I Came From The Desert

I Came From the Desert

-Part 2-

As he continued to backpedal, I took more notice of our surroundings. Directly behind him was a house, and judging by the way he was backing up, it looked like he’d bump right into it within a few seconds. To my left was more forest, and to my right was a more open area where I could see the edges of more homes. It looked like I arrived at the edge of the village or something, and this guy just happened to be here when I popped my fat head out.

I figured that if I tried to reason to him not to scream and get all frantic, he would just get even more nervous and do just that. I also thought that just sitting around would make the guy eventually freak out and run off screaming anyways. I also figured at that moment that I had to be in some sort of dream, and that I simply hadn’t waken up from whenever I previously passed out.

However, content with continuing along with this exceptionally weird chain of events while still thinking up an alternate way to make him not run off screaming, I made my move.

Putting on my most depressed face I could, I slowly turned my head towards the ground and said, “Oh, you’re just gonna think I’m a monster and run away screaming like everyo-er, everypony else… I see.”

I closed my eyes and even sniffled once to emphasize this, trying to look as hurt as possible. My plan seemed to have worked, at least to a degree, as the stallion didn’t bolt off screaming like a schoolgirl. He paused for a moment, looked to his sides, and then spoke to me.

“I-I uh, I… I’m sorry?” he said more of in a question than as a real apology.

“No, I’m sorry,” I replied, opening my eyes and lifting my head up slightly to look at him. “I came here unannounced, and I probably scared the bajeebers out of ya, so please, if it’s ok with you, may I more properly introduce myself?”

My kindness and appearance of sincerity seemed to have had an effect on him, and he visibly relaxed a bit as he took in my words. Yeah, even though I was still a head poking through a bush and that position was getting pretty uncomfortable at that point, I was crouched down at the time so our heads were level, so he probably didn’t see me as imposing as I would have been had I just waltzed out of the woodwork in full stride. He seemed unsure still, like he was cursing himself for not doing something one way or another at that point, but he seemed resolute on at least hearing me out.

“A-alright, sure, I mean… you’re not really a monster or anything, are you?” He said, a bit of accent in his voice. I couldn’t really place it at the time, probably because of how much he was stuttering and how his voice was shaky, but it almost sounded Russian.

I smiled a bit and shifted my body, keeping as calm of a face as I could manage, despite my excitement. “Worry not my friend; I am a very peaceful being. Just don’t be too intimidated by my appearance, okay?” He nodded in response, and after a long breath I slowly walked out of the bushes at my full height.

I figured he would still be intimidated regardless of my prior warning, and I was right, as his head only came up to my stomach. He looked like he was about to run off screaming again before I promptly took a knee and looked at him with the same smile. After a few moments I held out my hand – slowly, so as not to scare him – and gave him a proper greeting.

“Hello sir, I’m a human, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He looked at my extended hand, and while I was pretty sure he realized it was a greeting, he was still pretty hesitant. However, my patience and kind gestures paid off, and he eventually raised his hoof and placed it in the palm of my hand.

I can’t describe how I felt at that moment. Even if it was just a dream, I had never had one so vivid before, or in a scenario that actually seemed believable. I was so happy, and I had to really contain myself from jumping around in excitement at the fact that I had probably just made headway in making a real pony friend! Like, from the MLP universe and everything! Holy crap! I thought to myself, fighting to keep myself still. This is happening man, this dream is really happening! God I hope this is one of those recurring dreams that continues the next time I go to sleep!

I slowly wrapped my fingers around his hoof and gave it a few shakes, careful not to startle him in the process. He eyed me warily, as would be expected, but soon enough relaxed once I let go and returned my arm to myself. I gave him another not, and he returned with a somewhat shaky smile, but despite himself I thought he did pretty well for his situation. I certainly was grateful that he didn’t have the same mindset as somepony like the flower girls in Ponyville, or else the entire town would be in an uproar by that time.

Gently I let go of his hoof, lowering my arm back down to my side as he did the same. We stood there for a few moments, feeling the awkward silence take hold. I was about to say something again when he beat me to the draw.

“I uh,” he began, clearing his throat. “I don’t suppose you have a name, dah?” I raised an eyebrow at that; somewhat surprised that he had actually gotten past his fear that much to ask for my name. “My name is Jury Rig, uh, what brings you to this village, eh?”

Yup, definitely Russian, I thought to myself as I recognized his accent. I didn’t remember anywhere in the show, or any character for that matter, that used a Russian accent, so I was sort in an unknown zone of where I might be in relation to everywhere else. Regardless, this was just the first step, in what seemed like a great dream journey, so I wanted to play through as best as I could and not try to warp reality or anything.

