Author's Note

I made the prologue with “Max & Twilight” in mind. Thank you much. =D

So here it be.

Prologue: The Orphan’s orphan.

So Yeah… ok. One day walking home from Zecora’s place I came across a human lying in a pool of blood and what looked like oil. However the disturbing part was all the body parts of I think manticores riddled all over the place. “Holy Fuck” was the only thing I could think of before the guy sat up like the Undertaker… taking a better look at him, I saw he was covered with injuries. Like every creature you can think of came and attacked him. I saw a pair a huge claw marks on his chest, from a Hydra I found out later, burns here and there, a dragon, bite and claw marks from humans, a scar making a permanent smile on his face, his teeth, chipped and jagged, no nose, and claw marks on both eyes and all that was just what I saw at the time. He wears a dress, kilt maybe. Anyways… The Next thing I notice was just how big he was. Huge… like 6”5’ easy, with muscle that would make Broly proud. “Not Equestrian… good to know” I then saw that the oil from before was coming from some of his open wounds. “Is He Infected?! The guy stood up, “7 feet, definitely.” And walked right up to me. Fighting the urged to run thinking that if I did he’d think “FOOD” standing right in front of me he put one of his monster hands on my head, the other my shoulder. Moved them from head, down my face, neck then chest. The other from shoulder to shoulder. Thinking just what the fuck he was doing I Took a closer look at the scars on his eyes. “He’s blind” I then come to remember that this guy was infected. I mean sure I’m safe from the virus but I know Twilight’s not gonna be happy about this. Jerking back I moved away from him. The big guy in turn flinch a little but then moved his hands in the air looking for me. I then quietly as I could, walked away, thinking it best to go get Twilight & bring her here. With that said, I did feel bad for just up and leaving a blind man, even though it really looked like he could stand his ground with anything.

Leaving Everfree, I started to the library. A moment past when I kept seeing pony after pony gawk at me with confusion. At first I thought they didn’t recognize me, but I noticed it wasn’t me they were staring at. What ever it was. It was behind… Me. Looking back I jumped to find the big guy following me a few feet away. How someone his size can be so silent… Damn.

……………………………………………………………………………

“No!” Twilight told me when I jokingly ask her if we could keep him. She was looking at me with a mix of anger and worry. “Oh come on Twi, after all he did follow me home from Everfree.” I sighed. “No” she said again. I just gave her an Inquisitive look. “First off,” Twilight started. “He’s a Giant of a human. He haves at least a foot on you. Then he looks as if he’s been through much… Much more then you ever did. Next he looks sick, infected, a little crazy too…” As Twilight started to rant and list off all the cons in keeping him. He started to chuckle. That took both Twilight and me aback. Twi, dumbstruck to see a smile slowly growing on his face. Me, He just confirmed that I was right to call him NOT Equestrian. When he stopped he then proceeded to walk around the library. As voicing my thoughts “He isn’t from here… is he?” Twilight asked me. “Nope” I said in response. We jumped a little when the big guy knocked over a pile of books Twilight was looking over before I arrived with him. “You think he can understand us” Twilight asked me. “Only one way to find out."

We found out, yes. He can indeed understand every word we say. It was hard to know just what “he” was saying though. He didn’t speak a word but we made progress. Like, we found out he haves an “Owner” much like Twilight and me. A brand on his left of a symbol of some sort told us, and then we started calling him Joker from a brand on his right of a pair of Joker playing cards. Yes it was odd to have a pair of different brans on him but I digress. We also found out why he couldn’t talk either. He haves no tongue. It was ripped out of him from one of his ordeals. No we didn’t push the matter. Nether of us wanted to. But anyways. After learning of his owner, Twilight decided to find him. She started on a locater spell as I made tea. Soon after Twilight finished the spell. Turns out the pony was in the Everfree, maybe looking for his Human. We wanted to go and help him out. You know, Everfree and all, but Joker just laughed at that. He didn’t think he needed it. So we didn’t. We waited. Twilight did comment that he seemed to be heading straight to the library. Yeah I know, we even had a little scuffle but that ended with Joker sitting in front of the door. I don’t think Joker’s violent, just strong as all hell. Point is, we waited. As we did I decided to do some knowledge seeking. With his permission I measured him up, weighed him, took his temperature, 7”2, 476 lb., all muscle too, & a whopping 101.3 degrees, no he wasn’t sick, I asked. That’s just normal for him. “Meaning… dare I say it. no? anyways”

