The King Returnsby Dusty_RoadsChaptersThe New ArrivalFirst ImpressionsStuff 'N ThangsThe New Arrival"Dear Twilight Sparkle, My Most Faithful Student, I would like you and your friends to come to Canterlot as soon as you receive this letter. I will send one of the Royal chariots to get you. We will soon have a new visitor here in Equestria! Now, please keep in mind that he is not a pony, but I have observed him throughout the course of his life, and he does have feelings. Very.... strong feelings. He may be different, but please remember: sometimes it is great to be different. I hope to see you and your friends here soon. Princess Celestia" I was very satisfied with the letter to Twilight. I did have to read it over, as to correct any mistakes. I know how she is about grammar. When I was satisfied with what I had written, I sent the letter, and turned back to my tea. I was quite surprised that Anthony's death had come as soon as it did. I hate that he had to come here under such horrible circumstances. I wish there was a way that I could have brought him here alive, but all I could do was wait for his time to come. It came sooner than I would have wanted, but all that matters is that he is here, and away from that forsaken place. As I took a few sips of my tea, I began to wonder how Anthony would react to all of this. He could be calm and collected one moment, then he could become very angry if somepony messed with something he felt passionate about. Judging by the way he has acted throughout his life, I was confident he would become close friends with Twilight and her friends, it might have taken him a while with Rainbow Dash though. I also knew that he wouldn't blatantly get into fights, if he did, it would be for a good reason. Anthony certainly wouldn't hurt somepony just for fun. Well, maybe if he was drunk. My thoughts were interrupted by the throne room doors opening. My old friend, Lord Death entered, and right behind him was Anthony, looking around the room with a look of amazement on his face. He was 5 foot 7 inches tall, more or less, he was wearing a black pair of boots that resembled something that a stallion would wear in Appleloosa or Dodge Junction, a pair of "blue jeans" as he often called them, a dull green military jacket, most likely from the "Vietnam" era of his world - before I told Lord Death to watch for Anthony's death, I studied his species past and the way they lived - with a plain white shirt underneath. He had a mustache and a goatee that curled under his chin, but he kept the rest of it shaved to a neat stubble. His hair was dark brown, as were his eyes. Even though right now he is just a soul, any Alicorn would be able to see him. He also wore a hat that was similar to Applejack's hat, with the exception that it was a stained yellow color with a burned brown trim, and it was a slightly different shape. He was still looking at the banners hanging in the throne room when he accidentally backed into me. He turned around and looked up at me with widened eyes. He was only a few inches shorter than me. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean to bump into ya." he said with a sheepish smile. Before I could say anything, he walked to my right and started looking at me curiously. He walked all the way around me, then spoke again when he was in front of me again. "You mus' be Princess Celestia, judgin' by that tattoo on yer rear end." "That is correct, Mr. Davis. Or would you prefer, Mudd, I think it was?" With that, Anthony took his hat off, knelt down to one knee, and bowed his head. His shoulder-length hair naturally grew towards the back of his head, much like the "Rick Grimes" character he watches. "Yew can call me anythin' you want to, yer highness." "You may stand, Mudd." He then stood back up and put his hat back on. "And I believe that the 'tattoo' you were referring to is my Cutie Mark. It represents my special talent, I raise and lower the Sun. My sister, Princess Luna, her Cutie Mark is that of a crescent Moon." I explained to him. He nodded in understanding. I could tell he could be a stallion of few words when he wanted to be. "Her special talent is that she raises and lowers the moon. Together, we rule Equestria." "Fair and sovereign rulers, Ah hope." he chuckled softly, and even I giggled a little before I realized it. "Very much so." "So, yew raise and lower the sun?" Anthony asked as he looked out through the window, looking at the sun and squinting his eyes. "That is correct." I said. He smiled softly and looked back to me. "Yew know, back from where Ah'm from, we had a sayin'." "Is that so?" I asked. "What might this saying be?" He looked back out the window a moment. "They say that the reason you'll go blind from lookin' at the sun to long is 'cause it's so beautiful." He turned back to me with a grin and said, "That's also why Ah ain't looked at ya fer too long." "My, rather confident, are we?" I asked, I was quite stunned by his compliment. He still swears to this day that my cheeks were as red as an apple. Even though I knew he was joking, it still caught me off-guard. "Ah'm just the type of man that speaks whats on his mind, is all. Well then, back to business. Ah understand that yew invited me to yer world ta give me a second chance. Words cain't describe how grateful Ah am." "It is quite alright, Mudd. I brought you here because I saw the Six Elements of Harmony within you and your everyday actions. This is why I wanted you to come here. That, and because I saw your home world. It was a terrible place, if I may say so." He smiled a little and said, "Yeah, my world has some good in it, but it was still sinful and corrupt. It ain't a place Ah would want ta start a family." His smile faded the moment he said that. "Not that Ah can now." "I believe I might be of help with that 'Tia." My dear sister said through our mental connection. She walked past me and spoke to Anthony. "Hello, human. I am the Princess of the Night, Luna. What is your name?" She spoke in a softer tone than I expected her to. "Mah