Shattered Dimensions: Forgotten Shardsby RawgChaptersIn Which Allen Trains Some N00bsIn Which Allen And Drayke Cross An ArrowAllen VS Sanguis, Part 1Allen VS Sanguis, Part 2In Which Allen Meets Lyra And Bon-BonIn Which Allen Trains Some N00bs“Okay, gentlemen,” I said confidently as I paced up and down the Crystal Empire training grounds, “we are here today because earlier this week, the Crystal Empire was attacked by a hostile force. In order to properly combat this force, you will all need to learn how to fight a human.” I looked at the line of ponies that stood before me and saw a group of tall, proud stallions who had been put through rigorous training and seen enemies that probably could have smashed me in a fight with little effort. The only reason I was here right now was because I was able to hold my own against Sanguis slightly longer than the other humans that tried fighting him. I shuddered at the thought of their bodies falling, one by one, as Sanguis simply walked past and beheaded them. He had no remorse or fear for his actions; this is what made him more dangerous than most enemies these guards may have faced. I glanced over when one of the armored ponies raised a hoof as if he were in a classroom. “Uh, yes?” I asked, confused. The guard took a step forward and cleared his throat. “We aren’t going to have to fight that… thing that showed up the other day, will we?” he asked nervously, shying away at his comrades’ mocking chuckles. I gave the nervous stallion a sympathetic smile. At least there was one guard who felt the same about the undead warlord as I did. “You won’t have to face him during training,” I said reassuringly, “this is just so if you do end up having to fight him, you’ll have some idea of what you’re doing. Now, shall we begin?” I suggested, gesturing to a human-shaped mannequin that stood beside me. It was crafted out of some sacks of hay and a couple of wooden poles I had found lying around; I was very proud of it, especially since I only had one hand to craft it with. “Now, our enemy’s preferred method of combat is close-quarters with that greatsword of his,” I explained as I paced in front of the training dummy, “so you’ll need to keep your distance if he is facing you. Try to attack him when he is distracted, and make sure you run in, strike hard, and run away, because once you’ve given yourself away, he will try to kill you.” Now some of the more seasoned warriors were starting to look a little nervous. They all took turns striking the dummy, running behind and slamming their rear hooves against it one by one. Eventually, the nervous guard who had spoken up earlier approached me. “Excuse me, Mister Allen?” he asked nervously, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I don’t think this is a very effective method of training. Is there anything else we can fight?” I thought about this a moment. I hadn’t quite learned how to use my magic effectively, but maybe I could pull off some sort of simple summoning spell. “I think I could pull something off,” I said, holding out my arms to crack my knuckles, but realized I needed a second hand to do that. I closed my eyes and focused my powers on conjuring a humanoid shape in front of me; nothing too strong, just an enemy that would be able to effectively defend itself against the royal guard. As I focused, however, my thoughts couldn’t help but wander to another creature that had been summoned the previous year. A monster specially designed to hunt otherworldly creatures and eliminate them with extreme prejudice. I didn’t mean to do it, but my mind just couldn’t help but wander. I opened my eyes and saw a Crystal Sentinel standing before me, its massive blade arm glinting in the midday sun. “Die, human!” It screamed, holding the aforementioned blade arm in the air. I widened my eyes. “Oops,” I muttered, jumping out of the way as the massive sword buried itself in the ground where I stood previously. I ran as the creature pursued me, knowing I had no way of fighting it; without the sword I had fought the Sentinels with last year, which was made of a special crystal that could penetrate their crystalline hides, I was vastly underpowered. Some of the guards tried to restrain the creature, but it simply picked them off of it with its massive hand and tossed them aside. “Training’s over! Everybody RUN!” I cried, hoping my warning would get the guards away from the danger. Unfortunately , these guys were seasoned warriors, and weren’t going to let a monster run rampant through their city’s streets. They continued to try and wrestle the Sentinel as it kept a close chase on me, and eventually it said the words I feared it would if the guards didn’t stop interfering. “Equestrian citizens interfering with elimination of human specimen; deactivating safety protocols,” it said coldly as it tightly gripped one of the guards and pitched him to the side, causing the poor stallion to slam against an adjacent wall with a heavy thud. I rolled my eyes. “I told you guys to run,” I muttered, and decided to try something new. As the Sentinel drew close, I waved my arms wildly. “Wait! Wait!” I cried loudly, and the creature slowed to a stop. “Any last words, human filth?” it asked angrily. I held my hands calmingly. “Easy, pal,” I said slowly, “Do I really look like a human?” The Sentinel stared at me for a moment. “You identify as ‘human’. You must be eliminated,” it said, raising its arm in the air. “No I’m not! Look!” I said, holding up my hoof arm. “I’m part pony! I used magic to summon you!” I added, pointing to my horn. To further prove my point, I focused a bit of magic, sending white sparks shooting from my horn’s tip. The Sentinel continued to stare. It may not have had a face, but I could tell it was confused. “No directives given for human/pony hybrids,” it said thoughtfully. “There is no human threat?” I was about to give a negative response, but then I realized why I was here in the first place. “Actually, there is a threat you could help us with,” I said slowly. “A human attacked the Crystal Empire a few days ago, and we are training to defend the Empire in case he attacks again. Will you fight with us?” The Sentinel just stood there; I never knew how weird it would be to talk to something without a face. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?” It said slowly, holding its bladed arm at the ready. I took a cautious step back. “No, trust me, I’m not a threat!” I said, and grabbed a nearby guard in a friendly hug. “See? I’m nice!” I said, smiling nervously. The stallion squirmed a little. “Dude, get off me,” he murmured. I glared at him for a moment. “Shut up and go with it, or I’m mincemeat,” I growled, and smiled back at the Sentinel. After a few moments, the large creature lowered its blade. “Creature has been identified as human/pony hybrid. Not a threat to Equestrian citizens,” it reported. “Creature has also identified as my creator. What will you have me do, master?” it added inquiringly. I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the remaining guards, who were all giving each other uncertain looks. “Boys,” I said slowly, starting to laugh, “It looks like we’ve got ourselves a Crystal Sentinel fighting on our side!” ~-~-~-~-~ The rest of the session went on as normal, with us using the Sentinel in place of the haysack dummy. Since it was so large and unbreakable, it didn’t seem bothered by having several burly stallions kick it in the back over and over again. All it would do is exactly what I told it: turn and swing its arm, being careful to not actually hit the guards as they retreated. Eventually, the guards felt satisfied with their ability to at least stall a human warrior, and they all went home for the day, thanking me for the training. Even the stallions who were injured during the Sentinel’s rampage were happy with how the day went, which was a big surprise. I walked with the Sentinel to the Crystal Palace, finding the creatures could actually make for decent conversation, despite their lack of emotions. “Now, remember, you don’t hunt humans anymore; just this one particular human who poses a threat to the Crystal Empire,” I explained. The creature marched beside me dutifully. “Yes, master,” it said flatly. I rolled my eyes. “You don’t need to call me master,” I said with a slight chuckle, “just call me ‘Allen’.” “Yes, Allen,” the Sentinel responded, its tone unchanging. We marched into the palace, where my friends were waiting for me. They smiled at the sight of my arrival, but looks of terror crossed their faces when they saw the lumbering giant that stood beside me. “SENTINEL!” They all screamed, and ran for cover behind a table. I laughed at my friends’ panic. “Girls, you don’t need to be afraid,” I explained, “This guy’s on our side! I accidentally summoned him during my training session with the guards, and I was able to convince him to help us out!” Just then, Princess Luna burst into the room. “Girls, did I hear screaming…” she asked, her eyes widening at the sight of a Crystal Sentinel. “I didn’t let you beasts harm Allen before, and I’m not about to let you harm him now!” she cried as a light blue aura surrounded her horn. I held up my arms cautiously. “Luna, no!” I cried just as a bolt of lightning shot from the lunar princess’s horn, striking the Sentinel dead-on. The creature screamed in pain, and its body exploded, leaving behind a pair of disembodied legs that quickly turned to dust. “Luna,” I moaned as I sifted my fingers through the dust as the others approached, “he was on our side!” Luna walked over by me, a confused look on her face. “He was?” she asked slowly, a guilty look on her face. “Yes,” I explained, “He helped me train the guards, and he was going to help us fight Sanguis,” I said hopelessly. Luna lowered her head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Allen,” she said sadly, “I was worried… I didn’t want it to hurt you like the others tried to do.” I stood up and patted her head gently. “It’s okay,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Maybe I can summon another…” I said suddenly, and focused my thoughts on another Sentinel. Luna shook her head. “Allen, your magic is affected by your emotions, remember?” she pointed out. “If you try to force your spells, it won’t work; the Sentinel was probably brought out by your fear.” I shrugged. “Oh well, then,” I sighed. “At least the guards have some idea of how to defend themselves against Sanguis, I suppose.” Twilight spoke up. “It is interesting, however; I thought the Sentinels were like machines, controlled by the central pillar with no unique thoughts of their own. However, you were able to convince it you weren’t a threat, and then persuaded it to help train the guards,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe there is more to learn about Starswirl’s creations than meets the eye.” I nodded slowly. “I’ll let you know next time I accidentally summon one and it tries to kill me,” I said dryly, and the others burst into laughter. In Which Allen And Drayke Cross An Arrow“Ugh, my head… what the hell happened?” Drayke groaned, sitting up beside me as he rubbed his forehead with his palm. Twilight had tried casting a teleportation spell she was testing on us, and it ended up knocking us out and sending us to some unknown location - or so we thought. I took a good look around, confused by my surroundings. “I thought we had teleported, but it looks like we haven’t gone anywhere,” I remarked, noting the buildings that surrounded us were, in fact, from Ponyville; it was as if we hadn’t moved from our spot in Ponyville Park at all. Drayke rose to his feet and took a good look around. “Where did the others go?” he asked impatiently. “I’m going to be pissed if they just left us out here; I still haven't quite learned my way around this place…” I shook my head slowly, noticing some ponies were coming by to investigate, all with curious looks on their faces; they acted as if they had never seen me or Drayke before, even though we had been living here for several days. Just then, something hit me. “Drayke… do you notice anything… strange?” I asked, slowly standing as a curious crowd gathered around us. Drayke let out an empty laugh. “We’re surrounded by colorful, talking horses, Allen. You’ll need to be a little more specific than that,” he said dryly. I rolled my eyes. “I mean, do you notice a strange lack of girls in this crowd?