I was going to respond with my name, maybe even my rank and where I came from at the time, but I stopped myself as I gave it some more thought. My real name was so different than what anypony probably anywhere would ever use, so I figured I should use something different, yet something I would easily remember and accept being recognized by.

And at that moment, I thought about my online username, and it all became clear.

“My name,” I paused for just a moment, adding the slightest bit of dramatics into it, “is Streak.”

I was resolute with my new name, knowing that I would stick with it for the remainder of my adventure. Wherever I went, whatever I would face, I would be known as Streak.

“Ah, well,” he said, a nervous smile appearing on his face. “It’s, uh, good to meet you. I uh, I’ve never met a… hoomin, before?”

“I wouldn’t imagine you, or anypony else would have, really,” I smiled down at him, holding my hands together. “Humans are, well…” I paused, thinking how I would best explain my race.

It seems they really don’t know about humans, I thought to myself, thinking how best to describe my people. I doubt I would get far explaining any of our wars or conflicts we’ve had, and my attempts to explain technology would also probably end up in failure one way or another. But he had no idea of any of that, or of what I was here for. In fact, I was free to make up just about anything, and he would probably believe it.

Every brony out there has had a way they would explain humans if they somehow found themselves in Equestria. They also would have a simple goal, and a commonly agreed upon entry point being either in the middle of the Everfree Forest, or on the edge of suspiciously close to Fluttershy’s house. But as for me, I didn’t really know where I was, or if this was even Equestria at all!

As a story writer, I had already thought up multiple ideas for explaining myself to their race if given the chance, and given the condition which I seemed to enter this world, it didn’t take me long to pick it out.

I sighed deeply, putting on a solemn face as I stared into his eyes intensely before I began. “The Human Race is all but extinct now, and I am the last living human in existence.”

Today was quite the day for surprises for this pony – and for me as well – but I believed that telling him that was just about the icing on the cake. I could see his mouth working to say something, but no words come out while his ears and tail flicked to and fro nervously. I felt bad for the poor guy, he was probably just expecting another normal day, and then I came along and just threw a metaphorical wrench into his everything ever.

“…Why?” he asked incredulously.

“Why, eh?” I shifted a bit, looking to the ground as I thought about it a bit more. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story, and I wouldn’t want to keep you from doing… you know, your normal daily routine, and stuff.” I gestured towards the building behind him and around the general area. His ears perked up at this and he gave me another small smile.

“Dah, is not problem, today is Sunday and I have no work to do. I was just checking around forest edge for my daughter’s doll she said s he lost.” He chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his head, and I could feel the awkward pause begin to settle on us again.

“Well, perhaps you can help me then,” I began. “I’m currently on a mission to Canterlot, and I need help with supplies and directions. Do you know where I could find somewhere to get food or find out how to get there?”

“Canterlot?” he replied. “Oh no, that is a long ways from here, and no train either.”

Damnet, I thought, my legs still aching from all the walking I had done.

“And getting there, it is almost impossible with lot of money. No one town has anything like that, you need to go to city and convince somepony of great power to get you transport.”

“Well, cripes then…” I crossed my arms, thinking to myself. Apparently it wasn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped… Props to you dream for making this hard on me.

“What do you need in Canterlot, if you don’t mind me asking?” I was a bit surprised that he had already seemed to be getting over the fact that I was a strange, unknown creature, but it seemed my civility and not-trying-to-eat-him aspect seemed to be paying off for me.

“Well,” I started, slowly sitting down before him with my legs crossed, “As the last of my kind, it has become my duty to travel to Canterlot and get their scholars to record as much of the history of the human race as I can remember. That way, when I do die, we won’t be forgotten forever.”

“Mmmmm,” he closed his eyes for a few moments, seeming deep in thought.

I was hoping my quest seemed noble and all that to him, and that he would be willing to help. Maybe I can even get him to be a member of my party and call him rocky or something! I thought to myself, chuckling internally.

“Wait,” he said suddenly, his eyes opening and then narrowing at me with obvious suspicion. “Why would ponies not know of humans? Were you hiding from us, and if yes, then why?”

“It’s… complicated,” I sighed, rocking a little as I tried to think up a way to work out the details. “You see, I came from the desert, as all humans did. That was where we lived, because there… well, there wasn’t as much ambient magic in the air as there was everywhere else.”

“Humans don’t like magic?”

“I wished we could, honestly, heh,” I bit my lip a little, hoping my lie would work. “But ya see, humans are a very ancient race. We’ve lived before magic was even a real force on the planet. And when magic finally was introduced and shaped the world to how it is today… we started dying from it.”