name's Anthony Davis, but most jus' call me Mudd. Oh, Ah mean, uh..." he said frantically as he took his hat off and kneeled. My sister giggled at him, a giggle that I had not heard in a long time. One that she shared with only one pony, from a very long time ago. "Please Mudd, stand. When Twilight Sparkle gets here, please tell her that I will be in contact with her tonight." "Yes Ma'am." "My, such manners. It amazes me that a heart as pure as your own could come from a place like your world." Luna said, trying her best to compliment him. He smiled, "Well yer Highness, some of us were jus' raised right." then he let out a troubled sigh. "But Ah'm gonna tell ya right now, Ah'm far from being a good man. There's things Ah've done that would make even Cerberus whimper if he saw me." "How do you know of Cerberus?" I asked the young human. he turned to me with a confused look on his face. "Cerberus is a three headed dog that guards the gates of hell, so the souls of the damned ain't able to escape, or somethin' like that." he said. "Why?" "Maybe in your world, but here, Cerberus guards the gates of Tartarus, where anypony of evil is imprisoned. But, let us get to a more joyful topic. Mudd, are you ready to breath again?" I asked him. "Ah'm ready when ya'll two's ready, Ah guess. Wait a minute, Tartarus? Ah've heard that name before. Yeah, In Greek Mythology Class. Seems our worlds hold some similarities." "Indeed. Now, hold still." I said as Luna and I enveloped him in our magic and proceeded to grant him life once more. It took about an hour to do it, but we were able to bring him back to a physical state of living. It also took quite a bit of magic, leaving Luna and I a bit exhausted. Luna, Anthony, and I casually talked for a good fifteen minutes before the throne room doors opened again. This time though, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie walked in. "Good morning Twilight. Was the trip here comfortable enough?" I asked happily. "Of course Princess!" She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Anthony. "Is this the stallion we are here to meet?" she asked. "Yes, that's right-" I was interrupted by something touching my left shoulder. When I looked, I saw Anthony's hand there. His hand was shaking, ever so slightly. "-Is there something wrong, Mudd?" I whispered to him. "Ah didn't, uh, think that Ah was gonna be meetin' so many peop- uh, ponies at one time, is all." he whispered back. I could see now that he had a shy side when meeting new ponies. Though he was very good at hiding his shyness when he met Luna and myself. But now, it was making itself known. It also seems that when he might be in a state of nervousness, he uses physical contact as a way to let himself know that he doesn't have to face it alone. "If you would like, you can meet them one at a time. And if it helps, you can keep your hand on my shoulder." I reassured him. He withdrew his hand slightly when I said that, like he didn't even know that it was there. But he quickly put it back when he looked at the others. He simply nodded to me, then I gestured for the girls to follow us to a small meeting room. First ImpressionsI opened the doors to the throne room to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. When they heard the doors open, they turned and smiled. "Good morning Twilight. Was the trip here comfortable enough?" Celestia said, smiling. "Of course Princess!" I said, before almost tripping over my hooves. There, standing next to Celestia, was a figure I've never seen before. "Is this the stallion we are here to meet?" I asked. "Yes, that's right-" She stopped talking when he put one of his hands - which I thought at the time were claws - on her shoulder. Why is he touching the Princess like that? And why is she letting him? She looked at him, worry evident in her eyes, and whispered something to him. He looked back at her after he pulled his hat down lower to hide his face and whispered something back to her. He seemed worried about something. Celestia then whispered something back, and all he did was nod his head. She then got up from her throne and gestured for us to follow. We followed her down a few hallways, far enough back so that Celestia and this strange new stallion could have their own conversation. While we were walking, Rainbow dash trotted up next to me. "So Twi, what do you think about this stallion? He looks pretty dangerous, if you ask me." she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Rainbow, if he was dangerous, I highly doubt that Princess Celestia would have let him visit Equestria. Don't you think so?" I asked in annoyance. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm gonna keep my eye on him, just to make sure." she said, never letting her eyes off of him. I just shook my head and continued following the Princess. We turned left and stopped in front of a door leading to a small conference room. "Twilight, will you please follow Mudd and I into the conference room?" she leaned in closer and whispered, "He is a little shy, so everypony will meet him one at a time." "That is fine with me, Princess." I said. I understood that everypony gets shy sometimes. She smiled, "The rest of you may wait out here for your turn to introduce yourselves." The Princess, 'Mudd', and I then walked into the conference room. He still had his hand on her shoulder. "Twilight, allow me to introduce you to a very good friend of mine," the Princess said, "this is Anthony Davis. He is not from this world, if you haven't noticed already. Anthony, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle." When she finished speaking, Anthony started to remove his hat, but Princess Celestia stopped him. "She doesn't like it when ponies bow to her." she said in a hushed voice. I was about to ask how he came from another world when Anthony spoke. He would have been an excellent lead bass for a quartet. "Well Miss Twilight, it's nice to meet ya. Like Princess Celestia said, mah name's Anthony, but most jus' called me Mudd. Before Ah