RUSTY OVER THERE DECIDED THAT TRYING TO KILL ME IN MY SLEEP WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA!!" I boomed in his direction.
He just glared back at me before trotting off again after which I turned back to the princess.
"So, of course I fought back and won the first match, which is probably why he hates my guts right now." I said in a matter of fact tone.
"I'm so sorry about that, your majesty.." Mr. Light said.
"Don't worry. He'll turn around at some point. I guess he just has a harder time accepting Munck, after all, he wasn't there when he arrived and instead got quite the shock when he found him sleeping in his bed." Mrs. Velvet replied, before they both turned around to leave.
"Come along now, Twilight." Mr. Light said.
But she was still in her own little world, completely mesmerized by the princess.
So I decided to motion to the princess that I needed to whisper her something.
"Princess, I think you would really make her day if you.. I don't know.. Patted her head or something. She really does look up to you after all." I told her, giving a little smile in Twilight's direction.
She instantly understood and trotted over to Twilight, whose eyes now got even bigger.
"It has been a real pleasure meeting you, young Twilight Sparkle. I look forward to seeing what you will do in the future." She said beaming a smile at Twilight.
She then patted her on the head and now you could actually hear her squee in delight, it was so darn cute.
Mr. Light then picked up Twilight and turned to the Princess with a smile and a thank you before joining his wife at the door.
And with this, I was alone with the ruler of the land, the goddess of the sun and the moon.
__________
Celestia then turned to face me again.
"Come, walk with me. Before we go to the town square, I want us to stop by the Royal Magic Research Institute on the way, so that you can meet the professor that will be in charge of helping you."
She then started trotting towards the door, with me walking besides her.
"After you've been introduced to them, you'll get a work space in the lab, where you can store your tools and the device. I doubt that it's too comfortable to run around with a big hunk of metal on your arm for so long." She said with a little laugh.
"Can't argue with that, Princess."
"There's also something that I want to ask you.. Why did you have Bob show me all the blueprints in your head?" She asked, looking me in the eyes with her soul piercing gaze.
"It's quite simple, really.. If any of this is gonna work, I need you to trust me, so I laid out all my cards at once, both the good and the bad, letting you decide for yourself whether I was a danger or not."
"Of course, I knew that there was a chance that you would deem me too dangerous to live, but I wanted to trust those kind eyes you have." I finished with a smile.
"I see.. That makes sense, and because of this, I even knew what to bargain for.. Bob didn't lie when he said he'd granted you a healthy dose of logic." She laughed a little.
We then arrived at the main entrance, where two guards waited to escort the princess and I to the Royal Magic Research Institute.
"Your majesty! We're ready to escort you and our guest to the lab!" One of the pegasi said.
"Thank you, Captain Steel Wing." The princess said, as we moved outside again.
"The lab is right this way, follow me."
"Thank you, Princess. What can you tell me of the professor that will be in charge of me?" I asked.
"He's an old stallion by the name of Tesla, Tesla Coil. He dedicated his life to inventing new ways of making pony life better."
"It's also thanks to him that we have electricity today." She said.
"I see.. He might just be the right pony for the job then."
"And don't worry. He may be old, but as soon as he starts on a new project, it's like he's a little colt again." She laughed.
"And there's also his young apprentice, Widget. She loves inventing new things just as much as her teacher does and I'm sure that the prospect of working together with a being from another world will only get them both even more hyped than ever." She said, letting out a giggle, probably thinking about how funny it would be to see old Tesla bouncing around with joy.
We then came to a halt in front of a big building.
"This is the place." She said as the two guards opened the doors to let us in.
__________
The inside of the building was bustling with life, as at least 20 ponies in white lab coats were scrambling about, doing experiments and discussing new plans.
This all died down the moment they saw the princess, though, as they all stopped in their tracks and bowed down before her.
"You may rise, my little ponies. And would Tesla and Widget please step forth?" She said, as gentle as ever.
"Your majesty! What brings you to the labs today? And what's this? A new creature that you need us to experiment on?" Asked an old Unicorn stallion with a dusty blue coat and a steel gray mustache and a mane that looked just as crazy as my own hair, probably from being shocked one time too many, his deep blue eyes peering through his thick glasses as he looked me over.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't.." I told him.
"It can talk!? Oh this is so fascinating~!" He said, giving a little bounce.
Celestia laughed a little before continuing.
"Tesla, this is Munck. He's a being from another world with immense knowledge that could benefit all of ponykind, if we could just find a way of working his technology with our magic."
His smile grew even bigger at this info.
"I was hoping that you and Widget could take him under your wings and help him out in any way that he might need." She finished.
"I would be honored to do so!" He said with a bright big smile, before stretching out his hoof.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Munck. My name is Tesla Coil and I've been working with electricity for as long as I can remember now."
I grabbed his hoof, much to his wonder as I used my fingers to get a good grip on it.
"The pleasure is all mine, Professor. I'm just looking forward to seeing if we can get this to work." I replied.
"Though, I was told that there would be one more of you, somepony named Widget?"
"Aah yes, my young apprentice. She's always off somewhere in the lab, lost in some experiment of hers." He said with a smile.
"Widget! WIDGET! Get out here, filly!" He boomed.
*CRASH!*
"Oh, HORSE APPLES!! Ah'm comin'! Hold yer applecart's!" A voice with quite the accent yelled.
A few seconds later, young mare with an olive green coat and bright red, semi-short mane, walked in.
She looked kind of mad, but the moment she saw Princess Celestia and realized what she had just yelled in her presence, she instantly froze and dropped down in a deep bow.
"Y-y-y-yer majesty! Ah didn' know ya was here!" She stuttered.
"You may rise, young Widget. I have come here today, to ask you both for help with a project"
She perked up at the mention of a new project.
"You are to help young Munck here with his attempt at fusing his worlds technology with our worlds magic."
She looked over and saw me standing on the other side of the princess.
"Now, what in tarnation is that?"
"*Sigh* "That" has a name, ya know.. And it's Munck." I replied.
Just like her mentor, she instantly started bouncing around, gushing out something about an amazing new discovery.
I decided to stop her, so I reached out and placed my hand on the top of her head and she instantly froze.
"Good.. Now, I've already been introduced to Professor Tesla, but we haven't been formally introduced."
I removed my hand and gave her a slight bow.
"My name is Munck, and I'm what we call a human, I'm from another world. After my portal device kinda messed up the destination, I was dropped into Equestria, and now I'm here to try and fix it." I told her
She blinked a few times.
"Well, ah'll be.. Mah name is Widget! An' ah grew on an apple farm a bit south of Fillydelphia! But apples jus' weren't mah thing. Which is rare for a member of the Apple family." She laughed.
"Ah may not have any fancy magic, like 'em Unicorns, but that doesn' mean mah inventors fire is gonna go out!" She proudly said.
I reached out my hand to shake her hoof.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. Widget."
She placed her hoof in my hand and we shaked.
"Please! Call me Widget. Formal speech gives me the heebie-jeebies!" She laughed.
"An' the pleasure's all mine, Munck" She finished.
With this, the princess spoke up.
"Munck, I'm afraid that we have to leave now. It's almost been an hour and we have to get to the town square, remember."
I looked around, had it already been an nearly an hour.. Time sure flies.
"Well, do you have a workspace I can use, where I can place my tools?" I asked them.
"We sure do! Right over 'ere!" Widget said.
I followed her over to a messy table full of schematics and other random stuff.
"Right then, I'm leaving my stuff here, for now. And please.. Do NOT touch any of my items. They need to be in working condition." I said with a stern tone, getting a frown from both Tesla and Widget.
Guess they were looking forward to messing with my things once I left.
I walked back over to the Princess and turned around before giving them all a bow.
"I'm looking forward to working with all of you and i will be back, as soon as I've had my baptism in the fires of confused stares and snarky remarks that I'm about to be thrown into, while I'm being introduced to all of Canterlot." I said with a smug tone, as I went back towards the front doors.
Celestia just shaked her head and followed.
__________
When we got back outside, Celestia turned to me.
"We don't have much time now, so I will have to teleport us, please place your hand on my side."
I did as she said and then her horn started glowing..
Suddenly it felt like my body was being pulled and twisted in 40 different directions, but as soon as it had started, it ended again, and we found ourselves behind the podium in the town square, where Snowflake had been waiting for us.
"YEEEEEAAAAAH! Welcome your majesty! Everything is ready and mostly everypony is here!"
"Thank you Snowflake, Munck, are you re- You don't look too well.."
If I could have seen myself, my face would most likely be quite the green shade.. Let me tell you, don't ever teleport.. It feels awful..
"I'll be fine in a sec, princess.. Just need to wait for my stomach to calm down again.."
She looked at me with an apologetic look.
"I'm really sorry.. I had forgotten how bad it feels the first time you're teleported."
I shook my head a bit, trying to get rid of the last of my nausea, before standing straight up again.
"It's ok princess, it didn't kill me, after all. So a little nausea is a small price to pay for quick transportation." I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Now then, let's get this show on the road, I shouldn't keep my fans waiting." I said with a wink.
Both the princess and Snowflake gave a little laugh, and then the Princess stepped up on the stage.
I could hear the group of ponies cheering when their beloved princess went on stage.
"My little ponies! I have a big announcement to make today!" At these words, everypony went silent.
"We have been graced with a visitor from another world, who will be staying for a while, trying to make a way back home."
She then turned back towards me.
"Munck, please come up on stage."
I did as she told.
"Hello everypony! My name is Munck, and I'm a human." I began
Everypony was gasping at the horror that had just walked up besides their beloved princess, though they quickly stopped when they heard another voice.
"OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!!!" A little filly with a mint green coat and a pale cyan mane gushed while bouncing up on the stage.
She then turned towards the crowd and yelled "I told you they were real!! Humans are real!! I'm not crazy!!"
She then proceeded to bounce around me, giggling like she had just gotten the best gift ever.
I then looked to the crowd and mouthed a little "Help me!" causing a lot of them to burst out laughing, myself following shortly after.
"Alright little one." I said as I got down on knees and placed a hand on her head.
"OHMYGOSH!! He's touching me with a.. HAND~!" She gushed.
"This is the most awesome day ever!"
"Riiiight then, do you have a name?" I asked her.
"Of course! My name is Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings!" She smiled.
I grabbed one of her hooves and gave it a shake.
"It's nice to meet you, Lyra. My name is Munck." I said, letting go of her hoof.
"I. Just. Got. A. Handshake!!" She yelled with glee, looking at her hoof as if it was made of gold.
I let her have her little fangirl moment before getting back up and addressing the crowd.
"Like I was saying before. I come from another world, where only humans can talk, where technology has taken over and magic doesn't exist. Because of a bit of bad luck on my side, My Little Portal experiment went kind of wrong and now I'm stuck here until I can get it fixed.
But, seeing as I am stuck here, I at least want to be on friendly terms with you all, which is why I'm here on stage, telling everypony who I am." I explained.
"And I can guarantee that he won't harm anypony, unless provoked, of course. But having visited his mind and past, I know that he is, by nature, a peaceful being. So please try to get along with him." The princess asked.
I could now see that most ponies softened up a bit, accepting that I was going to be living here.
"I thank you all for your understanding, and I will be looking forward to meeting you all out on these beautiful streets of Canterlot!" I said and gave them all a bow.
Suddenly everypony started stomping their hooves in the ground while cheering.
Lyra on the other hoof, tried clapping hers together, though it was less like clapping and more like clopping, but it still worked.
I turned around and walked back out behind the stage.
The princess bid her subjects a good day and returned back stage where Snowflake and I was waiting.
"That went better than I thought I would." I said.
"I think you can thank little Lyra for that, she was after all, the one who broke the ice."
"Then again, I think she's more than happy enough that you are here." Celestia said.
"Indeed, but can we please return to the lab now? I'm worried about my gear and i also want to start working out a plan with Tesla and Widget." I asked.
"Of course, should we teleport again?"
"While I'm not much for it, I would rather get back faster and then deal with a bit of nausea.. Alright, let's go." I said as I placed my hand on her side as her horn glowed.
Again, I felt like being pulled and twisted in 40 different directions, yet this time, I didn't feel nearly as bad when we arrived.. Guess you really just gotta get used to it.
__________
I bid Celestia goodbye after thanking her yet again, after she left, I walked back inside.
The lab was bustling with activity again, as everypony had gone back their work.
I quickly spotted Professor Tesla working over by one of the tables and walked up to him.
"Professor Tesla, I'm back."
He turned around and gave me a smile.
"Aah yes, Munck! I've been eagerly awaiting your return. I want to discuss what the plan will be." He said.
"Of course, that is the reason why I'm here right now."
"Right then, let me just go get Widget, I'm sure she would hate to miss out on this! Wi-!"
"She's right there, Professor..." I interrupted, pointing to the mare with the freakishly big smile on his other side.
"Oh right, she really is.. Now then, what did you have in mind?" he asked me.
"I was thinking about drawing up the blueprints, detailing what the parts that I don't have, are supposed to do, and leaving them with you two, to brainstorm possible magic solutions.
Then I will come back tomorrow and see what you got and then we'll start from there. How does that sound?"
They looked to each other before nodding.
"Sounds fine with me." Tesla said.
"If ya need some paper an' writin' tools, they're over there!" Widget said and walked over to a table covered in papers with blueprints and ideas.
I thanked her and started on the blueprints for the Material Scanning Device, a Hologram Screen and an upgrade to the Portal Device that allows me to shoot two portals that connects to each other.
It took about an hour, to get everything drawn and written, but with this, they should have something to work with.
If we could find some way of getting these three devices to work together through science and magic, then I'd have a good chance of being able to keep my end of the bargain.
I went back to Tesla and Widget, who had been patiently waiting for me to finish, Or so I'd like to say, but Widget had sneaked over every now and then to see what I was making.
After a rough explanation of what I was trying to make, I gave them the papers with notes and instructions, as well as the blueprints, said my goodbyes and left for the Light's place.
Hopefully, Rusty should have calmed down a bit by now.. Hey! I can at least dream, right?
"Nope!"
"Oh hush, Bob.."
"Aww.. Come on, I've been a good little AI all day. At least let me chat for a bit on the way back."
"*Sigh* Alright, let's chat."
"So, ya think they can handle it?" He asked.
"I sure hope so, but we'll only know for sure when we get back tomorrow."
"True.. Oh yeah, what about little Lyra, damn son, she was hyper." Bob chuckled.
"Hehe~! Indeed, also, she knew about humans, even though nopony else does."
"Maybe it's some sort of obscure myth, like what we have, you know, myths about unicorns, pegasi and such in our old world."
"Could be.. Maybe I should ask her the next time we meet."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Ah well, I can see the Light's house now, talk to ya later, Bob." I said as I started walking a bit faster, looking forward to getting back "home".
__________
I gently knocked on the door, stepping back a little as I waited for somepony to open.
The door finally opened, and there stood Mr. Light.
"Welcome back Munck, come on inside." he said and stepped back a bit, allowing me to pass by.
He closed the door and turned to me.
"Let's go to the living room, so you can tell us how it went." He said with a smile.
I followed him in and took a place in the couch, unfortunately for me, Rusty was there as well, but at least it seemed like he had calmed down a bit.
"Right then."
"So far I've managed to get accepted.. I think, so that I can at least walk around town without being chased out by a mob of ponies with torches and pitchforks." I laughed a bit at the idea.
"Also, I've met with Professor Tesla Coil and his apprentice, Widget.
They will be helping me with building my Scanner, so that I can uphold my end of the bargain." I said.
"That sounds absolutely wonderful!" Mr. Light beamed.
"Hah! The sooner you get your junk fixed and get out of here, the better.. I may have accepted that you'll be staying here as a guest, but that doesn't mean I have to get friendly with you, freak." Rusty grumbled.
"Let's just say that the feeling's still mutual, Rusty boy.. While I have the rule of always being friendly on the first meeting, you kinda messed that up yourself.." I glared back.
"Boys! Please, no more of this.." Mr. Light groaned while facehoofing.
We just glared a bit more at each other and broke eye contact.
"Now, please continue, Munck"
"Right then, I gave them the plans for what parts I need in order to make it work, and asked them to brainstorm some magical solutions for tomorrow and then we'll see where it goes from there." I replied.
"Sounds like you have your day planned out then."
"Pretty much. Hopefully they will have found some ways to get around the missing parts problem, but only tomorrow can tell." I finished.
I then looked to the clock, it was only 03:46PM, a bit too late to ask for lunch, yet still too early for them to start making dinner, so I didn't really want to ask... Still, I was kinda hungry.
Just then somepony decided to almost knock the door in, so Mr. Light hurried out to open it.
"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!!! Is Munck here!? Her majesty send him something!" Boomed the now all to familiar voice of Snowflake.
I walked out to greet him.
"Hello Snowflake. What did the princess send me?" I asked.
He just gave me a pouch of sorts.
"YEEEEEAAAAAH!!! This is your pay! For helping improve Equestria with your knowledge!!" He boomed
"But.. I haven't done anything yet." I replied.
I didn't like the idea of getting paid for nothing.
"She told me to tell you that this was just a little prepaid fee! To help you get settled, if you should try refusing them!!"
I now knew that Snowflake wasn't the best at keeping stuff like that secret, but what the hay, I decided to take it then, after all, i couldn't just mooch off of the Light's, I mean, that was why I left on my journey, so that I wouldn't be a burden.
"Thank you Snowflake, please tell the Princess that I send my thanks."
"YEEEEEEAAAAAAH!! I will do that! Later Munck!!" He replied before flying off.
I do wonder how he flies with those tiny wings.. Oh well, there's more mysterious things in this world, so I'm not even gonna bother with it.
Mr. Light and I then went back to the living room, where I emptied the purses' content out on the table.
10 golden coins, 5 silver coins and about 50 copper coins rolled out.
Mr. Light almost choked.
And even Rusty did a double take.
"What wrong? Did I get ripped off?" I asked.
"More like she paid you handsomely! That's 1100 bits!" Mr. Light gasped.
I looked the pile over again.
"So I take it a golden one is worth 100 bits, while a silver is 10 and a copper is 1?" I asked.
He just nodded and watched the pile.
"Well, then I want you to have half of it, for letting me stay in your home." I said and shoved 5 gold, 3 silver and 25 copper bits over to him.
He looked at me in shock.
"But.. You could live like a king if you used it on yourself.."
"Ya know.. I'd rather live somewhere nice and lively, and just live normally, than live like a king someplace I don't care about where I know nopony." I told him, causing him to smile.
I then stood up again.
"But for now, I'm gonna go check out the market place and stores, they're still open, right?"
"They should be, yes. You might even run into Velvet and Twi." He said.
"Sounds good, then I'll just take the copper ones with me, should be plenty.." I said as I pulled out my wallet to stash them in the coin room.
"Oooh.. Right, here Mr. Light." I said and handed him 27 kroner in mixed coins.
"What are these?" He asked a bit confused.
"That's money from my home world, they'll most likely be useless, even if I get back.
I don't know if I'll end up in my own country after all, so I thought ya might like them as a gift." I said.
He then gladly took them.
"Thank you, I'm actually a bit of a coin collector, so adding coins from another world will make my collection the most special in Equestria." He said with glee.
"Glad that some old coins from my place can make you happy"
"Also, is my bag still in Rus- I mean, Shining's room?" I asked.
Getting a glare that tried to pierce me with a rusty dagger.
"No, we actually finished preparing the guest room, it's right through the living room and your bag should be in there." He said
"Thanks."
Might as well go drop my coin purse in my bag, no reason to bring that much cash with me after all.
The guest room was pretty nice.
It wasn't that big, and I could see that they used it as a storage room, but it still had a bed, a cupboard and a little bedside table with a lamp on it and a window above it, which was more than enough for me.
I didn't mind the cramped space either, since I tend to sleep better when I'm in a closed of space.
I decided that I might as well unpack my stuff and get settled before going off to check the market place.
Not that it took that long, I only brought a bit of clothes and a toothbrush with me after all.
5 t-shirts, 5 pairs of pants and 8 pairs of boxers.. and that's including the dirty laundry and what I'm currently wearing.
They were all dark colors, since, well, I like dark colors.. Nothing much to it, really.
Didn't wear socks, though, never liked the feel of something that thin being in the way of my feet and the ground.. Guess I'm just weird like that.
Though, maybe I should spend some of the bits on a visit to the tailor, might want to get some extra clothes, just to be safe.
Oh well.. Time to go check out the town, now that I can move freely, I might as well do so.
__________
I got back into the living room and said goodbye to Mr. Light.. And I gave a slight nod to Rusty, though I doubt he cared.
As I got back outside, I saw that the streets were still bustling with activity, something I didn't really notice on the way back, being mid conversation with Bob.
The best thing was, that the ponies actually greeted me now, instead of just looking at me like I was a freak show.. I really need to thank Lyra for that.
Some even came over and asked me about my own world.
I just kept it to a minimum, telling them about how we had amazing technology, but because of that, we more or less polluted everything we touched and that they should NEVER go in the same direction as us, since I actually liked the crisp clean air here.
They left as soon as their questions had been answered, just in time at that, 'cause there we had the market place.
Might as well get some late lunch before looking for Mrs. Velvet and Twilight.
I found my target.
"A donut shop~!" I said with glee, getting a few looks from the ponies around me.
I'd only ever seen those in American comics and cartoons, so I was looking forward to giving it a shot.
As I walked in, I was greeted by a young stallion with a tan coat and brown mane, he also had a Donut on his.. Flank.. Now that I think about it, I should probably ask Mr. Light what's up with all the flank tattoos.
Hopefully it isn't something required by law, 'cause I'm no fan of needles..
"Hello..? You there?" A voice roused me from my thoughts.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, I was lost in thought for a bit." I said.
"Eh, that's fine I guess, and I see you're that new creature.. What was it, a "Humon"?"
"Close enough, I'm Munck." I said, reaching out my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Munck. My name is Donut Joe, owner of Pony Joe's Donut Place." He said, reaching out a hoof so we could shake.
"It's a really nice place ya got her- Holy sweet mother of Jeebuz! That's a lot of different donuts!" I said as I finally noticed the shelves behind him.
There were also different kinds of cookies and pies and they all looked delicious, I must have looked like a child in a donut store to him.. Wait.. I AM a child in a donut store, so that's only fair, right?.
"Now there's a new one, but really, don't you have donuts where you're from?" he asked.
"Well, we do have donuts, but they only come in 3 variants, rolled in sugar, chocolate coated or plain white glazing with sprinkles.. This amount of variety is just mind blowing to me.." I said, still a bit stunned.
"Hahaha! Well, you've come to the right place then! Just opened my shop a month ago now, so feel free to drop by every now and then."
"Will do, but for now, I could really go for some donuts and something to drink."
"Well, I do have an offer that you might like then, two donuts of your choice and a mug of hot chocolate with a marshmallow for 5 bits." He said.
"Sounds awesome right now, I'll just take one of those then, and you just decide what donuts to give me, since I'm new to all this." I said and put 5 bits on the counter.
He returned soon after levitating two donuts, one with a purple'ish blue glazing, blueberries, I guessed, and the other's glazing was bright red, perhaps strawberry filling? And alongside 'em was a levitated mug of chocolate with a big white marshmallow floating on top.
I gave him a thank you before sinking my teeth into the purple'ish one.
Never knew that blueberries could taste this epic, it almost blew my mind.
"This is the best blueberry product I have ever tasted.." I said, my voice a little shaky from the epicness that is blueberries.
But now that my stomach had gotten a taste of something, it demanded more, so I gave a little salute to my poor blueberry donut, earning a chuckle from Joe, before scarfing the rest of it down and washing it down with some hot chocolate.
"Man, that was awesome~" I said, eying the red one this time.
I bit into it, expecting strawberries, but what met me, was the most delicious apple jam I had ever tried.
Forget our apples, even though they're delicious, they still have a hint of sourness, but not these, the jam was pure sweet apple greatness.
It was so great that I finished it off and downed the rest of my chocolate in 10 seconds flat.
"Phew.. That was delicious. Joe, you have a new regular customer." I said with a sated look on my face.
"Hahaha! I'm looking forward to that.. Hey, maybe I could use that for advertisement! "Pony Joe's Donut place is Best Donut Shop! The Humon agrees!" or something." He said giving a chuckle.
"Shouldn't that be "THE Best Donut Shop"?" I asked and we both laughed a bit.
"Ah well, it's been nice meeting you Joe, but I'd better think about getting back." I said and got up to leave.
"Likewise, Munck. You're not as bad as I feared. Hope to see you soon" he said and waved.
I waved back as I went out the door.
Time to see if I can find Twilight and Mrs. Velvet.
__________
Rather than me finding them, they found me.
Mrs. Velvet had apparently heard from somepony that I was hanging out at Joe's, so Twilight and her had made their way there, just as I got back out.
Since they had already finished shopping, we decided to head back.
Of course I did the gentlecoltly thing to do and carried the grocery bags back.
The rest of the day went quietly.
When we got back, I offered to help her unpack, but Unicorns being magical and all, she handled it in a jiffy.
Instead I went upstairs to see what Twilight was doing.
She was buried in a book when I entered her room.
Apparently, she had seen the Princess raise the sun and had decided to study magic so she could be more like her.
I tried reading a bit of one of her books, seemed to be basics on magic, not really anything I can use, so meh.
