Project horizon

Chapters

Chapter 1*, the last day on earth.
chapter 2*, Awakening
Chapter 3*, Introductions
Chapter 4*, Guardian.
Chapter 5*; Signal
Chapter 6*; honour
Chapter 8;* by royal decree
Chapter 9;* checkmate
Chapter 10;* Glory
Chapter 11; the second beacon.
Chapter 12, facing the past
Prologue; virtues
Chapter 7;* self-discovery

Chapter 1*, the last day on earth.

07:15, my alarm goes off, yet I'm always awake before it, so there's no real need for it. I turned it off and got out of my bed, ready to start the day.

After getting out of bed, I immediately walked to my bathroom. I've been here so long that I've gotten used to the daily routine and felt bored by it.

First, I combed my rough, ginger bed-hair to the side. I'd usually just leave it be and deal with whatever comments my friends make, but the project was being documented by the blokes in charge and they asked us to look presentable. After this I brushed my teeth and changed into my uniform, closely followed with a brief tidy-up of my quarters.

My room was rather compact, with a small, rather comfortable bed, a window that has always been covered in snow, a desk with a laptop on it, and a small wardrobe for my uniform and other clothes. I can't really complain about the size of the room, it does keep me warm at night and I'm actually quite small.

I was in the middle of making my bed when I got a buzz on my door’s alarm, indicating somebody was outside. I quickly finished what I was doing and walked over to the door, and was greeted by my friend, Connie.

Connie was perhaps one of the closest friends I had on the team, being the first person to talk to me when I first joined the project. She was another virtue, representing optimism. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black, and she had it cut to just over her ears. She was already in her uniform, consisting of a heavily insulated tracksuit jacket and trousers.

"Morning, Marc. How'd you sleep?" she asked, and I could tell she was in a good mood by the smirk on her face and how she shook as she spoke, a habit I picked up on after knowing her.

"Fine, I guess. I was up before my alarm as usual, but I'm not too fussed," I told her as I leaned against my door frame, fully aware our conversation would last some time. "You seem in a good mood."

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "You know full well that it's the last day, and there's a rumour going around we're getting a farewell party!" As she progressed through her statement, she gradually became more and more excited, something that I found a little embarrassing.

"Connie, calm down for God’s sake!" I told her, covering her mouth as two site employees passed by. After they were out of sight, I released her. "If you get any more giddy, you'll inflate like a balloon. It's not that big of a deal!"

"How can I? So much is happening today! We're meeting new virtues, we might be having a party later. You’re seeing your..." She paused, figuring out why I was upset. I lowered my head to the ground, having been reminded of why I wasn't looking forward to today. "Sorry. I know you still feel bad for him."

"I know. It's just... Rough. I..." I was interrupted by Connie hugging me out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting it, but I chose to accept it.

"Don't worry about it, he'll be fine." She let go of me for a moment. "Besides, we have estimated that it's gonna be at least 20 years until humanity fully dies out, leaving plenty of time to make another mission to Terra!" I could clearly see why Connie was chosen as the virtue of Optimism, always sticking to the positives, no matter how dire the situation. She grabbed my wrist and started to drag me with her. "Let's go! The mess hall awaits."

I was going to head to the mess hall with her, until I remembered something from last night. I pulled my arm from Connie's clutches and ran back to my room.

"Sorry Connie, just remembered something I needed to do! I'll meet you at breakfast." I called to her as I ran to my room. She just rolled her eyes and resumed her trek.

I bursted into my room and grabbed the camera I used to record my video recording thing I did the day before. If I forgot to hand it in, I'd likely be nagged all day by the science crews as to where it was. And while I could've done with some food, I knew their needs came above my own, so I'd have to wait.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It took about 15 minutes of passing checkpoints and repeating the same statement several times, but I made it to the science labs.

The labs were across the compound from the dormitories, and were perhaps the most heavily guarded area in the whole compound, not including the Eclipse. For good reason too, as not only did it house several pieces of tech we would bring with us to terra, but also several experimental pieces of tech that was otherwise unsafe anywhere else. Coming to this part of the compound gave most of the group a weird feeling, almost like something bad was going to happen. However, I was often asked to come here by the Director himself, and found the novelty wore off after the 5th or 6th visit.

I walked up to his office, camera in-hand, and knocked on his door. I then waited for a few moments.

"Enter!" his deep voice said from beyond the door. To most, his voice would be seem intimidating or antagonistic, but I knew the director to be the polar opposite of this, like a second father to me.

I entered the Director’s office, moving from a high-tech science facility to what looked like a library of sorts. There were obvious natural themes to this office, with unbearable quantities of oak wood furniture, books lining the walls on either side, and a large fireplace right behind the director’s desk.

Speaking of behind the desk, that's where the director was, on his laptop doing whatever work he was tasked to do. With the rocket launching tomorrow, the whole compound seemed to be on overtime. The director then closed his laptop and greeted me.

"Mr Smith, nice to see you up, bright and early! How are you feeling?" he asked, in a surprisingly good mood. Then again, he had gotten to know me pretty well over the last year, so it wasn't unusual to see him act this way around me.

"As well as I can be sir, all things considered," I explained to him, approaching his desk and placing the camera on it. "This camera has the recording I made last night. I didn't know who to give it to, so I thought you would be a good choice."

"I see," he responded, picking up the camera, staring at it briefly before placing it in his desk drawer. "Don't worry, I'll see to it that it gets to the right people, you have my word." With that, I let out a sigh of relief. At least if something went wrong now, I wouldn't be blamed. I was about to walk back to the mess hall when the director stood up to get my attention. "How are you feeling about tomorrow, Marc?"

"As well as I can, I guess," I told him, turning back and sitting in one of the chairs next to his desk. "I know I have to go, but part of me wants to stay, for my brother’s sake. He's all I have left I can call family." I paused for breath, and was going to continue my emotional rant until I found the director placing his hand on my shoulder. I would've shook it off, but he gave me a warm, caring look that silenced me.

"Marc, I understand your pain," he told me, now seeming upset. "If I was in your position, I'd likely be doing the same thing." He now let go of my shoulder, looking down in shame. "If I could send him up, I would. But he's too young for the pods, he'd likely freeze to death, and it's too late to change anything now. I'm sorry."

"I understand, sir. Thank you anyway," I told him, still slightly upset over it until I saw him in a brief thought. A bead of sweat poured from his brow, and he let out a long sigh.

"Look, Marc. I'm not meant to say this, but if the project is successful and the ship launches safely, my superiors have told me there's a possibility we could send another ship. If so, I promise you I will place your brother aboard without a moment’s thought. I make it my personal promise your brother will be safe, so don't worry."

I didn't quite know what to think. I had the one person who could save my brother directly in front of me, and he gave me his personal promise he'd be safe. While the sane part of my brain told me that it wouldn't be possible, I truly believed the director was telling the truth! I wanted to start bouncing around the room with sheer happiness, and consider the director a God for even the thought of saving my brother. A tear slowly formed in my eye, and slowly poured down my face.

"Thank you..." I said, my voice beginning to crack, this being the first time since joining the project I was actually happy. I mean sure, my friends were amazing and I was guaranteed a chance of survival, but the mere thought of seeing my brother again made me more happy than I could describe.

"That is no problem, my boy, but I must warn you of this." The director leaned forward, having a cautious stance to him. "As I've said, almost nobody on the compound knows that we will be able to send more survivors up, and it may put unwanted pressure on them during tomorrow's launching procedures. Therefore I must ask you to keep this to yourself for now, do you understand?" I nodded, understanding completely the reasoning behind his and the effects it may have. While this meant not telling my brother he'd have a chance to see me again, I knew I had to do as I was told.

I stood up to leave, about to head off to the mess hall in order to get something to eat, when I was stopped yet again.

"If you ever need anything, Marc, you know where I am." While I'd heard this line several times, and believed it less and less over time, I was now confident I wouldn't need anything else from the director, especially after everything he’d already done for me so far.

"I think I'm good, sir. I'm gonna get some breakfast for now. God knows how long Connie and David have been waiting for me," I explained, now starting to walk towards the door.

"I know it's off-topic, but I must ask. How do you keep up with Ms Mathew’s level of energy?" I was asked, causing a slight snigger to escape from my mouth.

"She was the first person to open up to me when I first came here, sir, I've just learned to deal with it." I opened the office door, ready to leave. "Have a good day, sir!" I called over, closing the door quickly behind me. It was now 25 minutes until breakfast stopped being served, and I needed to be quick in order to get it.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a full-out sprint across the compound, I managed to make it to the mess hall with a good 10 minutes to spare. And while my lungs felt like they were crushed, my ribs dug into me like daggers, and I had the biggest stitch since my mum had to fix my curtains after my dad ripped them in half (long story short, my dad was drunk), I was relieved I was able to get something to eat.

I walked up to the counter and asked for my usual breakfast, the 'all day breakfast' ration pack, and looked around the hall for Connie. I found her quite quickly, as she was in the corner of the room, playing a game of chess with David, the virtue of creativity.

David had short, grey-ish hair. His build was rather moderate and he always seemed to have a confident aura to whatever he did. He was, to be blunt, socially awkward. He seemed to struggle to be able to find a place in the group where he wasn't wound up, severely annoyed, or taken advantage of. At first, he avoided the other Virtues completely, choosing to spend his time with the director, even helping him design the ship we would be traveling on, called the 'eclipse'. Eventually, he met me and Connie and chose to just stick with us, and giving our group the nickname of 'the nerds'.

"Nice to see you made it." Connie said as I took a seat next to her.

"What did I miss?" I asked, making sure I was up to date with whatever drama had occurred while I was gone.

"Joseph and Shane nearly started a fight, Antonia found a way into the staff quarters, and Connie here thought she could beat me at chess," David explained, his face focusing intensely at the game of chess he was playing. "Speaking of which, checkmate!" He placed his rook into a position where the King couldn't get away from it, and where he couldn't be taken himself. Connie simply stared at the board for at least a minute, trying to find any loophole around the move David made, but she found nothing she could do.

"How? How did you do that?" Connie asked, her face in awe as to how David beat her.

"You focused too much on offence, while leaving little in means of defence. As such, all the pieces surrounding the King weren't there anymore, leaving me the perfect opportunity to counter-attack." His explanation was simple, yet I personally found it to be a bit over the top for a simple game of chess.

"Okay, I'm gonna avoid playing chess with you for a bit," I told David, earning a laugh from both him and Connie. "What? I'm clearly out of my league here!"

"Yeah, sure Marc, just keep telling yourself that!" David teased, having stopped laughing and calmed down.

Before we could resume our friendly banter, the mess hall main doors opened, silencing the entire room as 3 people entered.

The first was somebody who we all recognised immediately as Leon, the project’s youth-worker. He would often come up to us for announcements and introducing new members of the group. The two who were with him were likely the remaining two virtues for the mission.

"Alright guys, gather round please!" he called over to us, likely to greet the two new people. As soon as everyone came together, Leon resumed. "As you know, with the Eclipse launching tomorrow, everything around here is gonna get pretty hectic. So, I felt as though I should get you guys introduced to the remaining two virtues as quickly as possible." He stood to the side so we could see the new guys.

"This young man is called Jinji Nakamodo. He represents the virtue of wisdom." He gestured at the lad in question. He seemed a bit pale, almost nervous. He seemed to scratch his short, brown hair as we all stared at him, almost like a nervous habit.

"And the young woman next to him is called Rebecca Ashton, the virtue of courage!" Rebecca seemed the polar opposite to Jinji, seeming unaffected by the attention she was getting, almost looking like she wasn't bothered. She had long, blonde hair that was tied in a bun, and appeared almost tomboyish, like Connie. She seemed to have no interest in us, staring out of the window to the left of her, just beyond Leon.

"I will leave you guys alone to get to know one another, I have something to sort out." At this moment, Leon walked off to do whatever it was he needed to do, and the group ended up returning to their original positions, with Jinji and Rebecca standing by the door, getting some last-minute advice from Leon before he left.

"What do you think of the new guys then?" David asked, setting up the chess board for the next game.

"Jinji seems alright, I think," Connie said. "He seemed a tad bit shy though. What do you think, Marc?"

"How would you feel if your stood in front of 10 people you've never met before, who you will be getting to know over however long we know each other?" I asked them both in response. "I'd probably be shit scared as well."

"Well, when you put it like that..." David paused, seeing my point. He then looked over at Rebecca, who was making her way over to the opposite corner of the room on her own. "What about her though? She seems, well, different."

"Perhaps she's a lone wolf or something?" I asked, staring over at her as she rested her head her arms on the table she was sat on, likely going to sleep. "Or she's tired. Either way, I'm gonna give her some space until she's ready to talk."

"Hey, can I have next game?" an unfamiliar voice asked us. I turned to see that Jinji had come over to greet us. He was clearly uncomfortable with all of us looking at him, so I decided to cut him a break.

"Sure. Just try to avoid playing David though, he's probably a bit too good for his own good," I explained, earning a hefty slap from David. However, Jinji sat on the opposite end from David anyway.

"I think I'll take my chances," he smirked, picking up a rook and flipping it in his hand. "I still have the element of surprise." Me and Connie shared a surprised expression over Jinji's sudden confidence spike.

"Well, don't say we didn't warn you," Connie said, patting him on the head. As this was going on, Leon walked back into the room and over to our table.

"Hey Jinji, nice to see you've made some friends already," Leon said, quickly turning his head to me. "Marc, your brother's here and waiting for you. I gotta take you up there."

"You mean the other kid in the truck was your brother?" Jinji asked me. I nodded in return. "He's a nice kid."

"Thanks, man," I told him, surprised he found my brother bearable. I stood up out of my chair and stretched briefly. "I'll catch you guys later, I've got a brother to see."

"Hey, hope it goes well," Connie told me, giving me a brief high-five, as was her thing. After this, I walked towards the visitor centre with Leon.

-0-0-0-0-0-

While the visitor centre wasn't as far away as the labs, it was even more of a hassle to get into. As it was near the front of the compound, security was pretty tight, seeing as dozens of survivors came here every day in an attempt to get in, and nearly every one of them were turned down, adult and child alike. And while it seemed horrible to keep them locked out, it was widely accepted by most that it was for the greater good, as having too many people around would mean we would be overcrowded and would've run out of food months ago.

I was waiting outside of the inner office next door to the visitor room until I was given the all-clear to go in, and my previous anxiety over leaving my brother returned to me.

After a short wait, Leon walked out of the office. He closed the door behind him and looked towards me with a cheerful grin.

"Alright bud, everything's set up for you. You can go in when you’re ready," he explained, walking to the visitor room door and leaning next to it. I nodded in response. (Took them long enough).

"Thanks man, you really don't know how much this means to me," I said, standing up and walking to the door.

"Don't mention it kid, I'm just doing my job," he told me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Hope things go well, he was going on about seeing you for half the ride over here."

"Yeah, that's him alright," I responded, laughing a bit as I remembered how my brother always seemed to look forward to everything.

I opened the door, and within 3 seconds I was tackled to the ground by Sam, who was probably waiting for me for ages.

"Marc, you made it!" he yelled, holding me in a firm hug, refusing to let go (to my irritation).

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you? You’re the one who came from however far away you were to see me," I argued, trying to pry his hands from my waist. He let go, now standing up, giving me space to get onto me feet.

"Sorry Marc, but I haven't seen you in months! What were you expecting, a pat on the back?" he asked, his mouth oozing with sarcasm.

"Alright bud, I get it! Can we just sit down or something? Your little surprise might've done something to my back," I explained to him, rubbing the sore spot on my back where I fell onto. He didn't answer me, simply running over to the couch nearby and parking his backside on it. I quickly joined him, sitting down in a seat opposite to him. "What've you been up to then?"

"Lots of stuff," he claimed. "I've been traveling with Leon while he found more people to come here. I got to see lots of people." As he spoke, his smile seemed to shine like a beacon to me. I could remember how much that kept me going when it was just the two of us traveling together.

"Nice to hear, man. Glad you've been enjoying yourself, considering what's going on. Mom and dad would be proud," I told him. His head took a dive for the floor as soon as I mentioned our parents, and you could tell he was upset from a mile away. I sighed lightly, moving to the chair next to him and put my hand on his shoulder, as I knew what was about to happen. "Let me guess, you still haven't gotten over it."

"How can I get over it? They were our family! And they're dead!" He shouted in a mixture of rage and sorrow, quickly holding me in a tight hug. I returned the hug, trying to calm him down.

"Sam, it's alright. I'm right here mate, you’re alright," I said warmly, slowly lulling him out of his emotional state. "You've still got me, and that's all that matters." Suddenly, he pushed me away.

"For now yes, but you won't be here tomorrow, or the day after that. You'll be gone! And I'll never see you again!" He burst into tears, using the arm of the sofa to cover his face. While this made me feel guilty, I was aware this wasn't nessesarily true, after what the director had told me earlier. So, I decided to tell him the truth. Well, a version of it anyway.

"You don't know that's true. This mission took three years to do, and we've got at least twenty years before the earth goes cold, that gives you at least six or seven chances to get back to me," I told him, his face slowly lifting up from the arm of the sofa, lighting up as I spoke. "I could probably put in a good word to the director, seeing as I know him personally." After I said this, Sam jumped from his seat and onto me, again. His face was once again filled with a raw, unbridled joy (and mine was filled with sheer pain).

"Really? You could do that?! Marc, you’re the best!" he yelled, unknowingly pinning my body down and doing a number on my arm.

"Alright, alright! I know, just get off me for god sakes!" I moaned, prying myself from his grip and sat back up properly, rubbing my elbow. "You’re a safety hazard, I didn't sign up for this."

"Yeah, pretty sure you don't sign up to be a big brother," he said, pulling a cheeky face at me.

"Don't I know it," I moaned, which was met with a large laugh on his behalf. I had to admit, being an older brother sometimes pays off.

Sam looked like he was going to make another remark, when the door opened, revealing Leon.

"Hey there lads, sorry to interrupt," he said, sliding up a chair and sitting on it backwards, like most goons did back in school to act cool. "I know you guys have been looking forward to this reunion for a while now, but I'm gonna have to cut it short." He paused, quickly looking over at me. "The scientist blokes are setting up a demonstration of the cryo-thingy pods for you and the others, they asked me to get you."

Now I will admit, while I'm typically one of the first who wants to learn anything about the equipment we were given, the scientists had very bad timing. They never really worked on a timetable, so when they wanted to show us something, it was always in a 'drop everything and see our thing' kind of fashion. If I didn't always spend my time doing nothing, it'd probably be more annoying.

Leon then turned to Sam. "Also, the director asked me to fetch you. I don't know why, but he wants to, Ahem, 'speak to you about a confidential matter', as he puts it.” I think I knew what he was referring to, especially after my prior conversation with him.

I got up out of my chair, preparing to leave, until Sam fell face-first on the floor. I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh a little. Knowing him, he probably tried to pounce on me again, and caught his foot on the coffee table. Luckily for him though, he only got a headache. I walked up to him, giving him the hug he probably wanted.

"See you soon, man," I said, patting him on the back. However, he quickly pushed me away for some reason.

"Wait! I have something for you!" he shouted, quickly scouring his pockets and pulling out a white pouch and giving it to me. "It's something to remember me by."

Confused, I opened up the pouch and poured its contents into my hand, revealing a pendant of sorts. It appeared to be a clear, see-through gemstone with an emerald inside. It wasn't clear whether or not it was real or fake, but it had a cold and rough feel to it, and had a reasonably sized string going through it. While I was never really one for mementos, I placed the item into my pocket, smiling as I did so.

I then looked back at Sam, who instantly saw I liked my gift. "Thanks Sam," I said, patting the pocket I put the pendant in. "Now I'll be sure to remember you, no matter how far away I am." (Had to say something cheesy, otherwise he'd pull a fit and say I didn't care).

In response, he gave me a smug look and stood confidently. "I knew you'd like it!" he declared, his arms on his hips. I shook my head lightly before turning to the door and leaving. For a final meeting, things could've been worse, I guess.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Having made my way to the auditorium, I quickly took a seat next to David, who had somehow lost that chess game with Jinji. I was honestly surprised to hear this, as well as impressed that somebody could match David.

The scientists took a little more time than expected to prepare their presentation, probably because of the whole thing being impromptu. There were a few scientists scattered around stage just standing there talking, seemingly waiting for something to happen.

That was when Doctor Marcoh, lead researcher of Project Horizon, entered from behind the curtain. He didn't look like much, seeming to be a simple, middle-aged german man with hazel hair and a lab-coat, but his work spoke for itself. He heavily invested his time into research including cryogenics, Artificial Intelligence, and rocket technology. It was due to him that the project was able to progress fast enough, but he always made time to consult us about whatever technology we'd bring with us on the mission.

Dr Marcoh walked up to the podium in the centre of the stage, tapping the microphone he was given a couple of times in order to grab our attention. "Good afternoon, children, it is nice to see you are all present and ready for the launch tomorrow," he announced confidently, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Once again, I apologise for calling you all here on such short notice, but I feel the information I'm about to give you could prove beneficial to your upcoming mission."

"As you all know, in order for you to arrive on Terra alive, you must all make the journey inside of specially designed cryogenic containers, or 'cryo-pods', as you young people are calling them." He walked off the podium, moving towards an egg-shaped item covered by a grey sheet. "And while this is a beta model, I feel as though it will prove fine for a simple demonstration."

He removed the sheet, revealing a peculiar-looking device. The cryo-pod seemed quite bulky and rough, with several metal plates coming off it, multiple levers and switches on the outside. Several important-looking wires were scattered across the floor, most likely to be wired up to the ship if the device was successful.

"Now, I will be the first to admit, the design of this pod in particular isn't exactly a work of art, but its function and properties are nearly identical to the finished models you’ll all be using," he continued, pulling a handle and opening the pod, revealing a gel cocoon of sorts. "Using your exact measurements, you will be able to fit into the lining of the pod quite snugly." Shane raised his hand. "Yes, Shawn was it? What's the problem?"

"It's Shane, sir," Shane growled, lowering his hand and standing up. "My question is about the weird gel stuff in the pods. What is it for?"

Dr Marcoh grinned. "An excellent question my boy!" he shouted, beaming at us. "This gel is quite intriguing, isn't it? Its development is Mary's doing." He gestured to Mary, the virtue of knowledge, as she blushed lightly at the looks given to her. "To put it simply, this gel, named cryo-gel, locks your body into place while freezing it, turning hard like stone. This is so when you’re in space your body’s aging process halts and your other inside bits don't age, decay, or do anything that could cause any damage. What's more, its effects wear off instantaneously as soon as it comes into contact with oxygen. The plan is foolproof!"

I decided to raise my hand, having picked up an issue with the pods myself. "Dr Marcoh? if we're frozen on the inside of the pod and the only way to open it is on the outside, how do we get out of them?"

The Doctor delayed his answer for a moment, but eventually answered. "That is quite the question you've given me, Mr Smith, and the answer is simple. The wires leading off of the pod are linked into a computer program inside of the central computer spire of the ship. It will release you when you land on Terra."

"What kind of program?" I asked, now slightly curious.

Doctor Marcoh sighed. "Inside of the central spire, I have installed an Artificial Intelligence program that is linked into each of your pods, that will awaken each of you when the time arrives. More information on this AI will be available in a moment as we go through the ship’s functions, so be patient."

Next, Dr Marcoh walked back onto the podium, pressing a button that released a large screen from above him. On said screen there were several pictures and drawings of the ship's design. "As you've been told prior, your sections will be split equally, each housing your individually specified equipment, foodstuffs, and personal belongings, which will all be stored using the same kind of tech used to preserve you. They will also contain an internal computer containing large quantities of Earth's history, personal data storage, and Project Horizon files, should they be needed. Furthermore, each computer has a list of all the failsafes worked into the ship, and each hold an AI projection device."

"Speaking of which," Dr Marcoh started, "I feel as though you might want to get to know a bit more about said AI." He held up a small, holographic device in his hand, revealing it to the entire room. Placing it in front of him, a small, multi-coloured orb appeared out of it. "Introduce yourself, my child."

The orb remained silent for a few seconds. "Hello, I am the AI created by Project; Horizon to assist you on your journey to Terra, codenamed; Spectrum. It is an honour to make your acquaintance," it spoke, flashing in a bright light with every word. The sheer sight of such a construct sent shivers down my spine. David tried to stand up and go over to it, completely captivated by the sight of the thing. I held him back however, which was met with a moan or two.

"While it's true AI research has advanced in the past 20 years, the risk of rampancy has always been an issue. However, I believe found a way around that." He looked at his notes for a moment, shuffling around different pieces of paper. "I've programmed a feature into Spectrum that will allow it to freeze itself, only activating and actively thinking whenever the ship itself is in danger."

Joseph raised his hand. "What happens if the ship is hit though?" he asked, his voice seeming a little concerned.

"Well," Dr Marcoh began, "in the event such a thing happens, the ship is designed to fragment, having each of your compartments split from the main computer and resume the journey on its own. You will still land on Terra, but you be a fair distance from each other. Overall however, there's no real reason to worry."

Despite what I was just told, I raised my hand. Something concerned me about that failsafe. "Dr Marcoh, if each compartment splits from the main spire, how will Spectrum un-freeze us?" I asked, slight mumbling around the room coming afterwards.

Doctor Marcoh hesitated for a moment, almost as if he didn't want to tell us what would happen. However, he did eventually answer. "That isn't a detail you should concern yourself with, my boy. Once you land on Terra, you will be awoken from your pod, simple as." He then moved position to face the entire audience. "I believe that's enough questions for today, my children. For the rest of the evening, the staff here are going to be having a celebration due to it being the last day of the project, of which you will be allowed to attend..."

“Called it!" Connie stood up and yelled, almost damaging my hearing in the process.

"...After this, final preparations will be made before you’re placed into your pods prior to tomorrow's launch. It's been a pleasure knowing you children, and I hope you have a long and fulfilling life ahead of you!" Doctor Marcoh finished, before bowing and leaving the stage, which was met with mild applause (mostly by staff members).

Overall, the presentation was better than I was expecting, and answered a lot of the questions I had going around my head. While the cryo-pods functions were quite cool, the real interest came from the ship itself, and the AI that would be coming with us.

Almost everyone left the room, except myself and my friends. "Didn't I tell you guys there was gonna be a party?" Connie gloated, her focus quickly changing between the three of us.

"Alright Connie, we get it! Can we just go already?" David asked, his eyes gazing at the door. "I'm not one for parties, but I could use some food."

"I agree, we should leave," Jinji said, standing up to leave, prompting the rest of the group to do the same.

As we walked through the doors, we noticed Rebecca leaning against the doorway outside. she seemed to be waiting for us. "You guys took your time," she said in a raspy-ish voice, standing up straight and walking towards us.

"You need us for something?" David asked, crossing his arms defensively, seemingly still not fully used to her.

"Well, the other guys aren't really the kind of guys who I'd hang around with, so I figured I'd give you goons a test-drive. That good with you?" she asked, her tone of voice and body language seeming somewhat different to what it was earlier, now seeming more sincere. Even so, I had to think for a moment.

"Well, I don't seem why not," I answered, putting my hands in my pockets. "Try to be a bit more talkative though, we already have enough brick walls in this place."

"Trust me, I figured that one out the hard way," she sniggered, joining us as we made our way to wherever we were being led to, that being the location of the party.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Now, I'm not really a good judge of social gatherings such as parties, but it was safe to say our 'party', wasn't a party. It was more so a gathering of a bunch of people I've only met once, or never at all. There were roughly thirty people there, excluding us virtues, and all they really did was stand around and talk about their work, while occasionally taking a bit of food.

As was pretty much expected, us virtues instantly disbanded into two groups, like before in the mess hall. As such, the party felt kinda dead before it even began. That said though, the spread of food they set out for us was pretty good, if not the only redeeming thing about the gathering.

As was expected, David immediately challenged Jinji to a chess rematch, and lost the following four games they had. I'm gonna be honest here, but I found it absolutely hilarious that every time he lost, David pulled a hissy-fit, eventually straight-up snapping the board in two.

At that moment, I took the opportunity to abandon them during their following quarrel to get a can of cola, and it seemed Shane had a similar idea.

Shane was one of the few from his group I could get along with, as he was a mostly quiet guy who only spoke when spoken to or provoked. He came from the states, as most of the virtues did, and had long, blonde hair tied into a wolf tail, and had a reasonably large scar going through his left eye which he picked up from an accident while camping with his father. Despite his appearance, he was actually a decent bloke, but he was easily angered and typically starts fights with others.

"Not much of a party, is it?" he asked, drinking from the can in his hand and leaning against a wall.

"Gotta agree with you there," I muttered, picking up a can and cracking it open. "Boring for you guys too?"

"Well, I suppose things could be worse. The food's good at least," he said as he picked up a ham sandwich, taking a reasonably large bite out of it. "My only question is how people can still make this kind of stuff despite the world freezing over."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Just means we get to eat something other than those ration packs," I explained, moving next to him on the wall. "Still, It feels weird, doesn't it? We’re here now, but then we’re gonna be frozen in time and shifted through the galaxy to a whole new world."

"I don't quite care where I die, as long as it's with dignity and respect." Shane paused. "Or of old age. That’s the goal." Honestly speaking, I laughed when he said this, however depressing the subject was becoming. I was never one for taking about dying, having spent the whole two years before coming here avoiding death at all costs. Naturally, I decided to change the subject.

"Well, if I have to grow old with the likes of Joseph around, I'm pretty sure I'll go mad," I explained as both a joke and explanation. Then again, I doubt it was needed, as everyone knew that Joseph hated me with a burning passion. The two-faced idiot only got onto the program because his father was one of the project’s biggest investors. You can put two and two together and have a pretty good story behind why he was here.

"It's true that Joseph is the biggest cunt here, but I'd rather try and earn his trust rather than condemn him to death as an outcast," Shane told me, as per his typical attitude. "Besides, you’re the virtue of loyalty, shouldn't you be the one who looks out for the lot of us regardless?"

"Virtue of loyalty, not blind loyalty," I told Shane, who met me with a blank stare. "I'm only gonna look out for the likes who are willing to look out for me. All Joseph's done since we've met is piss me off, so he can go fuck himself."

Shane rubbed the stubble on his chin with his free hand, having finished his sandwich. "You know what, I wish I had an argument against that." He briefly chuckled. "Well, let's hope the new world changes him, or makes him less of a twat."

I was going to make a comment about how dickheads don't change, but then one of the scientists walked up to me. She looked a bit younger than the rest of the scientists, having her blonde hair tied up in a bun. Her lab coat was also coated in a thick, blue sludge in some places. Shane moved away slightly, trying to avoid the woman, and acted like a complete idiot in doing so.

"Can I help you, miss?" I asked her politely, trying to look at her face rather than the sludge on her clothes.

"Oh, sorry. Started daydreaming there for a moment," she explained, shaking her head quickly, causing her bun to move in tandem. "I'm Alexa, I've come to tell you you’re first to be put into the cry-pod. Your name was the first one out of the hat."