came here, Ah lived with mah Dad in a small town called Abbs Valley, Virginia, in the country of The United States of America." but the way he pronounced it, it sounded more like 'Murica', due to his accent. "We lived on a small parcel of land, just me, mah Dad, our huntin' dogs, some chickens, and my horse, Clementine. An' before you ask, no, horses and ponies on my world weren't sapient. Humans were the only being's that was able to think right. We were also the only things that could talk." Then Princess Celestia added, "Humans would use them for transportation and other purposes." "That's right. Anyway, when mah high school, Pocahontas High School, got shut down; Ah transferred over to Graham High School in the next town over. Ah was there for a couple of days, mostly jus' keepin' to mahself. After about a week of being there, this guy comes up to me; Mattias Crawford was his name. He tried to take my jacket, but I clocked him in the jaw. A few days later, he hired three guys to, uh..." he looked up to Princess Celestia, who nodded for him to continue. "Well, he hired 'em to kill me. An' they did a good job, too." WHAT?! They killed him? I was shocked. "How could sentient beings do that to you?! That's just... Wrong! Horribly wrong!" I shouted. "It ain't all that bad. Lord Death said that Princess Celestia had been watchin' over me, and that she wanted to bring me here, so here Ah am. Besides, at least Ah was able to get one of them before the other two got me." Well, at least he was able to see the bright side of things. However dark they may be. "Do you think you can tell me more about your world? What is it like?" I asked, curious to see if it was anything like Equestria. "Well, first off; there's all kinds of ecosystems all over the world. There's jungles, rainforests, deserts, oceans, an' places where it's so cold, you could make houses out of nothin' but ice. There's also places where there's lots of mountains, places where it ain't nothin' but plains as far as you could see. Then there's a place called The Grand Canyon, a big crack in the ground that covers somewhere around a thousand-an'-nine-hundred square miles. We got everything from big ol' cities; like Manhattan, New York, Las Vegas, an' Los Angeles, to small towns; like Abbs Valley where Ah'm from. Ah think that the name 'Los Angeles' is like, Spanish or somethin' for 'Lost Angels', but Ah don't know. Sure sounds purty, though." Those names sound way too familiar for him to be from another world. I had thought to myself. "There is no way in Equestria that you could possibly be from another world! The cities you just named strike a close resemblance to the names of cities and towns across Equestria!" I exclaimed, glaring at this so-called 'Mudd'. "You callin' me a liar?" he raised an eybrow, and his voice had risen abruptly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am! And here is the reason I say that." I teleported to my old room in the castle and searched my old desk until I found what I was looking for. I then teleported myself back to the room and spread out an old map of Equestria for him to see. He sat there just looking over the entire map for a few minutes, quietly muttering things to himself. The only clear thing I had heard was "Ah'll be damned, they even got the Liberty Bell on here". A few more minutes passed before he sighed heavily and looked up from the map. "Look, Ah ain't gonna argue with ya, it looks like our worlds share a few similarities; like with Tartarus. But Ah will tell you that if yer gonna call me a liar, then you might as well be callin' Princess Celestia a liar too. Like Ah said, she's been whatchin' over me mah whole life." "Well, I, um..." I took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "I'm sorry, Mudd. I might have forgotten that part." I admitted with a nervous smile. "Ah reckon it's fine. Ah forget things all the time. Mah friends used to say that the reason they always told me their secrets was because Ah usually forgot about it the next day. But, usually it was just 'cause their secrets was trivial pieces of information that, when ya thought about it, didn't really matter. Anyway, is there anythin' else yew'd like ta ask me?" "As a matter of fact, there is..." Stuff 'N ThangsDamn, Twilight asked a lot of questions that day. It took Princess Celestia five minutes to get her to stop so I could meet everypony else. She almost had a heart attack when I told her what my diet was. After Princess Celestia reassured her that I wouldn't hurt anypony, she seemed to calm down. That, or she had one Hell of a poker face. After I told her that meat provides nutrients that I need to survive, she said she understood. Celestia also told me that I could hunt something called a "Manticore". I didn't know what that was at the time, and I remember that I had wished I was able to hunt deer or squirrel, but beggars can't be choosers. After I met Twilight, I was introduced to Applejack, then Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and finally, Fluttershy. Yeah, the fact that we were both shy didn't help conversation at all. We finally found common ground though; we both love animals. Granted; some animals I love to hunt, but others I love because they're cool. She actually understood right off the bat about my diet. She didn't seem horrified about it at all. I guess it's where she takes care of all animals, at least a few are meat-eaters. After all of the introductions were over, Princess Celestia turned to me. "The ponies you just met are very special. They are the bearers of The Elements of Harmony. In the order you met them, they are; Magic, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Kindness. They keep Equestria safe from evil. There are a few reasons that I've invited you to live your life in Equestria. I have reason to believe that you are the Base Element." "What's the Base Element? And what makes ya think Ah got it?" "The Base Element is the element from which the Tree of Harmony was created. It is very elusive; it travels