Still, it was an interesting insight in how a unicorn struts his or her stuff.
Dinner went quite well.
Of course Rusty and I had a little stare down, but besides that, he actually stayed at the table this time.
Mrs. Velvet had made a lovely veggie stew with some baguette on the side.
I'm really starting to love the food in this world, must be the clean environment.
We also had my Coca Cola. While Mr. Light found it a tad too sweet, both Mrs. Velvet and Twilight seemed to like it.
Of course, Rusty decided to avoid it like it was some sort of plague carrier, but hey, his loss.
After dinner I helped with the dishes and Mrs. Velvet decided to ask me about the money thing.
"You know, Munck.. We didn't take you in, so that we could get money out of you."
"I know, but you've seen my past, so you should know why I left in the first place." I answered.
"Yes.. But we don't see you as a burden, so please, don't start throwing your money around like that."
"I know, and I'm also thankful, but I won't take the money back.. They're yours and that's how it is." I finished.
She could probably see that I meant it, since she didn't continue.
After all that, I decided that it was time for bed.
While I may be old in my mind, my body is still young and needs it's sleep, besides, tomorrow I'd finally learn if we'd be able to do anything with my blueprints.
After getting myself ready for the night and saying goodnight to everypony, I flopped down on my bed and fell asleep.. Goddess, I was tired.
But as we all know, all good things must come to an end, so when Celestia's sun decided to burst through the window, I decided that I might as well get up and get ready.
During breakfast I also got around to asking about those weird flank tattoos I'd seen everypony run around with.
Turns out they appear on a ponies flank once they find the thing that makes them special or something they really burn for.
Pretty nifty, at least it didn't require needles.
I bid the Lights a good day and went off to the labs, greeting everypony I met on my way.
I soon arrived at my destination and made my way inside.
There, hunched over a table, was Professor Tesla and Widget, big dark bags under their eyes.
"Top o' the mornin' to ya both~!" I sang.
"Oh har har har.. Ain't you the funny one.." Growled Widget.
"Of course I am, And while I feel bad for doing so, I want to ask if you've discovered anything that we can use."
Tesla then got up from the table.
"Actually.. *Yaaawn*.. We did.."
"Let's hear it then, professor."
"Right.. We can use mithril for the casing, since it's light yet strong, this will make it suited for field missions. As for the screen and all the circuits you need, these can be made with gems and crystals." he started.
"Sounding good so far."
"The only problem will be the power source.. We were thinking of using a special type of crystals, known as lacrima. They have to ability to absorb any element you expose them to for a while.
And while we do have electric lacrima here in the lab, I fear that they are simply too weak to power your device for long, but they will still be useful during prototype testing, but for something permanent, you will have to go hunting for natural Lightning Lacrima's" He finished.
"Sounds like we have pretty much everything covered then, but judging by how you two look, I think it would be best to wait with building it till tomorrow.. Go get some sleep, you have both more than earned it." I said and gave them a smile.
"Ya don' have ta' tell me twice.." Widget said as she got ready to head back home.
"I'll do the same, as soon as I finish up some things. We will meet again tomorrow then, Munck." Professor Tesla said.
"Right, see you both in the morning." I said as I waved and went back outside.
"Now.. I have an entire day of nothing to do.. Time to explore the town, I guess!"
With this, I walked back towards the town streets.
-To be continued!-
__________
Authors notes:
What's this? A minty green stalker?
Also!
Building and prototype testing montage next chapter!
And if everything goes as planned, I'll be taking my first steps into writing an adventure segment!
All this and more, next time!
-Munck
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 5 - Cutie Marks and Portals!
"An entire day to do what I want, eh?" I said, as I tried to think of something to do.
"Well, I'll get lunch at Joe's, I have to try some more of those delicious donuts.. But what else.."
"Why not just roam the market place? You might find something nice to buy." Bob suggested.
"Sounds like a plan" I said, before striking a pose.
"To the market place~!" I boomed, before running back to the streets of Canterlot.
The guards by the exit just looked at me like I was bonkers.
The streets were already full of ponies trotting to and fro the stalls and stores, gossiping at the street corners and just enjoying the lovely day.
I began wandering around, doing some window shopping, when I fell over something that caught my eyes.
"Is that.. A camera?" I said to nopony in particular.
And it was not just any type of camera.
It was an Instant camera, press the shutter button and it instantly spits out the image.
"50% off.. that's 150 bits.. Alright! I'll do it." I said before turning back towards the Light's place.
Mr. Light was surprised that I was back this early, so I told him of the situation, before going into my room and fishing up some extra cash.
I decided to bring 200 bits, just to be safe.
Then I bid Mr. Light a farewell, and headed back to the camera shop.
There was a little jingle as I opened the doors and stepped into the shop
An old gray stallion came out of a room in the back and stood by the counter, waiting for me to ask him anything.
"Excuse me.. I'd like to buy that Instant Camera you have in the window." I said.
He looked me up and down before opening his mouth.
"So you're that huemen then? Why would you want a camera, if you don't mind me asking."
"Well, I thought it would be nice to take some pictures during my time here, so that, if I ever make it home, I will never forget about it all." I told him.
"Sounds like a good idea." He said as he went into the back room and brought out a boxed camera.
"Now, since you're new in this world, I'll give you two extra film cartridges, a little noticeboard and a box of thumbtacks, as a welcome gift." He said as he smiled.
"Thank you so much, sir." I smiled back and dug up two golden bits for him of which I then got five silver bits back.
"You're very welcome. Now run out there and make some precious memories." He said with a smile.
I then took my new stuff, gave a bow and headed back outside.
Looking around for a bit, I saw a fountain with some benches around it, so I decided that I could sit there for a bit and check out my new camera.
As I sat down, I unboxed my new camera and started preparing it.
I noticed that the battery was a black box with some sort of fluid and a small crystal like object suspended in it, you could see the electricity coursing around inside the crystal.
"I take it this is a lacrima.." I mumbled to myself.
It looked really cool though, with all those small bolts of lightning bursting around inside it.
I couldn't stop smiling with childish glee at the coolness fact of holding a rock full of electricity in my hands, sure, it was in a box, but still.
But as cool as it was, the camera wouldn't work if I didn't slot it in, so I did that and powered it on.
Doing some people, or rather, pony watching though the viewfinder I noticed something minty green jump behind cover.
I instantly recognized that coat color, but decided to act like I hadn't seen her.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see her sneaking closer and closer.
And when she was finally behind the bench I was sitting on, I opened my mouth.
"Hello, Lyra, beautiful day today, eh?" I said in a happy tone.
"GYAH! How did you know I was here!? Do humans have eyes in the back of their heads? Because the books that I read never said anything about that.." She said, quite shocked.
I turned around so that i could look at her.
"Of course not.. But I saw you hide when looked in your direction through my new camera's viewfinder and decided to just let you sneak over here before I blew your cover." I chuckled a little.
"Aww.. I thought I was doing such a good job at it too.." She pouted as she moved to the other side of the bench.
I then noticed that she was carrying something on her back.
"Is that.. a lyre?" I asked, eying the instrument.
"Yeah.. We have music classes right now, but all the easy instruments were already taken, so I had to try the lyre, but I just can't figure it out.
So I went out for a walk to think about it, when I saw you running towards the market and decided to see what you were up to." She finished.
My childish curiosity then took over.
"Would it be okay if I tried it?" I asked while pointing to the Lyre.
"Sure, I'm stuck anyway.." She said and let me take it.
I then leaned back and cradled it with my left arm as I began plucking the strings with my right hand.
The sound wasn't pretty, it was actually really horrible, but then again, I am pretty much tone deaf, sure I can appreciate beautiful music, but don't ever expect me to learn how to play any instruments.
I even started to get glares, from a couple of mares, on the bench next to our, their expressions mighty sour.
As I was about to stop, Lyra did look up, her eyes pleading and praying, for me to continue playing.
So that's what I did, as the mares us a farewell bid.
"What was their problem?" Lyra asked.
"Perhaps the fact that I can't make any decent sounds come from this lyre.." I replied.
"That might be, but the way you moved your fingers to pluck the strings was really awesome.. And I think it gave me an idea."
"Could you please hold your right hand out?"
I complied and did as she asked, she then enveloped my hand in a minty green glow.
"Please try moving your fingers, then I'll be able to learn the movement through magic." She told me, I then figured out what her idea was and did what she asked for.
She then tried picking up the lyre with her magic and playing it, but it turned out to be too much to both levitate and imitate the movement of a human hand with magic at her current strength.
"Why don't you try sitting like I do, that way you can cradle the lyre with both your front legs and concentrate on playing it." I suggested.
It took a few attempts, but she finally sat like me, like a human, cradling her golden lyre in her front legs as she started plucking the strings with her magic.
At first, it was a jumbled mess, just like my attempt, but it didn't take her long, before beautiful notes started resonating through the air.
Soon, ponies around the market place stopped and listened to the pure notes coming from Lyra's lyre, as she steadily got better and better.
After around 5 minutes, she began to play actual music.
"Wow.. You've really got a talent there, Lyra." I told her, lost in the beautiful music and that's when it happened.
There was a little flash of light as a golden lyre appeared on her flanks.
"Lyra! Stop playing and take a look at your flank!" I boomed with glee.
She stopped and looked to her flank, her eyes growing huge.
"OHMYGOSH! My Cutie Mark! Yes yes yes yes yes~!!" She gushed while dancing around.
A few of the ponies who saw it came over to congratulate her before going back to their own business.
She was still bouncing around in pure bliss when I decided to speak up.
"Well, I had planned on inviting you over to Joe's for donuts as a "thank you" for helping me break the ice during my introduction" I started.
She now looked at me and settled down a bit.
"But now we have one more thing to celebrate, so what do you say? Wanna go raid Donut Joe's place?" I asked with a grin.
"That would be sooo awesome! But... I don't have any bits with me." She said as she frowned.
"Don't you worry about that, I said I'd be doing this to thank you, so of course it will all be on me." I said as I grabbed my things.
"Let's go then~!" I said as I began walking towards Joe's place, with a smiling Lyra right behind me.
__________
I opened the door to Joe's place and let Lyra inside before following her.
Joe then looked up from his newspaper and greeted us.
"Hello Munck, and is that Lyra? You two on a date?" He said with a wink.
Lyra seemed to blush a bit, while I just shrugged it off.
"Nah, I'm here to thank her for breaking the ice during my introduction yesterday.
And to celebrate that she just earned her cutie mark." I said with a smile.
"Congratulations Lyra, may I see it?"
Lyra then turned a bit, showing it of.
"A golden lyre? I take it your talent is playing the lyre then? That's really impressive, since they're so hard to manipulate." Joe said, probably remembering his school days.
"Thanks, but I probably wouldn't have found my talent without Munck's help." She said while beaming me a big smile.
"It was nothing much, I just made some noise and taught you how to sit like a human, the rest was all you" I told her.
"But for now! Joe, eight mixed donuts and two mugs of hot chocolate for Lyra and I."
"Coming right up." Joe said as he went over to make the hot chocolate.
I then helped Lyra up on one of the bar stools by the counter and was about to sit down myself but then got a better idea and took out my camera.
"Hey Lyra, would it be ok if I took a picture of us to remember this day by?"
"Of course you can, should I strike a pose or something?" She asked.
"Nah, no need for that." I said as I moved over besides her and bent my knees a bit so that we were on eye level.
I then put my arm around her shoulder and stretched the one with the camera out in front of us so I could snap a picture with both of us in the frame.
"Say cheese~!" I said and clicked the trigger.
Two flashes later, two small black slabs of paper came out.
"Now we just have to wait for them to develop." I told her and took a place on the bar stool next to her.
Joe then returned with our orders and placed them in front of us.
"Here you go, enjoy." He said as he was about to return to the kitchen area.
"Oh? I see that your pictures are done developing." He said as he looked at them.
I picked one up so that me and Lyra could see how it turned out.
And there we were, both of us smiling at the camera, though Lyra's cheeks were rather red'ish.
"You sure you're feeling alright, Lyra?" I asked her.
She turned red again and just nodded.
"Isn't he a bit too old for you anyway" Joe asked her.
"Oh come on, I'm not that old ya know, I'm only nine years old.." I told him.
"That's what I said, too ol- Wait.. WHAT!?" He said as his jaw almost hit the floor.
"Bu.. But you seem so old and you're almost as tall as me, how can you only be nine?" Joe asked.
"Well, humans can grow to be quite high, I'm still a kid body wise, as for the "seem so old" part, you can blame it on the person who shot me in the head with an intelligence enhancing bullet.. Thanks to that, I'm like a twenty-five year old stuck in a nine year old body." I finished.
He still just stared at me, so I looked towards Lyra, who's cheeks were now an even brighter red than before.
"That means.. I'm actually a year older than you.." She said, a little smile forming on her lips.
"I'm turning ten in around 4 months though." I told her.
"But let's finish our donuts and the hot chocolate while it can still be called that." I finished as I grabbed one from the top of the stack.
Lyra did the same and we soon enjoyed some donut bliss while Joe finally decided to snap out of his stupor and get back to work.
We finished up and I payed Joe the 18 bits for our meal and said my goodbyes for today.
__________
As we got back outside, I gave Lyra her picture, for which she thanked me a great deal, and then we went our separate ways.
I decided to just go back to the Light's place and perhaps take a nap.
When I got back, I asked Mr. Light if it was alright for me to mount the notice board next to my bed, which he said was ok.
He even gave me a hoof with it and as soon it was up I pinned my first photo from my life in Equestria on it.
Later that day, when everypony had returned, I asked them all to gather on the couch, even Rusty, though he wasn't happy with it, took his place by the couch.
I let the picture develop before pinning it up next to the one of me and Lyra.
As dinner time came, I told them about my day, of how we had come up with a possible solution for the lack of proper technology here, of how I'd bought the camera to put my memories down on pictures and how I had helped Lyra earn her Cutie Mark.
Twilight looked a little upset that I had invited Lyra over to Joe's place to congratulate her and asked if I'd do the same for her, when she got one.
Of course I would, I told her, and I planned on keeping that promise.
After dinner, I studied a bit with Twilight, I couldn't run around not knowing a thing about the world, so I borrowed some of her history books and started reading them.
It was quite interesting how many holidays they had that reminded me of ones from the Earth, like Hearts and Hooves Day, Nightmare Night and of course Hearths Warming Eve.
After a few hours of reading, I decided that it was probably best to hit the hay.
Tomorrow was, after all, the day we started work on the new devices.
So I got myself ready and said my good nights, before flopping down on my bed and drifting off to sleep.
Today had been a fantastic day.
__________
The next morning, I got up early and ate my breakfast before bidding them all a farewell as i made it out the door and headed towards the lab.
As I opened the door to the lab, I was greeted by a smiling Widget, i guess that sleep was much needed.
She was already hyped and ready to start, so we went further in and found professor Tesla.
First thing first, was to dismantle my old portal device, so they could see what made it tick.
I knew that they weren't too backwater with technology now, but I still wanted them to know how Earth tech worked, so we would have an easier time implementing Equestrian tech into it.
After a few hours of discussing back and forth, we came up with a plan.
To start with, we would try to create some working magic circuits, and run some tests to see if they work.
Next step would be the Lacrima Compatible Power Supply, which would power the devices.
Then the Material Scanning Device and the Holo Screen, once they worked, we'd pretty much be ready, but I also wanted that Two-Way Portal Device up and running, if possible.
It could make traveling much easier.. Besides, who wouldn't want a cool portal device?
With the schedules made, so began our days of building and testing.
The next couple of weeks went with building a magitech circuit system that worked.
Never thought I'd ever see a circuit board explode in someponys face before, but when you mix in magic, all sorts of stuff can happen.
Poor Widget was charcoal black in the face the rest of the day, so I had to be careful not to laugh whenever I saw her.
We did finally manage to make some working circuits, and this led us into out next phase.
A power supply that could run on lacrima, but still be powerful enough to power up the devices.
This was quite the bit easier, seeing as they already knew how to work it, as lacrima was commonly used in newer technology.
So after a weeks time of tinkering, we had a powerful yet compact lacrima power supply, ready for use.
Luckily for us, Celestia had given us permission to use the other scientists in the lab, so we had them start working on the holo screen back when we finished the circuit boards.
Only problem now, was how to add all the blueprints to it's systems so that when we used the scanning device currently being developed, we could cross reference the materials with the blueprints for an estimated compatibility.
It was while trying to find a way around that problem, that I was fiddling with a shard of lacrima and accidentally cut myself on it.
Turns out that lacrima can absorb human blood and through that, establish some sort of connection with me.
This gave me an idea, so I crafted it into a chip that we tried implanting in the holo screen's circuit board and through it, I was able to connect to the screen once we powered it on, using Bob as it's OS, we could now view any blueprint I wanted.
With further tweaking, Bob was able to speak through it as well, it was kind of weird being able to converse with him and have others join the conversation though, but it did make things easier.
Since Bob was now able to help with explaining things to other groups of researchers, we could get stuff done faster.
We had one group work on the scanning device, while Widget, Tesla and I took it upon ourselves to make the two-way portal device.
Since I had built one before, work on it went a lot faster than we expected, it was tweaking it that had us all stumped though.
It didn't take too well to the magitech changes, but none the less, we carried on with testing.
One of the first times, Widget and I ended up in Joe's place, he didn't look too amused about us suddenly dropping into his kitchen unannounced, but he calmed down once we explained, so we bought some lunch while we were there anyway.
Worst experience during that phase, though, was when we finally managed to make it open two portals, expecting them to be connected, Widget and I raced each other through one, but instead of coming out of the other, we were dropped in Celestia's personal bathroom right in the middle of her bathing time.
I've NEVER seen anyponies face turn that deep a red.. well, not counting Chef Grill, whose coat was that color by nature.. Still, Widget and I got dumped in the dungeon for the rest of that day as punishment until Celestia had calmed down again.
Made for a funny story over dinner, though.
It had taken around ten weeks since we started now, but the other team, led by Bob, finally finished a working scanning device, so we decided that it was time to build them all into one single arm mounted contraption and went to the royal smith.
There we were greeted by Smith Embers, he had a charcoal black coat with a crimson mane with orange highlights, He was the head smith and introduced us to his seven assistants.
We went over the plans and designs we had come up with and let him and his crew get to work.
The next day, we returned and got all the casing parts.
It was light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of mithril did not tarnish or grow dim, or so I was told.
None the less, it was beautiful to look at.
I then thanked all the scientists for all their help before they went back to their personal projects again.
Tesla, Widget and I, then began on putting the device together.
It was getting a bit late when we were done with that, so we decided to take it for a final test the next day.
Before I could leave, though, Tesla had my arm measured, and jotted the numbers down for a glove that the device would be mounted on.
I then bid them all a goodnight and went back home, looking forward to the final results tomorrow.
__________
Of course, my life wasn't only in the lab for those ten weeks, so let's look back on what else happened.
I had made it a part of my daily schedule to drop by Joe's place for lunch.
Every now and then, Lyra would be hanging around, waiting for me.
We had become quite good friends during the first couple of weeks, so we started hanging out more often.
Twi had also started dropping by every now and then, though, they couldn't keep on missing each others.
So one day, around five weeks into the development, when I arrived at Joe's, I found both Lyra and Twi standing outside, having a staredown.
Didn't know what they'd gotten mad at each others for, but I decided to stay neutral and invite them both in for donuts and hot chocolate.
When we walked in, Joe decided to joke around and asked me what it felt like to have a beautiful flower in each hoof.
I just shrugged it off, but both Lyra and Twi started blushing like mad... I'm beginning to suspect that somethings up.. Oh well.
I had also come to view the Light's place as my home by now, they had been really open when they took me in and since I had made it my obligation to at least pay some rent, I didn't feel like a burden.
Must be something in the air here, that causes me to let my guard down and settle down, because, for the first time since that fateful day, I felt at home.
Maybe this is also why I started taking my study sessions of Equestrian history with Twi a bit more serious, like My body and heart already knew that I belonged here and that it was just my head that needed to figure it out.
But at the same time, if I did settle down in Equestria, I would pretty much have to give up on starting a family, I mean, humans and ponies just don't mix when it comes to that.. right?
On a brighter note.
There had also been some progress with Rusty.
He had at least started talking a bit with me. Nothing big, just a "Hey..", "Want another slice..?" or "Pass me the ketchup.. Please."
Still, it was a start I guess.
I had also added some more pictures to my memory board.
One of Tesla, Widget and the rest of the science team.
I also got one with Snowflake flexing his muscles next to Captain Steel Wing who just rolled his eyes.
And of course I got one with Joe, showing off his donuts.
The one that had surprised me the most, though, was one of Princess Celestia and I.
She had dropped by the lab to get an update on the day that I took the group picture, and asked if I wanted to take one with her, so she had Tesla take a snap of us.
Anyway, Life was pretty normal outside the lab, and soon came the day before we would test the, hopefully, final build.
As I got back home that day, I was greeted by a super hyped Twi, as she was bouncing happily around.
The Light's had chosen to enroll her in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, so she was of course super happy.
Seeing as the entrance exam would be held the next day, we all decided to go together, since the school was in the area next to the lab area.
We all got up for an early start, as we ate our breakfast and went off towards the upper grounds.
I bid the Light's and Twi a good day and good luck with the entrance exam, before I went on my way to the lab section.
__________
I swung the doors to the lab open as I entered with a big booming "Good morning everypony~!"
Tesla and Widget both came over and greeted me.
"G'morning Munck! Are yah ready fer the final test?" Widget asked, bouncing around like a little school filly.
"Good morning, Munck. We just got the glove for the Magitech devices and I know you'll love it, come along now." Tesla said as he started trotting towards the table we used.
And there she was, the final prototype, if this worked, it would be ready to use.
Under the device, was a dark blue glove, dark like the night sky, with streaks of glistening white running through it, like the trails of the shooting stars soaring through the darkness of the night.
I tried putting it on, it was a little heavy, but not really that much heavier than my first portal device, so it was manageable.
The glove was quite thick to help make it comfortable to wear the Magitech Gauntlet, it was silky to the touch and breathed really well. You just knew that this was a glove you could wear all day and not get annoyed at it.
"This is.. Amazing, Professor. What's it made of?" I asked.
"It's made from a special type of silk, woven by large, 24 legged arachnid type creatures, and strengthened with crystal thread."
I shuddered at the thought of such ghastly spiders.. Always hated those creepy bastards..
Freakish spiders aside, I got the device hooked up to a generator that fed electricity directly into a lacrima that we then placed in the gauntlets power supply and rand some scanning tests.
It worked rather well, showing us what blueprints the items could be used with and what percentage of compatibility it had compared to Earth Realm parts.
"This is amazing!" Tesla yelled, "Once we get some lightning lacrima, we can start traveling around Equestria, searching for the items we'll need, and once we have them in the database, we can give the blueprints to the lab and have the team here work on them!" He said, imagining all the possibilities.
"Ah must say, it's mighty fine, but what ah'm most curious about right now, is if the darn portals works properly now." Widget said.
"Right! And for that, I decided that we gave it a shot outside, to really see if everything was working now."
"Which is why, for the past 6 weeks, I've been charging the biggest piece of lacrima we can fit into the power supply, with electricity. Still not as powerful as a lightning lacrima, but it should last for a couple of portal experiments outside!" Tesla finished.
I looked up from the chunk of mithril ore that I had just scanned.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go give it a test run!" I said with glee.
Tesla hurried over to the charging station and grabbed the lacrima with his magic, as Widget and I raced outside.
I then strapped on the device properly and opened the hatch to the lacrima conducting fluid , if one can even call it fluid.. If you stick your finger in it, it feels like dipping it in warm water, but you don't get wet and even if you flip it upside down, it doesn't pour out.. Weird stuff, but it works.
After placing the electrical lacrima in it, I was about to boot it up when we heard a huge boom roaring through the distance followed by a wave of rainbow colored energy.
"What the hay was that!?" Widget yelled.
"I have no idea! It's a fabulous new discovery!" Tesla boomed, with glee in his voice.
I was too busy looking at the rainbow wave as it flew by, but then I saw something weird.. I giant dragon head popped out of the roof in the nearby tower.
"Umm.. Tesla, isn't the the school for gifted unicorns over there..?" I said and pointed to it.
"Hmm? Yeas it is, why do you aaaaAAAaAAAAaahsk!? What the hay!? Now there's a huge dragon!?" Tesla was baffled.
"Oh goddess.. Twi!" I yelled as I powered up the gauntlet, not thinking about what could go wrong, I blew a portal right next to the dragon, followed by one directly under my feet, as I fell right through it and faceplanted myself on the roof just as the portal closed behind me.
"Ouch.. Great, so much for enough power to run a few tests, professor.. It's already drained" I mumbled as I touched my now aching and bloodied nose.
I then crawled over to the place where the dragon head was sticking out and found a hole near it's spikes, that were big enough for me to fit through, using it's spikes as a ladder, I hurried down to see Twi caught in the middle of some weird forcefield.
"Twi! Hang on, I'll get you out of there!" I yelled as I charged at the field, hoping to push her out.
Instead, I was caught in it as well, as the weirdest sensation came over me, I saw my left hand and arm turn into a dark crimson hoof and leg, soon the rest of my body started forming into that of a pony, except my right arm, where the Magitech Gauntlet was.. Something in it was absorbing all the magic that came in contact with it.