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice low as the ponies got closer. Drayke took a good look at the crowd, his expression showing that he, too, noticed this. “Yeah, that is weird,” he murmured. “Weren’t there a lot more chicks here than dudes?” “What the hell is all the commotion?!” a loud voice demanded. The crowd parted slowly, and a lone figure strode toward us. “This can’t be possible,” I said, awestruck, as a blonde, long-haired woman stopped just a few feet away from us. She looked us up and down with a suspicious expression. “Who are you? Where did you come from?” she asked hotly. I stared. “I… uh…” I trailed off, unsure of how to react. How could there be another human in Equestria? There was no way this could be real. Drayke stood up and ran a hand through his hair, giving the woman a smooth look. “Well, hello there, beautiful,” he said in a silky tone, “I never believed in heaven, but I think I just found an angel.” The woman glared at him. “Back off, jackass; I’m not the kind of girl to sleep with the first guy I meet in this place,” she growled. Just then, a gentle voice spoke behind her. “Daysie, please,” it said, and the woman stepped aside to reveal a short, dark-grey alicorn, just slightly smaller than I was. She had large, brown eyes, and a short mane of a similar tone. “Sorry about her; she can be a little harsh sometimes,” she apologized with a laugh. “My name is Alice; who are you?” she asked warmly. I looked around at the crowd, starting to realize what was going on. “My name is Allen, and this is Drayke,” I explained, gesturing to the human beside me that was still casting flirting glances at Daysie. “Uh, Drayke, you may want to stop hitting on her,” I whispered humorously. Drayke shot an angry look at me. “Don’t tell me what to do,” he shot back, but slowly realized I probably knew more about what was going on than he did. “Why?” he added cautiously. “Because that girl is you.” Drayke and Daysie both widened their eyes. “What?!” they asked, studying each other closely to see if this was true. Alice nodded thoughtfully. “It looks like you two don’t belong here, huh?” she asked softly. I shrugged. “Well, yes and no. We also live in Equestria, but not this version. It looks like this universe is exactly like our own, but everyone is the opposite gender,” I explained. Drayke shook his head disbelievingly. “That can’t be right,” he said slowly. I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Drayke,” I sighed, “‘Allen’ and ‘Drayke’? ‘Alice’ and ‘Daysie’? It’s obvious that we’re in some kind of Rule 63 version of our own universe,” I said with a laugh. Drayke and Daysie raised both raised an eyebrow. “What’s ‘Rule 63’?” they asked in unison, and glanced at each other in surprise. “Rule 63 is one of the rules of the internet,” Alice and I explained in unison, smiling at each other. “‘Every male counterpart has a female counterpart, and vice-versa’.” Daysie looked at Alice questioningly. “So… you’re saying that he is me… as a dude?” she asked slowly. Drayke looked at me in a similar manner. “You’re telling me that this chick is me according to this ‘Rule 63’?” he asked disbelievingly. I shook my head. “No, Rule 63 only applies to the internet,” I explained. “This is just a parallel universe where everything is exactly the same, except anyone that is a male in our world is a female here, and any females in our world are males here.” Drayke nodded understandingly. “So…” he trailed off, stepping smoothly by Daysie and putting an arm around her, “I guess we’re perfect for each other. Wanna go out sometime?” he asked, grinning cleverly. Daysie glared at Drayke and slammed her foot into his shin, knocking him to the ground. “Fuck you,” she spat as she walked away. Drayke looked up, still grinning as he held his leg. “So is that a yes?” he asked teasingly. Allen VS Sanguis, Part 1I fell to my knees, breathing heavily as I stared at the glittering floor. The area around was littered with crystal debris from the blast I struck Luna with. Luna… I thought hazily as I punched the ground with my hoof-hand. I failed her. I was supposed to protect her, and I failed. Now she was dead, and it was my fault. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see Drayke approaching cautiously. “What the hell happened here?” he asked, looking around at the destruction I had caused. “Damn, kid, you did a better job destroying shit than I could ever hope to do!” Just then, he saw Luna’s body lying beside me, and his face fell. “Oh,” he said simply. I rose to my feet slowly and walked away from the destroyed castle. Drayke rushed to catch up to me. “Hey, where are you going?” he asked. “Why do you care?” I snapped. “All you care about is yourself; you’ve betrayed me, captured and tried to enslave my friends, and even tried to kill us all! Why would you possibly give a shit about what I am going to do?” Drayke sighed. “I don’t know,” he said hopelessly. “All I know is you are the only one who can stop that asshole from taking over the world.” I continued to walk away from the ruined palace. “Let him take it,” I said dismissively. “My world is already gone.” I heard a crackling sound, and I spun around to block a strike from Drayke’s scythe with a crystal-covered arm. “Look, Allen, I may not give a flying fuck about Earth, but I know you aren’t someone who is willing to let another war start,” he said through his crystal visor. “If you don’t stop Sanguis, a lot more lives are going to be lost than that of your girlfriend.” I stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I couldn’t save her; what makes you think I can save the world?” I asked seriously. Drayke laughed. “I don’t think you can save the world,” he said slowly. “I think you can save two of them.” -_-_-_-_- Sanguis Cruciatus marched towards the human outpost, dragging his sword behind him as he advanced. The humans had caught sight of him, and were now assembling a wall of men facing the warlord, their firearms aimed right at him. “Listen, you… thing,” one of them called nervously, “I’m gonna give you one chance to just turn around and leave, or things are gonna get ugly!” Sanguis smirked at the soldier’s pathetic attempt to be brave. “I think you should put those guns down and stand aside,” he said, not slowing his pace. The man stared at the warlord as he continued his approach. “Open fire!” he shouted, and the other men began to unload their weapons at Sanguis. The warlord flinched slightly as the bullets struck his armor, only some of them actually penetrating his black shell as he continued to advance undeterred on the squad. The metal pellets were only an annoyance, like small bee stings, and by the time Sanguis stood a mere few yards from them, they had all run out of ammo. “I don’t suppose you would like me to give you time to reload?” he asked wickedly as the men stared at him fearfully, and he suddenly roared as he swung his blade over his head, crushing two men into the ground with a mighty blow. This was enough to deter the others, as they scattered into the camp in search of a place to hide or better armaments. Sanguis simply marched through the camp toward the source of a bright, blue beam that lanced into the sky every so often, releasing a pulse of magical energy that the humans may not have felt themselves, but Sanguis was fully aware of; almost like an arctic wind. A weaker magical being may have been bothered by it, but Sanguis was no weakling, and he marched right up to the portal, staring at it with awe. “And now, I return home,” he breathed, just as a loud bang rang out behind him, and he felt something strike the back of his head with incredible force. Sanguis turned to see the boy standing at the edge of the portal’s clearing, holding the handgun his father had used in his human hand. “You’ll have to get by me first,” he called out, dropping the gun as a crystal sword appeared in his hand. -_-_-_-_- I blocked Sanguis’s swing with my blade, pushing his massive claymore aside as I struck with my own. It was a quiet, tense fight, and the only sound one could hear was that of our blades clashing together. Although my sword didn’t break, every time I struck Sanguis, I could hear the sound of shattering glass as the crystal’s blade weakened and reformed. We continued this strike-parry battle for some time, until I quickly jumped back and dropped my sword as it vanished, and focused on my left shoulder blade; the one that didn’t have a large pegasus’s wing growing out of it. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a beautiful crystal wing stretching out from my back, looking almost exactly like the ones I had on my Crystal Paladin armor one year earlier. As Sanguis charged, attempting to skewer me with his blade, I leaped into the air, taking flight for the first time since my battle with Drayke. As I flew overhead, I flicked my wrist at the warlord, sending a trio of crystal knives sailing at him. He quickly swung his blade to block my attack, each knife colliding with and shattering on his sword. “Is that really the best you can do?” Sanguis boasted, dropping his sword and raising his fists, which had become cloaked in the same dark energy that had caused Shining Armor’s mech to fail. I landed before him as my forearms became encased in crystal, and I began to box with the warlord. Every time he struck or blocked, black sparks of energy showered from his fists, and every time I struck or blocked, my own makeshift gauntlets cracked and scattered tiny fragments, only for them to reform moments later. Just then, Sanguis swiped out with an open palm, grabbing the collar of my shirt and raising me into the air as his body became cloaked in a black aura. “You will not defy me what I was supposed to have gained long ago!” he growled, and I was knocked away by an explosion of energy centered from the warlord’s body. I landed in the dirt several yards away, struggling to rise to my feet. “I’ve never understood how humans could ever care for these disgusting equines,” he snapped, kicking me in the chest and pushing me back another few feet. I coughed violently, and saw through blurred eyes that I had spat out a significant amount of my own blood. “They talk as if friendship and harmony are