Running Like Clockwork

Chapters

Chapter 1: Where Am I?
Chapter 2:Mane 6 Roundup!
Chapter 3: My Name Is...

Chapter 1: Where Am I?

Running Like Clockwork

Chapter 1: Where Am I?

Pitch black. That’s all I see right now. Just darkness. Am I awake? Am I sleeping? Probably unconscious, that’s all. Yeah. That’s it. This is usually what happens when I slip into an “unscheduled nap” (heh). Ok. Let’s see if I can remember how I passed out. Hmm… I remember going to a party, there was alcohol. Did I pass out from drinking? No, I only had a couple beers, way too little to pass out from. It must’ve been something else. Let’s see… I was dancing. I met a hot chick on the dance floor. We hooked up immediately. What happened next...? Oh yeah, after the party we went to her place… Wait. No, we never got to her place. We went into an alley. That was when she sprang on me. She ambushed me. I was able to fix the situation into my favor and then… nothing. That’s it. She did something to me. Ok. I feel like I’m coming to now.

This was what I remembered from the plethora of random thoughts that was going through my head as I was starting to come out of my mini-coma. Now before I continue my story, I just wanted to say that I do not like to stress out. Thankfully I don’t stress out that much, and rarely anything stresses me. Also, I don’t like change that well and as such it is uncomfortable when I am addressed with it. With that said when I came out of my brief period of unconsciousness to discover that I’m in a forest.

“Weird,” I said, “I don’t remember going into a forest last night.”

All of a sudden a sharp pain hits my head. I put my hooves onto my head and pressed against my temples till the pain left. When it did I took a sigh of relief from the pain passing and got up to look around to see where if there were any paths out of the forest. Then I realized something. I put up my hoof. It seemed like a normal dark red hoof, with a slightly lighter red fetlock. It seemed normal, except for one teensy-tiny little detail: I don’t have hooves.

“Huh.” I muttered, “I’m a pony.”

Confusing? Yes. Nonsensical? Definitely. Sign that I lost it? Possible. I wanted to freak out at that moment, but I did not have time for that. I needed to find out what was going on. I took a mint case out and popped a couple mints into my mouth and started walking. Then I stopped looked at the mint case and several dozen thoughts were running through my head. To make it easier for you, here were the most important ones:

Wait where did I get these?

How was I able to hold it?

How did I open it?

Can I pull other things out of where I got this?

Do I have body pockets? Like a kangaroo?

I got another headache after a while, and I decided not to worry about it for now. Before I put the mint case away I took a look at the lid. The mint case lid read Hayltoids, curiously strong mints.

“Heh. Hayltoids.” I chuckled.

I started walking through the woods, chewing on my mints the whole way, and got a good look at the forest itself. The forest looked more like a jungle, and it wasn’t anywhere near to the forests in Staten Island. Yet the more I look at the trees and the fauna, the more I feel like I’ve seen this place before, but can’t remember where. After a half hour of walking randomly through the forest, I was able to find a way out. As I walked out I looked around. It was nighttime, and in the distance there was a village. I looked up and saw, to my surprise, the moon, which bore a striking resemblance to a unicorn made up of its deep craters. I suddenly rushed to the village. There was no doubt in my mind. I was in Ponyville.

“No way…” I said, “ I’m in Equestria!?”

I was grinning ear to ear. The excitement that was rushing through me was enough to power a nuclear power plant. I found myself jumping up and down in an excited manner. For those who haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a brony. I love My Little Pony and am not afraid to say it. The show is great, the voice characters are perfect, the animation has a nice feel to it, and the storyline is sweet.

After my little episode I decided to serious up. I sat down and thought of my situation, and what I should do next. ‘Ok.’ I thought ‘I somehow landed in Equestria, I have no idea how I got here or who brought me here, and I’ve been turned into a pony. The best course of action is to go to one of the Mane 6 and see if hey can help me, but first, I think I should first find out what I look like.’

I then looked around the town for a mirror. Luckily I found a shop nearby that sells mirrors, and looked into one of the ones on display. That’s when I got a good look at myself: my hooves, as I explained earlier, were dark red, almost black with unshorn fetlocks, with my coat being blood red. I was the same height as Big Macintosh’s, except a bit skinnier and not as muscular. My eyes were still brown, and I noticed that I still had my metallic silver glasses, which covered half of my eyes with rectangle lenses and rested about halfway on my nose (snout? Whatever it’s called). My hair--er, mane was black with two thin red streaks, as well as my tail, which was long like Fluttershy’s and both laid flat against my body. It was then I noticed that I had a dark red horn, a little bit longer than Twilight’s, sticking out of my forehead. I immediately squee’d at the sight of the horn, then I looked at my cutie mark. This was a bit of an oddball. It was a silver-colored sword and shield, with a gold gear in the middle of the shield. The shield had gold trimming, and the hilt of the sword was a light brown with a red heart in the middle of the hilt. I had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but I did know it looked cool.

After giving myself a good look around I decided to go to Twilight’s house as she was the most likely to be up at this time. I looked around the village and found the library rather quickly; since the library was in the middle of the village, it was a quick trot. I approached the door, and as I knocked it occurred to me that I have no idea what to say. I can’t just say ‘Hi. I may look like a pony, but I’m actually a human from another world. May I come in?’ they would think I was crazy! Hell, I’m still sure I might’ve lost it already. But it was too late, the door opened, and a familiar purple unicorn answered the door.

“Hello,” Twilight Sparkle said, “welcome to the Books and Branches Library. I’m sorry, but the library is closed, so you will have to come back until morning.”

I was amazed at what I saw. Twilight Sparkle, the most prized pupil of the goddess incarnate and ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, as well as one of my favorite ponies was standing right in front of me. This was hands down the greatest day of my life. I must have been staring funny at her, cause after a while Twilight tilted her head and said, “Um, are you ok?”

That was when I did possibly the dumbest thing I could ever do in this situation: I glomped her. Yeah. I know. Highly inappropriate, but at that point all of my common sense went out the window.

“Twilight~!” I shouted to the heavens. Yeah I know. Shut up.

We both hit the ground of the library, me wrapping my arms around her and smiling like a giddy little schoolgirl (school filly?) as soon as I open my eyes though I noticed that I freaked her out and corrected myself.

“Oh crap, I’m so sorry about that.” I said, “I get easily excited sometimes and when I saw you I couldn’t control myself. Are you ok?”