But the ponyfication was the least of my problems right now, my vision started fading, as images of a being from the moon brought eternal night, of challenges in a deep forest, mysterious elements and joyous reunions, chaos, discord, disharmony amongst the elements and.. Chocolate rain..? Started flowing into my head.
I couldn't see who the ponies in my vision were, they were all dark shadows, except for one.. An adult Twilight Sparkle, looking back at me, with joy in her eyes, as if she'd finally found her happiness.
But, as soon as the visions stopped, I was ripped back to reality, where my body was almost entirely pony now, except my magitech clad arm, which was still absorbing magic at an alarming rate.
I was starting to get scared now, really scared, but just as I was about to give up, Princess Celestia entered the room and walked straight up to Twi, not even caring about the magic field around her.
Guess to a goddess like her, this amount of magic is child's play.
Putting her hoof on Twi's shoulder, she instantly calmed down, returning us all to our normal forms, as I saw 2 house plants turn back into the Lights, the dragon shrank down to baby size and the levitating teachers fell to the ground.
Myself? Well, let's just say that I've never been happier to see my left hand.
I moved over next to the Lights as the Princess started speaking.
"Twilight Sparkle." She said with her kind and caring voice.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-!" Twi began, but was cut off by the princess.
"You have a very special gift, I don't think I've ever come across a Unicorn with your raw abilities."
"Huh?"
"But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused studying."
"Huh!?"
"Twilight Sparkle! I'd like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school!"
"HUH!?"
"Well?" The Princess finished
Twi now looked over to us, totally flabbergasted, understandably enough.
It was her big idol who just offered her to take her in as her personal student.
The lights were eagerly nodding their heads in approval and I gave her a thumbs up and a big smile.
"Yeeeeees~!" She then screamed as she jumped into the air.
The princess then pointed to her, "One other thing, Twilight."
"More!?" Twi said as she fell back down.
The princess then pointed to her flank as Twi looked back to see what it was.
On her flank was now a six-pointed star, surrounded by five smaller stars.
"My Cutie Mark!" She said as her eyes widened and her face became one big smile.
"Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes" she gushed while bouncing around the princess, much like Lyra did around me back when I were introduced to the town.
While I was happy for Twi, those visions still bothered me, so I decided to talk with the princess about them.
When Twi finally calmed down and returned to her parents side, the princess and I went outside the class to have a chat.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Munck? It looked urgent." Celestia said as we made it to a secluded area.
I turned to her and met her eyes.
"Well, it was when I was caught in Twi's magic outburst.. I saw.. Visions.." I started, as I told her of the images I saw.
"And you're 100% sure about this?" She asked after i finished, her face now more serious than ever.
"Of course I am, Princess. I wouldn't have talked to you about this, if I didn't think it was serious."
"After all, I was still conscious when it happened, so I know it wasn't some magic induced dream" I finished.
She pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen! You shall NEVER let this conversation or the visions you saw be known to any other ponies, understood!" She boomed with heavy authority in her voice.
I got down on one knee and swore that i would never let anypony hear of this, ever.
Satisfied with my answer, she returned to Twi and her parents to plan on how things would work out from here on out, as I made it back to the lab to report on the device.
As I got back to the lab, Widget tackled, slapped and hugged me.
"You idjot! Ya could 'ave fallen off o' that roof! *Sob!* Ya could 'ave died!*Sniffle*" She almost cried as she hugged me tight.
I was stunned, I never even thought of it, I just wanted to make sure Twi was safe.. I didn't even give my own safety a second thought.. She was right.. I could have died!
At this, I began sobbing myself, returning the hug, as all the scientists stood there, smiling and d'aww-ing.
I was the first to break the hug, as i got back up and gave Widget a smile.
"I do have some good news, though. The device works like a charm now!" I said as the entire team started cheering, patting each others shoulders and stomping their hooves in the ground.
"That's amazing!" Professor Tesla cheered as he came up next to Widget and I.
"Indeed, Professor, but the lacrima only lasted for one two-way portal, so we'll need to find a stronger power source."
"I remember you mentioned those Lightning Lacrima, would it be possible for us to go gather some of those?" I asked.
"For those, we need to travel to Mt. Thunder Roar, it should be peaceful at this time of the year, since it isn't the Mountain Lions hunting season yet, but we should probably ask her majesty so send some guards along with us, for protection." Tesla finished.
"Well, why don't we try dropping by the school for gifted unicorns? I'm pretty sure that she's still there, discussing procedures for Twi's enrollment." I suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, come now Widget, let's get going." Tesla said, as he turned towards Widget, who was staring at the Magitech Gauntlet.
"Umm.. Professor Tesla? Is it jus' me, or is tha' power supply shinin'?" She said, still staring at it.
I looked down at it, and sure enough, there was a faint purple glow from the power supply.
I tried opening it, only to find the once empty electrical lacrima, charged with a purple energy.
"Well.. That's weird." I said.
"I'll just leave this here, for further research," I said as I put it on one of the tables, "Now then, let's get going!" I said and walked towards the door, only to be tackled through it from behind by the glowing lacrima.
Widget came outside to see if I was hurt, only to see me faceplanted in the ground.
"Ah think it's attracted to ya, Munck~" She said with a loud giggle.
"Ya think!?" I grumbled from the ground.
"Why don't you just keep it on you?" Tesla asked, handing me some of the special silk that my glove was made of.
I then proceeded to tie it around the lacrima, making a necklace out of it that I put on.
It was weirdly relaxing to wear, like you knew the energy in it didn't want you dead.
"Right then, crazy glowing lacrima aside, we need to see the princess!" I said as I started off towards the class where she most likely was.
__________
We were lucky enough to catch her on her way back out, alongside the Lights.
So we asked if it was possible to get some guards to escort us to Mt. Thunder Roar, so we could harvest some lightning lacrima.
She gave the ok, but we had to wait till Friday, not that that is a problem, it's only three days.
I then left with the Lights, as we made our way to Joe's.
I did have a promise to keep, after all.
We all sat down and enjoyed some donut bliss, before taking a picture of Twi and I, one for each, as we then made our way back home.
The rest of the day and the next three all went quietly, I bought some supplies I might need, like a drinking canteen and a survival knife, you never know when you might need those.
Snowflake also dropped by, to tell me that he would be one of the guards accompanying us on the trip.
While he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he's still made of 120% pure HORSE POWER!! So I knew that he would be helpful on a trip like this.
On the second day, though, I got back home from Joe's to find a drawing on my bed, it was a crayon drawing of Twi and I, with some text saying "My Friend by Twilight".
I hung it up on my memory board, and just smiled, probably my biggest smile yet, before going upstairs to see if Twi was home.
She was busy packing her stuff, so that she could live in the castle dorms.
She looked up as I walked over an dropped down, giving her a hug.
"Thank you for the drawing, Twi." I said, hugging her a little tighter.
"You're welcome, Munck. I just wanted you to have something to remember me by, now that I'm moving to the castle.." She said.
I released her from my hug and looked at her.
"You do know that I'll still be in the castle area, working on the new recipes, once we get those lightning lacrima, right?"
"So I can still drop by and say hello every now and then." I told her.
At this she brightened up quite a bit.
"Really? You promise!?" She asked.
"Of course I do, I will be busy, but so will you, but that shouldn't stop me from dropping by to say hi, right?" I asked her.
"Thank you, Munck." She said, giving me a slight peck on the cheek before rushing to her bookshelves, hiding her face in a book.
I just stood up, my face most likely bright red, as I made my way back down, to pass the rest of the day.
Three days later, we finally stood ready by the gates out of Canterlot.
By my side was Tesla and Widget, in front of us was Captain Steel Wing and one of his rookies that I remembered from a sparing match that Snowflake had invited me to see, in hope of getting me to join the guards.
And behind us was Snowflake, pulling a cart with supplies, crates for storing the lacrima, baskets with fruits and bread, as well as jugs of water.
All his HORSE POWER!! Really did come in handy.
We had a generator moved with us outside, plugging it directly into my gauntlet, as I prepared an extra big portal and pointed it to the mountain wall by the trail up ol' Mt. Thunder Roar.
Sure it was only a 20KM trot from here, but why waste time on that, when you can portal yourself there in no time.
Blowing a portal in the mountain side, I then blew one in the castle wall, and it instantly connected, allowing the guards, then Widget and Tesla followed by Snowflake and the cart and finally myself.
I was pretty sure that I saw something move under the covers of the cart, though.. Guess it was just the wind.
I then turned to the science team and told them to pull the plug, which they did and the portal started closing.
I could have sworn I saw Shining Armor blasting around the corner with a concerned look on his face just as the portal closed, though.
But now there was 20KM between us, so I had no intentions of finding out.
Turning back to our party, we then started the long trek up Mt. Thunder Roar, in our search of lightning lacrima.
-To Be Continued!-
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Author's notes.
This took longer than I thought, I blame my flu, which I'm still fighting against, at least I'm on the winning side, for now.
Also, I'm still looking for a proofreader/s, to help the story grow.
And yeah.. Don't know if I'll try going into the romance department.
Not confident enough in my writing prowess to go full out romance.
Anyway, I'll be gone for the weekend, only bringing my Vita, so that I can read stuff on FiMfiction, I have no intentions on writing chapters on a Vita though, can't imagine that going well. :P
-Munck
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Always look before you leap through a portal.
Special Chapter: A "What if" story! 2 - Past Love.
Thank you all for the over 500 views in total!
This is a little bonus chapter I've made while trying to find a good way to write an adventure type chapter for the main story.
I hope you all enjoy this alternate take on ALBYLTAP!
___________
91 years.
That's how long I've been living in this amazing world.
I have lived for almost 100 years now, I blame the diet, clean air and I think there's... Something in the water.
None the less, I have lived a fulfilling life..
My only regret In life, was that I never had the guts to tell the mare that I loved, how I truly felt..
Now as my time draws near, I find myself thinking back to those days more often than I used to.
Which is why, I'm writing this down, in case my plan doesn't work.
But where are my manners, let me introduce myself.
There's a big chance that you know of me, since I'm the Only human who ever made it here, seeing as the one who originally created this technology died, most likely taking everything with him..
As for me? I'm stuck here in Equestria, hence I can't tell other humans how to get here.
But enough about that.. My name is Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen, or as you all know me, Munck, the one who brought Equestria into the future.
And this.. This is my story.
__________
It all started 94 years ago, when I was shot in the head with a bullet containing certain futuristic knowledge.
Unfortunately, I lost my mother in an accident the very same day, and had to live with my brother.
This was fine and all, but he had enough on his plate, with his fiancé and their daughter.
So, not wanting to be a burden, I used the future knowledge in my head, to craft a portal device, meant to take me around the world, in search of my own place in life.
Instead, I ended up, face first, in a bale of hay inside a big red barn, where a young filly pony with a light orange coat, freckles on her face and a blond mane was crying next to me.
We were both shocked at first, but I didn't like it when I saw others crying, so I tried asking what was wrong, first in Danish, for which I just got a weird look which turned into a glare as she demanded to know what in tarnation I was.
Hearing her actually speak, kinda shocked me, but there were more serious things to do, than being shocked, so I then switched to English and told her my name and race before asking her what was wrong, which freaked her out a bit, but she saw in my eyes that I was truly concerned about her.
She continued looking me in the eyes for a bit, before tears came to her big sap green eyes again, as she broke down and told me how they had just gotten word of her parents death.
They had been on their way to a new frontier village to give them a helping hoof, when a pack of fifty or so Timber Wolves had attacked their caravan, leaving nopony alive.
Getting worried about the late arrival, a few of the townsfolk from the new frontier village, had gone searching and found the remains along with the Timber Wolves tracks which led into the nearby forest, bloody tracks dragging along.
They had then sent a message out to the families that had lost their loved ones, and the Apples had received theirs yesterday.
AppleJack, as I learned her name was, had been crying in the barn since then, hugging her fathers old Stetson hat for dear life.
I slowly crawled over to her, put down my clunky portal device and hugged her, letting her cry out on my shoulders.
I then told her that I knew how it felt, so I decided to tell her my story, after which we both cried from our losses.
At the same time, a big red colt, with an orange mane and darker sap green eyes.
He looked shocked when he saw me with my arms around his crying sister, demanding that I let her go and if I'd hurts a hair on her head, he'd buck me to the afterlife.
I looked at him, giving him a teary glare that could kill an Ursa Major, if looks could kill, that is.
He instantly shrank in size, as he ran back outside, just to return with an elder mare with a light lime green coat, gray mane and orange eyes.
By then AppleJack and I had broken our hug and she was smiling, tear streaks running down he cheeks as I sat next to her, ruffling her mane, as I was captivated by her beautiful smile.
Granny Smith was shocked, but happy to finally see her granddaughter smiling and asked me who and what I was.
So AppleJack and I crawled down from the hay bales, as I introduced myself to her and Big Macintosh, or Big Mac, as he preferred.
She invited me in for some apple pie, as it was pretty much dinner time now and she wanted AppleJack to get some food, while she was still in the mood to do so.
It wasn't healthy to skip eating for days out of sorrow.
As all four of us exited the barn, I saw waves upon waves of apple trees, all sorts of types were there, almost as far as the eye could see.
Suffice it to say, I was honest to goodness shocked and amazed.
Granny Smith caught on to it and gave a hearty laugh.
She explained that this was Sweet Apple Acres, the first home in this town of Ponyville.
I just nodded, as they showed me up to the red farm house, where we would be eating while I explained everything to them.
Over dinner, I did just that, and they all listened with great interest as I told them of my life and my world, of planes and cars, of TV and cassette players and Compact Discs and CD players.
And of course, video games and computers, which were a personal favorite of mine.
They all marveled at all the things I told them about, though Granny Smith was pretty shocked at my age, turned out that AJ and I was the same age, so she was rambling about getting me to school and as night grew ever darker, I was offered to use the guest room as I liked, since they couldn't possibly throw me outside, knowing that I had nowhere to go.
I gladly accepted their offer and went upstairs to the guest room to get myself ready for the night, as I found my egg salad sandwich and cola in my bag while looking for my toothbrush, so I went down and placed them in the fridge, before saying goodnight to them all and flopped down on my bed.
__________
The next morning, I woke up to the gale of the rooster, grumbling something about rooster soup, I tucked myself deeper under the blanket and started nodding off again.
But of course, seeing as the gods of the cosmos are against me whenever I want to sleep, Big Mac decided to poke me, quite hard, most like to see if I was really real.
This got me to rise up, and it wasn't pretty.
Big Mac told me that breakfast was ready and after that, it was time to work before school time.
The thought of being thrust into a school in another world scared me a bit, but I didn't know what else to do.
This world seemed to be a bit too backwater for me to get my portal device up and running again, so I'd have to settle down here somehow.
As I got downstairs, I was greeted by Granny Smith and AJ, as they were already at the table.
There was also a little foal in a baby chair, I was told that she was Apple Bloom, the youngest of the three siblings.
After a quick breakfast, we all got outside, and I was told to help with the apple bucking, which consisted of me moving the baskets under the trees as they got filled with apples, and set new ones out to the trees that hadn't been bucked yet.
It was tiresome work, but nothing I couldn't handle, and as the clock neared 7am, I was told to go get washed up and get ready for school.
I did as I was told, and together with Granny smith, AJ and I walked to the school where I would be attending from this day on.
The walk to school was an... Experience.
The ponies in town didn't know whether to be scared or curious.
Luckily most of them saw that I was accompanied by some of Ponyville's most trusted ponies, so they opted for the latter.
We finally made it to the school, where all the little fillies and colts were on their way in to class.
They all stopped and gawked as Granny Smith, AJ and I walked into the building to meet the teacher, a tall white stallion with a dark green mane with white stripes, his warm yellow eyes beaming through his glasses.
His name was Mr. Abacus, and he was quite frankly shocked at the sight of me.
Once we explained my situation to him, though, he calmed down and agreed to let me study here.
Mr. Abacus then introduced me to the rest of the class, which went quite well.
Some was a bit scared, but most thought it as awesome to have a new species studying with them.
I was told to take the seat next to AJ, so that's what I did.
I could see that she was looking sad again, most likely crawling back into her shell of sorrow, now that she couldn't use work to keep her mind off of her loss.
As class started, I quickly noticed that they weren't too far ahead, so I did all the questions Mr. Abacus asked and tried doing some pieces far too advanced for anything the rest of the class would ever learn here.
We came to an agreement, that I would help students in need of help, when it was classes that I was already too far ahead in.
And when it was stuff like Equestrian History, I would attend class like a normal student.
This worked fine for me, since it gave me a chance to help AJ out a bit.
I didn't like how she was right now, but since I know how it feels, I also know that it's something she needs to come to terms with.
Classes passed quickly and soon we were on our way back to the farm.
I bid my new classmates goodbye as we parted by the school entrance as AJ and I made our way back through town.
Once back at the farm, we got some more work done, and I helped AJ with the homework.
Dinner was great just as great as it had been yesterday, but after dinner, AJ disappeared, so I went out to the barn and sure enough, there she was, hugging her fathers stetson hat again.
I went over and gave her a hug again, this time she didn't break into tears, but she still hugged me, hard, like she was afraid of losing anypony else.
Big Mac came out into the barn as well, looking for AJ.
But when he saw us, he just came over and joined the hug, his face never showing sadness.
I think he tried to stay strong for his little sisters sake.
All three of us returned to the house, as Granny Smith finished making us hot chocolate.
And we all sat around the fireplace, just relaxing as the day came to an end and night took over.
Apple Bloom was already sleeping and the rest of us went off to our rooms as well.
AJ gave me a sad smile and a thank you, before heading into her room.
I decided to just flop over on my bed and let sleep take me.
Today had just been one of the many long days to come.
__________
And like that, an entire month passed with me waking up early, helping out at the farm, going to school with AJ, playing with my new friends and having friendly math duels with Mr. Abacus, before going back to the farm to work more and then munching down some of Granny Smiths delicious apple goods before flopping down on my bed and falling asleep.
I was starting to fall in love with my new life here.
The ponies of town, though skeptical of my being there at first, had all warmed up to me.
School was fun, my classmates were all nice and Mr. Abacus was an awesome teacher.
And I was actually starting to enjoy life at the farm.
And while I did miss technology, you'd be surprised how much some good company can remedy that.
Mac and I had become like brothers already, pulling pranks and having fun.
While he wasn't to expressive with his voice, his eyes told you all you needed.
AJ had also started to brighten up a bit.
But it wasn't more than a month into my new life here, that she told me that she decided to leave the farm and move to her Uncle and Aunt's place in Manehattan.
She couldn't find any joy in apples anymore and didn't think she ever would again, so she wanted to try finding a new life and hopefully find her right place in this world.
Seeing as I myself had been in that situation, I couldn't possibly tell her not to.
So it was with a heavy heart that we all saw her off that day.
That night, Granny Smith cried, as she let everything out of her system.
Not only had she lost her son and his wife to a Timber Wolf attack a mere month ago, but now her granddaughter had left her as well, she no longer had the strength to keep up a strong facade for the children's sake.
Mac and I did our best to comfort her and take care of the house and Apple Bloom.
Life at the farm took a sad turn.
Every morning the gloom hung over the us all as we tried to go about our daily routines.
But when a big piece of what made this intricate puzzle work, suddenly went missing from it, things just don't work out anymore.
But it wasn't long before it all changed for the better.
One sunny day, when Mac and I was out in the orchard doing our work, a big rainbow colored explosion tore through the skies, as a rainbow trail led directly down to Ponyville.
Granny Smith came out to the orchard, as fast as her old legs would allow her.
Yelling about this being a sign, that soon AJ would return home.
Mac and I instantly brightened up, even if it was just Granny Smith being a little too hyper over something that might never happen.
But much to our surprise, she did return and she even gained her Cutie Mark, which I had just learned about in class, not so long ago.
From there, harmony fell over our home, as we all found our place in the puzzle that is Sweet Apple Acres.
__________
As the years passed by, I grew to be part of the family.
Nopony ever questioned me being there anymore, I was just Munck, a proud member of the Apple Family.
And it was a title I was happy with.
I loved my life, I loved my new family, I loved working at the farm, but most importantly, I loved AppleJack.
My only problem was, that even after all these years, I could never get over the ingrained taboo that a human shouldn't be with creatures that aren't human.
Yet.. These ponies were more human than most humans could claim to be.
Even after ten years, I still couldn't find the courage to break this taboo and ask AJ to be my very special somepony..
Not even the time when Discord wrought chaos across the land and transformed me into a pony, pretty much giving me the golden chance.
But seeing as the entire world was at risk, I couldn't do it, I couldn't allow myself to be selfish, even just that one time.
I was a coward.. A weak coward and it was driving me mad, I was so frustrated, so when the Princesses called upon me, seeing as they had heard a bit about me and my knowledge from my science sessions with Princess Celestia's personal protégé, I grabbed the chance and moved to Canterlot for a bit.
There I tapped into the knowledge that I hadn't touched since that time when I build the Portal Device that brought me here.
Over the years, though, my brain had assimilated the AI of the bullet, that I had named Bob back then.
So seeing as I was the only one who could create the blueprints needed, now that I could no longer use Bob as an Operative System, I stayed at the castle, working with the chief of the Royal Magic Research Institute, Widget.
She had taken over the post after her mentor, Tesla Coil, one of Equestria's biggest minds, had passed away in a freak accident.
After almost seven years of working and improving Equestrian technology with Earth technology, Equestria more or less blew itself a hundred years into the future.
Satisfied with my accomplishments and with newfound courage, I decided to travel back home.
But what met me, was not the farm I once knew.
It had fallen quite a bit, the apple trees that once blanketed the area was gone, replaced with factories that now filled the area with smog, as they continued producing Celestia knows what.
The only thing still standing, was the old farmhouse, but it looked like it hadn't seen any renovation for quite some time.
As I knocked on the door, a tired looking Big Macintosh opened the door, but when he saw who it was, his eyes started burning with anger, as he tackled me, pinning me to the ground.
He then started yelling about all this being my fault.
Ever since I left to help in Canterlot, AJ had lost her spark, since she had been in love with me, but was unsure of whether or not I'd be interested in dating a mare.
Mac had known that I was in love with her too, but didn't want to budge in.
But after I left, she fell into a little depression and that's when she met Silver Words, a Unicorn stallion who had used her broken heart to his gain.
With his smooth silver tongue, he had fooled even the Element of Honesty and they had started dating.
After a year of this, they got married and took over the farm.
Mac had moved on to a frontier village along with Apple Bloom.
Granny Smith had stayed behind, but had soon after passed away.
While Granny Smith had been old and it was probably her time, what happened next shouldn't have been happening.
AJ had fallen sick with a mysterious disease.
It was like a poison, slowly eating away at her mind and body.
Silver Words had stayed by her side all along, feeding her medicine every single day, in hope of her recovering.
But half a year later, she passed away, and Equestria lost their Element of Honesty.
But everypony knew that her death was not natural, they all knew who was behind it as well, but nopony ever found any evidence, so all charges was dropped.
The moment that happened, he started selling off the land to new entrepreneurs, seeing as all the new tech being developed in Canterlot would need factories in which it could be produced.
And he even tried to tear down the old house, But Big Mac wouldn't have it, so he Moved back and took it over, leaving Apple Bloom in the new town.
At all this, I went from confused, distraught, sad, heartbroken to finally pure rage for the bastard who had done all this.
Big Mac saw all those feelings reflected in my eyes, as he got off of me and let me get up.
I asked him where the bastard lived, which he gladly told me.. My plan was now simple.
Punishment, by death.
That night, when the moon was at it's highest, dressed in a hooded robe, I went to the outskirts of his mansion just a bit north of all the factories.
I mounted my two-way portal device that I had created in my free time back in the castle, checking to make sure that it had more than enough juice left.
I then blew a portal through his open window and blew another one directly under me, as I fell through it and popped out of his floor, scaring the living shit out of him.
I didn't care about his mad outburst.. It was time to do cruel things to him.. Time to make him regret ever hurting the Pony that I loved..
He started flaring his horn at me, but I didn't care about his empty threats.. Grabbing his horn with one hand, I smacked his ugly mug into the floor, before stomping his horn, breaking it off.
He screamed in delightful pain, as I kicked his teeth in and went over to his side, kicking him so hard that his entire dinner, mixed with blood, spilled out on the floor.
Giving him a few more kicks and breaking two of his legs for good measure, I then dragged his sorry ass to the front door, opening it and tossed him outside.
I told him to start running, 'cause I was about to execute him for his sins.
He quickly began dragging himself across the front yard, as I pointed my portal device towards the moon, letting a portal fly.
When the indicator on my glove showed that it had connected, I then turned to the bloody bastard, who was still dragging himself away.
He had only gotten around thirty meters away, but I didn't care.. It was time to send this bitch to the moon!
I pointed at the space ten meters ahead of him and blew a portal in the ground, which immediately started sucking in everything around it.
As he struggled not to get sucked in, he looked back to me, fear rooted deep in his face.. I just stood there, giving him a smile that could make even the biggest demonic hell spawn freeze in fear.
I saw his fight leave him, knowing that he had no chance of winning, as he finally got sucked out into space.
Shutting the portal down, I then blew a new one, as far away from here as I could and made my escape, knowing that I had avenged my loved one.
