LOG #1
July 9, 2012
A.R.C. Trooper A101
Lieutenant James “Phoenix” Casper
Damn, I hate using these stupid logs, but I remember this use to keep me sane during my time in the military, and right now, I need EVERYTHING that can help me keep my sanity intact.
Anyway, since this is my first log entry in, wow, years, I should probably start from the very beginning.
My name is James Casper, but everyone calls me Phoenix. I am twenty six years old now, but I feel much older than I should.
I joined the United States military right when I graduated high school eight years ago, and apparently I had a knack for it. I was placed in a new Special Forces unit called the Advanced Reconnaissance Commandoes, founded and led by a smart-ass known only as Captain Joker. I spent three years of my life going from one hot-zone to another; and only one thing was on my mind: Survival. That was, until one of my friends and fellow commandoes was accused of murder. It took every ounce of skill and logic I had, but I found the evidence that proved that he was innocent and I exposed the real killer.
After spending three years in the military, I left the ARCs as soon as I got the chance. I spent the next year trying to find my lot in life; I even spent a couple months as a freelance treasure hunter. Although I had a few interesting finds, I decided that I wanted to live a less exciting life. So I moved back to the good old US of A, and became a police detective (Much less exciting, right…) I spent several years being a detective, investigating many crimes ranging from arson to murder, solving every case, never leaving any case cold. About a week ago, I quit the police force, hoping to work as a investigator for the private sector, but the universe seemed to have different plans. I was taken from my world and summoned to a world that is ruled by, wait for it, talking and magical ponies. I know! I know! I couldn’t make this shit up! I was brought to this world by a Unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, who helped ease me into the realities of this world. After helping me retain my sanity (Or what’s left of it), she told me that she needed my help. One of her friends had been accused of murdering another pony, and they needed someone with my investigating skills to help find the truth. Though I had major culture shock for the first couple of days, I eventually found enough evidence that proved that Twilight’s friend was innocent. It’s been about a day since I solved the case, and Twilight has promised to return me home. But now that I’m thinking about it, the more I feel like I don’t want to leave. I know that if any of my old military comrades heard this, they would die of laughter, but it’s something I’m actually thinking about. I have no family left, no real friends I’ve kept in contact with, and I have no job. Back in my world, I was a drifter, going from one place to another, trying to find someplace I actually wanted to stay. I watch the people, well, the ponies in this world actually seem happy, not just moving day to day, and now that I’m not needed, I actually don’t want to leave. It’s strange, but I don’t know what to think anymore really. Anyway, I think that Twilight will be coming by here soon, and whatever I decide will have to be soon.
This is Lieutenant Phoenix, signing off.
***LOG END***
“Hey Phoenix!” Twilight said. The human blinked, it was incredibly rare that anyone could ever sneak up on him, years in the military and law enforcement had made him always aware of his surroundings, yet the Unicorn had been able to enter his hotel room without him noticing.
Either Twilight became a ninja when I wasn’t looking, or I’m way too tired for my own good, Phoenix thought. He turned to face the unicorn,
“Hey Twilight,” He said, putting the audio recorder back on the table in the small room. “Come on in, I’m just killing time.” It was a small lie, but if he told her that he was recording a log, she would undoubtedly want to listen to it. Phoenix didn’t consider himself a very private man, but he wanted those logs to be for his ears only. Twilight studied his face a moment, then she shook her head.
“Geez, you look terrible.” She said. Phoenix snorted,
“Heh, gee thanks Twilight, I thought you ponies were kind and such.”
“You look like you haven’t had a wink of sleep in days.”
“That’s because I HAVEN’T had a wink of sleep in days!” He scoffed. “Your pony-sized beds are way too small for me, besides I had been running that intense investigation to clear Rainbow Dash’s name if you recall.” That was a major understatement, the case to help prove that Rainbow didn’t commit murder had been among the toughest Phoenix had ever accepted. Not only had he been reeling from culture shock, exhaustion, and limited resources, he had to learn the ways and customs of Equestria on the fly, which made things that seemed like major evidence be nothing more than a misunderstanding of the way things in this world worked.
“I suppose you wouldn’t get much sleep with all that craziness going on,” Twilight said. “By the way, thanks again for getting Rainbow out of that situation.”
“Thank yourself,” Phoenix said, “I would never have closed the case without the help of you and your friends.”
“You’re far too modest Phoenix; none of this would be possible without your help.” The human shrugged,
“Well, I’m just happy I was able to help.” He stood up, hearing his body make a few cracking noises as he stretched out. “So, what’s the agenda for today before I leave? Say goodbye to Fluttershy and the others? Go on one last walk around Ponyville? Make me stand up in front of a crowd and give a sappy speech?” Twilight let out a small laugh, then looked to the floor.
“Nothing like that actually…” Phoenix’s brow raised, clearly curious.
“None of those?”
“No…. I mean you could say bye to everyone then I could send you back home, but…”
“But?”
“I received a message last night from Princess Celestia.”
“Right, you’ve mentioned her before; she’s the ruler of Equestria, right?”
“She and Princess Luna, that’s correct. The message basically said that, well, she wants to meet you.” Twilight said. That caught Phoenix off guard. From what Twilight had told him, the Princess was almost always very busy.
“I’m honored and all,” Phoenix said. “But why does she want to meet with me? Twilight shook her head.
“I don’t know,” She admitted. “I’m just as confused as you. If I were to guess, it could be because you’re the first human in Equestria in over five centuries,” She said, obviously considering this carefully as well. “Or, it could be so she can thank you for helping Rainbow Dash.” The reasons made sense, but something in his gut told Phoenix that there was more to this than a simple “Hello” or “Thank You.”
“I guess that’s possible…” Phoenix said, trying hard to sound convincing.
“I mean, we don’t HAVE to go, if you want me to just send you back to your world…”
“No no,” Phoenix said, raising a hand. “I’m gonna try to savor the time I have left in this world.” Damn, I just felt Masculine level drop dramatically, Phoenix thought. “Besides, I can’t really turn down a request from royalty, now can I?” Immediately Twilight brightened,
“That’s great!” She exclaimed. “I’ll send her a message telling her that you’ll come right away!” Phoenix chuckled, then turned to get ready.
“I guess I should try to dress nicely,” He said, looking at his one pair of clean clothes. “It’s not every day I meet the ruler of another world after all.”
***
“You know, I’ve said this before,” Phoenix grumbled. “But I have never felt like such an outsider in my entire life.” Walking through the streets of Canterlot, Phoenix was reminded of when he had first arrived in Ponyville, with every pony on the streets staring at him with a cautious gaze. To be fair, his appearance didn’t exactly ease their nervousness. He was wearing his best Investigator’s outfit, a dark blue shirt and a long black coat that was open in the middle, showing off his black dress pants and black belt. His detective’s badge was visible on his belt.
“Well, it doesn’t help that you’re wearing an outfit that intimidates most ponies.” Twilight responded.
“I don’t have a whole lot of options in clothes,” He shot back, “When you grabbed me from my world, I only had this outfit and my best suit, which is filthy dirty thanks to that little fiasco after the investigation.” That brought a laugh out of Twilight,
“Oh right, I’d almost forgot about that. It was really great to see you chase down that pony with only two legs, and the mud puddle…”
“Alright Alright!” Phoenix cut her off. “I don’t think we need to recount what happened that day.”
“You sure?” Twilight said with a smug smile. “Even about how you-?”
“NO!” Phoenix said firmly. Anybody who didn’t know Phoenix would have most likely have stopped teasing the man immediately, but Twilight had gotten used to him, and knew that he wouldn’t actually do anything if she didn’t stop. The pair stopped at the entrance to the castle to be allowed access. Although Phoenix got a few sideways looks from the guards, they were allowed access into the royal castle. As they walked down the vast halls, Twilight was telling Phoenix about everything that was anything in the castle. The human tried to appear interested, but he was focusing all his attention on the magnificence of the castle. The art of the colored glass, the beautiful gardens, the detailed statues, all of it was overloading for the detective’s senses. After a while, he just stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the floor.