“Dying!? Did, did you use the magic in wrong way or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I dismissed, waving my hand. “Magic to humans is like poison. It’s a slow process, but the longer a human is exposed to magic, the shorter his life becomes.” Jury Rig seemed taken aback at this, as if such a prospect was even more outlandish than something like me literally walking out of the woodworks like I did.

“I never thought of such a thing as being possible,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “But, if you say that magic is poison to you, then does that mean that…”

“Yes,” I finished solemnly. “As we speak the magic around us is affecting my body. I probably only have a few months now before…” I knew just leaving it at that would be enough, but I wanted to make it hit him a bit harder than it already would. “…I would just go to sleep one day and, ya know, not wake up.”

Judging by the whole village setting, he was probably a simple stallion with a simple life, and most likely knew what it was like to have some elder die of old age in their sleep. I used that to help make it all impact him more, as something dying prematurely in a way meant for those of old age would probably horrify him. It seemed like I was right as well, if the appalled expression he was giving me was any indication. He was probably contemplating the thought that the very existence of one of the most common things in nature was deadly simply by existing.

After a small while though he shook his head and stared at me with a very serious expression.

“I might not be able to do much, but I will do my best to help you.”

“R-really?” I asked, genuinely surprised that this guy would actually be determined to help another creature in such a situation. I honestly expected him to just apologize and I would go along my way or something, but this guy seemed like he was nobler than that. I liked him already.

“Da. Is very big deal for you, and for your whole race even, so it would be wrong for me to help a pony in such need, or, uh… human, in this case.”

“Well! I uh, I’m very humbled, sir, that you would agree to help me.” I started to stand up, by my legs gave out a bit and forced me onto my knee, making me gasp out a little. “Ah man…”

“Are you hurt?” he asked, suddenly concerned for me as he was by my side in a moment.

“No, no,” I waved my hand in dismissal. “Just a little sore… I’ve had a long journey so far. I had to trudge through a desert and that entire mountain range with all this stuff on my back, ya know.” I pointed to the large pack on my back, which he looked over briefly.

“Those are human saddlebags?”

“Well, we don’t call them saddlebags, we call them rucksacks,” I shrugged and finished getting to my feet. “But the concept is the same, essentially.”

“I see…” He watched me for a few moments as I shook out my legs a bit, wincing from the feeling of my aching muscles being worked out.

“So,” I began again, smiling at him once more, “where do we start?”

“We start with rest,” he said, turning away and starting to walk off. “Come, you need rest before going off on long trip again. I will take you to my home.”

“Really? I mean… you don’t mind me resting at your place for a while?”

“Dah, Is the least I can do,” he smiled back towards me, and I began following him out from behind the house.

“Thank you then, sir, I am very grateful.” He nodded in reply as we started walked down a simple cobblestone street. As I began to follow him I took note of his cutie mark, a wrench and screwdriver crossing together on his flank.

The town we were in certainly was small. From what I could see, it was just a clearing in the forest with a collection of houses, and its borders didn’t stretch further than few hundred meters. And though I couldn’t count exactly how many houses there were, it seemed to be under or around only 20. There were also a few ponies milling about, some mares, some stallions, and several even pulling carts of some sort of farming equipment. It all seemed like a very humble lifestyle, even simpler than Ponyville.

It didn’t take long though for them to start taking notice of the tall, oddly colored thing following Jury Rig around, and with a town this small they all most likely knew each other. No doubt I would probably have to explain myself to the whole town at some point, but maybe my story would spread by simple word of mouth, so it was up at the air at that point. Either way, they all looked at us with mixtures of emotions ranging from surprise and fear, to curiosity and intrigue.

I still thought I would have caused an uproar had I run into anypony else. It seemed like I just happened to stumbled upon one of the few reasonable ponies that wouldn’t go bat-shit insane just from seeing me. Well, he almost did, anyways…

Either way, I tried my best to seem friendly to them as we passed. I was waving and smiling at those who I caught staring, but that only seemed to confuse them more. I should have figured this, but I couldn’t help but smile at everything around me. It was all so wonderful! I was in a town full of colorful ponies, it was a brony’s dream! The only way it would be better was if I was in ponyville instead, but that was certainly on my to-do list.

As we rounded a corner there was one mare heading directly towards us, and upon seeing me she stopped and gawked at the sight, even backpedaling some as she did. Her coat was a dark yellow and her tail and mane was a mix of gray, white, and red stripes.

“Chyort, what the hay!?” she cried out, looking between me and Jury Rig. “Rig, what is this thing followin ya?”