The guards never did find his body, nor did they figure out who had done it.
Not that they cared.. They all remembered that this bastard had taken away the Element of Honesty, and how frustrated they had been, when they couldn't find any evidence against him.
So they quickly packed up and left the area.
Big Mac on the other hand, found me and confronted me.
He told me that even if that pony had been filth, AJ would never have wanted me to take another's life, but he still thanked me for putting his sisters soul to rest.
As for me?
I moved out of the populated area.
Found a nice meadow where I built a cottage.
This is where I have been living ever since, living the life of a hermit.
And now we come to my reason for writing all this..
This is my story, this is my confession, and this is my goodbye.
By the time you read this, I will either be dead or have disappeared.
My plan is to go back and correct my biggest mistake.
This is a plan that I have been working on for most of my life and now it's time to see if it works.
With that, I bid you farewell, whomever you might be.
Always remember me.
For I am Munck!
The first and most likely last Human of this Equestria!
__________
I finished up my letters about my life and placed them next to my bank account book, in that account was all the many bits I had earned through the times for all the inventions I brought to Equestria.
Where I was going, it would be useless, so I planned on letting whomever discovered and read my letter, have it and it's content.
I then moved over to the device that I would be using.
It looked like a gauntlet, and would, if everything worked correctly, send me back in time.
Mounting it on my arm, I then looked around my home one final time, before stepping outside, plugging it into my water-driven power plant and booting it up, everything flashed white before my old eyes and i feared that I would die before getting to my destination.
But as soon as it started, it was over again and there I was.
Sweet Apple Acres, back during it's prime.
Waves upon waves of beautiful apple trees, spreading out as far as the eye could see.
I then spotted a young human boy, around his sixteens.
"Hey! You!" I shouted at him and he turned around, doing a double take at the sight of another human.
He ran up to me, but I held up a hand to show him that he should stop.
"Who are you?" He asked as he came to a halt.
"Let's just say that I'm an old hermit, here to give you some advice," I started, "You love that mare over there, right?" I said, pointing towards the eastern area where AJ was busy apple bucking.
"How did you know that!?" My younger self asked.
"Let's just say that I've seen the future where you don't ask her out, and it ain't pretty, sonny boy.. No go to her and tell her how you really feel." I ordered him.
He looked at me like I was insane, before opening his mouth again.
"But.. What if she says no!? I don't think I'd be able to get over that anytime soon.." He said, frowning at the ground beneath him.
"Hey," I said, tossing him an old, homemade amulet I'd gotten from AJ on my tenth birthday, "You remember this don't you?"
He stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out one just like it, except a lot newer looking than mine.
"How the hay do you have that!?" He yelled, but then realization hit him like a tons of bricks.
"You.. You're me, aren't you?"
I just nodded and told him that I never had the guts to tell her, and because of that, everything went south, so he should do it, before he ends up regretting it like I do.
"Besides, I'll be right here, watching over you, so go on, tell her what I never could." I told him, giving him a little smile.
He finally took the courage he needed and ran off towards AJ.
I watched as he talked to her, finally confessing the feelings we both shared, as AJ's eyes widened and she tackled my younger self, kissing him deeply.
At this, I finally smiled, for the first time in decades, I smiled from the bottom of my heart, as tears of joy rolled down my chin and my existence started evaporating.
I felt bliss, leaving this world knowing that I had succeeded.
Five final words escaped my lips before I disappeared forever.
"May.. you.. always.. be.. happy.."
__________
I was in the middle of kissing the love of my life, when I thought I heard somepony saying something.
I stopped our kiss and looked back, but there was nopony there.
"Weird.. I could have sworn that I was talking to somepony up on the hill just a few seconds ago.." I mumbled
"But sugahcube, nothin's there, ah mean, not even trees will grow in that soil." AJ said as she pecked me on the cheek.
"I know, AJ.. But I just can't shake this weird feeling.. Hold on, I'm gonna go check it, just to be sure." I said as I got back up, giving her a quick peck on the lips, before running up to the hill.
What I saw there, shocked me, as I called for AJ.
She came running up and saw that a single sprout was growing between two human footprints.
I couldn't remember much from our conversation, but I knew I had talked to my future self and that he had encouraged me.
Of course, I didn't tell AJ this, since it might just freak her out a little.
But one thing was for sure, no matter what grew there, I would name it Cupid, because that was exactly what he was.
With this, I got down on knees and kissed my beloved AJ again as the sun sank beyond the horizon behind the hill we were on.
I now knew that my life was perfect.
__________
-The End!-
__________
Authors notes:
This is one of the routes I was playing around with when I was writing the first chapter.
I had three main routes in mind.
The Twi route, which had most potential.
The Celestia route, but I saw someone had already made something like that.
And the AJ route, which I've done an attempt at putting into a special here.
I hope you all enjoyed it.
Cheers~
-Munck
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 6 - Prances with Mountain Lions
As we stood at the foot of Mt. Thunder Roar, I looked up to the winding mountain path, wiping a bead of sweat from my brow, as the heat from the sun beat mercilessly down upon us.
Putting Rusty's distraught face in the back of my mind, I walked over to Tesla and Widget who was discussing something about the usage of portals for transportation if permanent portal gates could be made.
"So, shall we get to it? It's noon now and it would be nice to at least make it back down while it's still daytime, I'm not too fond of the idea of camping on a mountain with wild beasts, even if it's outside their hunting season." I told them and they both nodded in agreement.
"Right! Captain Steel Wing, are we ready to head up the path?" Tesla asked.
The captain who had been busy going over the plans with the two rookies turned to us.
"Yeah, I've just now finished briefing Snowflake and Sunny Skies on how we'll be going about this." He replied.
"If we move out now, we should be able to make it to the summit before evening and hopefully back down before midnight."
He then turned towards the road to Canterlot.
"We can then stay for the night in the guard cabin over there." he said, pointing a hoof towards the wooden roof of a cabin popping up over a group of trees a few hundred meters down the road.
Turning to the cadets, he then started barking out orders.
"Cadet Skies! You will be in charge of protecting Miss Widget!" He boomed at the young sky blue pegasus with his sunlight yellow mane and tail, his golden eyes lighting up at the chance of protecting a cute mare like Widget.
"Sir, yes sir!" He said with a goofy grin on his face, before walking over to join Widget.
"Cadet Snowflake! You will be in charge of protecting young Munck and pulling the cart up the mountain path!" Captain Steel Wing boomed again.
"Sir! YEEEEAAAAAAH!! Sir! He shall be in safe hooves! If anything tries to hurt him, I will send it flying!" Snowflake boomed back while flexing his muscles.
Captain Steel Wing facehoofed before speaking again.
"I will personally see to it that you stay safe, Professor Tesla." he said as he walked over to the professor.
"Now then! Move out!" he finally boomed, as I joined Snowflake who was busy hooking himself up to the cart.
We then started on our long trek up the mountain trail.
__________
~Earlier that day~
It was almost noon when I woke up.
Having spend most of the night worrying about yesterday, I was thankful that my parents had let me sleep in.
Trotting downstairs, I heard talking coming from the living room, so I sneaked as close to the door as I could.
"... And that's why. It's not that I don't care, it's just, it's that big of a taboo where I come from, but at least you know why I..." He stopped mid sentence as if he sensed my presence, even though I was still in the hallway... I wonder how he does that.
"Aaanyway, topic change." He said to my dad, who seemed to get whatever it was that I didn't.
"Right! so today is the day that you take off for Mt. Thunder Roar?" I heard my father asking.
"Yeah, gotta go get some of those Lightning Lacrima before we can continue the project and that mountain is the only one where we can get any in the nearby area." He said.
The one who spoke that line was one who has been on my mind a lot lately.
He's only a year older than me, yet he feels so much older and wiser than the colts I know.. It's kind of attracting.. Though, ever since I kissed him om the cheek yesterday, it's been a bit awkwa- OMYGOSH! He's looking this way!
"Good Morning Twi!" He said with his biggest smile beaming at me.
Does that mean he didn't mind? Or did he just shrug it off.. Would be typical.
"Good morning dad, Munck." I said, trying not to blush under the gaze from his calming grass green eyes.
I guess from the look on his face, he probably thought nothing of it.. *Sigh* I need some fresh air to clear my head.
"Dad? I'm gonna head outside and read for a bit." I said before grabbing one of my books on Advanced Levitation Techniques and heading outside.
"Alright Twi, but don't come back too late, you hear? You still have a lot of stuff to pack before Sunday, so you're ready to move to your new place at the castle!" He yelled after me.
"I'll be back soon." I said before closing the door and heading towards the town square.
When I arrived at the square, I ran into a certain minty green filly that I had gotten to know.
"Hey Twi!" She yelled before rushing over to me.
"Hello Lyra." I said, levitating my bookmark to the page I was at and closing the book.
We both continued over to a bench under a big tree casting it's cool shade over the area.
I put my book on the bench and jumped up to lay down, Lyra on the other hoof, was struggling to sit in the same position that Munck does.
"Why are you even sitting like that?"
"Two reasons" she started.
"One: I need to sit like this in order to play my lyre properly."
"And two: It's really comfortable to sit like this! I'm so happy that Munck taught me how." She finished.
I just shook my head and asked the question that was our main reason for meeting up every now and then.
"So... Any progress with him?"
Lyra and I had started meeting up to discuss any progress we had with Munck, seeing as we both liked him, but also knew just how dense he seemed to act about it.
She just shook her head.
"None.. It's like he knows what I'm trying, but he doesn't react to it.." She said with a sigh of defeat.
"I know what you mean.. I kissed him on the cheek yesterday, and while he was a little flustered right afterwards, this morning he was straight back to being himself.." I let out a deep sigh as well.
Lyra then looked at me with huge eyes.
"YOU WHAT!?" She boomed, earning us some weird looks from the ponies passing by.
"Sorry.." She mumbled with an apologetic smile to the startled passerbys.
"But still.. You kissed him!?" She said, this time in a low voice.
"On the cheek, but yeah.. Still, I'm kind of sad that he didn't really react to it.. Maybe he's not into fillies younger than him.." I said with a defeated voice.
"Ha! I'm older than him.. But, why doesn't he react to me then?" Lyra said, as she looked like she was pondering why.
"You're still too close, if he's into those older than him, it would be mares, not fillies like us." I told her with an educating tone.
"But.. Does he even know any mares besides your mom? I never see him talking to any when he's in town." Lyra said while in deep thought.
"Well.. He does talk allot about one named Widget, but the way he talks about her, is more like one would of a big sister, but who else does he.."
Then realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Oh sweet Celstia no.." I started as Lyra's eyes suddenly met mine.
"PRINCESS CELESTIA!!" We both boomed in unison, startling every pony in the area.
I jumped off the bench and started pacing around in a circle.
"No no no no no no no no! How can we possibly go up against HER!? No, calm down Twilight.. It's probably not the case.. We're just jumping to conclusions.. But what if we're right!? Oh sweet Celestia, please don't let that be the case!" I started rambling.
Lyra then jumped down and shook me out of it.
"Come on! We have to go find him and tell him what we feel, I don't mind having you as my rival, but the princess? We could never win!" She said as she started galloping towards my house.
"Wait! Lyra!" I shouted, "He's not at my place right now!" this got her to stop and I trotted over to her.
"He's going on an expedition to Mt. Thunder Roar today, so they're probably at the town gates, getting ready." I told her.
"Good! Let's go, we just have to join him on that expedition so we can get some alone time with him!" She said with a smile while doing a little bounce.
"But.. Won't that be a bad idea? I mean, what if we all run into trouble?" I asked.
"Well, do you think they'd let him just wander off to Mt. Thunder Roar like this if it was dangerous? Besides, he probably has some guards with him, so it'll be super safe!" She said, giving another bounce.
"Now, come on! We can't be late!" She said and started galloping towards the town gates, me following right behind her with my book on my back.
And with that, we were off on our first adventure.
__________
We had been walking for almost 4 hours now, only taking a little break every now and then.
It had been quite the uneventful trip so far, but at least that better than trouble.
The sun was still beating down on us, but I could see that it was starting to get quite low on the sky.
I had found a book on 'Advanced Levitation Techniques' in the cart, guess Tesla brought some light reading.
Still, more entertaining than watching Sunny Skies attempts at hitting on Widget and getting shot down for the fortieth time today, the poor guy never learns.
Letting his failure out on a nearby rock, he kicked it off the side of the mountain, before smiling at his idea for the forty-first attempt.
Had to give him that, he always saw things on the bright side.
Snowflake was too busy pulling the cart to be of much use conversation wise, besides, he didn't seem like the type for idle chatter.
I was just finishing up a chapter on self levitation, when Captain Steel Wing stopped us.
"There it is! The summit! Now let's go harvest those lightning lacrima and get the hay back down.. I have this feeling in my gut that something bad is going to happen.." He said.
Snowflake then parked the cart and got out of the yoke, relaxing a little after pulling the cart the entire way up.
I closed the book and walked over to Tesla to find out what we'd do from here on out.
"So, professor, how do we go about mining the lacrima? I doubt that we just use a pickaxe and mine away."
"Well, we have a lacrima detector in the back of the cart, it picks up the elemental waves coming from the crystals, allowing us to locate them faster.. By the way, I didn't know you studied magic." he said with a puzzled look in his eyes.
"What, I thought this was your book..." I slowly turned to the others, "Any of you who owns this book?" I asked, only to get no's and head shakes.
Suddenly I realized what was wrong here.
The movement from under the carts tarp that I dismissed as the wind.
And Shining Armor's distressed look just before the portal closed.
Swearing under my breath, I stomped over to the cart, before ripping it's tarp right off.
What I saw brought me over the edge and something I hadn't said for a long time burst our of my mouth.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!" I cursed, making everypony around me cringe from the harsh language.
Sitting there, were two silly fillies named Twilight and Lyra, ears folded back from my loud outburst.
"For crying out loud! What the hell are you two doing here!? Have you no idea how dangerous it could get here at a seconds warning!? What if the cart had rolled off the mountain side!? What if Mountain Lions had attacked!? What if something happened and you got hurt!? Or worse! Died!? Oh goddess.. Shining Armor is going to buck my face into last Tuesday!" I rambled on, a mix of fear, anger, shock and relief in my voice, pacing around in a circle.
Tears were starting to form in their eyes.
"We.. We're sorry, Munck, but we just wanted to be together with you.." Twilight said with a cracking voice.
I instantly calmed down a little, letting out a huge sigh.
"It's fine, Twi.. I was just shocked, mad, scared and relived.. I mean, anything could have gone wrong, that's why we each have a guard to protect us," I turned and pointed to the three guards who had joined me along with Tesla and Widget at the cart, "What if something had gone wrong? Suddenly we'd be undermanned to handle it! Sure, I have trained mixed martial arts for the past three years, so I could probably handle myself long enough for help to arrive, but you two are still little fillies, not meant for fighting off monsters."
They both stared at the wooden floor of the cart with shame.
I let out another huge sigh, before pinching the bridge of my nose.
"At least you're both safe and that's what matters," I said and turned to the others, "So, shall we get started? The sooner we mine the lacrima, the sooner we can get the girls back home!" I said to Tesla.
"Right, if you'll just take that spherical device over there, I'll explain how we'll find the lacrima," he pointed his hoof to a clear crystal ball with a sort of metal hoop around it, that had runic words inscribed in it, "That there is a lacrima detector! One of my earlier works. It works by igniting a magical spark inside it, that spark will then point in the direction of any nearby lacrima, it's color changing depending on it's element." He said.
I picked it up and turned it around for a bit, it fit quite nicely in my hand, since it was only the size of a tennis ball.
"Right then, here you go professor, you're the only one here who can work it, we can't have Twi and Lyra running off now, can we."
"Right, but you can use it as well, you know. It's made so that anypony can activate it, by focusing on it. Even an Earth-Pony can use it!" He said with glee.
"Hey! Ah'm right 'ere ya know!" Widget said, annoyed at the comment.
Tesla's ears flopped back a little, "Sorry Widget, you know I don't mean it like that.." he apologized.
I decided to save the poor guy, before things got any messier than they already were.
"So, what you're saying is, that I will be able to hunt for lacrima using one of these? Without using magic? That's pretty darn cool!" I said, giving him the biggest smile I could muster, all the recent events considered, "Just one question.. How do I use it?"
His ears perked up at the chance of a topic change.
"Right! Just focus on the runes you see in the metal band, think about what you want to search for and it should start activating."
I did as he said, and true to his words, a spark ignited inside it, quickly pointing a weird rainbow colored bolt of energy towards me.
"Umm.. Professor? What does a rainbow colored output mean?" I asked, showing him the reading.
"I.. I have no idea.. A lacrima usually only holds a single element, so why would it show every single element there is? And.. It points directly to you no matter what direction you hold it... Interesting.. Do you have any lacrima on you?"
"Only the one that tackled me a few days back, you know, the one that got charged with Twi's magic burst... Hold this for a sec, please." I said as I handed him the device so that I could pull the lacrima out from under my t-shirt.
I then tried waving it around and the spark kept following it, so now we knew the source at least.
"Huh.. Didn't think this would be it, I mean, it does nothing, except tackle me when I leave it.." I mumbled.
"Right, we'll have to look into that when we get back, but for now, touch the lacrima detector with it, so that it will be registered as "found" and then we can move on to the next piece." Tesla explained as he hoofed me back the crystal ball.
I did as he told me to and just as he said, the rainbow spark disappeared, replaced by an electric yellow spark pointing towards the nearby edge of the mountainside plateau we were on.
Walking carefully over, I peered over the edge, and sure enough, around ten meters down, were a yellow looking crystal jutting out from the cliff side.
"There's some over here, but they're on the cliff side, should we try moving closer to the summit? We might find some that are easier to mine." I asked while walking back.
"But really, this device of yours is awesome, with this we'll be able to harvest a good deal of lacrima without having to scour the entire mountain for it!" I said giving a little chuckle.
"Not counting the stowaway incident, it feels like nothing else can go wro-"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!"
I froze at the sound and slowly looked up the mountain side.
"Me and my big mouth..."
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!!"
"OH FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFU-!!!!"
__________
*Sigh!*
Nothing much to do in town, with my best friend being out on a date with his marefriend and all... Maybe I should try finding one as well.
*Sigh..*
At least I can go home without that freak being there to piss me off.. At least he's gotten more civil lately.
Wait.. Was that Twily and Lyra? I wonder where they're off to at that speed.. Oh well, almost home, it's gonna be so nice with a Munck-free day~!
Snapping out of my thought, I opened the door, only to be greeted by my dad.
"Shining! Have you seen Twi? She was supposed to have been home now." He said with a worried tone.
"Whoa! Calm down dad, if you're looking for Twily, I just saw her and Lyra running off in that direction." I said, pointing a hoof towards the main gates.
His eyes narrowed at that bit of information.
"Dear Celestia, no! Shining! You have to get them, now! Munck is there, on his way to Mt. Thunder Roar! They're gonna try to sneak after him!" He boomed.
"They're WHAT! Why would they even do something crazy like that!?" I yelled.
"I know why, but that will have to wait! Hurry up and stop them before it's too late!" He ordered.
"Right!" There's no way in Tartarus that I will let two fillies go out on a journey like that!
Doing a 180 in the door, I galloped off towards the main gates, bumping into ponies on the way, but this is no time to stop an apologize!
"By Celestia, if Munck brings them with him, I'll buck his stupid face into last Tuesday!" I swore as I raced through the streets.
There it is! The main gate! Time to stop this madness!
Blasting around the corner, I saw Munck and his party on the other side of some portal as it was closing.. And not only that, I saw Twily peeking out from under the carts tarp!
"OH BUCK NO!!" I boomed as I reached the gate, stopping one of the scientists with my outburst.
"You! Scientist! Open that portal again, right now! My little sister has sneaked aboard the cart!" I yelled at one of the scientists.
"I.. I'm sorry young one, but we can't open it from this side, there's nothing we can do to help you.." He apologized.
Oh Celestia no..
Wait a minute..
"PRINCESS CELESTIA! She can help!" I yelled, before galloping off towards the castle.
It took me probably ten minutes to reach the castle gates, but it was closed for the day.
Not giving a darn, I ran up and bucked one of them in, alerting every guard in the area.
"STOP RIGHT THERE! CRIMINAL SCUM!" One of the guards boomed as they swarmed around me.
Anger took over.
"I have no time for you losers!" I yelled, letting a huge shield spell loose, blasting away everypony I deemed dangerous.
With my path cleared, I ran through the hallways and finally reached the throne room, hoping that the Princess was still there.
But of course she wasn't.. And to make it worse, the guards were back, with reinforcements.
"I don't have time for this! I need to speak with Princess Celestia!" I yelled, but they didn't stop to listen.
Letting another spell fly, I effectively tossed them all into the surrounding castle walls, knocking a good deal of them unconscious.
Right then, there was a white flash behind me, almost blinding me, as none other than Princess Celestia stood there in all her glory.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" She boomed in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Your majesty! You have to help! It's Twily.. Twilight Sparkle!" I started.
"What!? What's happened to her?" Celestia asked, dropping the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"She's sneaked aboard the cart for Munck's expedition! She could be in danger as we speak! You have to help!" I half ordered, half pleaded.
She pierced my eyes with her gaze before speaking again.
"Shining Armor! I will send you to the foot of Mt. Thunder Roar, from there, you will have to travel the same path as they, hopefully you should catch up."
She started charging her horn with her light aura.
"I will also send out a medical team as soon as possible, so that they can help if anypony gets hurt on the trip, but let's hope that won't be the case."
And with that, I felt my body twisting, turning and being pulled in every direction at once, before standing at the mountain foot.
I started galloping up the path, but soon found that it wasn't a good idea, after all the stuff I had just done, my body was weak.
So I decided to just trot as fast as I could drag my body.
It had been almost four hours now, having had to take a good amount of breaks along the way, I had yet to catch up.
I started wondering how they could be so darn fast with a cart and all, but then I remembered Snowflake and let out a deep sigh.
But then it happened! I heard voices!
Stopping to look up and see if I could spot them, I saw something.. Something falling..
*Crack!*
Everything went black.
I slowly opened my eyes, regretting it since the light from the setting sun hurt like the day after a hard cider drinking contest.
I then remembered where I was and quickly got up.
Not knowing how far they'd gotten, I started galloping with all my might.
It only took another forty minutes, but I was starting to see the summit.
"Almost the-"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!"
"Oh Celestia no!" Was all I could say.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!!"
"OH FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUU-!!!!" Was the last thing I heard before I galloped as fast as I possibly could, ignoring everything around me, only focusing on getting up there as fast as possible.
__________
"-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Everypony turned in the direction I was looking and fear filled their faces.
There on a rocky slope was two creatures that could easily be mistaken for boulders, if they had just laid down and kept still.
They looked kinda like a cross between a lion and a bear.
Big, around Celestia's height and muscular enough to give Snowflake a run for his bits.
Their faces were rather flat, but that didn't make their huge fangs protruding from their broad mouths any less scary.
Their fur and manes were grayish and looked like it changed tones depending on the terrain, allowing them to blend in.
On the tip of their tails was a sharp rock, most likely for piercing their target.
They proceeded to let out another primal roar that would send shivers down anypony's spine, before their claws, sharp enough to shred through the rocky ground they were standing on, helped their strong legs launch them down the mountain side at great speed, straight toward us.
"SNOWFLAKE! YOU HANDLE THE ONE ON THE RIGHT! SKIES! YOU HELP ME WITH THE ONE ON THE LEFT! PROTECT THE CHILDREN AT ALL COSTS!!!" Captain Steel Wing boomed.
They instantly moved in as if they had practiced it for years.
Snowflake took to the skies, buzzing his small wings at incredible speed as he dropped down, delivering earth shattering bucks to the mountain lion, it's hard furry armor cracking at each blow, but it refused to go down, instead it kept trying to swat him out of the air.
The Captain and Sunny on the other hoof, were busy confusing the lion, while taking turns at doing flybys.
Since they didn't have Snowflake's awesome HORSE POWER, they were forced to take a slower, more careful approach, relying more on speed and dodging.
It was obvious to anypony that they weren't doing any serious damage to the two beasts, but that wasn't the point either.
They were trying to distract them, so we could escape, so motioning Tesla, Widget, Twi and Lyra to follow me, we made a mad dash towards the path down, only to freeze in place.
There on the path, stood another one of those fearsome beasts, it's beady yellow eyes sizing us up while it was busy licking it's chops at the feast in front of it.
I motioned for everypony behind me to start backing away and did the same, never breaking my gaze away from it's hungry eyes.
For each step back I took, it took another step forward.
It knew we were trapped.
It knew that we couldn't do anything.
It knew that no matter what, it wouldn't go hungry for the night.
And I knew that we were more fucked than ever, but no matter what, I would not just go down without a fight.
Too many lives were at stake here.
Giving the beast a mean glare, I got into my fighting stance.
I could hear angered whispers of objections behind me, but I didn't care.
If that beast wanted a feast, then I'd be sure to make it fight for it.
Curious about my weird behavior, the grotesque lion stopped in it's tracks, eying me to see what I did next.
I took this as my signal and set off with as much speed as I could muster by myself.
The lion was stumped, never before had such a little creature been the one to attack it.