“Phoenix? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked. Phoenix just shook his head,
“I shouldn’t be here, I really shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t done anything to earn the right to be here, let alone be treated like an honored guest.”
“What do you mean?”
“All my life, I’ve just been hurting people. Wherever I go, pain follows in some way. My parents died when I was just a child, and I took out my anger on other children, I would beat them down with my fists, trying to find some solace in their pain. Even when I joined the military, I hoped to straighten my life out, but no, I only caused death and destruction. In this kingdom that is of peace and harmony, how can I possibly be welcomed if I am the avatar of war and chaos?” Twilight was quiet for a second, then she asked,
“Do you think you’ve caused pain here?”
“I.. I don’t know…”
“I know. I know that in a time where I felt pain that I couldn’t do anything to help my friend, and I know that all my friends felt the same. You changed all of that, you found the truth, and you sought justice when almost no one else did. You are the one thing that prevented a lot of pain in this world recently, and I know that you will get a chance to do so again. Consider this place, this palace of peace and harmony, to be your example to lead by, and to use your strong sense of morality to relieve pain from others, like you have from us.” They were both silent for a few moments, then Phoenix picked his head up, a fire in his eyes.
“Come on, we should get going.” He started forward, purpose and determination in each step. Twilight beamed, proud that her little pep-talk had made him feel better. When they had reached within ten feet of the Throne room doors, one of guards nodded at Twilight.
“The Princess is expecting you.” He said simply. The Unicorn nodded, and the massive doors swung open.
“Come on Phoenix!” Twilight said, moving enthusiastically towards the entrance. The Detective smiled, and started moving towards the doors. He made a quick inspection of his appearance. He made sure his jacket wasn’t wrinkled, and his belt was in its right place, and-
*SLAM*
Phoenix was snapped back into reality by the doors slamming shut behind him. A very slight clicking noise fell on his ears, which told the human that the guards had locked the doors behind them.
“Princess?” Phoenix looked over to see Twilight staring at the throne, the empty throne. The room was empty save for Himself and Twilight. Alarms began to ring in Phoenix’s head. Suddenly, parts of the walls began to slide away, revealing a dozen humanoid shaped robots.
*INTRUDERS DETECTED*
“We’re not intruders!” Twilight protested. “It’s me! Twilight Sparkle! Princess Celestia’s student!”
*INTRUDERS DETECTED*
*USE OF FORCE IS AUTHORIZED*
“Phoenix…” Twilight said nervously.
“Get behind me,” The man said, stepping in front of the pony to face to robots. He reached for his side, then he cursed out loud, realizing his gun was back in his world. “Whatever happens, stay behind me. If something happens to me, I want to run, run as fast as you can towards the windows, do you understand?”
“…”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”
“Yes…” She whimpered. Phoenix took a deep breath, then set up in a fighting stance.
Here I am, in the capitol of peace and love, and I’m about to fight robots with nothing but my bare fists, He thought.
“And I was afraid this would be a boring day.” He said out loud.
One of Phoenix’s lifelong dreams was to have something that other people called a “Normal day.”
He was very close to giving up on that dream.
The six robots were still approaching, showing no indication of recognition or any other signs of ceasing hostilities. Realizing that physical violence would be inevitable, Phoenix assessed the situation with the blink of an eye. He was up against half a dozen robotic guards, whose purpose he could only guess was to stop unauthorized entry past the flesh and blood guards. The only problem was, he and Twilight WERE authorized to enter, Twilight had received the invitation from the princess herself, and the normal guards had let them through without a problem, so why were these attacking them?
Phoenix forced his mind the focus. They could figure out what was going on later, when they were safe and away from these buckets of bolts. At first glance, they appeared unarmed, but they could have been hiding any number of weapons within their torsos. On the other hand, maybe they didn’t have any weapons. After all, this kingdom was pretty peaceful, and the designers didn’t give a thought for weapons being needed. Either way, Phoenix would have to be careful, since he had no real clue what he was up against.
In a heartbeat, he set up the priorities in his mind.
Priority one, attempt to disable or destroy the hostile mechanicals. Priority two, find an alternate exit out of the throne room after priority one is accomplished, or if priority one is not possible to achieve. Suddenly, he remembered the Pony that was hiding behind him, and he cursed himself for being careless. He didn’t know if Twilight’s magic could actually help her fight, and he couldn’t afford to assume anything right now. He would have to keep her safe, and considering he was outnumbered six to one, it would be difficult to say the least.
He was suddenly snapped back into reality as his mind registered rapid movement in front of his eyes. As his mind was sucked away from his thoughts, his reflexes kicked in. He found himself ducking under a blow thrown by one of his opponents; he spun around on one foot delivering a firm kick into its torso, sending it stumbling across the room. A second robot came from his left, making a short kick towards Phoenix’s side. The human smoothly dodged the blow, and threw out a punch toward his opponent, immediately he realized his mistake. His fist struck the metal plating, sending a shock of pain through Phoenix’s arm. He winced in pain, as he drew back, trying to bring his guard back up, but he was struck from behind, sending him crashing to the floor. Acting with the reflexes of a man who as fought for his life too many times, he moved himself into a combat crouch, lashing out with his left leg to made a wide sweeping kick. Three of his mechanical opponents fell to the ground, making a metal bang echo through the room. Suddenly, Captain Joker’s voiced screamed at him in his head,
“Head on a swivel!” Phoenix immediately turned his head, and barely was able to dodge a blow aimed straight at his head. Moving the dodge into a full backhand spring, he did a single flip before landing smoothly on his feet. Chiding himself for forgetting one of the first things he’d learned in Basic training, Phoenix settled into an even stance, bouncing back and forth like a boxer. By this time, the robots had also recovered and were headed straight towards him. Gritting his teeth, Phoenix barked out,
“Round two you tin-plated trash heaps!” The first of his opponents approached, swinging wide with a standard haymaker. Phoenix easily ducked under the blow, bringing his foot around with just enough force to trip the bucket of bolts. Looking forward, he saw a punch aimed at the center of his face. Moving with the grace of a dancer, he moved around the blow, placing his forearm behind the metallic limb, then putting the weight of his body behind him, he pushed the robot, sending it flying across the room. His tactical sense telling him that there was a hostile behind him, he lashed out with an elbow. Normally, he would aim such a blow at a vital area, namely the head. But against these Mechanical enemies, who could not feel pain like living beings, his goal was to strike with enough force to knock his opponents for a loop. His elbow connected with the center of his enemy’s chest, knocking it off its feet. It still hurt, but it was better than striking his metal enemy with a bare fist. Moving quickly, Phoenix kicked out with his right leg, slamming his foot into another robot’s mid-section. Expecting it to fall over like the others, Phoenix started to turn his attention elsewhere, and instantly regretted his action. Instead of falling to the ground, the robot absorbed the blow and jumped toward Phoenix. The human tried to move out of the way, but it was already too close for him to avoid. He crashed to the tile floor, his survival instincts and training emerging in his brain. Rocking back on his spine, Phoenix thrusted his leg up, sending the robot flying over his body and slamming into a nearby pillar. Springing back up to his feet, Phoenix found himself surrounded by the last three robots. One charged at him from the front, launching a flurry of punches. Phoenix set himself into a defensive stance, blocking and dodging each blow while trying to watch what his other opponents were doing. After several heartbeats of this mentally draining combat style, Phoenix realized he had put himself in a very precarious position. On his right, one of the robots was moving to aid its comrade. Behind him, the third robot was approaching to attack while he was distracted by the other two. With a primal shout, he jumped into the air, kicking out with both legs at the robot in front of him. His feet impacted, leather on metal, with the robot’s center of mass. Using the robot’s body as a counter balance to his weight, Phoenix launched himself backward, sending the robot to the ground with a resounding metallic bang. As expected, the robot that had been behind him had rushed in to aid its comrade, right where Phoenix was about to land. The detective threw his shoulder into the tin-can trooper, smashing his flesh and bone body against the solid steel of the robot. He fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder in pain. He tried to use his right hand to push himself upright, but the pressure send pain shooting through his arm. He used his weight to push himself back onto his knees, then brought one leg up to push himself back into a standing position. He was about halfway up, when a solid fist struck him in the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor. Phoenix’s entire body went limp, as his mind tried to register what had just happened. He opened his eyes, and found the room spiraling out of control. The crack of the blow was still echoing in his skull, making it impossible for him to focus on anything. He brought himself to his hands and knees, trying to use sheer will to bring himself to his feet, to keep fighting. He brought his head up to look around and get his bearings. The room had finally stopped spinning, but his vision was still so blurred that he could hardly make out anything of importance. Looking to his right, he could see three Twilight Sparkle’s instead of one, and many more robots surrounding her than there should have been.