An hour later a knock on the door told us of his pony’s arrival. Opening the door, there stood a wrinkly old pony but pretty well built. A light gray coat, crimson red mane and tail with a few streaks of white flowing through it. His tail, half in a bun, samurai style. That symbol from before stood on the pony’s flank and his over all demeanor, aura, screamed Noble. Then he spoke… It scared me. I mean, it wasn’t evil scary but like his voice radiated power, with a wheezy gargle to it, & all it was “Hello Human… Is mine around?”

Ok, so here’s what we learned after he arrived.

Joker’s name in his native tongue is “Evaelk” A-vilk?, we kept calling him Joker, and he didn’t seem to mind. All his injuries happened after he came to Equestria say for his blindness, he said happened at birth. Well, Orphan said so. And he comes not from Earth, “right…” His blood is black as oil; just the way humans are, so he tells me. Never mind bout that though. When he first arrived on Equestria he was put through a similar situation as I was. Ponies found him, enslaved him but unlike me, Joker was force drugs and steroids that would’ve killed any normal Terran right away. Personally I don’t think those ponies even expected Joker to live at all. They just used him like a lab rat.

As for the pony. His name is Orphan, so he calls himself. 50 years ago he was apart of those experiments I mentioned earlier, He thinks. “50 years?” that didn’t seem right to me. But I guess that just cause ponies on Earth were lucky to reach 40. Anyways. I let him continue. He only remembers bits and pieces of his own past. Stable memories starts just about 5 year’s ago. Before that are just flashes or blurry images for him. He doesn’t even remember what his cutie mark means. “The symbol, now that I think about it, it looks familiar.” Regardless, we didn’t get to spend too much time with Orphan to get to know him properly. But honestly, other then that voice of his, he’s a nice pony to be around. Reminds me of Celestia and you actually. That whole Powerful, but humble vibe that you have. Even though he’s just a normal pony, he haves something radiant about him. “What?... what I say?”

“My Apologies Max” Luna said with a hint of fear in her eyes.

“What’s going on Luna?”

………………………………………………………............

“That wasn’t vary nice of you Evaelk.” Orphan said with a look of disappointment.

“Oh Come Papa, At least I didn’t lie to them. That counts for something.” Evaelk replied.

“You didn’t tell the whole truth either.” Orphan said, “That’s just as bad.”

“Like they would ever believe I came from a world were all this, was just a construct of the imagination.”

“And there you go again,” Orphan exclaimed, “Talking nonsense of make believe.”

“That’s just it!” Evaelk yelled. “I’m blind, how do I know exactly that you’re all pony’s in a world filled to the rim with MAGIC!? For all I know, you vary well could be a man standing there gawking at me for being a weirdo, or maybe some kid just so happen to be reading this on the web… Hell, how do I know if my Name is really Evaelk? I like the sound of “Joker” myself, let’s start calling me that yeah… Fuck! I bet this guy typing all this up it quite literally making shit up on the fly!”

Evaelk ended his rant with a sigh and a drop to the floor. Orphan slowly started to his human. “Shut up Evaelk.” He said bluntly. “You talk about this vary subject week in and week out, and I keep reminding you the same thing every time.” Orphan standing in front of his human. He then proceeded to punch Evaelk right in the face. Evaelk in turn ended up face first, in the wall behind him. “You feel that?” he said with a chilled expression. Orphan heard a muffled laugh inside the wall Evaelk was in.