Letting my punch fly with every ounce of power I could, my fist connected with it's jaw.
*CRACK!*
I don't know which one of us took the most damage, but by everything holy, my arm hurt like hell!
Glancing at the lions face, I could see that it was in no way amused, as it reared on it's hind legs, preparing to swipe me with it's razor sharp claws.
I tried to jump backwards to avoid the swipe, but suddenly intense pain filled my body, all my nerves writhing as blood splattered across the ground that I was rolling over.
As I came to a stop, I glanced over my left shoulder, it was torn apart, blood streaming from the shredded flesh.
Pain...
That was all that filled my mind, I was about to black out, when I saw the lion nearing, glancing behind me, I saw the teary faces of my friends and colleagues.
No way in hell I'm gonna let it have them!
Mustering every ounce of my fading strength, I shakily rose up to meet it's gaze yet again, only to cough up blood from the strenuous activity.
My body screamed out for rest, but I refused.
The lion's and my eyes met again and I glared back, my vision getting blurry.
It was then that I noticed a white blob with a bit of blue on it's top, running at full speed towards us.
"TWILY! I'm coming little sis!" It yelled, getting the beasts' attention.
No doubt, it was Shining Armor.
Letting a huge blast of raw magic fly from his horn.
The blast connected with the mountain lion's abdomen, sending it flying through the air as it crashed into the nearby mountain side with a sickening thud, falling limp to the ground near the edge of the cliff.
The last thing I saw before collapsing, was the white blob moving towards us.
Lying on the ground, I could feel my life blood flowing out of my body.
Everything was blurry, even the voices from the ponies around me.
I could still recognize them, Twi and Lyra's sobbing voices, Tesla having a panic attack, Widget crying and even Shining Armor sounded sad.
Funny, never knew that my death would be all it took for him to stop hating me, hehehe... Bad jokes aside... This is bad.
Unless they have healing magic, I won't live to see tomorrow, I will never get home! I will die in a world that isn't mine... Maybe that isn't too bad, I mean, I did manage to keep them all safe long enough for help to arrive.
But then all my thoughts stopped.
The gray blob that had damaged me this badly started moving again and none of the ponies around me seemed to notice it.
Oh goddess! It's gonna attack!
I have to do something!
I have to warn them!
But how!?
Suddenly the beastly blob roared and ran towards us, Shining quickly turned and tried blasting it again, but it looked like he was out of magic.
In an instant, my head cleared and time itself seemed to come to a crawl.
My bodily functions returned as a familiar voice spoke up.
"What are you lying around for, you lazy bum!" It said with a sarcastic tone.
"Who me? I'm just in the middle of dying, and you?" I replied pouring as much sarcasm in it as I could.
"Yeah.. I don't think we'll make it, but I'll be damned if we don't go out fighting!"
"But what can we do? If you hadn't noticed it yet, we're pretty much missing our entire left shoulder and we're about to die from blood loss!" I said.
"And that's where I come in"
"I've set your system up to break every single limiter in your body, so right now, you're perceiving things at such a speed, that the world seems to have stopped and once we break the final limiters, you should gain enough speed and power to handle that lion... Unfortunately it comes with a heavy price and your body will probably start ripping itself to shreds once you start moving... But, at least you'll be able to protect them all." Bob said.
"Wait.. A complete Limit Break? There's no way my body could handle that as it is right now! We'd die the moment we released it!" I boomed, shocked at the idea.
"Yeah, I'm kinda re-routing the stress to the Intelligence Bullet, slowly letting it break down and be assimilated into your body, so if you should somehow survive, I won't be around to protect you anymore..." He said in a sad tone.
This was too shocking, Bob was willingly letting me absorb him, becoming a part of me and losing his own being.
"I... I can't allow you to do that, Bob." I said with a stern voice.
"You have been a part of me for too long, you're like a friend, and I don't want you to sacrifice yourself like this, not it there's still a minimal chance that we can live through this."
"Hah! As if you have a choice!" Bob said, letting out a hearty laugh.
"Actually, I do! Have you forgotten that I'm the one in control of my body?" I asked him.
"Ooooh... Right, that... There's one thing I forgot to tell you about that."
"And what might that be?"
"I lied!"
"Bob! NO! Don't do it!!!"
"Too late... Goodbye, my friend!"
"LiMiT bReAk!!!"
With movements that would impress any speed demon, I rose from the ground, slamming Shining Armor out of the way as the lion's claw came crashing down.
Parrying it with my gauntlet, I then proceeded to punch it right in the wound from Shining's blast, causing it to slide backwards, stunned from what just happened.
Not even giving it a chance to recover, I instantly leapt in it's direction at such a speed that it looked like I was flying towards it, slamming my elbow into the mountain lion's gut, tackling it at enough speed to send it flying it over the edge of the mountain.
This was all good and fine, but in a last ditch effort, it planted it's claws in my back, causing me intense pain as it pulled me with it over the edge.
We still struggled while we both plummeted towards our certain doom.
With a sickening crack, the lion hit the ground with it's back, splitting it's head open as blood and brain splattered everywhere.
I was still caught in it's legs, I had survived the drop, but that didn't matter, I could feel deaths shadow closing in on me, as my body lost it's last life blood and everything turned black.
__________
As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a pitch black darkness that no light could ever hope to penetrate.
The first thing I noticed, was that my shoulder was whole again, and the pain form where it had inserted it's claws on my back, was gone.
Deciding that just standing there wouldn't get me anywhere, I started walking through the darkness.
I wandered for what felt like hours, nothing ever changing and it was really starting to get to me.
"This is not the afterlife I signed up for..." I grumbled, looking around the area, trying to spot something, anything, through the wall of black that filled my vision.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Is this really my afterlife?" I asked the empty space.
Suddenly a deep laughter broke the silence.
"That's a rather easy question to answer, my boy.. You see, you're not quite dead, yet." The voice said.
I spun around, trying to locate the voice, but all I saw was darkness.
"Who or what are you!? Show yourself!" I yelled.
The voice let out a chuckle.
"Let's just say that I'm here to give you two choices.. Choice number one: You die! or choice number two: You get to live, giving you another chance to protect those dear to you, I'll even throw in some special powers!" He said with glee.
This totally blew my mind, I'd been given the chance to live again as well as the power to protect my friends, no need to even think about it!
"I choose number two! If what you say is true, it's only the right thing to do!" I yelled, eager to get back up and help them out.
"This is just fantastic! Gift granted!" He said and I could almost imagine him smiling.
But, the moment he granted it, something started nagging me in the back of my mind, and a question took form.
"Just one question, though... Why would you resurrect me? You don't really stand to gain anything." I asked.
The voice let out a hearty laugh.
"Two reasons, again! Number one: I feel generous at the moment and number two: Because you're a human~!" He said, his voice filled with glee.
I stared at the darkness, most likely with quite the dumbfounded expression.
"Ok.. I can kinda see the first reason being legit, if you can raise the dead, you have to be a godlike being, so taking pity on a poor subject and granting it a second chance out of generosity could be a good reason... But what does me being a human have to do with anything?"
At this lightning tore through the darkness, as his laughter turned maniacal.
With a flash of light, a creature I had only seen in books of fantasy creatures, rose from the darkness.
He Was like the sick mix of a griffin, lion, pony, goat, deer, bat, pegasus, lizard and a dragon... The model picture of what a chimera looks like.
"Hello my young human~! My name is Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! As you may have guessed from my lovely visage, I am a proud Draconequus."
I was pretty scared by now, but my curiosity was the stronger of the two.
"So.. What does the ruler of chaos want with a human? It's not like I'm some sort of chaos source." I asked.
His face turned to a grin as he disappeared, before popping up right behind me, slinging his lions paw over my shoulder.
"Maybe not now, but in the future you will come crawling to me, begging for me to make you my conduit of chaos~!" He said while clapping his lion paw and eagle claw together.
I just glared at him the best I could.
"And what the hell makes you think that I'm gonna stick around long enough for that to happen!?"
At my question his face suddenly turned very dark and menacing.
"One day, boy.. One day you will understand, and that's the day when Chaos will cover the world~!!!"
Letting out a loud cackle, he wiped a couple of tears away from his asymmetrically-sized eyes.
"You should see the look on your face right now! Priceless~!"
"Aaah~ I could do this all day and never get tired, but it's almost time for you to wake up, so sit down and listen to what daddy Discord has to tell you." He said, giving me a creepy grin.
I was feeling a grand mix of confusion, dread, curiosity, joy and amazement.
Here I was, talking with a chaos god, about to get resurrected from the dead, so that I can see my friends again.
Doing as he told me, I sat down and listened.
"Good! Now, I took the liberty of using that funky lacrima you had, to give you some useful powers, normally this isn't possible, but me being me, it was easy as.. Cake!" He said as a piece of cake popped out of nowhere.
Eying the cake, he took a bite, only for it to disappear, "Bah! Looks like this cake was a lie!" He said, giving a chuckle.
I was still lost at the whole lacrima and powers thing, which he saw.
"Now! You probably want to know what your powers do, but really, what fun is there in that? Instead, I'm gonna wake you up now and and let you play around with it yourself!" He said and snapping his eagle fingers.
My eyes was filled with blinding light as I woke up, lying on top of a mountain lions corpse.
Gasping for the air that my dead body had lost, I looked to my left shoulder which took the most damage during our battle.
What I saw literally freaked me so bad that I screamed and was about to black out, thinking my soul would leave my body again.
There was no skin where the lion's claws had stripped me of it.
Instead there was a crystal like substance, a glowing purple as it's basic, with a prismatic sheen.
Calming down enough to breath properly again, I tried touching it, it felt just like Lacrima, hard and smooth, yet soft and flexible, like skin.. It was a freakish weird experience, that's for sure.
I then noticed that from my shoulder, ran lines of lacrima under my skin and down my arms, until they formed a a tear drop on the top of my hands.
You wouldn't notice it unless you really looked hard, which I was at least thankful for... A freaky purple shoulder was more then enough trouble, if you ask me.
After a few more pokes to my shoulder, to see if it was real, I suddenly realized why I had come back to life in the first place.
Looking to the sky, I saw that the sun was at the same position as before, so even though it felt like hours in the dark space, it must only have been a few minutes out here.
Rising from the lion corpse, I start walking back towards the path up, wondering how I could possibly get back up in time to be of help.
It was then, that I noticed a slight pulling in my new shoulder, like it wanted to show me something.
Walking in the direction it was pulling, I soon noticed a faint glow coming from the lacrima veins in my arms, slowly lighting up more and more of the vein as we got closer to the target.
When the tear on my hand finally lit up, I was standing in front of a big dirt brown crystal, earth lacrima I guessed.
My left hand then started pulling itself towards the lacrima, it instantly turned into some sort of liquid when I touched it, and started crawling up my left arm, reaching my torso, covering them both in a lacrimae armor that was quite flexible.
What happened next was pure nightmare fuel.
I suddenly had that sinking feeling, as I looked down, I saw that I was standing in earth to the knees.
I was stricken with panic, as I started sinking faster and faster, until my head finally went under.
Struggling for dear life, I was scared shitless, as I kept on sinking further down.
My thoughts went from pure panic, to just one single thought.
"UP! UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP! I wanna go UP!!!" I screamed.
Somehow, it worked, as I shot upwards, flying out of the ground and faceplanting myself in the now solid ground.
"That went fucking great..." I grumbled.
At least I knew what this power could do now.
I apparently had the power to directly manipulate different types of lacrimae, drawing upon their elements to aid me.
Earth lacrima seemed to let me move through solid ground, I wonder if it works on cliff walls as well... Only one way to find out!
Slowly touching the cliff side, willing myself to enter it, I slowly walked through it.
This time I wasn't scared, I knew what happened and how I should use this power.
It was almost like second nature, perhaps thanks to that freaky shoulder of mine.
Looking up, I willed the lacrima to move my body upwards, and up I went, all the while, my lacrima armor slowly crumbled away as it's energy was drained.
I guess that once I run out, I'll be a part of the mountain until the day some archaeologist pony digs me out.
Shaking the thought of being revived from my DNA by mad scientist, like in that movie about dinosaurs, I instead focused on moving up as fast as possible.
It was now like swimming with the current, I slowly gained more and more speed, and I soon noticed that I was nearing the summit.
Even though I was inside a cliff, it was like I knew what happened outside the cliff and how far along I was, as if the entire cliff was my eyes and ears now.
I was almost at the top when I noticed the lightning lacrima that I had seen earlier, knowing that I would need something with a punch to defeat those lions, I dived out and touched it with my left arm, letting it liquify and coat my gauntlet with a lightning armor.
Good thing I did, because suddenly Snowflake came tumbling over the edge, badly bruised from his long battle.
I reached out and caught him, dragging him inside the cliff with me, causing him to panic, much like I had.
Willing the lacrima to drag us up as fast as possible, I emerged from the ground dragging Snowflake with me, causing every pony and lion to freeze in shock.
Letting Snowflake drop, I turned mid-air and glared at the beast that had hurt him, it was still in shock.
"Hey rockface! Ever wondered what the inside of a mountain looks like!?" I yelled at it, as I fell towards it.
Grabbing it by the mane, we both sunk under the rock surface again, as the lion's eyes filled with fear I let go of it, watching as it's body got encased in the cliff, practically burying it alive.
Willing myself back up, I slowly rose from the ground, glaring daggers at the other lion, that was shocked over it's partners sudden disappearance.
Everypony around me was still gaping at the fact that someone they just saw die, was now standing there after killing another mountain lion.
I slowly strolled toward the last remaining lion, electricity coursing around my right arm now.
This lion, however, wasn't about to just go down without a fight, so it charged at me, roaring as loud as it could, in an attempt to scare me.
"Come at me, stoner, it's time to light you up!"
I said giving it another glare as I raised my right arm, focusing on the lightning lacrima that covered it, watching in awe as it started letting lose a barrier of pure electricity around me, catching the lion in midair as it had tried to jump me.
It being a barrier though, meant that it didn't do too much damage, however, so I willed it to concentrate around the lion, wrapping it like a blanket, forcing the lacrima to let every ounce of energy out in one go.
The lion started sizzling inside the barrier, as it slowly roasted it to a charred mess that could no longer be called a lion.
Dropping it's corpse, I finally moved towards my friends as my lacrimae armor crumbled, showing off my shiny new shoulder.
"Is everpony alright?" I asked, as Twi and Lyra both ran over and hugged my legs for dear life.
The rest just nodded, except for Snowflake who was still on the ground, Sunny Skies and Steel Wing tending to him.
"Good," I said, "'Cause I'm gonna faint now.. Good night~!" I said as I fell to the ground, drained from everything that had happened.
The last thing I heard, was Twi and Lyra's shocked gasps as the world around me went black again.
__________
I opened my eyes to the familiar darkness where I had met the draconequus.
And sure enough, there he was, with a big grin forming on his face.
"So, I see you figured it out!" He said with glee.
"Yeah, though I still don't see why you'd go through the trouble of resurrecting me, when you know I won't join you."
"This world is too beautiful for me to wish any chaos upon it." I told him.
He let out a maniacal laugh.
"Don't you worry about that, boy.. I have already planned for this to be a long-term plan." He said, a big smirk forming on his face.
This bit of information felt quite unnerving.
"What do you mean "long-term plan"?"
"You'll see soon enough~!" He cackled.
"But for now, I bid you farewell, boy!" He rose up to his full height, preparing to snap his eagle fingers.
"Arrivederci~!" He said with a smirk on his face.
*Snap!*
My eyes shot open as they darted around in their sockets, trying to figure out where I was now.
It weren't a room I was familiar with, that's for sure.
Looked like the inside of a wooden cabin, a pretty cozy little room, not too spacious, but big enough to be a bedroom, with two doors, one most likely leading out to a bigger living area and the other was probably the bathroom..
I was currently lying on a cot, Twi and Lyra sleeping soundly with their forelegs and head resting on the side of the cot.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I tried sitting up, an action I quickly regretted as every nerve in my system started screaming out in pain.
"GAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH!!! FUCK THAT HURTS!" I shouted, tearing the two fillies out of their peaceful rest as they tumbled to the floor from the shock.
Their eyes instantly locked on me, as they started getting teary.
"You're awake!" They both shouted in unison, before they launched at me, causing my already hurting body to torture me some more.
Giving out another guttural scream of pain, two pegasi wearing nurse caps, burst into the room, one of them shuffled the two fillies away from me, as the other started checking up on me.
Apparently all my minor wounds had been healed, but they didn't know what to do with my shoulder, since the lacrima had effectively merged with my body and was now as much a part of it, as my skin was.
The reason for feeling pain, was that my body had been pulled way over the limit during my battle.
While it may have been healed, I should expect at least one week of recovery before I could move around painlessly again.
They helped me up, so that I could get to the bathroom.
I had died, come back to life, swam through a mountain and beaten some mountain lions, but I had yet to have had a toilet break, and now that things had finally calmed down, nature decided to start it's nagging.
When the deed was done, I took some time to check out the damage in the mirror.
My shoulder was indeed quite purple, and it didn't help much that it shone with every color of the frickin' rainbow when light reflected off of it.
The rest of my body was littered with small scars from the tumble down the mountain, before we dropped off an edge and fell to our deaths.
Even my face had gotten a few scars, nothing big though, and would most likely disappear with time.
But then I noticed my eyes, something had changed.
They were still their brilliant green, but around my pupils, a red ring had formed.
A last sign that Bob really had merged with me, besides the fact that I felt a constant urge to make snarky comments.
Letting a few tears fall at the loss of my friend, I dried my eyes and limped back to the room were my cot was.
Sitting there, was Tesla, Widget, Captain Steel Wing and Shining Armor.
When they saw me, Widget shot towards me, but I quickly held up a hand to stop her.
"Please, Widget, I'm happy to see you all alive and well too, but right now just standing up hurts like you wouldn't believe it and let's just say that physical contact doesn't help it." I told her.
She sat down, giving me a teary smile.
"Ah'm jus' so happy to see ya alive an' well.. We all thought ya gone an' died when ya tumbled off the edge!" She said.
I coughed nervously before opening my mouth again.
"Actually.. I did die, I was just lucky enough to get a second chance." I said, scratching the back of my head while giving them a sheepish smile.
All their faces took on different expressions.
"YA WHAT!?" Widget boomed, her expression showing a mix of fear, relief and anger, probably at me going off and dying.
Not that I could blame her, I would be dead right now if not for a certain draconequus.
Tesla trotted over to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder
"Easy now, Widget. He's alive and that's all that matters, so let's just be happy about it." His face showing mostly curiosity at how anything could live through death.
Having calmed down, they both returned to their places by my cot, and I slowly moved over so that I could lay down again.
I then turned my head, now resting on the pillow, towards them.
"How's snowflake holding up? He looked pretty roughed up when I last saw him." I asked.
Captain Steel Wing cleared his throat, still having been in thought about all that had happened.
"He's gonna be just fine. He's currently resting on a cot in the other room, Cadet Skies will get us the moment he wakes up again." He said.
Letting out a sigh of relief at that bit of news, I turned back to staring at the ceiling, only to be interrupted by none other than Shining Armor.
"I.. I just want to thank you.. You know, for protecting Twily from that lion, even though you could just as well have run away.." He said, oddly polite for once.
"It's all fair, Shining, and besides, you protected me too, when you came to the rescue."
"Yeah.. Wait, did you just call me Shining?" He said in disbelief.
"Well, D'uh. You saved me and that's more than enough to redeem you in my book." I said, giving him as big a smile I could without wincing in pain.
"Hah! Well, you saved me too, Munck, so I guess we're even... Friends?" He said, reaching out a hoof.
I closed my hand, as fist and hoof met in a glorious moment of bonding... If only it didn't hurt so fucking much.
Tearing up I dragged my hand back and rested in on the cot.
"Oh, right.. Sorry dude." Shining said with a sheepish smile.
"Eh, it's fine, just give me a week and I'll be as good as new, but for now.. I think some sleep would do wonders.." I mumbled.
"Right, we'll be returning to Canterlot tomorrow, so rest up." Tesla said, as all of them, besides Shining, returned to their cots in the other room.
He levitated a blanket over me, before turning towards the door that the others disappeared through.
"Thanks again, Munck, for everything. I know we didn't start off on the best note, but I still want to thank you for looking out for Twily." He said as he left the room.
With a smile on my face, I slowly drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
__________
When I finally awoke, I was in an entirely new place.
I sat up to better look around my new surroundings.
It was a half-circular room, with a small table filled with writing utensils and a chair to the side of the door on the opposite side of the room from where I lay, a window with red curtains on each side of the bed that I was currently resting in, and a red rug with a golden pattern in it.
Judging from the design of the room, it looked like a tower room in the castle, but that couldn't be right, I only closed my eyes to rest for a bit...
I then heard a gasp from the door, as a maid, a light gray earth pony with light yellow eyes, a dark yellow muzzle and a mane and tail that were dark yellow and dark pink, tied together with two small bows ran up to me, to see if I was alright.
"Oh sweet Celestia! You're really awake! We were starting to think that you would sleep forever!" She yelled.
I looked at her, confusion clear in my eyes.
"How long have I been out? Because it doesn't feel like I took more than a twenty minutes nap." I grunted in a raspy voice.
She giggled a little at that, before looking me straight in the eyes.
"Six days.. That's how long you have been out cold. You were in such a deep sleep, that no matter what we tried, shaking, shouting, dumping a bucket of ice cold water over you, you didn't budge at all, just kept on snoring away." She said, stifling a laugh at the memory of it.
I just blinked a few times.
"Wow... I must have needed it then," I said trying to stand up from the bed, "Huh.. At least I can move without too much pain now... But why the heck am I naked" I said looking down myself.
The maid started giggling a little but she instantly froze as my stomach let out a ghastly growl that reminded me of the mountain lion's roar, before causing me to start writhing in pain, falling to my knees while clutching my stomach.
"Maid... Food... Now... Please!!" I yelled as she flew out the door and returned probably around ten minutes later with a basket of apples.
"Here you go, eat, you need it." She said with a kind smile.
Grabbing two apples, I started munching down on them both, not taking the time to savor their taste, I just needed food in my system, now.
The maid let out a giggle at the sight.
"You really must have been hungry, just stay there and eat, I'll go notify the Princess about your awakening." She said, trotting towards the door.
"Thanks!" I shouted, spitting apple pieces everywhere.
I Had moved to the bed and was wrapped in the blanket, relaxing and still busy eating, almost through my thirteenth apple, when a flash of bright light appeared in front of me giving me quite the scare, leaving the majestic Alicorn princess in it's place.
Dropping my half eaten apple, busy choking on a piece of apple that went down the wrong pipe.
She quickly moved to my side, rubbing a hoof on my back.
"Are you ok? I didn't mean to startle you like that, I was just so happy to hear the news, that I kinda teleported here without thinking." She said with a sheepish grin as the chunk finally left my throat.
"It's fine, Princess, but you hadn't needed to rush like that, it's not like I'm going anywhere without clothes on." I said with a raspy voice.
She looked at me with her kind light magenta eyes.
"I just wanted to apologize.. I've heard of all that happened and if I knew the mountain lions would be this active, I would never have send you off to the mountains.. We're still investigating the reason as to why they were that close to the mountain path, they usually never hunt in that area."
I thought it over for a bit, before it all clicked together.
"Discord..!" I growled, causing Celestia's eyes to narrow at the mention of the draconequus' name.
"Tell me why you know that name!" She demanded.
Not wanting to incur her wrath, I did as she said.
"... And that's all that happened.. My guess is that he manipulated those lions into doing what they did, to get his hands.. claws? or maybe paws? Why does that freak have so many random body parts.." I grumbled, "Anyway, he was probably using it all to get to me." I finished.
The princess was deep in thought, mulling over all the disturbing information she had just received.
Slowly, she looked towards me, as her horn started flaring it's magic aura, lowering it towards me.
I instinctively backed away, but she could easily reach my forehead anyway, preparing for pain, I felt her horn touch me, as a loving warmth wrapped around my head.
"There.. I have placed a barrier in your mind, preventing Discord from ever entering it again without your permission." She said as she rose back up, beaming me a kind and loving smile.
"Thank you princess, but it doesn't erase the fact that I made a pact with a god of chaos and to be honest, I'm scared of finding out what the cost will be.."
She gave me a knowing look, as she sat down beside me.
"Don't worry, young Munck. I swear that whatever it is, you will be safe here. But for now, I think you should rest and then I will let the others know that you're ok." She said, before she disappeared in another bright flash.
After the Princess was gone, the maid pony from before entered the room.
"Is there anything else that I can be of help with?" She asked.
My stomach let out another growl.
"Yeah.. Seeing as I'm still running on empty, could you fetch me some more food and a jug of water, please?"
"Of course! I'll be right back." She said, as she trotted back towards the door.
"Oh! Wait! I was wondering, what's your name?" I quickly asked her.
She turned around and bowing slightly, "My name is Dusty Doves , Sir. Munck," she said as she rose back up and beamed me a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Doves." I said, giving a bow from my bed.
She smiled again, before turning around and leaving the room.
Dusty Doves soon returned with more food.
A plate filled with grilled carrots and dip to go with 'em plus an entire apple Pie.
I eagerly started munching down on the carrots, good stuff and the dressing was nice too, tasted like a mild curry dressing.