Twilight stared at me for a while before answering. “What? Oh, um, I’m ok, just a bit caught off guard. Um, I don’t think I have met you before, who are you again?”

“Oh, um, right now it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you later. I really need your help. I woke up in the Everfree Forest about an hour ago and I had no idea how I got there. I thought you would know what to do, since you’re practically the smartest pony in Ponyville.”

“Um… Thank you?”

“No prob. May I come in so we can talk about it?”

With a confused look Twilight let me into the library. I made a beeline towards a bench and sat down.

“Um, would you like something to drink?” she asked.

“Oh, yes please. Water if you don’t mind.” I said.

As she was getting the drinks I looked around the library. The main room was huge; practically the entire tree was hollowed out. I found myself admiring the smell of the old books that lingered around the room, feeling very relaxed. After a few minutes Twilight came out of the kitchen, a tray floating behind her thanks to her magic. She set the tray down and sat next to me.

“So, where should we start?” Twilight said.

“Ummm… well, to be honest, I’m not familiar with this place as a whole.” I said.

“Ponyville?”

“Equestria.”

Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Ok, here is where it gets weird. I’m not actually from this world. I’m not even a pony.”

Twilight blinked, and looked me up and down.

“But you look like a pony.”

“Yeah, but I think that has to do with whatever brought me here. You see I am what is called a human from another world called Earth. I don’t have any recollection of how I got here, but what I do know is that you, along with the other Elements of Harmony, are my best chance at helping me out and figuring out how I got here, and, if possible, how I can get back.”

Twilight just stared at me... and kept staring at me... still staring... well shit, I broke her. I went to snap my fingers at her, realized that i didn't have any fingers, cursed under my breath and opted to just clap my whooves together. Twilight broke out of her trance, and immediately addressed what i just said.

“ Um, ok. I think we should just give each other some basic information about each other, because your story is basically horrendous and shady at best.”

I thought it over for a while, and then I yawned and took a look at the clock that was hanging on the wall. 4 a.m. It’s that late?! No wonder I’m yawning, I can only make it past 2:15 without yawning… getting off topic, focusing on matter at hand now.

“…Fair enough. However, can we wait till morning? I really don’t wanna make you stay up at this hour.”

“No, its ok. I’m used to staying up late.”

“No, I insist, I wouldn’t want to be the reason that you’re not getting enough sleep. I’ll just see myself out and I’ll wait till morning.” I walked towards the door, “Good Night.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you were not from this world? Where are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll just find a spot outside of town and just lay down till morning.”

I went to walk out the door, only to have her teleport in front of me, suddenly blocking my path.

“No. I insist that you sleep here for the night.”

I was a bit confused, but not surprised. I wasn’t surprised that Twilight would offer me a place to stay, but I was a bit confused that she trusted me so much as to do just that, despite the fact that I’m someone she just met.

“Are you sure? You just met me.” I asked.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that you would be sleeping outside, especially since the weather team was planning on rain later tonight. Besides, do you honestly think ill let you roam the town freely after hearing your story?”

Amazing filly, that Twilight.

“…Alright, I’ll stay. But only because it wouldn’t help my case if I didn’t.”

Twilight smiled as I walked back into the lobby and hopped onto the couch. She got a blanket out of the closet and gave it to me. She then said good night and went back upstairs to her room. I took out the mint case and popped two more mints into my mouth. As I put the case back, something struck me. Not physically, mind you, but more of a thought struck me. ‘What else do I have on me?’ I thought. I decided to take a look and see what I had. As it turns out, I had a lot of stuff on me, albeit having no pockets, body or otherwise. I just decided it was due to hammerspace and didn’t let it bother me. So anyway, along with my case of Hayltoids (heh), I also had a pair of ear buds, my iPhone, my wallet, a lighter, a box of cigarettes, a full flask (thank God!), about 10 leaf tag-size sheets of schematic paper (blueprint sheets) and three books; my sketch book, a fanfic book, and my journal. I looked at all the stuff I had on me and was surprised to have them since I only brought my iPhone and my wallet to that party last night. Guess that mystery will be solved another time. I decided to take a look at the book of fanfics and after reading a few i noticed that all the fanfics i saw were ones i read already.

"Hmm, lets see... Through the Eyes of Another Pony, Name's Ellis, The Vinyl Scratch Tapes, The Empty Room, Cu-" I suddenly went wide-eyed and abruptly close the book, felling a shudder down my spine at the thought of anypony finding this book and reading the stories within. I put it away and made sure no one else will see it. I wanted to think more on the matter, but I was too tired, so I hopped back onto the couch and went to sleep.

I woke up several hours later (3 hours later to be exact) to my chagrin as someone decided to poke me till I did. As I opened my eyes I noticed that the sun was just coming up, but wasn’t fully up yet, so I laid back down, completely ignoring the person who woke me. For that I got a slap to the face. I got up and looked around, ready to hit whoever did that, and saw a little purple dragon next to me with a stern look on his face.

“Ok, who are you and why are you here?” Spike said.

“Huh?” I said, half awake, ”Oh, sorry, Spike, I’m still a little asleep here. I came here last night looking for some help, and since I’m not from Ponyville, Twilight decided to let me stay for the night.”

“Ok… wait, how do you know my name?”

“Not important.” Damn, did it again. “What are you doing up this early?”

“I get up around this time to make breakfast for Twilight and me. Want anything?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout me. Hey, do you mind if I help? I want to make it up to Twilight for letting me sleep here last night.”

“Sure. Come with me to the kitchen.”

I followed Spike into the kitchen and we made breakfast for Twilight. I noticed that there was some bread and a toaster, oddly enough for the latter, and after making Twilight’s breakfast I made some toast with butter for myself, but not without a little trouble (Damn you hooves!). I wolfed it down and helped Spike bring breakfast upstairs to Twilight.

“Wakey, wakey” I said, nudging Twilight. Twilight groaned, and shifted in her bed.

“That won’t work.” said Spike, “It’s best just to let her wake up on her own.”

I nodded and went back out the room to the lobby with Spike, where I explained to him the situation. After about twenty minutes, and a brief attempt in convincing Spike that I’m not an alien, Twilight came down.

“Morning, Twilight.” I said.

“Oh, Good Morning, um… hey I never caught your name last night. What was it again?”