Twilight
No curse would be profound enough to convey just how Phoenix felt at that moment.
He had been so engrossed in the fight that he had once again completely forgotten about the unicorn he had come in with. The voices of everyone he had ever met entered his mind and berated him for his stupidity, but one voice drowned out the others.
“Priority one is always to protect the innocent.”
Possessing a strength he didn’t know he had, Phoenix pushed himself to his feet. Time seemed to slow down, as the human broke into a run towards the gathering. His vision went back to focus, visioning what was happening in front of him.
Three robots had recovered and were moving towards the Violet pony, their intentions to seemingly take her into custody. Twilight’s horn was glowing, as if she was about to cast a spell at which Phoenix could only guess at.
“We are not Warriors, we are Soldiers.”
Phoenix did a leaping kick on the back of the first tinny, sending it stumbling into a nearby wall. He quickly sweep-kicked the second robot, sending it tripping to the floor. The last one was reaching out towards Twilight, its robotic eyes showing no emotion as it did so. Sprinting toward them, Phoenix ripped off his jacket. The soldiers threw the leather jacket around the robot’s neck, then using every ounce of strength he had left in his body, Phoenix yanked downward. The robot fell downward at an alarming rate, its head impacting with the floor with such force; it cracked the tile and shattered its head. Phoenix collapsed to one knee, gasping to get breath to his burning lungs. Twilight was suddenly at his side.
“Phoenix!” The man allowed himself a small chuckle.
“One down,” He said. “Five to go.” Twilight gave him a concerned look, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing; Phoenix was in no condition to keep fighting. He forced himself to stand up, facing the five remaining enemies.
“Twilight,” He said weakly. “I can hold them off, but I don’t know for how long. Once I have them distracted, get to the main doors any way you can. Pound the doors and yell as loud as you can. With any luck, the guards outside will hear and open the doors. Got it?”
“No Phoenix!” She cried. “I’m going to leave you here!”
“I’ll be fine, just get yourself out of here.”
“Promise me!”
“I promise you, I will be alright, now do what I say!” Phoenix yelled. Twilight was quiet for a heartbeat,
“Alright, I’ll hold you too that.” She said quietly. Taking a deep, calming breath, Phoenix set himself into a wobbly defensive stance, knowing full well that there was a high probability that he would not be able to keep his promise, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that Twilight would get to safety, nothing more.
“Our job is to Protect and Serve; we are the guardians of those who cannot protect themselves.”
The five robots approached, possibly seeing the weakness in their organic opponent. The forward one advanced, throwing a fist toward Phoenix’s face. The human raised his arms to block.
“ENOUGH!” a Commanding voice shouted. “I have seen all I need!” The robots suddenly stopped, returned to their slots in the wall, then disappeared. Too shocked to say anything, Phoenix just watched them return with his mouth agape.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried. Phoenix looked over towards the throne that had been empty not a few moments ago. Standing next to the Throne was a Pony that was twice as large as anypony the human had seen so far during his time in this world. Phoenix blinked in confusion, what he was looking at was a walking contradiction. The pony, who Phoenix figured was Princess Celestia, had a long, colorful mane and tail that flowed in a non-existent wind. On her head was a long white horn, which would usually indicate that the Princess was a Unicorn, but on her body was a pair of two wings, which would indicate that she was a Pegasus.
Phoenix pushed the question aside, wanting to deal with the present situation before gaining secondary information. Twilight was already running toward her mentor,
“Princess! The robot guards malfunctioned! They-”
“I know Twilight,” Celestia said, cutting her off. “But it was no malfunction; they were acting on my commands.” Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Y-your command?” She sputtered. “But why? Those things were trying to kill us!” Celestia’s expression softened.
“My student, I would never put you in danger like that. The guardians would not have would not have harmed you.” She looked over towards the human in the room with them. “But I needed to test Detective Casper, and the situation had to seem dire enough for him to react in the way I wanted to see.” The reality of what he was hearing sunk in, and understanding flowed with it, as did a multitude of questions.
The Princess had ordered the ambush as a test. To test HIM.
Phoenix refused to allow the rising feeling of anger to show on his features, instead keeping a neutral poker face.
“To… Test him?” Twilight asked, sounding just as confused as Phoenix was. “But why?”
“All in good time, my faithful student.” Celestia said. She moved down the stairs toward Phoenix. She inclined her head slightly,
“Detective Casper, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Despite his irritation, Phoenix bowed in respect,
“The feeling is mutual your highness,” He said. “Though I wish it were under more pleasant circumstances.” The Princess nodded,
“I imagine that you are feeling angrier than you let on, and rightfully so,” she said. “But I ask that you forgive me for the last incident, for I truly didn’t wish you any harm.”
“With all due respect your highness,” Phoenix responded, an edge of irritation in his voice. “Despite what your wishes or intentions were, I have many bruises and other undesirable effects left over from the ‘last incident’. So I would appreciate some answers to my many, MANY questions.”
“Of course, I will answer all that I am able to,” Celestia said. She turned to a nearby wall, her horn glowing. A section of the wall slid aside, revealing a small passageway. “Please, follow me.” She started down the hidden passage. A quick glance at Twilight showed that she was just as confused as he was. Shrugging, they followed the Princess, the wall sealing behind them once they entered.
“So Princess,” Phoenix said. “What exactly were you testing me for?” He was tired of all this nonsense, and he wanted answers NOW. Celestia smiled,
“Right to the point I see,” She said. “Yes, I was testing you. I needed to know whether you put Twilight’s safety ahead of your own.” Phoenix’s brow furrowed.
“I… I don’t understand.”
“I had to know whether you would have sacrificed yourself to protect an innocent pony. And you proved you would, you went to protect Twilight even when you had an opportunity to escape.” The human pondered her words.
Now that she mentioned it, Phoenix realized that he DID have an opportunity to escape during the battle. After he had taken that nasty blow to the head, all the robots had focused their attention on Twilight, completely ignoring him. He hadn’t considered such a thing, since he had made it his priority to protect her, something that had burrowed into his brain after years of instruction.
His mind went back years in time, to when he had just started his ARC training. He was sitting in a classroom, if you could call it that. It was a very plain room with a few chairs that held the dozen or so other recruits. At the front of the room, Captain Joker stood in front of a chalkboard, speaking to everyone.
“… That’s where the knowledge that history gives you ends.” He was saying. “These books often glorify all who fight in war as warriors, when this could not be farther from the truth. We are not warriors, we are soldiers.” A silence dominated the room for several moments, until one recruit asked what everyone was thinking.
“Sir, what’s the difference between the two?”
“A good question Bronco, can anyone answer that?” Silence once again. Joker sighed, “A warrior is one who goes out of his way to seek conflict, even if he has to start it himself. Their sole purpose destruction and pain, and they are willing to do anything to achieve victory. Soldiers are the flipside, we do not fight for honor or glory, we fight because someone has to protect the innocent, mainly from warriors. And men, we are not Warriors, we are Soldiers.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “I’ve met many in the military who would call me a fool, who say that victory takes priority over everything, and I’m here to tell you they’re wrong. I’ve been around the world, fighting in the worst conditions imaginable, I’ve seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer. I’ve been put in situations where I’ve had to choose to either sacrifice the innocent for victory, and I’ve walked both paths, and the way of the warrior is a dark road to lead. That’s why this unit will always be soldiers. Priority one is always to protect the innocent. Our job is to Protect and Serve; we are the guardians of those who cannot protect themselves.” Phoenix heard Bronco, a fellow recruit scoff,
“A nice idea, not so good in practice.” He mumbled.