"We're in a state of the art science facility, and we're still relying on the name in the hat system?" I questioned, as I knew it'd be much simpler to go down based on our numbers. That said, I'd much rather get my turn out of the way rather than wait for another half an hour, when I'd likely be hyper from all the cans of cola that I would've no doubt downed by then.

"Yeah, my boss thought it'd be the fairest way to get it sorted. Sorry if it complicates things," she said, seeming to bow in apology. I just rolled my eyes in response.

"Okay, fine! Just give me one minute," I quickly said, before downing what was left of my drink. This caused me to cough a bit afterwards, but I quickly stepped forward. "Let's just get this shit sorted, before the nerves kick in."

-0-0-0-0-0-

So, after my abrupt eviction from the party, I moved to a much smaller room. It was not too far away from the hall where the party was held, and I could still hear the distorted pop music from days long past. lying in the middle of the room was one of the cry-pods, laying on its back and covered in the blue gloop that lady was covered in. I found myself slightly hesitant to go into it, but the two ladies who were in charge of the process made me feel somewhat more calm about the whole thing.

"Don't try to worry too much about it Marc, the whole process is actually quite brief," the lead scientist, Victoria, told me. She also had her hair in a bun, but instead with brown-ish hair. "I recommend not overthinking it."

"Okay, but how do I breathe in that stuff?" I asked, which was actually a pretty stupid question, as I realised as soon as I asked. "I'm gonna have to hold my breath, aren't I?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Alexa said, prepping some of the mechanical parts of the pod from beside me. "Don't worry about it. You'll barely notice once you wake up, so just keep calm about it and get in."

I hadn't mentioned it before now, but they made me change into some swimming shorts before this, as I wouldn't want to mess up my clothes after coming out of the pod. "Alright, here goes." I briefly said, sticking left foot into the pod of gunk. surprisingly, it felt the same temperature as the rest of the room, and felt somewhat like jelly for some reason. It wasn't as unbearable as I thought it would be, so I immediately sat down in it, my body slotting into the pod with some kind of ease, not too surprising seeing as they were designed with us in mind.

"How you feeling so far?" Victoria asked, placing her arm on my shoulder for support. I tried to put on a smile and not embarrass myself.

"I feel like I'm taking a bath in a tub of jelly!" I claimed, laughing slightly, my nerves turning my embarrassment into laughter. "Well, wish me luck on Terra, I guess." I quickly took a deep breath, and sank the rest of my body into the pod. A couple of seconds later, I heard the doors hiss closed a couple of seconds later, followed by another, longer-lasting hissing noise directly afterwards.

After that was an incredibly weird feeling. I didn't know whether or not I was awake or asleep, but I felt almost nothing. No pain, no hunger, no thirst. Hell, I couldn't even feel the throbbing headache I had from the party. Yet, despite my current numbness to my entire body, there was one clear, powerful feeling I could feel with my entire being. Pride.

I was proud to be human.

Author's Note

wow, that was a hell of a lot of effort to do, but it's done. Chapter 1 complete, such effort. If your reading this, then chapter 2 should already be out by now, so there's your upcoming answer is coming
oh, and the ponies are in the next chapter, I just have a habit of Starting the story where it should start, the beginning.

chapter 2*, Awakening

R15; Eclipse, security log no. 156.
date: april 12, 3252.
Journey length: 99.997% complete.

log:
R15 begins its approach of 'terra', and is estimated to land on the planet within 3 weeks due to the planet’s gravitational pull. Estimated arrival time; 3 weeks. Adjusting AI awakening time and security log period to meet this new time period.

////////////////////////////////////////////

R15 Eclipse, security log no. 157.
date: April 19, 3252.
Journey length: 99.998% complete.

log:
R15 continues its approach of terra with no overall changes in regard to gravitational pull of the planet or any misc cosmic events. Resume regular cosmic scanning until further notice.

////////////////////////////////////////////////

R15 Eclipse, security log no. 158
Date: April 26, 3252
Journey length: 99.999% complete

log:
Upon entering the Terran atmosphere, the R15 spacecraft was hit with a mysterious energy field not originally picked up on initial scans. This caused extreme malfunctions in pods 3, 5, and 9. In the case of pod 9, a small explosion occurred, disabling its already damaged life support systems. The fragmentation protocol had to be activated to preserve the remaining candidates and their individual ship segments. The 9 remaining pods all arrived to Terra successfully.
Mission successful. Eclipse central spire now entering hibernation mode.

////////////////////////////////////////////////

(Marc POV)
Well, that was a let-down. An extremely long space journey to a whole other star system, and I was sleeping through the whole thing! I can understand why they'd keep us asleep, but it would've been wonderful if they at least let us experience zero G, seeing as we'd likely never get the opportunity to do it, like, ever again.

Anyway, I eventually awakened from my pod with a bit of a stumble (and by that, I mean I fell face-first onto the floor). I picked myself up after having to wait for a few minutes for my body to regain its senses, but I eventually felt the pain I was in, and the headache from days past. That said, I'd rather have a simple headache over literal brain freeze.

Getting back to my feet, I quickly noticed I was a lot more lightweight than I remembered. I knew my body was unchanged, so I instantly made the assumption that the gravity on this planet was weaker. I doubt a regular guy would notice it, but I'd been taught over the three years with the Project to pay attention to this kind of stuff.

The gel that once coated my entire body slowly slid down me as I began walking towards my compartment’s main room.
Okay, description time. Each virtue's ship compartment was shaped like an oversized pizza slice. Six pods made the shape of a circle, with two of these circles placed on top of each other to create the main body of the ship. That said, each compartment was reasonable large, with enough space for a large kitchen-esque area, a sofa bed (my preference) a large-scale TV, a large table/work desk in the centre of the room for eating food and for general computer stuff (yeah, it’s got a built-in holographic computer, pretty cool), a semi-functional bathroom, and plenty of storage for clothes and weapons.

Speaking of bathroom, I immediately jumped into the shower to clear the remains of the cryo-gel from my body. After this, I changed into some clothes. My choice was somewhat simple, choosing to wear a pair of black tracksuit bottoms with a green short-sleeved shirt. Personally speaking, I didn't like the colour green too much, but I'd been told be quite a few people that I happen to look good in green. That, and I wanted to save my good stuff for later days.

Roughly half an hour after first getting out of the cryo-pod, I looked back at it. I had perhaps my longest sleep in history in that thing, and I was grateful that Dr. Marcoh and Mary managed to develop it and the gel in enough time to get us To Terra. While I was glad to be out and about, I knew this meant I was going to end up returning to my regular sleeping pattern after this, a somewhat upsetting fact I'd have to get used to again.

I approached the main computer terminal in the centre of the room, almost excited to figure out who else had woken up by now. Logically speaking, we all should've woken up simultaneously, but I figured a majority of the group would likely have gone back to bed, or would take another hour getting ready. I was sure Connie would be up and waiting for me though, as she always was.

As soon as I touched the control panel, bright green lights instantly shone from the computer terminal, and a humanoid, green figure shot out of the AI projection module. I know I only met Spectrum once, but I was pretty sure it wasn't just green. From what I remembered, it was a full range of colours, a 'spectrum', so to speak.

"It's about time you woke up, kid!" it said in a deep, somewhat computerized voice. "You do realise I've been waiting for you the past 25 minutes, don't you?" I was now pretty sure this wasn't Spectrum. It seemed a bit too masculine, and didn't have the soothing voice I remembered from Spectrum, nor the range of colour.

"You’re not Spectrum, what's going on?" I asked it, slightly wary of its deep, threatening voice. "What the hell is going on? Who are you?"

"Hey, you're not the only one who's new to this, okay? I've only been in existence for a few hours," it told me, floating down and sitting onto the AI projection device. "I barely know what's going on, but I can tell you what I do know. Got that, Pipsqueak?"

"Did you just call me pipsqueak?" I asked it, stepping forward towards it, my shoulders broad. "I think that's pretty ironic coming from your position."

"Well, I don't exactly know your name yet, so I just figured I'd name you based on your appearance," the AI claimed, standing up and crossing its pixelated arms.

"I'm called Marc, alright?" I told it, my voice breaking as I said it (well, that's puberty for you). "Wait, you’re inside of a computer that contains all the information on me and the project in general, and you can't even access most of it?"

"Well, I'm called Cloud, okay? And I'm not too good with computers. But hey, you’re inside a Human body, can you do inverted push-ups?" Cloud asked me back. I rolled my eyes in response.

"That's not the point here. AI's are typically good with computers and shit, how come you aren't?" I asked, sitting down at my computer system and immediately swinging on my chair (hey, nobody was there to tell me not to, I couldn't resist).
"Well, it'd probably help if I could access the computer itself. It must have the best firewall mankind can make, I can't even touch it," it explained, his irritation very clear just from the tone of his voice.

"Well, maybe you could've just tried typing in the password," I suggested, logging onto the computer. "Can you access it now, dipshit?"

"Okay, can you quit with the snarky attitude please?" Cloud asked as it now pulled up two small screens in front of its hands, tapping on them frantically. "Okay, I now have access. Can't exactly help it if I can't guess the password, can I?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm the only one who knows that, aren't I?" I asked rhetorically. "For future note, the password is 'password'. Never was good with them, and hated how long they took, and people often guessed it based on what you like, and it's both obvious and obscure."

"Hey Marc, kindly shut up would you? I'm a bit busy here!" Cloud asked as information buzzed around his head. I could see he seemed busy, so I decided to wait patiently until he was done (And by that, I mean I stuck a random anime episode on my monitor. It was about some 17 year old ginger with a massive sword who fought demons in japan. Meh, I'd seen better).

"Okay, it looks like I've got the logs from the ship landing here. From the looks of things, we hit some kind of energy field upon entering Terra's atmosphere, causing the ship to activate the fragmentation protocol," Cloud explained to me. "The spectrum AI then split itself into 9 fragments to allow for the awakening process in the remaining ship shards."
"Wait, 9 ship shards? What happened to the other 3?" I asked, falling back from the chair I was sitting on from the sheer shock (I now regret swinging on it).

"Hmm... Pods three, five and nine all had severe damage dealt to their Life support systems. It also says that pod 9 exploded, but that didn't really make much difference."

With that, I breathed a small sigh of relief, as that meant my friends were safe. We were all placed in ship shards based on our project number, hence me being in ship shard number 7. However, the fact we lost a quarter of our group was still quite shocking, especially seeing as I'd known those three fairly well.

Gemma certainly didn't deserve to die. She was the only person from her social group who could be considered bearable or even nice. Hell, she was the virtue of kindness for fuck’s sake, that was her thing.

The fact Shelby was gone meant that things would surely go to hell. She was the only one in the group who could split up fights, making her a key member of our small team. Now she was gone, Joseph would surely kill me if given the chance.

Antonia... Wasn't exactly the biggest impact on the group dynamic. Sure, she was alright at times, and was liked by most of the people there, but she was pretty distant from the others, often running off and exploring the whole complex whenever nobody was looking, leaving very little time to get to know her.

However, I quickly picked up on another thing Cloud said. "Did you just say the spectrum AI fragmented itself?" I asked, my face revealing a concerned and shocked look. "Isn't AI fragmentation illegal or something?" Now, this probably explained why Dr Marcoh glossed over it, but I guess I could understand why he did it, as it meant each AI fragment could awaken the virtues in each ship shard. It was a clever move, but I wasn't sure it was the best move.

"Hmm, yes. The spectrum AI was fragmented in order to create 9 AI fragments," Cloud explained. "I guess that explains my short memory, and my existence in general."

"Okay, no offence, but I want to do something other than talk to some overly-smart lightbulb. You sure there's something I can do apart from binging anime?" I asked, wishing to put an abrupt end to the exposition.

"Well, now that you mention it," Cloud started, "you could go and get some geographical data. As of right now, we have no idea where we landed. As such, any info on our location could prove useful. Well, that and I can have a valid excuse to get rid of your ass."

"How come you know how to swear? Swear words aren't in your programmed dictionary!" I asked, trying to ignore his prior comment.

"I have the urban dictionary built into me too. Do you want to see how many other words and terms I can say?" it asked me, smirking at how he was able to catch me off-guard.

"Okay, fuck it, I'm going!" I said, walking off to my equipment storage area, Cloud chuckling in the background. (Life lesson people, you'll always have at least one arsehole around).

Having walked up to my equipment storage area, I pressed a button to the side of the compartment, releasing several drawers and compartments filled with more guns, daggers, and bullets than the walking dead had seen over its entire show span. Revolvers, shotguns, snipers, and a comically oversized flamethrower! (Overkill is a factor, but just remember that most of the facilities staff were American. No offence to American readers, but I wish I was joking).

Despite the range of weapons available, all of them paled in comparison to the crowning glory of my miniature armoury. In the centre of the whole setup was a recreation of a classic Japanese Masamune sword, set with its own custom sheath. (Remember that weapon I specifically requested back in the prologue? Yeah, this is it, the embodiment of my inner nerd.)

The sword itself was utterly brilliant, looking as though it could cut me if I simply looked at it from a weird angle. Unlike the swords of old, it was forged using a titanium/cobalt alloy, and was extremely durable and sharp, while giving it a cool blue tint. Its length was about as long as would be expected, going from my feet to my hip when stood on its tip. It seemed that I was given two spares to go alongside it as well (well, a mountain of guns, with most of them being duplicates. It kinda makes sense I'd get spare, somehow).

The sheath also deserves a mention, mostly because I'm the guy who made it (aha, I'm not just a cocky British teen, am I?). I designed the sheath so I didn't have to draw the sword the whole way out of it, meaning I could get it out much quicker in a fight (I have short arms, I have no choice). It could also be Spring-loaded, so I could get an extra-strong swing with it whenever I wanted the sword out. I'm not exactly a genius, but I do know my stuff about swords (it was my random subject of interest. Besides, you shouldn't judge me until you hear my brothers somewhat infinite knowledge about the Titanic!).

Out of clear favouritism, I picked up the sword and sheath without a moment’s hesitation. Now, that would've been me gone right then, but I was stopped mid-way from the door by Bitchface Mc Cock-head (I mean Cloud).
"Hey Marc? As much as I want to see you go and die, I'm gonna recommend you take something other than that dumb stick with you."

As much as I wanted to call him a prick or log off the computer to piss him off, he wasn't entirely wrong about my lack of equipment. I quickly turned back to my equipment storage and picked up a simple Five-Seven pistol and a handgun ammo clip, and was about to exit the ship again, but...

"One minute Marc," Cloud buzzed again, having me turn around yet again. I gave him a look that was somewhere between 'angry teen' and 'tortured soul', a face that took me years to master. Its effects meant instant pity, and sometimes even apologies. "Okay, quit it with the Psycho death-stare, I just need you to take this," a small hatch opened on the table, revealing a device that resembled a watch, but was much bulkier. It didn't have a clock-face, but instead had a mysterious yellow orb.

"Let me guess, you’re about to tell me I can use it to become a power ranger or summon Captain Planet or some shit." I asked him, clearly unimpressed with the device I was given.
"What? No! It's a device that'll allow me to analyse the geological data you’re getting me, and will help you figure out your way back here when your done!" Cloud explained, hovering on top of the Holographic projection device and crossing his arms.

"Hey, I was only trying to make a joke, you dumb lightbulb!" I shouted, clenching my fists tightly as I did so. "Hopefully you’re not as much of a prick when I get back." I quickly walked over to the door and left the ship, hoping I'd be calmer upon my return.

-0-0-0-0-0-

You know what? I wish this geographical scanning thingy did function as a watch. You know why? Because I'd lost track of how long I'd been walking for. (Yep, not got the emotionally-fragile thing most anime characters have, but I have their bad sense of direction. Typical). That said, it was still daylight out, so I wasn't planning on turning back and talking to the bitchy AI back at my ship shard.

Gotta admit it though, I was rather enjoying myself. I decided to take a stroll in the forest I happened to land next to, seeing as fresh air was something my lungs hadn't tasted in years, and it felt glorious! My surroundings weren't all that bad either, especially considering the most common environment I'd seen in my time on earth was snow! I wasn't going near any of that white shit anytime soon, thank you very much!

The forest I was walking through wasn't exactly the brightest I'd seen, and looked quite marshy and damp. Despite this, I kinda liked it. It was certainly mysterious, making every new step feel fresh and adventurous.

I was occasionally caught off guard by small animals scurrying along the woodland floor, some even looking like the ones from back on earth. After a few more occurrences of this, I soon learned they were the ones from Earth! Well, they were nearly identical, but looked a bit more cartoon-ish . Their colours made them stand out against the darker forest we were in, and they actually looked pretty cool (I'd still take a dog or a parrot any day of the week). I would've been a little more shocked at the aspect of this world having similar/identical animals to the ones on earth, but seeing as the environment was mostly identical, I'm honestly not that shocked things are similar.

I ended up walking for at least another 30 minutes before I eventually stopped for a break, sitting against a tree. The ground beneath me was somewhat moist when I first sat down on it, making me shift uncomfortably, but I stopped as it began to warm up. I let out a hearty sigh as I stared through a gap in the trees at the clear, blue sky above me. It was a great change from the snow-filled clouds I had been used to for a good fifth of my life.

I then reached in from under my shirt and pulled out the small pendant Sam gave me before the journey to Terra. The light that came through the trees reflected through the gemstone at its core, reflecting it in a green light that shone around me. I originally only kept it in order to keep Sam happy, as he'd probably end up getting upset if I didn't take the dumb thing with me, but I guess it is a good reminder of him, as it made everything around it shine brighter, just like he did. Well, only without the constant injuries (something I wasn't going to miss).

I then began to wonder how long he would take to join us, if at all. It was true that the Director personally promised me he'd get my brother to Terra the first chance he got, but I guess I would never know if he's coming until he's here. At least with my pendant, he'd always be here in spirit.

Any further thought was immediately interrupted by a nearby blood-chilling scream that caught my immediate attention. I swiftly stood up and quickly went about the task of discovering the scream’s origin. The sheer shock that coursed through my system made me capable of hearing my very heart-beat. I could hear the forest’s shrubbery rustling lightly, as well as a drumbeat of footsteps nearby, one that could only be made by a large herd of animals. I eventually noticed a large gathering of animals in a somewhat large clearing. I stuck to the outskirts, and quickly noticed something quite horrifying.

3 large wolf-like creatures composed entirely of wood. They had skin like bark, teeth like blades, and eyes that could only be described as demonic. The part of me that wasn't completely terrified questioned how creatures like this could exist to begin with, regardless of the situation. Honestly speaking, if I was being chased by whatever the hell they were, I'd likely scream at the top of my lungs too.

The thing they were chasing looked... Unusual. From a first guess, the quadruped creature looked a little bit like a miniature pony. Its body was coated in a bright, orange fur and had a purple tail and mane (its hair, for anybody who's wondering what I mean). It also had two small wings folded into each side of its body. The closest comparison I could make was a Pegasus, like the ones from humankind’s mythology (for idiots, like the horse with wings from 'Hercules').

The miniature Pegasus was cornered by the wood-based wolves and some large rocks. The wolves slowly approached it as the creature slowly backed into the boulders behind it. It looked from side to side, frantically looking for a way out of the
situation it was in. Its eyes started to well up with tears from fear, as it let out a long, high-pitched "HHEELLLLPPPP!!!".

And you know what? She got it!

I leaped from where I was hiding (which was conveniently close to where the rocks were), and drew my sword. Landing between it (a she, judging from her scream), and the wolves pursuing her, I struck the first wolf that came at me with my blade, slicing its head cleanly in half and causing its body to collapse in on itself. No blood, no struggle to cut, just instant death.

I almost didn't want to question what situation I’d gotten myself into. I didn't want to know why or how I was standing in front of hollow wolves composed of wood in order to protect a tiny, English-speaking Pegasus, so I just decided to roll with it, starting with getting the pony to safety.

"Kid, if you can understand me, you need to run and get help. Do you understand?" I asked, turning slightly to see its reaction. Its face was briefly filled with both awe and fear, but it quickly got it.

"Okay, I promise!" she promised, running past the wolves while I had their attention. One of them tried to pounce on her as she passed, but a quick bullet to the head solved that problem, leaving it as lifeless as the first wolf I killed. That left just me and the last remaining wolf, and I already felt badass from killing his two buddies, so one more wouldn't be that hard to...
And it let out a howl and called at least 15-ish more of those little fuckers to help it...

Well, fuck.

My cocky British energy now gone, I focused on taking them out one by one, constantly moving as to not get killed myself. I dodged the mutts left and right, jumping over them and even bouncing off of the occasional tree to get some more momentum. The lower gravity was on clear display, as I felt much stronger and faster than I would be on earth, and played a huge part in my elimination of these things I was fighting.

I'd taken out at least a third of the wolves when one of them got the jump on me, getting a good slash just below my ribs. However, my current adrenaline rush basically drowned out the pain, as the wolf quickly got stabbed in the head for good measure.

Mere moments later and all the wolves were eliminated, and my prior confidence returned. As did the pain I felt from my injury, however, as I now realised my shirt had a clear claw mark going straight through it. The loose bits of it stuck to the blood that came from my injury, making it sting like a bitch. Still, I'd rather take a little scratch over ending up like the...

Well, fuck... Again.

While I wasn't paying attention, the remnants of the Wooden wolves seemed to come together in order to become a much larger, much more dangerous wolf. Its head very nearly stood out of the trees above us. The tables were now very clearly turned. I froze out of sheer fear, as it prepared for its next strike. Only at the last moment was when I realised what was going on, leaving me no time to dodge or counter. I almost resigned myself to my fate.

That was when a large rainbow-coloured blur struck the side of the beast’s head, sending it flying onto its side (my god, skittles ex machina). I then heard something land in front of me, but my eyes were closed due to my last actual resort, flinching. I slowly opened my eyes to see my saviour was!.. Another Pegasus. Oh, joy!

Well, that said, the wings and body shape were the only things I could link to the last Pegasus I saw. This one was much bigger than the last one, up to my hip rather than my knee, and was clearly a bright aqua colour (or turquoise, I'm not actually sure. It's one of them). Its hair was really fucking cool, being a whole burst of colours. Blue, yellow, red, green and so on. Furthermore, it had a peculiar-looking mark on its flank, seeming to be a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt appearing from a cloud. The thing certainly looked badass, that's for sure.

The rainbow-coloured pegasus turned around to face me while the oversized beast was dazed, instantly taking a glimpse at my current injury. Its confident grin instantly turned into a much more caring gaze.

"Are you doing ok?" 'she' asked in a slightly deep, yet raspy voice. being honest, I didn't quite know how to answer her. First impressions are usually important, and while I looked like a complete powerhouse to the kid I saved, I didn't want to say something stupid and look like a complete gimp. So, I just decided to try and act cool and see where it got me.
"Trust me, I will be once I turn this thing into toothpicks," I boasted, my prior confidence having returned, and resuming a more combat-oriented stance and facing the beast, with the skittles horse swiftly joining me.

The Wooden wolf eventually got back on all-fours, facing me and our fight’s newest addition. It lowered its body more to the ground, assuming a more defensive stance. Honestly speaking, it was a smart move, as it meant it was much more likely to counter our attacks.

The pegasus and I decided to circle the wolf, each going in a different way in order to confuse it. It seemed to focus its attention on me, swiftly striking at me over and over, yet missing every time (the only disadvantage of being bigger, slower and more predictable movements). This did leave clear openings for Skittles to deal several swift blows to its belly and joints.

The beast eventually switched targets, going for the rainbow pegasus rather than me, giving me an opportunity to deal some blows myself. Or, that was the idea. While the skin of the other wolves was rather thin and brittle, the large wolf’s skin was a lot more dense and hard to cut, even with my high-quality sword. No matter how much I hacked and slashed the skin, I did nearly nothing. Yelling in frustration, I turned to its face and shot it repeatedly with my pistol, causing it to yelp in response and claw at its eye.

And that's how I figured out how to beat it. Hit the weak spot, for MASSIVE damage (what? I needed to make some kind of reference, it's how I function!).

I made an attempt to aim at its other eye while it was distracted, only to discover I'd run out of ammo. I was about to be hit by its giant paw once again, but got saved by the pegasus yet again. I then aimed to get a bit of distance between me and the wolf so I could think of a plan of how to take it out. I was joined by Skittles.

"How did you manage to hurt the timberwolf’s eye like that?" she asked, barely struggling to keep up with me as I ran. (Hey, timberwolf! Why didn't I think of that?)

"I managed to shoot it in the eye with this thing," I explained, revealing to gun to her, "but it's run out of ammo, so I can't keep using it."

The miniature horse thought for a moment, before turning back to me. "I know another way to get you on that mutt’s head, you can use your sword that way."

"Okay, I'm all-ears. What's your..." I managed to say before being picked off the ground and carried into the air (a heads-up would've been nice). I was raised roughly three or four metres into the air, more than high enough to hit the timberwolf. I was then thrown further into the air and towards the Timberwolf, with Skittles horse keeping it distracted. I had to make sure I was able to get a good landing on the Timberwolf, get a decent shot at its eye and safely dismount its head.

Or I could land clumsily on its snout, get my sword stuck in its eye socket, and get hit off it. Classy. That said though, I got the job done, as the Timberwolf was now blinded. It might've cost me another strike to my back, but at least I managed to get my sword back before I fell.

That's when Skittles dashed directly past me and into the Timberwolf, creating a bright flash and a huge explosion, and sending bits of wood flying from here to god knows how far away. Not gonna try and wonder how she did it or why she didn't do it until right now, but it worked at least.

Skittles flew back after the explosion ended with both confidence and grace, and landed next to me. She was clearly celebrating, floating slightly off the ground and cheering to... Herself? I mean sure, that sudden explosion was clearly awesome, but it's not worth celebrating over to yourself... Why am I always stuck with the weird ones?

Skittles then turned to drag me into her little victory dance she was now doing, but stopped almost as soon as she looked at me, and seemed to be staring at my chest for some reason. Curious as to what she was looking at, I looked down...

And there was a large wooden spike now coming out of my chest, brilliant! What's worse is that I didn't notice it until I saw it, and the pain was absolutely unbearable. I began to stagger on my feet from the sheer pain, and eventually embedded my sword into the ground to balance myself, but it didn't work. I ended up falling onto the ground, one of my last main thoughts being to land on my side as to not inflict more pain onto myself from my wound, and I did.

One of the last things I remembered before blacking out was Skittles rushing to my aid. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but I at least knew one thing. My survival depended on the instincts and trust of a rainbow-haired horse with wings.

You know, this would've been one hell of a dream to have, but I had a feeling it was real. Unlike a dream, I could actually feel pain, and I had the ability to make sane decisions. While all this was both new and extremely weird, one thing was for sure.

I was in for a hell of a crazy life, regardless of what happened next (Well, that's if I can make it to the next chapter).

Author's Note

Well, that's it so far. As of this moment, I'm putting this story up for moderation, so I hope the one who ends up reading it enjoys it.
Meh, who am I kidding? I bet this story will start with barely any views, like my last one. Oh well, at least it was a blast writing up to now!
-note; edited by 0_0-

Chapter 3*, Introductions

Heh, I find it pretty surprising I've started the last three chapters with waking up. I can barely get a good night’s worth of rest by natural means, so decent rest isn't something I’m used to.

So, I didn't die. Well, it'd probably be very tricky to explain how I'm speaking right now if I did. That said, I doubt dying would stop me from talking, if there really is an afterlife out there. Even if there was, I don't want to visit it anytime soon, that’s for sure.

I quickly discovered my senses were still pretty fucked up, which was pretty natural given the situation, but it felt somewhat unnatural at first. I'm not normally one for making stuff out to be worse than it is, but I could barely see a thing, and my hearing was about as good as an out of tune radio. However, waiting for a little bit allowed them to slowly improve, turning silence to mumbling, and mumbling into familiar speech.

"What kind of creature is it?" a familiar raspy voice asked, which my improved hearing and sight could faintly recognise as the rainbow-haired pegasus who rescued me. I guessed that she managed to get me to safety and brought me to somebody who could help me recover from my injury. That was one hell of a loyal horse-thingy (I officially owe her one).

"I have no idea, I've never seen anything like it before," another voice said, a lot more soft and gentle in contrast. I could just about make out the silhouette of the other horse (pony? Whatever it was!) to my left, tending to my bandages. She was somehow more vibrant that the rainbow horse (somehow), her coat a bold yellow and her hair a bright pink.

She touched a particularly sore spot on by ribs, causing me to groan in response. That was when she finally figured out I was awake. She moved her hooves from me almost instantly, walking/trotting slightly away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you ok?" she asked me timidly, stroking my head rather awkwardly. Whoever she was, she seemed rather shy, for lack of better description. I'd say she was scared, either of hurting me or vice versa. That said, I still wanted to figure out what was going on.

"Ugh, I think so," I responded, my voice somewhat sore. "W-Where am I?"

Honestly speaking, I didn't have a clue where I was. I gathered I was in a house of sorts (obviously), but I more wanted to figure out what was going on (yeah, probably should've asked that instead).

"Don't worry, you’re alright. Rainbow Dash brought you to me as soon as you passed out, and I'm taking care of your injuries as we speak," the young mare told me, putting me at ease. I knew I didn't get any specific information from her, but I just found her voice oddly... Calming. I turned to face Rainbow Dash, who was sitting on a seat near the bed I was on.

"Guess I owe you one," I said, groaning at my injuries yet again. I was definitely lucky Rainbow managed to get me to her friend in time.

"Nah, don't worry about it," she responded, leaning back in her chair and pulling a confident smile. "I figured getting you here was the least I could do. If anything, you owe Fluttershy for helping you out."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Fluttershy, I guess," I praised awkwardly (yeah, I've never been that good at introductions, and I didn't exactly want the one who saved my life to think I'm an idiot).

"Oh, it was nothing," she claimed, blushing slightly from the compliment (Heh, I guess I'm not the only one who's not good at introductions). "Besides, your body did most of the work for me. You seem to heal really quick." She slowly removed the bandages from my chest for a moment, revealing the mostly-healed crater on my chest where the wooden shard hit.

Now, this is when I became a little confused. I saw the injury as soon as it appeared, and it was much worse. While it definitely didn't go fully through my body, it did leave a wound that would've taken months to heal, possibly even longer! The fact my injuries had healed so rapidly was a relief, but also perplexing. However, I had no way of telling why or how my swift recovery had occurred, so I figured I'd figure out how when I got back to my ship or something.

"Huh, that's convenient." I mumbled, avoiding being heard my both Fluttershy and Rainbow dash (I guess this is as good as I'm getting in regards to introductions). "Ah, I just realised you don't know my name yet. I'm called Marc. Figured I'd tell you since you don't know."

"That’s a weird name," Rainbow Dash said, giving me quite a weird look as she did.

"Trust me, where I come from, your names would be weird too," I explained in my defence, chuckling as I did so. Fluttershy quickly picked upon this, gasping as she did.