“And yet you still let me sleep the night here.” I said matter-of-factly, and when I got a glare from Twilight I quickly corrected myself, ”Which I’m grateful for, by the way. As for my name we could either use my real name, which is boring compared to the names here, or we could make a pony name for me. I prefer the latter though, as humans don’t name their offspring like ponies do. But maybe some other time. We have more important things to do. For instance, you probably want to know about us humans don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but I think it’s best to get everyone else here before you explained that.”

“Say no more. I’ll go and get your friends for you. While I do that, can you get some books on magic for me? And maybe a
book and some maps on the geography of Equestria?”

“The books and maps I can do, but are you sure you want to get them? You never met them and they would probably won’t come with you.”

“Don’t worry, I got a couple ideas on how to get them to come along.”

“Well… ok. But here, take this.” Twilight said. She used her magic (so cool!) to open a drawer and pulled out a large rolled up piece of paper. “This is a map of Ponyville, so you don’t get lost getting them.”

“Thanks.” I grabbed the map with my teeth and put it in my hammerspace pocket (that what I decided to call it btw) and went on my way. I took a look at the map and scanned it until I found where I wanted to go first. After I found it I put the map back, took my mint case out, grabbed a couple of mints, popped them into my mouth and left for Sweet Apple Acres.

Chapter 2:Mane 6 Roundup!

When Worlds Collide
Chapter 2:
Mane 6 Round up!

After an hour I arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. I got to tell ya, it’s a lot bigger than the show shows you. Apple trees as far as the eyes can see, rolling along the hills of the estate. A dirt road led up to a large farmhouse with an equally large, if not bigger, barn not far from it. I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of apples in the air. It was beautiful, in a quaint sort of way. As I walked up to the farmhouse, I saw a familiar yellow earth pony with a pink bow almost as big as her head sitting around the barn.

“Um, hello?” I said as I approached Applebloom. Applebloom turned around to look at me.

“Oh hey there, mister. Welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres, where the best apples in all’a Equestria are grown. You here ta buy somthin’?

“No, Applebloom, I’m here to get your sister Applejack for Twilight.”

“Oh, ok, lemme jus’—heeeeeeey, waitaminute, how do ya know my name?”

Oops.

“Oh, uh, Twilight—“

“Are you a filly molester?”

My eyes went wide. “WHAT?! Of course not! Why would you think that?” I yelled, astonished by the fact that such a thing existed in this universe, let alone that she would know what the term meant.

“Well, since ah don’t know you but you knew mah name, ah thought maybe y’all were stalking me, and that right now you were going to try ta bring me somewhere ta molest me.” Applebloom said matter of factly. I was still shocked at the comment, mostly because how straightforward she was about it, and after staring into space for a few seconds before answering.

...Well damn. Messed up there.

“… Ok, now I see how you would go about thinking that. My bad. But I swear to you that I am not, nor have I ever been, or ever will be, a filly molester. I know your name thanks to Twilight. Now can you get your sister for me?”

“Ok. Wait right here and ah’ll get her for ya.” The little filly said as she ran into the farmhouse. After about 10 minutes she came walking out, with an orange earth pony with a straw-colored mane and tail, both of which were tied into a ponytail, a trio of apples on her flank, and a Stetson on her head following behind her.

“Here he is, Sis.“ Applebloom said, pointing at me.

“Thanks, Applebloom” Applejack said, and then turned to me. “Howdy, an’ welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres. What can ah do ya for?”

“Hello, Applejack, I’m here to tell you that Twilight wants you to come with me to the library in Ponyville, to help me with a problem I have.”

“How did y’all know mah name?”

Dammit.

“Oh, uh, well, that isn’t important right now. I promise I’ll explain it when we get there, but Twilight does need you.”

“Ah dunno, ah’m not sure whether ta trust ya or not.”

“Applejack, if I know one thing, its that you are the most honest and trustworthy pony in all of Ponyville, possibly all of Equestria!” I said, feeling my inner brony starting to creep up on me again. Don’t worry, folks, I controlled myself this time. “You know when a pony is lying, so trust me when I say that Twilight needs you at the library and that I need your help.”

Applejack just stared at me for a while; probably trying to figure out whether or not I was lying. She then finally spoke “Ok, ah believe you.”

I sighed in relief of the response. “Ok, well then finish whatever you were doing and we’ll go get the others.” I said. As we were heading out, Applebloom stopped us.

“Hey sis, can ah come along? Ah wanna go meet up with Sweetie Belle an’ Scootaloo for our Cutie Mark Crusaders meetin'.”

“Alright sis, if it's ok with our friend here.”

I said it was ok and all three of us headed to our next destination – the Carousel Boutique. However, none of us noticed the shadowy figure watching us from behind a tree.

On the way to the boutique, I decided to fill Applejack in on the situation. As expected, she believed me, despite being a little confused, but Applebloom was a bit more skeptical at my story.

“If you’re not’a pony, why do you look like one?”

“Good question, Applebloom. I originally thought that I was transformed by whatever brought me here, but now that I think about it, it may be because of how I got here.” I said, now questioning how I got my current appearance.

“Whaddya mean?” Applebloom asked.

“Well, there is a theory where I’m from where alongside our universe, there is an infinite number of alternate universes as well, each more or less the same except for one difference. There is also a belief where, if there were a huge disturbance, say, two of the same person existing on the same plane of reality, the universe would see it as a problem and would try to correct it, which in the example would be trying to kill the one person that didn’t belong in that universe.” Both Applebloom and Applejack stared at me with eyes wide as saucers to that last comment, probably because they were surprised at how nonchalantly I said it. I decided to ignore it and move on. “Now, while i don't believe that this place is an entire universe on it's own, as if it were there would be a pony version of me existing here, which means the universe would be trying to kill me already since I'm the one that doesn't belong, i do believe that this fits for me."

"How'd ya figure?"

Well, from what i can gather from my conversation with Twilight, is that a human being has never existed in Equestria. Something like this could cause just as much of a disruption as what i said earlier, what with a race appearing in thin air. As such, in order to keep the balance of your world, the ever-mysterious forces of the universe altered my DNA signature in order to change my form into that of a pony.”

The two sisters, although clearly confused, agreed with me since to them it was the conclusion that made any sense. We walked for about 15 minutes when we heard a familiar voice called from the sky.

“Applejack! Look out!”

Applejack looked up and then jumped out of the way, with Applebloom in tow. I, however, didn’t give up on how my current appearance came to be, and as a result was too focused on other possible theories on my appearance, and by the time I looked up to see the owner of the voice, I was immediately faced with a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane an tail crashing into me. We both rolled down the hillside and immediately crashed into a nearby tree. As I groggily got up, I was suddenly pissed at the trichromatic-maned mare for the stunt she pulled.

