Elementary, my dear Twilight

The six mares all stared, stunned that Will was now awake.

He flashed a warm smile of amusement.  They look so silly like that, he thought.

"Why hello there."  He said while getting up into a sitting position on the sofa.

Twilight visibly gulped, then opened her mouth to say something, when--

"Hitheremyname'sPinkiePiewhat'syournameI'llbetyournameissuperdupercoolright?"

Will blinked in surprise at Pinkie suddenly appearing with her muzzle literally inches from his face, smiling extremely enthusiastically.

The two looked at each other silently.  Applejack stepped forward.

"Ah'm sorry sugarcube.  Pinkie can get a little crazy when she meets somepony new here in town."

Will turned to look at her, then smiled again.

"Oh, it's alright.  Believe it or not, I know some friends of mine who, in their own way, act kind of like her."  " And to answer your question, Pinkie." He continued.  "I go by a lot of names, though you all can call me Will."  He didn't know where that all came from, but it just rolled off his tongue like he'd said it hundreds of times.

"Don't tell you just UNDERSTOOD that?" Applejack said in shock.

Will grinned, this time mischievously.  "Yep.  I've got a certain Rap God to thank for that."

"Rap God?  Who's that?"  She asked.

"Never mind.  What are your names?" He asked.  "I've given you mine, seems only fair for you to return the favor."

He already knew their names, along with their connection with the Elements of Harmony and where he was, but he didn't want to unsettle them further.

"I guess so.  My name's Twilight Sparkle."  Twilight said first.

"Ah'm Applejack, nice to meet ya." Applejack chimed in.

"Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria."

"Rarity, a pleasure to meet you darling."

Fluttershy, who had hidden behind a potted plant, poked her head and whispered her name almost too softly for Andrew to hear: "Hi there.  I-I'm F-F-Fluttersh-shy."

"It's nice to meet you all."  Will said.  "I have a few questions pertaining to me being in...wherever I am, starting with HOW I got here."

Twilight unsurprisingly answered.  "Well, I can't explain exactly how you got here, but I DO know that you came from the metal tablet."

"What tablet?"  He asked.

She pointed a hoof at a metal block in the shape of a rectangular prism that was leaning on the wall within arm's reach.  He started to reach out, then stopped himself.  "May I?"  Twilight nodded.  "Sure, go ahead."

Will grasped the cool metal, then brought it to his lap and examined it like a jeweler would with a newly-cut gemstone.

He ran his finger over the strange symbols on one of the sides, pondering on what it said.  The runes, he couldn't recognize, but the punctuation were, startlingly, identical to English writing.  There was a strange stir in the back of Andrew's mind, like it was struggling to access a very faint memory stuffed into a dark corner.

"These symbols..." He said softly.  "They look...familiar."

"Really?!  That's great!" Twilight exclaimed.  "Maybe what it says will offer a clue as to how it got here!"

Will didn't respond.  Instead, he concentrated on trying to recall what his brain was attempting to dig back up, then it flared into life so he could see with his inner eye.  It was a picture of an alphabet translation.  26 letters.  26 matching runes.

Will's eyes widened.  Now he could read this tablet's inscription.

"I've got it!  I remember the translation!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?  Read it!" Rainbow Dash said impatiently.

Will glared at the cyan-blue pegasus.  "Hey, I just said that I remember the translation.  I just never thought I'd actually need it."

He looked back at the carved runes and slowly, painfully, he mentally translated the message, letter by letter.

Finally, Andrew straightened back up in his seat and let out a giant sigh of relief.  His head was aching from of that concentration, but he managed to remember the translated inscription.  As each word was revealed, his pupils shrunk smaller and smaller until they were but mere pinpricks.  His breath picked up until Andrew sounded like he'd just come face-to-face with his absolute worst nightmare.

Rarity noticed this, and inquired, "Is something the matter, dear?"

Will flinched at her voice, then bowed his head and took a deep breath.  He managed to calm himself enough to speak.

"Are you sure want me to tell you all what this tablet says?" Will asked in a deceptively calm voice.

The six mares present were a little uncomfortable; Will's tone just screamed that something was wrong.

"I-I guess so..." Applejack replied.