Dusty Doves turned to leave again, "I still have some work to do around this tower, but I'll be back to check up on you from time to time, so please don't hesitate to ask, if you need anything." She finished as she left.
I mumbled a 'thank you' through the food in my mouth, before I continued eating like a starved dog.
After a most delectable apple pie, and some nice cool lemon water, I decided that some rest would be in order, so I laid back down, letting sleep take over my still not fully recovered body.
It was gonna be another dreamless sleep.
__________
The next couple of days went by quite peacefully.
Later that same day that I had awoken, I was visited by the Light's and Lyra with her parents who brought me some fresh clothes and other stuff, like candy and soft drinks.
They thanked me for protecting their daughters, which I told them not to make a big deal out of, I just did what any crazy bastard would do when his friends were in trouble and laughed it off as they all gave me weird stares.
Guess Bob really is a part of me now, not that I mind, I'm just happy to have a part of him live on through me.
We kept the whole Discord thing a secret from them, of course.
No need to tell them that I made a deal with their equivalent of the devil.
Shining Armor really started to spend a lot of time with me, just chatting, telling me of his days around the city, as well as stories of his friends.
It was really nice to talk just with him as a friend and we even got Mr. Light to snap a photo of the two of us, pounding our fist and hoof together, like we had tried in the cabin.
On the second day, I even got a visit from Widget and Tesla.
They were both very relieved to see me up and about again.
While I wasn't allowed to leave yet, I could at least get up and move around my room.
Tesla told me that the princess had sent out a squad of pegasi to scan Mt. Thunder Roar for anymore lions, but it seemed that having their three strongest hunters killed, forced the rest to move on to another group.
So thanks to that, the lab ponies had harvested a great deal of both lightning and earth lacrimae.
This was awesome news and I couldn't wait to get back to experimenting, not only with my magitech gaunlet, but my new powers as well.
Discord be damned, these powers were awesome.
Though, I couldn't help but wonder what things I could do with other elements.
I already had Earth Phasing and an Electro Barrier, so I couldn't help but think up all sorts of other powers.
That night, I dreamt for the first time in a while.
About being a powerful hero, with awesome powers, defeating the evil Doctor Discord.
The day before I would be allowed to leave, Captain Steel Wing dropped by to see how I was doing.
He told me that his Wife had begged him to retire because of how much of a close call it had been.
Seeing as he has a young son at home, he decided that it might be a good chance, so he had just handed in his letter of resignation.
Even got a nice retirement pension out of it.
Later that day, Snowflake and Sunny Skies dropped by.
Sunny instantly flew over and ruffled my hair, saying that it was good to see me alive and kicking.
Snowflake on the other hand went completely silent, before letting a tear of joy trickle down his cheek.
Seeing that big guy doing something as unlike his usual self as that just really hit me hard, so I got up and gave the big fella the strongest bear hug I could manage.
He instantly cheered up and let out a booming "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
So after a few hours of just small talk, I bid them both good night, tucking in for the last night in this room
__________
The next day came and I was finally deemed fully recovered.
So as I got ready to leave, Dusty Doves came in, telling me that Shining, Sunny, Snowflake, Steel Wing and I had been called to the throne room by the Princess.
So we both went on our way there, meeting up with the rest outside the doors to the throne room.
When the guards saw that we were all there, they stood aside, to let us enter.
What we saw, was some of all the ponies we all knew, like the Lights, Lyra and her parents, Joe, Tesla, Widget, the rest of the science team and some of the others friends and family were gathered there, as well as Celestia who waited for us by her throne.
A fanfare played as we walked up the path to the throne, as everypony started stomping their hooves.
As we reached the stairs to the throne, the princess rose to address us all.
"We are all gathered here today, to honor five brave souls who put their lives on the line to defend those who couldn't do so themselves." She started as she walked down to us.
We all knelt down before her, as she walked over to Steel Wing.
"Rise Captain! With your quick command in the face of danger, you ensured that the two Mountain lions didn't get far and you valiantly stood up to it in unarmed combat," she started, as Steel Wing rose back up, "I know you have requested retirement, and I must admit that I'm sad to see you leave the royal guard. You have been one of the greatest captains in many years and it will be a challenge to find somepony who can fill your place. Still, I would never think of keeping you from doing what you believe is right, so I wish you all the best in the future, may it be a long and happy one." She said as she levitated a medal over his head.
"Thank you, your majesty. I have never been more proud, than when I was promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard and got to defend my beloved country and it's ruler." He said, kneeling back down again.
"Rise Cadet! As loud as you may be, you have always had a heart of gold, staying strong and true to your friends, family and kingdom! I am proud to have one such as you, who had the courage and power to singlehoofedly take on a fearsome beast, in my guard. You are most loyal and protective of those around you and for this, I would like promote you to captain of the guard devision in Ponyville. They recently lost their captain in a freak accident, and I believe that you are the pony who can set it all straight again. I also know that it's where your family lives, so I'm sure they'll be thrilled to have you back home, guarding your birthplace." She said as she levitated another medal over his head, instantly causing Snowflake to rear up and let out his loudest "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" yet while flexing his muscles.
"It would be an honor, your majesty!" He happily boomed and knelt back down.
"That's my boy!!!" A thin little pegasus pony yelled, causing us all to laugh.
"Rise Cadet! Just like your best friend, you have show incredible courage and I know you don't want to part with your him. So, seeing as you have proven yourself to be just as loyal and hardworking as him, I hereby promote you to vice-captain of the Ponyville guard devision. Please do keep an eye out for him and assist him with your new subordinates. They are still in unrest after what happened, so your optimistic view on life might be just what they need." She said, giving him a wink before she levitated a medal over his head.
Sunny Skies quickly knelt back down.
"Don't worry, Princess! I'll make sure he doesn't do anything too rash! And of course I'll do my best to help boost their morale!" Sunny said, beaming her a big grin.
"Shining Armor, it takes a lot of guts and determination to barge into my castle, blowing my guards away and demanding my help like that, yet I know that you did it out of love for your family and love is a powerful force. You have also shown great potential! Your shield spell is one of the most powerful I have seen in years and with proper training, you could become powerful enough to protect everypony in Canterlot! That is why, I want to ask you if you'd be interested in joining the royal guards." She asked, while levitating him a medal.
Shine knelt back down with a big smile plastered on his face.
"It would be an honor, your majesty! To be honest, I've always wanted to join, but since you have to be sixteen, I had to wait till this year." He said, his voice full of joy.
"I am happy to hear you say that, Cadet Shining Armor." She said with a smile.
She then reached me.
"Rise Munck! Standing up for your friends in the face of danger takes more courage than most ponies have, but giving the ultimate sacrifice, your own life, to keep them safe, requires either complete selflessness or just pure stupidity.
But seeing as you managed to live through it to tell the tale, I'll go with the first, plus a hefty dose of luck," she said, giving me a wink, "What's more, you came back stronger than ever and managed to save everypony on that expedition from certain death.
Keeping that in mind, I can see a great potential in you, one that it would be a crime not to polish, therefore, I would like to request you to join the ranks of my private knights, The Order of The Solar Knights!
Doing so, you will be able to get the training you need to grow as a pony, or rather, a person and recieve the correct training for your newfound powers.
Of course, there's also other reasons factoring in, but they're best left unspoken to the public." She said, while levitating my medal over my head, letting it rest around my neck.
"It would be an honor, Celly~!" I said, winking back.
She blushed a little at my casual nickname, but she quickly cleared her throat.
"I am most happy to hear that, Squire Munck!" She said with a warm smile.
She then trotted back up to her throne and addressed us all again.
"I once again thank the five of you! You have done Equestria proud!"
She then lifted her hoof and pointed to the great doors.
"If you would all kindly follow the guards, they will take you to the banquet hall, where a feast will await us all!" She boomed happily.
Everypony started filing out, me included, but I was quickly stopped by Celly.
"Munck and Dusty Doves! I would like you two to stay behind. The rest of you may start the feast!"
We did as told and as soon as everypony was gone, Celestia came down to us.
"I would like you two to follow me, please." She said as she started trotting out into the castle halls.
Dusty Doves and I shared a questioning glance before following her.
The walk to our destination was a quiet one.
None of us really had anything to say, since we knew that Celestia would show us soon enough.
And sure enough, she soon came to a halt, the rest of us stopping as well.
We were now in front of a big spiral staircase.
"These stairs leads up to the royal chambers." Celestia said.
She then pointed a hoof to the huge doors on each side of the staircase.
"Those door leads to the two knight orders we have."
She pointed to the left one.
"The Order of the Lunar Knights. While they're currently not on duty, we still train knights in order to be ready for their masters return." She said.
She then moved over to the door on the right side.
"And in here," she said, opening the door, "We have The Order of the Solar Knights, who work directly under my command." She said and walked inside, Dusty Doves and I still following her.
Inside was a long hall, that forked out in 3 other paths, like a big cross.
On each side of the hall, was a bunch of doors, leading to Celestia knows what. (She most likely does..)
coming up to the cross roads, I saw wooden training dolls and some sparring rings down the path to the right.
And down to the left, were big longtables where you could fit at least fifty ponies around each.
Some already had ponies sitting down, chatting and drinking, most likely after a hard session of sparring.
They wore heavy plate armor that covered most of their bodies, unlike the lighter armor that the royal guards wore.
It was still gold, though, but the plates looked thicker and they had Celestia's Cutie Mark engraved on the flank part.
One of them even wore a helmet, not one of those silly ones with a feather duster on top.
These were plate armor helmets, meant to grand the best protection they could.
We continued down the hall, until we reached the end, where a big set of wooden doors with Celestia's mark on it.
I could hear some loud yelling on the other side of the door, but it was too muffled to make out the words.
Celestia waited for it to quiet down a little, before rapping her hoof on the big door and using her magic to open it.
Inside were two earth-ponies.
One, a rather young one, probably only a couple of years older than shining, with a dark red coat and a short dark brown, almost bordering on black mane and a big bushy tail bolted out of the room, his deep blue eyes narrowed and angry.
The other was a much older earth-pony, with a buff physique, not overly muscular, like Snowflake, but buff enough for you to know that there's no fucking around this one.
His coat was a dark dusty tan, with old battle scars covering it, his old gray mane hung down, covering his left eye, as he glanced us over with his right eye, which was a clear, soul piercing red.
He cleared his throat, before addressing us.
"Hello, princess. What can I do for you on this fine day?" His wise old voice said, yet it sounded as strong as he looked.
"Hello to you too, Grand Master Sol." she said, giving him a slight bow, which he returned.
"I am here today to talk with you about enlisting young Munck here as a Squire for knight training." She said as she pointed a hoof in my direction.
He then pierced my soul with his ruby red eye again.
"So he's the one.. I heard he took down three mountain lion hunters singlehoofedly.." He said, deep in thought.
As Celestia started re-telling what she knew, I decided to look around the room.
The floor was carpeted with a big red rug, like the one in the room I had stayed in, except, this one didn't have any golden designs, it was just red.
I then noticed several bookcases coating the walls with volumes upon volumes of books and documents, except for the wall behind his big desk which were filled with half done documents and maps, by the wall there stood a weapons rack, armor stand, bed, cupboard and there was also a door, most likely to a bathroom.
On te rack rested a giant dark double-edged battle axe, it looked quite old, but was still kept in top shape.
I guess that it's Sol's preferred weapon.
Next to it, was the armor stand, where his plate armor sat, ready for when He needed it.
It pretty much like the others, except, his seemed to be made from a mix of mithril and the same material as the others.
I was quickly stirred out of my sightseeing by Celestia, as she poked me with her hoof.
"Are you still with us, Munck?" She asked with a grin.
"Yeah, sorry about that, Celly. I was just taking in the room is all." I said, still letting my eyes drift around for a bit.
Grand Master Sol chuckled slightly.
"Ya like what you're seeing?"
My eyes fell on the battle axe again.
"Yeah... That axe is pretty awesome."
He let out a hearty laugh.
"So ya think a tool of murder is awesome?" He asked, stifling his laugh.
I tore my eyes from his weapon and looked at him.
"The tool doesn't choose what it becomes. So one shouldn't blame the weapon, only the wielder, since they're the ones in control of it's destiny." I said, piercing his gaze with one of my own.
His face turned a bit more serious before softening up.
"You have a good head on those shoulders, kid. You'll make a fine knight one day and I'll make sure you get there!" He said, beaming a big ol' smile.
He then trotted over to the door and opened it, before motioning for us all to follow him.
We followed him over to the training grounds, where he stopped and turned to me.
"First, I want to see what ya got! Pick a weapon and try attacking one of the dolls. We can't have a weakling in the knight's after all." He commanded.
I looked the weapon racks over, trying to find a training weapon that I could use.
The swords all seemed nice, but I'm not exactly a swordsman.. But then my gaze fell upon a wooden battle hammer , just the right size for me.
Picking it up, it was a bit heavier than I expected, but nothing I couldn't wield.
"A battle hammer, eh? It's been some years since we last had anypony who picked that as his first weapon." Sol mused.
I tried a few practice swings, to get used to it's weight and once that was over with, I got in position a few meters from one of the training dolls.
"So, I just attack the doll?" I asked.
"Yeah, show me what ya got, kid! Now, GO!" Sol boomed.
Eying the pony shaped doll one last time, I opened my mouth and shouted out, "It's hammer time, punk!" Just for effect.
I started running, holding the hammer low, using the force from my run to swing my upper body, causing the hammer to fly upwards as I neared the doll.
The hammer connected with the muzzle of the doll, giving a satisfying ripping sound, as the poor doll's head flew off.
Using the momentum from the swing, I jumped up, letting the hammer boost my jumping height before twisting my arms, so that I could bring it back down, and with enough force to rattle the nearby items on a shelf, I brought the hammer down on the dolls would-be spine, hay and dust whirling around the area as it was smashed down on the floor.
Turning away from the now smashed doll, I leisurely strolled back to the others, noting that some of the other knights had stopped to watch me smash the doll.
"That was fantastic kid! Most ponies only think to smack the doll in the side when they pick the hammer! But not you, you used it's traits to your advantage." Sol said, beaming me a big grin.
"Hay! I'll bet that with enough training, you could probably wield my axe better than me and that says a lot coming from the greatest axe wielder in the country!" he said with pride.
He then turned back towards the cross roads.
"Now, put that hammer back and I'll show you to your room."
Doing as he said, I quickly walked back to Celestia and Dusty Doves, as we all three followed Sol down the hall towards the exit.
We came to a halt when we were halfway down that part of the hallways.
Grand Master Sol then turned to me again.
"As you will be training here as a knight, you will also need to live here with the others." He started, but was quickly interrupted by non other than Celly.
"Sol, I would like for you to give him a two-pony room," she started, before turning to Dusty Doves, "and this is where you come in, Dusty Doves. I would like to make you Munck's personal maid and assistant here in the castle. He has yet much to learn about life here in Equestria, so I would like it if you would be there to give him a helping hoof when the rest of us can't. Would you do me this favor?" She asked a now stumped Dusty Doves.
Snapping out of it, she took a deep breath.
"It would be an honor to serve under a future Solar Knight! My mom is gonna be so proud~!" She nearly squealed with joy.
I was about to object, but a stern look from Celly stopped me before I could even open my mouth.
She then turned back to Sol, who looked a bit confused.
"So, do you have a two-pony room?" She asked him again.
Shaking himself out of it, he nodded and pointed a hoof to the door next to the exit.
"We have one vacant two-pony room." he said as he trotted over to the door and opened it.
"Thanks, Sol," Celestia said, "now, why don't you two go check it out, while I discuss the second part of your conditions with Sol, Munck?" she half asked, half commanded.
Not wanting any more of her stern stares, I quickly made my way into my new room with Dusty Doves.
I could hear Celly and Sol leaving towards his quarters again, and calmed down a bit.
Might as well just check out my new room.
It was a big square room, much like Sol's room.
A big rug, dark green this time, the wall to the left had a few almost empty bookcases.
By the back wall stood two beds with a big cupboard between them, windows over each bed, showing us the outside training grounds.
On the right wall, stood an empty weapon rack and some shelves adorned the walls, filled with writing utensils.
There was also a door which I tried opening.
On the other side was a little bathroom with a toilet, sink and a shower.
Suited me just fine, at least I wouldn't have to use some big public showering room like I had expected.
I stepped back out and looked at Dusty Doves, who were busy checking out the bed nearest the bathroom.
"Dibs on this bed!" She said as she plopped down on it.
I just shook my head and went over to the other bed, plopping down on it as well, burying my face in the fluffy pillow.
"While we wait for Celly, I might as well try thinking about all that has happened lately..." I mumbled quietly to myself, before drifting back in my memories.
I'd arrived in a strange new world and been lucky enough to meet some friendly ponies.
Night Light and Twilight Velvet had been very welcoming and had even let me live with them for the past almost three months, pretty much accepting me as a part of their family.
Twi and I had become really good friends over the time I'd been here and while I can't respond to her feelings right now, I still hope that we'll all be friends for years to come.
And while my first meeting with Shining had been bad, it all worked out in the end and we were now good friends as well.
After all that, I'd even gotten to meet their leader, Celly and managed to convince her of letting me use their best lab.
There I had met none other than the father of Equestrian Electricity, Tesla Coil and his young assistant, Widget.
We had worked together, laughed together, cried together and all in all, they were like a second family to me, much like the Light's were.
Of course there were my other good friend, Lyra, whom, like Twi, also has feelings for me.
But I mean, it being a taboo on earth, means that one does not just arrive in a new world ruled by a non-hominid race just to start dating the first female creature you meet, there's got to be some sort of universal law for that.
It's gonna take a while to get that taboo out of my system, but I might be long gone before that even becomes a necessity.
Other than that, I had met Joe, Steel Wing, Sunny Skies and Snowflake as well, who had all been open and accepting towards me, even though I'm still a child.
And really, I don't think I could possibly get any better friends than them.
To top it all off.
I had fused with my other friend, Bob, an Artificial Intelligence who had lived in my brain for the past four years.
I had died, only to make a deal with a chaotic god.
Gotten new weird powers over elemental lacrimae.
I'd then dived through a mountain, beaten up some mountain lions.
After which I had then passed out, been dragged back to Canterlot, received a medal and now I was about to start my life as a squire, with the goal of mastering my powers and prepare me for whatever it was that Discord has in store for me.
But no matter what, I swear by everything holy, that I will find my way back home someday!
And while I honestly think that I'll be really sad when that day comes, I know that I will be going back home with so many happy memories that I will never feel lonely again.
But for now, I think I'll just enjoy my second life here as much as possible.
__________
__________
AN:
Sooooo... Yeah, this took longer than I wanted it to.
But unfortunately, I don't really have much control over my brain, so it just does whatever the hell it feels like.
On the bright side, I have the outlines ready for about three new chapters, I just need to write them, at some point.
Also a huge thank you to Sixteen, The Ever Helpful Binary Scourge, for pre-reading, grammar-nazi'ing and bearing with me and my random ideas for where to go with this fic.
Without him, I'd probably still be figuring out how to work it all out.
I'm also looking for someone to make a good cover art for the fic, I do know how it should look, but not being able to draw a straight line myself, even if my life depended on it, I can't really put it on paper.
I have tried, believe me.. I have tried.. Wasted a good amount of trees on it.
So if any of you artistic readers out there feels up for it, please throw me a PM.
That's about covers it.
I hope you enjoyed my first venture into adventure and stuff.
Cheers~!
-Munck
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 7 - A banquet to remember!
Having gone over the events from the past three months, I was pretty much ready to just snooze in the soft pillow.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans as Celestia and Sol finally returned.
As they entered, Sol instantly shot me a deathly glare.
Not that I blamed him. He was staring straight at the ancient god of chaos' new pawn.
"Dee, could you please wait outside the room? I think there's something Grand Master Sol and I need to talk about..." I said to Dusty Doves, my eye never leaving Sol's crimson red gaze.
'Dee' started looking around the room before it finally hit her.
"Oh right! Me. I'll get right on it Sir. Munck." She said as she left the room.
The moment she closed the door, Sol burst towards me swinging around to buck my head in.
Luckily I had seen it coming and jumped up on the bed next to me, using it to set off and plant two feet on the top of his head, setting off yet again from his head and landing next to Celestia who was still standing by the door, observing us and ready to intervene if things got out of hoof.
I got into a fighting stance, ready to tango as he gave a grunt of anger, ready to charge again.
This time however, Celestia decided to stop our little match.
"That's enough Sol," she said with a stern voice, "I think he passed your little test just fine by not caving in under your bloodlust and even being ready for you."
Sol gave another grunt, before the death glare lifted as wisdom and kindness returned to his gaze.
"You're right Princess." Sol said, his calm voice having returned
I just looked between the two of them, probably looking quite confused to anypony who saw me.
"What? Ya haven't figured it out yet? I can't train a little wuss to handle the influence from a chaotic god."
"So I decided to test you, see how far along you were, and her majesty gave me the ok." He finished.
I just facepalmed, hard and was about to open my mouth to give him a piece of my mind.
But before I could say anything, Cellestia decided to cover my head with her left wing.
"Easy now Munck. It's just Sol's way of seeing if you're ready. You are, after all, only nine years old and the rules says that you need to be sixteen to enlist as a squire in the knights."
I instantly calmed down, Celly's voice just has that effect on me.
"*Sigh...* It's ok, I knew it was something like that, it's just that I don't take kindly to others attacking me, be it for a test or not."
"Oh! By the way Celly. I'm only nine for another month." I told her with a big grin on my face.
Her eyes lit up at this.
"Really? Then we'll have to hold a birthday party. I haven't held one for decades, unless you count those boring fancy parties that the nobles and bigwigs invite me to. But it's been a long time since I last attended a real birthday party." She mused before her eyes lit up further.
"And not just any birthday party! You're turning ten. It's a big thing when a pony hits their first double digits," she continued before stopping as if remembering something, "when exactly is it?" She asked with a smile.
"Well, I don't know what you call months here, since I never really thought about it.. But it's on the 14th of August in my world." I told her
She seemed to think for a bit.
"Huh... That's what we call next month as well. What about this month?"
"July and before that, we had June, May and April, which is the month in which I arrived here." I answered.
"Well, it seems like we have the same months here." She said.
I then turned to Sol.
"Which reminds me, your name is the name of my worlds sun."
His gaze seemed to drift off to someplace only he knows of.
"Well, young one. The name Sol is one that comes with the title of Grand Master. Since that's the pinnacle of the Knight Order, you also gain the name of the sun, so that you may be a guiding light for the order."
He then turned his gaze back to me.
"But I find it intriguing that our worlds share so many things." He mused.
"Well, as intriguing as it may be, I think we'd better head back to the banquet. I'm sure that everypony must be wondering where Munck is. He is one of the guests of honor, after all." Celestia said as she magicked the door open to find a shocked Dee eavesdropping on us.
"And I expect everything said in this room to be kept a secret, understood 'Dee'?" she then said as she cantered back to the main door.
Dee's cheeks flushed bright red, causing me to snicker a little which in turn earned me a hoof to the backside of my head from Sol who then trotted past me while shooting me a smirk.
All four of us then proceeded to head back to the banquet hall where all my friends were waiting.
__________
The walk back to the banquet hall was a peaceful one. Everything that needed saying having been said, we all enjoyed the little respite before we had to enter a room filled with, probably, quite noisy ponies who are busy chatting with each other.
As we turned around the last corner, we could easily hear the music and merriments from the open double doors around one hundred meters further down this hallway.
These all ceased the moment we all entered the banquet hall, and I was greeted with a huge open room, roman style pillars with banners in between forming a circle around the room, ending with a golden statue of an alicorn at the furthest wall.
Several tables with foods and drinks taking up the center of the room, ponies crowding around them, both friends and castle workers.
My admiring of the room didn't last long though, as two colorful blurs decided to tacklehug me and pin me to the floor, effectively knocking the air out of me in the process, much to the amusement of the other ponies.
"Hello Twi and Lyra, for what do I owe the honor of being pinned to the floor?" I asked when I could finally breathe again.
They were both giggling like madmares, as they looked at me with those big eyes of theirs.
"We just wondered where you were, the banquet has been going on for a while, after all." Lyra said.
"Oh, that's easy. I was just shown to my new home during my knight training, I was also introduced to the one in charge of my training, as well as my new room mate." I said, sitting up a little.
"A room mate? Who is he?" Twi then asked.
"'He's' a 'she' and she's standing right there." I said and pointed towards Dee.
"WHAT!?" they both boomed in unison as their heads came to a halt a few inches from my face, their eyes wide with small pinpricks for irises.
The entire ensemble of ponies had now turned to look at the source of the noise, only to see two fillies pinning the human child to the floor with a hoof on each of his shoulders.
"So he really is into mares who are older than him..." Lyra mumbled, getting a sad nod from Twi.
I see what the problem here is... Might as well just get this over with.
"Girls... Go get your parents, and Shining Armor too, I'm sure he would want to hear this as well." I told them and they both got off of me and went off to get them.
I got up and went to the table that was farthest from the rest of the ponies and got me something to eat and drink and while I did so, the Light's and Lyra's family came on over.
"Now then, I'm sure most of you are curious as to why I asked you to join me here, though I'm sure Mr. Light knows the reason." I said, getting nods from all of them.