"Where do you come from then Marc?" she asked eagerly, giving off a radiant smile I couldn't describe as anything less than adorable (yep, definitely ponies. You don't see horses this cute).

"Well, it's complicated." I attempted to stall, trying to figure out whether to tell them a fib, or just straight-up tell them I'm an alien. Well, I hadn't done anything for them not to trust me, but... You know what? Screw it. They helped me so far, so why the hell not? "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"The short version!" Rainbow Dash said quickly. "We already have enough lectures with Twilight!" I wanted to ask what she meant, but I decided to just leave it for now.

Okay, I just had to say it. Like ripping of a plaster. "I'm not exactly from... This world." I eventually got out, which was met with an awkward silence (yeah, I figured this would happen).

"So, you’re an alien?" Rainbow asked bravely, no longer leaning in her seat and her eyes wider than they were before, possibly due to either interest or fear.

"Yeah, pretty much," I told them both, with Rainbow Dash gawping and Fluttershy backing away from me a little. "Don't worry, I'm not THAT kind of alien, I'm friendly. Well, unless somebody's trying to kill me."

"That's... AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash shouted, getting out of her chair and flying in mid air, her large smirk having returned to her. "No wonder you’re so strong and fast!" (Wait, what? She just changed her attitude faster than Connie can! I didn't even know that was possible.)

"Wait, is that all I had to say? I really only had to say 'I'm not evil' and you trust me?" I asked, fairly shocked at to how easily I gained the trust of them (well, how I gained Rainbow Dash's trust, Fluttershy still seemed a little hesitant to trust me as of yet).

"Well, if you wanted to hurt me, you could've done it back in the Everfree forest!" she argued, getting back down onto all fours. "Besides, you don't look like a bad guy."

"Well, thanks, I guess... Again." I said, still slightly shocked. It was kinda nice to know I was still trusted at least, and I already knew I could trust them so far (jeez! If I had a pound for every time I said 'trust' just then, I could get a meal at mcdonald’s!)

"So, what is your world like then, Marc?" Rainbow asked somewhat nicely, now seeming to take an interest in me.

"Well, it was pretty much a ball of ice the last time I saw it. Then again, that was over a thousand years ago, so..." I started before being immediately interrupted.

"A thousand years? You’re over a thousand years old?" Rainbow yelled, gawping yet again.

"Well, no. I'm still technically 14 since my body's aging was frozen while getting here," I explained, scratching the back of my head slightly as I did. While Rainbow seemed to become more and more interested in me, Fluttershy seemed a bit more distant, now sitting down and seeming silent.

"But why are you here?" Fluttershy asked, finally breaking her silence.

"Well..." I started. "I think you might need the long version after all."

I told them everything. The whole deal with earth, the war between the states and Japan, the fact that terrorists killed both the current reigning monarch and the world’s biggest government, and even my parents’ death. Everything up to the world becoming a glorified snow-globe (pun fully intended).

I then told them about project horizon, and how it gave hope and a future to a select few young people, sending us to another world. So, pretty much everything I knew, including leaving my brother behind among several other smaller issues. I'd probably go into further detail about everything, but I was never a great storyteller.

"...And that's about it. Not exactly the best childhood a kid could have growing up, but it's what I was given. Nothing can change that," I told them, sighing as I ended. Part of me hated talking about my past, as it did bring up some repressed memories, but I knew it was necessary. If I wanted them to trust me, I needed to prove to them I was trustworthy. That wasn't really a problem with Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy was a hell of a lot more confident around me before I mentioned the whole 'Alien' thing (well, at least I'm not being burned at the stake yet, that's a good sign).

Speaking of Flutters, she seemed to be a bit upset after I finished my story. True, it wasn't exactly the most inspirational or heart-warming story, but I never got tears from anyone I told it to before (well, the only people I told were likely twice the age of these two, but still).

Okay, understatement. Fluttershy seemed to leap at me, buying her head in me and sobbing more and more. For the most part, I was shocked. Going from being scared of me to sympathy-filled tears was quite the change.

"Marc... I'm so sorry. That must've been really hard for you," I heard Fluttershy moan through her tears. (Okay, note to self, never tell the long version to anybody else). Luckily for me, I had prior experience with dealing with tears from Sam back on Earth, so I knew how to deal with it immediately.

"Woah, calm down. It's alright. You don't need to cry here, I'm fine," I assured her, stroking her gently in an effort to calm her down. And luckily for me, it did (heh, older brother calming method number 12, works like a charm).

"I know, I just didn't know you'd been through so much. And you’re only a child!" Fluttershy said, looking up at me, as I was now sat mostly up. She'd stopped crying for the most part, but she still seemed a little... Concerned, I guess. I was just glad she cheered up a little (well, that and she wasn't on the sore spot on my chest anymore, not that it was as unbearable as it was before.)

"Yeah, an alien child who is twice the height of us. Totally makes sense," Rainbow added, rolling her eyes afterwards.

"Trust me, I'm actually shorter than most my age. You think I'm tall? You should see the others," I told her, chuckling afterwards. "Well, you could if I knew where they landed."

"You don't know where they are?" Fluttershy asked, once again appearing concerned.

"Yeah, that part is a lot more complicated," I said, scratching the back of my head as I attempted to simplify what I knew. "Putting it simply, the big ship that got us here turned into several smaller ships. Those ships are now scattered around the planet and I have no idea where any of them are."

"Wow, that's stupid," Rainbow Dash moaned.

"Rainbow Dash, there's no need to be rude," Fluttershy scolded her, looking at her friend as if she'd just committed a crime.

"No, she's right. I thought the idea was kinda dumb at first," I told them. "The pods split because we hit some unseen energy field while going through your atmosphere. I'd go into more details, but I'm still taking it in myself."

"No, it's ok Marc. You've clearly been through a lot today, you should just rest." Fluttershy suggested, her smile having finally returned to her (which was a good thing. Seeing her crying and upset makes me a little upset myself, somehow). "Me and Rainbow Dash are going to meet our friends and let them know what's going on. After that, we'll bring them back here and figure out what's happening next."

"Okay. I can't promise I'll be able to sleep, but thanks," I said, laying back into the bed, fidgeting as I tried to find a comfortable position. "Something tells me I'm gonna be saying thanks a lot today."

Rainbow Dash popped her head back inside briefly.

"Heh, probably. Just watch out for Twilight. As soon as she figures out you’re an alien, she's gonna want to figure out everything about you. And I mean everything!"

"Okay, not looking forward to that," I told her, trying to remove the words 'interrogation' and 'dissection' from my head.

From that point, Rainbow and Fluttershy left the cottage, leaving me alone. I guess I just had to wait for a little while, maybe a little rest wouldn't be too bad...

-0-0-0-0-0-

(90 minutes later)

Nope! Screw sleeping. I've already tried and my body is basically just saying 'fuck you, you got me cut up' and making it impossible. Then again, even if I was tired, my mind wouldn't shut up asking me to explore, however wrong it felt deep down. In the end, my curiosity got the better of me and I wandered out into the house.

After walking down the stairs, I immediately appeared inside a small-ish living room. There was a pretty decent couch nearby, but I immediately made my way to the table instead, finding my gear.

My sword and sheath were obviously unscathed from the whole ordeal, and were at the centre of the table, with my unloaded pistol and GDA (Geographical Data Analyser) directly beside it.

It was clear that my shirt had seen better days. Good news was it was still in one piece. The bad news was that it was torn and cut in several spaces and partially coated in sweat and blood. As such, the stench coming from it was nearly unbearable, almost as if my nose wanted to commit suicide after one sniff.

Thankfully, my pendant was also on the table, in a neat pile next to my pistol. I wouldn't forgive myself if I lost it, but I was glad I still had it. I quickly picked it up and slipped it into my pants pocket (I was kinda glad I still had them on. I guess my chest was where most of the wounds are... And I can't believe I'm talking about this).

Anyway, after a little while spent snooping the area, my inner explorer was finally satisfied. I walked back upstairs, and heard the door open as soon as I got there. I heard several unfamiliar voices, as well as both Fluttershy's and Rainbow's. Honing my inner ninja, I silently snuck into my room and sat on the bed. It was there that I waited for the incoming company (and all the questions that came with them).

Fluttershy entered the room first and closed the door behind her. She gave me a warm look.

"Hi Marc, how are you feeling?" she asked gently, walking up to the bed.

"Pretty good I guess. Didn't get any sleep, but I didn't really need it that much," I told her, casually leaning on the back of the bed. "It seems your friends came along to see me I assume?"

"Are you sure you’re ok with seeing them so soon?" Fluttershy asked, seeming on the cautious side for some reason.

"Heh, what could go wrong?" I asked rhetorically, fully aware of what could go wrong (Now let’s see. I could get attacked, branded as a monster, scare the lot of them off, get killed by them. The list goes on).

"Okay, I'll let them in," Fluttershy said, walking back to the bedroom door and opening it.

Okay, ladies and gents, it's your favourite time of the chapter. Description Time! (I swear, I act like such a kid sometimes). Aside from Flutters and Rainbow, there were four new additions, and they were each as vibrantly-coloured as the next.

First was a Stetson-wearing pony. She had a coat of orange and blonde hair tied back in a ponytail (hah, irony!). I immediately picked up on her lack of wings, which confused me at first. The only three I'd seen thus far had wings, so it was a peculiar sight.

Speaking of peculiar, that leads me to the next pony, who was entirely pink! She had a coat of pink and hair being a slightly darker shade of pink. I'd never seen so much pinklight-ish red in my whole life. She had no wings either, so that's her taken care of.

Next was another oddity. A unicorn! (Jeez, so much earth mythology. This is actually really cool.) Her coat was a bright white, with her hair being a shade of purple. It was styled in a particular way, having the horn clearly visible from any angle (or so I assumed. Hard to say from my position).

Finally was a second unicorn (so, there's two of each in this group? That's pretty convenient). She was a dark purple pony with her hair being a darker purple, with a pink and purple highlight. Her horn was glowing a purple aura, with a similar aura coating a piece of paper just in front of her (so, levitation? cool!).

"Marc, these are my friends I told you about," Fluttershy said, possibly as a way to break the ice. I wasn't fully sure what to say first, but I just decided to go with my gut and say something.

"Well, hi. Nice to meet you all, I guess," I greeted them, giving them a two-fingered salute (AKA my traditional greeting and farewell thing). After my mediocre introduction, the purple unicorn stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle. And on behalf of Princess Celestia, I welcome you to Equestria," she greeted, bowing her head out of respect. (Wait, Rainbow claimed Twilight would basically interrogate me. Was she just winding me up? Bitch.)

(Also, Equestria? Is their country named after a pun? Fitting, but still).

"Fluttershy? Didn't you tell us this stranger was badly cut up? He looks fine to me," the Stetson-wearing pony asked in a southern-American accent, giving me a suspicious look.

"Hey, I'm as surprised as you are about this," I told her, raising my arms defensively. "I'm not fully sure how I healed so fast, but I'm not gonna complain about it."

"I was surprised too. His recovery was really fast," Fluttershy told her friend, putting her at ease.

"Yeah, sorry for jumpin' at you like that. I'm Applejack, nice to meet you, Marc," she greeted, gaining a confident aura after her nerves faded.

"Same this end, Applejack," I responded casually, giving her a light nod. "Same for you, Twilight."

All of a sudden, a pink blur appeared from behind the bed, jumping in front of me (and nearly giving me a heart attack in the process). I immediately recognised it as the pink pony that was just in front of me (how the fuck did she do that?)

"Hi there, I'm pinkie Pie! Who are you?" she asked me, somewhat oblivious to how I'd already told her my name. "Oh, right. You’re Marc. Sorry!"

"Errmm... Hi?" I said awkwardly, still questioning how she teleported from one place to another. I turned to Fluttershy quickly. "Does she do that often?"

"Yes!" came a unanimous answer from everybody (or everypony in this case) in the room. I chuckled a bit, turning back to Pinkie.

"I'm gonna let you off on that one, but could you give me a heads-up next time you do that?" I asked.

"Okie doki!" she cheered, jumping back to her friends (well, that was... Something). The final pony then stepped forward.

"Don't worry about Ms. Pie, she's always like that," she told me in a rather posh accent. "I am Rarity, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," I told her, my previous confused look reverting back to a smile.

"If you don't mind me asking, by chance is that your shirt on the table downstairs?" she asked politely.

"Well, it was before the Timberwolf attacked me and tore it to bits," I moaned, still trying to remove my somewhat embarrassing defeat from my mind (don't even try and fucking argue. I lost to a possessed pile of wood!) "Not really a problem, I have more back at my ship. Guess it's just trash right now."

"Pft, nonsense! It just needs a little washing and stitching is all. I can have it as good as new in a few days!" Rarity claimed, with a confident grin on her face.

"It's covered in blood and sweat, not to mention torn up badly," I reminded her.

"Trust me darling, that's every shirt after a hard day’s work," she argued back, rolling her eyes for some reason (Don't quite know what job would result in a shirt getting as bad as mine is, but okay...).

"Are you two really arguing over a shirt right now?" Rainbow butted in, becoming bored of the clothes talk.

"Oh, ok. Well, it's nice to meet you ladies. I'm gonna guess Fluttershy told you about me already?" I asked, judging off of Applejack's knowledge of my injuries.

"Yep. But it's a bit weird that a giant alien from another world is only a child," Applejack said, chuckling a little over the idea (hey, I'm technically the oldest person here, in a way).

"If I wasn't this young, then the pod I came in would've froze me to death. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, I doubt the planet would've waited until we finished puberty."

"Anyway, we just want to say we're glad to meet you, and if there's ever anything you need, don't be afraid to ask," Twilight offered, a warm smile on her face. (Wow, they trusted me really quickly. Not complaining.)

"Thanks. And it's the same for me. Ever need anything, just give me a shout," I said back, returning her smile with one of my own.

"Well, there is one thing you could do for us," Twilight started. "We know nothing about your race, so any information we can get on you will really help."

"What kind of information are you asking for here?" I asked, raising my eyebrow skeptically.

"Biology, diet, habits. Anything you can share, to be honest," Twilight told me quickly, almost exited by the information ahead of time (being a fellow nerd, if she is one, I fully get this. But it's still weird to see somebody else to do it).

"Hmm. I do have a few files on human history back on my ship's computers, and I guess I could take some human medical files from my ship’s medi-bay. That sound any good for you?" I asked her, getting an immediate high-speed nod in response. "Okay, but I have one condition."

"Name it and it's yours!" Twilight nearly screamed, gaining a concerned look from me and her friends. She quickly composed herself. "I-I mean, how can I help?" (Yep, that's better).

"Well, I need maps. Preferably one of the whole country or planet." I told her. "My ship's computer needs geographical data in order to locate the rest of my kind. Some historical stuff might help me a bit, but I can probably pick that up by myself in time."

"So, a data swap. Maps of Equestria and history on its key landmarks, in exchange for some information on your race. Does that sound fair to you?" Twilight checked.

"Yep, I think that's about it," I stated, a firm smile now on my face (Well, I think I've safely befriended an alien race. Not bad for a Wednesday... Well, if it is Wednesday).

"Okay then, I think I'll go and get them now. I'll meet you back here shortly and head to your ship," Twilight told me, before darting out of the door. Both me and the rest of her friends were shocked.

"Jesus Christ, that was quick! I hope she's not always like that," I said, immediately thinking of about 12 different memes to compare to what I just saw.

"Well, she's not always like that. She only gets like that sometimes," Rainbow Dash explained, before sniggering. "You should see her when she finds a new book. It's almost scary." (In other words, it's me whenever I get a new video game).

"Well, I guess I'll get my stuff sorted and that. Nice to meet you all," I said, walking out of the room and waiting downstairs.

And guess what? Pinkie was downstairs on the sofa, despite the fact I just saw her back in the room.

"Not yet Marc! I need to figure out your favourite foods if you’re gonna get a welcome party!" she told me, a somewhat impossible smile on her face. (Okay, here it comes. 3, 2, 1..)

"I like either red velvet or triple chocolate cake, although Victoria sponge is also a personal favourite. If you have any form of cola, strawberry milkshakes, or lemonade, I'll happily take it. I really like cheese sandwiches with white bread, crust included, and sometimes have them with cheese and onion crisps. Oh, and I'm allergic to nuts and bananas. That good for you?" I told her, almost as if I knew them by heart (what can I say? I have an unnatural love for food). "And I have an almost unnatural appetite, so be sure to have plenty of stuff."

"Okie doki loki! I'll let you know when it's happening," she said, before bouncing out of the door. (Something tells me I'm going to like it here.)

-0-0-0-0-0-

After about an hour of waiting, Twilight returned from... Wherever she went to, and we both set off for my ship. Twilight was honestly confused for a while as to why I was constantly looking at the gizmo on my wrist, so I explained it was what was telling me where my ship was. She quickly understood what I was going on about, and we left that.

The rest of the journey was filled with Twilight asking me several smaller questions about myself, and the easier questions about humans. These included our diet, aging rate, among other questions. I managed to answer them to the best of my ability, and was able to eventually stop her questions for the rest of the way to the ship (Rainbow, thanks for the heads-up).

As soon as my ship was in sight, Twilight galloped over to it, like a kid that'd just seen its favourite toy. I was starting to get to know what Twilight's 'geek mode', as I'm calling it, was really like. And it turns out to be exactly as I described it as before. It was almost a carbon copy of me when it came to video games. It was actually kinda amusing to watch from the outside, watching her dart from place-to place and all.

I walked up to the main hatch of the ship and opened it, using a pin-code from the outside. "After you," I said to Twilight, who slowly entered the living area, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Wow! this is amazing..." Twilight said, her eyes immediately scanning the room for every small detail (not that there was much to see. Just a table, a sofa and a kitchen counter. Everything was neatly packed away into the walls of the place).

"Yeah, it is for the first few times. But after being run through the controls and storage several hundred times, it's not as cool." I told twilight, shrugging as I sat on the sofa.

That's when arse-face (ahem, I mean Cloud) appeared, his holographic body being the last thing I wanted to see.

"So, you finally decide to come back, eh? Do you know how long you were gone?" he asked me, and even though his voice lacked emotion, I could tell he was pissed.

"Okay Cloud, chill. We have a guest with us, yeah? Best behaviour," I told him (well, it. But his appearance was male, so I'm going with it.).

“What are you talking ab- HOLY SHIT!" Cloud yelled, setting off several of the ship’s alarms (fun fact; he has full automated control of the ship. Both an advantage and disadvantage in my opinion).

"Ugh. Cloud, Run command; System reboot!" I told him, wincing at the alarms that were blaring in the background (Lord knows how Twilight was reacting). After my command, Cloud disappeared and the alarms stopped, leaving the room silent for a few minutes.

In this brief moment, I ran over to the computer in the centre of the room and turned off the ship’s alarms for 1 maintenance cycle (That’s 15 minutes, probably should've just said that). I then backed up and waited for Cloud to reboot.

"Huh? What just happened?" Cloud asked himself, before noticing me again. "Huh, you’re back. Took you long enough."

"You overreacted and set off all the alarms in the ship," I commented dryly. "We have a guest, so try not to embarrass yourself."

"A guest? But the virtues are..." he said, before seeing Twilight for himself. "That's... The last thing I thought I'd see today."

"Cloud, this here is Twilight. She's offered to trade some maps of her planet for some information on the human race," I explained, gesturing to the miniature unicorn next to me, who was still scanning everywhere in the room (Really? I just said there's not much to see). After realising somebody mentioned her, she quickly tuned back in to the conversation.

"Oh, right. It's nice to meet you, Cloud!" she greeted him, with another smile on her face (Okay, these ponies do that a lot.)

"Same here, I guess," Cloud said back awkwardly, scratching his holographic back awkwardly.

"Anyway, I've got a job for you, Cloud. I want you to print off a copy of our human biological data from the medical bay, and a brief on our history," I instructed him, before picking up the maps Twilight put down and putting them into a compartment in the table. "Then I want you to scan in these maps of the country we're in, called Equestria. You got that?"

"Got it and already on it. I'll let you know when it's done," Cloud told me, before quickly disappearing from his projection module.

"Don't worry about Cloud, he's not always like that, I hope," I told Twilight, my real knowledge being nothing more than wishful thinking.

"What even is he?" Twilight asked, looking over at his projection unit in awe.

"Cloud is what us humans call an artificial intelligence, or an AI for short," I explained to Twilight. "They're really good with computers and stuff, and can perform calculations that we would struggle with in seconds!"

"In seconds eh?" Twilight asked, thinking to herself thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I wouldn't make that a challenge. Cloud is a little busy at the moment," I told her, walking over to my clothing storage and putting on a white shirt. I then took a seat on my couch (We'd be here all day if we had a challenge between Cloud and Twilight).

"I wasn't expecting you to be so close to the Everfree Forest," Twilight said, changing the subject faster than I expected she would (Well, at least it meant no more questions for now).

"If you mean the place where I fought that Timberwolf thing, then I agree. That place doesn't look too appealing right now," I said. "Safe to say I'm not going in there again if I have a choice."

All of a sudden, I heard a knock at the doorway, which I left open (Not very smart on my end, I know). I looked over to see Applejack entering the ship.

"Good gravy, this place looks fancy," Applejack said, before looking over to me and Twilight. "Hey Twi? You dropped this on the way over here." She then opened the saddlebag she was wearing and pulled out a book with her... Mouth. Jesus Christ, that's unhygienic.

"Thanks, Applejack," Twilight told her friend, picking up the book with her prior-used levitation spell and hovering it to me. "This is a book on Equestria's history. I gathered it might help you figure out more about Equestria."

"Nice one, thanks!" I said, grasping the book and rubbing the bit Applejack bit on my shirt immediately (Just to be safe). "Safe to say I know what I'm doing tonight."

"Hey Marc, ya do know how close you're from the Everfree, right? Applejack asked, looking out into the forest through the door.

"Sorry AJ, but Twilight already brought that up. But you’re right, we are a bit close," I told her.

"If ya could move your ship, I guess ah' could let you keep it on mah' farm if you wanted," she offered, coming closer into the ship.

"Thanks for the offer, but... Actually," I thought out loud, before standing up and moving to my computer. "Cloud, how much charge we got in the solar cells?"

"We've got 14% charge left. Why?" he asked, reappearing once again.

"Applejack, how far away is your farm?" I asked.

"About a mile or two, how come?" she asked back, with a confused glare aimed directly at me.

"Cloud, I looked into the ship’s functions. Do you think we can fly her that far?" I checked with him, sitting on the chair in front of the computer.

"Just about. It'd put the ship into power-saving mode, but we could make it."

"Okay, I have a plan," I said, pulling the GDA from my wrist and throwing it to Applejack. "Put this in the spot where the ship can land. I'm gonna fly it there."

"What?!" I heard both Twilight and Applejack shout, shocked at the thought.

"Erm, no you’re not. This ship can only be piloted by an AI, so I'm doing it," Cloud told me, shooting me down instantly (and he strikes again, ladies and gents!).

"Ok, whatever. I'm still staying and watching though," I moaned, moving over to the couch.

"Could I watch too?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"Sure, knock yourself out," I told her, a high-pitched squeal being the only response I got.

"What do I do when I put this thingy in the place it needs to go?" Applejack asked.

"Well, you hit the button on the side. That'll give us an accurate location for us to go to. From there, it's all down to Cloud," I explained to them, a confident smirk on my face.

"Okay, I'll go do that. See you later, Twi," Applejack said before running off.

And now, we just need to wait for her to set up the beacon. This shouldn't take long.

Author's Note

Ok, this chapter dragged on more than I expected. With that in mind, I'm gonna cut the next bit of the story into the next chapter. I doubt it'll make too much difference.
anyway, I got a question for you guys? It was a smaller concept I had earlier on in this chapters development. Should Pinkie be able to see and respond to Marc's 'Bracket breaks'? It'd make sense, seeing as pinkie breaks the 4'th wall in the show. But what do you guys think? If you agree with the idea, let me know below. Have a great day guys.

Chapter 4*, Guardian.

Location; Sweet Apple Acres.

Time; nearly sunset.

Okay, long story short, Applejack set up the tracker and Cloud picked it up, setting off as soon as it was activated. That's when I learned an incredibly valuable lesson...

Don't let Cloud drive, like, ever. The price in return is severe whiplash and nearly throwing up... Several times... Not really something I want to relive, but I guess it got the job done, somehow.

By the time we landed, I busted out of the main hatch faster than I can be bothered to describe, desperate for solid ground and some fresh air. Twilight followed shortly after, not seeming any better than I was. As such, I was a little bit pissed at Cloud.

"What the hell do you call that?" I asked Cloud, trying not to be sick in the process. Twilight passed out briefly, but I wasn't really concerned about that at the moment, as I knew she'd be up in a moment.

"Ah, come on! I can't be that bad of a driver!" Cloud claimed, raising his holographic arms in defence.

"Cloud, you drive like a teenager and a pensioner, who were somehow combined and also blind," I insulted him in my small fit.

"Huh, I'm that bad?" Cloud asked, scratching his back lightly. "Well, It's not like we had much choice. No manual option, remember?"

"Then that's your next job; either find a manual flying mode, or make one. Because I'm not going through that shit again!" I told him, slowly regaining my bearings and standing straight up.

"Well, I honestly would, but your little plan has put the ship in low power mode!" Cloud told me, disappearing from sight.

"The solar cells ain't gonna work at night, so we're going to have to charge the ship over the course of the next few days. So luckily for you, we can't fly again for some time, even if we wanted to."

"OK Cloud, I've got it," I told him as I began to walk over to Twilight. "You should log off for now, It'll help conserve power."

"Right. I'll talk to you later," Cloud concluded, before going silent. I gathered he was gone, so I turned my attention to
Twilight, who was starting to come to. I crouched nearby where she was for while she came around.

"Hey Twilight, you good?" I asked, not fully sure what else I could do in that situation. Luckily, Twilight was slowly coming round by herself.

"Ugh, what happened?" she asked, moving around slightly.

"Long story short, Cloud's a bad driver. I was nearly sick, and you passed out," I explained, groaning as the last of my dizziness left my system. Twilight slowly sat up.

"Did we make it to Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked again, looking around slowly to see for herself.

"If you mean Applejack’s farm, I don't really see where else we could be," I guessed, looking around and seeing nothing but apple trees as far as the eye could see. "Speaking of, I can't really see your friend any-"

And almost as if my second comment was a summon spell, Applejack appeared, walking around the ship (If someone is just gonna appear through me saying their names, this is going to get annoying really quickly).

"Are you guys alright?" Applejack asked, walking (or trotting) around the slight scorch marks left from my ship’s landing.

"Yeah, we're fine Applejack, just a bit disoriented," I called over to her as she slowly made her way towards us. "We didn't exactly have the best ride over here. Cloud might need some more flying experience."

"Well, at least you ain't outside Everfree anymore, so that's good at least," AJ said, her actual good point giving me some form of relief after, well, that!

"Well, point taken. I guess I'd rather take some apple trees over those... Wolf-things any day," I said, flapping my arms around while trying to recall what the names of the wooden wolves were.

"You mean the Timberwolves?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, them things. Lord knows I'm getting payback the next time I cross eyes with one of those things," I boasted confidently, firmly covering the spot I was scratched by one of the smaller Timberwolves, faintly feeling the grooves from the obvious claw-like scar that remained.

"I'm glad to hear that, and ah' was hopin' you'd feel that way," Applejack started. "We get a couple of those little varmints comin' onto the farm from time to time, and they can cause a lot of trouble for passersby, and even more for us while we're harvestin' apples."

(Okay, I can see where this is going).

"And I'm guessing you want me to take care of them for you whenever I see them?" I assumed. "Is that my condition for staying on your farm, by chance?"

"Well, that and helpin' with the chores when you can. That sound fair to you?" Applejack asked, holding out her hoof for either a pony version of a hand-shake or a hoof-bump of sorts. I was too unfamiliar with this new world to make any accurate assumptions.

I quickly scanned my head for any other choices, with an emphasis on 'quickly'. To be fair on AJ, her proposal wasn't that bad if I was being fully honest with myself. I guessed farm work would require some early wake ups, but I felt this would fit with my regular sleeping schedule fairly fine. Besides, without the ability to move my ship for the foreseeable future, I guess I didn't really have a choice.

"Applejack? I believe we have ourselves a deal!" I said confidently, firmly gripping her hoof as we both shook on the deal. We then shared a confident grin with one another.

Suddenly, an incredibly loud ringing noise filled the air. I could tell it was a bell of sorts, but I wasn't really sure what it was for. (Ugh, it's like Sam on steroids!)

"And there's the dinner bell!" Applejack declared, seeming to recognise the sound immediately. "Come on Marc, I gotta introduce you to everypony!"

"Trust me, If they're as nice as everyone else has been so far, then I can't wait to meet them!" I declared, stretching my muscles thoroughly.

"You wanna come Twilight?" Applejack offered her friend, but was met with a quick answer.

"I'm ok, I need to get back to the library and drop off these papers. Besides, Spike gets annoyed when I eat out without him," Twilight explained, gesturing to her saddle-bag.

"Suit yourself. Come on, Marc," Applejack told me, as she began to walk off towards... Somewhere, I guess. Probably her house.

"Catch you around, Twilight. Thanks for the maps," I told her as I began to walk away.

"Not a problem, Marc. Hope they help!" Twilight called over to me as she began to do the pony equivalent of jog away.

-0-0-0-0-0-

As Applejack and I approached her house, it was needless to say I was really impressed by its design. I'd never really seen farms much before, so the fact they built their house connected to their barn was highly impressive, as I didn't really know they could do that. The colour scheme was also fairly cool, sporting a mostly red design with yellow shading in some places.
Just outside the house sat a simple table setup, set along with 5 seats and a pile of plates. To state the obvious, it was clear we were going to be eating outside. And from the smell, I guessed we wouldn't be waiting all to long for some grub.

As we got to an opened door near the table setup, Applejack stopped for a moment, turning to face me.

"Could you wait here for a minute? I'll just let Granny Smith and Big Mac know you’re here." Applejack told me, just before entering through the open door. This gave me a brief moment alone, where I just decided to lean against the barn and wait quietly. One leg was placed firmly against the wall, with the other anchoring me to the floor and my arms crossed. This position was quite typical for me, as I felt it straightened my back, something that got hurt a lot due to Sam injuring me.

After a few more minutes of muffled speaking, Applejack returned from what I guessed was the kitchen (based off of what my nose told me), slowly followed by someone else. That someone else was visibly older than AJ, as shown by her green coat covered in wrinkles. If that wasn't a big enough clue, then her short, grey hair would clearly show her old age.

"Marc? This here's my grandma, Granny Smith.”

"Nice to meet ya, son. Good to see we've got a few extra hooves on deck for help." Granny Smith introduced herself, a somewhat rusty voice becoming quickly noticeable. However...

"Nice to meet you miss, but I don't really have hooves, I have hands," I corrected, holding out my hands to her (I was fully aware of the figure of speech, before any comments are made). "Thanks for letting me stay, by the way."