between worlds, finding a being on said world worthy enough to bear it. As for your second question; Alicorns and Unicorns alike are able to sense magic within a being or object. When you walked through those doors, I could sense a very powerful aura of magic around you." she said. The way she spoke was so comforting, like she was my mom. I never knew my real mom. She died in a car accident when I was two months old. "Ah guess so." I said, shrugging. "Alright Mudd, you will be staying here in the castle for two days, then you will go to Ponyville with Twilight and her friends. While you are here, we will work on getting you the things you need." "Well, if Ah'm gonna be huntin' for Manticores, then Ah'm gonna need mah huntin' rifle. Ah'm also gonna need ammo, and some knives to clean the meat." I said, scratching my chin. "Then let us find Luna. She will be able to help you retrieve these items. Perhaps then you can demonstrate to Luna and I what a 'hunting rifle' does." she said, obviously cautious of bringing human weapons to her world. "Fair 'nuff." I said with a smirk. "Fair warnin' though, it might get a bit loud." After a few minutes searching the castle, we found Luna. She was sitting in a room with some bookshelves and a fireplace, Celestia and Luna's private reading place, drinking tea. "Good evening Lu Lu. How's the tea?" Celestia said cheerfully. "It is quite nice, Tia. Hello again Mudd, would you like some tea as well?" "No thank ya, yer Highness. We was actually wonderin' if you could help me get some stuff 'n thangs Ah might need from mah world." "I think that can be arranged. Here, come sit." she said, motioning towards the other chair. I went over and sat down. It was pretty comfortable. "Now, just lay your head back and close your eyes." She charged up her horn and I did as I was told. As I closed my eyes, I could feel myself falling asleep from her magic. "Now, open your eyes." I did as she said and found myself back on Earth, standing in front of my house with the familiar woods surrounding us. "All you have to do is go inside and retrieve what you need. Then when you wake up, it will be with you." Luna said from beside me. "Alright then, Ah'll be right back." As I walked in, I looked to the right and saw my Dad playing on the I-Pad, probably talking to someone about a hunting dog. I made my way back to my room and looked around. I spotted my dresser opposite of my bed and pulled the first drawer open. There, I found Evelyn in all her glory. An M1911A1 Colt, identical to the ones used in WWII. On the left side of the slide, engraved in cursive, was her name; "Evelyn". I held her in my hands for a bit, admiring the craftsmanship of such a beautiful weapon. After about a minute, I loaded her up with a fresh mag and grabbed my holster; it's a right hand holster that sits horizontally at the small of my back. That way, Evelyn sits flat against the small of my back, with the grip pointed up. I affixed the holster to my belt and slid her into her new home. Perfect fit. I walked over to my gun cabinet and, after getting it opened, retrieved my Winchester Lever-Action and my 1903 Springfield. The 1903 Springfield was the same gun my Paw Paw Bill used in the Korean War. I wasn't going anywhere without it. I retrieved all the ammo I had for each one; about five-hundred rounds each. Putting all the ammo for each gun in a backpack, I started to make my way out, until something caught my eye. Sitting on my bed, there was a square pillow, made from a red plaid shirt that belonged to my Paw Paw. My Aunt Lena, who I've always called Sissy, made it for me when he passed away. I wasn't leaving without it, either. I grabbed the pillow and tucked it carefully into the backpack, then slung it and the two rifles over my shoulder. Making my way out into the hallway, I noticed a truck pulling into the driveway. What the Hell? Almost nobody knows 'bout this place, all 'cept... My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking at the door. I watched as my Dad got up and answered it. "Chief Hanlon," my Dad started, talking to Police Chief James Hanlon, who was undoubtedly here to tell him about me, "What brings you here?" "William," He started, "I'm afraid I got some bad news for you. We responded to a call about gunfire in town, your boy was involved." "Involved how?" "He, well... Willy, he was killed." I don't want to explain everything that happened next, I'll just say that things got... Emotional. Not wanting to see my dad like that, I quickly made my way past them. The door shutting behind me, I made my way over to Luna. "Do you have everything?" she asked, eyeing the rifles on my shoulder. "Yeah Ah got every- shit, hold on a sec." I said, remembering that I needed my knife. I thought about where I had it last, The saddlebags!. Making my way to the side of the house, I found what I was looking for; my Paw Paw's 2002 Honda Shadow 750. I looked in the saddlebags, and sure enough, my Smith & Wesson Search & Rescue was in there; Skoal Wintergreen Long Cut can lid super glued to the sheath and all. There were also a few cans of Skoal there too, unopened. I was about to take them, when a thought crossed my mind. Why don't Ah jus' take the it with me? I thought, letting my eyes wander over the Shadow and finally settling on the near-full gas can next to it. Ah did inherit it after all... I love my Paw Paw very, very much. "What is that thing?" Luna inquired as I rolled the Shadow up to her. "This is mah Paw Paw's motorcycle. Ah jus' had to fill 'er up right quick, even brought the gas!" I said, gesturing to the now only half-full gas can, strapped to the passenger seat back rest with bungee cords. "Well, it appears that you share Twilights OCD." "Sure do! Got OCD, ADD, ADHD, Written Expression Disorder..." "Alright, I get it." she said, holding a hoof to my mouth. "I will wake you when I get out, I must be awake to bring you and your things back." With that, she disappeared in a bright flash, leaving me to get one last look at the place I grew up before the world around me faded away into blackness.