the most important things that exist, when all that really matters in the world is power and dominance,” he mused, stomping on my remaining human arm, shattering most of my humerous. I didn’t cry out like I did during my initial fight with Sanguis, when he broke my arm and stabbed me in the back; I just waited. I waited for death to take me. -_-_-_-_- Drayke Blackwood watched from afar as Sanguis proceeded to beat the living shit out of Allen. This asshole has already killed me once,he said, for once not referring to Allen when he spoke of being killed, So there’s no way I can help right now. I’ve got to do something, though! Just then, Drayke got an idea. It was a stupid one, since he would be willingly giving up his only way to protect himself if Allen or any of his friends decided to turn on him, but he didn’t have much choice. “Allen, CATCH!” -_-_-_-_- As Sanguis paced behind me, deciding how he should finally kill me, I heard a voice call out a short ways away. I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but several moments later, I heard an object land in the dirt next to me with a thud. I looked up, and through my wavering eyes I saw a jet-black crystal; the same one Drayke had been using to meddle in my life for so long. For the first time ever, despite the intense agony I was being put through, Drayke Blackwood made me smile. I reached out with my hoof and touched the crystal, causing an explosion of light to knock Sanguis backward. I felt the crystal’s energy flowing into me, mixing with my own magic as my bones knitted and my strength was replenished. I rose to my feet as waves of black and white magic lashed out from my body, returning moments later as solid crystals that clung to my limbs like armor. A massive polearm formed in my hand; a beautiful, black-and-white crystal swordstaff, a fusion of my and Drayke’s signature weapons. A mass of crystal formed around my hoof-hand, morphing into a makeshift, five-fingered hand. My armor finished forming around me, a perfectly synergised fusion of the Obsidian King and Crystal Paladin armors, with both jagged, black spikes and smooth, white plating. I stared as Sanguis stood, actually looking uncertain as a faceless crystal helm formed around my head. My single wing stretched out from my body, becoming encased in crystal as a solid wing stretched from my armor by my other shoulder. I held my swordstaff at my side, the end of the handle touching the ground as I spoke clearly, my voice slightly distorted by the magic in my helmet. “Sanguis Cruciatus, today is the day you die.” Sanguis bared his teeth and held his sword at the ready. “And who are you to make such a ludicrous claim?!” he demanded angrily. I whirled my weapon in one hand before taking on a battle-ready stance. “The Crystal Avenger,” I growled, and charged. -_-_-_-_- Drayke’s crystal, like Allen’s had been a year prior, was aware that even though it held such great power, there was still a chance of its current wielder losing this fight. Although it was loyal to Drayke, it knew that he had willingly given it to the boy he once called enemy, and it now had to serve its new master. So, it called out, just as Allen’s crystal had done, for assistance. However, it did not call to the gemstones known as the “Elements of Harmony”; it knew that more crystals and magic were not what would finally defeat the ancient warlord. In the end of it all, the only thing that could defeat Sanguis Cruciatus was friendship. Allen VS Sanguis, Part 2Twilight Sparkle awoke suddenly, her dreams being interrupted by a strange disturbance. She had cried herself to sleep, having found out that Shining Armor, her beloved big brother, had been sain by Sanguis Cruciatus. She was dreaming he was still alive, and they were many years younger, when her brother was still thinking about joining the Royal Guard, and Cadence was foalsitting her. It had been more than a dream, though; it was a memory. -_-_-_-_- “But Shiny, what if you get hurt?” Twilight asked her brother worriedly as she trotted down the Canterlot sidewalk with Shining Armor, who had just mentioned he was considering signing up for Celestia’s Royal Guard. Shining laughed, amused. “You don’t need to worry, Twily,” he said assuringly. “Nothing will happen to me! Besides, even if I did get hurt, it would be for a good cause,” he added cheerfully. Twilight pouted. “But I need you more than the princess does!” she exclaimed sadly. “What if one day you’re gone, and then I won’t have my B.B.B.F.F to look out for me!” Shining Armor stopped and sat his sister down. “Twilight,” he said, looking down into his sister’s eyes, “Even if I didn’t join the Guard, there would still come a day when I wouldn’t be around to keep an eye on you. It could be tomorrow, next week, or even many years from now!” Seeing this didn’t help cheer up the filly, Shining cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is, even if I’m gone, I will always be with you, right here,” he said, pointing to her head, “and right here,” he added, also pointing to her heart. “You keep all of your knowledge in your brain, and all of your feelings in your heart, but the ones you love will always stay in both, so even when they are gone, they’ll always be with you.” -_-_-_-_- Now, Twilight sat up in bed at Castle Canterlot, remembering her brother’s words from so long ago, when she suddenly remembered why she had awoken in the first place. “Girls, I think we have to go,” she said aloud, and her friends stirred into consciousness. Applejack was the first to speak. “So I’m not the only one who felt it,” she yawned, shaking her head to hasten her waking, “something’s calling for us.” Twilight nodded. She hadn’t actually heard anypony call her or her friends’ names, but she still had that feeling that something out there was summoning them. Something near the human camp they had met Allen’s father. “I knew that kid shouldn’t have left without us!” Rainbow Dash cried as she flew alongside her friends as they rushed out of Castle Canterlot. “Allen didn’t want us to get hurt,” Fluttershy pointed out as she, too, zipped through the air next to the group. “Sanguis is the strongest enemy he’s ever fought, so he was worried that he might not be able to protect us.” Twilight skidded to a halt. “Alright, everypony hold still,” she said as her friends gathered around her. “I’ve never tried a teleport spell of this magnitude, so who knows how close we’re gonna end up!” Her horn took on a vibrant, lavender aura, and her eyes glowed a bright white as a similar energy surrounded her friends. There was a flash, and the six ponies had vanished from where they had just been standing. -_-_-_-_- Sanguis snarled as he blocked a strike from my weapon. “You have so much power, boy,” he said thoughtfully. “Imagine how powerful I will become when I’ve killed you!” I continued to slash and parry, my blade constantly in motion as I whirled it around like a baton. “That’s the problem, Sanguis,” I said as I jumped back, my blade taking on a bright glow, “I’m not going to die!” The warlord’s eyes widened as I aimed the tip of my blade at him, and a ball of white energy flew at him, exploding on contact and obscuring the warlord from view. I scanned the hazy landscape carefully as I waited for a counterattack, but after a few moments I realized I had won the fight. “Allen!” A voice called from behind me, and I turned to see Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all racing to greet me. I dropped my swordstaff as it vanished in a whisp of smoke, and my armor faded from my body as I opened my arms to embrace my friends. At first, I was worried my injuries would return again, just as they had after I defeated Drayke, but it became obvious that the crystal had permanently healed me. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked with a laugh as the six ponies practically tackled me to the ground, all of them giggling happily. “We all got this feeling that you needed help,” Twilight explained, “like a wordless voice crying our names.” Pinkie nodded. “But, it looks like you beat that meanie without us!” Just as we had all settled down, however, I felt something grab the back of my shirt and throw me aside. I rolled across the ground and scrambled to my feet, looking up to see Sanguis standing over my friends and smiling wickedly with a torn mouth. He now looked like he did when we first fought; a barely-alive corpse with two points of blue light for eyes. “Surrender, and I may let your friends live,” he snarled, his voice as cold as the grave as he aimed an aura-enveloped finger at my friends, who all shrank back in fear. I widened my eyes, desperately trying to think of some way I could save them. I already lost Luna, I thought grimly, I’m not losing them too! Just then, I felt a strange force blow past me, almost like an icy wind, and I shifted my gaze behind Sanguis to see Project G.E.M.’s portal standing just a few feet behind him. I remembered what General Warrens had told me about the portal; that it was unstable, releasing bursts of energy every so often, and was constantly needing new parts. “This is the worst plan I’ve ever had,” I mumbled, and sprinted at the warlord, whose glowing eyes widened for the briefest of moments as I tackled him, knocking him into the portal’s frame. Sanguis cried out in agony as we slammed into the metal structure, the bulk of his armor causing the supports to buckle, and the portal was practically torn apart by our impact. A blast of energy lashed out from the portal itself as it collapsed, incinerating Sanguis’s decaying form almost instantly. I felt an electric shock tear through my entire body as I skidded across the ground, unconsciousness leaving me as my momentum ceased. -_-_-_-_- “Allen! NO!” Twilight called as her human friend rolled across the ground. She and the others ran to his side, all of them checking his body for any signs of life. “He isn’t breathing!” Fluttershy wailed. Twilight nodded sadly. “He doesn’t have a pulse, either,” she murmured. “The blast stopped his heart.” The six ponies all sat around the dead boy, struggling to hold back their tears. “I wouldn’t be so quick to cry, ladies,” a laughing voice said behind them. They turned to see Drayke Blackwood, the former Obsidian King, strolling up to them. “Man, that kid really knows how to throw a party, huh?” he inquired as he studied the battle-ravaged camp. “What do you mean? Allen’s dead,” Twilight said sadly. “You expect us to just not cry?” Drayke shrugged. “Give it a couple of seconds; you’ll see what I mean,” he replied nonchalantly. The six ponies all turned back to their friend, and they noticed something in his pocket was glowing. Using her magic, Twilight levitated the object out of his jeans, and found it was Drayke’s black crystal. It was glowing with a faint, pulsing light as she placed it on the ground next to Allen. Drayke crossed his arms and smirked. “And… now!” Just as the words left his mouth, Allen suddenly snapped open his eyes and gasped as the crystal shined like a star, the glow enveloping his entire body. Twilight, Drayke, and the other ponies all watched as the boy’s body changed shape inside the glowing sphere, until the light finally faded, revealing his newly-healed form. -_-_-_-_- “Well, I wasn’t expecting this,” Drayke said slowly