“Phoenix?” He was snapped back into the present to see both ponies staring at him. He shook his head clear,
“Sorry, just blanked out there for a moment.” Twilight gave him a worried look, but Princess Celestia just smiled.
“Those were some impressive fighting skills you displayed back there Detective.” She said. “Where did you learn them?” Phoenix blinked, surprised about the change of topics.
“Well, I learned them through all my life, I’ve been in more life-threatening situations than I would like, but I learned most of it during my time as an ARC Trooper.”
“Tell me more about these, ARC troopers. Who are they?”
I thought I was asking the questions, Phoenix thought, wondering where this conversation was going.
“Um, well ARC stands for Advanced Reconnaissance Commandoes; we were a new Special Forces unit made in the United States Army. It was founded and lead by a man known only as Captain Joker, no one knew his real name. He was supposedly a Marine Scout Sniper who did some work that was so classified that he could never talk about it with anyone. But he was a good gy, maybe a pain in the neck occasionally, but he always looked out for us, doing what he could to make sure we would get back alive. Our primary missions were deep Recon operations that were dozens, sometimes hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. We had to survive on our own for days or weeks on our supplies or what we could find.”
“And that’s when you learned your combat skills?” Phoenix nodded.
“Joker is the greatest hand-to-hand fighter I’ve ever seen, and I was one of the few that was lucky enough to be personally be trained by him. I’m not nearly as skilled he is, but I was one of the better ARCs in that regard.”
“And this is where you got your name?” This question came from Twilight, obviously asking why he preferred being called Phoenix to James.
“No, I got that nickname when I was a kid, after I accidently lit myself on fire and fell out of a tree. My sister started calling me Phoenix, and it kinda stuck.” He grabbed his necklace and held it out. It was a small piece of steel with a winged creature in its center.
“The bird of fire…” Twilight said, instantly understanding. Then she raised a brow,
“How did you manage to light yourself on fire while in a tree?” Phoenix let out an exaggerated sigh.
“You don’t want to know.”
“So what did you do after you left your military?” Princess Celestia asked. Phoenix gave her a quizzical look,
“I don’t mean to sound rude your highness,” Phoenix said. “But I don’t see how my past has anything to do with the current situation.”
“Consider me curious Detective; I would like to know more about you, if you would indulge me.” The human gritted his teeth in irritation, but swallowed the feeling; he had conducted enough interrogations to know that this line of questioning would eventually lead somewhere. Where that would be, he could only guess, but he decided to play along for now.
“Well, you are correct. I did leave the military after a few years of service. I did a couple of odd end jobs around the world, I even tried my luck as a treasure hunter, but I never found anything interesting.” That was a blunt lie. The stone that was sitting in his pocket suddenly felt much heavier than it actually was, the stone that if it was unveiled to his world, it could have changed the shape of the history of crime and punishment. But Celestia didn’t need to know that, and Phoenix definitely wasn’t going to give out any more information than necessary. Twilight seemed to trust her, but after what had just happened in the throne room, test or not, he wasn’t quite ready to let his guard down. “After that, I returned back to my home country and became a Police detective, spending the last few years doing that until I left the force about a week ago.” Phoenix shrugged. “And I’m sure you know the rest.”
“Why did you leave?” Celestia asked. The question caught him off-guard.
“…Your Highness?”
“Why did you decide to leave the police force?”
“I… I just needed to get away for a bit, you know how stressful those kinds of jobs can be.” Celestia turned to face him, her eyes looking like they were staring right into his very soul.
“Is that the real reason Detective?” She asked. Phoenix sighed, deciding there was no point in lying on this matter.
“No,” He admitted. “I was sick of seeing the aftermath of crimes, and be able to do nothing to stop it. I always saw the aftermath of crime; I put away dozens of criminals, but always after the crime. It started driving me crazy, and I felt that I just had to get away from it for a while.”
“And yet you took Rainbow Dash’s case?”
“Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hesitant at first, but yes, I agreed to investigate the case.”
“Why?” Phoenix’s brow furrowed.
“Why what?”
“Why did you decide to take Rainbow Dash’s case? You said yourself you didn’t want to investigate crimes anymore. You didn’t know Rainbow Dash or any of her friends, and from what Twilight has told me, you would have been able to go home at anytime. So why did you agree to help?” Celestia asked. Phoenix considered for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
“Because Rainbow Dash was innocent.” He said at last. “And I couldn’t turn my back on someone who was accused of a crime she didn’t commit. It was a time where almost nobody believed her, and I could see the fear and hurt in her eyes when we spoke. I may not want to keep investigating crimes, but I would never turn my back on the innocent.” Celestia gave him an approving look.
“Just as I suspected,” She turned around. “I knew I made the right decision in choosing you.”
“In…. Choosing me?” Phoenix asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Twilight look at the floor. Then a realization crashed into his mind. “It wasn’t an accident that I was brought here,” He looked over. “Was it Twilight?” Her ears drooped slightly, and she kept staring at the floor.
“Sorry Phoenix,” She said. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you.” The human whirled on Celestia, who still kept a neutral expression on her face.
“I assume you have more questions.” She said.
“You bet your ass I’ve got more questions!” He shouted. He heard Twilight gasp, but whether it was from his language or the fact that he was shouting at the ruler of her country he didn’t know, nor did he care. He was in no mood for more games, and he had thrown all politeness out the window until he had gotten some answers. Celestia continued to just look him in the eye, clearly not afraid of the human.
“And I have the answers, though I would request that you calm down.”
“Calm down?!” Phoenix was outraged. “Since I’ve got here I’ve been almost beaten to a pulp, promised answers but given none, and now I learn that you’ve been pulling strings like I was some kind of puppet, toying with me since the beginning!”
“And the time for answers is now; I will give them all to you. And I swear upon my crown that they are the one hundred percent truth, but it will be easier for me to tell you them if you are not in a rage.” Phoenix took a deep breath, calming himself. He loosened his fists that he had balled up in his anger.
“Alright then,” Phoenix said, his voice still icy with anger. “Let’s start with why you brought me here, really. And how you know who I am in the first place, considering I live in totally different world, it isn’t like you could just pick up a phone and make a few calls.” Celestia nodded,
“I assumed that would be among your first questions,” She said. “To the first, you already know the answer, to help Rainbow Dash.” Phoenix snorted,
“Why should I believe you? How do I know that whole case wasn’t just another one of your tests?”
“No Phoenix, that was real!” This came Twilight. “Everything the murder, the culprit, all of it! The princess didn’t even know about it until I told her!” Phoenix bit his lower lip,
“When Princess Celestia told you to summon me, what exactly did she tell you?” The Unicorn looked to Celestia for permission. “Twilight please, I’m asking you, not her.” Twilight sighed.
“She didn’t tell me much, now I see that she was being purposefully vague. She just told me to use a summoning spell to bring Detective James Casper to help. She didn’t tell me anything about you, nothing like you were a human, only that you were perfect for the job, telling me that you had experience with murder cases and that you would never let Rainbow Dash be found guilty.” Phoenix slowly turned back to Celestia,
“You seem to know an awful lot about me for someone I’ve never met.” He said. “I believe a little more explanation is required.” The princess took a deep breath.
“I have been observing your world for quite some time now,” She said. “You were one of the few humans that I have kept track of over the years, since you have not been fully corrupted by your world.”
“Wait, you’ve been watching me for how long?” Celestia thought for a moment,
“Four years,” She said. “You had just become a detective when I discovered you.” Another flood of questions entered Phoenix’s mind, but he organized them in order of importance.