The New Arrival"Dear Twilight Sparkle, My Most Faithful Student, I would like you and your friends to come to Canterlot as soon as you receive this letter. I will send one of the Royal chariots to get you. We will soon have a new visitor here in Equestria! Now, please keep in mind that he is not a pony, but I have observed him throughout the course of his life, and he does have feelings. Very.... strong feelings. He may be different, but please remember: sometimes it is great to be different. I hope to see you and your friends here soon. Princess Celestia" I was very satisfied with the letter to Twilight. I did have to read it over, as to correct any mistakes. I know how she is about grammar. When I was satisfied with what I had written, I sent the letter, and turned back to my tea. I was quite surprised that Anthony's death had come as soon as it did. I hate that he had to come here under such horrible circumstances. I wish there was a way that I could have brought him here alive, but all I could do was wait for his time to come. It came sooner than I would have wanted, but all that matters is that he is here, and away from that forsaken place. As I took a few sips of my tea, I began to wonder how Anthony would react to all of this. He could be calm and collected one moment, then he could become very angry if somepony messed with something he felt passionate about. Judging by the way he has acted throughout his life, I was confident he would become close friends with Twilight and her friends, it might have taken him a while with Rainbow Dash though. I also knew that he wouldn't blatantly get into fights, if he did, it would be for a good reason. Anthony certainly wouldn't hurt somepony just for fun. Well, maybe if he was drunk. My thoughts were interrupted by the throne room doors opening. My old friend, Lord Death entered, and right behind him was Anthony, looking around the room with a look of amazement on his face. He was 5 foot 7 inches tall, more or less, he was wearing a black pair of boots that resembled something that a stallion would wear in Appleloosa or Dodge Junction, a pair of "blue jeans" as he often called them, a dull green military jacket, most likely from the "Vietnam" era of his world - before I told Lord Death to watch for Anthony's death, I studied his species past and the way they lived - with a plain white shirt underneath. He had a mustache and a goatee that curled under his chin, but he kept the rest of it shaved to a neat stubble. His hair was dark brown, as were his eyes. Even though right now he is just a soul, any Alicorn would be able to see him. He also wore a hat that was similar to Applejack's hat, with the exception that it was a stained yellow color with a burned brown trim, and it was a slightly different shape. He was still looking at the banners hanging in the throne room when he accidentally backed into me. He turned around and looked up at me with widened eyes. He was only a few inches shorter than me. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean to bump into ya." he said with a sheepish smile. Before I could say anything, he walked to my right and started looking at me curiously. He walked all the way around me, then spoke again when he was in front of me again. "You mus' be Princess Celestia, judgin' by that tattoo on yer rear end." "That is correct, Mr. Davis. Or would you prefer, Mudd, I think it was?" With that, Anthony took his hat off, knelt down to one knee, and bowed his head. His shoulder-length hair naturally grew towards the back of his head, much like the "Rick Grimes" character he watches. "Yew can call me anythin' you want to, yer highness." "You may stand, Mudd." He then stood back up and put his hat back on. "And I believe that the 'tattoo' you were referring to is my Cutie Mark. It represents my special talent, I raise and lower the Sun. My sister, Princess Luna, her Cutie Mark is that of a crescent Moon." I explained to him. He nodded in understanding. I could tell he could be a stallion of few words when he wanted to be. "Her special talent is that she raises and lowers the moon. Together, we rule Equestria." "Fair and sovereign rulers, Ah hope." he chuckled softly, and even I giggled a little before I realized it. "Very much so." "So, yew raise and lower the sun?" Anthony asked as he looked out through the window, looking at the sun and squinting his eyes. "That is correct." I said. He smiled softly and looked back to me. "Yew know, back from where Ah'm from, we had a sayin'." "Is that so?" I asked. "What might this saying be?" He looked back out the window a moment. "They say that the reason you'll go blind from lookin' at the sun to long is 'cause it's so beautiful." He turned back to me with a grin and said, "That's also why Ah ain't looked at ya fer too long." "My, rather confident, are we?" I asked, I was quite stunned by his compliment. He still swears to this day that my cheeks were as red as an apple. Even though I knew he was joking, it still caught me off-guard. "Ah'm just the type of man that speaks whats on his mind, is all. Well then, back to business. Ah understand that yew invited me to yer world ta give me a second chance. Words cain't describe how grateful Ah am." "It is quite alright, Mudd. I brought you here because I saw the Six Elements of Harmony within you and your everyday actions. This is why I wanted you to come here. That, and because I saw your home world. It was a terrible place, if I may say so." He smiled a little and said, "Yeah, my world has some good in it, but it was still sinful and corrupt. It ain't a place Ah would want ta start a family." His smile faded the moment he said that. "Not that Ah can now." "I believe I might be of help with that 'Tia." My dear sister said through our mental connection. She walked past me and spoke to Anthony. "Hello, human. I am the Princess of the Night, Luna. What is your name?" She spoke in a softer tone than I expected her to. "Mah name's Anthony Davis, but most jus' call