as I blinked a few times to clear my swimming head. “What happened?” I groaned , rolling over off of my back. Something felt… wrong. My limbs weren’t responding like they once did, and I felt like my organs had shifted their position inside my body. “Well, I was thinking it would just bring you back to life, but I think the crystal went ahead and took care of your little identity crisis,” Drayke explained, still not entirely explaining what was happening. I rolled my eyes. “What do you mean, ‘Identity-’... what the hell?” I now saw that both of my arms ended in hooves. “Allen… you’re a prince,” Twilight said, awestruck. “An alicorn prince.” I gave her a confused look, and ran into a nearby tent. There was broken mirror in there, no doubt shattered by my fight with Sanguis, but I could see my reflection well enough; I now stood on four hooved legs, with a dull-grey pelt and a magnificent, brown mane that looked like my human hair, but stretched down a bit further in back. A horn spiraled from my head, and a pair of feathery wings sat on either side of my body, just behind my forelegs. “Huh. Would you look at that,” I said slowly, turning as I continued to inspect my appearance. On my flank, I saw an image of a white sword, pointed downward and made of crystal. I laughed at this sight emptily, and sighed sadly. “What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asked as my friends entered the tent. I looked off in the direction of the Crystal Empire sadly. “This isn’t the way I was supposed to become a prince,” I said sadly, and sprinted out of the tent, taking to the sky as I began to weep pitifully. In Which Allen Meets Lyra And Bon-BonI opened my eyes and smiled broadly; today was my first day back in Equestria after an entire year away, and now I had all the time in the world to spend time with my friends! I leaped out of the bed in Twilight’s library and quickly got dressed, whistling the opening chords to the song “Fools Gold” as I threw on my pants and shirt, and ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. They were a little limited on food options in Equestria, since ponies aren’t avid consumers of meat, dairy, or eggs, but I was fine with a perfectly ripe banana. After a bit of searching, I found that I was alone in the library for the moment. “Twilight must have gone out to get something,” I said to myself, and I decided to go for a stroll. After all, I might as well make it clear that I was finally back! I put on my my dark-grey hoodie as I slipped out the door, and began to walk through the streets of Ponyville for the first time in what felt like ages. I smiled at all the familiar sights, both from the show and my previous visit, as I strolled down the cobblestone roads of Ponyville’s square. I thought about stopping at Sugarcube Corner for a cupcake, but then I realized that I didn’t have any bits to spend and decided I could do without sweets for a little while. After all, I was supposed to be going to Canterlot in a few days, and I knew Celestia would put together some huge celebration to mark my return. “Look over there!” I heard a voice whisper urgently. I smiled slightly, knowing that I was the one being referred to, and glanced to my right. I saw a nearby bench with two ponies sitting on it. One of them, a mint-green mare with a white-streaked mane, sat on her behind like a human, while her friend, a cream-colored mare with a blue-and-pink striped mane that sat in large curls. I knew these two rather well, thanks to the brony fandom back on Earth: rumored lesbian couple-slash-roommates, Lyra and Bon-Bon. “I don’t believe it…” the pale pony said slowly, “Your crazy conspiracy theories were right; it’s a human!” I nodded acknowledging at the pair, giving them a friendly smile. “Hello!” I said happily as I approached, “How are you two today?” The mint pony wasn’t paying attention to me, however; instead, she was staring at my hands with an excited look on her face. Her pale friend rolled her eyes. “Please forgive my roommate’s eagerness,” she said apologetically. “She’s wanted to see a human up close for a long time. I heard you were here a while back, but we were a little tied up at the time.” I nodded, taking a few moments to realize she probably meant that literally when I remembered what had gone down during my last visit. “Anyways, what are you two up to?” I asked, glancing down to see Lyra was right by my side, staring at my fingers with untapped curiosity. Bon-Bon glanced at Lyra, slightly irritated. “Bon-Bon! Down!” she snapped, and the green pony scowled and sat down on the bench. “We’re just getting out of the house for a little while and enjoying the nice weather,” she explained. “What about you?” I shrugged. “Pretty much the same, I guess. Hey, have you seen Twilight Sparkle or any of her friends?” I inquired. “I was supposed to hang out with them today.” Bon-Bon shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said slowly, “but I’m sure they’ll show up eventually; they’re always having adventures around here!” Lyra suddenly spoke up, having paid no attention to the conversation due to being focused on my hands. “Mister Human, could I ask you a favor?” she asked, her gaze unwavering. I stared for a moment. “Uh, sure,” I said slowly, “you can call me ‘Allen’, if you want,” I added. Lyra smiled nervously. “Could you… could you scratch behind my ears?!” she asked quickly, tapping her front hooves together nervously. “I’ve always wondered what it felt like to be petted by a human,” she added. I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think that’d be a problem,” I replied, and before I knew it, Lyra was sitting on the ground in front of me with her eyes closed and an eager smile on her face. Bon-Bon slapped a hoof against her forehead, embarrassed. “I am so sorry about her,” she grumbled, “Sometimes she can be a little too… excitable.” I shrugged as I reached out and began to scratch behind Lyra’s right ear like one would do with a cat. “It’s alright,” I said slowly, “I was a little excited when I first saw you ponies.” I looked down to see Lyra had begun to drool, and there was a dreamy look on her face. “Ohhhh… that’s perfect,” she said happily. Pony fur was softer than anything I had ever felt before; you just couldn’t compare it to anything. Realizing that Lyra was on the verge of passing out, I stopped scratching and gave her a light pat on the head, not knowing what else to do. “How was that?” I asked awkwardly. Lyra jumped up in the air happily. “It was GREAT!” she cried. “Bon-Bon, you’ve got to try this!” she said, turning to cast a hopeful look at her friend. Bon-Bon shook her head, her eyes getting big. “Oh, no,” she said dismissively, “you can have your dreams of having your ears scratched by the human if you want, but keep your weird dreams to yourself.” Lyra patted Bon-Bon on the back coaxingly. “Come on, silly filly,” she said cheerfully, “you don’t have to be scared!” Bon-Bon rolled her eyes. “I’m not scared, I just don’t want to.” Lyra stared at her friend for a moment before narrowing her eyes deviously. “Well the, if you won’t take the ear scratches willingly,” she said slowly, “then we’ll force them on you!” The minty pony let out a cheerful yelp as she tackled Bon-Bon. “Allen, quick!” she cried as the two wrestled in the grass, “Scratch her ears!” I glanced around uncertainly. “I dunno, Lyra,” I said nervously, “she said she didn’t want her ears scratched.” Lyra made a dismissive noise. “What does she know? Just scratch her ears! Be quick, though; she’s a lot stronger than she looks!” she grunted, struggling to keep her roommate locked in a vicegrip. I sighed heavily. “Okay, fine,” I said finally. “Sorry, Bon-Bon,” I apologized as I reached for her perky ears. “NONONONONONO- ohhhhhh, that actually feels kinda nice…” Lyra released her grip on Bon-Bon as she stopped her struggling and gave in to my gentle ear scratches. Her eyes were gently closed and her breathing was gentle. It was kinda strange, having a sentient creature just sitting there as I scratched behind its ears. I mean, come on; it was as if another human had asked me for the same thing. After a few more moments of this, I withdrew my hand slowly and Bon-Bon opened her eyes. “Alright, I’ll admit that did feel nice,” she admitted, and suddenly turned and glared at Lyra, who was grinning nervously. “When I say ‘no’, it means ‘no’. I don’t care if you say I’ll enjoy something; if I don’t want it, you don’t tackle me!” Bon-Bon then turned back to me. “I swear, that’s the fifth time this month she’s done that to force me into something.” Just then, Lyra’s face lit up like she got an idea. “Mister Human! Er, I mean, Allen! I have an amazing idea that everypony is going to love!” I shuffled my feet uncertainly. “Uh, what do you have in mind?” I asked slowly. Lyra nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “Okay, we’re going to need a hammer, some plywood, and a lot of nails,” she said dangerously. ~-~-~-~-~ “Step right up! Human ear scratches, just three bits!” Lyra cried out. I sighed heavily as I leaned against a stand she had built rather haphazardly; it looked there should be a sign above it that read “THE DOCTOR IS IN/OUT”. There was a long line of curious ponies standing in front of me, eager to see what this whole “ear-scratching” business was. “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m saying it again: I’m so, so sorry about her,” Bon-Bon said as a pony stepped forward and bowed her head. Lyra trotted past and shot her a shameful look. “Bon-Bon, I’m performing a public service here! And besides, we’re getting paid,” she added, setting a jar on the counter that had a small piece of paper taped to it that read “THREE BITS”. I suddenly straightened myself out. “Paid?” I asked suddenly, “Why didn’t you say so?!” With that, I quickly got to work scratching the ears of my numerous clients. It was a long, kinda dull process, but the cute noises some of the ponies made were kinda worth it; the money I was making didn’t hurt, either. Just when I thought I had scratched every single pony ear in Ponyville, I heard a shrill voice cry out. “Allen! There you are!” I turned around to see Pinkie Pie bouncing towards me, with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack following lose behind. I smiled warmly at the sight of my friends. “Hey, girls!” I said with a wave, “where have you been all day?” Twilight sighed heavily. “There was an… incident at Sweet Apple Acres,” she explained. “I didn’t want to wake you because you looked so tired when you arrived here last night, so we went to take care of it and hoped we’d return before you got bored.” “It looks like we didn’t have to worry about that,” Applejack added with a laugh. “What’s this I hear about ‘ear scratches’?” she asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes. “It was Lyra’s idea,” I said, jerking a thumb at the green pony who was smiling giddily at a pile of bits, while her roommate pretended to be indifferent, but couldn’t help but grinning a little. Pinkie suddenly bounced up and down excitedly. “Ooh! Ooh! You should do us!” she cried happily. The others all nodded in agreement as they crowded around me, and I couldn’t help but laugh; they may be able to talk and were just as smart as any human, but they were just like cats when it came to being petted. “Alright, girls,” I said finally, “One at a time; there’s plenty of ear scratches to go around.”