Will sighed loudly again, then said: "The tablet says:

The mother of all wars draws near,

Two after-lives' battles will be resonated for all to hear.

Both races fight to gain possession,

Of Invincible Sun, the ultimate weapon.

But when all hope has died,

And the darkness is in all's sights.

A new light will emerge to eradicate it,

and the darkness's grave, it will forever be locked into it.

The Reclaimer, peace he will instill.

The multi-verse turns to the power of will."

Everypony stared at Will in shock.  "T-That was a...prophecy?"  Twilight asked in disbelief.

Will nodded somberly without looking up.  "Yes...and it's talking about me."

"How could some piece of gray metal hundreds of thousands of years old talk about YOU?" Twilight asked, confused.  There wasn't any mention of Will or his name anywhere.

"Think about the last line: "The multi-verse turns to the power of will.  This tablet is obviously not talking about willpower, so what else would it mean?"

"But what about that other line, the one that says 'Reclaimer,'? "  Rarity asked.  "Surely it..."

"The term 'Reclaimer' refers to a human from a much more ancient species, called the Forerunners." Will interrupted.

"The Forerunners were fighting a war that spanned many millennia against a parasitic, sentient race known only as the Flood." He explained to the thunderstruck ponies.  "When the former realized that they couldn't win, they sacrificed themselves in order to kill the Flood and protect the other species the Forerunners swore to protect."

"But before they did so, they chose another race to inherit their technology and take their place as upholders of the Mantle of Responsibility, the very basis of Forerunner culture where they believed it their duty to protect all other races in the galaxy.  And that race was none other than humanity."

There was a soft thump, Will finally raised his gaze back onto the ponies.  Their expressions of utter shock weren't surprising to the teen at all.

Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack stared at him with open mouths and needle head-sized pupils.  Pinkie's mane and tail had completely deflated, and her gaze was one of sorrow.  Fluttershy was back behind the plant, sobbing quietly.  Rarity had actually fainted and was lying on her side on the floor, eyes rolled upwards and breathing quietly.

Will sighed.  He figured she might've done something like that.  He tried to stand up, but barely moved an inch when his head bumped against the ceiling.  He grunted, then shrugged off the stinging, and walked to Rarity while stooping to avoid hitting his head again.  He daintily picked her up and put her back on her hooves.  He kept his grip on her in case her legs wouldn't hold her weight.

Will put a hand underneath Rarity's slender stomach, then moved his now-free hand in front of her muzzle and snapped his fingers.  Her eyelids fluttered open and she groaned.

"Wha...what happened?" She asked weakly.  "You fainted.  You better now?"  Will replied.  She nodded.  "I'm fine, thanks darling."

"No problem."  Will crouch-walked his way back to the sofa, then sat back down heavily.  He closed his eyes and racked his brain for something to distract himself from what he'd just discovered.  He decided on some music.  Another thing that made Will unusual at school was his habit to start singing and dancing spontaneously to a tune that no one but him could hear.

He liked music.  It was one of the few, foolproof ways that always picked him right back up.  Will started humming a piano.  Soon, he started singing softly in French, keeping the beat with his fists in tempo with his voice.  The mares were shaken out of their daze, only to be put into another one when he started singing.  They continued staring at the human teenager, though this time in awe.  Will didn't notice, as he had his eyes closed the entire time and concentrating on singing.  Finally, he finished the song and opened his eyes and was caught by surprise with their looks.

"What?  What's wrong?"  He asked.  "...What did you just sing?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, that?  That was 'Papaoutai,' by Stromae." Will answered proudly.

"What language was that?  I've never heard anything like it." Rarity inquired.  Will noticed something flash underneath the amazement in her eyes.  He couldn't quite place it.  Longing, maybe?  Whatever it was, it made him feel uncomfortably warm inside for a split second.  He pushed those thoughts away and focused on the snow-white unicorn's question.

"It's French.  Judging from your faces, I don't think you've ever heard anypony speak it before, correct?"

"You're right in that, sugahcube.  It's just it sounds so...nice." Applejack added in wistfully.

"Makes sense.  In the world where I'm from, many call it the language of love because it's sounds so...well, good." Will said.