“Do not get scared from him, Pepper,” he said with a small smile, waving a hoof at her as we passed by. “He is with me, and is friend. I will talk more later, but first I must get him to home.”

She seemed like she was about to say more, but as I walked by I waved and smiled at her just like I did the others, and she just stared dumbfounded as we passed by. No doubt I would probably see her again, but I pushed that thought aside and focused on Jury as he approached the door to a particular home. It was square like most, but had a sort of attachment on the side as if someone had built an addition as sort of a home project, most likely to add more room.

It seemed like it needed it too, since the cabin was already exceptionally small. It looked a little rundown as well, despite the homey feel from all the little trinkets and additions hanging around the front door and single window to the door’s left. It was quaint and simple, yet I couldn’t help but get a poverty vibe from it.

He opened the door and led me inside, though I had to duck my whole body to get through the door, and even keep my head ducked down in order to not hit my head on the ceiling. Immediately before me was what seemed to be a mix of a living room, dining room, and kitchen altogether. There was a couch on the near left corner and a couple of chairs on the right side, followed by a square table in the center with some plates set out. On the far end were a sink, an oven/stove combination, and a small set of cabinets with a worn marble counter.

There was a pony at the stove, a pegasus mare with a bright red coat and green who was currently stirring something in a pot while humming a tune to herself. Her mane was double braided and split down the center, one braid going down either side of her head, and for a cutie mark she had a collection of small white sparkling gems. Her ears were perked up, most likely from the sound of the door entering, and spoke to us right after it closed.

“Back already, darling?” she asked without turning around, her voice light and sweet. “You found Plum’s toy that fast?”

“Nyet my darling, something much more important has come to us.”

At this the wife paused and turned around, and that’s when she caught sight of me. It was a good thing she wasn’t holding the stirring spoon in her mouth just then, or else she would have dropped it on the floor when her mouth flung open and she almost knocked the pot over when she bumped her flank into it from the surprise of seeing me.

“W-what is that!?” she nearly screamed, her eyes darting wildly between me and what I was pretty sure was her husband.

“Don’t worry my jewel, he is kind, and our newest guest,” Jury assured, quickly coming up to her and taking her in his forearms.

“But, b-b-but what, where did…?”

“Allow me to introduce myself, madam,” I said as gently and politely as I could, making my way down to a knee to not seem as imposing. “My name is Streak, and I am a human.”

“A… a human?” she looked back at her husband, who was smiling at her lovingly and caressing her mane.

“Yes my jewel, he is the last of his kind, currently on a journey to Canterlot.” His wife seemed to try to speak up at this, but he cut her off. “I simply offered him a place to stay for a while so he can recover from his long journey through the desert and mountains.”

“A long journey to… wait, you traveled through that desert!?” She asked, suddenly more surprised that anything has even gone there and come back at all.

“Aye,” I replied, adding a bit of a Scottish accent on a whim with a small yet confident smirk on my face. “I came from the desert, my people actually lived there until they eventually died off, leaving me the only one to make the journey to Canterlot.”

“But, but I do not understand,” she started again, “Why did…”

“Darling, let us discuss over dinner,” Jury said, pulling her into an embrace. “I am sure our new friend has much to tell us, but he is tired after such a long trip.”

I sat there and watched as the two made their decision, and then Jury led me to a door on the right side of the square room. Upon entering, I found that that it was a bedroom with a small bed with a simple white sheet and a pillow up against the far left corner, a small desk with a small lantern and a chair, and a simple rug covering a part of the wooden floor. I could tell by looking around that it was the added-on room I noticed from outside and the one window above the bed confirmed it for me as I could see the next house over from it.

“Dinner is coming shortly,” he said, walking into the room and turning around to watch me as I entered. “I uh, know the bed may be a bit small for you, but it is all we have for now.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve made due with less, and I’m still very grateful, Mr. Rig.”

He smiled at me,” Please, just Jury, I am not good with formalities.”

I smiled back at him and hefted my ruck off of my back, setting it next to the bed with a loud thunk. I pulled off my vest as well, though kept my M4 in my arms as I sat on the bed and laid back against the wall, letting out a long, tired sigh.

“Thank you again, Jury,” I said, turning my head to look at him as I allowed my very sore muscles a chance to relax.

“Is not problem, is least I could do to help.” After that he turned around, saying “I will come get you when dinner is ready,” and closed the door as he left the room.

Left to my thoughts once more, with time to rest to boot, I got as comfortable as I could on the undersized bed and thought about my predicament.