me Mudd. Oh, Ah mean, uh..." he said frantically as he took his hat off and kneeled. My sister giggled at him, a giggle that I had not heard in a long time. One that she shared with only one pony, from a very long time ago. "Please Mudd, stand. When Twilight Sparkle gets here, please tell her that I will be in contact with her tonight." "Yes Ma'am." "My, such manners. It amazes me that a heart as pure as your own could come from a place like your world." Luna said, trying her best to compliment him. He smiled, "Well yer Highness, some of us were jus' raised right." then he let out a troubled sigh. "But Ah'm gonna tell ya right now, Ah'm far from being a good man. There's things Ah've done that would make even Cerberus whimper if he saw me." "How do you know of Cerberus?" I asked the young human. he turned to me with a confused look on his face. "Cerberus is a three headed dog that guards the gates of hell, so the souls of the damned ain't able to escape, or somethin' like that." he said. "Why?" "Maybe in your world, but here, Cerberus guards the gates of Tartarus, where anypony of evil is imprisoned. But, let us get to a more joyful topic. Mudd, are you ready to breath again?" I asked him. "Ah'm ready when ya'll two's ready, Ah guess. Wait a minute, Tartarus? Ah've heard that name before. Yeah, In Greek Mythology Class. Seems our worlds hold some similarities." "Indeed. Now, hold still." I said as Luna and I enveloped him in our magic and proceeded to grant him life once more. It took about an hour to do it, but we were able to bring him back to a physical state of living. It also took quite a bit of magic, leaving Luna and I a bit exhausted. Luna, Anthony, and I casually talked for a good fifteen minutes before the throne room doors opened again. This time though, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie walked in. "Good morning Twilight. Was the trip here comfortable enough?" I asked happily. "Of course Princess!" She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Anthony. "Is this the stallion we are here to meet?" she asked. "Yes, that's right-" I was interrupted by something touching my left shoulder. When I looked, I saw Anthony's hand there. His hand was shaking, ever so slightly. "-Is there something wrong, Mudd?" I whispered to him. "Ah didn't, uh, think that Ah was gonna be meetin' so many peop- uh, ponies at one time, is all." he whispered back. I could see now that he had a shy side when meeting new ponies. Though he was very good at hiding his shyness when he met Luna and myself. But now, it was making itself known. It also seems that when he might be in a state of nervousness, he uses physical contact as a way to let himself know that he doesn't have to face it alone. "If you would like, you can meet them one at a time. And if it helps, you can keep your hand on my shoulder." I reassured him. He withdrew his hand slightly when I said that, like he didn't even know that it was there. But he quickly put it back when he looked at the others. He simply nodded to me, then I gestured for the girls to follow us to a small meeting room.
First ImpressionsI opened the doors to the throne room to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. When they heard the doors open, they turned and smiled. "Good morning Twilight. Was the trip here comfortable enough?" Celestia said, smiling. "Of course Princess!" I said, before almost tripping over my hooves. There, standing next to Celestia, was a figure I've never seen before. "Is this the stallion we are here to meet?" I asked. "Yes, that's right-" She stopped talking when he put one of his hands - which I thought at the time were claws - on her shoulder. Why is he touching the Princess like that? And why is she letting him? She looked at him, worry evident in her eyes, and whispered something to him. He looked back at her after he pulled his hat down lower to hide his face and whispered something back to her. He seemed worried about something. Celestia then whispered something back, and all he did was nod his head. She then got up from her throne and gestured for us to follow. We followed her down a few hallways, far enough back so that Celestia and this strange new stallion could have their own conversation. While we were walking, Rainbow dash trotted up next to me. "So Twi, what do you think about this stallion? He looks pretty dangerous, if you ask me." she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Rainbow, if he was dangerous, I highly doubt that Princess Celestia would have let him visit Equestria. Don't you think so?" I asked in annoyance. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm gonna keep my eye on him, just to make sure." she said, never letting her eyes off of him. I just shook my head and continued following the Princess. We turned left and stopped in front of a door leading to a small conference room. "Twilight, will you please follow Mudd and I into the conference room?" she leaned in closer and whispered, "He is a little shy, so everypony will meet him one at a time." "That is fine with me, Princess." I said. I understood that everypony gets shy sometimes. She smiled, "The rest of you may wait out here for your turn to introduce yourselves." The Princess, 'Mudd', and I then walked into the conference room. He still had his hand on her shoulder. "Twilight, allow me to introduce you to a very good friend of mine," the Princess said, "this is Anthony Davis. He is not from this world, if you haven't noticed already. Anthony, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle." When she finished speaking, Anthony started to remove his hat, but Princess Celestia stopped him. "She doesn't like it when ponies bow to her." she said in a hushed voice. I was about to ask how he came from another world when Anthony spoke. He would have been an excellent lead bass for a quartet. "Well Miss Twilight, it's nice to meet ya. Like Princess Celestia said, mah name's Anthony, but most jus' called me Mudd. Before Ah came here, Ah lived with mah Dad in a small