“Ow. Come on Rainbow Dash, you need to – ow – be careful when you’re flying. I think my jaw is dislocated now thanks to your little stunt” I said, irritated and in pain.

“Hey! It isn’t my fault! I was flying when – wait, who are you? How do you know my name?” Rainbow Dash said in defense.

DAMMIT!

“Uh, that’s isn’t important right now. Now that I think about it, I’m glad I – er – “ran” into you, Rainbow.”

“Really?”

“Yeah you see, I’m –“

“An alien!” Applebloom said. Both Rainbow Dash and me looked to see Applebloom and Applejack walking up to us.

“I’m not an alien, I’m from another universe! There is a distinct difference.” I snapped at Applebloom, immediately fixing my sudden outburst with a firm sorry.

“Anyways, Twilight asked me to round up her friends. We were just on our way to Carousel Boutique to get Rarity. You coming?”

Rainbow stared me down for a while, then smiled. “Ok, I’ll come with. But only cause my friend needs me.” Rainbow Dash said.

I smiled at Rainbow Dash. “As expected from the Element of Loyalty, as well as the best flyer in Equestria. Which reminds me, care to explain why you crashed into me like that?”

“Oh yeah, almost forgot about that.” Rainbow Dash said as she straightened herself.

“Well, I was trying out my routine for the Wonderbolts next time I saw them, when all of a sudden this black pony comes out of nowhere and attacks me! I tried to lose him through a few tricks, but he still caught up! Then, he rams right into me and just takes off! I wanted to chase him and clean his clock, but as soon as I started chasing him my wings got heavy and I started falling. That’s when I saw you guys and tried to tell ya to look out, and – well, you know the rest.”

“Well, I think I know what might’ve caused you to fall.” I said, pointing to her left wing. There was some sort of black sludge of the tip of her feathers.

“Ugh, what is this stuff?” Rainbow Dash said in disgust.

“Hold still, let me take a look at it.” I said, holding her wing open to get a better look at it. It was a bit weird looking: the tar looked wet, yet it was completely dry, no dripping or anything like that. It was only on a couple of her feathers, but for some reason I had the feeling that the weird sludge had a menacing aura around it. It actually made my horn tingle (which is not as good a feeling as it sounds, by the way).

“Hmm, from what I can tell, that pony, whoever he was, put this sludge on ya when he rammed ya, and it might have caused ya to fall out of the sky. I wished I had a jar or something, I can get a sample to keep till I had the proper equipment to examine this properly.” I looked up and saw that they were looking at me funny, then I noticed the awkward moment I was making and corrected myself. ”Er, anyways, we better get going.”

The other ponies agreed and we started walking. However, after we started walking I noticed Rainbow was having trouble.

“You okay back there Dash?”

“Yeah, its just that my wings are heavy again. It’s making it hard to move.”

“Hmmm…” I made sure my expression was stern. Why? Rainbow Dash looked so cute like this~~! ... Shut up. “Whelp, guess the only thing left to do is to carry you. Applejack, help me get her on.”

Applejack and I were able to get Rainbow Dash onto my back, but not without much difficulty from the reluctant pegasus, and the four of us walked the rest of the way to the boutique.

We arrived at the Carousel Boutique at around noon. Again, it’s a lot bigger than they show it on TV. The enormous 3-story house/dress store towered over us. The various decor of the estate was as elegant as its owner. I won’t go into detail, as many of you already know what the place looks like. What I will tell you, though, is that as we were walking up to the front entrance of this lovely abode, I noticed a rather large, crude boulder to the left of the path with a sign on it, written in bold, yet elegant letters: NO ONE IS TO EVER TALK ABOUT THIS BOULDER. EVER. I tried to restrain myself and refrain from laughing at the memory of greedy Rarity, much to no avail as the Apple sisters and Rainbow Dash, who was still on my back, were giving me looks as to ask ‘why are you laughing?’ We walked up to the front door and Applejack knocked. The door opened soon afterwards and a little alabaster unicorn filly with pink and light purple hair poked her head out of the door.

“Hello?” Sweetie Belle said.

Before anyone could answer, I spoke up. “Hello, Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity home?” I said. The little filly looked at me for a second, and then asked, “How do you know my name?”

OH COME ON!!!

“Oh, well, y’see—“ I began, but was interrupted by the little unicorn.

“Are you a filly molester?”

Oh, man, like, déjà vu`, amirite? Me, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in complete shock at what we just heard. Before any of us were able to scold her for the accusation, Applebloom spoke up.

“Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, he ain’t a filly molester, he just know’s your name through Twilight. I accused him a’ the same thing earlier today.”

“Applebloom!” Applejack said, scolding her sister. The little earth pony filly lowered her head in shame. That was my cue to intervene.

“Don’t worry about it Applejack.” I said. “Although I was… surprised to hear her call me that, she gave me a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why she assumed such. From there we agreed that I was the one at fault. I would appreciate that you don’t punish her for the assumption.”

The orange cowpony stared at me for a while, as if she wanted to say something, but instead she just nodded her head and forgot about it.

“Good.” I declared, ”Now, Sweetie Belle, as I was saying, is Rarity home? Twilight wanted me to gather her friends for something important.”

“Ok. Come in.” Sweetie Belle exclaimed before turning tail and walking back inside. We followed in to the shop area of the building, which was just as elegant as the outside. The walls were painted in complementing shades of violet and light blue, and were adorned with golden decorations. Pony mannequins (ponyquins, maybe?) were seen scattered around the room; each dressed in an impressively fashionable gown or suit, two of which were positioned out of the bay windows on each side of the entrance. I took in a deep breath and got a whiff of the scent of the area: the sweet scent of perfume heavily masking the distinct smell of hard work, which can be easily unnoticed by anyone else. I then noticed that Rainbow Dash was still on my back, and I let her off.

“JEEZ!. I thought pegasi were light.” I said jokingly. Here is a tip, if by the off chance you meet a pegasus like Rainbow Dash, do not, I repeat DO NOT crack a weight joke. What happens is along the lines of a very hard punch to the face. Now, it must have been extra painful considering I have glasses on (don’t worry, they didn’t break), but that is beside the point. As I was rubbing my face trying to get rid of the imprint my glasses made as they got pushed into my skull from the punch, I hear a familiar elegant voice made by an equally elegant alabaster pony.