…I don’t know if this is even a dream anymore I thought to myself as I stared up at the ceiling, laying on my back with my legs hanging over the bottom of the bed. I mean… how could it not be? I’m in the freakin MLP universe, like, what the fuck…

I closed my eyes and imagined myself waking up, then opened my eyes, expecting to find myself in my bed back on the FOB, sitting down in the back of the Stryker, or at least still taking a nap in the mountains or something. But after trying it several times, nothing changed.

I leaned my head up and stared at my weapon, thinking about how dying in a dream would immediately wake someone up. The thought to shoot myself didn’t last long, but it was still another subject to ponder as I tried desperately to figure out what was going on. All I could remember was that I was in the back of a Stryker with Duffy going to do some detail when we got attacked. Things got hectic, the driver seat area got shot up, and then I think I heard an RPG or something before everything cuts off. The next thing I know I’m waking up in the back of the Stryker, everything’s ruined, everyone’s dead, and I’m stuck in the middle of an unknown desert with the only thing left to do is walking.

“I’m in some sort of weird shit,” I groaned to myself as I rubbed my face with my hands. “I dunno if anything’s even real anymore man… seriously. I need some chocolate milk or something.”

I didn’t know how long I had lain there, but after a while there were some noises coming through the wall leading to the main room. It sounded like little kids and the wife talking or something, and I figured that Jury Rig’s family had come back from wherever they were. Not long after that there was a knock at the door, stirring me from my thoughts. I looked over to the window, noticing the sky to be changing hues, signaling sunset to be nearing. I sat up straight with a grunt and scratched the back of my head.

“Yes?” I called out, looking at the door as it slowly opened and Jury poked his head in.

“Dinner is ready,” Jury said, “and my family is ready to meet you.”

“Alright, thank, I’ll be out in a sec,” I replied, and he smiled and closed the door, leaving me alone again.

Not wanting to keep them waiting too long, I took another swig from my camelback still stuck to the back of my vest and got out of bed. Though I didn’t really feel I needed to, I kept my M4 in my hands, not wanting to leave the weapon in the bedroom without me there with it. I was always trained to keep it at least arm’s length or less away from my body, and it would really irk me if I went against that after living by that rule for so long.

I kept my weapon low against my legs, holding the handle with one hand so as not to draw too much attention to it, and I slowly opened up the door to the main room. The dining table I saw before had become populated by four ponies, two being Jury and his wife while the other two were a pair of fillies, both staring up at me with wide, curious eyes. There was an open seat in the side closest to me, with the smaller of the two fillies sitting next to it in her own chair which was scooted over to the side to allow me room.

Slowly I shut the door behind me and moved to the chair, pulling it out and taking a seat, even though my legs wouldn’t fit under the table from it being too small. I set my M4 butt stock down up against my chair, and I looked to each member of the family before I gave them a nervous smile.

“Hi there,” I said, even waving little.

There was a brief pause before the bigger of the two fillies spoke up to me, her voice a little scratchy yet still squeaky from her young age.

“Are you an alien?” she asked in wonder.

“Uh, heh, I…”

“Now girls,” Jury spoke up, “I told you already that he is not from outer space.”

“Do you eat ponies?” the smaller filly asked, her voice even squeakier.

“Ruby!” the mother chastised, looking horrified at the question.

“Nah, it’s alright,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t blame you all for thinking such things, as I do look like a very… different sort of creature, eh?”

“Entire village is talking like mad about you,” the wife said, “So many rumors so fast, is like nothing I’ve ever seen before!”

“Heh, I don’t doubt it…”

“Diamond,” Jury said, looking to his wife, “perhaps we should serve dinner first and let him explain while we eat?”

“Oh! Uh, yes…” She looked around the table, as if just noticing the pot of food she had prepared in the middle of the table.

She opened the top of the pot, revealing it to be some sort of mushy stew, and then began to scoop some onto each of our plates. It looked sort of like a potato casserole or mixed with rice and some vegetables, and though it wasn’t exactly the most appetizing smell, I know I had eaten food in the past that smelled worse.

“Thank you for dinner, mama!” the two fillies said in unison.

“You’re very welcome darlings,” she replied with a smile, and then looked back to me. “So please, Mr. Streak, tell us more about where you come from.”

I scooped up some of the mesh into my mouth and chewed slowly, discovering that it actually tasted pretty good. I swalled it and sat back in the chair a little, collecting my thoughts before I began.

“Well, as your husband may have already told you, I came from the desert.”

“You mean the one past those mountains?” the older filly said.