town called Abbs Valley, Virginia, in the country of The United States of America." but the way he pronounced it, it sounded more like 'Murica', due to his accent. "We lived on a small parcel of land, just me, mah Dad, our huntin' dogs, some chickens, and my horse, Clementine. An' before you ask, no, horses and ponies on my world weren't sapient. Humans were the only being's that was able to think right. We were also the only things that could talk." Then Princess Celestia added, "Humans would use them for transportation and other purposes." "That's right. Anyway, when mah high school, Pocahontas High School, got shut down; Ah transferred over to Graham High School in the next town over. Ah was there for a couple of days, mostly jus' keepin' to mahself. After about a week of being there, this guy comes up to me; Mattias Crawford was his name. He tried to take my jacket, but I clocked him in the jaw. A few days later, he hired three guys to, uh..." he looked up to Princess Celestia, who nodded for him to continue. "Well, he hired 'em to kill me. An' they did a good job, too." WHAT?! They killed him? I was shocked. "How could sentient beings do that to you?! That's just... Wrong! Horribly wrong!" I shouted. "It ain't all that bad. Lord Death said that Princess Celestia had been watchin' over me, and that she wanted to bring me here, so here Ah am. Besides, at least Ah was able to get one of them before the other two got me." Well, at least he was able to see the bright side of things. However dark they may be. "Do you think you can tell me more about your world? What is it like?" I asked, curious to see if it was anything like Equestria. "Well, first off; there's all kinds of ecosystems all over the world. There's jungles, rainforests, deserts, oceans, an' places where it's so cold, you could make houses out of nothin' but ice. There's also places where there's lots of mountains, places where it ain't nothin' but plains as far as you could see. Then there's a place called The Grand Canyon, a big crack in the ground that covers somewhere around a thousand-an'-nine-hundred square miles. We got everything from big ol' cities; like Manhattan, New York, Las Vegas, an' Los Angeles, to small towns; like Abbs Valley where Ah'm from. Ah think that the name 'Los Angeles' is like, Spanish or somethin' for 'Lost Angels', but Ah don't know. Sure sounds purty, though." Those names sound way too familiar for him to be from another world. I had thought to myself. "There is no way in Equestria that you could possibly be from another world! The cities you just named strike a close resemblance to the names of cities and towns across Equestria!" I exclaimed, glaring at this so-called 'Mudd'. "You callin' me a liar?" he raised an eybrow, and his voice had risen abruptly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am! And here is the reason I say that." I teleported to my old room in the castle and searched my old desk until I found what I was looking for. I then teleported myself back to the room and spread out an old map of Equestria for him to see. He sat there just looking over the entire map for a few minutes, quietly muttering things to himself. The only clear thing I had heard was "Ah'll be damned, they even got the Liberty Bell on here". A few more minutes passed before he sighed heavily and looked up from the map. "Look, Ah ain't gonna argue with ya, it looks like our worlds share a few similarities; like with Tartarus. But Ah will tell you that if yer gonna call me a liar, then you might as well be callin' Princess Celestia a liar too. Like Ah said, she's been whatchin' over me mah whole life." "Well, I, um..." I took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "I'm sorry, Mudd. I might have forgotten that part." I admitted with a nervous smile. "Ah reckon it's fine. Ah forget things all the time. Mah friends used to say that the reason they always told me their secrets was because Ah usually forgot about it the next day. But, usually it was just 'cause their secrets was trivial pieces of information that, when ya thought about it, didn't really matter. Anyway, is there anythin' else yew'd like ta ask me?" "As a matter of fact, there is..."
Stuff 'N ThangsDamn, Twilight asked a lot of questions that day. It took Princess Celestia five minutes to get her to stop so I could meet everypony else. She almost had a heart attack when I told her what my diet was. After Princess Celestia reassured her that I wouldn't hurt anypony, she seemed to calm down. That, or she had one Hell of a poker face. After I told her that meat provides nutrients that I need to survive, she said she understood. Celestia also told me that I could hunt something called a "Manticore". I didn't know what that was at the time, and I remember that I had wished I was able to hunt deer or squirrel, but beggars can't be choosers. After I met Twilight, I was introduced to Applejack, then Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and finally, Fluttershy. Yeah, the fact that we were both shy didn't help conversation at all. We finally found common ground though; we both love animals. Granted; some animals I love to hunt, but others I love because they're cool. She actually understood right off the bat about my diet. She didn't seem horrified about it at all. I guess it's where she takes care of all animals, at least a few are meat-eaters. After all of the introductions were over, Princess Celestia turned to me. "The ponies you just met are very special. They are the bearers of The Elements of Harmony. In the order you met them, they are; Magic, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Kindness. They keep Equestria safe from evil. There are a few reasons that I've invited you to live your life in Equestria. I have reason to believe that you are the Base Element." "What's the Base Element? And what makes ya think Ah got it?" "The Base Element is the element from which the Tree of Harmony was created. It is very elusive; it travels between worlds, finding a being on said world