Brandon didn't remember much since he walked into the house. As far as he knew he said something to Lyra and went to bed and passed out immediately. He woke up in the morning and felt the pain from yesterday starting to kick in real good. Didn't help that Lyra was laying on him, laying on his broken and bruised ribs wasn't all that pleasant; though, at the same time her softness and warmth was soothing at the same time. He didn't really know what to do till he remembered that he told Scootaloo that he would pick her up to take her to see Daring Do at eight. He quickly looked at the clock and it said was just past seven. He sighed in relief that he still had time; shortly after Lyra wakes and looks at him, "Hey you feeling okay?"

"Why you ask?"

"You were tossing a bit in your sleep."

"It's the bruises and cracked ribs, makes it hard to get comfortable."

"That all?"

"Yes, yesterday was a easy day."

"Easy!? You call getting beat to a pulp a easy day?"

"Yes, I don't have to do anything to get beat up, just let them hit me."

"Not what I meant."

"It went better than most of my jobs have gone."

"This really what you spent your days doing on earth?"

"No, most of the time I was busy silently and quickly taking out the bad guys. Most lived, some left me no choice."

"Alright, say that iPod thing of yours, have any good songs on it that can get one energized?"

"Motivational music? I may have something on it." With that he reaches into the nightstand and pull out the iPod, browsing the music on it till he comes on one titled Fairy Tail

"I think you will enjoy this song. I used to play it a lot in the mornings back on earth." He taps the screen and the song plays through the built in speaker.

"What's it called?" Lyra asks while listening intently to the song.

"Fairy Tail. One of the best motivational songs that was made."

When the song ends Lyra slides off him and sits up, "You going to take it easy today?"

"Was going to, just got to make a visit."

"To where?"

"The hospital, Daring Do is there and probably would like to able to thank me in person for saving her life at least once."

"Daring Do was involved? Why did you involve her?"

"Why you blaming me? I didn't know she was investigating the same case I was."

"I just am surprised that you two were fighting together."

"It didn't last long. Like six seconds, then she got attacked by a griffon and he nearly punctured her longs."

"I-I didn't to know that last part."

"Probably, oops."

"It's okay, just go check on her. Just beware of Rainbow, she finds out you will never get out of there alive."

"Yeah, I'm trying to prepare myself for that. No way I could talk Daring out of keeping this out of her novel."

"Can't wait to get that one. Read what she thinks of you."

"Probably how hard headed I am."

"You do tend to be that way from time to time."

"Yeah, anyway, I best go get Scootaloo, she wanted to see Daring."

"Don't overwork yourself."

"I have yet to, so far." Brandon got up and got dressed into normal clothing for him, since he was still in the outfit from yesterday, which will need some patch work done to it.

Brandon walked to the orphanage that Scootaloo lived at and waited for her, since he arrived about ten till eight. The minutes ticked by and she didn't show. He soon went inside after fifteen minutes went by, she was being held up by the receptionist. Brandon just waited where they could see him, knowing his presence would speed up the conversation. After saying something to Scootaloo she let her leave and they went to the hospital.

Soon Brandon and Scootaloo were in Daring's room where she lays writing her next novel.

"You putting me in it?" Brandon asks half jokingly half serious.

"I was going to put you in it, yes. Though I was going to leave the name Ghost in it, since I never got your real name."

"Brandon McTavish, though I would prefer to be called Ghost in the story."

She nods understandingly, "Who's the little one?"

"Scootaloo, the filly that was targeted yesterday."

"How you holding up?"

Scootaloo is a little startled at being talked too, she was busy daydreaming about being a adventurer like Daring. "I am doing fine, little shocked that I was a target."

"How did you avoid them?"

"Brandon got to me first. He knows a lot of things, one of which is getting to a location fast. He got me out into public before they reached the orphanage."

"Your lucky to have a hero like him."

"Great thing no one heard that other than what is in the room." Brandon thought to himself. He just smiled slightly and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Your calling him a hero? Coming from you?" Scootaloo mutters in shock of what she said.

"He did save my life twice from those guys. Wasn't for his bold move at the cell door they would have done whatever they pleased to me. Since they outnumbered me and could do something about my attempts. Brandon there, however, knows how to turn numbers into just that." She looks at him, he however was in a flashback to back on earth.

It was a cold October night in Canada. He has been tasked with eliminating a private military outpost from a farmers piece of land. All attempts to remove them failed. Brandon was authorized to use any force necessary to get them off the land. He had been scouting the place several days now, watching them, learning everything about them to be able to expose weaknesses. The one he found was that they weren't very alert at night. Obviously a amateur team in training. Brandon used this to his advantage, he slept of the day and watched their night shifts. He found the routine of patrols and used it to sneak into the base. Once inside he used to a combat knife to silently and quickly take out all the amateurs. Which did have muscle strength on their side, but no where to use it properly. In twenty minutes all the guys were taken out. But what he didn't know was that is was a set up. He looked closer and noticed that guys were teens and closer inspection of the rifles were actually metal air soft rifles with the orange muzzle breaks had been painted black. That was when he heard the noise of soldiers running towards him. He knew he couldn't talk or fight his way out of this, so he ran. He escaped when he accidentally fell into a deep cave. No one dared go after him at that point, knowing it could take days and possibly could be too dangerous.