“Ok, so you’ve been watching me for the last few years,” He said, trying to shrug off the paranoid feeling that gave him. “But that still doesn’t explain why you brought me here, I’m sure there were other, you know, less human detectives you could have brought in.”
“As I’m sure Twilight told you,” Celestia said. “Murder is an almost non-existent crime in Equestria, the most major crimes that happen are the occasional burglary or break-in. We had no investigators with the knowledge to deal with such a crime.” She held up a hoof to halt his response, “And before you ask, no, there were no other humans I have observed that could’ve helped in the way you did either. Someone who would not work for payment or for glory, but for the reason that the innocent will not suffer.” Phoenix considered the Princess’s words. As much as he hated to admit it, her reasons did make sense. He had plenty of experience dealing with murder cases, and he would have been one of the few detectives he knew that would take on a case without asking anything in return, by all accounts he was the perfect choice to take on the mystery.
“Ok, I’m with you so far…” Phoenix said slowly. “But that brings us to the big question, why are you watching my world?” Celestia smiled, then stopped, looking at a door that had suddenly appeared in front of them. He had been so focused on the conversation that he had forgotten that the Princess had been leading them somewhere. Celestia inserted her horn into a locking mechanism, glowing slightly.
“That answer will require much more explanation.” She said. The door swung open to reveal a large room that Phoenix could only describe as, a command center. Rows of computers lined the walls, all just showing a gold coin with a thin blue star in the center. He couldn’t help but be impressed; it was one of the most high-tech setups he had ever seen.
“Damn…” He said almost involuntarily. He looked over to the two ponies, who were looking at him with disappointed looks on their faces. He gave them an apologetic look. “Sorry,” He said. “Maybe I should get myself a swear Jar or something.” Twilight rolled her eyes,
“You don’t have enough money…” She said. Phoenix quickly composed himself,
“So, what is all this?” He asked. Celestia looked around the room, obviously deep in thought.
“About six years ago,” She began. “An idea was formed among the high government officials of Equestria. Due to the increasing number of threats on Equestria, we decided to form a joint Law Enforcement and Emergency Service organization known as Lightspeed Rescue. This organization would be able to act quickly during emergency situations, to be able to fill the roles of Police, Firefighters, and Search and Rescue teams. They would be on the scene as fast as possible to deal with quickly and decisively with the situation.”
“A nice idea,” Phoenix said, studying the Lightspeed logo. “What was wrong with it?” Celestia sighed.
“Although there are many courageous ponies in Equestria, they just don’t have the knowledge or experience to deal with the dangerous situations Lightspeed Rescue would be facing.” She turned to face Phoenix. “But humans like you have vast experience with dangerous situations.”
That’s an understatement, Phoenix thought.
“But why would you think of humans?” Phoenix asked. “From what Twilight told me, they haven’t been seen in Equestria in over five-hundred years.” Celestia looked down at the ground, her eyes not focused on anything.
“Humanity’s role in Equestria’s history has been largely forgotten,” She said quietly. “Your kind was here before Ponies ever claimed it, and for over a thousand years, they acted as the guardians of Equestria, ready to lay down their lives to protect Ponykind.” Twilight’s eyes widened,
“I’ve never learned of anything like that,” She said. “I’ve only read that they were known for their role in helping law-enforcement during crimes.” Celestia offered her student a weak smile.
“History’s memory has faded over the years, and its memory of humanity has gotten the worst of its forgetful nature.” She turned back to Phoenix. “Are you familiar with the Elements of Harmony Detective?” She asked. Phoenix nodded,
“Twilight might have told me a thing or two.” He said. Actually, Twilight had talked his ear off about them in the past couple of days, filling his mind with knowledge he wondered if he would ever use.
“What do you know about them?” Celestia asked. Phoenix thought for a moment.
“There are six of them,” Phoenix said, recounting from memory. “Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. They are embodied currently by Twilight and her friends, and have immense and powerful magic.” Celestia nodded, and turned around.
“There is a seventh Element.” She said.
“A seventh Element?!” Phoenix and Twilight asked at the same time. Celestia nodded.
“The Element of Justice.” She said. “It is unique among the elements as it can be inhabited by more than one Individual. Also,” She turned to Phoenix. “It can only inhabit humans.” Phoenix was quiet, as he tried to digest exactly what he was being told. Twilight, on the other hand, was not being quite as silent.
“But… But how did I never hear about it?!” She demanded. “And why wasn’t it with the rest of the Elements?”
“This element is almost as rare as yours,” Celestia answered calmly. “It’s no surprise that there was no mention to it in the anthology. Some even consider it to be almost independent of the other elements, as it can act without the others, and the others can act without it.”
“Then, where is this element?” Twilight asked. Celestia shook her head,
“No one knows,” She said. “The Element of Justice has no Physical form, it inhabits those who show the characteristics of a guardian, of one who is truly willing to lay down their own life to protect the innocent, to punish those who mean harm, and are prepared to fight to defend these beliefs.” Phoenix finally looked up,
“And you think that I have this Element of Justice inside of me?” He asked. Celestia nodded.
“Yes, I’ve believed that you were the one as soon as you solved the murder case.”
“Alright, I suppose that makes sense. But there’s one thing I don’t understand,” Phoenix said. “Why now? If what you tell me is true, It’s been over five hundred years since humans have vanished from this world, so why did you wait until now to start looking for any?”
“I think I know the answer that,” Twilight said. She looked at Princess Celestia. “Nightmare Moon.” It wasn’t a question. “You wanted to have the seventh Element to be here when she returned.”
“She was part of it,” Celestia admitted. “But there is a much bigger threat on the horizon.” She looked straight into Phoenix’s eyes. “Over a thousand years ago, an aggressive monstrous race known as the Hophni opened a portal from dark space into Equestria, attempting to overwhelm our world. Luckily, we had our human protectors to help repel the invaders. In order to stop them, I casted a spell to block all their attempts to open another portal into our world.” Celestia looked too the floor. “But after all these years, my powers are fading, and soon they will return. I believe that you are the one who can protect us this time Detective.” Phoenix looked at her quizzically.
“With what?” He asked. “My bare fists? I won’t get very far with that, unless you have guns.” Celestia gave the human a horrified look.
“What?”
“Guns,” Phoenix repeated. “You know, slug throwers, blackpowder weapons? Do you have anything like that?”
“Such weapons were banned years ago!” Celestia replied, disbelief on her face.
“Of course,” Phoenix said, noting that the princess hadn’t actually answered his question. “Then what DO you have?” Celestia smiled.
“Those who wield the Element of Justice have always commanded a power the likes of which nopony has ever seen.” She motioned toward the back of the room. Sitting on top of a small pedestal was a small metal contraption with a wrist strap. Phoenix approached it, looking it over with his eyes. He ran his hand over the object, feeling the metal.
“What is this thing?” He asked quietly.
“This is the Lightspeed Morpher,” Celestia said. “A seamless blend of magic and technology, within it holds the power that can help you defeat the forces of the Hophni.”
“Is this what humans in the past have used?” Celestia nodded.
“Not this Morpher exactly, but many like it have been used through the centuries to defend our land.”
“What do I do?” Phoenix asked.
“Put it on your wrist,” Celestia instructed. “Once it detects the element of Justice inside you, it will power up, and then you will have access to incredible power. If you wish to leave and return to your world, you may do so. But know that if you take the Morpher, there will be no going back. You will be our guardian, the protector of all Ponykind. You will protect the innocent, with your very life if need be. You will have hundreds of lives depending on you, you will need to be faster when you are at your fastest, you will need to be stronger when your strength is maxed out. You will need to have energy when your body wants to quit, for you will be the single hope of our kingdom, you will be the light shining the way in the darkest of nights, you will be a Power Ranger.” Phoenix listened to her words in complete silence, feeling the pressure of this responsibility weigh more and more on his shoulders.