worthy enough to bear it. As for your second question; Alicorns and Unicorns alike are able to sense magic within a being or object. When you walked through those doors, I could sense a very powerful aura of magic around you." she said. The way she spoke was so comforting, like she was my mom. I never knew my real mom. She died in a car accident when I was two months old. "Ah guess so." I said, shrugging. "Alright Mudd, you will be staying here in the castle for two days, then you will go to Ponyville with Twilight and her friends. While you are here, we will work on getting you the things you need." "Well, if Ah'm gonna be huntin' for Manticores, then Ah'm gonna need mah huntin' rifle. Ah'm also gonna need ammo, and some knives to clean the meat." I said, scratching my chin. "Then let us find Luna. She will be able to help you retrieve these items. Perhaps then you can demonstrate to Luna and I what a 'hunting rifle' does." she said, obviously cautious of bringing human weapons to her world. "Fair 'nuff." I said with a smirk. "Fair warnin' though, it might get a bit loud." After a few minutes searching the castle, we found Luna. She was sitting in a room with some bookshelves and a fireplace, Celestia and Luna's private reading place, drinking tea. "Good evening Lu Lu. How's the tea?" Celestia said cheerfully. "It is quite nice, Tia. Hello again Mudd, would you like some tea as well?" "No thank ya, yer Highness. We was actually wonderin' if you could help me get some stuff 'n thangs Ah might need from mah world." "I think that can be arranged. Here, come sit." she said, motioning towards the other chair. I went over and sat down. It was pretty comfortable. "Now, just lay your head back and close your eyes." She charged up her horn and I did as I was told. As I closed my eyes, I could feel myself falling asleep from her magic. "Now, open your eyes." I did as she said and found myself back on Earth, standing in front of my house with the familiar woods surrounding us. "All you have to do is go inside and retrieve what you need. Then when you wake up, it will be with you." Luna said from beside me. "Alright then, Ah'll be right back." As I walked in, I looked to the right and saw my Dad playing on the I-Pad, probably talking to someone about a hunting dog. I made my way back to my room and looked around. I spotted my dresser opposite of my bed and pulled the first drawer open. There, I found Evelyn in all her glory. An M1911A1 Colt, identical to the ones used in WWII. On the left side of the slide, engraved in cursive, was her name; "Evelyn". I held her in my hands for a bit, admiring the craftsmanship of such a beautiful weapon. After about a minute, I loaded her up with a fresh mag and grabbed my holster; it's a right hand holster that sits horizontally at the small of my back. That way, Evelyn sits flat against the small of my back, with the grip pointed up. I affixed the holster to my belt and slid her into her new home. Perfect fit. I walked over to my gun cabinet and, after getting it opened, retrieved my Winchester Lever-Action and my 1903 Springfield. The 1903 Springfield was the same gun my Paw Paw Bill used in the Korean War. I wasn't going anywhere without it. I retrieved all the ammo I had for each one; about five-hundred rounds each. Putting all the ammo for each gun in a backpack, I started to make my way out, until something caught my eye. Sitting on my bed, there was a square pillow, made from a red plaid shirt that belonged to my Paw Paw. My Aunt Lena, who I've always called Sissy, made it for me when he passed away. I wasn't leaving without it, either. I grabbed the pillow and tucked it carefully into the backpack, then slung it and the two rifles over my shoulder. Making my way out into the hallway, I noticed a truck pulling into the driveway. What the Hell? Almost nobody knows 'bout this place, all 'cept... My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking at the door. I watched as my Dad got up and answered it. "Chief Hanlon," my Dad started, talking to Police Chief James Hanlon, who was undoubtedly here to tell him about me, "What brings you here?" "William," He started, "I'm afraid I got some bad news for you. We responded to a call about gunfire in town, your boy was involved." "Involved how?" "He, well... Willy, he was killed." I don't want to explain everything that happened next, I'll just say that things got... Emotional. Not wanting to see my dad like that, I quickly made my way past them. The door shutting behind me, I made my way over to Luna. "Do you have everything?" she asked, eyeing the rifles on my shoulder. "Yeah Ah got every- shit, hold on a sec." I said, remembering that I needed my knife. I thought about where I had it last, The saddlebags!. Making my way to the side of the house, I found what I was looking for; my Paw Paw's 2002 Honda Shadow 750. I looked in the saddlebags, and sure enough, my Smith & Wesson Search & Rescue was in there; Skoal Wintergreen Long Cut can lid super glued to the sheath and all. There were also a few cans of Skoal there too, unopened. I was about to take them, when a thought crossed my mind. Why don't Ah jus' take the it with me? I thought, letting my eyes wander over the Shadow and finally settling on the near-full gas can next to it. Ah did inherit it after all... I love my Paw Paw very, very much. "What is that thing?" Luna inquired as I rolled the Shadow up to her. "This is mah Paw Paw's motorcycle. Ah jus' had to fill 'er up right quick, even brought the gas!" I said, gesturing to the now only half-full gas can, strapped to the passenger seat back rest with bungee cords. "Well, it appears that you share Twilights OCD." "Sure do! Got OCD, ADD, ADHD, Written Expression Disorder..." "Alright, I get it." she said, holding a hoof to my mouth. "I will wake you when I get out, I must be awake to bring you and your things back." With that, she disappeared in a bright flash, leaving me to get one last look at the place I grew up before the world around me faded away into blackness.