"alright then, girls? Have you told them WHY you decided to sneak aboard that cart on what turned out to be quite the dangerous mission?" everypony was looking at them now as they shook their heads and looked down in shame.
"Now, I don't blame you for doing it, after all, love does make blind." at this, almost all eyes snapped back to me.
"You knew!?" Twi and Lyra yelled in unison.
"You two sure are in tune with each other... But yeah, of course I knew... I'd have to be both blind, deaf and stupid to NOT notice it."
"Then... Then you really are into older mares?" Lyra asked.
"What!? No! I mean, maybe! I mean... Stop laughing, Rusty!" Shining Armor tried stifle his laughter, but wasn't too successful at it.
"*Sigh...* It's not like that. How do I explain this... You all know how I told you that in my world, the only sapient species is us Humans, right? Well, everypony but you, mister and misses..." I asked, looking to Lyra's parents.
"Oh, right. I'm Claves Philharmonic, sorry about the late introductions, but this past week has all been a bit... Confusing." Said a pegasus pony with a mint green coat like Lyra's, she had a long straight silver mane and grayish purple eyes.
"And I am Clef Heartstrings, let me again thank you for protecting our youngest," said a navy blue unicorn with a spiky light cyan mane and amber eyes, "now, what was this you were about to tell us?" he asked.
"Right, as I said, the only sapient species in my world, is us humans, and as such, we have an age old taboo that prevents us from being with other species like... 'that', since it's considered wrong and in most cases punishable by law. So it's not that I don't want to take one of you as my... Was it a special somepony? Anyway, it's just that I have yet to entirely overcome that taboo, if you get what I'm saying here."
Looking around I could see that the adults caught on quick enough.
"Besides, for all I know, I might discover the way back home tomorrow, so if I have a special somepony, I might not be able to make myself go through with it... And yes, that would be a problem, I don't belong here, after all. I'm a human, and to my knowledge, the only one of my kind here, so I don't belong in this world. My original plan was to use my device to just move randomly in my own world and search for my own place in it, not to somehow punch a hole through time, space and dimensions and end up here. Not that I regret it! Don't ever think that. I love this world and I love you all, my friends, co-workers and those that I consider family," I looked to Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet as I said this and they both smiled back, "because of that, I'm already torn enough, but I also have family at home. Sure, it's not that big, since there's only my grand parents, my brother and his wife and child, and myself left, but I never planned on leaving my world behind in the first place." I finished my long spiel.
"So, there's still a chance that you might never find a way home, right?" Mrs. Claves asked.
"Well, yeah... For all I know, it could be tomorrow, or in six months, maybe forty years or I might never find it." I replied.
"You heard him dear," she said and ruffled Lyra's mane, "just keep at it, he's bound to crack at some point! You are my daughter after all and we get what we set our sights on." she said, giving a light chuckle.
"Wha-"
"You heard him, Twi," Mrs. Velvet chimed in, "don't give up and keep pushing forward, he's bound to fall for you!" she said while putting a hoof on Twi's shoulder.
"Bu-"
"Or, he could just start a herd with them, problem solved!" Shining Armor added.
"Shining!" I yelled and the others looked a bit shocked at his suggestion.
I could now feel the heat radiating from my cheeks, and I guess they could see it too, since it caused them all to start laughing, Shining's bad joke mostly forgotten.
"By everything holy! You lot are impossible! I'm just gonna go mingle now and let you scheme in peace." I chuckled and went on my way to see the other guests and enjoy the banquet.
__________
Shining came over and joined me while I wandered around, greeting some of the ponies there. I got to meet Steel Wing's lovely wife and young son who was probably around my age. We also met Snowflake's parents, a very small pegasus stallion and a really huge earth pony mare, and learned that they had pretty much raised him and Sunny together as brothers, since Sunny's parents weren't around for him when he needed them. During all this, I couldn't help but notice Shining's gaze drift off towards a light pink colored alicorn with a violet, rose and gold colored mane, who was standing near Celestia and a young white unicorn stallion with a blond mane who looked to be around Shining's age.
"So, who's the lucky mare?" I asked him as I jabbed him lightly in the side with my elbow.
"I... I have no idea what you're talking about!" he said, his eyes darting around in their sockets as a slight blush crept up under his white coat.
"Fair enough... Hey, why don't we go chat with that pink alicorn over there?" I didn't wait for his answer and strolled on over to them.
"Howdy there Celestia!" I waved at them as I walked over, Shining following close behind me.
"Hello there Munck and Shining Armor," she beamed us her warm smile and turned to the two young ponies besides her, "let me introduce you. This is my nephew Prince Blueblood," a loud 'Hmph!' could be heard from the white unicorn stallion, which Celly chose to ignore, "and my niece Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." she gestured towards the light pink alicorn.
"Please, just call me Cadance." she held out a hoof which I shook.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Munck von der Lieth Haagensen Pedersen, a nobleman from the kingdom of Denmark on the planet Earth in the Sol system of the Milkyway Galaxy, but please, just call me Munck." I chuckled a bit at her stunned expression and gave her a little wink which snapped her out of it and she started to giggle a bit as well.
"I shall remember that, Munck. It's a real pleasure to meet you," she then turned to Shining, "And you must be Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle's big brother. I was just talking with my aunt about foalsitting her when she's too busy with royal affairs to be here in Canterlot."
"You're gonna foalsit Twily? If... Uhm... She can be a bit of a hoof-ful, so, if it's ok with you, I... Uhm... Could help you?" I could see his eyes light up with hope and held back a chuckle, which just ended with me giving a little snort. Celestia heard this of course and saw my amused expression from how Shining was acting a bit more goofy now and she quickly caught on.
"Now then, nephew, why don't we go mingle a bit with our subjects?" she asked the white unicorn who had been giving me the stink eyes since we got there.
"Gladly. The sooner we get away from that sad excuse of a bald diamond dog, the better." he shot me a look of disgust.
"Nice meeting you too, Prince Blackblood." I shot back, earning me a glare from him before he huffed and cantered away, leaving the four of us behind.
"What? He asked for it." I said, earning me a bemused look from the other three.
"I'd better go after him and make sure that he doesn't cause any grief for the servants." Celly said as she cantered off in the direction that Blackie went.
"Right-o... I'm gonna camp out at the snack table over yonder, why don't you two chat on and I'll be back once I've emptied the table of it's tasty morsels." I chuckled and went on my way, leaving a blushing Shining Armor behind with the lovely Cadance.
__________
I soon found myself by the refreshment table next to a stage where some ponies were playing some nice classical music. Letting the music carry me away, I just stood there, eyes closed and enjoyed the tune so much that I didn't even notice them stop playing.
"Excuse me? Hello...? Anypony home...? This is getting quite annoying."
*THWACK! *
A sudden jolt of pain in my shin brought me back to the real world.
"OUCH! What the hay! Wait... Who are you?"
In front of me stood a young earth pony mare, probably somewhere between Shining and my age. She had a light gray coat and a long dark gray mane and tail. And a pink snap-on bow tie around her neck.
"My name is Octavia Philharmonic. I just wanted to say thank you, for saving my sister. But you didn't react to anything I said, so I decided to get a bit... Rough." she said looking to the side, a little ashamed, as she waved a cello bow around with her hoof.
"Sorry about that, I just enjoyed the music so much that I kinda drifted off in a trance." her light purple eyes lit up.
"You enjoyed the music? Truly?" She excitedly said and started twirling the bow around in her hoof.
"Of course I did. I grew up in a house full of music, so I have a broad range in music taste. But I really enjoy classic music, it makes me feel calm and helps me think, make sense of the chaos that is my mind." she let out a deep breath that she must have held for a while now.
"In that case, I am truly happy that I chose to play the cello for you here today."
"Now that you mention it, I did see you on the scene before the music took over my mind. Sorry about not recognizing you sooner." I scratched my neck and gave her an apologetic smile.
"It's fine, I'm just happy that my first time playing at a public event, was for one who enjoyed the music and didn't just want it there because it's fancy..." a sad smile formed on her lips.
"Hey. Just because some," she shot me a sad look, "Ok... Most ponies only order classical music for the sake of being fancy, doesn't mean that you can't impress them with your beautiful music. After all, music speaks to the soul, so if your music is good, you don't need to worry about any of that, because they will love it." her sad smile turned into one of joy.
"Thank you, Munck. I'm starting to see why my sister is so into you." she winked at me and giggled a bit, causing my face to heat up again.
Confound these ponies... They drive me to feel things that I shouldn't be feeling, yet.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but our break is over so I should get back on stage."
"Ok, break a leg." her face changed to a look of confusion.
"Why would you wish for me to get hurt?"
"What? No! It's how we wish musicians, actors and actresses good luck before a performance, since it's said that saying 'good luck' will bring them bad luck, so we say 'break a leg' instead."
"I see... In that case, thank you, I shall go break a leg then and play you some more music." she smiled and trotted back up on stage and soon after they started playing again.
Looking back to the table with refreshments, I remembered my original mission. Getting something to eat and drink! Taking a glass of fruit punch and a piece of delicious strawberry and chocolate cake, I began munching away while enjoying Octavia & Co's performance.
I then noticed a violin case on the stage, even though there was nopony playing it, "Ouch... Why does it feel like someone is pinching my brain whenever I look at that violin..."
They finally finished the piece they had started, so I waved Octavia over, "Hey Tavi, if I may call you that. Why isn't anypony playing the violin?"
"Tavi is fine. One of my best friends calls me that as well. As for the violin, the pony who was to play it had an accident involving a large tub of... Jelly," she cringed a bit at the last part, and I tried to imagine what kind of accident one could have with a large tub of jelly.
After playing a few scenarios through my head, I shook it a bit and focused back on Octavia, "Anyway. I was wondering if I could see it for a bit?"
"Sure," she picked it up and hoofed it over to me, "I didn't think you could play the violin."
"I can't," her expression deadpanned, "Or rather, 'I' can't, but whenever I see that case, something inside my head feels like it's trying to burst out, so I thought that taking a gander at the actual violin might help me figure out why."
I opened the case and took out the violin. The chin rest was a bit bigger than what one would expect, but then again, it was made for ponies. I placed my chin on it so that it rested between that and left shoulder, and grabbed the fingerboard with my left hand. I then proceeded to fish out the bow from the case with my right hand and placed it on the strings. Somehow, I knew how to play it, so I did just that.
Slowly but surely, clean tones emanated from the violin as I began playing Pachelbel's Canon in D major. If I wasn't so concentrated on playing, I would have seen everypony turn around to look at me, and Octavia picking up her jaw before hurrying back to her cello it didn't take long for her and the piano stallion to slowly join in, trying to match what I was playing as my fingers and bow moved in perfect harmony to create the beautiful music that had even prince Blueblood mesmerized.
But all good things must come to an end, and so the piece ended to the roaring applause from everypony in the hall. We all took a bow and I couldn't help but wonder... "Who the heck puts knowledge of how to play the violin right next to the blueprints for a bloody neutron bomb?" I asked out loud to no one in particular.
A long time ago, in someplace far far away... perhaps.
A mad scientist sat by his work table in his hidden lab of doom and was putting the finishing touches on his newest invention, a bullet that could be shot into it's host's brain without killing him or her and grant them great knowledge. And with the right DNA code grafted into the bullet, they could also be controlled from his trusty lab, "*ACHOO!!! * Someone... *Sniffle! * Must be talking behind my back, again... Ah well. Back to the matter at hand! Hmm... In the case that my clever plan fails, I could add all my knowledge of the violin and have him become a famous violinist! I'm a bloody genius!" he cackled to himself as he began adding it to the bullet.
Back to our present day main character.
Everypony was still applauding when Octavia suddenly flung her front legs around my neck and gave me a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, much to the shock of the two fillies that had joined the crowd at the front to watch me play, "That was amazing! Simply astonishing! You have just got to play with us again!" she excitedly exclaimed while either not noticing or outright ignoring the daggers that Twi and Lyra was glaring at her.
"Errm, of course. I would love to play with you again, but would you please get off of me? I don't like the glares that Twi and Lyra are giving us," I glanced backwards again, the daggers almost visible now. Octavia just smirked before grabbing my head, "What are yo-" my mouth was suddenly sealed by a pair of furry lips.
It didn't last more than a couple of seconds, but it felt like hours before she finally moved back and looked me in the eyes, "A lady of my house ALWAYS gets what she wants... And I want you," she finished with a seductive smile.
My face felt like it was on fire, the soft and tender feel of her lips still lingering on mine. I tried to speak, but only a messed up bunch of babbling came out.
It was then that I felt two pairs of hooves pulling me away from Octavia, "What the hay are you doing, Tavi? You knew how I felt about him!" Lyra was busy scolding her big sister who just rolled her eyes. All the while, Twi stood between Octavia and I.
This was getting a bit too heated for my taste and I just wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. That was when I felt something poking my neck and I instinctively reached back to swat it away, only to feel something long and hard. I grabbed it and saw that it was a stick of earth lacrima. Looking around, I spotted Celestia by the exit and knew now that she had just saved me.
It seemed that they had finally stopped arguing with each other and had come to a sort of agreement. They all turned to me with fierce looks in their eyes, "Who do you choose!?" they half-yelled in unison.
Letting out an audible gulp, I gave them my best apologetic smile, "I choose a way out," I held my hand up and concentrated on the lacrima. The seal under my skin lit up like a Christmas tree as the lacrima seemed to melt and form a glove around my hand, "I'll make this up to ya all later!" and with that, I sunk into the floor. Leaving the flabbergasted ponies behind and swam for dear life towards the exit, diving under the door and continuing out to the front gardens before emerging from the ground just as the last of my lacrima glove crumbled into dust.
I didn't have time to rest though, as I could already hear them giving chase. Looking for the fastest way out, I ran for dear life through the gardens, vaulting over the nearby gate guard, leaving him quite stunned. Finally out on the street, I looked back and saw the three girls I'd rather avoid right now, bursting out of the main entrance.
"There he is!" Lyra shouted. The guard gave me a sympathetic glance before I whipped around and ran towards my home.
"This is going to be a long night..."
-To Be Continued!-
Always look before you leap through a portal.
Chp. 8 - Ordering Clothes is a Blast!
I awoke to the cramped feeling that could only be described as sleeping on the top shelf in Shining's closet, which is exactly what I did. After last nights events, I had to do so in order to avoid the fury that are three lovestruck girls.
~
The chase had continued all the way from the castle and back to the Light's home, where I managed to keep myself safe by scaling a low wall and sitting there until the adults arrived. Luckily for me, none of the girls were pegasi, so all they could do, was stand there with a sour look on their faces. not long after, Shining Armor arrived followed by Night Light and Twilight Velvet, and finally Claves Philharmonic and Cleft Heartstrings.
Luckily for me, they all managed to get the girls to calm down and go back with them, seeing as it was a weekday. Though not before they all three swore that they would get an answer out of me. Twi opted to stay over at her parents place this night and return to the castle in the morning. Me? I waited until Lyra and Tavi had left the area before jumping down and keeping Shining between Twi and I, much to his annoyance. As soon as we entered the house though, Twi bolted after me and I didn't waste any time waiting around and ran for the staircase, climbing it a lot faster thanks to being a biped and taller than Twi. I immediately ran for Shining's room and saw the tall dresser, made for unicorns to use their levitation with, didn't stop me from climbing my way to the top shelf and curling up inside.
"MUNCK! Get down here! Now!" a very pissed Twilight boomed.
Poking my head out, I saw Twi standing in front of the closet with a really pissed expression on her face, "I'm fine with being up here."
"You still owe me an explanation! Just what the hay was that!? After you told us all of that about taboos, we find you kissing another girl right in front of us!" she almost looked like she was on fire.
"Calm down Twi, that mad face doesn't suit you," I joked, trying to lighten the mood, just a little, "Besides... I can't help it. She just did that on her own! Heck, it surprised me just as much as it did you..."
"Just come down here already!"
"You know what? I just think I'll stay up here for the night. Sweet dreams, Twi," I got as comfortable as one could get in a closet and waited for her to leave, which she did by making some sort of roar of frustration before stomping out.
Shining finally dared to enter his own room again, "Dude... You gonna be ok up there?"
"I think it's safer for me up here than down in my room right now. I hope you don't mind."
He waved a hoof dismissively, "Think nothing of it. I'm just glad that I don't have your luck with the mares. Looks kinda troublesome."
"Hah! That is so true. Speaking of mares, how did it go with Cadance?"
"It went well, she's so sweet and gentle and I just... Wow... But, I wouldn't stand a chance... I mean, I'm nothing but a commoner," he had a hint of sadness in his voice as he said the last part.
"Oh, come on. Knowing your princesses here right, I'm sure that she won't let something like that get in the way."
"You may be right... Anyway, it's getting late. Goodnight Munck."
"G'night Shining."
~
And thus we have the current situation. Twilight is sitting opposite of me at the dinner table where we're having our breakfast, with Shining and Mr. Light on my side, and Mrs. Velvet on Twi's side. The silence is so thick that you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. so of course all of us jumped a bit when we heard a loud knocking on the front door.
"Thank Celestia..." Mr. Light mumbled as he got up to answer the door.
Soon after, he returned with two scrolls encased in his magic aura and levitated one over to Shining and one to me. Quickly breaking the seal and rolling it out, I began reading; "Dear Kim. It is with honor that we enlist you as a squire for the Order of the Solar Knights. It is expected that you are ready to move in by next Monday..." that gives me roughly a week... Should be manageable, "Hmm... Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda and all that legal jazz... Seems legit. How about you, Shining?"
He lowered the scroll, "Monday as well. Should be doable. Especially for you."
"True... I don't exactly have that much stuff to pack, though I should probably start thinking about paying the local tailor a visit. I did lose a set of clothes to a mountain lion after all."
"In that case, I can show you the place where I get my suits made."
"Really? That would be awesome! Thanks Mr. Light," I then realized that I hadn't gotten around to taking a bath yet, and after yesterday's events, I need one, "Can I hit the shower first though? I feel kinda icky," I asked as I got up from my chair.
"Of course. Take the time you need," he then turned to Twilight, "And you, young lady. Shouldn't you be on your way to the castle? You shouldn't keep the princess waiting."
"I know dad, but first," she jumped down from her chair and bolted for the door, effectively blocking my path.
"Umm... May I please pass?"
"No. Not until you make it up to me for the events last night."
"You want me to do that now!? Geez... Ok, what do I have to do?"
"You... Could give me a kiss..."
"What? I didn't quite catch that."
"I said... You could... kiss me."
"WHAT!?"
"I said!"
"I heard what you said! But a kiss!? Here!? Now!?"
"Yes! I won't let you off the hook until you do so!"
I looked back to the others who seemed either shocked, like Mr. Light or amused by the situation, like Shining and Mrs. Velvet.
"But I-! You know that I-!" *Sigh... * "Ok! I'll do it..." I got down on my knees and placed a hand on her neck, "Just know, that even though I do this, it doesn't mean that we're dating. I still believe that I shouldn't be involving myself in such relationships, yet."
"I... I know and I know that I'm being selfish right now, but I just-"
I quickly closed the distance between us and put my lips to hers, effectively stopping her from talking. Her lips were so soft to the touch that I simply just held the kiss. Her eyes slowly closed as she let herself go and I could feel her shivering from pleasure. Slowly I let go of the tender kiss and backed away, leaving her with a look of pure bliss.
I quickly got up, "I, umm... Shower! I'm off to the bathroom! I'll be back in a bit Mr. Light," I quickly sputtered as I swung past the still dazed Twi and through the hallway into the living room and made my way to my room where I grabbed some fresh underwear and pants, and then hurried to the bathroom upstairs, not even sparing a glance into the kitchen.
A nice long shower later and I had finally regained my composure, so I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers and pants, leaving my shirt off as I wrapped the towel around my hair. I really should start thinking about getting it cut... Its gotten quite long now, reaching down a bit past my shoulders.
I made my way back down to the kitchen, where I could hear that they had all livened up a bit. Twilight seemed to have left for the castle, but the rest of the Lights were sitting around the table and chattering away, though that all stopped the moment they noticed me in the doorway. All eyes were on me, or rather, on my bare torso. Looking down I saw what had stunned them so. All the scars I had gotten during the fight which weren’t removeable by pony medical treatments were there for all to see.
"Oh, my dear child..." Mrs. Velvet came over and ran a hoof over some of the scars, "I am so sorry that you had to get hurt like that... Just know, that we will forever be in your debt for saving our daughter even when facing danger like that."
I grabbed her hoof and gave it a gentle squeeze, "It's fine Mrs. Velvet... Think nothing of it. Heck, even I had already forgotten it. But believe me, I would gladly do this again if it meant keeping those that I care for out of harms way."
"Just know, that you will always be a part of our family, whether it becomes official someday or not. But no matter what you choose, you will always have a home here."
"Thank you Mr. Light, that means a lot... Heck, as each day passes, I want to drop all my plans of returning home and just settle down here... But it's not my choice to make."
"Why? You get along so well with everpony, so why shouldn't you have the choice of staying?" Mrs. Velvet asked as her eyes teared up.
"I... I'm not sure how much that I’m allowed to say... But, I can say this; the mountain lions attacking us, wasn't just a random coincidence," this elicited a gasp from all three, "They were there for me. Someone powerful enough to influence beasts, set them after me for a reason. And the best way to foil whatever plans he might have, is for me to leave this world as fast as possible."
"So what you're saying is, that because of some sick bucker, you can't stay?" Shining asked, snorting loudly, "Then I say we find him and buck him into last Tuesday!"
"As much as I would love doing so, I know that we can't... He's way too powerful for us to handle."
"And how do you know that?"
"He's powerful enough to bring back the dead," Shining looked at me with a skeptical look, "He brought me back, Shining... I died, I actually died and he brought me back, it wasn't some miracle that I survived, he resurrected me and warned me that he had plans for me. When I told the princess, the mere mention of his name made her angry... He's bad news Shining, really bad news," I looked at their shocked faces and sighed, "Listen... Just, just don't tell Twi, ok? I don't want her to start worrying too much now that she's Celestia's personal student. Besides, once she knows, Lyra is bound to find out and so will her family and thus the ball rolls until all of Canterlot knows, and as you might guess, I want to keep this bit of info as secret as possible."
"Don't worry, we will keep it a secret," Mr. Light said getting nods from Mrs. Velvet and Shining.
"Thanks. Now then, we have a tailor to find," I said as I finished drying my hair and went out to the utility room where the laundry basket was located, and tossed the towel in it before returning to my room and put on a fresh pair of socks and a clean shirt I then grabbed my bag of bits and went back to find Mr. Light.
Whom was already waiting at the front door, "Come along now, Munck."
"On my way," I quickly put on my shoes and followed him out into the now crowded streets.
~
As we walked towards the marketplace, Mr. Light suddenly broke the tranquil silence.
"So... That kiss with my daughter this morning," he began, while shooting me a glare that could freeze fire.
My feet suddenly refused to move and my mouth stopped working properly, "I-I-I'm, I, err... I, but, I-!"
His eyes regained their normal warm glow, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. I know that she more or less pressured you into it. She can be just as hardheaded as her mom like that."
"Phew... Thanks, I was afraid that you were gonna gut me right here on the street."
"Nah... I'd rather we got back home for that. The utility room is easier to clean after the messy part is over."
I froze in place and didn't dare move a muscle.
"Pffh... Hahahah! Oh sweet Celestia! It was a joke! Don't worry, there's no bad blood between us, quite the opposite. If you would ever want to ask for my daughters hoof in marriage, I would give you my blessings in a heartbeat."
"But I-"
"I know... You can't stay, even if you want to... But, IF! If you should ever want to, then you know that you have my blessings... Just remember that."
"Thanks, Night Light. That means a lot. Even if I try not to bond too much, both Twi and Lyra have become very important to me."
"I know, and that's why I feel sad for you... The day you have to leave will be the toughest day in your life," he suddenly stopped, "Looks like we're here! Time flies when you're having a conversation."
We stood in front of a small bordeaux red building with a sign that said 'Seams and Stitches' the 'I' being a needle with a thread crossing through the eye and over the two 't's. In the windows you could see several mannequins sporting some of the owners creations.
Mr. Light opened the door, resulting in a little jingle from the bell by the door, "Come along now, Munck."
I quickly made my way inside, where I was greeted by even more outfits on display, as well as a counter with no one behind it.
"Cross Stitch! Where are you?" Mr. Light yelled.
"I'm comin'! Keep yer horseshoes on!" a deep gravelly voice boomed back.
In from the back room came a big dark pink unicorn stallion with a short, light indigo mane and tail. and a needle and thread cutie mark on his hind-quarters.
"Aah! Night Light, you ol' party pony! What brings ya to my fine lil' store on this day?" he boomed as he patted Mr. Light on the back, each pat forcing him to bend his knees even further down.
"It's-! Ungh! Not-! Argh! Me-! Ouch!" Cross Stitch immediately stopped and looked around, spotting me by the door.
"So that's the one I 'ave been hearin' about! That thar, what's-ya-call-it..."
"Human, sir. I'm called a human," I said while walking up to him, "And I'm the one in need of your expertise. My species use clothes every single day, and I only have four sets left now, so I would like to ask you if you could make me some new sets."
He walked around me, while looking me over, "Hmm... Yeah... I can do that, no problem at all. Jus' follow me and we'll have ya measured up in no time!"