“Mhm, the very same, miss…”

“Oh!” Jury perked up, and then chuckled a bit as he shook his head. “How rude of me, I did not introduce you to my daughters.” He pointed to the bigger one first, “this is Emerald Sheen,” he shifted his hoof to the smaller one next to me, “and this is Ruby Crest.”

I looked to each, seeing how their colors matched their names. Emerald sheen had a vibrant green coat and a silvery tail and a mane that laid flat down her head and neck, looking almost like polished stainless steel. Ruby Crest had a red coat with pink and purple stripes in her mane and tail, while her hair was curly and only reached halfway down her neck. Neither of them had cutie marks either from what I could tell, so I assumed they weren’t any older than the CMC.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I replied to them both with another genuine smile.

“Nice to meet you too!” they both replied, again in unison.

“And this is loving wife, Diamond Dazzle,” Jury said, leaning over and nuzzling against her affectionately.

“Oh honey, please!” Diamond cooed with a blush, before playfully nudging him away. “We have a guest~!” Her blush was apparent even through her red coat.

“A Please,” I nodded to her, and she nodded back. “So, I know you’re all interested in my backstory, and while I don’t mind sharing at all, I just gotta give you guys a heads up…” I leaned in over the table, eyeing each of them as if this was some sort of top secret information. “It’s… a rather outlandish tale, and there’s going to be a lot of information to take in all at once. But that being said, I’ll try to explain it all as best as I can.”

“This is not problem, we will give you full attention,” Jury reassured before taking a bite of his food.

“Alright… well, I’ll start where I’m from directly, which is the desert. More specifically, we lived underneath the sand in large caverns we dug out ourselves.”

“Why did you have to move underground?” Ruby asked.

“Because there’s almost no magic down there, and it made it easier for us to survive,” I replied, and picked up again before they could as more. “Humans have suffered a terrible fate, one I’m sure none of you could even begin to imagine as ever being possible. But… magic to a human is poisonous.” They all gave me a look of surprise, as Jury simply nodded his head.

“Magic? Poisonous!?” Diamond asked, completely astounded at the possibility of such a concept even existing.

“Woah…!” the two fillies awed in unison.

“Unfortunately… many of us simply aren’t sure what brought about magic on this world. We had our theories, our ideas, but no one had known for sure. And soon enough we were able to discover that magic was slowly killing us, thus bringing us to near extinction in only a couple hundred years.”

“So, you went under the desert to stay away from magic?” Diamond asked, putting the pieces together.

“Yes. There were other bands of humans scattered around the planet, other groups of survivors in low-magic areas, but the group I’m from is the last to exist.” I stopped and took another couple bites of my food, letting them all think about what I just gave them.

“But why are you all gone now?” Jury asked. “You say you are last one left, but you say you could survive under desert. Did you run out of supplies?”

“No, no we were entirely self-sufficient – we grew and ate our own food, and we got water from underground and other sources. I was part of a group of almost ten thousand humans when I was born. But… our numbers weren’t dwindling just because of the magic… we had counteracted our losses with our gains. For every person that died, one was born, and we were even beginning to beat back the decline until…”

I paused for a few moments, trying to build up tension. I felt a little bad just then as I contemplated having to lie to them, but making my story sound more dramatic would help me in getting the assistance I needed.

“…I’m not the last one because of magic killing us off,” I began again, putting on a mask of determination. “I’m the last one because the remaining humans were hunted down and murdered.”

They all gasped simultaneously, even the fillies whom I thought probably wouldn’t know what murder was.

“But, who or what would want to do that?” Jury asked, visibly upset.

“A very large, very special scorpion,” I said, opening up my right chest pocket in my ACU jacket. I pulled out my phone, a Samsung Stratosphere with a couple cracks across the screen, and set it on the table face up, and they all leaned in to look at it. “This is a piece of human technology, a device that allows us to store anything from books, music, pictures, and even memories and revisit them later.”

I demonstrated this by pressing the button on the side and moving my finger over the display to unlock it. The all watched, transfixed as I opened up my files folder and went to my pictures gallery. I didn’t sit on anything for more than a moment, since I already knew what I was searching for.

I came upon the picture I was looking for and enlarged it to full screen for them all to see. “His name is Cryxalis… but he claims himself to be the lord of the desert, The Sand King.”

My phone displayed a picture of the Dota 2 hero Sand King, his claw extended towards the screen as if in mid-strike as his mouth was open in a battle cry. I kept the picture in my phone to occasionally show to my army buddies when I tried to explain the game I liked to play a lot. Sand King was my second favorite hero in the Dota 2 video game, and being a fan of crossover fics, I liked to think what would happen if he came into the pony universe. Although I knew the Sand King didn’t exist in their world, they didn’t know that, and his ferocious looking picture would only serve to support my story.