"That's not a problem son, even though I didn't know up till' just now," she told me, before giving me a stern look to Applejack, who responded by covering her face with her Stetson.

"Let me guess, you made the decision without running it through with your family?" I asked in a plain tone. But just as Applejack was about to answer, a larger pony exited from the door, balancing a large tray on its back.

"Eyup," he declared, before tipping the tray and sliding it onto the table. This was, surprisingly, the first male I'd met on this planet, and he was a hell of a lot bigger than the rest of his family, but only up to my chest by comparison. He had a bright red coat and short blonde hair, and was bulkier than I could reasonably describe.

Applejack put her hat back on properly. "Ah' know I was quick to ask for his help, but these Timberwolves have been trespassing on our land for too long! You'd have probably done the same thing."

Big Mac (presumably) walked back through the door with another tray of food, and I gave him a brief nod as he did. He returned the nod and placed the second tray on the table, taking a seat directly after.

"We know Applejack, but you should really run it by me and Big Mac first in the future," Granny Smith explained, before slowly making her way to her seat. "Now quit with the yappin', arguing in front of a guest ain't right."

I sniggered a little. "Trust me, family arguments aren't unfamiliar to me. It's cool."

While our small conversation was going on, a couple of smaller ponies walked up to us. One was a smaller filly with a blond-ish coat and red hair, with a red bow to top things off. (C-Can I get away with saying filly?) I figured she was related to the others in one way, going with the 'blonde in some way or another' theme. The one who was with her however...

Yep, thought I recognised her. Full orange coat, purple hair, and tiny wings. That was definitely the one from Everfree.

"Hey Applejack, can Scootaloo stay over for dinner?" the red-headed kid asked.

"Sure, just go wash your hooves first," Applejack told them before the two girls dashed into the house. Applejack looked
over at me. "That's my sister Applebloom. Heads-up, she's quite energetic."

"I gathered. That's just kids in a nutshell," I joked, leaning back slightly in my chair.

As soon as the two girls came out, they both immediately noticed me. I was mostly expecting shock, but they seemed more in awe. Well, Applebloom was anyway.

"Wow, who are you?" she asked, slowly walking over to me in interest.

"Wait, you’re that thing from Everfree who saved me from those Timberwolves!" Scootaloo finally realised, pointing her hoof at me. She had a somewhat complex and hard to understand expression on her face, almost like she wasn't expecting to see me again.

"Hey kid, nice to see you’re still in one piece," I said to her, offering her a warm smile.

"Wait, that's the 'friendly monster' you met in everfree?" Applebloom asked, turning to her friend in disbelief.

"Yeah, you should've seen him! He swung his sword through a Timberwolf that jumped right at me, and got another one while I was getting away. It was awesome!" Scootaloo said, recalling the event as fluently as I could describe. Everyone present was quietly impressed.

"You think that's awesome, you didn't see what happened later," I started. "Shortly after you left, I got attacked by about 15 more of those little beasts. Took those lot out, took a breather and then they all merged into one massive one! I doubt I would've beaten it myself if Rainbow Dash hadn't shown up."

"Wait, there's no way. You can't have faced all them Timberwolves without getting a scratch... Did, you?" Apple bloom asked, now looking around me for any signs of injury.

Reluctantly, I raised my shirt up, revealing the scars from my fight. A large group gasp could be heard. "Slashed in the ribs, bit of wood shrapnel hit my chest. Long story short, I passed out and woke up in Fluttershy's place. It's a miracle I healed so quickly," I explained.

"Ah' guess you were right about getting his help, Applejack. If he can face all that an' still be standin', then you made a good call," Granny smith said. "Now can we get to eating? The food'll go cold at this rate!"

And so we dug into the meal, which mostly consisted of a large pot of pasta, some apple pie, and several other unfamiliar apple-related foodstuffs. I decided to steer away from anything unfamiliar, and stuck to the pasta and pie. I ate about 30% of the pasta and a couple of slices of the pie, a feat mostly everyone was shocked by (well, bigger body typically means more food is needed, and I have an above average appetite anyway). I honestly would've eaten more, but I didn't want to look like a pig... Well, even more of a pig.

I eventually finished my food, but it was clear I wasn't the first to finish. Big Mac beat me by a good minute or two. I'm typically a fast eater, being the quickest out of most of the virtues when it comes to it, so seeing someone else who eats faster than me was definitely a weird feeling.

Luckily for me, conversation eventually picked back up, starting with Granny Smith. "So where ya from, son?”

I stirred the last few bits of pasta on my plate.

"It's... A long story," I began. "Long story short, I'm from another planet, and I came here to avoid dying."

"Hold your horses, you’re an alien?" Applebloom asked, everyone immediately looking back over to me. Well, except Applejack, who covered her face with her hat again. (HA! 'Hold your horses!' Priceless!)

I sighed. "Trust me, the story is long and complex, and I really want to avoid repeating it as much as possible. The short version is; I'm an alien, but I'm a nice guy." (Yep, I fucked up!)

That's when the awkward silence arrived. Nobody really knew what to say next, which gave me a little breather after what felt like a small interrogation. That said, it felt a little awkward to end the conversation there. Luckily for me, it seemed Applejack felt the same.

"What's your family like then?" she asked. Everyone else looked directly over to me afterwards. Luckily for me, this was a question I could work with.

“I… I really don’t know where to start," I started. "well, my dad was a legend. He seemed to have a joke for almost every occasion, even if he repeated them most of the time. He was the guy who got me interested in films and that, and that was the one thing that we always agreed on. And his cooking couldn’t be beaten, hands-down!

"As for my mom... I can't exactly fully describe how amazing she was. It was like she always knew how I felt after looking at me for a second. That said, she didn't raise me to be an idiot, and was the one who made me start learning self-defence, something I keep up to this day.

"Then... There's my brother, Sam." I sighed. "Sam and I had a weird sort of relationship. He seemed to be... Emotionally unstable at times, and I was pretty much the one who had to cheer him up. It was so bad that I had to note down all the ways I had to do it as well!" I paused. "But... We always had each-other’s backs, no matter what situation we got ourselves into. Even when one of us seemed at the end of our rope, the other was there to support them."

"Sounds like you were close," Scootaloo asked, looking slightly upset (Not a clue why, I never even brought up anything bad yet).

"We were inseparable... But I might never get to see him again," I told them, as I started to slouch (Well, here comes the explanation). "I came to this planet because, well... My planet froze over." Another loud grasp could be heard from everybody except Applejack, who already knew the story (probably). " Both my parents died in the cold, trying to get the lot of us to safety. This left me alone to look after Sam. And... I'm not sure If I'll ever see him again."

And thus started a slightly tense silence. I wasn't really sure what to say after my depressing story, and it seemed everyone else felt the same. And that was until...

"Y'know, we've lost our parents too, so we know how ya feel, Marc," Applejack said, looking around the table to her family members. "What matters is rememberin' them."

"Yeah, or so everyone says," I mumbled, leaning back in my chair for a bit. "But life goes on, I guess. The future is what's important."

"Eyup." Big Mac said, before stuffing his face with more food (jeez, this guy has the appetite of a horse!)

(And I will now accept any and all obvious comments and remarks for making that joke.)

-0-0-0-0-0-

(3 hours later)

Well, after the remainder of an awkward fusion of a meal and interrogation, I eventually managed to get myself excused and made my way back to my ship. While the apples were quite friendly, welcoming, and incredibly good cooks, I had a really hectic day and just wanted some time to myself.

So I was basically just chilling for a bit, laying on my sofa bed, a can of cola by my side, reading the book Twilight gave me with the emergency lights faintly casting a red glow around the whole room.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that my history and geography skills aren't too good, and I'm not too fond of reading from books, but the history of Equestria was quite intriguing. I was only about ten or so pages in, but I was already highly impressed by how the three original pony races came together to defeat some weirdly familiar beasts called windigoes. (Did equestria have frost sirens too?)

The book was also in structured English, which I really should've been more surprised by, but decided to shrug off. Seriously, how does an alien race thousands of years of space travel away not only incorporate the same spoken and written language as on earth? It shouldn't be physically possible!

But that's now the most believable part of this madness! The rulers of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Luna... Claim to control the movement of the sun and moon... What kind of cactus juice are the people of this planet drinking to believe that? I mean, I get that magic is a thing in this world, but moving a celestial body such as the sun and moon should take 'Superman' or 'dragon ball' levels of power! One thing’s for sure; if these claims are true, I definitely don't want to get on their bad side.

I eventually grew fed up of trying to make sense of this world’s broken history and physics, so I decided to give it a break. With a heavy sigh, I got myself of the sofa and made my way to outside for a breather.

I didn't really know what to think of my situation. A planet of fully sentient ponies, some even with wings and horns. Magic is a prominent force, there are wolves composed of wood, and physics take second priority! I was fully aware things would be different to how they were on earth, but this takes the cake!

That said, things could be a hell of a lot worse. I knew my fellow virtues were out there somewhere, and I would likely find them in given time. On top of that, the planet’s inhabitants seemed rather nice, seeing as they accepted me as a friend despite how I'd come from another world (note to self; don't show them any alien movies!). It was quite a good sign that my kind would be accepted here, which made me feel a little more at ease.

But whatever ease I currently felt was immediately removed and replaced with shock when a heard a large crashing noise coming from nearby. It immediately knocked me out of my thoughts, and my instincts took over. I quickly picked up my sword from the table and rushed outside towards where the sound came from. My earlier conversation with Applejack flashed into my head.

"We get a couple of those little varmints comin' onto the farm from time to time, and they can cause a lot of trouble for passersby, and even more for us while we're harvestin' apples."

If this was another Timberwolf, then I really didn't have time to waste. Judging from how loud the crash was and its direction, I had a good idea where the noise came from; the nearby clubhouse.

During the long conversation with Applejack's family, I learned the clubhouse belonged to Applebloom and her friends, who referred to themselves as "the Cutie Mark Crusaders". While I had little to no context about the exact origin of that name, I knew one thing for sure; Whatever's in the clubhouse, shouldn't be.

As I made my way up the clubhouse’s drawbridge, I could immediately tell my size difference from these ponies, as my head was almost touching the leaves above the clubhouse (The main reason I hate tree houses, everybody!). I quickly adjusted my body weight and crouched a bit, giving me a little headspace.

I stared at the clubhouse door for a moment, making sure I was ready for whatever I was going to face behind the door. It could be something that fell over, a Timberwolf, or even something else. Either way, I had to be prepared. I opened the door quickly... And got something I wasn't expecting; an all too familiar scream.

Yep, I found Scootaloo. She was now shaking in the corner in the far left from the entrance, scared out of her mind. I will admit, I didn't see that one coming.

"Scootaloo? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home right now?" I asked her, a sense of relief now spreading through me.

"It's.. I... I can't..." Scootaloo said, her fearful stuttering preventing her from saying anything. Having calmed down myself, I approached her.

"Woah, calm down. Breathe first, speak later," I instructed her, putting my experience of dealing with Sam to great use. "I came over because I heard a loud bang. Do you know what happened?"

"I heard it... I got scared... Hid in the corner," Scootaloo told me with her broken speech, slowly calming down.

"And... I guess my overly dramatic entrance didn't help things, did it?" I asked her, with a slow nod being the only response I got back. "Sorry about that, I thought that noise was a Timberwolf or something, and didn't really think twice about it."

"It's OK, you’re just doing your job," Scootaloo told me. "It was me who was scared by a falling branch." She pointed out the window, where a whole section of the treehouse’s upper branches was visible on the ground.

"Well, that's one mystery solved," I stated, turning back towards Scootaloo. "Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be at home or something?"

"That's... A long story, and one that's hard to explain," she told me, attempting to avoid any form of explanation. Unfortunately for her however, I have numerous methods for getting around that...

"You’re kidding me, right? I have to explain my life story several times in the same day to numerous people, and yet when I ask someone for any form of explanation myself, I get rejected? That's hardly fair," I complained, attempting to trick Scootaloo into telling me the truth.

Nope, nothing but an awkward silence... And a bit of a chill. Hang on, I just got an idea...

"Do you want to come over to my ship instead? It's definitely a lot warmer over there," I asked her, placing my hands in my pockets for their warmth.

"You know us ponies have fur, right?" Scootaloo pointed out. (Drat! foiled! Come on, think of something else!)

(Alright, if you’re going to be like that...)

"I could also whip up some food if you want?" I offered her, being answered almost immediately by her ears immediately perking up.

(And checkmate...)

-0-0-0-0-0-

After leading Scootaloo back to my ship, I decided to sit back and watch as she took her first look at the insides of my ship shard, her face filled with wonder and intrigue. Her mouth hung wide open in awe. I, on the other hand, still didn't see things as a big deal (Seriously, why do these ponies think it's such a big deal?)

While the kid decided to fully explore the whole area, I decided to head over to my pseudo kitchen and prep some grub for the two of us (yes, I said the two of us. I'm a freaking bottomless pit. Deal with it!). I then discovered one fatal flaw in my plan; I have no idea what this race's diet is.

"Hey Scootaloo? What do you feel like having?" I asked her, trying to avoid bringing up the whole 'different diet thing'. (Yeah, I know it's a valid question to ask, but remember; I'm a fucking idiot!)

Curious as to her options, Scootatoo snapped herself out of whatever she was doing and sprinting over to my fridge. She then took roughly three minutes to fully scan everything inside.

"Those pancakes look nice," she told me, grinning at me over her not-so-obvious hint. In response, I shook my head and chuckled, picking up the pack of pancakes in question and began to microwave some.

"I really don't get why you ponies seem so interested in my ship. There's not really much to see, since most of my stuff is in storage," I said, walking over to the table and unfolding another chair from the side of it. From there, Scootaloo jumped onto the chair, and then the table.

"It came from outer space, we don't need any other reason!" Scootaloo told me, now slightly closer to eye level. "That and everything in here's super futuristic. Can you blame us for being interested?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true," I answered. I guess that the ship would be a hell of a lot more interesting to them than it is to me.
"Any toppings?"

"Do you have chocolate sauce?" Scootaloo asked. I rolled my eyes and reached into my cupboard (she's lucky I have a food obsession.)

"OK, before you eat anything, are you going to tell me why you were in the clubhouse on your own?" I asked her, holding her plate of pancakes in my hand. She had an uncertain look on her face. I sighed. "I won't tell anyone if you do."

"Promise you won't?" she asked in return, being met with a calm nod. After which, she sighed. "Ok. I'll tell you.

"A few years ago, Equestria was involved in a huge war with the neighbouring country of Zebrika, just beyond the sea west of Equestria. Their leader never really did like ponies, so when Equestria began to expand to the islands in between the two continents, he considered it a threat to their land."

"So, it was a border war?" I asked, being met with a slow nod. "Ugh, those are never a friendly sight."

"I know," Scootaloo responded. "Equestria isn't a violent country, but if even one pony is attacked, it's not a pretty sight."
"Since we never really had an army like Zebrika did, we had to recruit ponies from all over Equestria in order to help protect our land... This included my parents..."

"Your folks were soldiers?" I asked.

"No, they were doctors. They were called to help out in the war, but never came back... And I never had any other family to look out for me..."

"So you're an orphan..." I said quietly, now understanding why she wanted to avoid the subject. "I get it. Losing your parents is rough. I know how you feel."

"Yeah... I've been living in a foal’s home since then. I ended up meeting my friends Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, and we got given the clubhouse. I stay there now." Scootaloo explained.

"But why? You'd be fed over at the foal’s home, and it's definitely safer," I told her, putting the pancakes on the table for her. They were ignored.

"I don't think 'safe' means bullies take your stuff and beat you up for fun," Scootaloo moaned, her head facing the table surface.

"Alright, no need to get depressed. There ain't no bullies in here, are there?" I asked her, a shaking head as my response.

"Exactly. The only ones here are me, you, and the pancakes that I made you. Seriously, are you going to have them or not?"

"Oh, right," Scootaloo realised, beginning to eat the pancakes I sorted out for her.

"But seriously, I really don't think this farm is that safe at night. Applejack told me some Timberwolves have been spotted nearby lately, so staying in the clubhouse might not be all too safe anymore," I explained to Scootaloo, who seemed unfazed.

"I'm not scared. As long as you're here, the Timberwolves have no chance!" Scootaloo declared confidently, a bright smile filling her face (Hmm... Why was that so familiar?)

I was now conflicted. On one hand, I now understood a bit more about Scootaloo, and thought it was best to let her choose where she stayed. But on the other, I couldn't be held responsible if she decided to keep staying in the clubhouse and got hurt, Timberwolf or no Timberwolf. So I had to do something.

"Look Scoots, I'm going to get even with you here," I told Scootaloo, who turned over to me. "I respect your choice to stay on the farm rather than the kid’s home, but I don't want to see you get hurt. Sure, I'd get in shit for it, but so would Applejack and her family business. I don't want to sound mean, but do you want that to happen?"

"No, I don't, but there's nowhere else I can go!" Scootaloo argued, once again slightly upset (Seriously, I'm getting the weirdest feeling of deja-vu over here).

"Well... I guess you could stay here if you want. If you really have nowhere else to go, that is," I suggested, making Scootaloo's ears perk up. "I don't see a problem with it on my end, as long as Cloud doesn't freak out about you.”

Suddenly, Scootaloo decided it was alright to leap onto me, hitting my chest and sending me falling to the ground. I probably would've shouted at her if it wasn't for the huge smirk she had on her face (My god! The smaller ones are worse!)

"Really? You'd let me stay?" Scootaloo asked frantically, her eyes... Sparkling... Somehow... Wow, that's weird.

"Ugh, only if you don't jump on me like that!" I told her, being released from my pinned position. "Does everything in this world just want to hurt me or something?"

"Sorry, but it's just so cool! First you save me, then you give me a place to stay. What did you expect me to do?" Scootaloo asked.

"Anything except jump on me! Seriously, you’re just as bad as... Sam..." I said, suddenly understanding my earlier confusion.

"Huh, you two really are alike. Behavior-wise, that is."

"Sorry, I know you still miss him," Scootaloo said, seemingly regretting making me remember my brother.

"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing! If anything, it's a good thing," I told her, reaching under my shirt and revealing my pendant. "In a way, he'll always be here in spirit."

"That's nice to know," Scootaloo said, jumping back onto the table and knocking her plate of pancakes onto the floor. Realising this, she looked over at me. "Hey marc?"

Aware of what she was about to say, I sighed. "Alright, I'll sort some more out."

"Thanks!" she said with a cheery grin.

(Well, looks like that's dealt with. I can rest easily now... Probably... Hopefully...)

Author's Note

ahh, going back through these older chapters really takes me back... I guess that's the decent thing about editing... Well, taking the edited document and copying/pasting it in.
you guy's can thank my, well, editor for the improvements. Wanna see the original version (and how bad it was)? look on over at fanfiction, I don't edit that one just to compare as before/after.

Chapter 5*; Signal

It was the following morning after my crash-landing in Equestria, and it was safe to say things finally felt reasonably normal for a change. No falling out of space-pods, no fighting wolves made of wood. Just me, the rising sun, and Scootaloo... And probably Cloud, if he was finally back on.

Soo... Me and Scootaloo pretty much stayed awake most of the night, so I ended up sleeping on my sofa-bed in its sofa form, and after about five minutes of moaning, I made a makeshift bed for Scootaloo using a spare duvet and an empty storage draw. Considering her miniscule body-size, she had zero complaints.

Oh, and speaking of Scootaloo, she was still sleeping soundly in said makeshift bed. As I said, I could've done a better job if I was given the necessary time to do so.

After waiting for a few minutes in case I wanted to go back to sleep, I decided to get off the sofa and head to the computer, given that I really had nothing else to do.

Ugh, I'm really not a morning person.

Anyway, after a good ten minutes of checking to make sure the solar cells were charging at the correct rate, I leaned back in my chair and stretched, groaning as I did so.

"Hey Cloud, you online?" I asked, crossing my fingers and silently hoping he wasn't going to be in the usual pissed off state he was in the day prior.

"Yeah, just running system maintenance. You need me for something?" he asked me back, only appearing as two brief flashes of green light.

"Okay, just want to run by some things," I explained, leaning back in my chair lazily. "See the kid back there?" I pointed over to Scootaloo.

Cloud now appeared in his usual holographic form, looking over at her. "Who is that and why are they in here?”

I decided to sit back up. "Kid’s called Scootaloo. She's the one I saved from the timberwolves yesterday. I found her last night and offered to let her stay here," I told him, looking over at Scootaloo warmly.

"That's... Oddly kind of you," Cloud noted, giving me a skeptical glare. "Does this mean we'll have a kid running around here 24/7? Because I'm not playing nanny!"

"Yeah, I don't really think that's necessary," I thought out loud. "She's been able to look out for herself for a while. Maybe just let her in at night, offer her some food and that. You know, all that jazz."

"Soo... You want me to play nanny? That's exactly what I just said I'm not doing!" Cloud shouted.

"Can you drop the 'nanny' thing please? You'd be more of the annoying older sister," I told him, chuckling at my own comment.

"You had to throw in one more insult, didn't you?" Cloud groaned, holding his holographic face in his hand.

"Hey, the role fits you perfectly, okay? All you have to do is act moody constantly and throw around insults. That's basically all you do anyway," I told Cloud, a large smirk now appearing on my face. "Besides, maybe if you'd actually tell me your
gender..."

"News flash; I'm made of numbers! I have no gender!" Cloud shouted, growing slightly larger in an attempt to seem more intimidating. "But for the sake of the argument, I clearly have a male form, so I'm a guy, alright?"

"Alright. Jeez, you take a joke as well as I do..." I claimed sarcastically.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand," Cloud said. "I get why you’re letting her stay here, but I want to know WHY you’re letting her stay here."

"Isn't that just the same question twice?" I asked, clearly misunderstanding the question he asked me.
"Alright, let me rephrase the question; I get why you’re letting her stay here, but what's your reason for letting her stay here?" he asked.

"Well... She reminds me of Sam," I explained, becoming slightly upset at the reminder. "She acts just like him, even to the point of accidentally injuring me. Seriously, it's uncanny."

"Ah, that old nutshell. I don't blame you for that, seeing as how much you went through with your brother," Cloud said, attempting to sympathise with me.

"Wait, how do you know about that?" I asked, shocked that he knew about my past with my brother.

"You'd know the answer to that question If you spent even a minute browsing your computers," Cloud explained, bringing up the necessary files on the computer using his weird hand-tablet searching things. (Yeah, not a fucking clue what they are, nor can I be bothered to come up with a more original name.)

"What the hell? How'd you find this stuff?" I asked, staring at the information in confusion.

"I just fucking said it, pay attention," Cloud told me, continuing to scroll through the files. "These folders contain information on the entire project, including information on all the virtues."

"How... How much information are we talking about?" I asked, slightly concerned at the fact all the virtues had information on me, especially Joseph.

"Plenty! Information on your past, medical histories, combat training, and psych profiles. It even goes all the way down to your auti-" cloud said, shortly before I had to stop him.

"Okay man, can you please be quiet about that last one? Not exactly something I'm proud of," I explained to him, groaning at the reminder.

"But why? It's nothing to be ashamed of, mate," Cloud said, trying to make me feel better. But still...

"Yeah, try telling that to the half a dozen bullies who took the piss out of me because of it." I told Cloud, leaning my head back in my chair. "Could you keep that on the down-low for me? I'd rather keep that quiet, if at all possible."

"Fine, your call kid." Cloud shrugged, before briefly blinking red and looking towards the door. "Sensors just went off. Someone's approaching."

"Yeah, I would've realised that when they knocked on th-" I said, being interrupted by somebody, or somepony, knocking on the door. "You know what? I just LOVE being interrupted mid-sentence. It's so much fun..."

After my slight venting period, I stood back up from my seat and headed towards the door, pressing the opening mechanism to reveal... Applejack. (My god! Such a dramatic revelation!)

"Mornin' Marc. Ready to work?" Applejack asked, seeming incredibly cheery today. I honestly couldn't blame her though, the weather looked bloody gorgeous out today.

"Gimme about thirty minutes. I've got to get my breakfast sorted first, then my morning practice. After that, I'll be right over," I explained to her, heading back into the ship. "Feel free to come in if you want."

"Okay, I'll stop for a spell," Applejack said, heading over to my sofa, but stopping at Scootaloo. "Good grief girl, get up! You've got school, remember?"

"Ah, I forgot!" Scootaloo screeched, leaping out of bed and running out of the door in seconds. (Ooh, I don't envy her.)

"Note to self; wake her up in the morning,." I reminded myself, chuckling as I sorted myself out a quick sandwich.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Applejack agreed, walking over to the counter I was at. "What kind of 'training' do you need to do anyway?"

"Mainly about my aim with my guns and my swordsmanship. If I'm needed to fight those timberwolves, I might as well stay in practice, right?" I explained, wrapping my sandwiches in a bit of cling film and sticking some bread in the toaster.
"Yeah, that's a good point." Applejack said, looking over to my sword (the one on the desk by the door, don't get confused). "How come that thing's blue anyway?"

"That's because of the the alloy that makes it," I started. "It's made from a cobalt and titanium alloy. It makes the blade incredibly durable and sharp. It means I can be a bit lax when it comes to taking care of it, and I find the tint to look sick."

"Yeah... I lost you after the first bit," Applejack admitted, looking back over to me. "I think the second bit’s more Twilight's speed anyway."

"Hey guys? You got a moment? I'm picking up something over here," Cloud interrupted, re-appearing and looking quite serious.

"Cloud? Can't you see we're in the middle of a conversation over here? Kindly butt out," I told him, wishing to retain my good mood.

"Right, I can tell you're going to make this difficult, so I'm just going to come out and say it; I've picked up an awakening beacon," Cloud exclaimed, the last two words being more important to me than keeping up our game of pissing each other off.

"Wait, you've got a beacon?" I asked in shock, jumping back to the seat in front of the computer to check for myself.

"Yeah. I'm analysing the angle and signal strength to compensate for our lack of triangulating abilities," Cloud explained to me (and to an extent, Applejack), immediately disappearing.

"What was he talking about?" Applejack asked, completely lost.

"Well, it's complicated," I started. "You see, whenever a cryo pod opens via an AI, an awakening beacon is set off. We're analysing what the strength of said signal is at its source and comparing that to what direction it's coming from and the signal strength we're picking up in order to predict where it is."

"Yeah... I still don't get it." Applejack shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Ask me about it before I got mixed in the project and I'd probably say the same thing," I admitted, chuckling slightly. "Besides, it's the best we can do, considering our inability to triangulate."

"Isn't triangulating basically using two different points to find out where somewhere is?" A new voice said from the doorway. Well, the voice wasn't new to me, I still easily recognised it.

I turned and... Yep, it was ol' Skittles, coming right on in.

"How would you know what triangulatin' is?" Applejack asked, giving a somewhat skeptical, yet still friendly, look to her friend.

"It was in the latest Daring Do book! She used it to locate the lost Alpha Temple and retrieve the augur crystal!"
And thus me and Applejack shared the same awkward look, not having a single clue what Rainbow Dash was on about (you know, aside from my head screaming at me for the Pokémon Insurgence parallels.)

"Yeah, only you and Twilight read those books, remember? I've got no clue what you're talking about," Applejack explained.

"Yeah, and I've only been here for a day, so forgive me if I've not read a very specific book series on a world with hundreds of different books... Not that I read much anyways," I also explained, still being too busy on the computer to give direct eye contact.

"Whatever. What are you guys doing anyway?" Rainbow asked, strolling on over to us.

"'We're tracking an awakening beacon that could lead us to one of Marc's friends... Well, just more humans. I don't think Marc was friends with most of them," Cloud explained, still blatantly ignoring everyone. Rainbow just stared at him blankly.

"Who's the ghost guy?" Rainbow asked, looking at Cloud in awe. Just as she was about to reach and try touch him, I grabbed her hoof to prevent her.

"Cloud is my ship’s AI. He helps me with stuff, and he's a hologram. Touching him hurts him, so try not to, right?" I explained to Rainbow, despite not fully knowing knowing how AIs work myself.

"Wait, it hurts you to be touched?" Rainbow asked, appearing rather shocked at the thought of being unable to touch stuff.

"Yes. A lot," Cloud said, shuddering violently at the thought. "Alright, I think I've got it."
All of a sudden, cloud disappeared, being replaced by a massive holographic map of Equestria. Nothing fancy, just the same plain map he analysed yesterday.

Next, a red beam appeared, pointing south-west of Ponyville. It went over some kind of desert and stopped somewhere inside it.

Cloud then re-appeared in front of the map. "From the looks of things, the signal is coming from the San-Palomino desert. I'm not exactly sure where though."

"Don't worry, that's my job to figure out," I told Cloud, standing up and observing the map. I traced my finger across some nearby train tracks. "I can take a few trains to get to a point closer to the desert, but it'll still be roughly a two day trip there and back."

I immediately walked over to my storage area, grabbing a large duffel bag.

"You’re setting off now?" Applejack asked, watching as I began to stuff a second set of clothes in.

"I know I'm supposed to help you out and all, but this really isn't something that can wait," I stated, packing a few ration packs into my bag.

After a brief moment of quiet, Rainbow stepped forward, a confident smirk on her face. "Then I'm coming with you.”
Now, your average joe would likely scream 'what?' in this kind of situation. But given I'd likely do the same thing in her place, I wasn't really surprised. Instead, I simply returned the smile.

"Guess some company for the road wouldn't be too bad," I said, briefly throwing my bag on the table in order to open my weapon storage.

"Ah, shoot. Ah' guess I could come too. Just to keep y’all out of trouble," Applejack explained, looking over at me as I selected my weapons. "You sure you need more than one of those things?"

Her observation was correct. I was carrying several different guns on me, placing them in various straps on my bag, the first of which was a silver ghost. This pistol was found in some weird government database file and re-created by the project. It was a weapon I worked with several times during training, so I felt more comfortable using.

The second was a good old BR55 battle rifle; a triple round burst assault rifle with up to 200ft pinpoint accuracy and a 36 ammo clip. And I know it appeared in the halo games all those years ago, but when video games create all these great weapons, can you blame humanity for wanting to recreate them?

Finally, and most prominently, was a KRM-262 pump shotgun. I don't really have to say nothing more than 'it's bloody strong' for you to get the picture. I mean, it's a bloody shotgun!

In the midst of strapping the guns to my bag, I turned to Applejack. "Last time I left my ship, I nearly got killed due to my own lack of preparation. I'm not taking any chances this time!"

"Those things might look like they're chunks of metal AJ, but they're pretty strong. Trust me." Rainbow told her friend, placing her hoof on her friend’s shoulder.

"If you say so," Applejack said, slowly heading towards the door. "I'm just going to give the family a heads-up. You think you can show Marc to the train station when you’re both done here, Rainbow?"

"Got it. We'll meet you there," Rainbow declared, giving her friend a confident salute (Aha! So I'm not the only one to do that!) as AJ walked out of the ship. This left just me and Rainbow... And probably Cloud, given he's still online.