As I followed Cross Stitch, I turned to look at Night Light who had finally gotten his legs straightened out, "You don't need to wait for me, I'm planning on stopping by the lab before I head back home."
"Alright, I'll see you later then," and with that, he exited the store.
I quickly ran after Cross Stitch into the back room and almost fell face first over a roll of turquoise fabric. Looking around the room, I saw that it wasn't the only roll. All over the floor was scraps of and rolls fabrics in all hues of the rainbow, and all around the edges of the room, stood pony mannequins with half finished outfits on them. To my immediate right was a set of stairs, leading up to the next floor which I guess is Cross Stitch's apartment. And for a second, I could have sworn that I saw something white and indigo disappear back to wherever it came from.
"Now then lad! Get on over 'ere and drop those clothes so we get get yer measurements!" boomed the gravelly voice of Cross Stitch.
I quickly danced around the many traps on the floor and made my way over to the low podium in the middle of the chaos and sat down to remove my shoes and socks. Once they were off, I stood up on the podium and removed my pants and shirt which in turn earned me not one, but two gasps.
"Sweet Celestia, lad! What the hay happened to ya?"
"I had a run in with an angry mountain lion... I won."
"I see," he replied as he levitated the measuring tape over, "Must 'ave been a tough fight. And what happened to yer shoulder, besides the giant scar? It looks like it's been crystallized."
"That's not too far from the truth. My shoulder is pretty much covered by lacrima right now. I had a weird lacrima crystal on me that had been charged with my friends magic, and when I got this wound, it kinda fused with my skin to create a new layer where it had been ripped off by that bloody lion" I told him as he wrote down all my measurements on a notepad.
"And yer done, lad. You can put yer clothes back on now."
"Thanks."
"So, any special requirements that I need to keep in mind?"
"Hmm... Well, I begin my knight training next week, so I'd like for them to be comfortable and strong. Able to handle some rough play and such. If you could make me five sets of shirts, pants, underwear and socks. Then you would make me a very happy kid."
"Five sets? That's not exactly gonna be cheap, ye sure ya can afford it?"
I took out my bag of bits and pulled up a couple of golden bits, "Shouldn't be a problem. Working for the princess pays quite well."
"Blimey! You got yerself a deal, lad!" one could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes, "I'll 'ave 'em ready in two days time!"
"Sounds good," I said as I finished tying my shoelaces and got back up from the podium, "And keep the measurements around. I'll be needing warmer clothes once winter hits."
"Aye lad, ya can count on me!"
With that, I moved towards the door to the store space, "Thanks again Cross Stitch, I look forward to doing business with you again."
"Likewise lad! I'll see ya in two days!"
I moved through the store and was about to exit through the front door when I heard a new voice.
"Just who or rather, what was that?" a female voice asked in a posh accent.
"There you are, lass. You do know that you could have come on down, I don't think he would have minded."
"I know, but it's just... My horn reacted to him, rather strongly at that. So I was afraid of what might happen if I had gotten too close to... Did you even get his name?"
"Err... I think I dun goof'd!" Cross Stitch said before breaking into a deep booming laughter.
"Uncle! What was the first thing you told me? Always get to know your customer! If they feel familiar around you, there's a bigger chance that they will come again!"
"It's Kim," I said as I poked my head back in, "But everypony calls me Munck."
The shocked filly turned towards me, and I saw that it was the one I had spotted at the top of the stairs. Just this time, I had a chance to take in her features. The first thing I noticed was that she had to be around Twi and Lyra's age and that she was a unicorn as well. Seems like I have a tendency of running into unicorns around my age. Next thing that caught my attention, was her flawless light gray, almost white coat, with three light azure diamonds adorning her flank. Her indigo mane and tail had been styled so they curled and all in all she was stunning.
“And what, pray tell, gives you the right to spy on a lady?”
“The same thing that gives you the right to spy on me while I’m undressing.”
“Why! I never-!”
“Cool it lovebirds! Nopony is spying on anypony here. He jus’ came back to tell me his name is all, right Munck?”
“Right! Definitely right!” oh by everything holy! The more I look at her, the more attractive she becomes! Confound Twi and Tavi and their kisses... They have definitely awoken something in me.
“Anyway! I have something that I need to do at the Royal Magic Research Institute,” I quickly bid them farewell and bolted for the door.
Finally outside again, I leaned against the nearest wall and let the still chilly morning breeze cool down my burning cheeks, “Yeah, no way around it... I have definitely awoken something that I shouldn’t have.”
With a mighty sigh, I got myself back on the streets and made my way for the castle, greeting random ponies along the way.
~
I finally reached my destination, as the two huge wooden doors towered before me. It felt good to finally stand here again, after having been stuck in bed for an entire week. Slowly opening the creaking door, I was met by the usual hustle and bustle of the lab that I knew so well, though that all stopped when the lab ponies saw who it was and dropped everything they were working on and dogpiled me. Some were crying, some were laughing and others were both laughing and crying at once. All the while I could see Tesla and Widget standing by the side with big goofy smiles on the faces.
“Now come on boys! Ya’ll let the poor boy go! He only jus’ recovered and the last thing he needs, is for ya’ll to crush him!” Widget yelled as she shooed them back to work.
“Thanks Widget,” I said as I slowly got back up from the floor, “It’s good to be back.”
She instantly grabbed me in a vice-grip, as if she was trying to hug the life out of me, “Ah’m jus’ so happy to see ya back up again! Ah really thought we lost ya back on tha’ mountain!”
“Widget! Air! I need it!”
She quickly let go of me and I fell back down on the floor, “Oh mah stars! Ah’m so sorry,” she sputtered as her cheeks turned crimson from embarrassment.
“It’s ok Widget, no harm done,” I told her as I got back up from the floor, again, “Anyway! I came back because of a few reasons. First of all, I’ve missed this place and all of you. Being stuck in a bed for an entire week does that to you. Second, I heard you all found a ton of lacrimae, so I would like to check that out. And third, hows the magitech coming along?”
“Ah! Right! The professor had some news for ya, ain’t that right professor?” no reply, “Professor? Did ya hea-”
“Is he... Drooling?”
“PROFESSOR! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!”
A small explosion was heard in the background as some poor lab pony mixed some chemicals in the wrong amounts due to Widget’s outburst and poor Tesla almost jumped out of his skin, looking wildly around him only to be met by Widget’s glare and my snickering.
“Now that ah have yer attention, professor, why dontcha tell Munck about ‘them’?”
“Ah, right! It’s good to see you again young Munck, and I do apologize for falling asleep... But we have been pulling a lot of all-nighters this past week,” he barely managed to finish before letting out the mother of all yawns, “Where was I... Ah! As I was saying; thanks to the large quantities of pure lightning lacrima that we got from Mt. Thunder Roar, we managed to begin mass producing pony sized gauntlets with the scanning function as well as a sonar map system that was amongst the blueprints you gave us. With that, it maps out the immediate area that a pony is in and allows them to mark points of interest on the map. With this, a pony could pretty much map out the entire world, just by traveling around, so of course we have already sent out scouts to map and scan Equestria. Sending back reports with what they find that we can use. We can then send out retrieval teams to pick it up and bring it back to us here in the lab, allowing for us to concentrate on crafting the items we want.” and then he drifted off to slumberland again.
With a heavy sigh, Widget turned to me, “Ah jus’ don’t know what to do with the old stallion anymore... We already told him to go home and get some sleep, but he jus’ keeps on refusin’! He’s more stubborn than a mule!”
“Can’t we just place him in some random corner of the room and let him nap there?”
“We could, but then he jus’ gets mad when he wakes up... He’s been so hyped ever since we got all that lacrimae an’ made that breakthrough with the scanning devices. Which reminds me,” she lifted her right foreleg on which rested a magitech bracelet with a big screen, it’s green light dimly glowing, “This ‘ere device is the scanning device we created, inlaid with the same fabric that we used for yer gauntlet. That way it will allow ponies to have ‘em mounted on their legs, without feeling any discomfort.”
“That is so cool!”
“Of course that ain’t all we’ve been doin’! While Tesla headed the group who created the scanning bracelets, me and a team of bright heads finished up yer prototype magitech gauntlet,” she turned to the busy crowd of lab ponies, “Sparks! Bolt! Bring it ‘ere, would ya!”
In walked an electric blue pagasus stallion with a spiky white mane. He kinda reminded me of a young Tesla. And right behind him was a butter yellow unicorn stallion with long rusty red mane tied up in a ponytail and levitating something wrapped in a piece of cloth.
The pegasus quickly flew the last bit of way and dropped down in front of me where he proceeded to grab my hands and shake them, “It’s such an honor, such an honor! I have been following the development of your gauntlet I have! So awesome! So awesome!”
“Sparks! Calm yerself! Yer speaking in doubles again.”
“I’m sorry Widget, I’m sorry! But I’m just so proud, so proud I am!”
The unicorn finally made his way over, “I’m really sorry about him, but he means well. So please don’t judge him on his way of speech.”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t even dream of it,” I turned back to Sparks and patted him on his shoulder, “It’s also an honor to meet you.”
The poor stallion looked like he was ready to pass out right there and then and I swear that I could hear a little squee from him. He quickly snapped out of it again though, as a light cream colored unicorn mare with a long straight, almost shimmering, lapis lazuli blue mane came out of the staff quarters.
“What’s with all this racket! I thought I told you all that I would be slee-! Sparks! Bolt! Are you two trying to give him the gauntlet by yourselves and steal all the credit for OUR hard work!”
Poor Sparks almost shrunk in size under the fierce gaze from her emerald green eyes, whereas Bolt just face hoofed and muttered a quiet, “Not again...”
“I’m sorry Krystal, I’m sorry! We never wanted to take all the credit, we never did...”
“Sparks! You’re talking in doubles again! Quit it!”
“I’m sorry... Krystal... But we really didn’t... Want to take... All the credit... For our work... But you asked us to let you sleep, you did!” Sparks said in a painfully slow speech.
“I know what I asked, but I didn’t think he’d be back today of all days! I just pulled an all nighter trying to get the final modifications done on his gauntlet, and then you two try to give it to him without having the decency to wake me up!?”
“KRYSTAL!!!” Widget boomed, causing every worker in the lab to jump for cover, “Would ya kindly SHU’ UP!”
Seems that even the ice queen fears Widget’s wrath, which seems to have risen a few notches since the mountain expedition.
“Good... Now ya’ll listen up! Nopony is tryin’ to claim anythin’ here! Understood? Now go dig up yer manners an’ introduce yerself to Munck!”
Realization seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks, “Oh my Celestia! I’m so sorry for my behavior just now! But I’m a bit cranky when I wake up... But where are my manners! My name is Krystal. One of Canterlot’s best gem carvers. I, along with some other carvers were called in, back when you all began the project and I have since been working with Bolt the Boring and Double Sparks,” she waved a hoof in their direction, “But after your expedition, we were hoof picked by Widget to aid her in finalizing the magitech gauntlet.”
“I see. It’s good to meet you Krystal,” I turned to Sparks and Bolt, “And it’s nice to meet you two as well.”
“Alright, now that we have the meet’n’greet outta the way... Bolt, why dontcha show him the finalized design?”
“Of course, Widget,” and with that said, Bolt magicked off the cloth and levitated the gauntlet back down to me. The new design was a lot slimmer than the prototype and and now looked more like an actual gauntlet, just with a big screen above the wrist. The coat was still made from mithril, so at least it was still light and strong.
“Now then, the biggest change to it, is that we have added the same map function as our bracelets use, and that they run on a separate power source from the portal device. We found out that a single piece of lightning lacrima cut into a two by six centimeters slab around five millimeters thick, have an estimated lifespan of around five hundred years, if it’s only used for powering the basic features like the map, scanner and radio.”
“Wait... It has a radio too?”
“That it does. And we’re still working on more features for future upgrades. But for now, you’re currently standing with the finalized magitech gauntlet.” Bolt finished with a satisfied look on his face.
“That sounds promising,” I said as I slipped it back on, the screen flickering on as I did, “So, how does it work? Last time it worked through a mental link with my A.I. friend, but he’s no longer around...”
“That’s why we re-created the touchscreen system that some of the devices in your blueprints use. It was actually pretty easy when you add magic to the mix. Just touch the functions you want to use and it will switch on over. But as for the two-way portal device,” Bolt levitated me a piece of lightning lacrima that had been cut into a cylindric shape of around six centimeters in length and one point five in diameter, “To use it, you will have to load one of those into the slot before the screen. That hole you see there. Once that’s done, you can blast a two way portal and keep it open for around three minutes, max. Just to compare the power drain of the portal device to the rest of the functions, one cylinder can power a bracelet for roughly three hundred years.”
“Whoa... No wonder we had so much trouble with it.”
“Indeed. But before you run off with the gauntlet again. Which you will, since you’ll have to do some basic testing. Widget had something to talk with you about.”
“That ah do, follow me outside.”
We all did, even the rest of the lab ponies and Tesla came along. And once outside, Widget tossed me a stick of earth lacrima.
“Now. Ah want ya to show me how yer powers work. We might just be able to make you some gear that can work with ‘em, as soon as we figure out how they work, of course.”
I twirled the stick of lacrima between my fingers, “So all I gotta do right now, is to activate my power?” getting a simple nod in return, I focused on the elemental crystal in my hand and watched as it slowly melted and crept down my fingers covering them in a rocky coating.
“So that’s how it works,” Widget mumbled more to herself than anypony else, as she made her way over to me, “And I take it that the lines under your skin is some sort of lacrima circuits... Yes, I see... So how does it work? What exactly can you do right now?”
“Well, why don’t I just show you?” I put my arms around her neck in a tight hug and let us both sink into the ground, “Just relax and hold on tight!”
Widget let out a single shriek as we plunged under the ground, but she quickly stopped as the new sight was before her. Seems that as long as they’re somehow connected to me while underground, they also gain my weird three hundred and sixty degree earth vision. Another thing worth noting is that the lacrima is used up at twice the rate, so without waiting another second, I quickly swam us both back up.
“What!? Why did ya go up! It was so amazing, like floatin’ in jello but ya could breathe, and that weird mental vision, like the entire ground was yer eyes! Simply amazin’!”
“Well, that’s all fine and dandy... But if we had stayed for much longer, we would have become a permanent part of the soil here,” I wiggled my hand where the lacrima had been, as the final bit turned to dust, “It seems that having passengers drains the lacrima at twice the rate... Didn’t really notice that back on the mountain, but then again. My entire torso was covered in earth lacrima back then.”
“I see... Well, could ya try that stick of lightning lacrima next? Oh! But before ya do, put this on,” she pulled out something that looked like a fingerless glove with a mithril plate on top, “Ah wanna test somethin’.”
I did as she told me to, and found that there was no fabric under the mithril plate, “Why is there no fabric under the plate?”
“Ya’ll will find out in a second, now place the lacrima on top of the plate and try activatin’ it like that.”
I did as she told me to and tried focusing on the crystal, and sure enough, I felt a connection. Slowly the lacrima melted, but it took a new shape as it somehow kept itself on the plate as lightning began dancing around my hand.
“Now thrust yer hand toward that tree over there!”
I spotted the tree and threw a punch through the air, immediately causing a stream of pure electricity to launch itself in the trees direction, cutting right through it like a hot knife through butter. The tree was cleaved in two by the powerful bolt and tilted in two directions, smoke slowly rising from the point of impact and even the wall behind it.
I slowly turned around and met the slackjawed expressions of all the ponies, except for Widget, who was smiling from ear to ear, “I had a hunch, but I never expected such an output! A bit more work and ya’ll will be one heck of a force to be reckoned with.”
“I see... But how? How did you do it?”
“It was quite simple, really,” I just raised a brow, “Runes. The right combination of runes. If ya look closely at the top of the plate, ya’ll will see some thin grooves running across it, they all connect to points that have runes on the other side, touchin’ yer skin. Now this was all jus’ speculation. But ah got the idea during an all nighter an’ jus’ had to test it out. The runes combined with the way the grooves run, will bring forth the more aggressive nature of the lacrima, whereas yer own power seems to be more on the defensive side.”
“That is... Awesome! You’re awesome, Widget!”
“Aww shucks. T’was nothin’ really, but it does need some more tinkerin’ so fork it over,” she held out a hoof, which I placed it in, “Now that ah have a basic idea of how yer powers work. Ah might jus’ be able to make this work,” with that said, she stuffed it back in her lab coat and cantered back inside.
“Well, that was something. And I’d better head on back, I still have stuff to do. Once again, it was a pleasure meeting you, Sparks, Bolt and Krystal.”
“Sure has. Until next time, Munck.”
“It’s been such an honor, such an honor!”
“While I’m not as much of a science buff as those two, I have really enjoyed the challenge of creating the circuit boards for the gauntlet and bracelets. So be sure to keep it safe.”
I waved goodbye and made my way back to the market place.
~
As I walked back through the crowded streets of Canterlot, I pulled up the map screen and sure enough, it was slowly mapping out the area. Nothing detailed, but it did map out roads as well as walls and other stuff. A simple tap on the map allowed me to add notes to things, so I slowly marked out houses that I knew and soon enough I reached my destination.
The doorbell chimed as I entered the building and immediately my nose was assaulted by the delightful smell of freshly baked goods, and from the kitchen emerged the amber coated unicorn that I had come to know so well.
“Munck! Oh man is it good to see you again or what.”
“Sure is, Joe. I must admit that I have missed my daily lunch break here, so give me the usual,” I took my place by the counter as Joe went to get my mug of hot chocolate, he returned shortly after with the mug and four donuts, “Thanks, but isn’t it usually two?”
“Well, you’ve been without my awesome donuts for an entire week, so I’m sure you could use them,” he chuckled as he went back to what he was doing before I dropped in.
“Thanks!” I called after him before hungrily attacking the first donut in the stack, one of his delicious apple donuts. As I was chewing my way through my second, a blueberry filled donut, Joe returned.
“So what’s up with the gauntlet? I know that you’re joining the knights and all, but only wearing a single armor piece doesn’t seem to be too protective.”
“True, but this isn’t exactly armor. It’s a project we’ve been working on for four months now and I’m just taking it for a test drive.” I replied before drowning the rest of my donut with hot chocolate.
“Huh... So what does it do?”
“Nothing much at the moment,” I replied as I bit into my third donut which was filled with strawberry jam, “Though, it can tell me that I’m currently located in Joe’s Place,” I finished and showed him the map.
“So, it’s some sort of map device? And that black block is my place?”
“Pretty much. It maps out the immediate area as I walk around, allowing me to quickly get an entire area mapped out, and I can then mark stuff of interest, like I’ve done with the buildings which I know. Nothing too spectacular at the moment, but still pretty cool in it’s own right,” I finally bit down on the third donut which I had been eyeing the entire time which I spoke, it’s delicious cherry filling spreading over my tastebuds.
“I see... Sounds interesting at least.”
“Sure is. And once again, thanks for the meal,” I got up and bid him farewell as I made my way out onto the streets of Canterlot yet again.
~
The trip back home went by faster than ever while playing the mapping game, and soon enough I was at the front door adding ‘Home’ to the map. I tried the door and was happy to see that it was unlocked. This meant that I wouldn’t be alone at home, not that I mind looking after the place of course.
I opened the door and dropped my shoes off by the entrance before making my way to the kitchen. Usually if Velvet is home, that’s where one can find her at this time. Turns out that it was pretty empty, so I tried the living room. And sure enough, there on the couch lay Shining Armor, sleeping like a log.
I slowly made my way over to the couch, trying not to wake the slumbering pony and hid behind the couch. Giving my left index finger a nice coating of saliva, I got up and looked down at my victim-to-be and jabbed my wet finger into his ear causing him to squeal in surprise.
His frantic look of surprise quickly changed to a playful glare when he saw me about to crack up from laughter, “Har har hardy har har! You just had to do it, huh?”
“It was way too tempting to pass it by. You were just lying there, all four legs dangling over the edge and snoring like a bear,” I replied, still trying to keep my laughter in as I plopped down on the seat next to him, “So, where’s Light and Velvet?”
Shining shuffled around a bit and got comfy again, “Well, mom is out buying groceries and stuff and dad’s at the local pub with some old friends of his. So it’s only us three tonight.”
“Fair enough. So what have you been up to? Besides sleeping, of course.”
“Well, I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Bright Star, but his marefriend suddenly had all sorts of plans and dragged him along... So I decided to just head back home and crashed on the couch until you came in and pulled that prank on me,” he gave me another playful glare, “And what about you? Got everything done at the tailor?”
“Sure did. I can pick up my new stuff in a couple of days. Besides that, I got my new and improved magitech gauntlet home with me for some basic testing. And got acquainted with some new ponies at the lab. A nice lot, though one speaks a bit funny when he’s excited, the other sounds bored of living unless he’s speaking about something science related and the third is a bit of an ice queen, but they kinda balance each other out.”
“Sounds like an interesting bunch at least.”
And with that said, a sort of tranquility fell over the living room as we just talked about small stuff while lazing around on the couch for a good two hours. That was when the front door finally opened and Velvet could be heard humming as she stopped by the kitchen to drop off the groceries.
She immediately stopped humming when she entered the living room, “My, don’t you two just look productive? Are you competing to see who can be the laziest or something?”
Shining just barely lifted his head from the hoofrest of the couch, “Welcome home, mom,” to which I followed suit and lazily waved an arm as I bid her a hello.
“Now, unless you two have sprouted roots, I’d like it if you could both help me make dinner. I found this delightful new place that sells stuff from Neighpon! So tonight we’re having something special.“
The promise of delicious food got us both out of the couch as we both skidded to a halt in front of her giving a salute. We then followed her into the kitchen where she levitated a bag of mixed veggies onto the kitchen table.
“Now then. Munck, would you please wash all the vegetables and then hoof them over to Shining. You will then proceed to chop them into thin slices and then I will fry them. If everything goes right, we’ll be dining on stir fried veggies and noodles tonight.”
While Shining chopped the shallots, ginger and garlic. I began washing the rest of the vegetables. And soon enough, I had left a pile of carrots, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, red pepper and Chinese cabbage for Shining Armor to chop. And with magic, the chopping was done in a flash.
While we had prepared the veggies, Velvet had set a pot of water over one of the hotplates as well as a deep pan on another plate, and prepared the stir fry sauce. A nice zesty mix of coconut milk, lime, dashi (Which, to my surprise turned out to be a fish broth) and brown sugar.
The big pan was finally hot enough, so she added two spoons of vegetable oil as well as the shallot, garlic, ginger, and chili. After about two minutes of stirring, she added the carrots and shiitake as well as roughly a quarter of the stir fry sauce and continued to stir it all so as to make sure it didn’t burn. Three minutes later, she added the broccoli and red pepper as well as half of the remaining sauce and turned the heat down a couple of notches to just let it simmer. We were now nearing the final bit and after two minutes of simmering, she finally added the Chinese cabbage and some more sauce, making sure that it didn’t dry out. She stirred a bit more and put the noodles in the pot of now boiling water and roughly three minutes later, it was finally done.
The noodles had been drained and now lay in a colander. And the pan was on a trivet so that it wouldn’t damage the table. As we stood there admiring our team effort, both Shining’s and my stomachs growled, “Welp, if it tastes just half as good as it smells, then I think we’re in for quite the delicious treat,” I said as I wiped drool away from the corners of my mouth.
Shining furiously nodded his head and Velvet giggled at our behavior as we quickly took our places by the table. Shining quickly levitated some noodles on to each of our plates, and Velvet poured some stir fry on them while I filled our cups with cold water. We then dug into our food, and that first bite really blew our tastebuds to the neighponese paradise as all three of us let out simultaneous moans of approval. The rest of the meal was eaten in silent bliss as we all enjoyed delicious food.
After we had cleaned out everything but a single plate for Night Light, once he returns tonight. We all gave a hand and hoof in washing the dishes and soon enough, we were done and made our way back to the living room.
Once there, we all sat down in the couch and recliner and just relaxed as we digested our meal. Small talk came up and we all told of our day and once that was over with, Shining levitated a deck of cards over and we all played a couple of rounds ‘Go Fish’ until Night Light finally returned at around ten thirty. He enjoyed the dish just as much as we did and joined us for another round.
It was now getting late, so I decided to hit the hay. So I went upstairs to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and finished my business, washing my hands afterwards, of course. I made my way back down to the living room and bid them all goodnight before entering my room and crashing on the bed, sleep doing it’s best to claim me the moment my head hit the pillow.
Through the sleep induced haze, I noticed Velvet entering my room, “Oh Munck... You forgot to crawl under the blanket,” she then levitated me shortly and got the sleeping blanket out from under me, before putting me down again and tugging me in, “Goodnight my boy.”
“Goodnight mom...” and then sleep took me.
~
The bringer of night eternal laughed as the six chosen by fate fought her challenges and revived the forgotten elements.
Basking in the light of the gems were four shadowy ponies and two unicorn mares.
One was a pony that I know so well. The adult Twilight Sparkle, her beauty even greater than before.
The second was the one that I had met today, Cross Stitch’s niece. Whom I never got the name of.
Together with the other four shadows, they brought forth the light that would save us all. So beautiful, yet powerful. The radiance blinding me.
And thus, the bringers of Harmony freed the fallen moon from her inner prison and restored light to the world.
-To be Continued!-