“Hello, darling, and welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is-“ Rarity stared, but was cut off. By me. Yeah, I know, not at all like me, but I just carried a pegasus on my back for a good mile and a half to the boutique, and on top of that said pegasus punched me right on the nose, which I was still rubbing.

“Chic, unique, and magnifique, yeah, yeah, we know, Rarity. “ I blurted out.

“Well, I never!” Rarity said “You have some nerve to give me that sort of attitude and-*Gasp*- heavens, what happened to your mane?!”

“My mane? What is wrong with my mane?” I said, now looking for a mirror. I found the closest mirror and ran towards it. I got one good look at my mane and was shocked. Remember when Twilight first met Rainbow Dash, and what her mane looked like after that? Mine was similar, except now it was all muddy and had twigs sticking out of it. I was honestly in shock that I walked all the way to the boutique like this.

“Oh.” Was all I could muster. Actually, now that i think about it, I'm just glad she didn't notice i knew her name.

Rarity walked up beside me. ”Don’t worry, darling, I’ll just give you a nice haircut.” She then grabbed me and brought me to a chair. She sat me down and then got to work on my hair. 15 minutes (and about 50 different hairstyles) later, Rarity decided on just giving me a plain pushback style.

“Oh that is simply a marvelous look for you, darling. Now, if I may ask, why is it that you have come to visit me?” Rarity said.

Suddenly remembering our purpose here, I quickly chimed in. “Oh, right. We are here because I need help. But before I go any further, I must ask you… do you have any jars?”

“Jars? Why do you need jars?”

I pointed at Dash’s wing, who weakly opened it to show the gunk.

“MY WORD!” Rarity exclaimed, ”Why in Equestria would you want to even keep that?!”

“Well, I want to examine it more. Get a sample, if you will.”

“Why would you want to examine it?!” Rarity said in disgust.

“Ugh, I don’t have time for explanations! We still need to go and get Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and then get back to the –“ I started, but was cut off.

“Oh, Fluttershy? She’s here” Rarity said.

“She is?”

“Yes. She was here when you guys arrived. She must still be in the kitchen, where I left—“

It was then we heard a loud crash and then a scream from the kitchen. Fluttershy’s scream. Without thinking, I ran to where the kitchen was (thank you, show detail!) to see what the problem was. I ran into the kitchen, where I immediately tripped over the chair that was right in front of the door. After I found my bearings, I looked at the situation. I first saw Fluttershy, who was cowering under the table, with a shadow-colored pegasus with long hair walking towards her.

No time to think. I jumped in front of the assaulter and took a defensive pose.

“Stay away from Fluttershy!” I said. At this point the others had entered the kitchen and saw the figure, Dash immediately in shock upon seeing the figure. The shadowy pony suddenly lunged towards me. It hit me square in the chest and the force flung me across the room and into the wall behind me. I immediately got up and rammed into the pegasus, sending him flying across the room. As he got up I clocked him with a right punch, then turned around and bucked him. I tried to continue it with another punch but he grabbed my forleg and spun me around like I was a rag doll. The long haired shadow pegasus then flung me into the cabinets. I got back up and immediately charged at him, barraging him with a fury of punches, until I finally knocked him to the floor. He laid on the floor for a few seconds, then got back up. I braced myself for another attack, but it never came. The shadowy pony turned around and ran out the back door, which, until he crashed through it, had been closed the whole time. After a few seconds of silence, Applejack finally spoke up.

“What in tarnation was that all about?”

I turned to look at Applejack. “I’m guessing it was the pony who attacked Rainbow Dash earlier and forced her to use me as an emergency landing pad.” I said, chuckling as Rainbow Dash gave me a glare, as to say ‘I said I’m sorry, ok?!’

“Well, darling,” Rarity said, turning to the cyan pegasus, “Was it the pony who attacked you earlier today?“

“Well…” Rainbow Dash stammered.

“Well?” I repeated.

“Well, it LOOKED like the pony that attacked me, but the pony that attacked me had a short mane, kinda like mine.” Dash said, brushing her mane for emphasis on her statement.

“Great, just great. So, not only do we still have no clue as to who attacked you, he now might have an accomplice alongside him.” I said flatly.

“Um, excuse me.”

We all turned to the sound of the voice and see Fluttershy, still under the table. Once again, I was the first to run my mouth.

“Oh, Sorry Fluttershy, forgot you were still there for a moment. Are you hurt?”

“Oh, um… no. I’m fine. I just have one thing I want to ask, though. I mean, if that’s ok with you…”

“Its ok. What did you want to ask?”

“Um…How Do you know my name?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat the question?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Diiiiiiiiidn’t quite catch that. One more time, please?”

“How do you know my name?” Fluttershy flutter-shouted.

GOD DAMMIT!!

"Actually, I remember hearing you saying my name as well earlier, how didyou know it? I don't remember giving it." The alabaster fashionista said.

I excused myself and walked out of the room. Once out of the other’s sight, I then proceeded to randomly grunt and curse under my breath in anger, trying my best not to scream due to the fact that, once again, I had failed in trying to not make it look like I’m some creepy stalker, but a being from possibly another universe (which one would you believe?!). When I was done with my mild aneurism, I walked back and apologized for stepping away. That was when I was hit with a sharp pain to my horn and collapsed a bit.

“OH GOODNESS! Are you okay darli – what is that on your horn!?” Rarity said, pointing at my horn in disgust. Luckily there was a mirror nearby for me to see. The upper part of my horn was covered in black sludge, the same black sludge that was on dash’s wing. The attacker must’ve put it on me somehow before fleeing. I was only able to look at it for a few seconds before the pain caused me to collapsed to my knees again in agony. The pain was unbearable. I felt like I was being drained of my very life force. I slowly started getting weaker and weaker. I looked at my forelegs and was surprised at what I saw. The muscles in my body were getting smaller, my bones becoming frailer by the second, I saw patches of my coat turning from red to a rusty brown color, and I could’ve sworn I heard the sound of metal twisting.

The girls didn’t hesitate at my pain, and started to pull the sludge off of my horn. The process was equally painful, if not more. They might as well have been trying to pull my horn off. After what felt like an eternity, they finally pulled the sludge, and did the same to dash as I recovered from the ordeal. After I recovered I saw a jar on the counter that somehow survived the fight, and without hesitation grabbed it and stuffed the sludge into it. I turned to look at the others, who were still trying to get the sludge off of Rainbow Dash.