"Speaking of which, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your world?" Twilight asked eagerly.  She used her magic to levitate a quill, ink, and a pad of paper off a table and brought them in front of her, ready to write down notes.  Will internally battened down the hatches; He knew that this would take a VERY long time.

"Oh boy.  I think I'll leave now.  See ya later, Will."  Rainbow said quickly.  She flapped her wings and flew out an open window near the ceiling.  "Ah think ah'll go too.  Gotta help Big Mac buck the apple trees." AJ said.

"Same here.  That order Fancypants sent me is going to require quite a lot of jewels, and I can't waste any time."  said Rarity.  "Though I can't do it alone..."  She looked around the living room, confused.

"Where's Spikey?  I haven't seem him since Will woke up."  "Up here, Rarity!"  Spike called from upstairs.  His voice was a little shaky.  Probably still frightened of me. Poor dragon. Will thought.  Rarity sighed.  "I'll get him."

She trotted up the wooden steps.  Fluttershy, for the second time this entire conversation, spoke up: "I-I'll go too.  Need t-t go check on my a-a-animals." The butterscotch-yellow mare stuttered.  She quietly plodded out the front door.  Pinkie was next.  Thankfully, the pink pony was back to her normal, bubbly self.

"Bye Will!  I've gotta go set up my super-duperly amazing party for you!"  With that, she bounced after Fluttershy to...wherever she was headed off to.

Not ten seconds later, a flash of light from somewhere on the upper floor told Twilight and Will that Rarity and Spike had left to go gem-collecting.  Finally, the former turned back to the latter.  "Wanna get started?"  "Ready when you are."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was late afternoon and the sun was just brushing against the horizon, and Twilight was still on a roll with Will.  Not that he minded; Will loved to answer questions.

"So, let me get this straight.  With all of your world's fantastic advancements, you're still only a Type 0 civilization?!"

"Well, that's how some scientists have classified it, in terms of energy." Will confirmed.

"Well, what's the requirements for the other levels?"  "Well," Will said.  "For a Type I civilization to form, its inhabitants must be able to utilize every last bit of energy their home planet can offer.  A Type II civilization utilizes the full energy provided by their home star.  Finally, a Type III uses all of the energy throughout their entire galaxy."

Twilight stared at Will, confused about the circumstances around a Type III civilization.  More specifically...

"What's a galaxy?"

Will stopped dead, mentally berating himself.  These ponies haven't even THOUGHT of building a flying machine.  OF COURSE she wouldn't know what a galaxy is.

"Well, galaxy is--"

His explanation was cut off when the door burst open.  In rushed Applejack.  She was panting quite heavily, and there were many cuts and slashes now adorning her body.

Both Twilight and Will stared in shock at Applejack.  The orange farm pony then managed to pant out, "Rarity and...Spike...They've been...kidnapped...Diamond Dogs..."

With that, she passed out.  Human eyes met pony's, and the duo rushed to AJ's side.  Will did a quick look over her condition.  He grimaced; these were pretty deep cuts.  They looked like they were made by claws.  This was another trait about him that made him an oddity back home: Will knew exactly how someone got hurt and what tool was used just by looking at the wounds.

Will took a deep breath.  Time to put his newfound power to an actual test.  He stilled the raging thoughts in his mind, then concentrated on an image of a small, silvery cube.  He held out his hand, and the air above it rippled and coalesced into the cube.  He caught it, then pressed his thumb into a depression built into one of the sides, then threw it out of the open door.

The cube bounced to a halt, then exploded with a large cloud shielding it.  When it disappeared, a large, white surgery room stood in its place.  Other ponies across Ponyville turned and stared at Will and the gigantic room that now stood right in front of Golden Oaks Library.  Will paid their gazes no heed, gingerly picking up Applejack and carrying her to the door.  The holographic keypad next to it whirred to life, and a cool female voice said, "Please verbally state the nature of your injury."

Will wasted no time; "Computer, activate the emergency protocol Alpha-Zulu-Sierra-482-6.0."  The words all rolled off his tongue without pause, though he'd never said that before.  The keypad turned from green to red and "ALERT" flashed on the screen.  The door flew open, and Will raced inside.