What she was asking him to do what enormous, something any sane human being would have considered impossible. But they needed him, all the ponies he had met, they needed him. And if he didn’t do it, who would? He still wasn’t sure he could do it, or even if he should do it.
Am I really ready to play the part of the guardian? He asked himself. Am I certain that when the chips are down, I will be able to lay down my life for them?
He wasn’t. And that plagued his heart, putting even more weight on his shoulders.
But even with his doubts, Phoenix knew he needed to do this, that his friends needed him to do this.
Moving with more confidence than he felt, Phoenix grabbed the Lightspeed Rescue Morpher. Feeling the eyes of both Twilight and Celestia staring at him, he wrapped the strap around his left wrist and tightened it. His eyes focused on it, waiting for something, anything to happen. Each heartbeat seemed like an eternity of waiting, as everyone stood silently and waited. After a few seconds, still nothing happened, the Morpher hadn’t activated, and Phoenix didn’t need to be told what that meant.
The Element of Justice was not inside him.
Without speaking a word, Phoenix took off the Morpher, and put it back on its stand. He slowly turned around, seeing that both Princess Celestia and Twilight had their gazes on the floor, apparently having reached the same conclusion. He stepped forward, placing himself next to Princess Celestia, staring straight ahead.
“I’m not the hero Equestria needs,” Phoenix said, his voice choked with emotion. “I’m sorry.” He truly was. Without anyone saying anything, he started walking forward, his mind not focusing on anything, he relied on his basic motor functions to exit out of the passage, the throne room, the castle. Eventually, some part of his mind registered that Twilight had joined him in walking. Thankfully, she remained quiet as well, as Phoenix’s numb mind was only feeling one emotion.
Failure
~~~
Celestia watched the pair leave, staying completely silent as they did so. Even when they had exited, Celestia had just sat on the throne in silence.
How could she have been wrong? This Phoenix had shown every trait of the Element of Justice, just as all the others in the past had. On the other hand, there was no way to tell for sure until they tried the Morpher. She sighed and sat back, deep in thought. Behind her, she heard a door slide open and shut. Not bothering to look, Celestia called out.
“Hello Luna, finished bringing forth the night?” Her sister took her place on the Throne next to Celestia.
“Yes, you may retire for the night if you wish.” Luna studied her sister’s face. “Is everything alright?” Celestia shook her head, feeling very weary indeed.
“No,” She replied. “Our situation has grown even more dire.”
“Does this have to do with the human you were telling me about?”
“Yes, but he was not the one we were hoping he was.” Luna was silent for a moment, digesting what her sister had just told her.
“You’re not usually wrong Tia,” She said finally. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Celestia responded. “But the Morpher did not come to life when he equipped it. He didn’t have the Element of Justice.” Luna let out a slow breath.
“How much time do we have?”
“The spell is about to evaporate completely,” Celestia responded. “The Hophni can break through any moment once they realize this.” Luna was silent for another moment,
“So what do we do?” She asked. This time, it was Celestia who went silent.
“I don’t know,” She confessed. “But we will find a way. We always have, we will get through this one way or another.”
~~~
Somehow in his declined state, Phoenix had managed to bring himself to the train station, purchase two tickets for himself and Twilight, and board the train. There was no word for how Phoenix felt; it was a mixture of sadness, depression, and failure. He hadn’t felt like this in over two decades, since the day he had been told that his parents had died. Twilight had remained silent the whole time, not looking at Phoenix. Phoenix had done the same, keeping a stoic silence and not facing Twilight. How could he? All the hopes of her people had been placed on him, and he hadn’t been up to it.
The human stared out the window of the train, watching the dark terrain pass by. He had always found comfort in the night and its beauty. When he was a child, he would always climb to the top of his apartment building to just watch the moon and stars of the night, finding solace in their presence. When he had later become a soldier, the darkness of the night had promised safety to him from those who wished him harm. Now, in his time of great distress, he used his old friend to help him once again. He took a deep breath, and looked out among the endless space of the moon and stars. The Equestrian night was even more breathtaking than the ones back on Earth, and it helped to ease his mind. Feeling a little better, Phoenix’s numb mind began thinking about what had happened.
As he dwelled on it more, the Princess’s words had sounded incredibly similar to those Captain Joker had spoken so long ago. Back then, Phoenix had thought that such principles were good to follow when possible, but not always applicable in life. Now though, he wished that he had taken it more to heart, maybe if he had, the Element of Justice may have chosen him. He groaned in frustration, his head hitting the back of chair. Twilight perked up, obviously hearing Phoenix make his first noise in hours.
“Are…. You ok?” She asked carefully. Phoenix shook his head, burying his face in his hands.
“No Twilight, I’m really not.” He said, still not really feeling like discussing it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Of course that’s what she’d ask.
“What am I going to say?” Phoenix said, aggravated. “I’m sorry that your Princess bet everything on me and I didn’t stack up?” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder.
“It’s not your fault Phoenix.”
“Yes it is, by definition, it is my fault.” The hollow sadness was returning. “I never should have come to this world, wherever I go, pain inevitably follows.” Twilight took a deep breath.
“James,” She said, using his real name to get his attention. “Had I not brought you here, Rainbow would have almost certainly have been found guilty, you were the only one that kept looking for the truth even when everypony thought that it was an open and shut case. You’ve done a lot of good here, more than you will ever give yourself credit for.” After a few heartbeats of silence, Phoenix sat up, his face resuming its standard Poker-playing expression.
“You’re right,” He said. “I’ve done some good in this world. But now that I’m not needed, I think it’s time I left.” He saw Twilight’s face fall, as she understood what he was saying. If he was honest, the thought of leaving Equestria made him feel even more depressed, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
I have no place in this world, Phoenix thought, I’ve served my purpose here, and it’s time to move on.
The rest of the train ride pasted in absolute silence, and Phoenix continued to stare out the window at the night sky.
~~~
Dark Space
It was a location that was well deserving of its name. Nothing but eternal darkness, a place where light had no meaning. It was here that the Hophni had dwelled for thousands of years, but soon that long exile would end.
Elok sat on his less than elegant throne, in his usual position of deep concentration. It had been over a thousand years since he had ordered his people to attack Equestria, hoping to take a large, fertile world. And Equestria seemed ripe for the picking, since they appeared very weak. He had been proven wrong, as Equestria’s human guardians, the Power Rangers, had repelled the attack, and Princess Celestia had used her magic to trap all of the Hophni in dark space. And here he had sat, ruling over the Hophni for all the centuries. Oh there had been several fools who had tried to oppose him after the failed invasion, but he had quickly squashed all the resistance to his rule. Elok had sat on his throne, growing angrier and angrier as the exile continued. Even at this moment, he was enjoying a fantasy of destroying Princess Celestia and her followers. His moment was interrupted by the entrance of General Venjax, Elok’s most trusted assistant and the commander of their forces.
“What is it?” Elok demanded, not pleased with being disturbed. Venjax bowed respectfully.
“My liege, we’re almost ready.” He said.
“Are we now?” Elok said, standing up. “Then we shouldn’t waste any time.” He moved from his throne, walking to where he knew his people were gathered. As expected, he found his top advisors crowded around the observation table, talking and debating amongst one another. They grew quiet the moment they saw their ruler approaching. The lead one, Atticus, bowed.
“My liege, we have excellent news,” He said. “Princess Celestia’s spell has faded, and we have begun our observations into Equestria.”
“Good,” Elok said, keeping his voice void of any emotion. “Have you discovered anything interesting?” All of the advisors, including Venjax, now beamed with excitement.
“From what we have seen, there are no Power Rangers to oppose us this time!” For the first time in centuries, Elok allowed himself to smile.
“Then we shall begin the invasion right away! Prepare the entire army!” The council of advisors suddenly grew quiet.
“My liege, we cannot send the entire army, do you remember?” Elok’s face fell, as he tried to recall what his advisors were referring too. Ah yes, he had been told the day he had planned the invasion. Equestria was quite a distance from Dark Space, and the amount of magic required to send a member of the Hophni to attack was enormous. They would have to be sent one at a time. At least for now.