After stacking some portable cooking equipment into my bag, I fastened it and placed it on my back, grabbing my sword from the side and fastening its sheathe to my belt.

"Okay, I'm good," I told rainbow, quickly heading over to the main desk to pick up a smaller map of Equestria, picking it up and folding it into my pocket. "Luckily Cloud prepared me a map in case of emergency."

"You’re welcome, by the way!" Cloud shouted, appearing as a quick green flash. "Oh, and do you see that drive next to it? Do me a solid and stick it in the ship fragment when you find it."

"Okay, but only if you make sure to let Scootaloo in tonight and explain things to her, okay?" I asked Cloud, slowly making my way over to the door, placing the USB in my pocket.

"Ugh, fine," Cloud groaned. "But I retain the right to complain about it."

"Whatever," I said, walking away from him and waving as I did so.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After about twenty minutes of waiting at the train station, Applejack finally arrived. She and Rainbow dash ended up paying for our tickets and we were off. I had nothing to worry about... Aside from dozens of skeptical looks from other ponies.
Some looked shocked or scared, others were in awe. The rest just shrugged it off and continued what they were doing, and I was grateful to those bunch. If humans were ever going to live alongside ponies in the future, we had to be ok coexisting, so this reaction seemed pretty good.

Aside from this (and maybe the fact I'm still barely able to exit the doors), there wasn't much else to report. I ended up just staying on a rather small train seat parallel from AJ and Rainbow for most of the trip, and I mostly spent my time staring out the window. Which is when it hit me.

Earth and Equestria. They're so damn alike. Traveling on the train made me truly understand this. Even brought back some old memories of some of mine and my mothers sparring sessions. Although that's a story for another time.

"Hey Marc, you got a minute?" Applejack asked, dragging my attention from the window.

"Yeah, something wrong?" I asked in return.

"Not really, just asking how things are with Scootaloo," AJ explained, re-adjusting her position in her seat. "I'm surprised you took her in."

"I wasn't about to leave her alone out there with the chance of Timberwolves roaming, was I?" I told her. "Besides, after what I've been through, I don't leave anyone behind, no matter what."

"That's pretty cool," Rainbow dash said, getting a weird look from AJ, who clearly misunderstood her friend. "What? I meant the whole 'leave no-one behind' thing."

"Trust me, you learn to look out for others when you've gone through what I have," I explained.

"What I'm trying to say is thanks. I know what Scootaloo's been through, and it was nice of you to take her in," Applejack told me, a warm smile appearing on her face.

"Wait, you’re ok with me looking after her?" I asked, seriously confused.

"Well, it's better you look out for her. It's either that or she's on her own, and being with you is a better choice," Applejack explained calmly.

"What can I say? She's a nice kid. And... She reminds me of Sam," I told the two of them, relaxing slightly at the reminder.

"Isn't that your kid brother you mentioned last night?" Applejack asked.

"Did he come here too?" Rainbow asked. In response, I faced downwards.

"No... He didn't. And I don't know if he ever will," I muttered, feeling wounded over the reminder (weird how the thought of Sam can make me happy as quickly as he makes me sad.)

"Marc, are you alright?" Applejack asked, placing her hoof on my slouched shoulder. As soon as I felt this, I instantly sat back upright in shock.

"No, don't worry, it's fine. I'll vent the next time I get into a fight with something," I told them, putting on a fake smile to try stop them from worrying.

"If you say so," Applejack said, looking back out if the window. Rainbow was doing the same. And as much as I didn't want to be a sheep, I couldn't help doing so myself. There was just something about looking out of the window on a train ride that
seemed appealing...

Well, on this planet anyway. At least there's something to look at other than snow.

-0-0-0-0-0-

-five hours later-

Hey guys? Let me give you all some advice for exploring the dessert...

Don't be an absolute fucking tool and forget to bring any form of water, because at this point, I felt like an absolute idiot.
As did AJ and Rainbow Dash, as they just learned of our lack of water.

"Let me get this straight; you knew we were traveling to a desert and packed all your stuff... But you forgot to pack water?!!" Rainbow yelled, the three us wandering the desert in search of the ship segment.

"Hey, here's an idea; don't have a go at my packing when you two forgot to pack anything at all!" I shouted back, giving her a grim look.

"Marc's right. We probably should've thought first before leaving unprepared," Applejack stated, looking back at her friend.
"But still, nopony thought of bringin' some water?"

"No pony, no human. Nobody brought water, okay?" I groaned, continuing onwards to... Wherever we were going.
Or, we were until I heard a large thump. I quickly turned back to see Applejack had passed out, Rainbow Dash looking over her.

"AJ! Wake up!" Rainbow shouted, shaking her friend violently.

"Don't worry, I know first aid... Ish. But I'll need your help," I explained to rainbow in an attempt to calm her down. "Does she still have a pulse?"

After Rainbow placed her hoof on her friends neck, she responded with a swift nod.

"Right, then we need to find a source of water, stat." I declared, picking up Applejack and hoisting her onto my shoulder. (Believe it or not, ponies don't seem all to heavy). "Come on, let's get going."

"Alright. Let's go," Rainbow said, following me swiftly.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Ugh, how do I get myself into these situations?

Allow me to give you the low-down; I'm now carrying both AJ and Rainbow. I'm willing to guess smaller bodies means less water in it. As such, dehydration was a lot more likely.

And as much as I wanted to say I'm feeling better off, I wasn't. Even I had my limits, and carrying both ponies was making me exert more energy than I expected.

I was in luck though. The sun was beginning to set, cooling down the desert. This gave me a brief moment between the blazing heat and the freezing cold.

Who am I kidding? I'm boned!

"You two comfortable up there?" I asked AJ and Rainbow, who responded with the expected silence. "Alright, suit yourselves. I get first dibs on water when I find... It."

And thus the heat finally got to me. I'd reached my limit. I tried the typical 'stick the sword in the ground' technique, but the weight on my back and the sand’s lack of strength made it worthless. I hit the ground instantly, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sent flying.

I attempted to get back to my feet, but it was no use. I felt what fragments of my strength were left finally sap away.
But before I blacked out, I swore I saw something. Something... Human?

-0-0-0-0-0-
-??? time later-

I had no idea where I was, nor how much time had passed. My head was thumping like a marching band and every muscle in my body was screaming, yet one clear message was being chanted in my head.

(Water. Need... Water)

As my eyes slowly began to open, I could see the black night sky, covering the desert in a blue glow. I expected this to mean I was freezing cold, but it was the contrary. I was warm.

After fighting my body for control over my neck, I took a quick look around. I saw a campfire two metres to the left of me, along with several palm trees lining the area. After seeing a small pool of water, I quickly realised where I was; an oasis.

I relaxed my neck and reverted back to my prior position, quickly finding a bottle of water placed conveniently next to me. Without even a moment’s thought, my body claimed it and guzzled it down immediately. I was roughly half-way through the bottle when I began to choke.

"Slow down, the water’s not going anywhere," a new, yet surprisingly familiar voice instructed me. I heard them sit down on the log I was resting my head on. "This isn't like you, Marc. You’re usually good with remembering things."

I once again struggled to turn my neck, turning to face my new company.

They had a distinctly familiar hairstyle. A ponytail? No, it's a wolf-tail! And... They had a scar on their eye.

No...

"Shane?.. Is... Is that you?" I managed to ask, my throat feeling like sandpaper.

My visibility finally fully returned, and I could now fully see my saviour. It was definitely Shane. He simply nodded.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see a friendly face," Shane told me, a relieved look now filling his face.

Author's Note

Alright, I got that done pretty quickly, all things considered. (Broken iPad and all). Chapters should speed up now that I'm done with college, so you need only wait as I pump out more chapters for you guys.

Chapter 6*; honour

Here guys, have a recap, on the house. I know I definitely need it.

In short; I ended up going into a desert without packing any water... I know, a dumb move, but I picked up an awakening beacon. I didn't really think twice when... Or at all apparently.

Anyway, after a brief spell passed out in the desert, I woke up in a strange camp, a campfire directly next to me and a bottle of water by my side. And after downing half the bottle, my saviour revealed themselves to be... Shane!

For those of you who just tuned in for today's upload; hey there, welcome to Project Horizon! Here's to hoping you get used to my constant idiocy and random references.

For that minority (or anyone who feels up for a recap), I'll give you yet another recap; Shane Locksdale is, well, another virtue I know. He was part of the bigger social group, so we never really spoke much. The only reason I know him is because we both bumped into each other before everything with the project even started. We were close friends, but we almost never got the opportunity to speak. But when we did, then my god, we got on like a house on fire!

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

It'd been roughly ten minutes since my re-introduction with Shane, and those ten minutes were filled with my constant guzzling of gallons of nice, cold water. And once the point came that the amount of H2O in me was normal, I finally relaxed.

"Ahh... I could bow down to you right now, Shane. You're a legend," I complimented my friend, my voice now feeling slightly less rough than before... Despite how I now felt bloated as fuck.

"I hope you feel better. You weren't in the greatest state upon your recovery," Shane explained, joining me in sitting on the log. "Perhaps if you remembered to keep hydrated, you'd be in a better condition."

"Yeah, I'll remember to keep that noted," I told him, taking off my shoes and removing the sand from it. "Seriously. Of all the places for you to land, fate picked the desert?"

"I'm just fortunate I wasn't one of the pods that imploded. Although that doesn't mean it's right that anyone lost their lives," Shane said, turning his head at his second comment.

"Oh yeah, you knew the girls better than I did. You probably feel worse about it than me," I presumed, holding his shoulder in support.

Shane just responded with a shrug, shaking my hand from his shoulder. "They wouldn't want us to grieve them. I'll miss them, but what’s important is that we move forward."

"Can't really argue with that logic, can I?" I said, concluding our grieving segment of our conversation. "Wait a minute, where's Applejack and Rainbow?"

"It took you this long to figure out they were missing?" Shane asked, giving me a blank stare.

"Hey, do you want to pass out in the desert and try remember anything?" I asked in return, returning the blank stare Shane gave me. In response, Shane rolled his eyes and backed off.

"If you're referring to the two creatures that accompanied you here, I've allowed then rest inside the ship. However, they haven't awoken yet," Shane informed me, pointing towards his ship shard, which was concealed by several trees and bits of shrubbery.

"Oh, alright. As long as they've been cared for," I noted, leaning over and looking up at the sky. "Seriously though, I had no idea this planet would be so much like earth. I thought we'd have to jump-start life here or something."

"If you're referring to the planet’s life, then I was expecting it. Why else would the project heavily arm us?" Shane asked.

"Because they're American, that's why," I returned, making Shane chuckle a bit. (Once again, no offence.)

"Jokes aside, why else would they arm us with weapons other than for protection and hunting?" Shane once again asked, joining me where I sat.

"Alright, I see your point," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's not really what I meant though. I'm just surprised how... Similar things are."

"I wouldn't know. All I've seen is a desert," Shane commented, gesturing to the dunes ahead of us.

"They have towns. They have trains. They have farms. Need I go on?" I listed.

"Do they have electricity?" Shane asked out of curiosity.

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did," I told Shane, sticking my hands into my pockets. In doing to, I felt and got out the USB drive cloud gave me. "Oh, right."

"What's the drive for?" Shane asked, taking it from me without thought.

"I'm... Not really sure. My ship’s AI just told me to stick it in your ship’s computer," I explained, scratching my head and trying to recall why (and guess what? The idiot didn't tell me what it was for! Brilliant.)

"In that case, I recommend you do that. I would, but I'm not exactly skilled at using computers," Shane recommended, gesturing once more to his ship fragment.

"Alright then, but I don't see what's so hard about sticking in a USB." I groaned, using all my body’s might in order to stand up. "Lead the way."

After stretching my aching legs, Shane and I walked past the small lake and to his ship fragment.

In terms of description... There's nothing else really to describe. His ship had the same design as mine, so there's nothing new to add... Well, except for a hammock in the corner... And the two couches he was using to let the girls rest.

Wait, the girls!

Almost as soon as I entered, I immediately rushed over to the closest of them; Rainbow Dash. I then did the only thing I could think of at the moment, check her heartbeat. I placed my hand firmly on my chest...

And good, she's alright.

"You needn't worry about them. They should be coming to shortly," Shane told me, placing his hand firmly on my shoulder. "I can't pretend to understand their anatomy, but I do have a basic understanding of first aid. They'll be fine."

And thus we walked over to the main computer terminal, where I patted down the computer to find a USB port.

"Hey Shane, could you ask your AI to tell me where a USB port is?" I asked Shane, unsure as to the AI's name.

"It'd be a task, considering the thing is gone," Shane told me, leaving me enough space to do my job... Despite the fact I stopped dead as soon as I heard what he said.

"What do you mean by 'gone'? Is it missing?" I asked, looking over to him for an answer.

"No, it's 'gone' gone. It… died or something," Shane explained, leaning against the desk with his head in his palms. "It went all pixelated one minute, then it just… flashed and disappeared."

(Okay, that's not good.)

"So it… fragmented…? That's not good."

"Care to explain what 'fragmenting' is? I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to tech. Not as much as you anyway," Shane admitted, the both of us resuming the search for the fabled USB port. (Why do they never put these things somewhere smart?)

"Well, all I really have to go off is Red vs Blue, so I can't promise it's accurate," I started, opening up a panel to get into the wired underbelly of the desk. "Fragmentation usually occurs later on for AIs, as they usually deteriorate and fade away. Only thing is it typically happens long after rampancy. As such, fragmentation out of the blue is… weird, to say the least."

"Any theories as to why it would happen prematurely?" Shane asked.

"Well, we do need to keep one thing in mind; these aren't proper AI's we're working with. They're fragments," I noted.

"Regular AI have a lifespan of seven years, so perhaps splitting them up caused that to lower or something?"
"Nine fragments were created. That still leaves them… half a year or something?" Shane asked, with a high degree of accuracy considering he's not really good at maths.

(Fun fact; that'd leave about 0.77 of a year.)

"Look man, I'm currently neck-deep in wires right now. As horrific as the loss of your AI is, could we try to focus in the task at hand please?" I asked. "Jeez, looking for a USB slot through all these wires is like trying to find a Russel Howard routine where he doesn’t take the piss out of Queen Elizabeth II.."

"Hey, I found a port," Shane alerted me.

"Wait, you did? Where wa-" I was in the middle of asking, shortly before taking a falling knot of wires to the head. "Why am I the only one who ends up getting injured around here?"

"Idiocy aside…." Shane started, waiting for me to untangle myself from the underside of the desk. "They hid the ports in a hidden compartment on the side of the Projection module."

"Okay, what was with those scientists and hiding things in secret compartments?" I asked, still grouchy over being hit in the head.

"I seriously doubt the usefulness of venting right now. We found what we were looking for," Shane explained, helping me up from the floor. "I'll leave the rest to you. I'll make sure your friends are alright."

And thus Shane walked off, leaving me to work my magic. I stuck the USB in one of the three available slots and sat on the… oddly hard seat, to begin to do… whatever it was I had to do. Cloud never actually told me what this was for, so it was basically just a guessing game at the time.

As per expected, the files appeared on the computer within seconds of me placing the USB in, and after a quick browse of the files, I found out what was going on… I think.

-launch file; Ship_link.EXE-

Yeah… I think the file title explains what's going on. It seemed Cloud wanted to, well, link the ships. I wasn't really sure why he wanted to do so, but I guess he had his reasons.

Speaking if ol' bitchy, guess who appeared on the screen a couple of seconds later?

Yep, Cloud did. And he near enough gave me a heart attack in the process.

"Wassup, fuckers?!" Cloud shouted, being a lot more enthusiastic than he usually is.

"Dude, don't do that! You nearly killed me!" I shouted, getting an awkward look from Shane in the process.

"Alright, sorry. Just trying to have a joke," Cloud said, several files now popping up on the screen. "The ships are synced now, I can take it from here."

"Ok… but what was the point of syncing the ships anyway?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Access to the data in Shane's ship? The ability to triangulate future ship fragments?" Cloud explained.

"Oh, alright. That makes sense," I said, taking a quick glance over at the girls, who were beginning to wake back up. "You sure you've got it from here?"

"Just go man. I'll be able to focus better without distraction," Cloud told me, returning to his work. "But hey, glad you're not dead."

"Yeah, same to you," I returned, chuckling lightly and walking over to Shane, who was crouched between both his couches. "How are the girls doing?"

"Judging from their movements, I'd say they're not long from getting up," Shane explained, feeling the temperature on Applejack’s forehead before awkwardly shifting back. "This is… incredibly weird."

"I know. Finding out several of our mythological creatures actually exist on another planet is a lot to get used to," I said, shifting to his side. "That said, they're pretty accepting. And we don't really have a language barrier to get around, given they speak perfect English."

"Wait… can you repeat what you just said, but slower please? I swear you just said they speak English," Shane noted, giving me a sceptical look.

"Alright, short version; they can speak, and write, near perfect English," I explained, watching as Shane's jaw dropped. "Hey, at least it's convenient. Don't complain."

"We'll… discuss this later." Shane told me, turning over to Rainbow Dash as she began to wake up. "I think I'll leave this one for you."

"Yeah, I doubt anyone likes a stranger in their face while waking up," I said.

And within the few moments I turned away to allow Shane to get past, Rainbow was already guzzling down the entirety of the bottle of water Shane left for her. (Yeah… I honestly don't blame her.)

After she finished her drink, Rainbow Dash immediately noticed me.

"M-Marc?… What… happened?" she asked, her voice as coarse as stone, and probably as uncomfortable as well. I decided to simply give her a firm pat on her… shoulder? (Seriously guys, pony body parts are confusing.)

"We passed out. My friend found us and brought us here," I explained, standing up and grabbing another bottle of water for her. "The gist of it is we're safe now. Feel free to drink to your heart’s content."

"Thanks," Rainbow said, grabbing the bottle and drinking from it in moderation.

"Yeah. Hear that Shane?! She says thanks!" I shouted over to Shane, who merely responded with a brief wave.

"Marc… headache," Rainbow told me, holding her head in her hooves in agony.

"Right, my bad," I said, remembering the nightmare of a headache that came with recovering.

The next opportunity to talk came a few minutes later, after Rainbow finished the second bottle of water she was given.
"I… never want to experience that again," she declared, breathing frantically after her drink.

"Trust me, you're not the only one. Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep my balance carrying you two on sand? It was near impossible," I commented, getting a bottle thrown at me. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Marc, I'm being serious. We could've died!" Rainbow yelled, a distinct look of fear in her eyes. "You can't joke about stuff like that."

"Yeah… you're right. I was just trying to lighten the mood," I said, sitting against the sofa. "It's my fault. I was the one who let you come with me."

"You don't have to blame yourself, Marc. I chose to come along," Rainbow said, placing her hoof on me shoulder. "We're all in this together. Besides, things could be worse."

"Yeah, Cloud could've found a way to tag along," I joked, looking over to the computer. "Well… he kinda did, I think."

"Well, no point staying asleep all day," Rainbow declared, getting up off the sofa.

"Woah. You sure it's safe to be up this soon?" I checked, quickly turning to Rainbow in case she fell.

"Don't worry. This body can take it," Rainbow boasted, giving herself a confident hit to the chest. "I can take care of AJ, you just… take a break. Celestia knows you guys need it."

"Alright. Just… let me know when she's up. I'll introduce you to Shane afterwards," I told her, standing up and walking towards the door. I then took a seat on the ship’s entry ramp and took a look up at the stars.

I'm going to get a little… sentimental here, but my dad used to tell me something whenever I missed someone.

He always let me have my time to myself, I guess to settle down or just to wait until that one moment when I'd be alright to talk to. But then he always did the same thing; he'd come over to me, sit down and hand me a hot chocolate. That's when
the heart-to-heart started.

He'd let me spill my guts, vent and all that jazz. But no matter what happened, he always accepted my actions, even if it got him hurt in the progress. That’s when he'd say perhaps the most… cheesy line I'd ever known in my entire life.

"Just look up to the stars, mate," he'd say, firmly hugging me in his arm and looking up with me. [i"No matter where they are, or however far they may be, just look up. Almost everywhere shares the same night sky. And I bet, no, I know, that if your friend misses you, then they're likely doing the same thing."]
…
My reaction to that was constant. I'd sit there, just me and my dad, and stare at the sky until I ended up falling asleep. No matter the age, no matter the situation... I missed that.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, relaxed breath, and grabbed the pendant Sam gave me from beneath my shirt. I once again held it above my head and stared into it, before taking yet another breath and clenching it firmly in my fist and holding it against my chest.

"Sam… I hope you're enjoying this peaceful night too," I said calmly, as I began I feel my eyes slowly close.

I'm unsure if I fell asleep at that moment, or if I sprang another five or so minutes staring at the sky, but that last line was the last thing I remember saying for the day. Next thing I knew, regardless of how long it took, I was asleep…

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Marc."

Out of nowhere, I appeared to be in some kind of throne room. There were several stained glass windows lining each side of the room, with a long corridor leading straight to a single throne at the end, with a oaken doorway on the other side of the room. A red carpet, torn in several places, was underfoot.

My head darted left to right, attempting to discover where the voice that called my name came from. I searched the room, yet I could find nothing.

"Marcus. Can you hear me?" the distinctly female, slightly posh voice once again called out, seeming to echo in my head. I continued to turn my head and visibly search the room, but nothing revealed itself.

"Hello? Is… someone there?" I asked, my voice echoing across the room a lot more than I expected. But this was only the beginning...

All of a sudden the entirety of the room began to shake and crumble. The glass windows began to crack and shatter, dust began to fall from the cracks in the brick walls, and some parts of the walls fell completely.

"Young Marcus, you must awaken, quickly! We are unsure how much longer we can retain this dream!" the voice returned, seeming panicked and concerned… but why? If it was a dream, I should be fine, right?

Right?

Everything stopped. The shaking ended, and everything fell silent… well, except for one plant pot that fell to the floor. After which, I finally managed to relax. Everything seemed fine.

Drip.

Wait. What was that?

Drip.

That seemed close. Is something nearby?

Drip…

The dripping stopped, but I could feel… something in the air. The gravity of which felt somewhat familiar, yet dreading.

Bloodlust.

I slowly began to turn around, looking once again at the throne, where I saw something I wish I never saw.

It was Shane, laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

"Shane!!" I yelled, wishing to run over to him within the milliseconds of seeing him.

…

But something stopped me. I couldn't move. I felt something firmly holding my shoulder. A black, corrupt-looking blade held firmly in their other hand.

…

Wait, hand?

"You needn't worry, my friend. You shall join him soon," a distinctly familiar, yet sinister voice calmly muttered in my ear, pressing their blade against my neck.

"Marc?"

"Forgive me for this, but it's what needs to be done."

"Marc! Wake the hell up!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Within an instant, my eyes darted open as I awoke… and then immediately sealed closed again upon looking into the sun. I recoiled by raising my hand above my eyes and quickly sitting up.

Which was yet another mistake, as doing so caused me to headbutt Shane. This caused him to fall backwards, falling on his back. I would've been concerned, but he was in my face while I was waking up. He deserved it.

"Here's some advice Shane; while I'm sleeping, keep the fuck out of my face!" I shouted, flicking up the middle one at him.

"Alright… noted," he groaned, slowly getting back up. "I was just making sure you were alright. You were thrashing around and mumbling in your sleep."

"Oh, right," I mumbled.

"You feeling good? Did you have some weird nightmare or something?" Shane asked, holding out his hand to help me up.

"I'd… rather not talk about it," I told Shane, getting up and entering the ship alongside him. "Did Applejack end up getting up?"

"Take a look for yourself." He gestured, pointing towards both Rainbow and AJ, who were having a drink. "She woke up an hour ago. After which, I caught the both of them up to speed. Introduced myself and whatnot."

"Nice one," I declared, walking up to everyone. "Now that everyone's up, I think we should get going."

"Yeah… you think I could come with you?" Shane asked, taking a seat on one of his sofas. "I doubt how long I can endure the heat of the desert, and there's likely strength in numbers."

"I mean… sure? I could probably fit you in the ship," I said, scratching the back of my head while I tried to figure out how to fit him. "Bring your hammock though. That can act as your bed."

"What? You thought I'd leave without it?" Shane joked, walking over to the hammock and beginning to wrap it up. "This thing is the only thing I can sleep in."

"Alright… I'll leave Shane in charge of packing then," I said, easing slightly away from Shane. "That way, I won't be blamed for the packing."

"Yeah, good call," Rainbow agreed, sitting next to me on the sofa.

"Well, unlike somebody here, I understand the importance of keeping hydrated," Shane claimed, placing his wrapped hammock on the table, moving over to pick up some clothes.

"Remember to pack something to defend yourself," I suggested to Shane, gesturing to my own bag.

"And why would I need to do that?" Shane asked, turning around and looking over at me skeptically.

"This planet might seem peaceful, but you have no idea what kind of beasts live here," I told him. "For example, I got attacked by a 'literal' timberwolf after exiting my ship for the first time."

"as in an actual timberwolf, or a wolf made out of wood?" Shane asked, being responded by a simple nod by me, AJ and Rainbow. "How is that physically possible?"

"I don't really know myself, but they do come tresspassin' on mah' farm from time to time. They're mighty strong," Applejack explained.

"Noted; stay away from them," Shane said, resuming his packing.

"Actually… we have to hunt and kill them," I told Shane, getting an immediate cautious look from him. "What? I never said they were tough… unless there's more than a dozen or more of them."

"I'm… just going to drop it. I'm slightly busy anyway," Shane said, moving over to his weapon storage system and opening it, revealing… a near identical selection of weaponry as my own storage system. "Bloody Americans and their over-reliance on guns."

"Wait… aren't you American?" I asked.

"I swear to god, I'm Canadian! Jesus, why does everyone ask that?!" Shane yelled, getting an awkward look from the ponies. "You two… are really confused right now, aren't you?"

"No more than we already were," Applejack said, scratching the back of her mane awkwardly.
"Yeah… let's just get going. I'm about done anyway," Shane declared, hitting a secret button in his storage to reveal… a sledgehammer!

Emphasis on the sledge, the thing was massive! It was about as tall as Shane himself, and had several golden detailings along the stainless steel handle. The main hammer surface was coated in a silver substance, with golden detailing sticking out on the other side. The whole thing looked regal!

Upon grabbing the thing, seeming to use little to no effort to do so, he strapped it beside his backpack alongside a crossbow and quiver. He then closed his weapon storage and raised his fist.

"Alright. Let's get going, everyone!" Shane declared confidently, clearly taking the leader position without a second thought.
"I don't recall asking for you to to take over as leader, but okay," I said, working to follow him out. "Did you pack water?"

Shane stopped short of the door.

"Fuck."

"Thought so," I chuckled.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Okay. Traversing the desert; take two. This time, with water… and Shane… who's taken the lead of everything.
Speaking of Shane… I'm going to bring up that weird dream I had. It's really got me creeped.

Firstly… dang! I know death isn't the nicest thing to see, but the dream didn't have to be so fucking violent!

Oh, and who the hell was the voice? Whoever they were, presumably 'she', they saw what was going on as well. As such, I seriously doubt I'm the only one going through it… not that that's a good thing.

And finally, the big one; a human did it? Yeah, I probably should've answered that one first. But seriously, that voice was incredibly familiar.

"Marc?"

I know for a fact I've heard that voice before. It's… on the tip of my tongue.

"Hey, Marc, you listening?" Shane asked, slowing down to my pace to check on me.

"Eh? Oh, I'm fine. Just… thinking," I told him, kicking a small pile of sand.

"Look… I might not know you as well as I remember, but I know when something is up with you. You pick that up when you travel with a guy for a few months," Shane explained, grabbing my shoulder and stopping me. "Seriously man, what's wrong?"

I sighed. "Just some… dumb nightmare I had last night. I'd usually just ignore it, but it… got to me man."

"Are you guys alright?" Rainbow asked, having noticed we stopped.

"No need to worry, just checking or Marc!" Shane shouted ahead. "Look man, you're better than this. We survived the eternal earthen winter side-by-side. If you can make it through that, a mere nightmare is nothing!"

"Well… it's complicated," I told him, still not wanting to share what I saw with him. As such, I got to moving again. Shane caught up though.

"Hey, as long as you're good, we're good. Just… try and stay focused. You never know what could happen out here," Shane said, suddenly raising his hand against his face. "My god, where'd this sandstorm come from?"

"I don't know, but I don't actually think it's too bad. Just sand with a light breeze," Rainbow said, continuing forward.

"Alright, but I think we should stick together, just to be safe," Shane instructed, gathering the group together and making us continue on.

Suddenly, the entire area began to shake, almost setting everyone off balance. Shane merely stayed still, raised his arm, and remained calm.

"Something is coming," he declared, firmly grabbing the handle of his hammer in preparation. "On my signal, we scatter. Got it?"

"Right," I said, giving a brief thumbs up and clenching the handle of my own weapon.

The shaking started up again, but it felt slightly lighter this time… but got bigger…

"Wait for it…"

And closer… I could feel it.

"On my signal…"

I could feel it as far as my feet... I looked down, seeing the sand begin to hollow out below us, similar to emptying out of an hourglass. Something was below us.

Shane lowered his hand, lowered his knees and gave me a brief nod. He then held a large breath.

"Now!!" he yelled, the four of us moving from our position, being immediately followed by some… giant worm-thing?

Yeah, it looked like a worm, I think. Its entire body was a clear white, layered with a brown-ish colour every other layer of the body. Its head was significantly larger than its body, looking as though they split apart to become bigger than the actual body. Its eyes, pure red and in large numbers, gave us a sinister look. It then dove back into the sand, causing the shaking to return.

"Get moving! Two groups of two! One human, one pony!" Shane instructed, splitting the group into me and AJ, while Shane and Rainbow Dash ran another way

(Hell yeah!! Fight segment!!)

"What the hell is that thing?!" I asked, running alongside AJ and away from the worm… which chose to chase us specifically.

"I don't know, but I think Granny told me about something like this! Ah' think it's a sand wraith!" AJ yelled, a loud call coming from the beast as it chased. "Yep, definitely a Sand Wraith! You can tell by the call!"

"Fucking hell, why does everything on this planet want to kill us?!" I moaned.

The Sand Wraith then took yet another big leap into the air, jumping to where me and AJ would have been if we kept running. Luckily I stopped, pulled out my shotgun, and gave his underside a good blasting! Aha!

…

Yeah, turns out it just pissed it off. It came back at us, speeding up. Only advantage we had, if you can call it that, was there was a slight red trail coming from its direction.

"Well, at least this thing isn’t immune to guns!" I said, stopping, placing my gun back and drawing my sword. "Now I know this'll work!"

"Marc, what are you doing?!" Applejack asked, wondering why I'd stopped. In response, I settled for Shane's go-to of simply raising my thumb.

"If I can cut it, then I've got it from here!" I declared, waiting until the Sand Wraith resurfaced once again… So I could go on the attack!