“Woah…” Emerald looked like she wanted to touch the picture, but was afraid that it would actually leap out to get her. “This is a picture of it?”

“Yes it is,” I replied.

“How big is it?” Ruby asked.

“It’s a bit bigger than this house, actually,” I told them, and they seemed more horrified by the prospect of the Sand King being of that size.

“But why would it want to do such horrible things?” Diamond asked, still staring at the picture.

“It found humans as an abomination to nature. It saw how magic was poisonous to us, and it was itself born out of the magic that flowed through the desert. Because he thought that magic was completely natural, and such a natural force was harmful to us, he saw us as unnatural and completely undesirable, a weed on this planet that needed to wither and die.”

“So he decided to go and commit genocide…” Jury crossed his fore hooves, his voice low and grave. “I can’t believe a creature of any type would even do this.”

“Yes… and it took him a while, a little over a hundred years since he first showed up, but he’s finally succeeded.” I sighed at that, leaning back in my chair. “The Sand King’s won, I’m all that’s left…”

“He hasn’t won yet,” I lifted my head up to look at Jury, and he was smirking at me with confidence. “You’re still left, and you’ve got a story to share with the world. You got a story to tell in Canterlot, and we’re going to do whatever we can to help.”

“That’s right,” Diamond joined, leaning towards me. “Whatever you need, we’ll be right here for you. We may not have known you for very long, but a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

“How did you get away?” I heard one of the fillies asked, and I looked over to see Ruby staring up at me. “I mean, why did you make it, but nopony else?”

“I… I’m really not sure, in all honesty,” I told her, then looked back towards the rest of the table. “When we were down to our last hundred or so guys, we knew we had to make our existence known to the world. We set out on a mission to travel through Equestria and get to Canterlot so that we could tell the history of the Human Race. We all mobilized to get this done, even though the journey into this land would kill us… but he attacked us before we even got to the surface.”

I took the time to drink a bit of water from the glass next to my plate, ridding the dryness that had been building in throat. As I did this I notice the family exchange glances, and even Diamond and Jury whisper something between each other. After I finished drinking I resumed my story, and their attention was instantly back on me.

“We thought that if we got out of the desert fast enough, we would be able to escape him. Some of us got out of the tunnels using our machines, these big armored boxes of metal that moved on wheels, and went as fast as we could to get out. But true to his word, Cryxalis really is lord of the sand, and he was much faster than us, especially on the desert surface. He chased all of our armored machines down one by one, cracked them open, and killed us without mercy. I was in the last vehicle left, and when he got to us, we did all we could to defeat him so we could get out, but…”

“How would you defeat such a horrible monster?” Jury asked, staring back at the picture on my phone. “It seems very… well armored.”

“Heh, well, ya see we human’s may not have magic, but what we do have is technology, and that device is a testament to that,” I told them, before I reached down and put a hand on my M4. “And what I have here is a piece of our own technology that we used to fight back,” and with that I hefted my rifle up and onto my lap, turning it for them all to see.

They all turned their heads and leaned their bodies side to side, taking in as much of the strange device in my hands as they could. It must have all looked so complex to them, and I could hear the fillies going “ooh” and “aah” at it. They had no idea how it worked though, and the next thing I heard confirmed that.

“What is it, and what’s it do?” Ruby asked, reaching up to poke it with her hoof due to her proximity.

“This,” I patted my rifle as I shifted my voice to a more Texan accent, “is a gun. Now, I ain’t gonna sugar coat this at all, this is a very dangerous tool, and no one should ever touch it unless they know exactly what they’re doing.”

I saw Ruby’s hoof immediately retract at this, and the others in her family gave her a brief worried look before I continued.

“This is a Bushmaster M4A2 tactical assault Carbine; it fires 5.56mm NATO rounds from a magazine typically holding a maximum of 30 rounds. It is a selective fire, gas powered firearm that is the standard issue for all US military personnel.”

Aaaand they’re lost, I smirked internally, looking at them all as they tried to wrap their minds around what I just said. I said it all with speed and a little bit of slur, so I knew I would need to condense it all into what I just said.

“Lemme put that all in simpler terms,” I chuckled a little as I stood up, holding my weapon out in front of me. “This is a personal defense weapon… it’s a weapon, a device created to cause harm to another. It is very dangerous, and it is designed to injure and-or kill a target. You MUST show great respect when handling this device, as improper use could lead to injury or death to you or those around you. It is a machine, it is cold, hardened steel, and it does not care about your or your loved ones. It will do whatever it is made to do, and that’s it.”