“Then we shall have to send a worthy warrior to announce our presence.” He said. One of the advisors, this one the youngest of them all stepped forward.
“Send me my Liege!” He said excitedly. “Allow me to pave the way for our people.” Elok considered. He was young, but a great warrior, one who would send a clear message to the Equestrians of who would be their new masters.
“Go then, and take a group of Locusts with you.” Elok ordered. “And bring glory to our empire!”
~~~
Stepping off the train, Phoenix drank in the town that was Ponyville. After spending almost a week in the town, it had become almost familiar to him. He even had a few ponies give him a friendly hello and greeting, oh many still stared, but he had gotten use to that as well. As he started his slow, final walk around Ponyville, he kept a smile on his face, determined to appear cheerful and say hello to everyone he had met during his time in this world. One by one, he said his hellos and goodbye’s to everypony he knew. Lyra, Bon-Bon, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Big Mac, Ditzy, Spike, Doctor Whooves (Who had asked many questions about what the current year was on earth for some reason), and even The Cutie Mark Crusaders (Who made Phoenix’s Daredevil childhood look pathetic in comparison with the trouble they caused.) Twilight stayed with him the whole time, staying respectfully silent and keeping a small smile on her face, although Phoenix could see that she was fighting back tears. After a few hours of laughs, tears, and heartfelt goodbye’s, the pair made their way to the library. Moving to the door, Phoenix paused at the entrance to the giant tree, realizing that he hadn’t seen any of Twilight’s other friends during his walk around the town. Believing he knew what would happen next, Phoenix opened the door, expecting a shout of surprise to greet him. As expected, a large banner that said “GOODBYE PHOENIX!” was drawn across the top of the room, but instead of dozens of smiling ponies in the room, there was just the five of Twilight’s friends: Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.
“Aw, no party for me Pinkie?” He asked. The Pink Pony gave him a heartbreaking smile,
“No Jimmy,” She replied, using the nick-name she had given him. “There’s not much to celebrate right now anyway.”
“Oh don’t be like that,” Phoenix said. Seeing Pinkie sad wasn’t right, and it was one of the few things in the universe he couldn’t bear to see. “I don’t want to remember this time as sad, so let’s try to enjoy ourselves while we can.” Pinkie perked up almost immediately, and nodded.
~~~
“… And then Ditzy said,” Pinkie Pie managed between laughs. “I would compliment your hair, but it really just looks like a rat died on your head!” All the ponies started rolling on the floor in laughter, while Phoenix had let out an embarrassed chuckle. He had been mocked almost constantly about his shaggy hair ever since he had arrived in Ponyville. He didn’t mind, but he had to admit that some of them were getting old. After wiping away a tear from laughing so hard, Twilight took a deep breath and put on a serious face.
“Phoenix,” She said. “It’s time.” The man’s face fell, but he nodded. As Twilight moved to open her book of spells, Phoenix stood up and faced all six of the ponies. He gave himself a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke,
“When I was brought to your world, you asked for me to help you,” He began. “I agreed, not asking for nor expecting anything in return, and yet you did something back to me, Hope.” This brought some small smiles out of Twilight and Fluttershy. “I have seen among the best and worst my world has to offer, and it made me have a very bleak outlook on the future. But seeing all of you, seeing your world, and the happiness and harmony in it, it has given me a better hope for my world. I may not be able to change my world, but I can now look at my world and see that there is some hope, so thank you.” Now the tears were flowing, some more than others, but Phoenix could see that even Rainbow Dash had watery eyes.
Rarity was the first to approach him, her eyes glistening.
“I never even got to make you a suit,” She said, her voice laced with sadness “I was interested to see how well I could make an outfit for a human.”
“Oh I’d probably just jinx you,” Phoenix replied. “Besides, I couldn’t tear you away from your other costumers.”
“Oh, I’m sure I could’ve found the time.” Rarity said. She turned around, barely keeping her composure. Pinkie Pie was next, her usual upbeat nature was noticeably gone, as she cried for her departing friend.
“I didn’t even get to throw a party for you Jimmy!” She said between tears. He offered her a small smile.
“I know Pinkie,” he said. “And I know I really missed out on a real good time. But, maybe next time.” Her eyes lit up.
“Next time?” She asked hopefully. Phoenix shrugged, hoping to show more confidence than he felt.
“Sure, anything could happen in the universe. And who knows? Maybe I just might find my way back to Equestria.”
“Oh boy oh boy! I’ll make sure to be ready next time!” Pinkie said, moving with her usual bounciness again. With Pinkie back to normal, Phoenix turned to Fluttershy. He could remember how she had been incredibly reluctant to look, let alone speak to him. But she had caught sight of his necklace; she had been curious and asked him what it was. Once he had told her it was a Phoenix, of which he got his name, she happily talked to him for an hour about how she had heard about these special kinds of birds. Surprisingly, she seemed to be taking his leaving a little better than the others.
“I guess I won’t be able to help with all the animals like I wanted to,” He said, forcing a smile. “And I wanted to meet them all.” Fluttershy bit her lower lip.
“I’m sure they would have loved to meet you,” She said sadly. “Especially Angel Bunny.”
Phoenix had heard stories about this Demon-hare that was ironically named Angel. He had to admit, he was curious to whether or not the stories had any merit, but part of him was terrified if they did turn out to be fact.
“Tell Angel that I’m sorry. Really.”
Fluttershy hanged her head low as she went to join the others.
The next to approach him was Applejack. Phoenix hadn’t gotten to know the Farm-Pony very well, but even he could tell that she was doing her best to look in high spirits, even though he could see the sadness in her eyes.
“Hey there Partner,” She said. “Ya know ahm still angry at ya’ll for lying to me during your investigation.”
“I know,” Phoenix answered, smiling. ”I also know that I’m among the most interesting things to fall into Ponyville in a long time.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” The Earth Pony said, rolling her eyes. “Remember, I’ve battled Nightmare Moon.”
“Oh, I’m sure she didn’t tell near as funny jokes as I did.”
“Ya ya, keep talking…” Applejack muttered as she trotted away.
Rainbow Dash was next, floating in the air with her forelegs crossed.
“Well ‘Nix, I guess this is goodbye.”
“Don’t go overboard with the ‘thank-you’s’ or anything,” The human scoffed. “I only got your name cleared from murder, no big deal.”
“Ya, you did help out,” Rainbow said. “Even though you gave us reason to doubt you a couple of times.”
“You’re welcome Dash,” Phoenix chuckled, turning back to Twilight. “Well… I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t think any words would suffice.” The Unicorn answered with a sad smile. “Who would have thought that a crazy human crashing into my library would save the day?”
“Who would have thought that I would have saved any day?” Phoenix chuckled. “I’ll never forget any of you.”
“Neither will we.”
Twilight walked over to her spell book, then closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn began to glow bright, as a portal began to open in front of Phoenix. The human took a deep breath, then looked over his shoulder to see his friends one last time.
“Goodbye Everypony.”
“Bye Phoenix…” The Six responded, tears in their eyes.
He turned back to the portal, took a step forward…
“TWILIGHT!” The door suddenly burst open, and a winded Spike stood in its wake. “Monster! Ponyville! Outside! HELP!” He said at a million words a minute.
Twilight and Phoenix looked at each other.
“Phoenix, if you don’t go now, I don’t know when I can send you back home!”
The human didn’t hesitate this time.
“Come on!” He yelled, following Spike out the door.
~~~
Phoenix had to admit, he had no idea what to expect when Spike lead them to the outskirts of town, but it certainly wasn’t this.
A Bipedal creature, about a foot taller than Phoenix, carrying a large blade and almost looked like a cross between a reptile and an armored Knight was walking toward the city, a group of insect-like creatures following close behind it.
Spike was right, it was a monster.
“What… is that thing?!” Rarity sputtered.
“I don’t know…” Twilight whispered. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Me neither.” Fluttershy said. “It’s no animal.”