I firmly gripped my sword, spread my legs apart and… and waited for the ideal moment. The sand wraith slowly approached, gradually speeding up. I smirked, awaiting the moment it surfaced.

And it did. Now I could strike.

As the beast boosted towards me, I ran towards it. Before it had the chance to defend or retreat, I gave it a swift blow to what seemed to be its jaw. I was about to go for a blow to the main body afterwards, but it recoiled with its tail, sending me backwards.

I was glad the tail wasn't dead spiky or something, otherwise I'd probably be heavily injured right about now. Rather than simply being hit down to the sand.

And great, the sand wraith was coming back for round two… or so I thought. Instead, it merely absorbed some of the nearby sand and poked its head out if the sand, staring over at me.

Which… is when I learned my place. The thing somehow knew hyper beam! And if I didn't move, I feared the move would be a critical hit. I'll be honest, not the best time to be dazed.

"God dammit!" Shane yelled, jumping in the way of the blast, spreading his arms out in an effort to protect me. This would mean he would take the full force of the blow.

The Sand wraith began to rotate its mouth, its stained, yellow teeth on full display. A core of yellow energy began to form from within its jaw, forming the beam of mass destruction. I thought, for the second day on the trot, I was boned.

But that when something… weird happened. As if by magic (haha, see what I did there?), some kind of green, layered shield appeared around me and Shane, seeming to stem from the palms of Shane's hands. Not only did this deflect the blast from the Sand wraith, it sent a portion of it back towards it, stunning the thing!

The shield then disappeared, and Shane lowered his hands and took a deep, calm breath.

"You need to think logically about this, Marc," Shane said, sounding somewhat exhausted. "You can run up to it, hack and slash it or whatnot. But wouldn't it be more effective to analyse it, while we still can?"

Taking Shane's advice, I got back in my feet and quickly scanned the beast, trying to see what advantages it had.

Okay. From first glance, I could tell it was using something to cover up its injuries. At a second inspection, I could tell it was sandstone… smart.

I then noticed something else from staring at the thing; it was spewing out airborne sand from its joints. In theory, this could be the source of the sandstorm.

"Okay, I think I've got it," I told Shane, firmly nodding. "The more we wound that thing, the more sand comes out of it and the worse the sandstorm gets."

"So, we somehow need to injure it without puncturing it's skin. Got it," Shane noted, the two of us joining the girls. "Just one question; how do we do that?"

I had to think about that one for a quick minute. Most of the weapons we had were made to injure, so that left me fairly useless in this situation. Shane's hammer however…

"I hate to repeat the whole 'hit it harder' logic of fighting, but what if we got it hard enough with that hammer?"

"Hmm… at worst, we make it madder. Best possibility, we break its neck," Shane noted, then looked down to the ground. "I don't think the sand'll help in terms of overall striking power though."

"I think Applejack can help with that! She has near unnatural strength!" Rainbow explained, looking over at her friend. "I know it sounds weird, but do you think she can kick you over there?"

"Look, I don't care about the method or its risks… or even how weird it is. If it works, then I'll give it a shot," Shane explained, looking over at AJ and nodding, getting a nod in return. "Marc, Rainbow, you two distract that thing and get it above ground. When I give the signal, move away and get ready for a hell of an entrance!"

"I think we can handle that. You up for it Rainbow?" I asked, just to be sure I wasn't forcing Rainbow into anything.
"This sandstorm is preventing me from flying and I can't see more than five metres ahead of me, but I'm up for it!" Rainbow declared, giving a swift salute, which was met with a nod as my response.

The Sand Wraith began to approach us again, seeming to move faster than it did before. But with a plan behind us and a truckload of confidence, I was fully confident we'd be fine.

Me and Rainbow charged towards the sand Wraith. Despite her lack of mobility and inability to fly, Rainbow still seemed to have quite a spring in her step. So despite the Sand Wraith setting off yet another hyper beam, we were easily able to dodge it.

And as all the Pokémon fans know, after hyper beam has been used… the user becomes immobile. In short, Shane's signal was…

"Now!!" Shane yelled. Me and Rainbow moved out of the way for Shane and AJ's pseudo human cannonball.

Which was quite the accurate description. Shane jumped into the air, being kicked by Applejack and sent flying towards the Sand Wraith, a cocky smile having filled his face, and his hammer held firmly in his hands. Within moments, he landed directly in front of the Wraith, and with the added momentum of Applejack’s kick, he hit the thing and sent it flying a good ten metres away. As he did so, you could hear a distinct snapping noise coming from the wraith. It sounded horrifying, yet relieving.

The Sand Wraith was dead, and nobody got injured in the progress.

Annd… breathe…

Almost as if it was on cue, the four of us all fell to the ground simultaneously, frantically regaining our breath. This was also mixed in with a little bit of chuckling.

"We did it… my god we did it!!" Shane yelled, raising his arms to the air in celebration, his laughing gradually getting louder.

"Agreed! That was a good call, Rainbow!" I said, giving her a slight bash to the shoulder.

"You should really thank AJ and Shane. They're the ones who beat the thing," Rainbow answered, looking toward AJ, who was making her way over to us.

"Truth be told, we all beat that Sand Wraith. If it wasn't for you two distractin' it, we would've had no way to get it," she claimed, getting within a few feet of us and sitting down.

"Are… are we seriously arguing who takes the credit right now?" I asked.

"Okay, I think we should all just wait for the adrenaline rush to wear off," Shane suggested, throwing a bottle of water to each of us. "Remember; hydration is key."

"Seriously man, of all the times?" I scoffed, sitting up and taking a drink regardless. "Soo… is that it?"

"Well, we still need a way out of the desert. That'd be a good idea," Rainbow suggested, taking a look up to the sky. "It might be easier with the sandstorm over."

"Easier? Try effortless!" I said, looking and pointing over to my left. "The desert ends right there!"

"Wow… that's convenient," Shane said, getting back on his feet. "I guess now the sandstorm is gone, we can see better. As such, we may as well keep moving. There's no use in hesitating."

"Alright, let's go then. We ain't far from home now," Applejack told us, getting up and also leaving the desert.

"Well… today turned out to be eventful," I moaned, getting myself up. "I know one thing’s for sure."

"What's that?" Rainbow asked.

"I fucking hate deserts!"

Author's Note

"I'll probably have the chapter out some point this weekend."
-One day later (Tuesday)-
… what? We're you surprised? I did say chapters should speed up now I'm done with college for the holidays.
I'm going back to the 'one chapter per month' thing I had some time ago, given I might actually be able to keep up this time.

Given this chapter was rolled out quote quickly, there's bound to be a couple of mistakes. If you find one, do me a sold and give me a heads-up about it, right?

Anyway, enjoy the chapter (If you've read this, you've likely already read the chapter read the chapter, so… yeah. Later.

Chapter 8;* by royal decree

And so, after the hectic letter we received last chapter from the nation’s ruler, Me, Shane, and all of Twilight's friends all headed immediately to the train station to respond to the summoning from Princess Celestia… oh boy!

Shortly before that, Shane dragged the two of us back to the ship in order to change into something smarter… and by that, I mean have me change into a buttoned blue shirt while he watched to ensure I wasn't smuggling any weapons with me. I could understand where he was coming from as a manner of respect, but with everything that happened so far every time I left my ship, I didn't feel entirely safe without anything for self-protection.

In terms of the ride there, it wasn't really worth noting in detail. Sure, the scenery was worthy of mention, and I swore I saw a cloud that looked suspiciously like a city… but it honestly just felt like the train rides I took felt nearly exactly the same.

I'll go as far as to respect Celestia's influence on her subjects. One flash of that letter to the train conductor and he managed to set up the back compartment entirely for us! At first I thought that'd at least cause some minor confusion
amongst passengers, but nopony so much as batted an eye. I guess these train ponies deserve more credit that they get.

Whilst I was spending my time in thought, everyone else seemed to be in a big discussion over why Celestia needed us. I heard a couple of theories from the group, but I simply chose to ignore the whole discussion. It didn't really matter why Celestia wanted to see us, just that we showed her humans aren't a massive threat bent on world domination or something… that's the aim.

"Hey Marc, we might need you over here!" Rainbow called over, knocking me out of thought and causing me to actually pay attention.

"Is it that important, or just more theories?" I groaned, raising my head from its slouched position and shifting back upwards.

"No, I think this question might be more important than that," Shane claimed. "We're deciding who out of me and you are going to be the representative of humankind once we get to Canterlot."

"Alright, that actually seems important…" I agreed, turning over to the rest of the group. "If it helps much, I'm not actually bothered about all that. It's your job if you want it Shane."

"Actually… you'd probably be better at it," Shane responded, sighing as he covered the scar that ran through his eye. "I might have a knack for formal speaking when I feel like it, but you seem to understand more about this planet’s inhabitants than me."

"Are you sure? Something like this is… one hell of a responsibility," I said, shuddering at the thought of ME representing my whole kind to the ruler of a nation. It was a… chilling thought. "I think Shane would be a better choice."

"Marc, I didn't want to do this, but… all those who think Marc would be a better rep than me, raise your appropriate appendage," Shane instructed, followed by everyone raising their hand, claw, and hooves in agreement. "See? I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Ugh, alright then… I'll do it. But if I have to do paperwork, I'm out," I told them, slouching yet again. "Is that the only reason you called me over?"

"Pretty much, but now that you mention it, we have something else to bring up," Twilight began, once again holding out the scroll Celestia sent. "The princess says it's best to keep you out of the public eye, as to avoid any inner-city chaos. Soo… you and Shane are going to have to take the alleyways."

"Yeah, let's make sure to go down the dark alleyways of a nation’s capital city. That's a great way to avoid mugging and assault…" Shane groaned, shaking his head with disagreement. "I don't care about being seen. I'll walk straight through those streets regardless of what anyone thinks."

"Prepare for a Twilight lecture in three, two…" Spike declared, placing his claws into his ears… or whatever those flaps are actually called. He's a dragon, so are they the same thing? Are they something else?

…

Hang on, what did he just say?

"Shane, this is Princess CELESTIA we're talking about here! I know she's usually not all that cautious when it comes to diplomatic issues like this, but if she suggests you stick to the shadows, then that's what going to happen. Alright?" Twilight stood her ground, defending the orders of her leader at all costs. I could see a stubborn glare fill her eyes, which was identically mirrored by Shane.

"No offence Twilight, but I prefer to make my own plans," he told her, his tone of voice changing to become more stern and intimidating, a voice I was more than familiar with from all his conflicts with Joseph. "Don't get me wrong, Celestia is regarded as a fine leading figure in your world, and that much I respect. However, I don't yet know her intentions, and I wish to focus on keeping MY kind in plain view, not the alleyways."

I could see Twilight and Shane glaring at each other, each one if them not wishing to back down from their plans. Everyone else in the room seemed to share a unanimously cautious look, not wishing to interrupt their argument and receive the brunt of their rage. Instead of getting myself involved, I simply stood up and headed for the back exit.

"I'm heading out back until Goku and Superman have stopped fighting," I groaned, approaching the back door of the train to get some air. Despite nothing actually being said, Rainbow Dash also decided to leave, following me to the back of the train.

"You know, I can't believe Shane can withstand a Twilight lecture, let alone answer her back," she said, sliding the door back into position, then joining me at the back rail. "Does he get like that often?"

"You… have no idea," I moaned, trying to get his tone of voice out of my head. It always creeped me out. "It's a complete change of character. He's usually so calm and laid-back, but when he gets into an argument… that happens."

Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you know it's bad when you use the 'other room' strategy to deal with it."

"If we were in the ship, I'd use the 'spray deodorant in his face' technique to shut him up." I chuckled, having discovered Rainbow's sense of humour is similar to mine. "I seriously can't believe there's two of them now…"

"Tell me about it! Things were fine with Twilight in charge. All she did was just take responsibility when stuff goes wrong. Now Shane's here… does he take charge of stuff?"

With that question, I thought back to the time I spent with him prior to Horizon. "I… guess he did? Not at first, but definitely after my parents died. He just… ran with the punches I suppose."

"Wait, wouldn't his own family take care of that?" Rainbow asked curiously.

I sighed. I knew I wasn't capable of telling the shorter version without more questions arising, as has happened every time I get into a conversation with these midget horses. So it looks like I'm going to have to take the shortcut…

"Hey Dash… I think you need the long version. I can't really do the short version." I explained, as I settled into the story I was about to tell. Here's hoping I don't open some old wounds.

-/-/-/-/-/-

I could remember the day as clear as day… or as the snow that fell every day. The only sight for miles was this clear white veil, which was almost bad enough to drive someone crazy. Luckily for me, I had my family in toe to keep me going.
I looked back every five minutes to check on my brother, who would often be found making snow angels. At this time he was seven, so he couldn't be blamed for that. I was eleven, and even I was considering joining him on occasion. However, my mother was still highly cautious.

"Sam, don't make me keep having to pick you up! If your coat gets any more wet, it won't help much against the cold," she told him sternly, once again picking the little guy up despite his objection.

"Nah, leave the little guy be. You know he's been bored out of his skull since he lost his gamecore," my Father called back, stopping so the rest of the group didn't fall behind.

"Well, maybe if someone decided to share theirs with their brother…" my mom said, looking to me with a stern stare.

"Yeah, not a sniff. That idiot deletes the save files of any game he plays, and I'm nearly done with most of them!" I argued, waving my arms out in my defence. I was, and still am, a massive media nerd. As such, any digital belongings I had were precious to me, regardless of how close me and my brother were.

"Alright Marc, you've made your point. Just… lend him your MP3 or something. If we have to keep up these constant stops, we won't reach the next safe zone before nightfall," my father instructed me, holding his hand to the air directly afterwards, a signal we were all to familiar with.

The family would take their stance. My dad would take out his revolver, my mom would draw her sword and cover Sam, and I… would stop messing around and get into a fighting stance. My mother would occasionally forcibly move my limbs into better position, but that didn't happen this time.

I still remember the smell… a thick, fresh blood smell, it would likely travel for miles and draw in all kinds of creatures. However, it seemed it was early, as there was no sound, all except a constant pushing and clicking.

Me and dad looked each other in the eye and on his next signal, scoured the plain.

Luckily for us, there was no hostile presence. What we found was… Shane, who was trying to revive his father. It was a good three years ago, but I still remembered the state Shane's old man was in. Shane was in a better condition, somehow only getting a cut eyelid, which is still clear to this day.

Based on the damage and scrap from the area, I knew it was a bandit raid, but they never went to this extent. This was just… gruelling.

My mother isn't usually the coddling kind of woman, but one glance at the state Shane was in and her maternal instincts kicked in and she rushed over to him, completely ditching her sword at that moment.

My dad tried to do what he could to save Shane's father, but it was no use. His lungs were slashed open and his chest had more cuts in it than a paper snowflake chain. Sam naturally looked away from the whole thing, knowing him.

But you know the weirdest thing? Shane's eyes were filled with tears, but there was something… weird about them. It wasn't rage, fear, or relief. All I could see… was calm. It's almost as if he matured within an instant.

-/-/-/-/-/-

"And that's about it. I can't exactly recall most of what else was said, but Shane was pretty much accepted as an honorary family member from that moment. He didn't speak much at first, but after my parents died, he decided to break open his shell and take charge. That's… pretty much all there is to it," I concluded, the slight casual memory of my own family giving me the warm fuzzies halfway through my explanation. I looked back over to Rainbow, who was utterly speechless… for all about ten seconds.

"That… wow. You guys have seen some serious stuff," Rainbow commended.
"Yep, and we got through them as a team. And after saving a checkpoint town from a bandit attack, we were noticed and brought into project horizon," I explained, sitting down and leaning back against the back of the train. "The rest is blatantly obvious."

"Yep. I guess that makes Shane your last sort of family in a way, doesn't it?" Rainbow guessed, sitting into a very similar position as me, but on the opposite side of the door.

What Rainbow said caught me off guard. "I… never thought of it that way. I guess he is." I thought for a minute. She had a good point. "I saw my parents die and Sam's fate is unconfirmed. Shane… is, I guess."

"Family is what you make it, I guess. I've known the girls for so long that they are basically family too," Rainbow told me, a bright smile filling her face, something I couldn't help but copy. "Besides, things should start to get better soon. If Princess Celestia wants to help you out, then your kind will be accepted here for sure!"

"Seriously, how many positive things do you still have in that bag of tricks? Are you trying to drown me or something?" I joked, trying to come up with some other reason for my uncontrollable laughter.

"Hey, you're the one who told the depressing story. Somepony had to lighten the mood," Rainbow claimed, chuckling a bit herself. "You're not bad, Marc. For an alien anyway."

"Hey, that status depends on if your princess accepts us on this planet… I think," I claimed, despite not thinking my idea all the way through. "If we're accepted on your world, would that make us inhabitants, or are we still aliens?"

"How would I know? That's not exactly my sector." Rainbow shrugged, looking up to the sky. "Thanks for suggesting the back of the train. It gets too stuffy in the cars, and the open air just feels… right. You know what I mean?"

"Seriously, are we just alternate versions of each other? How do we think so similar?" I asked, getting nothing but an awkward look from Rainbow… smooth. "What? I was agreeing with you!"

"It was just… a really weird way to say it." Rainbow said.

"Blame those jokes from earlier. I still have some excitement in my system." I took a quick breath to try calm myself down. "I always liked the open air. I mean, I'm more of an indoorsy person, but there's just something about open spaces that just feels… comforting.

"I used to train out in the open with my mom after my brother was born. Her side of the family always made sure to train their kids in self-defence." I sighed, memorising all the times I was beaten to the ground. "I guess it's just my body’s way of clinging to that, but when I'm outside, I just feel… relaxed."

Before I could get any form of response from Rainbow, the train door slid open and Spike came out.

"You guys know Shane and Twilight finished arguing about five minutes ago, right?" he asked.

I facepalmed. "Dammit, just short of a new record!" I yelled, gaining a laugh from both Rainbow and Spike.

"Aren't you going to come back in?" he asked again, the door sliding back into position on its own.

"Nah, I'm going to stay back here. I might even try get a few winks in," I told Spike, leaning backwards and near enough laying down. I was somewhat surprised at how relaxed I was, but I was currently even more perplexed at how I WANTED to go to sleep! It was completely alien to me!

I wasn't really all that bothered though, given a calmer state would help later on when I spoke with the princess… because I'm a delegate, oh boy.

If the princess had a field day keeping my presence in Equestria under wraps, lord knows what chaos I'd cause representing my own kind! Ugh, that should be fun…

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Twilight, we're walking in circles," Shane declared.

So we arrived in Canterlot, big surprise… No really, I was not expecting this city to be so… big. Several large spires erupting from the ground, housing built into the mostly sloped mountainside, and monuments and landmarks as far as the eye could see! I know this is the capital city, but bloody hell, I wasn't expecting this!

After the train made it to the station, Twilight decided to split the rather large group into two. Pinkie, Rainbow, AJ, and Fluttershy would take the main route to the castle, while Rarity and Twilight escorted Shane and I through the city's alleyways, claiming their knowledge of the city would get us to the castle… which meant Twilight won the death battle… I mean argument. Dammit Marc, not the time for that joke!

Anyway… back to what Shane said. He was claiming we were lost, having seemingly come to the same location for the third time! However, it was becoming increasingly clear that Twilight and Shane weren't quite getting along.

"Shane, are you questioning how well I know the city I come from?" Twilight asked, turning back to Shane with a deathly glare. I wasn't quite sure what happened between them back on the train, but it clearly seemed to have made things worse between them. A quick glance over at Rarity, and I all but confirmed that we both hated the current situation.

"I'm… actually with Twilight on this one, Shane. How are going in circles if we're walking in a straight line?" I asked, groaning over the somewhat grim feeling emanating from the two of them. This was going to be a long walk…

"Alright, prove this then," Shane said, stopping and pointing at a scrape in the wall. "I made that mark the last time we walked down this way. The fact I marked it means we've passed through here already."

"Shane, darling, all alleyways in Canterlot look identical. It just takes a keen eye to tell them apart," Rarity explained, looking down a three-way split alleyway, waiting for Shane to catch up to resume moving forward.

"Okay, but the next time we walk through this area, the mark will be more obvious," Shane declared, using the underside of the bracelet Twilight gave him to make an upside down triangle mark with a cross through it.

"Shane!! You're going to damage the scanner!" Twilight yelled, using her telekinesis spell to pull back on Shane's arm. But somehow, Shane was able to pull back on it.

"In your dreams, Book Horse! You won't control me, dammit!" Shane groaned, trying his best not to get pulled to Twilight.
And then… I lost my shit. I had enough. I turned around and my brain just told me 'be as loud as you want.'

“Both of you shut the hell up!! You're acting like children!" I yelled, my fist instinctively clenched in anger. "Is this really what you want? To let a simple argument split you apart? You're supposed to be the smart ones, chill out and start thinking straight!"

At this moment, Twilight and Shane suddenly began to think clearly again. Upon realising the situation they were currently in, Twilight dropped the spell and Shane lowered his arm. They both exchanged an awkward expression.

Shane awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Well… that was a thing."

"Yeah, sorry about that everyone," Twilight said, shaking her head and trying to return to the matter at hand; directions.

"Twilight, please be honest. Are we lost?" Rarity asked, still not entirely sure where she was going herself. She mentioned she'd been to Canterlot several times in the past, but it seemed she still wasn't sure about the exact directions herself.

"What? No!… maybe," Twilight muttered, looking over at Shane in case he was going to make a comment, but he remained quiet, not wishing to create another argument. "Look, I can't help it if all the alleyways look the same, can I?"

"I'd recommend splitting up to find the way to the castle, but me and Marc would likely get lost… or worse," Shane claimed. He then checked the three branching pathways. "Groups of two would be ideal, but that leaves one path left over."

“In that case, here's my plan; one duo, two singles," I declared, eyeing up the left path.

"Wasn’t the point of Twilight and Rarity to keep us hidden?" Shane asked, turning at me with a confused expression on his face.

"Wrong, they were sent to escort us through the city," I corrected Shane, wandering into the line of the left path. "Given they don't know the way themselves, it'd probably be smarter if we fan out."

"But Marc, what if you're caught? The guards will send you to the castle!" Rarity gasped.

"Isn't that where we're going anyway? How's that an issue?" Shane asked, having finally seen my point. Nice to see the dude finally saw things my way. "Given you're so concerned Rarity, I'll go with you just in case."

Twilight moved onto the right path, although she didn't seem too confident about our next move. "Are you sure you can find your way to the castle? It's like a maze around here."

"If I can solve the mazes in Breath of the Wild, I can make my way through the streets of a capital city," I declared confidently, scoring confused looks from everyone except Shane… who was facepalming… looks like the team effort is done then.

"Good luck everyone. Hope you make it to the castle alright," Twilight called, taking her chosen path. Shane and Rarity then took the central path, leaving me with the left.

Safe to say some time alone would probably result in me finding my way to the castle first. Here's hoping this solo walk doesn't get me into a fight like last time…

-0-0-0-0-0-

Hey guys, pop quiz for you; remember what I said back in chapter 2 about my sense of direction? Yeah… you can officially scratch that, I suck at directions, period.

That said though, my extended time away from everyone else was actually quite relaxing, providing me with a peace of mind I hadn't had yet on this planet.

And no, I don't count the time alone in Fluttershy's cottage as 'peace of mind'. While she's nice, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen to me then, so… yeah.

Anyway, it seemed the path I took was the unlucky path, as I'd seen at least fifteen ponies go by, if not more! If it wasn't for my above average speed and instincts, I'd be caught by now.

Ahh… god bless Assassin’s Creed… and the stupidity of these ponies. Seriously, I bet I could yell 'look, a distraction!' and they'd fall for it. If the risk wasn't so high, I would've likely done it by now. But I had to focus, as a single lapse of concentration would likely screw things up for me…

And here comes pony number sixteen! Seriously, I've made more stops than your average car trip by now, and I was admittedly getting more irritated than nervous.

Given my large size, I had to physically belly-flop to the ground every time, or at least hide behind something. But this time, it was the former, and I thought if it wasn't for my healing ability, I'd have a couple of broken ribs by now. One small problem… it still made a sound… crap.

The pony, clearly a stallion, heard me falling and turned around, only missing me due to being hidden by some conveniently placed bins. If it was a game, I'd complain over this, but I don't want to risk my comments causing a jinx for later.

"Is somepony there?" The bloke asked, slowly approaching the bins, and in turn, me. Crap, I didn't think this far ahead! If he came any closer, he'd find me! What could I do?

…

I looked to a nearby alleyway to my left, which seemed clearly empty, albeit with a few hiding spots. Should I test my theory? Do I have any other choice?

Drat, if I don't have a hoof, he'll be suspicious! I'm getting stressed here!… unless I just clench my fist?

…

Fuck it, I'm out of options! I clench my hand into a fist and stick it through a small gap between the bins, pointing behind the guy.

"Look, a distraction!!" I yelled, causing the Stallion to instinctively turn backwards to inspect. While I had this small window, I quickly managed to make my way to the nearby alleyway, hiding behind a luckily placed cardboard box. Ahh, solid snake would be proud… but I still need to wait for the guy’s reaction…

Five seconds had passed…

…

"Damn foals, playing their pranks…" the Stallion said, slamming a door to enter his house… or a bar, I don't know. My body was instinctively breathing a sigh of relief. That was too fucking close! Considering that, I felt a quick break would be worthwhile.

"Please, stop it!!" I heard a voice yell in the far-off distance, causing my heart to jump into my throat and nearly give me a heart attack. I was well aware the voice was coming from a fair distance away, but my god, only a Sam hissy-fit could match that volume!

…

My older brother sense was tingling. Something wasn't right about this…

My curiosity piqued, I continued to walk down alleyway after alleyway, curious as to where this voice was coming from. Luckily for me, the voice (now 'voices') seemed to deter any other ponies from entering the alleyways, a small brush of luck I was glad to have on my side. Investigating the voice was risky, but something about it felt… off.

I gradually got closer to the voice’s origin, having to slowly walk up a reasonably high stairway in order to reach where the voices, but I discovered the source; a pair of ponies arguing in some kind of balcony restaurant!… why did I waste my time with this?

The two of them were a duo of male unicorns: one was an adult, and the other one a halfway stage between Scootaloo and most other ponies. The younger one had a thick, bright brown coat of fur, with a golden blonde mane and tail. His cutie mark(?) appeared to be a weird triangular runic symbol, something that caught my interest.

The older pony, who was seemingly glaring the younger one into a corner, had a much brighter scheme. A clear white coat under an equally white blazer, with a blonde mane that matched the mane and tail of the… younger one… they're brothers. But why did my…

"Foalen, don't make me ask you again!" the older brother asked in a posh, high and mighty voice. Ugh, I hated these people… ponies, whatever. Always acting like the world revolves around them, seeming to only care for others when they want something. I might be jumping to conclusions, but I was guessing he was one of those types.

"Blue, please! You know I've been saving my bits for months!" the younger brother (Foalen?) claimed, backing himself into a corner. I couldn't help but clench my fist. This was wrong to me on so many levels.

"FOALEN! I've told you that while I'm in public, you will refer to me by my full title; Prince Blueblood! I won't accept your childish names!" Blueblood scolded his brother, a malicious glare in his eye. "I know full well you save up all the bits aunt Celestia gives us. Now hand them over!"

Hang on. 'Prince' Blueblood? Aunt 'Celestia'? Ladies and gents, I might've just found my way into the castle!

"Brother, please. If you saved your allowance rather than spend it all at the spa every other week, you wouldn't have—" Foalen defended himself..

"Ah, the spa! Now that sounds good right about now!" Blueblood sighed, raising his head at the thought of that relaxation. "You know the deal; hand over the bits."

Alright, I've heard all I can stand and I can stand no more! Sibling blackmail? Sinister intimidation? An older brother who'd fit in more with Decepticons than royalty? I had to do something. Screw stealth, my older brother sense was right.

"Hey there, sorry to interrupt gents. I have a question for you," I called out, not yet revealing myself as to set up a dramatic entrance… also the fact I'm an alien would freak them out before I prove my point.

"Excuse me peasant, can't you see we're in the middle of a family affair here?" Blueblood shouted in my direction, not breaking eye contact with his brother.

Also, 'peasant?' Ohh, I'm gonna enjoy this. He made this personal.

"Don't worry, it'll only take a minute; do either one of you know of the sibling code?" I asked them, fully understanding the sibling code was more just something me and Sam made up when we were bored one day. I didn't know if it was an actual thing, but I did know it sounded relevant.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about," Blueblood answered, rolling his eyes as my light distraction. He then returned his glare to his brother. "Now if you're quite done, we were in the middle of something."

"Okay, looks like I'll have to be a little more blunt…" I groaned, waiting a few more seconds while I approached Blueblood. In secret, I snuck onto the main restaurant floor and behind a table. Now my moment was upon me. Time for the lecture…
I walked up to Blueblood, who had a look of confusion and dread on his face. Before he could lash out, I grabbed him by the fat between his shoulders that was underneath his jacket, and firmly grabbed his horn to prevent any retaliation spells. If history books are anything to go by, touching a unicorn horn dispels and prevents magic. As such, I had him where I wanted him.

"Pop quiz dickhead; do you know why the older brothers are born first?!" I growled at Blueblood, looking him dead in the eyes with a petrifying glare. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I secretly loved it. After all, he deserved all he was going to get.

"You… unhoof me this instant, you monster!" Blueblood squirmed, attempting to shake his way out of my grip. But, while not my proudest moment… a quick kick to his Crown Jewels fixed that right up.

"Do you give up?" I asked slyly, pulling Blueblood closer to my face. "It's so they can be old enough to protect their younger siblings, not scare and intimidate them!"

"Let me go! I'll stop!" Blueblood claimed, but I was having none of it. I saw in his eye he wasn't going to change that easily. But that said, I need insurance.

"Tell you what 'Blu', I want you gone. I don't want to see you even go as far as to harm a single hair on your brother’s head ever again! No blackmail, no threats and no stealing. Got that?"

"Yes!! Now please let me down!" he begged, tears now starting to form in his eyes. Okay, one more step…

"Fine. But if you break that promise, let's just say your valuables won't be the only thing to protect…" I dropped Blueblood, who quickly scurried away. Ahh, that felt good…

I hadn't noticed through my 'chat', but it seemed Foalen was present for the entire lecture, seemingly at awe over me. Not only was I something I doubt he'd never seen before, but I'd just gone out of my way to protect him from his abusive older brother.

"What… who are you?" he asked, walking out from the corner and approaching me cautiously. Given his timid approach, I turned and gave him a quick smirk.

"Don't worry, just someone who… really hates manipulative brothers," I told the kid, taking a sigh of relief. I no longer needed to be intimidating, so I could calm down. "If that cock-bite ever gives you any more problems, gimme a call, alright?"

"I really can't thank you enough sir," Foalen bowed, thoroughly confusing me.

"If you're a prince, shouldn't I be bowing to you?" I asked, pulling a cheeky grin and bowing slightly. This caused Foalen to begin blushing.