“One more pull oughta do it.” Applejack said, and with a sharp pull she was able to yank the sludge off of the rainbow haired pegasus’ wing – with a few feathers still attached. I took the sludge from Applejack and placed it in the jar.

“There, now that that problem is taken care of, lets go on to the next order of business.” I said, turning to the shy pegasus and the alabaster unicorn. ”I am here because Twilight has asked me to get her friends. Can you guys please come with me?”

“You expect me, after all that has happened, to follow you, a pony I do not know, to Twilight’s place for who know what he is asking us to do?”

“Pretty much, yeah”

“I’m sorry, but whatever your problem is, I’m afraid I can’t take part of it.”

I immediately got on my knees (or whatever you call a pony’s knees) and put my forehooves together in a begging motion.

“Oh please, Miss Rarity! If it was because of my behavior earlier, I was slightly annoyed as of the events earlier today and I wasn’t paying attention to my manners! In fact, in order to make up for my behavior, I will fix everything that I have broken.” I said. Yeah, I know, humiliating myself yet again. Say what you want, but I don’t want any of the mane six mad at me. I don’t know if I would be able to handle it!

Anyways, Rarity was actually taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, and preceded to stare at me for a while (why does everypony do that?). After a few seconds, she spoke up. “Well, since you insist on making such a generous offer, I suppose I can come along and help.”

“Thank you, miss Rarity. Now, we just need to get Pinkie Pie and then head on back to Twilight’s place.”

And with that, I fixed everything up in the kitchen; Rarity and Applejack told their sisters to go back to the farm and play there till they come and get them, and we all headed towards the last stop on this seemingly long gathering: Sugarcube Corner.

“So, darling, what you are telling me is that you are from another universe, and that you somehow were brought here to Ponyville?” Rarity asked me, her eyebrow raised in both curiosity and skepticism. Applejack told the others about my little predicament as we walked down the street towards Sugarcube Corner. The whole thing confused rainbow Dash, Fluttershy seemed concerned (probably for my well being), and Rarity was still a little skeptical.

“Yep!” I said cheerfully, adding a little skip in my step. Let me explain: we are going to Sugarcube Corner, the home of my favorite pony, Pinkie Pie. Yes, she is my favorite, and I’m not afraid to say it. Pinkie Pie is best pony. Period.

“Well, as ridiculous as it seems, you did rebuild my kitchen and cleaned the mess you made in my house. The least I can do is help you.”

“Whelp, were here.” Applejack proclaimed. There it was. Sugarcube corner. I looked upwards at the huge gingerbread house-shaped building. The building was about three stories high, and colered in pink, pink and more pink, with yellow for the walls. The roof looked as if to be made of gingerbread, and the top of the building adorned with a cupcake. The whole thing just screamed ‘come on in! We’ll make sure you eat enough sugar to keep you awake and jittering for a week straight!’ We walked up to the bakery and Rarity knocked on the door.

“Pinkie, darling, are you in?”

No response. Rarity knocked on the door again, but this time, the door slowly creeps open, revealing the darkened room on the other side. I made my way past Rarity.

“Our little friend from earlier must have stopped by for a snack. Wait here, I’ll go first.“ I said. I walked in the building, straining to see if there was anypony in the room. Not 5 seconds passed when the lights flashed on and a particular pink party pony pops up behind me.

“SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!” Pinkie Pie shouts, causing me to promptly jump 5 feet in the air. Well, she wanted to surprise me, and she did a damn good job of it,

“Santa Maria!” I yelped as I jumped and ran for cover under the nearest table. Pinkie turns to the others.

“He’s very jumpy, isn’t he?” the pink party pony says matter-of-factly.

Rarity was the first to speak ”Pinkie, is there any reason why you were waiting in the dark?”

“That’s how surprise parties work, silly! You wait in the room with the lights off for the person the surprise party is for!” Pinkie speaks in her usual cheery tone. I got out from under the table and looked around. The place was decorated with streamers and balloons and other various party decorations. All the tables, including the one I was under, were covered with various cakes and pastries. I wonder whom the party was for. I turn to the Pinkie Pie and asked ”Hey, who is this party for?”

“It’s for you. Duh!” The energetic pony replied, as if everyone already knew of it.

“Wait, how did you know I was here? This is the first time we met.”

Suddenly Pinkie Pie inhaled deeply, and then spoke “Well, last night I was up planning parties and new cupcake recipes and try to find new ways to throw parties, and when I was thinking of where to put my party cannon for this one cutecinera party I heard hoof steps outside so I looked outside and saw you looking at the mirrors and I thought ‘wow that pony doesn’t look familiar and if he isn’t familiar he must not be from Ponyville and if he isn’t from Ponyville that means he’s new!’ so I started planning a welcoming party and spent all day to prepare for it and when I finished the decorations I saw you guys and panicked because I still had to send out the invitations, but since you were already here I thought id give you the surprise already and then I hid and you came in and I jumped out and surprised you!”

I blinked a few times; trying to process the new info, then promptly shook my head. “Well, I’m sorry, Pinkie, but we might have to put the party on hold.” I said. When she sat on the floor and started to pout, I continued. “I’m sorry Pinkie, but right now Twilight sent me to get her friends to help me with something important. Trust me, I want to have a party just as bad as you do, I know you throw the best parties, but right now we don’t have time.” She still pouted a bit. “I promise that after you guys help me we’ll have a party." She suddenly looked up at me.

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” I said, going through the motions of the Pinkie Promise. She smiled and said, ”Well, ok. Let’s go!” and with that, finally, we head towards the library.

Chapter 3: My Name Is...

Running Like Clockwork
Ch. 3:

Hello, My Name Is…

Finally.

Back at the library. Man, I have never been so happy to be at a library in all my life. I thought I would never get back here. I still can’t believe how this day has gone. First, I get accused of being a filly molester. Then, I get rammed into by a pegasus, followed by having to carry said pegasus all the way to the boutique, where I’m accused of being a filly molester again, insult the boutique’s owner (who is my 3rd favorite pony, next to Twilight and Pinkie), get into a fight, which wrecks the boutique’s kitchen, have what felt like my life getting sucked out of me by some weird gunk, and screaming like a little girl in surprise right in front of my favorite pony.