“It’s a Hophni!” Phoenix said with an air of realization.
“Are you sure?”
“It has to be! You remember what the Princess said!”
“What are ya’ll talking about?!” Applejack demanded. “What the hay is a Hophni?!”
“I’ll explain later,” Phoenix said. “Right now, you guys to get everyone in town to safety.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Distract them,” The human answered. “Maybe I’ll get lucky, draw them further away from Ponyville.”
“No way ‘Nix!” Rainbow shouted. “You can’t take them yourself!”
“I’ll be fine Dash,” Phoenix replied coolly. “I’ve been in much tougher situations. Right now, you have to make sure everyone gets out ok. Maybe contact your Princess and see if there’s any other way to fight back.”
Rainbow hovered there for a moment, before being pulled back by Applejack.
“Come on Dash, he’s right!”
The Pegasus glared at them, then relented.
“Fine, but I’ll be right back here once it’s finished!” She promised. “Good luck.”
Phoenix smiled,
“I won’t need it.” He turned back around. “Hopefully…”
As Twilight led her friends back into town, Phoenix sprinted in the other direction, circling around the enemy group. Once he felt that he was in a good position to lead them away from Ponyville, he hopped down from the hill he was on.
“HEY!” The Detective shouted. “If you’re looking for Ugly Town, you passed it a few miles back!”
The Monster stopped, then turned to face him.
“A human…” It said. “And just one? This is the best Princess Celestia could send against me?” Phoenix smiled,
“Oh I wasn’t sent by the Princess.”
“Then who sent you?”
“Your Mother.”
The Hophni narrowed its eyes.
“You think yourself humorous with such bad jokes?”
“Well I try.”
“I see. Then we’ll just find out where that mouth of yours gets you!” It pointed one of its claws at Phoenix. “Locusts!”
The group of creatures following the monster started charging towards him.
“Oh boy, not this again…”
The first Locust swung at him with its fist. Phoenix easily grabbed its arm, pushing it away as he turned to face the next one. It tried to kick out with its leg, but he dodged the attack, striking to its midsection. His tactical sense told him that another opponent was behind him. He spun around, striking with a hammer-blow to its face. All three Locusts fell back from the assault that had only lasted a few seconds.
Phoenix turned to face the Hophni, only to see lightning crackling from its outstretched arms.
Before he could react, the lightning struck the ground directly in front of him, creating an enormous explosion that sent him flying backwards.
He fell to the ground hard, clutching his chest in pain. The monster let out a maniacal laugh.
“This is the last of legendary humans?!” It cackled. “This is sad. Just how desperate are the ponies that they would send such a pathetic creature to defend them?!”
“To pick me to help them? Pretty desperate I’d imagine.” Phoenix let out a chuckle as he slowly rose to his feet. “But desperate or not, they’re depending on me, all my friends. This world has not been tainted by your kind of monster like mine has.”
“We have conquered no human world.”
“Maybe not you exactly. But what you are, what you stand for, it is like a disease on my world. I won’t let that happen here. If you want Equestria, YOU’LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!”
With these final words, he felt a surge of heat at his neck. He looked down to see his phoenix necklace glowing bright.
“What the…”
Before he could question it further, he became aware of another glow, this one around his wrist.
He stared at the yellow light for a moment, until it faded, revealing the Lightspeed Morpher.
He stared at it for a heartbeat, before the power light suddenly came to life.
“The Element of Justice…” He couldn’t believe his eyes. “It’s… Inside me now…”
“What are you blabbering about?!” The Hophni shouted.
“You’re in for a rude surprise.” Phoenix said, a smile growing on his face. “Care to help me try out my new toy?”
He thrust his arms out.
“LIGHTSPEED!”
He brought them back to his chest, his index finger pressing the button on his Morpher.
“RESCUE!”
The switch activated, sending a spark of red lightning pulsing through Phoenix’s body. It wasn’t pain that he felt… it was more like…. Power! The power he felt was incredible.
The whole thing lasted only a half a second, but the feeling remained constant. Phoenix looked over himself, glancing over his new power suit.
“This is… Unbelievable!”
“WHAT?!” The Hophni shouted. “A Power Ranger?!”
“To Protect and Serve!” Phoenix clicked his heels together and made a Salute. “Red Lightspeed Ranger! Rescue Ready!”
“I don’t care what you are! I’ll still destroy you!” The Monster was enraged. “Locusts! Get him!” The creatures charged
“Time to try out some new gear!” The Ranger drew the pistol holstered at his side. “Rescue Blaster!” He leaped into the air, his leg muscles boosted by the power suit. Time seemed to slow down as he looked down the sights and let loose with the red laser beams.
With the aim of an experienced soldier, he blasted the insects one at a time, never even giving them the opportunity to strike him.
“Looks like your pals aren’t as tough as they look!”
“When you want something done right…” The Hophni charged at Phoenix, sword ready to strike.
“Blade mode!” The Blaster transformed into a small sword, as the Red Ranger went to meet his opponent.
The Hophni swung its weapon overhead, striking at the human’s head. Phoenix rolled out of the way, making two quick strikes with his swifter weapon.
Before the monster could counter, He leaped into the air and kicked it with both of his feet. It stumbled backward, dropping its heavy blade.
“Full power!” Phoenix’s blade began to hum blue, as he sprinted at the Hophni in one final charge. He drove his sword in a sideways slash, cutting clean through the creature.
It started screaming in pain, falling to the ground in a shower of sparks.
“Should have followed my directions pal,” Phoenix said, walking away. “Ugly Town is now short one citizen.”
The Hophni collapsed to the ground, its existence ended in a fiery explosion.
~~~
Phoenix had spent his entire walk back to Twilight’s Library looking over his Morpher. He was admiring it, it a sense, and wondering what all powers it held within.
Opening the door to Twilight’s Tree-Home, Phoenix was surprised to see Princess Celestia standing with the six Elements of Harmony and Spike.
Phoenix walked before the Alicorn, snapping to attention and giving a perfect salute.
“Princess,” He said. “The Hophni has been dealt with.”
“So I see,”” Celestia replied, a smile coming to her face. “Did you enjoy the present I sent?” Phoenix returned the smile, and lifted the Morpher that was resting on his arm.
“It saved my hide, I’ll say that much. But how did you know when to send it?”
“I knew the Element of Justice was inside you, all it needed was to be awakened.” The Princess answered. “When Twilight sent me a letter telling me about the attack, I knew the time had come.”
“Lucky for me that it did then.”
“However, this was just the beginning. The Hophni will not rest until all of Equestria is in their hands. Only a Ranger can hope to stop them.”
“Phoenix,” Twilight said, coming forward. “We have something for you, Rarity made it.”
The human raised a brow, then the alabaster unicorn used her magic to levitate her creation to the center of the room.
It was a Red Jacket that was Phoenix’s size, the Lightspeed symbol imprinted on the top of the left sleeve and a 1 that matched his Ranger color at the top of the right sleeve. On the back were the words “Lightspeed Rescue” along with a shape of a bird with fiery colors.
“So, what do ya think ‘Nix?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Will you stay?”
A wide smile grew on Phoenix’s face.
“Well, when you throw in the jacket, how can I say no?”
~~~
“How could this have happened?!” Atticus demanded. “I thought you said that there were no Power Rangers in Equestria!”
“There were none!” Venjax insisted. “I don’t know where this blasted one came from!”
“I send we send another monster!” Another of the Advisors said. “Crush this pathetic Ranger now!”
“No, we wait.” Elok said.
“But my liege-“
“We must be patient in this approach.” The leader said, silencing all in the room. “We’ve waited for over a thousand years for this. We can wait a bit longer.” Elok studied the image of the Red Ranger that Atticus had brought forth. “Equestria will be ours Princess, no matter what you or your pathetic Power Ranger do.”
Author's Note
Holy crap it's been a long time since I've come back to this old story.
Three Quarters of this chapter was written about six months ago, so it may not be that good.
I hope to start updating this more often since I still love Idea