In Which Allen Trains Some N00bs“Okay, gentlemen,” I said confidently as I paced up and down the Crystal Empire training grounds, “we are here today because earlier this week, the Crystal Empire was attacked by a hostile force. In order to properly combat this force, you will all need to learn how to fight a human.” I looked at the line of ponies that stood before me and saw a group of tall, proud stallions who had been put through rigorous training and seen enemies that probably could have smashed me in a fight with little effort. The only reason I was here right now was because I was able to hold my own against Sanguis slightly longer than the other humans that tried fighting him. I shuddered at the thought of their bodies falling, one by one, as Sanguis simply walked past and beheaded them. He had no remorse or fear for his actions; this is what made him more dangerous than most enemies these guards may have faced. I glanced over when one of the armored ponies raised a hoof as if he were in a classroom. “Uh, yes?” I asked, confused. The guard took a step forward and cleared his throat. “We aren’t going to have to fight that… thing that showed up the other day, will we?” he asked nervously, shying away at his comrades’ mocking chuckles. I gave the nervous stallion a sympathetic smile. At least there was one guard who felt the same about the undead warlord as I did. “You won’t have to face him during training,” I said reassuringly, “this is just so if you do end up having to fight him, you’ll have some idea of what you’re doing. Now, shall we begin?” I suggested, gesturing to a human-shaped mannequin that stood beside me. It was crafted out of some sacks of hay and a couple of wooden poles I had found lying around; I was very proud of it, especially since I only had one hand to craft it with. “Now, our enemy’s preferred method of combat is close-quarters with that greatsword of his,” I explained as I paced in front of the training dummy, “so you’ll need to keep your distance if he is facing you. Try to attack him when he is distracted, and make sure you run in, strike hard, and run away, because once you’ve given yourself away, he will try to kill you.” Now some of the more seasoned warriors were starting to look a little nervous. They all took turns striking the dummy, running behind and slamming their rear hooves against it one by one. Eventually, the nervous guard who had spoken up earlier approached me. “Excuse me, Mister Allen?” he asked nervously, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I don’t think this is a very effective method of training. Is there anything else we can fight?” I thought about this a moment. I hadn’t quite learned how to use my magic effectively, but maybe I could pull off some sort of simple summoning spell. “I think I could pull something off,” I said, holding out my arms to crack my knuckles, but realized I needed a second hand to do that. I closed my eyes and focused my powers on conjuring a humanoid shape in front of me; nothing too strong, just an enemy that would be able to effectively defend itself against the royal guard. As I focused, however, my thoughts couldn’t help but wander to another creature that had been summoned the previous year. A monster specially designed to hunt otherworldly creatures and eliminate them with extreme prejudice. I didn’t mean to do it, but my mind just couldn’t help but wander. I opened my eyes and saw a Crystal Sentinel standing before me, its massive blade arm glinting in the midday sun. “Die, human!” It screamed, holding the aforementioned blade arm in the air. I widened my eyes. “Oops,” I muttered, jumping out of the way as the massive sword buried itself in the ground where I stood previously. I ran as the creature pursued me, knowing I had no way of fighting it; without the sword I had fought the Sentinels with last year, which was made of a special crystal that could penetrate their crystalline hides, I was vastly underpowered. Some of the guards tried to restrain the creature, but it simply picked them off of it with its massive hand and tossed them aside. “Training’s over! Everybody RUN!” I cried, hoping my warning would get the guards away from the danger. Unfortunately , these guys were seasoned warriors, and weren’t going to let a monster run rampant through their city’s streets. They continued to try and wrestle the Sentinel as it kept a close chase on me, and eventually it said the words I feared it would if the guards didn’t stop interfering. “Equestrian citizens interfering with elimination of human specimen; deactivating safety protocols,” it said coldly as it tightly gripped one of the guards and pitched him to the side, causing the poor stallion to slam against an adjacent wall with a heavy thud. I rolled my eyes. “I told you guys to run,” I muttered, and decided to try something new. As the Sentinel drew close, I waved my arms wildly. “Wait! Wait!” I cried loudly, and the creature slowed to a stop. “Any last words, human filth?” it asked angrily. I held my hands calmingly. “Easy, pal,” I said slowly, “Do I really look like a human?” The Sentinel stared at me for a moment. “You identify as ‘human’. You must be eliminated,” it said, raising its arm in the air. “No I’m not! Look!” I said, holding up my hoof arm. “I’m part pony! I used magic to summon you!” I added, pointing to my horn. To further prove my point, I focused a bit of magic, sending white sparks shooting from my horn’s tip. The Sentinel continued to stare. It may not have had a face, but I could tell it was confused. “No directives given for human/pony hybrids,” it said thoughtfully. “There is no human threat?” I was about to give a negative response, but then I realized why I was here in the first place. “Actually, there is a threat you could help us with,” I said slowly. “A human attacked the Crystal Empire a few days ago, and we are training to defend the Empire in case he attacks again. Will you fight with us?” The Sentinel just stood there; I never knew how weird it would be to talk to something without a face. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?” It said slowly, holding its bladed arm at the ready. I took a cautious step back. “No, trust me, I’m not a threat!” I said, and grabbed a nearby guard in a friendly hug. “See? I’m nice!” I said, smiling nervously. The stallion squirmed a little. “Dude, get off me,” he murmured. I glared at him for a moment. “Shut up and go with it, or I’m mincemeat,” I growled, and smiled back at the Sentinel. After a few moments, the large creature lowered its blade. “Creature has been identified as human/pony hybrid. Not a threat to Equestrian citizens,” it reported. “Creature has also identified as my creator. What will you have me do, master?” it added inquiringly. I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the remaining guards, who were all giving each other uncertain looks. “Boys,” I said slowly, starting to laugh, “It looks like we’ve got ourselves a Crystal Sentinel fighting on our side!” ~-~-~-~-~ The rest of the session went on as normal, with us using the Sentinel in place of the haysack dummy. Since it was so large and unbreakable, it didn’t seem bothered by having several burly stallions kick it in the back over and over again. All it would do is exactly what I told it: turn and swing its arm, being careful to not actually hit the guards as they retreated. Eventually, the guards felt satisfied with their ability to at least stall a human warrior, and they all went home for the day, thanking me for the training. Even the stallions who were injured during the Sentinel’s rampage were happy with how the day went, which was a big surprise. I walked with the Sentinel to the Crystal Palace, finding the creatures could actually make for decent conversation, despite their lack of emotions. “Now, remember, you don’t hunt humans anymore; just this one particular human who poses a threat to the Crystal Empire,” I explained. The creature marched beside me dutifully. “Yes, master,” it said flatly. I rolled my eyes. “You don’t need to call me master,” I said with a slight chuckle, “just call me ‘Allen’.” “Yes, Allen,” the Sentinel responded, its tone unchanging. We marched into the palace, where my friends were waiting for me. They smiled at the sight of my arrival, but looks of terror crossed their faces when they saw the lumbering giant that stood beside me. “SENTINEL!” They all screamed, and ran for cover behind a table. I laughed at my friends’ panic. “Girls, you don’t need to be afraid,” I explained, “This guy’s on our side! I accidentally summoned him during my training session with the guards, and I was able to convince him to help us out!” Just then, Princess Luna burst into the room. “Girls, did I hear screaming…” she asked, her eyes widening at the sight of a Crystal Sentinel. “I didn’t let you beasts harm Allen before, and I’m not about to let you harm him now!” she cried as a light blue aura surrounded her horn. I held up my arms cautiously. “Luna, no!” I cried just as a bolt of lightning shot from the lunar princess’s horn, striking the Sentinel dead-on. The creature screamed in pain, and its body exploded, leaving behind a pair of disembodied legs that quickly turned to dust. “Luna,” I moaned as I sifted my fingers through the dust as the others approached, “he was on our side!” Luna walked over by me, a confused look on her face. “He was?” she asked slowly, a guilty look on her face. “Yes,” I explained, “He helped me train the guards, and he was going to help us fight Sanguis,” I said hopelessly. Luna lowered her head, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Allen,” she said sadly, “I was worried… I didn’t want it to hurt you like the others tried to do.” I stood up and patted her head gently. “It’s okay,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Maybe I can summon another…” I said suddenly, and focused my thoughts on another Sentinel. Luna shook her head. “Allen, your magic is affected by your emotions, remember?” she pointed out. “If you try to force your spells, it won’t work; the Sentinel was probably brought out by your fear.” I shrugged. “Oh well, then,” I sighed. “At least the guards have some idea of how to defend themselves against Sanguis, I suppose.” Twilight spoke up. “It is interesting, however; I thought the Sentinels were like machines, controlled by the central pillar with no unique thoughts of their own. However, you were able to convince it you weren’t a threat, and then persuaded it to help train the guards,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe there is more to learn about Starswirl’s creations than meets the eye.” I nodded slowly. “I’ll let you know next time I accidentally summon one and it tries to kill me,” I said dryly, and the others burst into laughter.