"I'm… not really a fan of the title. I only use it if the situation calls for it," Foalen explained, rubbing the back of his neck modestly. "I guess if you overheard our argument, then you're already aware of who I am."

"Yep; Prince Fo-- Foalen. Just Foalen. It's nice to meet you," I greeted the kid, giving him my traditional two finger salute. He now had a grin that could rival Pinkie’s. "I'm Marcus Smith of Earth, although for simplicity, just Marc is fine."

"So you're from another country on Equis? I guess that explains how I've never seen your kind before," Foalen noted eagerly, circling me to see me from all angles. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

Well, if he thinks I'm from another country, I might as well let him believe that. It'll probably be simpler.

"Yep, that's the case. I'm here to meet with Princess Celestia about my kind's possible integration into Equestria," I told him, actually surprised at how well that story fitted with my little fib… I might have to tell Celestia that one, might be a good coverup. "Speaking of, you wouldn't happen to know the way to the castle, would you? Taking the alleyways might be subtle, but my sense of direction is admittedly… poor."

"If you need directions to the castle, I'll be more that happy to escort you there if you wish. It's the least I can do," Foalen said, turning to the stairway to the alleyways. "I know this city’s alleyways like the back of my hoof. If anypony can get you to Canterlot castle, then it's me." A confident grin then filled Foalen's face, an expression I was more than familiar with. That confidence confirmed to me he knew how to get me to the castle.

"In that case, lead the way bruddah! Let us find de wei together!" I shouted, realising afterwards I've been spending too much time on my computer’s meme archive… not my idea, but I'm not complaining about its existence.

"I'm sorry, could you rephrase that please? I don't understand what you said," Foalen asked, meeting me with a confused stare.

"Ugh, just show me to the castle," I moaned, having realised this planet has no context for most of my jokes. Well, this is great. I might have to publish them in comics or something once all this is over with…

…

Hmm, yet another decent idea, I think. I'm going to have to start noting these down.

-0-0-0-0-0-

And thus, with a little help from Prince Foalen, I had finally arrived at Canterlot castle, and man was it big! I mean, I'm from England and have seen my fair share of castles, but bloody hell, this one puts them to shame.

Seriously, the spires, man! There were more spires in this castle than I could count. There was also an obvious drawbridge with the main entrance, which had a moat that contained gems… because those are a thing. I've seriously never seen a castle that stood out so much before.

But the drawbridge wasn't our entrance, as it was a public landmark and we'd likely be seen. As such, I had Foalen lead me to the side-entrance, which was a simple guardhouse. Luckily for me, Twilight was already waiting outside.

As soon as Twilight saw us, she ran over to me gladly, seeming relieved.

"Marc, thank Celestia you made it!" she cheered, stopping shortly upon realising Foalen was present. "How come Foalen is here?"

"Nice to see you too, Twilight," Foalen chuckled.

"It's… a long story. He's the reason I've managed to find my way here," I explained. "Did Shane and Rarity make it here alright?"

"Actually, I was about to ask you about that. You haven't seen them?" Twilight asked, turning her head around me to check if they were behind me. "They must still be in the alleyways. Celestia knows how long they'll be in there!"

I sighed, looking to the side at Foalen. "Yo kid, do you feel up for another fetch quest?" I asked him. "Shane is a little bigger than me, wearing a black buttoned shirt and has a scar through his eye."

"Hmm… don't worry, I'll see what I can do," Foalen said, dashing back off into the alleyway. After a mere moment, he was out of sight.

"Quite a nice kid, don't you think?" I asked Twilight, turning to meet her currently surprised expression. "Again, long story. But don't worry, he was the only one to see me… except his dick-ish older brother. Now THAT'S a story!"

"Okay…" Twilight groaned, turning to face the guard-house entrance. "We should probably get into the castle, the princess might be expecting us any minute."

"Alright then. Lead the way," I said, following Twilight into the guard house. However… something felt weird. For a guardhouse, there was more 'house' than 'guard'.

"There seems to be a guard shortage as of right now, doesn't there?" I asked, as we entered the castle hallways and further noticed it expanded even into the castle itself.

"I noticed that too. I thought there was some weird fever coming through Canterlot, but that'd be weird if it only affected the guard." Twilight told me, as a single guard seemed to wander past. "I've asked one of the guards that are left, and he said there's some uprising or coup d'état towards eastern Equestria or something."

I stopped walking. "A what?"

Twilight sighed. "A coup d'état is what happens when a group of a nation’s soldiers go turncoat." She explained. "Good thing I read some military books to help my brother study for the royal guard entrance exam, otherwise I'd be clueless too."

"You, clueless? Ha, I'm surprised you know the word," I chuckled, causing Twilight to blush slightly.

"Hey! I might know a lot, but that doesn't mean I know everything about everything," Twilight corrected me, laughing at my slight joke and comment.

Looking ahead, me and Twilight noticed we'd finally managed to regroup with the others. Rainbow, Pinkie, AJ and Flutters faced us.

"You guys sure took your time!" Rainbow said, firmly stretching her wings before noticing our low numbers. "Where's Shane and Rarity? Weren't they with you?"

"Long story short, we split up and they're still out there," Twilight explained. "We should probably have somepony wait outside for them."

"I'll do it. I need to stretch my wings anyway," Rainbow groaned, beginning the walk back to the guard’s entrance. As she walked past me though, she gave me a cheeky grin. "Try not to mess up in front of the princess."

"Hey, if you guys can handle the pressure, so can I." I grinned, giving Rainbow a friendly shunt. After a slight shared snigger, Rainbow walked outside. It was then that a pair of doors swung open, revealing a pair of guards escorting a pony with a clear white coat of hair, golden jewellery, and shoes and hair and tail that could only be compared to the northern lights. With a cutie mark of the sun on her flank, it was safe to say the pictures of her from the book weren't doing her justice. I mean, she was the same size as me, for god sakes!

Princess Celestia, in the flesh… or fur, however you wish to describe her.

It was… weird. She had that sort of aura about her, one that immediately grabbed the attention and respect of others without actually demanding it. She had a great smirk on her face, one that seemed to be contagious to her kind as the mane six members who were immediately bowing in her presence, a bright smirk also filling their faces, and slowly starting to slip my face into a smirk too.

"So, you must be the alien that Twilight has spoken of, I assume," she spoke, immediately hooking straight to the point. She then looked to her subjects. "You know that bowing isn't necessary, my little ponies. You are free to ask as you see fit."
As everyone else began to rise to their hooves, my body finally decided it was fitting to bow, despite the moment for it having passed. As such, I suddenly got onto my knees and placed my right hand on my chest.

"Princess Celestia, I am Marcus Smith of Earth. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said formally, looking down to the ground to avoid any awkward situations. However, all I felt was a single hoof on my shoulder. I looked up and saw the princess looking at me with a caring smirk.

"Marcus, it's okay. You’re fine to be yourself. No need for formalities, not in this situation," Celestia told me, her eyes somewhat reminding me of the look my father used to give me. Dammit, no memory flashes now!

"A-Are you sure?" I checked, just to make sure.

"Trust me Mr. Smith, I have enough formal dignitaries around the castle on a daily basis. It'd be nice to see a change from that for once," Celestia said, her warm aura almost suffocating me. However, she asked for classic Marc, so that’s what she's gonna get. She asked for it.

"If that's the case…" I began, backing out of her hoof’s grip and getting back to my regular stance. "I'm Marc, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Princess." I gave her my signature salute, followed by a confident bow. I got a chuckle in response.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you too, Marc. It's not every day one gets to meet an extraterrestrial, is it?" Celestia chuckled.

"Has been for me so far," I responded, taking a look around at Twilight and her friends, who merely watched us talk. "I hope my kind’s sudden appearance didn't cause any unwanted chaos for you."

"Don't worry, just a day’s worth of paperwork. Nothing compared to most issues in Equestria," she explained, looking towards her guards and giving a brief nod. "Once the others arrive, we can begin. It's not safe out in the open."

In my mind, what Celestia said made zero sense. "I'm… not quite sure I follow."

We all paused our conversation as we noticed footsteps approach us, looking over as Rainbow once again entered the room. She was followed by Rarity and Shane, who immediately noticed Princess Celestia's presence.

"Greetings, Princess. It's always an honour," Rarity greeted, bowing her head in respect.

Shane approached. "You must be Princess Celestia. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard some good things about you." Shane held out his hand, which Celestia politely shook. "I'm Shane. Shane Locksdale."

"The pleasure is all mine, Shane. Now, is that everyone?" Celestia asked, a nod from the entirety of the mane six as her answer. "Good. We don't have a lot of time."

"What's the rush? Is something going on?" I asked, somewhat unnerved at her sudden and unexpected caution. It seemed Twilight was also caught off guard by this.

Twilight approached Celestia carefully. "Princess, is everything alright?" she asked, noticing as Celestia's smile slowly disappeared to be replaced by a careful, practiced neutral expression.

"Everyone, I need your help. Canterlot may be in grave danger." Celestia explained, causing Twilight and her friends to gasp in shock.

"Pardon me Princess, but would you care to provide a little context to your statement?" Shane asked.

"Is it about that 'coupe tart' thing?" I asked.

"It's 'coup d'état'," Twilight corrected.

"I believe so. There's been reports of royal guards neglecting their duties towards eastern Equestria over the past few weeks, and I've send my own guards there to investigate," Celestia explained, her poker face slipping a little. "These reports all claim that these guards gather together and start stealing military supplies and attacking guard stations. What’s worse it that these reports are quickly progressing to Canterlot."

"So… you're scared of an imminent attack?" I asked, beginning to place the pieces together myself. "But why ask for all of us? I doubt Twilight and her friends have any military training, and calling a group of aliens to help isn't exactly the smartest move."

"Firstly, I called Twilight and her friends because they possess a power stronger than anything any soldier can control; the elements of harmony," Celestia explained, reminding me of the mention of said relics in the book. "And calling you here was a calculated risk. While I didn't know your intentions, my student spoke highly of you in our most recent letter, even mentioning how you vanquished an omega Timberwolf. If she trusts you, then so do I."

I took a look over to Twilight, who seemed to be blushing lightly. What surprised me was not how she told her mentor about me so soon, but that she wrote with such praise. I'm not saying it was a bad thing, but it certainly caught me off guard, that much is sure. But given the situation, I guess it definitely helped in some way.

Having a firm understanding of what was going on and why Celestia asked for us, I decided to roll out my familiar confident cocky smirk, nodding to the princess firmly. "In that case, allow me to help you in whatever way is necessary."

"Thank you Marc. Now come, we don't have much time," Celestia told me, before having everyone, human and pony alike, walk into another room; her throne room.

The throne room itself had a rather regal and modern feel to it, with a slight pinch of history in its… stained-glass windows… a red carpet. Oh no, I've seen this room before…

There were two rooms directly to the left and right of us, the left one covered with a curtain to suggest its misuse. The right room was filled with maps of the area and several military strategic planning bits and bobs.

Before we could continue to the planning room, the two guards that were escorting us stopped in their tracks, sharing a quick glance and a nod. Before anyone else had the opportunity to react to this, they each placed their spears to Celestia's neck, catching the entire room off-guard. Twilight, Shane, Rainbow, and myself immediately formed a defensive stance, while the others were caught in shock.

Before we were able to make a move, two more guards appeared behind us, pinning down Fluttershy and Pinkie. With a third of the group pinned, we couldn't make any risky moves.

"Not one move… or else you can guess what'll happen," one of the front guards threatened, placing his spear closer to Celestia's neck. Despite this, Celestia still didn't seem to even flinch or squirm.

"There's no incoming attack, is there?" Celestia asked, slightly turning to the guard in question.

"You would be correct, Celestia! All things considered, being so willing to push away all your pieces might not have been the smartest move," a new voice called from the left room, which was believed to be empty. "And now you find yourself placed in check. Your pawns gone and your remaining pieces nothing more than civilians."

…

…I knew that voice. Not only was it the voice from my nightmare, but now I had more to link to said voice in order to identify it… it couldn't be…

"You're fully aware us two are here, aren't you? I'm sure you're fully capable of taking out members of your own kind, but we're not exactly comparable to them you know," Shane claimed sternly, staring into the curtain with great anger, having clearly not put two and two together yet… my god, please be wrong for once. Please!

"Hehe, on the contrary Shane, I fully know how to take on my own kind. After all…" The figure walked through the curtain, revealing a distinctly human form. "… As you can tell, we're one and the same, aren't we?"

A black long-sleeved shirt, with armour platings here and there. Brown jeans that had the occasional splurge of blood. The oaken brown hair that seemed oddly messy, and the glasses, shattered in one lens. Despite the guesome appearance, I recognised the figure at first sight… I was right, it was him.

"D-David?… Is that you?" I asked in shock, unable to process what was going on. He was… against us? He arranged the coup— rebellion?

He barely paid me any attention, just a simple glare with his oddly distorted eyes… hang on, his eyes should be blue, not—
"Knock them out and throw them in cells. I'll deal with those two later," David declared, giving a hand signal to the unicorn guard in the back, who seemed to let off some sort of pulse. This weird wave of energy felt like being hit by a taser on steroids, knocking me out within seconds.

Author's Note

What's going to happen to Marc and Shane? Why is David evil? and most importantly, how many cans of coke did Marc stash in his shirt?
Find out next time on DragonBallZ! da da da na na...
Seriously though, more context as to what's going on next chapter.

Chapter 9;* checkmate

… ugh, well, that was certainly a thing. Note to the wise here, don't go getting knocked out in whatever context. It's bad, period. Not only does it give you one hell of a headache, but the momentary lapse of memory makes it… worse. Wait, what's going on? Where am I?

I finally drew the strength to open my eyes to discover I was… in a prison cell… oh joy. Here come the Wind Waker flashbacks again. I hated that bloody prison cell segment.

The cell I was in seemed to be dug into a cave wall, giving me the feeling I was being held somewhere underneath the castle. The bars seemed old and rusty, yet looked sturdy enough to hold out to the end of time. The only furnishings in the entire room were the beds that Shane, Celestia and myself were on. I might've only just gotten up, but Shane was wide awake, and Celestia seemed to be lost in thought.

Well, here's hoping I can figure out what's going on… I rolled to the edge of the bed I was laying on, turning my body to face Shane. I tried to move my arms to balance myself, but quickly noticed the shackles around my wrist. Great…

"Hey, you good?" He asked, clearly surprised to see me awake so soon.

"I just got knocked out by… a rogue guard, then woke up in a jail cell. So yeah, I'm feeling just peachy, thanks Shane." I moaned, placing my head in my palms to help with my headache. "Please tell me I didn't see what I thought I saw. That can't be David."

"I'm afraid it was, I'm shocked too." Shane answered, sitting back on his bed and leaning back. His fist was clenched and his eyes were closed, as if he was trying to remain calm.

"So, your 'friend' was the one who's been taking my guards? He's the rebel leader?" Celestia asked, her typical calm voice becoming more threatening. "How do I know you won't join him? What's stopping you?"

"Celestia, calm down. What David's done has clearly caught us all off-guard. I never took him as the kind of person to lead turncoats into battle." Shane defended, giving me a firm glare. "Marc, you know David better than me. Why would David do something like this?"

I took a quick second to think, but I shook my head. "Simple answer; he wouldn't, not willingly. David isn't the kind of guy to go out of the way to hurt others, nor would dare turn against authority. Whatever's going on… we only have half the story. He's the one who knows what's going on."

"Why should I believe either of you? If David is capable of being so deceitful, who's to say you two aren't?" Celestia questioned, her mane moving in a way that I noticed a weird ring around the base finger horn. It clearly didn't belong there, and it seemed to be holding back a golden aura. It was likely preventing her from casting spells. I figured I'd sort that out later though, as she'd likely use it against us in anger.

"Rather simple; were unarmed. And I'm not sure if you noticed, Ms 'sunny-side up', but we're trapped in here too!" I yelled at Celestia, causing her to slightly distance herself from my anger." So before you go spouting out any more 'bright' ideas, I'd put a little more thought in before you go accusing us!"

I turned to the bars of the cage, as away from Celestia. I could feel my hand uncontrollably shanking in rage, so I firmly grabbed it, just to be safe. I then noticed Rainbow in the cage across from us, along with Twilight and Pinkie. Looking a little further down, I noticed AJ, flutters and Rarity in a third cell.

"You okay Marc?" Rainbow asked, having likely just saw my little outburst.

"I just learned my best friend is the one who's led the whole corporate deter against Celestia, who's starting to think we're also working with him. You tell me, am I alright?" I vented, firmly banging my head against the wall, hoping to dear god this was all just some weird-ass dream, that I was still on the train somehow.

"Is coup d'état! How many times do I have to say it?" Twilight once again corrected, trying her best to use her magic. From what I could guess, she also had one of those inhibitor rings around her horn preventing her from using her magic.

"Ugh, whatever. It's not like it matters anyway…" I moaned, sitting back against the wall, reaching into my shirt and grabbing my pendant, clenching it in my fist. "We've been beaten. We're detained. Unless you're telling me there's a hole in the wall that's small enough for us to crawl through and access a video game-like stealth section, then we're boned."

"Forever the optimist, huh?" Shane said, moving his way closer to the bars and placing his hand oh them. I could then see a small-ish domed shield appear from it, similar to the one he conjured in the desert. It was incredibly small though, barely the size of his hand. "If I can figure out how to make this bigger before casting it… I might be able to get us out of here."

"Unless the shield functions like the ones in Halo. In that case, it'll only block bullets and covenant weaponry." I countered, not really paying him much attention. "Perhaps if the unicorns and pegacorns in the group could use their magic, we'd already be out of here."

"It's 'Alicorn, you dunce!" Celestia yelled, moving to the opposite side of the cell and away from me. I don't exactly think she was in the best moods right now. "If we could cast magic, you're right, we wouldn't be in this situation. Not sure if you've noticed, but our magic is being suppressed. There's no helping us!"

"Great, I'm stuck with two pessimists…" Shane groaned, firmly face-palming. Twilight could only look in horror as her mentor seemed to get more and more freaked out.

"Princess, are you okay? You're acting weird." Twilight asked, moving closer to the edge of her cell.

"I'm… I'm fine Twilight. Just a case of clostraphobia and some irritating fellow captives. I just need a moment." Celestia explained, closing her eyes and breathing calmly. With her trying to calm down, I decided to change the subject and focus on our next move.

"Alright, we need to start planning a way out. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get out of here?" I asked, being met with a collection of 'no's and shaking heads, from both cells. I wasn't sure where the third one was, but I felt we needed to check with Cell three. "What about you guys? Do you think you could bust these cage bars open AJ?"

"Nope, too sturdy. Even if ah' could, it'd just bring more guards." Applejack answered, seeming to come from the cell directly next to ours, just out of sight.

I sighed. "Well, that's one idea down the drain… does anyone have any hair clips or something? I might be able to spoof the lock."

"No, you won't. I don't think the lock is as simple as that." Shane explained, looking at the lock on Twilight's side. "Besides, we can't do anything about that. Our arms are too thick to get through the bars, and I seriously doubt hooves can grab things like hands."

"What, you mean like this?" Twilight asked, using her hoof to pick up a stick off the ground, disproving Shane's point. "But Shane's partially right. While we can pick things up, the locks in here are far too complicated. You'd need a group of five ponies to unlock it, and some of them would have to be outside the cell."

"Ugh… come on, think!" I yelled to myself, placing my head in my hand and scouring my brain for any last-ditch ideas. "Pinkie? Remember when we first met and you somehow went from the bedroom to downstairs while nobody was looking? Could you do something similar here?"

"Sorry, No can do." Pinkie answered, leaving me without a plan.

"Well, looks like we're stuck here for a bit then…" I sighed, moving back to my bed and laying down on it. "The only way we"re getting out of here is if the cell door is unlocked, and I doubt they'll just let us-"

My point was cut short by the exact opposite of my statement; the cell door was being unlocked by one of the guards. He had a gruff expression to his face.

"David wants to talk to the two of you. You're coming with us." He declared, using his horn to levitate his carried spear to Shane's neck. "Try to escape, and you're dead. look at me funny, and you're dead. Talk-"

"-And we're dead, we get it. We're not idiots." I growled, standing up and standing next to Shane. My fist remained clenched. "You must be pretty daft to be threatening aliens you know."

"David told us your soft spots. The head, the heart, the neck. If you try to escape, the ankles are the place to strike." The guard explained, putting another spear to my neck. While it'd probably be more practical to use a dagger or something, I wasn't about to lecture the guard on how to keep prisoners.

"Yeah, fuck that. I'd rather wait here until I'm sure I won't do something I'll regret when I see David. So if you could ju-" My remark was cut short by the guard, who felt it was necessary to dig a light cut in the side of my neck. "Hey, what the hell man!!"

"That wasn't a request, it was an order! Move it beast!" The guard commanded, a dark and threatening glare viewable from he's bright green eyes. I didn't exactly want to try his patience after that, so I just did what he said.

"You know, you're going to regret that later. Mark my works." I threatened the guard, who simply shrugged off the comment. I turned to face Twilight before I left. "Don't worry. I'll get us out of here, all of us."

"I hope you do… Celestia looks like she can't take any more of this." Twilight muttered, looking over to her currently hyperventilating Mentor. Jeez, someone get that pony a stress ball!

"Are you death of something? Move it human!" The guard once again shouted, using the reverse end of the spear to push me forward. I'd make a move on him now, but I think it'd be better to get in a word with David first. Perhaps he's sane enough to give us answers.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I couldn't exactly recall exactly how long getting out of the dungeons took. It could've been three minutes, but if felt like half an hour to me. Guess that's what happens when you're guard is a bitch who remains silent and expects you to do the same. Never thought I'd miss Pinkie, but I really enjoy conversation. This was just torture.

However long our little trek took, we eventually found ourselves back in the throne room, with some minor changes… and by that, the room went to shit. The regal carpet that should lead to Celestia's throne was torn and ripped in more than one spot, most of the plant pots were also smashed, and the room seemed generally crap. I could see David off to the side, working in the same room he revealed himself from. He looked slightly stressed, his usually neat hair having gone rugged and spiky, but he still retained an oddly devious smile.

"Any news on Luna yet?" David asked one of his nearby guards, who seemed to be reading from a pile of documents.

"It appears she took a visit Trottingham two days ago, and was planning on returning some point tomorrow." The guard said, placing down the paperwork. "Celestia sent her sister a letter about the chance of attack, but she's yet to get a reply from her."

"Great, looks like we've got a suspicious alicorn to deal with. Have the squ-" David was about to say, before noticing me and Shane were present. "We'll continue this later. Just have the guards to begin regular patrols of the castle and report back later."

"Alright sir. Whatever you wish." The guard said, leaving the room to is three humans and our guard. David focused his attention on the guard.

"Undo their shackles." David instructed the guard, who gave off a weird expression.

"Sir, they're not trustworthy. Why should I un-" the guard blurted out, before being picked up by the neck by David, getting a somewhat unsettling galire from him.

"I never asked for your opinion solider! Undo their shackles and leave, that's an order!" He yelled, the sheer level of intimidation from his voice catching even Shane off-guard. He dropped the guy, who did as he asked, unlocking our shackles and left. "Sorry about that guy. He has some serious anger issues."

"Yeah, speaking of issues, what's your problem man?!" I shouted, trying to stop myself from beating him senseless. Hurting me was one thing, but getting everyone else involved was a step too far. "Your first plan after arriving on a new planet… is to raise an army and take over the government? Of all the insane things that's happened to me on this planet, that one takes the cake!"

"Calm down Marc, it's alright." Shane said, placing his hand on my shoulder to keep me calm. He then turned to face David. "I don't know you as well as Marc, so give me a simple answer; what the hell is going on?"

David sighed. "Okay, just… listen. It's simple once you know what's happening behind the scenes." He moved to sit down on a nearby chair, gesturing to two others nearby him. Me and Shane took those seats. "If I might ask; how did you guys get out of your pods?"

"Easy; My ships AI fragment opened my pod for me." I answered, shifting slightly in my seat.

"Same for me. My ships AI seemed to die directly afterwards, but it worked at least." Shane added. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I wasn't woken up by an AI; a dragon crashed into my ship while it was landing and caused the whole thing to tear apart, including my pod. It nearly killed me." David explained, looking down as a seriously large gash on his arm. It still looked like it was healing. "After that, I was taken in."

"Taken in… by who?" I asked.

"Queen Chrysalis of the Changlings. It's thanks to her I'm still in one piece." David told us, turning to a couple of the guards outside. "Hey guys, show him what I'm talking about!"

As if out of nowhere, the two normal-looking Canterlot guard rogues were coated in a peculiar green aura. This quickly began to travel the lengths of their entire body, slowly revealing what was supposedly their true forms. They… were basically ponies, but entirely black, bug-like and filled with holes that made them comparable to black Swiss cheese. I would've been shocked, but they're not the weirdest thing I've seen this far… but it was for Shane. Ooh his face, he looked terrified.

"How… what… but… how?" Shane blurted out, not able to fully understand what just happened. As for me, I remained distant. And by that, I moved straight over to the other side of the room out of discomfort.

"Shape-shifters? That's cool but… really unsettling!" I said, looking to David in disbelief. "Dude, these things are the ones who saved you?! They're weird as hell!… no offence."

"Appearances aren't what matters. What's important is that they look out for me. They're the reason the infiltration went so well."

A sceptic look filled my face. "Wait a minute… if these 'changelings' are capable of shape-shifting, how do I know you're actually David?" I asked.

"Oh, you're playing that card, eh? Alright, what do I have to say? We met at project horizon. You have an unhealthy obsession with coca-cola. You always had dreams where you were in RWBY and were banging--"

"-Okay, you're David! Just don't finish that story!" I yelled, covering David's mouth before he could finish the story. All that could escape was a quiet chuckle. "You're evil, you know that?"

David moved my hand. "Come on man. I know Weiss is a decent character, but there are limits to what's acceptable to imagine." He moved over to the window. "Chrysalis wants Canterlot for herself. Changelings feed off love, so they need a steady source. If the queen wills it, then I will deliver what's she wants."

"Dude, this isn't like you. Helping a greater cause? Yeah, I can see that. But strategised attacks and stealing from a crown state? You don't have the balls for that." I told him, much calmer that I had his motives.

"I'm doing what needs to be done. The Changlings have been discriminated and feared their entire existence. I'm helping them!" David defended, looking over to the two guards he called. "They save me, I help them. That's how it works."

"And you should know that violence isn't the way to earn peace!" Shane interrupted, his clear thinking having returned to him. "If you want peace, you need to work with the likes of Celestia, not imprison her. I'd expect you of all people to understand that. We survived Earth! We all know where war leads to."

David paused, sighing and clenching his fist. "And you should know that racism and discrimination doesn't fade that easily! In the past, large-scale wars and calamities are what brought our people together. It's how women got the vote, and it's how we're going to get the respect that the Changlings deserve!" David walked over to me. "Because do you know what snuffs out hate?… Fear."

"… I don't have a clue what's going on David, or why you felt it necessary to tell us this, but it's wrong. Violence is never the answer!" I yelled, hurt by the fact David would ever revert to this manner of thinking. Something about this whole thing didn't feel right. This was definitely David, but he's thinking in the polar opposite of what I'm used to.

"Hmm… ironic considering your first actions on this planet. Slaying an Omega Timberwolf? I've heard those things have laid waste to whole towns." David commented, picking up a nearby illustration of the creature from the nearby coffee table.

"That was different. That thing was going to kill me! Is self-defence not relevant?" I claimed in my defence, squaring up to David in an attempt to show some form of authority, or to intimidate him into changing the subject.

"You know, I originally intended on asking you if you wanted to help us. To stand alongside me as we claim this planet. But now… I don't think it's worth asking." David growled, staring me in the eye with his deeply green eyes… wait, green eyes? That can't be right.

I didn't pay that fact much attention at the moment. I was too mad. "You think we'd join you? I thought you were the smart one. You know I wouldn't want a part in this! I'd rather rot in jail for eternity than help anyone conquer the planet!"

"… that can be arranged." David sniggered, sending a hand signal to the guards outside, who approached us with weapons in hoof. "If you don't wish to help me, then you can die with the rest of them. I don't have time for traitors."

I was about to continue my rant to my supposed 'friend', but Shane intervened, pulling me back from the shoulder.

"Marc… calm down. Don't do anything you'll regret." Shane told me, leading me towards the guards who would lead us back to our cells. He then turned back to David. "I don't know what you've been through with the Changelings, but if you do anything to harm either me or Marc, then you'll be sorry."

David let off a sinister grin. "Oh, that's the least if your worries… goodbye Shane."

Shane eventually joined me in returning to the prison, looking over at me. I was in thought, and Shane likely picked up on that.

"You figured something out, haven't you?" He asked.

"David's eyes… they should be blue… but they were green." I claimed, having finally figured out what was bothering me so much.

"So what, that's not David? You said yourself that he is the real deal. Second thoughts?" Shane guessed, trying to come to some kind of conclusion himself.

"No, it's definitely him. His memories are proof of that. The abnormalities are the changes in his personality and his aggression… perhaps he's possessed or something?"

"It seems the redhead caught on pretty quick, didn't he?" One of the guards behind us whispered, getting slightly closer to us to avoid making too much noise. He was an aqua Pegasus with short, blonde hair. He was also clad in golden armour, silver chain-mail underneath. "Don't worry, I'm not one of them. I'm here to help you."

"If that's the case, then actions speak louder than words. Prove it." Shane muttered back, trying to keep his deep voice from attracting the other guards. Luckily, they were wearing helmets, so they couldn't hear us. Not sure how, given the helmets were metal and didn't cover the ears, but I wasn't going to analyse that right now.

Seriously, are all the ponies in this world so bloody oblivious? If so, this is gonna get old quickly.

"Then wait for my signal." The sane guard said. "On my mark, we take out the other three guards, one each. Got it?"

I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Perhaps this was a trick, but if this guard wanted to help, then going along with him would be smart. If it comes down to it, we'll just knock him out too. So I nodded.

"Okay… now!" He yelled, tackling the only unicorn guard and bashing him in the horn. This caused the weapons levitated at out necks to drop to the floor.

The other Pegasus guard behind me tried to crash into me, but I responded by grabbing his wings and dragging him to the floor. After that, I kicked him in the neck to knock him out. As for Shane… he threw the remaining guard, an earth pony, Into a statue roughly twenty yards away from us, causing them to go limp. Well… that was underwhelming.

"Nice moves gentlemen, thanks for the assist." The solider said, standing at salute for us. "I'm captain Flowers, a captain of the royal guard. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

While I still felt a little sceptic of Flowers, I guess I still owed him for helping us out, so I lowered my guard slightly. "Wish I could say the same. The best I've seen from your soldiers is knocking me out and mild discrimination."

"Marc, he just helped us. Give the guy a break." Shane told me, holding his hand oh for a hand/hoof shake. "The pleasure is all ours. Although, I must ask this, how do I know you're not either a Changling, or being hypnotised by them?"