Everything I just said was complete fact, and didn’t need to be meshed with false tales or twisted words. The rifle in my possession was a killing machine, and they needed to know it. God forbid one of the fillies just messed with it out of curiosity, and then the unthinkable happened all because I hadn’t informed them of the dangers.

“But…” I saw Jury’s mouth work as he tried to find a way to say what he wanted, and he eventually found it. “But I see neither blade nor bludgeon, unless that fat part on the side is-“

“It’s not your traditional weapon,” I interrupted him. “Well, it’s traditional for humans, but certainly not ponies. And that’s the backside you’re referring to, the relatively safer side of the weapon,” He seemed taken aback at that. “This device is not meant to physically come in contact with the target, it fires a projectile to do that job instead.”

I unloaded the magazine and turned it over in my hand, letting them all see the individual bullets inside. “These are called bullets, the gun’s ammunition.” I pulled out a round and set the magazine down, showing off the singular round before them. “This little bullet has 3 parts, the primer, the shell, and the slug,” I pointed to each as I listed them off. “The weapon works when I pull the trigger, which makes a little pin inside strikes the primer, which ignites blast powder inside the shell. This explosive force separates the slug from the casing, and propels it down the barrel of the weapon and out towards whatever the gun is pointing at.”

I place the round back into the magazine, and then the magazine into the weapon, making sure not to charge a round into the chamber. I then turned towards Jury, noticing him taking a sort of critical look at my rifle, like seeing it in a new sort of light. This was fully justified, as the thing the creature he never heard of before just waltzed in with a machine meant to end lives.

“Jury Rig, how familiar are you with kinetic energy and speed-to-mass formulas?”

“Huh? Oh, well uh, I used to work engineering, so I know a lot about the force of moving object, but…”

“Imagine this then, a small, dense metal object like the lead slug of a bullet, moving in a straight line at speeds faster than the speed of sound.”

Whether he was able to wrap his head around it or not, he didn’t show it. He just stared at my weapon with unerring focus, and I assumed he was deciding if he wanted me to do anything special with it or not, like get rid of it or something. I could tell I had long since lost the fillies a while ago in my explanation, but the wife seemed to catch the gist of it. She looked like she was suddenly starting to regret allowing me in here, if I was reading her right. She definitely seemed conflicted about her thoughts.

“So, uh, you used that weapon to… try to stop that Sand King only, right?” She asked unsteadily.

I looked at her right in the eyes and put on the most serious face I could muster, which considering my playful history, was difficult to do. “Diamond, you have my word as another living being, and a swear on the memory of my entire race, that I would never use this weapon against another innocent.” I leaned back a bit, my features relaxing before I continued. “And yes, we used this and weapons like this against Cryxalis. They were the only things that could pierce his tough exoskeleton.”

“But why do you still carry it around then?” She asked. “Why not just get rid of it?”

“Well, two reasons… one, I don’t know if I may ever come against the Sand King ever again, and just in case I do, I want to be prepared. Second, this technology is far too dangerous for ponies, or any race to wield right now… I would rather I keep hold of it, and not let it fall into the wrong hands, or uh, hooves in this case.”

“But you’re no long in the desert, Streak,” Jury reasoned, “You can get rid of it now that you’ve escaped the Sand King!”

“I wish you were right, Jury, I really do, but I have reason to believe that the Sand King is able to travel beyond the desert.” They all looked shocked at this, and I continued before another interruption. “I also need to find out how to destroy him, lest he turn his sights on eradicating another race for whatever reason he may come up with. But that is for after I get to Canterlot… which is currently my top priority.”

I let them digest my words for a bit as I turned back to the food on my plate, deciding to take a few more bites. The two kids had already continued eating, and the parents were both exchanging glances and whispering to each other.

It was after a while that Jury spoke up again, “Wait, you said that you lived under desert to escape magic, but… you are here now, and there is magic all over, ambient magic. Does that mean that you are…?”

I sighed and lowered my head, nodding solemnly. “Yes, as soon as I entered this village, my life had shortened considerably. And at this rate, I fear I may only have a few months to live.”

That got them all to pause again. They looked at me like I was going to drop dead right then and there, though I knew that I hopefully wouldn’t die until I reached a very old age. In reality, for all I really knew I could actually be really dying as I was talking about it, and I didn’t know, simply because humans really haven’t ever dealt with magic. I had thought about that notion for just a moment, but dismissed it on the premise of “this is the world of a kid’s show, nothing bad is going to happen.”

Nothing bad could ever happen to me, I was perfectly fine in the world of Equestria. I would always be ok.