In Which Allen And Drayke Cross An Arrow“Ugh, my head… what the hell happened?” Drayke groaned, sitting up beside me as he rubbed his forehead with his palm. Twilight had tried casting a teleportation spell she was testing on us, and it ended up knocking us out and sending us to some unknown location - or so we thought. I took a good look around, confused by my surroundings. “I thought we had teleported, but it looks like we haven’t gone anywhere,” I remarked, noting the buildings that surrounded us were, in fact, from Ponyville; it was as if we hadn’t moved from our spot in Ponyville Park at all. Drayke rose to his feet and took a good look around. “Where did the others go?” he asked impatiently. “I’m going to be pissed if they just left us out here; I still haven't quite learned my way around this place…” I shook my head slowly, noticing some ponies were coming by to investigate, all with curious looks on their faces; they acted as if they had never seen me or Drayke before, even though we had been living here for several days. Just then, something hit me. “Drayke… do you notice anything… strange?” I asked, slowly standing as a curious crowd gathered around us. Drayke let out an empty laugh. “We’re surrounded by colorful, talking horses, Allen. You’ll need to be a little more specific than that,” he said dryly. I rolled my eyes. “I mean, do you notice a strange lack of girls in this crowd?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice low as the ponies got closer. Drayke took a good look at the crowd, his expression showing that he, too, noticed this. “Yeah, that is weird,” he murmured. “Weren’t there a lot more chicks here than dudes?” “What the hell is all the commotion?!” a loud voice demanded. The crowd parted slowly, and a lone figure strode toward us. “This can’t be possible,” I said, awestruck, as a blonde, long-haired woman stopped just a few feet away from us. She looked us up and down with a suspicious expression. “Who are you? Where did you come from?” she asked hotly. I stared. “I… uh…” I trailed off, unsure of how to react. How could there be another human in Equestria? There was no way this could be real. Drayke stood up and ran a hand through his hair, giving the woman a smooth look. “Well, hello there, beautiful,” he said in a silky tone, “I never believed in heaven, but I think I just found an angel.” The woman glared at him. “Back off, jackass; I’m not the kind of girl to sleep with the first guy I meet in this place,” she growled. Just then, a gentle voice spoke behind her. “Daysie, please,” it said, and the woman stepped aside to reveal a short, dark-grey alicorn, just slightly smaller than I was. She had large, brown eyes, and a short mane of a similar tone. “Sorry about her; she can be a little harsh sometimes,” she apologized with a laugh. “My name is Alice; who are you?” she asked warmly. I looked around at the crowd, starting to realize what was going on. “My name is Allen, and this is Drayke,” I explained, gesturing to the human beside me that was still casting flirting glances at Daysie. “Uh, Drayke, you may want to stop hitting on her,” I whispered humorously. Drayke shot an angry look at me. “Don’t tell me what to do,” he shot back, but slowly realized I probably knew more about what was going on than he did. “Why?” he added cautiously. “Because that girl is you.” Drayke and Daysie both widened their eyes. “What?!” they asked, studying each other closely to see if this was true. Alice nodded thoughtfully. “It looks like you two don’t belong here, huh?” she asked softly. I shrugged. “Well, yes and no. We also live in Equestria, but not this version. It looks like this universe is exactly like our own, but everyone is the opposite gender,” I explained. Drayke shook his head disbelievingly. “That can’t be right,” he said slowly. I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Drayke,” I sighed, “‘Allen’ and ‘Drayke’? ‘Alice’ and ‘Daysie’? It’s obvious that we’re in some kind of Rule 63 version of our own universe,” I said with a laugh. Drayke and Daysie raised both raised an eyebrow. “What’s ‘Rule 63’?” they asked in unison, and glanced at each other in surprise. “Rule 63 is one of the rules of the internet,” Alice and I explained in unison, smiling at each other. “‘Every male counterpart has a female counterpart, and vice-versa’.” Daysie looked at Alice questioningly. “So… you’re saying that he is me… as a dude?” she asked slowly. Drayke looked at me in a similar manner. “You’re telling me that this chick is me according to this ‘Rule 63’?” he asked disbelievingly. I shook my head. “No, Rule 63 only applies to the internet,” I explained. “This is just a parallel universe where everything is exactly the same, except anyone that is a male in our world is a female here, and any females in our world are males here.” Drayke nodded understandingly. “So…” he trailed off, stepping smoothly by Daysie and putting an arm around her, “I guess we’re perfect for each other. Wanna go out sometime?” he asked, grinning cleverly. Daysie glared at Drayke and slammed her foot into his shin, knocking him to the ground. “Fuck you,” she spat as she walked away. Drayke looked up, still grinning as he held his leg. “So is that a yes?” he asked teasingly.
Allen VS Sanguis, Part 1I fell to my knees, breathing heavily as I stared at the glittering floor. The area around was littered with crystal debris from the blast I struck Luna with. Luna… I thought hazily as I punched the ground with my hoof-hand. I failed her. I was supposed to protect her, and I failed. Now she was dead, and it was my fault. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see Drayke approaching cautiously. “What the hell happened here?” he asked, looking around at the destruction I had caused. “Damn, kid, you did a better job destroying shit than I could ever hope to do!” Just then, he saw Luna’s body lying beside me, and his face fell. “Oh,” he said simply. I rose to my feet slowly and walked away from the destroyed castle. Drayke rushed to catch up to me. “Hey, where are you going?” he asked. “Why do you care?” I snapped. “All you care about is yourself; you’ve betrayed me, captured and tried to enslave my friends, and even tried to kill us all! Why would you possibly give a shit about what I am going to do?” Drayke sighed. “I don’t know,” he said hopelessly. “All I know is you are the only one who can stop that asshole from taking over the world.” I continued to walk away from the ruined palace. “Let him take it,” I said dismissively. “My world is already gone.” I heard a crackling sound, and I spun around to block a strike from Drayke’s scythe with a crystal-covered arm. “Look, Allen, I may not give a flying fuck about Earth, but I know you aren’t someone who is willing to let another war start,” he said through his crystal visor. “If you don’t stop Sanguis, a lot more lives are going to be lost than that of your girlfriend.” I stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I couldn’t save her; what makes you think I can save the world?” I asked seriously. Drayke laughed. “I don’t think you can save the world,” he said slowly. “I think you can save two of them.” -_-_-_-_- Sanguis Cruciatus marched towards the human outpost, dragging his sword behind him as he advanced. The humans had caught sight of him, and were now assembling a wall of men facing the warlord, their firearms aimed right at him. “Listen, you… thing,” one of them called nervously, “I’m gonna give you one chance to just turn around and leave, or things are gonna get ugly!” Sanguis smirked at the soldier’s pathetic attempt to be brave. “I think you should put those guns down and stand aside,” he said, not slowing his pace. The man stared at the warlord as he continued his approach. “Open fire!” he shouted, and the other men began to unload their weapons at Sanguis. The warlord flinched slightly as the bullets struck his armor, only some of them actually penetrating his black shell as he continued to advance undeterred on the squad. The metal pellets were only an annoyance, like small bee stings, and by the time Sanguis stood a mere few yards from them, they had all run out of ammo. “I don’t suppose you would like me to give you time to reload?” he asked wickedly as the men stared at him fearfully, and he suddenly roared as he swung his blade over his head, crushing two men into the ground with a mighty blow. This was enough to deter the others, as they scattered into the camp in search of a place to hide or better armaments. Sanguis simply marched through the camp toward the source of a bright, blue beam that lanced into the sky every so often, releasing a pulse of magical energy that the humans may not have felt themselves, but Sanguis was fully aware of; almost like an arctic wind. A weaker magical being may have been bothered by it, but Sanguis was no weakling, and he marched right up to the portal, staring at it with awe. “And now, I return home,” he breathed, just as a loud bang rang out behind him, and he felt something strike the back of his head with incredible force. Sanguis turned to see the boy standing at the edge of the portal’s clearing, holding the handgun his father had used in his human hand. “You’ll have to get by me first,” he called out, dropping the gun as a crystal sword appeared in his hand. -_-_-_-_- I blocked Sanguis’s swing with my blade, pushing his massive claymore aside as I struck with my own. It was a quiet, tense fight, and the only sound one could hear was that of our blades clashing together. Although my sword didn’t break, every time I struck Sanguis, I could hear the sound of shattering glass as the crystal’s blade weakened and reformed. We continued this strike-parry battle for some time, until I quickly jumped back and dropped my sword as it vanished, and focused on my left shoulder blade; the one that didn’t have a large pegasus’s wing growing out of it. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a beautiful crystal wing stretching out from my back, looking almost exactly like the ones I had on my Crystal Paladin armor one year earlier. As Sanguis charged, attempting to skewer me with his blade, I leaped into the air, taking flight for the first time since my battle with Drayke. As I flew overhead, I flicked my wrist at the warlord, sending a trio of crystal knives sailing at him. He quickly swung his blade to block my attack, each knife colliding with and shattering on his sword. “Is that really the best you can do?” Sanguis boasted, dropping his sword and raising his fists, which had become cloaked in the same dark energy that had caused Shining Armor’s mech to fail. I landed before him as my forearms became encased in crystal, and I began to box with the warlord. Every time he struck or blocked, black sparks of energy showered from his fists, and every time I struck or blocked, my own makeshift gauntlets cracked and scattered tiny fragments, only for them to reform moments later. Just then, Sanguis swiped out with an open palm, grabbing the collar of my shirt and raising me into the air as his body became cloaked in a black aura. “You will not defy me what I was supposed to have gained long ago!” he growled, and I was knocked away by an explosion of energy centered from the warlord’s body. I landed in the dirt several yards away, struggling to rise to my feet. “I’ve never understood how humans could ever care for these disgusting equines,” he snapped, kicking me in the chest and pushing me back another few feet. I coughed violently, and saw through blurred eyes that I had spat out a significant amount of my own blood. “They talk as if friendship and harmony are the most important things that exist, when all that really matters in the world is power and