All in all, not good. And the day isn’t even halfway over yet. Ah well, keep calm and all that. I may be exhausted, but I decided to make it look like I'm anything but, so I don't make the others worry. I sighed as we walk up to the library’s door and motion to knock…

*TWACK*

… only to have the door smack me right in the face as it swung open and knocked me onto my back. Just bucking great. The pony on the other side of the door was not enjoying the fact that they just knocked me out with the door, so I’ll spare them.

“Oh my! Are you ok?” Twilight said.

Now, I know that I haven't been having a good day, and Lord knows this didn't help at all, but all things considered I believe I took this situation a lot better than I could've taken it.

“OF COURSE I GET MY FACE KNOCKED IN BY A DOOR! WHY NOT, WITH THE DAY I’VE HAD!” I replied furiously, still on my back with my face scrunched in pain and my front hooves flailing in the air above me. Fortunately, I’ve must’ve been blessed by whatever powers may be because the pain faded quickly. Unfortunately, those same powers that may be probably only did it so I can see that I’ve upset Twilight in my outburst.

Crap.

“Ah Hell.” I said. ”I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’ve just had a bad day. Forgive me?“

The purple unicorn perked up a bit at this, and gave me a small smile. ”Ok. Just as long as you’re not angry at me for opening the door on you face.”

“Deal. Let’s go inside. I have everyone here.” I motioned to everyone behind me.

“Good, I was just about to go see where you were. You’ve been gone all morning for what was supposed to be an hour long trek around town” Twilight said as we walked into the library. I bit my lip on this one.

“Well, I kinda ran into a few…diversions along the way. Nothing too bad though. Wasn’t too good, but not that bad.” I had to lie. I almost made her feel guilty about accidently opening the door in my face. If she found out all what I had gone through to get her friends here, she would feel extremely guilty for having me go through all the trouble to get her friends. And I was not about to let her feel that way. I wouldn’t be able to take the guilt!

We all went in and sat down around Twilight’s table. Twilight was the first to speak up. ”Hello girls, sorry for having you all here on such short notice, but there is something important that needs to be discussed. If you are not aware of the situation, our friend here claims to be from another world, and that he isn’t a pony, but in fact a creature called a human. Now, if you can just—”

At that moment, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “How do you know this guy isn’t just some jokester that’s pulling a fast one over ya, Twilight? I mean, this whole ‘human from another world‘ thing seems pretty far-fetched.” She then faced me and pointed a hoof at me, ”if you are from some other world, prove it.”

I thought for a bit on how to approach this, and came up with a way. I reached into the hammerspace and pulled out my iPhone, placing it on the table. The others looked at the item with confused looks on their faces, and Dash spoke up.

“ What is that?” the tricromatic pegasus asked.

“It’s called an iPhone. It’s the technological descendent to the telephone, a human invention that allows people to talk to each other from far away.” I tapped on the screen, which lit up, causing everyone to stare in awe. I was laughing inside, I really was. It was like showing a little kid a shiny new toy. “Its also a hybrid of the telephone and another human invention, the computer, which allows the user to utilize a multiple of it’s functions, such as access information, listen to music, write out documents, etc.”

“Well, that’s a mighty fine contraption you have.” Applejack exclaimed.

“I’ll say, this is nowhere near Equestria’s standards in technology.” Twilight said, gleaming at the phone. She picked it up with her magic to get a closer look at it. “Now do you believe him Dash?”

Rainbow Dash stared at the phone for a little longer, then at her friends and me, and groaned. “I guess so…”

“Ok, so now that we have that out of the way, can you please introduce yourself?”

I got up and stood in front of them all.

”Hello, I don’t know where to start really. I could give you my real name, but human names are different from pony names, and I haven’t thought of a pony name for myself. So I’ll skip it for now. My age is – “

I was interrupted all of a sudden as a pink blur suddenly tackled me to the ground. I fell backwards and looked up to see Pinkie Pie on top of me, speaking a mile a minute.

“Ohmygosh you don’t have a name yet? That’s terrible I mean you need to have a name otherwise no one would be able to call you and wouldn’t be able to invite you to parties or throw you parties! I mean who ever heard of a birthday party for someone who didn’t have a name!? You need to have a name and – oh! I just got an idea, how about I think up of a name for you! It’ll be easy for me, I come up with a lot of names everyday for parties and snacks and cupcakes and parties! Can I help you think up a name oh please, oh please, oh please?”

“Um… Sure?” was all I could say. I had no idea how to respond besides that. This made her smiled even wider, which I thought was impossible until she did it.

“Yay! I have so many ideas for a name for you! Like Lucky or Skipper –you look like a Skipper- but maybe we should have your name reflect your talent. What’s your talent? Lets see, your cutie mark is a Sword and Shield… oh! How about Valiant Shield! Or maybe Steel Shield, or Sword Shield, or –“ Pinkie was then cut off by Twilight, who magicked her off of me and placed her where she was previously sitting.

“Pinkie, we can decide on his Equestrian name later” Twilight said, before turning to me. “But she’s right, in a sense. For the sake of convenience, can you just give us your human name for now?”

I thought about this for a second, and then responded, though with a bit of scorn over not having an “Equestrian” name. ”My name is Nicholas Scorro. I’m 25 years of age, and my profession is secretary to the mayor of the Runa Islands.”

“Runa Islands?” Rarity said.

“Yes. The Runa Islands are a collection of islands off the coast of New York, founded 10 years ago by a man named Giorgio Runa. Giorgio was tired of the Manhattan city life, and –

“Wait a minute! I thought you said you were from another world!” Exclaimed the cyan pegasus, who had taken up a defensive pose.

“I am from another world. Why?“

“If you’re from another world, how could this so called ‘founder’ of yours be from Manehatten?”

“No, not Manehatten, MANhatten. MAN. It’s a different place.” I said, correcting her. She gave me a disapproving look, then returned to her spot.

“Now as I was saying, Giorgio Runa was tired of the MANhatten city life and all its hassle, which led him to take the life of a modern-day hermit. He loved the sea, and was a skilled fisherman, so he decided that he would get on his boat and search for a small island where he would live the rest of his life on, away from civilization. A few weeks after his search, he discovered a hundred-acre island with 4 other islands surrounding it about an hour and a half away from the mainland, completely deserted and undiscovered. It wasn’t even on the map he had with him! It was the perfect place to live. So he built a home on the main island, where he lived in solitude. Three months later, a couple arrived on the islands, seeking Giorgio. Like him, they too were tired of the city life, and have heard about him through mutual friends. They wanted a new life, and sought out Giorgio to see if they could somehow live on the island with him. Giorgio was reluctant at first, but after a while he realized how boring his life had become without other people, and eventually allowed them to live on the islands with him. As time passed on more people have heard of the islands and how serene it was, and have traveled to the islands to seek a chance to live there. This kept on going for about another 6 months, and after a while the new citizens of the island motioned to make the islands an official town, with Giorgio as its mayor. Again, Giorgio was reluctant at first, but eventually gave in and accepted the title. About a month and a half later, it was cleared as an official town.”