Twilight stood at her doorway, staring in awe at what Will had just conjured.  But when the door opened, she blinked and shook herself out of her daze.  She managed to race in before it closed on its own.  Within the room, she gasped.

Multitudes of robotic arms, gadgets, computer monitors, and a plethora of other high-tech machines were displayed in front of eyes.  A pure-white table, not unlike those at Ponyville's General Hospital, sat in the center.  Applejack was lying on it, breathing through a mask placed on her muzzle.  All around her, machines worked swiftly and efficiently to fix her up.  One arm moved over a particularly nasty slice and sprayed a yellowish, foamy substance over it.  The substance immediately turned green and hardened.  Twilight could swear she heard Applejack let out a muffled moan of relief.  "What is that?" she asked to nopony.

She definitely didn't expect a response.

"Biofoam.  It nullifies the pain a wound causes and seals it up, accelerating the healing process by about 3x."

She jumped, then turned to Will's voice that emanated off to her left.  The first thing she noted was that she didn't remember the room being this big from the outside.  But the massive figure that she beheld almost made her scream in fear.

Will was clad entirely in olive-green armor.  It somehow added an entire foot to his his height and the suit all and a futuristic look to it, with a black mesh-like material exposed at his joints from between the metal plates.  His face was hidden behind a gold-orange visor

that was completely opaque... well, that's how it looked from Twilight's point of view.  To top it off, on Will's back a massive, iridescent-blue mega-sword was strapped to his back.

"W-Will?"  She said weakly.  Her legs were beginning to tremble in fear.  The hulking figure nodded.  "Yeah.  Sorry that this scares you.  This is just so those Diamond Dogs who kidnapped Rarity and Spike won't recognize me without this armor on.  Pretty much a decoy."

Will walked past Twilight, his footsteps disturbingly quiet despite his armor obviously being metal.  A rack with an assortment of smaller contraptions slid out from the wall.  He grabbed three weird, oval-shape things with a small wire circle attached to the top, an extremely long rod-like object with a cylinder attached to its top, a smaller one without a cylinder, and some other doohickeys Twilight didn't recognize.

Will grabbed a duffel bag from the rack, then gestured for it to retract.  He pressed a button on the longer rod, and compacted into a smaller version of its previous shape.  He put it and everything else he grabbed from the rack into the duffel.  Then Will walked briskly to a pedestal that stood a ways off.  He stepped onto it, and the ceiling over it split into eight triangular pieces and slid away, revealing a straight path back outside.  The human looked up through it, then back at Twilight.

"Twi, keep an eye on Applejack for me, will you?  She should have enough strength to be able to talk soon.  Once she wakes up, ask her to tell you everything she knows.  You'll relay it to me."

"Wait, how do I do that?"  Twilight asked.  She knew Will was going to rescue Rarity and Spike, but she couldn't exactly send letters to him.  "With this." he answered as he produced a tiny object from his duffel bag.  He walked back to Twilight and clipped it to her left ear.  Immediately, a microphone sprouted from it and grew until was right in front of her mouth.  "This is a comlink.  It'll allow you to talk to me within a 1,000-mile radius with no lag time at all.  Just talk in that microphone in front of your mouth, and I'll hear you."

"Got it."

"Good.  I need to hurry now."  With that, he hopped back onto the pedestal and slung his duffel bag over his shoulder.  "See you soon."

There was a deafening roar, and Twilight was thrown backwards onto her back as flames shot out of unseen thrusters on his back, legs, and feet.  Will rose slowly at first, then with ever-greater speed as he rode those columns of blue fires through the hole and shot back outside.  He tilted his body, and turned until he was headed to Everfree Forest.  He knew that the Diamond Dogs would most likely take Rarity and Spike to the one place they'd know nopony would ever follow them...

...Or so they thought.

Will raced to the forest, powered by unfathomable anger.  Back home, he had gained quite a reputation for being extremely protective of anyone or anything that threatened anything he held dear.  That was the reason he stood out like a sore thumb at school.  It was the reason he snapped and lashed out at Solomon and his thugs.  And it was the reason Will was flying to the Diamond Dogs' lair, wherever it was, in the Everfree like a teacher on their way to punish some rebellious students.  He cracked a smile behind his visor at the thought.

It's time for your first lesson, you mangy assholes.