dominance,” he mused, stomping on my remaining human arm, shattering most of my humerous. I didn’t cry out like I did during my initial fight with Sanguis, when he broke my arm and stabbed me in the back; I just waited. I waited for death to take me. -_-_-_-_- Drayke Blackwood watched from afar as Sanguis proceeded to beat the living shit out of Allen. This asshole has already killed me once,he said, for once not referring to Allen when he spoke of being killed, So there’s no way I can help right now. I’ve got to do something, though! Just then, Drayke got an idea. It was a stupid one, since he would be willingly giving up his only way to protect himself if Allen or any of his friends decided to turn on him, but he didn’t have much choice. “Allen, CATCH!” -_-_-_-_- As Sanguis paced behind me, deciding how he should finally kill me, I heard a voice call out a short ways away. I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, but several moments later, I heard an object land in the dirt next to me with a thud. I looked up, and through my wavering eyes I saw a jet-black crystal; the same one Drayke had been using to meddle in my life for so long. For the first time ever, despite the intense agony I was being put through, Drayke Blackwood made me smile. I reached out with my hoof and touched the crystal, causing an explosion of light to knock Sanguis backward. I felt the crystal’s energy flowing into me, mixing with my own magic as my bones knitted and my strength was replenished. I rose to my feet as waves of black and white magic lashed out from my body, returning moments later as solid crystals that clung to my limbs like armor. A massive polearm formed in my hand; a beautiful, black-and-white crystal swordstaff, a fusion of my and Drayke’s signature weapons. A mass of crystal formed around my hoof-hand, morphing into a makeshift, five-fingered hand. My armor finished forming around me, a perfectly synergised fusion of the Obsidian King and Crystal Paladin armors, with both jagged, black spikes and smooth, white plating. I stared as Sanguis stood, actually looking uncertain as a faceless crystal helm formed around my head. My single wing stretched out from my body, becoming encased in crystal as a solid wing stretched from my armor by my other shoulder. I held my swordstaff at my side, the end of the handle touching the ground as I spoke clearly, my voice slightly distorted by the magic in my helmet. “Sanguis Cruciatus, today is the day you die.” Sanguis bared his teeth and held his sword at the ready. “And who are you to make such a ludicrous claim?!” he demanded angrily. I whirled my weapon in one hand before taking on a battle-ready stance. “The Crystal Avenger,” I growled, and charged. -_-_-_-_- Drayke’s crystal, like Allen’s had been a year prior, was aware that even though it held such great power, there was still a chance of its current wielder losing this fight. Although it was loyal to Drayke, it knew that he had willingly given it to the boy he once called enemy, and it now had to serve its new master. So, it called out, just as Allen’s crystal had done, for assistance. However, it did not call to the gemstones known as the “Elements of Harmony”; it knew that more crystals and magic were not what would finally defeat the ancient warlord. In the end of it all, the only thing that could defeat Sanguis Cruciatus was friendship.
Allen VS Sanguis, Part 2Twilight Sparkle awoke suddenly, her dreams being interrupted by a strange disturbance. She had cried herself to sleep, having found out that Shining Armor, her beloved big brother, had been sain by Sanguis Cruciatus. She was dreaming he was still alive, and they were many years younger, when her brother was still thinking about joining the Royal Guard, and Cadence was foalsitting her. It had been more than a dream, though; it was a memory. -_-_-_-_- “But Shiny, what if you get hurt?” Twilight asked her brother worriedly as she trotted down the Canterlot sidewalk with Shining Armor, who had just mentioned he was considering signing up for Celestia’s Royal Guard. Shining laughed, amused. “You don’t need to worry, Twily,” he said assuringly. “Nothing will happen to me! Besides, even if I did get hurt, it would be for a good cause,” he added cheerfully. Twilight pouted. “But I need you more than the princess does!” she exclaimed sadly. “What if one day you’re gone, and then I won’t have my B.B.B.F.F to look out for me!” Shining Armor stopped and sat his sister down. “Twilight,” he said, looking down into his sister’s eyes, “Even if I didn’t join the Guard, there would still come a day when I wouldn’t be around to keep an eye on you. It could be tomorrow, next week, or even many years from now!” Seeing this didn’t help cheer up the filly, Shining cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is, even if I’m gone, I will always be with you, right here,” he said, pointing to her head, “and right here,” he added, also pointing to her heart. “You keep all of your knowledge in your brain, and all of your feelings in your heart, but the ones you love will always stay in both, so even when they are gone, they’ll always be with you.” -_-_-_-_- Now, Twilight sat up in bed at Castle Canterlot, remembering her brother’s words from so long ago, when she suddenly remembered why she had awoken in the first place. “Girls, I think we have to go,” she said aloud, and her friends stirred into consciousness. Applejack was the first to speak. “So I’m not the only one who felt it,” she yawned, shaking her head to hasten her waking, “something’s calling for us.” Twilight nodded. She hadn’t actually heard anypony call her or her friends’ names, but she still had that feeling that something out there was summoning them. Something near the human camp they had met Allen’s father. “I knew that kid shouldn’t have left without us!” Rainbow Dash cried as she flew alongside her friends as they rushed out of Castle Canterlot. “Allen didn’t want us to get hurt,” Fluttershy pointed out as she, too, zipped through the air next to the group. “Sanguis is the strongest enemy he’s ever fought, so he was worried that he might not be able to protect us.” Twilight skidded to a halt. “Alright, everypony hold still,” she said as her friends gathered around her. “I’ve never tried a teleport spell of this magnitude, so who knows how close we’re gonna end up!” Her horn took on a vibrant, lavender aura, and her eyes glowed a bright white as a similar energy surrounded her friends. There was a flash, and the six ponies had vanished from where they had just been standing. -_-_-_-_- Sanguis snarled as he blocked a strike from my weapon. “You have so much power, boy,” he said thoughtfully. “Imagine how powerful I will become when I’ve killed you!” I continued to slash and parry, my blade constantly in motion as I whirled it around like a baton. “That’s the problem, Sanguis,” I said as I jumped back, my blade taking on a bright glow, “I’m not going to die!” The warlord’s eyes widened as I aimed the tip of my blade at him, and a ball of white energy flew at him, exploding on contact and obscuring the warlord from view. I scanned the hazy landscape carefully as I waited for a counterattack, but after a few moments I realized I had won the fight. “Allen!” A voice called from behind me, and I turned to see Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all racing to greet me. I dropped my swordstaff as it vanished in a whisp of smoke, and my armor faded from my body as I opened my arms to embrace my friends. At first, I was worried my injuries would return again, just as they had after I defeated Drayke, but it became obvious that the crystal had permanently healed me. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked with a laugh as the six ponies practically tackled me to the ground, all of them giggling happily. “We all got this feeling that you needed help,” Twilight explained, “like a wordless voice crying our names.” Pinkie nodded. “But, it looks like you beat that meanie without us!” Just as we had all settled down, however, I felt something grab the back of my shirt and throw me aside. I rolled across the ground and scrambled to my feet, looking up to see Sanguis standing over my friends and smiling wickedly with a torn mouth. He now looked like he did when we first fought; a barely-alive corpse with two points of blue light for eyes. “Surrender, and I may let your friends live,” he snarled, his voice as cold as the grave as he aimed an aura-enveloped finger at my friends, who all shrank back in fear. I widened my eyes, desperately trying to think of some way I could save them. I already lost Luna, I thought grimly, I’m not losing them too! Just then, I felt a strange force blow past me, almost like an icy wind, and I shifted my gaze behind Sanguis to see Project G.E.M.’s portal standing just a few feet behind him. I remembered what General Warrens had told me about the portal; that it was unstable, releasing bursts of energy every so often, and was constantly needing new parts. “This is the worst plan I’ve ever had,” I mumbled, and sprinted at the warlord, whose glowing eyes widened for the briefest of moments as I tackled him, knocking him into the portal’s frame. Sanguis cried out in agony as we slammed into the metal structure, the bulk of his armor causing the supports to buckle, and the portal was practically torn apart by our impact. A blast of energy lashed out from the portal itself as it collapsed, incinerating Sanguis’s decaying form almost instantly. I felt an electric shock tear through my entire body as I skidded across the ground, unconsciousness leaving me as my momentum ceased. -_-_-_-_- “Allen! NO!” Twilight called as her human friend rolled across the ground. She and the others ran to his side, all of them checking his body for any signs of life. “He isn’t breathing!” Fluttershy wailed. Twilight nodded sadly. “He doesn’t have a pulse, either,” she murmured. “The blast stopped his heart.” The six ponies all sat around the dead boy, struggling to hold back their tears. “I wouldn’t be so quick to cry, ladies,” a laughing voice said behind them. They turned to see Drayke Blackwood, the former Obsidian King, strolling up to them. “Man, that kid really knows how to throw a party, huh?” he inquired as he studied the battle-ravaged camp. “What do you mean? Allen’s dead,” Twilight said sadly. “You expect us to just not cry?” Drayke shrugged. “Give it a couple of seconds; you’ll see what I mean,” he replied nonchalantly. The six ponies all turned back to their friend, and they noticed something in his pocket was glowing. Using her magic, Twilight levitated the object out of his jeans, and found it was Drayke’s black crystal. It was glowing with a faint, pulsing light as she placed it on the ground next to Allen. Drayke crossed his arms and smirked. “And… now!” Just as the words left his mouth, Allen suddenly snapped open his eyes and gasped as the crystal shined like a star, the glow enveloping his entire body. Twilight, Drayke, and the other ponies all watched as the boy’s body changed shape inside the glowing sphere, until the light finally faded, revealing his newly-healed form. -_-_-_-_- “Well, I wasn’t expecting this,” Drayke said slowly as I blinked a few times to clear my swimming head. “What happened?” I groaned , rolling over off of my back. Something felt… wrong. My limbs weren’t responding like they once did, and I felt like my organs had shifted their position inside my body. “Well, I was thinking it would just bring you back to life, but I think the crystal went ahead and took care of your little identity crisis,” Drayke explained, still not entirely explaining what was happening. I rolled my eyes. “What do you mean, ‘Identity-’... what the hell?” I now saw that both of my arms ended in hooves. “Allen… you’re a prince,” Twilight said, awestruck. “An alicorn prince.” I gave her a confused look, and ran into a nearby tent. There was broken mirror in there, no doubt shattered by my fight with Sanguis, but I could see my reflection well enough; I now stood on four hooved legs, with a dull-grey pelt and a magnificent, brown mane that looked like my human hair, but stretched down a bit further in back. A horn spiraled from my head, and a pair of feathery wings sat on either side of my body, just behind my forelegs. “Huh. Would you look at that,” I said slowly, turning as I continued to inspect my appearance. On my flank, I saw an image of a white sword, pointed downward and made of crystal. I laughed at this sight emptily, and sighed sadly. “What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asked as my friends entered the tent. I looked off in the direction of the Crystal Empire sadly. “This isn’t the way I was supposed to become a prince,” I said sadly, and sprinted out of the tent, taking to the sky as I began to weep pitifully.