“Wow this ‘Gee-or-gee-o’ fella sounds like a mighty fine stallion, allowing others ta live on the islands considering he wanted ta live his life as a hermit.” Applejack said. “So, what, you’re his secretary? Must be pretty nice, huh?”

I suddenly frowned, and looked at the ground sullenly. “Unfortunately, no. Three years ago, Giorgio Runa disappeared at sea while on a fishing trip. He was never found and presumed dead almost a year afterwards.” I looked up to see a collection of sorrowful faces the others were giving me. I gave them a small smile. “Don’t worry. Many people miss him dearly, but we find closure with his disappearance. I only knew him for two years, so it was easier for me to accept what had happened. Not by much though…” I frowned and looked at the floor again. “… Sometimes it felt like I knew him my entire life.” Everything was silent for a little while, to which I decided to break the silence and carry on, “Well, I believe that is enough about me for now. So, do any of you have any questions about the human world?”

“Um, I have a question. I mean, if it’s ok…”

“Sure Fluttershy, what’s up?”

“Um, well, what does a human look like?” the yellow-colored Pegasus asked before shying away behind her hair- er, mane.

“Oh, well that is an easy one. I can explain it to you, but I think it would be better if I showed you instead.” I said, reaching for the iPhone, only to find that I didn’t have it. I looked around to see where it went, then found Twilight with it, tapping away at the screen. I wondered why I wasn’t barraged with questions at this point. I walked up to Twilight and tapped her shoulder, which apparently was enough to break her out of her trance and made her aware of her surroundings. She gave a sheepish grin and returned the phone back to me. I went through my pictures and found one that would help me. The photo was a picture of me with my sister and my two friends, taken about a year ago. I showed the photo to them.

“This is what human beings usually look like. We are bipedal creatures, standing on our hind legs, our forelegs called “arms”. We have two ‘hands’ where our fore hooves would be, with 5 fingers on each hand, much similar to Spike’s claws. The average height is usually somewhere between 5-6 feet, last time I checked, and mostly have no hair, save for the top of our head and a thin layer of hair on our arms and legs. Hair color is either black, blond, red, brown, white, or a mixture of any two.” I explained. They all looked at the photo in amazement, which is completely understandable. After all, humans are to this world as magical talking ponies are to our world. After a while, Twilight’s curiosity got the better of her.

“Um, excuse me, Nicholas?”

“Nick is fine.”

“Ok. Nick, who are these humans in the picture?”

I turn to look at the photo, a soft smile creeping onto my face. “This is of my two friends and my sister and me back in my world. The one on the bottom is Michael, a lawyer who works for the mayor. We met soon after I became the secretary, and became good friends. The one to my right is Chris, a childhood friend who I literally grew up two doors down to. Our friendship actually started with a fight, to which I apologized to him afterwards. We became friends ever since. He works various jobs across the island. You can call him a ‘jack of all trades’. The girl, obviously, is my sister, Victoria. She’s currently enrolled in college, earning a degree in education.” I paused to look at the picture, when I realized something.

There may be a chance that I can never get back.

That I am stuck in here in Equestria forever.

That I’ll never see any of my friends or family ever again.

Then I felt something on my shoulder. I looked up and saw a purple hoof resting on my shoulder, and the unicorn it belonged to looked at me with a comforting face, as if to say ‘don’t worry, everything will be alright’. The others were giving me the same faces, each giving me the same unspoken message. And just like that, any sadness was immediately erased. I smiled and looked up at my audience of ponies.

“Ok then, what else do you want to know about the human world?”

And so, for the next few hours I have been answering any and all questions the girls had. They asked various questions, to which I tried my best to explain. I was hit with every question under the sun; from the anatomy and bone structure of the human body to what we eat to whether or not we like parties. I told them about how we use technology and science in place of magic, that we are omnivores, which was then immediately followed by both a brief explanation of what it is and an unfortunately not so brief consolation that I wouldn’t eat them, and that humans, while not able to manipulate the weather, are still able to observe and predict it, which Rainbow Dash had trouble believing. Eventually, the Q&A hit a bit close to home, in the form of one pink pony.

“Hey, Nick, how did you know about us anyways?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Hey yeah, I mean it isn’t like you could’ve known about us since you are from a different world. Care to explain?” Rainbow Dash said, taking her defensive demeanor again. I began to freeze up, as I was hoping I could bull my way past it a bit longer, but I couldn’t come up with a single way to explain it without telling the truth.

Ah hell, might as well anyways. It was bound to come up sooner or later I thought. I took a deep breath and looked straight at them.

“O.K., before I tell you how I know about this world, I must warn you. This information will most likely change your look on your world completely. Do you still want to know?” Everyone nodded their heads yes. “Ok then. Well, you remember what I told you about the human invention known as the Television, right?”

“That box that shows what is happening in other parts of the world?” Rainbow Dash said, not backing out of her stance.

“Not exactly how I explained it but, yeah. And the reason I ask you this is because – “ just then we heard screams coming from outside. We rush outside to see the source of the screams – three little fillies cowering under 2 shadowy figures, both pegasi. I recognized one of the shadowy figures that attacked Fluttershy earlier. The other one with the short mane was probably the one who knocked Dash out of the sky. One of them had a sharp object in its hoof, raising it as if to stab the fillies.

I rushed towards the group and got between the fillies and the shadow pegasi, raised my forelegs over my head, closed my eyes and braced myself for a world of pain.

*CLANK*

…

Wait a minute, clank?

I opened my eyes to see my forelegs – only to see that they had been turned to metal! I stared at them, and then tapped one of them with the other, resulting in another clanking sound. I found a devious smile slowly creeping to my face, as now I may have stumbled on to an advantage. I looked up at my attackers, who were dumbfounded at what had just happened, and simply gave them a slightly wicked grin.

“Now you’re in trouble.”