Evaelk popped his head out and turned around. “And this isn’t me talking to you…” Evaelk stated, questioning how Orphan can know what he was thinking.

Orphan in turn just strolled up to Evaelk and sat down next to him. “Kind of depends what you mean by talking.” He said gently, and then chuckled a little. “The first time I heard your voice in my head, it was not pleasant, at all.”

“You said it was like some pony screaming in your ear.” Evaelk interrupted. “Apologies”

“Not to threat. You know I soon learned how to turn it down.” Orphan continued. “I come to learn after that we share much more then that.” Orphan perked up in mid thought. “Evaelk… Why you wonder off anyways?”

“I smelled something good.” Evaelk said plainly.

Orphan sighed. “And what pray tell was that?”

“I don’t know, before I got there I was attacked by manticores” Evaelk proclaimed. “Soon after I was found, was taken to a tree house… Library I think. Then you showed up and we came here…” This time Evaelk stopped in mid thought. “Where’s here anywho?” he asked.

“We’re currently in an Inn of a town called Ponyville.” Orphan said sitting up and walked to a window. Looking out, “I rather like it here.” He said. Evaelk just tilted his head in Orphan’s general direction. “It’s vary bustling for a small town. It’s a shame we can’t stay.”

“Right, our Quest…” Evaelk said standing up and slowly moving in the direction he last heard Orphan’s hooves stopped. Feeling around for Orphan, Evaelk kneeled on the wooden floor and found his head. It took a moment of silence before He heard Orphan mumble.

“Oh Buck I want to die.”

“And I promised that I’ll find a way to kill you” Evaelk replied.

Orphan smirked. “How?” he asked. “I mean you all ready tried to about a hundred times. Before I even found you, I tried about a thousand times. Death just doesn’t want me…” Orphan slouched a little. “Ah Goddess I miss my Family.”

“Your Family huh.” Evaelk started. “I wish I could remember a time of such a thing.”

Orphan perked up to look at Evaelk pushing his hand over. “Buck, My Apologies my good friend… I keep forgetting you were born an Orphan…” Orphan then proceeded to stare off in space for a moment. “Maybe I should change my name again…”

Evaelk just laughed… “Needn’t worry sir. I know the differences between a name and a word.” Evaelk then, with his other hand, felt around his side to find Orphan’s brand. A symbol of a fan of three hooks spinning counter clockwise. Thinking on it Evaelk knew just what this symbol means, and he frowned upon remembering. It didn’t seem to exist anywhere on Equus but on his world that vary symbol means Life, Death, Anew. (Birth, Death, Rebirth) Evaelk found it a little disturbing that Orphan’s specialty was to Die just to come back to life a moment later. “I mean if you’re gonna die… Stay dead damn it”

Orphan in turn was contemplating about Evaelk. A giant from a different world, maybe a different reality all together. Seemingly able to survive EVERYTHING thrown at him. I mean come on! Manticores, Timber wolves, Chimers, a Hydra, a Dragon, a Bucking Ursa major, well, infant, but still, and on top of all that a towns worth of Infected humans… the odd part however is that he made friends with them all. Yeah, all of them. The Infected included. Mind you, He killed them after so but my point is that he made Infected humans calm down enough to do so without incident. The disturbing thing Orphan thought, He’ll gladly rip and arm or a leg off his opponent and call it, “horrifying.” Basically, his personality doesn’t match his actions.

The pair jerked out of their stupor when a knock from their door told them “Room service?” Somepony said on the other side.

“No thank you mam.” Orphan replied. “We’re going to be leaving soon actually.”

“Vary good sir, we hoped your stay was to your liking” Evaelk in turn rippled what was left of his lips. It sounded like disappointment.

“Evaelk, Be nice to the mare.” Orphan said. “She’s just doing her job.”

“Yes Papa” Evaelk said, sheepishly smiling at Orphan.