In Which Allen Meets Lyra And Bon-BonI opened my eyes and smiled broadly; today was my first day back in Equestria after an entire year away, and now I had all the time in the world to spend time with my friends! I leaped out of the bed in Twilight’s library and quickly got dressed, whistling the opening chords to the song “Fools Gold” as I threw on my pants and shirt, and ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. They were a little limited on food options in Equestria, since ponies aren’t avid consumers of meat, dairy, or eggs, but I was fine with a perfectly ripe banana. After a bit of searching, I found that I was alone in the library for the moment. “Twilight must have gone out to get something,” I said to myself, and I decided to go for a stroll. After all, I might as well make it clear that I was finally back! I put on my my dark-grey hoodie as I slipped out the door, and began to walk through the streets of Ponyville for the first time in what felt like ages. I smiled at all the familiar sights, both from the show and my previous visit, as I strolled down the cobblestone roads of Ponyville’s square. I thought about stopping at Sugarcube Corner for a cupcake, but then I realized that I didn’t have any bits to spend and decided I could do without sweets for a little while. After all, I was supposed to be going to Canterlot in a few days, and I knew Celestia would put together some huge celebration to mark my return. “Look over there!” I heard a voice whisper urgently. I smiled slightly, knowing that I was the one being referred to, and glanced to my right. I saw a nearby bench with two ponies sitting on it. One of them, a mint-green mare with a white-streaked mane, sat on her behind like a human, while her friend, a cream-colored mare with a blue-and-pink striped mane that sat in large curls. I knew these two rather well, thanks to the brony fandom back on Earth: rumored lesbian couple-slash-roommates, Lyra and Bon-Bon. “I don’t believe it…” the pale pony said slowly, “Your crazy conspiracy theories were right; it’s a human!” I nodded acknowledging at the pair, giving them a friendly smile. “Hello!” I said happily as I approached, “How are you two today?” The mint pony wasn’t paying attention to me, however; instead, she was staring at my hands with an excited look on her face. Her pale friend rolled her eyes. “Please forgive my roommate’s eagerness,” she said apologetically. “She’s wanted to see a human up close for a long time. I heard you were here a while back, but we were a little tied up at the time.” I nodded, taking a few moments to realize she probably meant that literally when I remembered what had gone down during my last visit. “Anyways, what are you two up to?” I asked, glancing down to see Lyra was right by my side, staring at my fingers with untapped curiosity. Bon-Bon glanced at Lyra, slightly irritated. “Bon-Bon! Down!” she snapped, and the green pony scowled and sat down on the bench. “We’re just getting out of the house for a little while and enjoying the nice weather,” she explained. “What about you?” I shrugged. “Pretty much the same, I guess. Hey, have you seen Twilight Sparkle or any of her friends?” I inquired. “I was supposed to hang out with them today.” Bon-Bon shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said slowly, “but I’m sure they’ll show up eventually; they’re always having adventures around here!” Lyra suddenly spoke up, having paid no attention to the conversation due to being focused on my hands. “Mister Human, could I ask you a favor?” she asked, her gaze unwavering. I stared for a moment. “Uh, sure,” I said slowly, “you can call me ‘Allen’, if you want,” I added. Lyra smiled nervously. “Could you… could you scratch behind my ears?!” she asked quickly, tapping her front hooves together nervously. “I’ve always wondered what it felt like to be petted by a human,” she added. I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think that’d be a problem,” I replied, and before I knew it, Lyra was sitting on the ground in front of me with her eyes closed and an eager smile on her face. Bon-Bon slapped a hoof against her forehead, embarrassed. “I am so sorry about her,” she grumbled, “Sometimes she can be a little too… excitable.” I shrugged as I reached out and began to scratch behind Lyra’s right ear like one would do with a cat. “It’s alright,” I said slowly, “I was a little excited when I first saw you ponies.” I looked down to see Lyra had begun to drool, and there was a dreamy look on her face. “Ohhhh… that’s perfect,” she said happily. Pony fur was softer than anything I had ever felt before; you just couldn’t compare it to anything. Realizing that Lyra was on the verge of passing out, I stopped scratching and gave her a light pat on the head, not knowing what else to do. “How was that?” I asked awkwardly. Lyra jumped up in the air happily. “It was GREAT!” she cried. “Bon-Bon, you’ve got to try this!” she said, turning to cast a hopeful look at her friend. Bon-Bon shook her head, her eyes getting big. “Oh, no,” she said dismissively, “you can have your dreams of having your ears scratched by the human if you want, but keep your weird dreams to yourself.” Lyra patted Bon-Bon on the back coaxingly. “Come on, silly filly,” she said cheerfully, “you don’t have to be scared!” Bon-Bon rolled her eyes. “I’m not scared, I just don’t want to.” Lyra stared at her friend for a moment before narrowing her eyes deviously. “Well the, if you won’t take the ear scratches willingly,” she said slowly, “then we’ll force them on you!” The minty pony let out a cheerful yelp as she tackled Bon-Bon. “Allen, quick!” she cried as the two wrestled in the grass, “Scratch her ears!” I glanced around uncertainly. “I dunno, Lyra,” I said nervously, “she said she didn’t want her ears scratched.” Lyra made a dismissive noise. “What does she know? Just scratch her ears! Be quick, though; she’s a lot stronger than she looks!” she grunted, struggling to keep her roommate locked in a vicegrip. I sighed heavily. “Okay, fine,” I said finally. “Sorry, Bon-Bon,” I apologized as I reached for her perky ears. “NONONONONONO- ohhhhhh, that actually feels kinda nice…” Lyra released her grip on Bon-Bon as she stopped her struggling and gave in to my gentle ear scratches. Her eyes were gently closed and her breathing was gentle. It was kinda strange, having a sentient creature just sitting there as I scratched behind its ears. I mean, come on; it was as if another human had asked me for the same thing. After a few more moments of this, I withdrew my hand slowly and Bon-Bon opened her eyes. “Alright, I’ll admit that did feel nice,” she admitted, and suddenly turned and glared at Lyra, who was grinning nervously. “When I say ‘no’, it means ‘no’. I don’t care if you say I’ll enjoy something; if I don’t want it, you don’t tackle me!” Bon-Bon then turned back to me. “I swear, that’s the fifth time this month she’s done that to force me into something.” Just then, Lyra’s face lit up like she got an idea. “Mister Human! Er, I mean, Allen! I have an amazing idea that everypony is going to love!” I shuffled my feet uncertainly. “Uh, what do you have in mind?” I asked slowly. Lyra nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “Okay, we’re going to need a hammer, some plywood, and a lot of nails,” she said dangerously. ~-~-~-~-~ “Step right up! Human ear scratches, just three bits!” Lyra cried out. I sighed heavily as I leaned against a stand she had built rather haphazardly; it looked there should be a sign above it that read “THE DOCTOR IS IN/OUT”. There was a long line of curious ponies standing in front of me, eager to see what this whole “ear-scratching” business was. “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m saying it again: I’m so, so sorry about her,” Bon-Bon said as a pony stepped forward and bowed her head. Lyra trotted past and shot her a shameful look. “Bon-Bon, I’m performing a public service here! And besides, we’re getting paid,” she added, setting a jar on the counter that had a small piece of paper taped to it that read “THREE BITS”. I suddenly straightened myself out. “Paid?” I asked suddenly, “Why didn’t you say so?!” With that, I quickly got to work scratching the ears of my numerous clients. It was a long, kinda dull process, but the cute noises some of the ponies made were kinda worth it; the money I was making didn’t hurt, either. Just when I thought I had scratched every single pony ear in Ponyville, I heard a shrill voice cry out. “Allen! There you are!” I turned around to see Pinkie Pie bouncing towards me, with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack following lose behind. I smiled warmly at the sight of my friends. “Hey, girls!” I said with a wave, “where have you been all day?” Twilight sighed heavily. “There was an… incident at Sweet Apple Acres,” she explained. “I didn’t want to wake you because you looked so tired when you arrived here last night, so we went to take care of it and hoped we’d return before you got bored.” “It looks like we didn’t have to worry about that,” Applejack added with a laugh. “What’s this I hear about ‘ear scratches’?” she asked teasingly. I rolled my eyes. “It was Lyra’s idea,” I said, jerking a thumb at the green pony who was smiling giddily at a pile of bits, while her roommate pretended to be indifferent, but couldn’t help but grinning a little. Pinkie suddenly bounced up and down excitedly. “Ooh! Ooh! You should do us!” she cried happily. The others all nodded in agreement as they crowded around me, and I couldn’t help but laugh; they may be able to talk and were just as smart as any human, but they were just like cats when it came to being petted. “Alright, girls,” I said finally, “One at a time; there’s plenty of ear scratches to go around.”