Brandon soon came back to reality after him falling into the pit in his memory and was quickly caught off guard, along with Daring when Scoot asks them the question, "So, is there such a thing as crossing a line when it comes to fights?"

Brandon and Daring looked at each other a moment before Brandon spoke.

"For me, what I do has a very thin line, almost unseeable. When I step over it, I blank out and everyone that I would consider a threat to me or ones I am close too die. That is crossing a line, I don't kill unless I have no other alternative. If those ponies got to you, I would be at the line, whether I crossed it, I can't say. I have crossed it nearly killed then backed off when I realized what I was doing. Now Daring here doesn't necessarily fight everyday for survival or the great or good of others. In truth I am a death machine. I am trained in the art of killing. I can kill everything in this hospital before anyone could get here. There is a song back on earth called I am Machine and it's chorus is what hits me." Brandon then proceeds to say the chorus of the song.

Daring is first to speak, "Is that why you haven't used your skill since you got here till yesterday? Afraid of mistakes or past events repeating?"

"Half the case. A part of the problem is that humans aren't exactly a common sight here. Far as I know I'm the only one to set foot here. The other part is that I had a reputation on earth that wasn't a good one. I had to stay in seclusion in order to stay alive. Here I can walk to town and not once get a weird stare or get chased by the guards."

"You showed excellent self control though, I can't see you easily crossing a line. Though I know it exists. I could easily destroy the planet if I wanted, or allow the villain in the stories do it. That would be crossing a line for me."

Scoots now speaks, "Wow, you guys have a lot on your shoulders."

"Yet, where I come from people wonder why soldiers need to see psychologists. They never realize what we have to do, carry and witness. Not many see their best friend beside them with their insides hanging out of their body. That image stays and haunts you, you have nightmares about it. Someone once asked me if got easier to pull the trigger and take a life. I said, no, you just used to it. It never gets easier, it will come back to visit, you just get used to doing it."

"Now it all makes sense about why you have the outfit but never use it."

"I actually handed the torch to someone else on earth. I am not eighteen there, I am forty five. He made his own version of the outfit."

"How did you go back in age?"

"No one knows how I got reversed in age, that is without factoring in the myth of a place on earth called, the fountain of youth. Unless I came across it when in transit to here, I have no logical explanation."

"Sounds like a adventure I would partake on to stop some evil from using to turn all the world into babies."

"It was ruled out as a fictional place on earth. No one found it and that was nearly six hundred years ago that they claimed to know where."

"Could you find it again if you tried?"

"Nope."

"That's good."

At that Rainbow came in. "How did this happen you of all ponies?"

"She may be a hero, but not all can take all scenarios without getting something on the way out. In this case it was a near lung puncture." Brandon commented, as he picked up a random magazine that was brought in, in case Daring wanted to read.

"How come you look fine?"

"All of mine are under the clothing. Bruised and cracked ribs, bruised stomach, cheek used to be bleeding and a black eye."

"How come you aren't in a bed then? Like she is?"

"Because there is nothing the doctors or nurses can do other than give painkillers, which I don't need. Survive a few battles and pain tolerance goes beyond what one thought."

"I know the feeling. Broken a wing a few times."

"Broke just about every bone in my body at least once."

Daring speaks up, "He is quite the fighter, and his interactions with the bad guys is quite amusing."

"What you heard is overused. Though mostly true."

"Better than what I could have come up with."

"I read a few of your books, you have some good ones."

"Stop being modest."

"I'm being honest." He chuckles, "Lame rhymes are lame."

The others giggle at this.

"Well, I'm going to head home guys. I have a mare that didn't quite like how yesterday went and would rather me be home than here."

Daring looks at him a bit curiously, half of her wants to add that to the story, the other is wondering about the mare.

"No mentioning her in the story, Lyra shouldn't get mixed up in what I do."

Daring nods as Dash stares at him, "Thought you two had a falling out?"

"We got over it. Or rather I did. Anyway, I can explain later." Brandon slightly limps his way home. Scootaloo stayed behind with Dash and Daring. Figuring she could witness some fangirl action and watch it go down.

Author's Note

Another notice that I have no rights to the song. Also lame cover art is lame. If you think you do better, which you most likely can, feel free to email me the cover art. If it's good, it will be the new cover and will give you credit in the author notes of chapter 1 and the chapter that I upload when I get the art. I also would like to ask those that dislike this story to say why they did, in a professional manner. Anyone that makes stuff would like to know how to make it better. I love being told what could be done or added to something I do. I'm not the best nor claim to be the best.