"I guess you just have to go off my word. I have no proof." Flowers declared, looking down at the eyes if the unicorn he knocked out. While they originally appeared green, they slowly turned into a brown colour. "If it's any consolation, I can prove your hypnotism theory. These men are, without doubt, my soldiers. Their eye colours changed to green, and they began to act odd. I avoided the radar because my eyes are naturally green."

"Hmm… so green eyes are a sign of possession, or that they're a changeling… got it." Shane noted, looking as the pony he threw revered to their changeling form, still out cold. However, all his theory did for me was make me even more angry.

"This is Chrysalis, isn't it? She hypnotised him!" I yelled, looking down at the slowly awakening soldiers. I then decided my anger could wait for later, given it wasn't the time or place. "Sorry, it's just… where I come from, I was known for my loyalty. Seeing my friend hypnotised is… wrong."

"Don't worry son, I know how you feel." Flowers said calmly, placing his wing against my back in support, given his smaller size would make using his hoof otherwise awkward. "The same happened to my squads. I see where you're coming from… but we should save that for later. I need you two to help me out a bit."

I'm not sure what it was, but captain Flowers seemed trustworthy. It was likely my respect for authority figures, or my time in project horizons militaristic setting. Either way, I owed the captain a favour.

"Sure thing. We owe you one anyway." I declared, a nod from Shane confirming this.

"Alright, here's my plan; I know of a few other guards who broke free of their hypnotism. I'm planning on gathering them and taking back the castle. To do this, we need to take care of David. Now, thats where you guys come in…"

"Woah, we're not going to kill him, alright? David's my friend. I don't care what he's done, he's being controlled!" I defended my friend. I don't care about the situation at hand, I refuse to kill someone I've known for so long.

"Slow down there, nopony is killing anyone, and I know he's being controlled. All I need you to do is buy me some time to gather my ponies." Flowers explained, raising his wings in defence… do most Pegausi use their wings like hands here, or is it just him?

"So you want us to cause a distraction… that's easily doable, so Conciser it done." Shane declared, no doubt having come up with a plan. He gave me a quick nod. "We'll meet you in the throne room. Me and Marc are going to… gather some reinforcements of our own."

"Got it kid. I wish you the best of luck." Flowers said, saluting and running off down a corridor. As such, me and Shane did the same in another direction, heading back to the dungeons.

"Woah, wait a minute." I paused, quickly turning around and returning to the knocked out guards. After a quick scramble, I grabbed one of the spears off the floor and ran back to Shane. "No bloody swords, no daggers, nothing. It's better than nothing, but I fucking hate spears."

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth… gift pony, whatever. At least you have a weapon." Shane told me, returning to our sprint. A couple of hypno-guards ended up crossing our path, but a kick to the face plus our momentum meant they were out almost as fast as they appeared.

"You know, I almost feel bad for those guys." I muttered, stopping to scan the guards for weaponry. But no, just spears. I groaned.

"Don't. Knocking them out is the nicest thing we can do for them. It fixes them… I think." Shane told me, quickly turning around… and running straight into a suit of armour on display.

"Ha! Not fun when you're the one getting hurt, is it?" I sniggered, finding the change around a little ironic. "Come on, get up. We need to he the others."

Shane groaned, lifting several armour plates from him. "Still not sure how we're going to get past those locks. If we can't find the… hold on." Shane looked at the pile of disassembled armour. "… actually, I've got a plan."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"INCOMING!!" I yelled at the top of my voice as me and Shane bursted into the castle dungeon… his idea. There were three guards in the room, and Shane asked me to take out any of the ones that got in his way. He planned on busting open the cells.

'How will he do that?' I can probably hear you ask. Well, let's just say I wasn't the only one to arm myself with weaponry we found. That's the most subtle way of me saying he'd found a new hammer, claimed from the collapsed suit of pony armour Shane tripped over. Copper plated with a diamond tips here and there. These ponies must pay a fortune to have this many gems lying around.
…
Anyway, let's move on. I already knocked out one of the guards by the entrance, and just succeeded in taking out a pesky unicorn guard. All that left was one earth who attempted to dart at Shane. Too bad momentum was a thing. Shane tripped up, but the much smaller guard fell over with him, and while I had the chance, I kicked them in the head to knock them out.

"Your job was to knock them out and keep them out of my path!" Shane shouted, silently groaning as he got back to his feet. He landed on his new hammer, so he was thoroughly winded.

"What's going on?!" Celestia shouted, rushing over to the entrance of her cell. Her time alone clearly hadn't done much good for her mental state, as two long, black tear streams had formed under her eyes.

"Princess, I'd move back if I were you." I warned the princess, as Shane was beginning to approach her cell.

Celestia moved to the side of the cell, away from the door. That was when Shane decided to take a decent swing at the cells lock… It didn't do anything other than dent the lock, but a second swing saw the door flies open in no time, releasing the princess. As such, she quickly ran out of the cell and nearly fell to the floor, breathing heavily. A look of relief was imprinted on her face.

"T-Thank you…" She whispered, a sigh of relief finally escaping her. I couldn't help but smile at this. Stress and fear does to someone.

"Took you guys long enough! What was taking you so long?" Rainbow complained, immediately stretching her wings for her expected rescue.

"It's a long story, but I can give you key moments." I explained, Shane moving over to knock open the next door. "David is possessed by Changlings, who've also infiltrated the guards ranks. We were saved by this dude called Captain flowers, and Shane found a new hammer. That's about it."

"Wait, Changelings? Here!?" Celestia yelled, getting back to her hooves and beginning to approach the door.

"Woah, slow down princess. It's fine, we've got a plan." I told her, momentarily wincing as Shane unlocked the second of the three cells. Twi, Rainbow and Pinkie then walked out.

"What's this about a plan?" Twilight asked.

"Me and Marc were tasked by the captain to cause a distraction for David while he gathers his own troops. We're planning on heading to the throne room and… well, distracting him." Shane explained, aiming at the lock of the third cell.

I began to try remove the inhibitor ring from Celestia's horn. "But we can't actually make any lasting damage on anyone, human or ponies alike. They're not in control as of right now, and we believe knocking them out is the easiest way to snap them out of it."

"Well, seeing as how often Marc gets knocked out…" rainbow sniggered.

"Shut up, that was from brutal injury and dehydration… and being caught off guard." I argued back, the slight spike of irritation causing me to fully yank off the inhibitor ring, allowing Celestia to use her magic again.

"Well, if an evil force is ultimately at play here, then it looks like the situation calls for one thing; the elements of harmony." Celestia declared, looking over to Shane as he released the remaining three. After that, she approached Twilight and Rarity, using her regained magic to remove their inhibitor rings.

After hearing the name of the earlier-mentioned all-powerful weapon, I winced. "Hold on, I did just explain David is being possessed, right? That means we can't kill him, not 'blow him to hell with megaspells' or some shit!"

"You misunderstand. The elements won't kill your friend, they'll purge the dark energy from his body." Celestia explained, standing up and looking me in the eyes… she's the same size as me, if you take her horn into account. "I promise you this; after all this is over, your friend will be kept alive. You have my word."

I sighed. Celestia's calm and confident energy had almost entirely returning, aside from a slightly shaking front hoof.

"Okay… then we should move. If we make a move, we make it now." I declared, moving out of the way as every pony in the room ran out of the room. I then looked over to Shane, who was checking the remaining cells, which were all empty. He had a perplexed look on his face. "Hey man, what's got you bugged?"

He turned around. "What happened to Spike and Foalen?"

--- meanwhile ---

In the middle of Canterlot's restaurant district, Spike and and Foalen were sat at a noodle cart. Foalen was scoffing down a reasonably helping of said dish, while Spike simply sat there and twirled his fork in his dish.

"Do you think everypony is wondering where we are by now?" Spike asked Foalen, dropping his fork and shifting in his seat. The young prince didn't really pay this much attention however, choosing to simply continue to eat.

"Probably." Foalen mumbled with his mouth full, swallowing what he was eating and taking another mouthful of food. As such, spike turned back to his bowl.

"Twilight is going to kill me once this is all over." He muttered, taking a sceptic bite of his noodles. His face seemed disappointed after the first mouthful, as he pushed his bowl forward. "Hey waiter, you got any emerald to go with this?"

--- back at the dungeon ---

I thought hard about Shane's question, but I couldn't find a single idea as to where the others went to.

"Nope, not a clue! Here's to hoping they avoided all of this somehow." I mumbled, moving over to the doorway. "Come on, we need to catch up with the others. They might be small, but my god are they fast!"

"I'm aware of that. We should move." Shane agreed, swiftly bolting out of the door just before me. After a quick look at the floor for the slowly recovering guards, I decided to join everyone else. I don't want to be delayed by a complicated explanation to some grouchy guards, thank you very much. Let's leave that to Captain flowers after all this is over.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a few minutes of all-out sprinting, me and Shane had finally managed to catch up with everyone else, who were sprinting in the direction of the castles throne room, and to David. While I wasn't quite sure why we were heading this way, rather than to the elements, I guessed they had good reason for it. As such, I felt I should ask.

"Anyone going to explain why we're heading directly towards David, rather than those element things?" Shane asked, now running side-by-side with Celestia.

"The quickest way to the elements are through a pathway behind the throne room." Celestia explained. "In order to retrieve them, we'll need you to distract David while Twilight and her friends make their way through to them."

I stopped running. "We have to go through the throne room… the room the guards are in… and the room David has albeit called his base. Anyone else seeing the issue here?"

"Marc, shut up. This isn't the time." Shane instructed, having clearly once again taken the leader position. Not that I cared, rather him than me. "Don't worry about it. As long as Marc pulls off his usual tricks, we should be able to keep them busy long enough for you to get out of sight."

"Celestia, I'd suggest you make a break for it. You need to warn your subjects and sister about all this, before everything kicks off." I suggested.

Celestia stopped and looked at me, as I stopped aswell. "Marc, I need to be here. If anything happened while I was gone, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I'm staying."

"Celestia, I know you want to go, so take it from me." I paled my hand in what I beloved was her shoulder. "I know how it feels to have a sibling at risk. You're probably worse off, you've also got your subjects to worry about… just go. We can't risk anything happening to you."

"Okay… I'll go. Good luck everypony. And Marc?" Celestia asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine… I just want to apologise for damaged ahead of time. Now go."

And like that, Celestia was gone. She flew through a nearby window and managed to escape. After that, we all continued to head towards the throne room, managing to make it to the large doors just in front of it. I was about to open the door, when…

"So, you continue to defy me… a pity." I heard come from directly behind us, showing David standing there. He was unarmed, but was stood next to a pair of his guards, each with spear in hoof… and telekinetic hold.

"Ok David, if you could quit acting like such a bloody prick at some point, that'd be pretty nice!" I groaned, grabbing the spear I'd attached to my back and pointing it his way.

"Oh, you're actually willing to attack me? Ooh, I'm so scared!" David chuckled, turning to his guards. "They won't hurt me, don't worry. Just immobilise them again and--"

Any more of David's cocky commands were cut short by Shane grabbing him by the neck, causing David to struggle in his grip.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say? We won't hurt you?" Shane asked, simply watching as David struggled to breathe. "We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to. Our task is to knock you out. That'll snap you out o--"

This time, Shane was the one interrupted, as David took the opportunity to grab a knife from his jacket and plant it into Shane's arm, hitting a tonne of muscle and releasing Shane's grip. After getting back to his feet and regaining his composure, he chuckled.

"Well, aren't you tough, eh Shawn?" David sniggered, watching as Shane kneeled on the floor, holding his injured arm firmly. "I'm warning you now; I'm more than willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to do my queens bidding. If that means harming my own kind, so be it."

I suddenly noticed Shane's expression change. He usually remains blank, withholding most of his emotion outside of speech and hand gestures. His face only usually portrayed… confusion, maybe even annoyance or other emotions. But this was new, even to me, through all the years I knew him.

I saw raw, unbridled rage. Not the typical anger, something I regularly saw from his confrontations with Joseph. His anger was a mere firecracker compared to this state, which was like a nuke going off in my face. I could feel the immediate change of emotion, like hulk, Yang, agent Texas and Whinry rockbell were all pissed off ad once.

"I told you… IT'S SHANE!!" He albeit screeched, grabbing David once again by the neck, throwing him into the throne room door and sending David hurtling into Celestia's throne… I don't think that'll buff out.

The guards that lined the room simply looked on in horror, the force of Shane's throw albeit paralysing them with fear. I couldn't help but feel their immediate gaze locking onto all of us. I couldn't see much of a way out of this situation, unless someone felt like delivering a speech, or some intimidating one liner that'd miraculously ward off the guards. But this isn't some wacky TV show, this is real. That isn't going to-

"Get out." Shane initially mumbled, giving all the guards a collective glair. "NOW!!" As soon as Shane's tone of voice changed, a good 3/4 of the guards currently in the room, we're no longer in the room. They either ran past up, jumped out of the windows or teleported away. The five or six guards that remained surrounding David, helping him back up.

David hadn't been knocked out.

"Well, that was certainly a thing…" David groaned, flexing his shoulder while using his other arm to balance on one of the pony guards for support. Safe to say he easily recovered, soon ridding himself of that support and handling his own weight and approaching Shane. "It's disappointing, now I'm truly going to regret what follows."

"I DON--" Shane began to yell, only being stopped by yours truly grabbing his shoulder calmly, turning him around.

"Shane, stand back. From here on in, this is my fight." I told him, pushing him backwards and taking his position. "All he did was stab you and get your name wrong… but his betrayal is an even bigger wound for me…"

"No, you're not fighting alone! He's too tough dammit, he's sneaky!" Shane argued, trying to steadily walk forward, but was held back by Fluttershy. Remind me to thank her later.

"I've already told you this; you're the smart one Shane. You need to calm down, then you can fight." I told him, turning around and facing David. "Sorry about that, family issues. I'm up next."

"Ooh, so scary!" David chuckled, waving his arms around lightly and rolling his eyes."If that mental meathead couldn't scratch me, what makes you think and a chnace?"

"You think you can out-cocky a Brit? Fat chance of that." I declared, stabbing my spear in the ground and approaching him.

"And you think you can prove that by ditching your weapon? That's not cocky, that's stupid."

This time, I rolled my eyes. I spread my legs apart and raised my hands. "Then come at me!"

As if my threat was a command, David made his way towards me, running from the throne all the way to me. After that, he pushed himself off the ground with his right foot and gave me a right jab. I countered this by grabbing his arm and punching him in the joint.

After staggering backwards and composing himself, David launched his left fist at me. I responded by grabbing his arm and throwing him over my shoulder. After that, I kicked him in the neck.

What came next was… a dick move, so to say. And by that, I got kicked in the nads and got pushed backwards, giving David space to get up. After which, David went to tackle me.

Bad move. While hurting my groin slightly, I jumped to the left in order to avoid his attack, kicking his stomachs in the process. He rolled of to the side, slowly getting up yet again.

"Question David; back at project horizon, who was one of the best at close quarters combat during training?" I asked him, his silence as his response. "I was. After all, you don't get beaten up by your mother during training for years without picking up some tricks yourself."

"Shut up!" David groaned, rolling into an upright position and slowly getting back to his feet. "I don't care about your depressing family issues… stop digging it in. Looking for sympathy points… We had families too! I had a family! Do you see me cry for them, bring up their death?! No, so shut up!"

In a fit of rage, I could see David full-on sprinting towards me, a rage burning in his eyes. I was about to respond the only way I knew how, by entering a defensive stance and preparing his next move… but that didn't happen.

Instead, I was grabbed and thrown to the side my Shane, who took my place in the action. Wether this was a good or bad thing was decided right now, as Shane stood in for the attack I was about to receive… a stab to the chest.

He heart sank as soon as I heard David's dagger pierce Shane's skin. by the time Shane realised what'd happened, David dragged the dagger out of his body at an angle, causing blood to splatter across the floor, and David. Shane then fell to the floor.

If Shane didn't… that would've been me.

"Shane!!" I screamed, frantically crawling over to my friend and searching his body for any sign of life. In the background, I could hear David snigger.

"Haha… oh well, stuff happens I guess. He can only blame himself for that." He said coldly, walking away slightly to gloat. "You'd better brace yourself Marcus, you'll be next."

"No, dammit Shane! Your stronger than this, get up!" I frantically pressed his wound, trying to stop the blood flow. In the end, I grabbed my spear and tore off some of my shirt, making a makeshift bandage to cover the wound. He still had a pulse, but if he didn't get help soon, then… I can't say what'll happen to him.

David turned to his turncoats. "Celestia's stooges broke through. I don't know what they're up to, but stop them before they cause any more trouble." He told them, watching as they all scurried through the pathway to the elements. David remained, looking down at me. "If you chose to side with me, none of this would've happened. So this… this is your fault."

I couldn't bring myself to say anything, so I simply chose to give him the most dark and pissed off face I could muster. My death stare… it didn't work. It only made David laugh more.

"Ha! Did I finally shut you up? I didn't even know that's possible!" David grabbed me by the shoulder and looking me in the eye. "Don't worry, you'll join him soon enough… I'm sorry there wasn't another way."

Now… that would've been me done, but it seemed fate was on my side. In an instant, the throne room doors swung open, and several of the stained glass windows were smashed, causing a small battalion of twelve or so guards to come bursting in. Almost milliseconds later, a familiar blue blur crashed into David, sending him flying. I looked up to see Captain Flowers hovering directly over me, holding a spear in his left hoof and a stern look on his face.

"Sorry I'm late. Turns out there were more soldiers safe than I expected." Flowers told me, lowering to the ground and looking over Shane with me. "Let me guess, David happened."

"Yes… he's still alive, just out cold." I told the Captain, having found my voice again. "If you have any medics, we need to get him stable. He has a stab wound dangerously close to his heart and lungs, and he losing blood fast."

"You heard him boys! All squad medics, double time!" Flowers barked at his men, resulting in five ponies coming up and immediately scanning his body for wounds. Like eagles to their prey, although hopefully they wouldn't devour him or anything. "Don't worry kiddo, these ponies are the best if the best. They'll have your buddy up and about in no time!"

"T-Thanks…" I said shakily, watching as a group of strangers did more for my friend than I could. Despite this, I knew I had to focus. There was more than just Shane on the line here, and I had to push everything to the side while I focused on them. I had to forget about the risks of injury, the fact I was facing a friend and… the number of guards around at the time. I had a job and I was sticking to it. "Twilight and her friends went to retrieve the elements, but Shane sent guards down that way after them."

"Understood, I'll sort that out." Flowers told me, turning to his squad. "Everypony but Shining armour and Silent Swordsmare, locate the mane 6 and get them and the elements here safely!"

Without hesitation, said guards flowed down the hallway, leaving myself, Flowers and two of his men… or ponies. Whatever. Point is that David was getting back up and ready for round two.

"Lieutenant Silent Swordsmare and Sargent Shining armour. your objective is to assist the human and myself in knocking out his friend, or at the very least, buy enough time for the element bearers to arrive. Understood?!" The captain asked his solders. He got a nod from Silent Swordsmare, likely all he'll get considering her name.

"Sir, I'll fight with my life on the line if it means helping my sister!" Shining Armour responded, firmly saluted his Captain. I wasn't sure who his sister is, but she'd probably be glad to have him looking out for her.

"Alright son, we've got our squad. We'll help you the best we can." Flowers told me, lowering his belly to the ground and raising his wings, likely a defensive stance. "Is there anything else you need?"

I clenched my fist. I knew what I needed to fight at my best, but said item would also likely hurt David… but I already promised to put that aside for now. So I sighed.

"… somebody get me a sword."

Author's Note

Yaayy… cliffhangers are fun… not.
I really didn't want to cut things here, but the word count kept in creeping up and up and… I didn't want to delay the chapter more than I already have.
I can promise the Canterlot stuff will be complete by next chapter though, the. I can take a break for a bit… hopefully…

Chapter 10;* Glory

Allow me to set the scene; I was stood side-to side with three alien pony royal guards, facing my brainwashed best friend David… who just knocked out Shane, the closest person I have to family… yeah, how did things get this bad again?

Well, I didn't really have any space or time to analyse my situation at the moment, given David decided it was best to swing for me. Not with his fists, a fucking sword! Yeah, I know I asked for one, but only because that would be the only edge I'd have over him… until he got his own.

This is the reason he currently has me against the wall; he's using a sword, whereas I'm using a weapon I'm not familiar with, because while they look similar, a sword and katana are two distinctly different weapons, especially how I use them. Swords are thicker with a hand guard, usually used to get the enemy close, whereas a katana is curved, and is used to cut through attacks and directly hit the enemy.

Regardless of this disadvantage, David still wasn't going easy on me. Constant strikes and blows, which I'd have to parry and block while I was pushed back further. I was already struggling to fight my friend as it was, but the fact he's this good made things that much worse for me.

"David, fuck sake, stop!" I yelled, a pretty pathetic attempt to hit the pause button, as David simply continued, or if anything, hit increasingly harder.

"W-what's wrong… Rusty, out of breath?!" David panted, breathing heavily and shaking as he held his sword, which now rested on the ground for a minute.

I chuckled. "Nope, I'm fine. Just trying to avoid hurting you. After all, you're not really the best fighter." I had to at least try to bluff, but David caught me out.

"Yeah… sure. Whatever keeps you up at night!" David groaned, swinging his sword at me once again. I was easily prepared for this, and parried his blow to the side. "God dammit! I thought you didn't want to fight!"

"No, I don't…" I looked back at Shane, who was now in a slightly stable state, albeit unable to be moved due to his state. "… but I have something to fight for… and if you mess with my family, you mess with me."

David's grip went firm. "I told you… shut up!!" In a burst of speed and a fit of anger, David lunged towards me with his blade in hand, going at a speed I knew I was unprepared for. Regardless of this, I raised my blade and prepared for his attack.

However, before the attack could land, David immediately shifted his position to counter an incoming attack from one of Captain Flowers’ soldiers. I believe it was… silent Swordsmare, using a spell that caused her horn to manifest a giant sword from it. Aside from mental flashbacks to the Pokémon Keldeo, I was shocked by this move, albeit in awe.

David backed off for a moment, allowing me and Swordsmare the opportunity to catch our breath.

"Thanks miss," I said to the mare, only getting a stern stare and a nod before she backed back off to the rest of her squad. Looking back, I saw a glimpse of Captain Flowers.

"We figured this was your fight, so we're leaving you to it," the captain told me, drawing his attention to Shane's state for a moment. "We'll help you out if things look dicey, but I don't really think it's right to get involved."

"This fight would probably be finished in two minutes if you helped, but whatever. I can—" My statement was cut short by one of David's remaining guards charging at me, only giving me a brief moment to dodge. "Why must everything in this fucking world interrupt me while I'm talking!?"

"Newsflash Marc; we're fighting, so pay attention!" David growled, once again beginning his attack. In the end, I got a slight gash to my waist, which stung like a bitch. Aside from that, I avoided any major damage.

"Okay, so that's how you're playing it?" I groaned, choosing to try ignore as much pain I could, which included the annoyingly large headache David was currently giving me. I had to think of a plan.

I looked just past David. "Look, a distraction!" I yelled.

David scoffed, preparing to charge at me again. "Yeah, that trick doesn't work o-" David took a kick in the nads, courtesy of Shining Armour.

What? I tried to warn him.

"I'm willing to guess that's where you humans hold your 'package'?" Shining chuckled cockily, moving up next to me.

"Ooh… dick move," I groaned, laughing at my unintended pun. "Thanks for that. A bit of humour is just what I needed."

"Nice to see the alien has the sense of humour… now we need to focus. I'm not sure how long that'll keep him down."

I scoffed. "You don't know? Come on man, we've all been hit down there at least once. From experience, I'd say we've got a minimum of two minutes."

And David got back up… great…

"Or instantly, given how everyone and everything likes to prove me wrong today!" I groaned, turning to Sergeant. "You got any ideas?"

"I don't want to be the one to say 'hit him harder', but that's all that comes to mind right now."

I let out a cheeky smirk. "Well if that's the best we've got, then we just need to go with instinct." And thus, with a unified nod, me and Shining both ran directly towards David, up until the point where he let me get the first strike.

I only targeted the 'safe' areas if his body, those that'd only cause minor damage if I hit them. To no surprise, David was able to block a vast majority of them, all except a blow to his kneecap, which sent him falling to his knees. He let out a low groan.

"Ugh, looks like you've grown some balls…" he groaned, slowly getting back into his feet and drawing his blade. When he charged at me this time, I was prepared. I grabbed his sword’s handle and threw it into a nearby wall, causing it to get stuck.
Realising this, David pulled out his dagger and ducked under my sword swing to his shoulder, giving him a decent shot to my ribs.

Or that would be the case if it wasn't blocked by a small, round holographic shield that blocked the attack, causing David to jolt backwards in shock. I simply looked back at Shining, who was the one casting said spell.

"Don't worry, I've got your front. Just keep him at distance and we should be able to draw this out long enough for help to arrive."

I nodded in confirmation to his message, tightening the grip on my sword and charging towards David. With nothing to defend himself, David could only dodge my swift onslaught of attacks hurtling his way, as I expected him to. David may not be too strong, but like me, he had a certain haste to him. You could tell he ate his lucky charms… ooh, all the Irish jokes I could make.

As I went for another heavy strike, I was countered as David grabbed my wrist. I was expecting him to go for a finishing blow, but he instead took the opportunity to roll over me, kicking me in the back to stun me as he gathered more distance between us.

My heart sped up tenfold as I realised what direction he'd headed in, but by the time I was able to react, he was already in position.

David was now crouched on top of Shane, a dagger pressing lightly against his wind pipe. Captain Flowers and Silent Swordsmare were nearby, but were also caught off-guard by David's move. This didn't stop Swordsmare from casting a sword spell in David's direction, but that clearly wasn’t enough leverage. David's chilling grin returned to his face.

"Make even the slightest movement, and Shane gets sliced up before he even wakes up," David threatened, his gaze switching between myself and Swordsmare, given we were the only two armed, so to speak. "Want to try attack me now?"

After a slight growl from Swordsmare, she backed off, dissipating her aura-composed sword and standing upright. However, I retained my composure and kept looking into David's eyes, not wanting to appear weak.

"So what's your choice Marc? Laying down your weapon, or losing your friend?"

While I was rather shaky, my mind had already made its decision, and I planted my sword into the ground. From there, I shifted back.

"You win… now leave Shane out of this!" I yelled, my throat feeling shaky while my heart felt cold. I was terrified.

David lifted himself slightly, playing with the dagger in his hand. "Well… I could do that. Then again, I do owe Shane for that punch he gave me earlier. So… yep, he's getting diced!"

My heart sank as I saw David's dagger suddenly plunge downwards towards Shane's chest. To me, that moment went by slowly, as I realised how useless I was in this situation. I couldn't do anything, and that feeling hit me like a sudden gust of wind to my chest with the force of a hammer…

… except that actually happened. I noticed almost immediately that Captain Flowers reacted significantly faster than the rest of the room combined. He shot straight towards David, his face tensed and wings spread only slightly apart.

He landed directly in front of David, using all the momentum gathered from his boost to give David an incredibly strong buck to the stomach. Unfortunately, David was not only grounded, but as already evidenced, had incredible durability. As such, whatever recoil was placed on his dagger only led to it finding a new target.

…

Captain Flowers’ right wing joint.

The sound was utterly gruelling, like when you twist your neck as it aches, but so much worse. Then a splash of blood came out, partially hitting David's clothes. Then David pulled the dagger back, removing the wing entirely, and causing Flowers to yell out in pain.

"Captain!!" Shining and (surprisingly) Swordsmare yelled in unison, charging towards David with angry looks filling their faces. In return, David kicked Flowers towards them, the three of them falling to the ground. I ran over to them, quickly lowering myself and checking over them.

"Flowers, are you alright?" I asked, shifting him from under his soldiers and looking at his injury. I didn't know much pony biology, but it seemed like the whole wing was severed from its joint, leaving nothing but a small bone in its stead.

Flowers winced, his opposite wing twitching slightly. "I-I'm… I'm fine. I can still… fight."

"Sir, you're losing blood, and you've taken a crippling injury! You need to get to safety." Shining argued, attempting to check the wound, but moving his hoof back instantly upon causing the Captain to groan in pain. "You need healing. If you go now, you'll find the healers back in the barracks."

"No! I need to help save David! I wo-" Captain Flowers began to cough, spitting out bits of blood as he did so, his subordinates looking on in horror.

I couldn't stand this. He helped me, so my heart told me I had to do something other than merely spectate. Come on brain, focus here! Take the lead! You hate it, but take, the fucking, lead!

I'd made up my mind. "Swordsmare, take Captain Flowers to a medic. He's in no condition to fight, and he'll likely just get himself even more hurt."

Flowers was shocked. "But Marc… I have t-to help. If something happens-"

"Then I'll take care of it. I don't want you helping me at the cost of yourself," I interrupted .the Captain, giving him facial expression number 26; the persuader.

"But… you're outmatched. What if he tries to go for Shane again?"

"Trust me, I have a plan. Just focus on recovering. I have my-"

"I'm still waiting over here you know!" David yelled, having walked back over to the wall and pulled his sword back out.

I quickly turned back to the group. "Trust me, Shining Armour will cover for Shane, I'll take care of David."

"… alright. Do what needs to be done," Flowers said, having finally seen the obvious. He looked to Shining. "Sergeant, I order you to protect the human known as Shane… and to follow Marc's orders. If necessary, to the final breath… am I clear?"

Shining Armour sighed. "You have my word, sir. I'll follow Marc like morning follows night." He looked to Silent Swordsmare. "Take care of him."

After yet another stern glare and swift nod, Swordsmare picked up Flowers with her aura, placing him on her back and galloped out of the room. After the door closed, I looked towards Shining.

"A bit of a cheesy response, but it's nice you've got my back," I told him, slowly making my way over to Shane. Shining armour followed closely behind.

"The captain likes cheesy. But what I said was true, I've got your back."

I turned to shining. "As I said, cover Shane until he can wake up. I'll take care of David myself."

"Don't get hurt, okay?" Shining told me, a casual smile filling his face.

"Oh don't worry, he'll get plenty hurt!" David yelled, running over to me with his blade in hand. He got within around five feet of me when I grabbed his opposite shoulder and spun him around, causing him to crash into the nearby wall. I took this opportunity to make a dash for my own sword.

However, David recovered far quicker than I expected. He sped forward, having likely bounced off the wall for momentum, and now stood between me and my blade. As such, he timed his swing and attacked me just as I reached him. A quick slide underneath his sword’s path prevented injury, and I managed to spring back to my feet in time to grab my sword.

Now we were on equal footing. By the time David launched his second swing, I'd already drawn out my sword and blocked it, resulting in a pretty well-timed sword-meets-sword moment. We stood on equal footing, neither one of us giving an inch. I bet we could've stayed there like that for hours, but I had a different plan.

Shifting to my right slightly, I allowed David to slip right past me, but not before using a mixture of stored kinetic energy and my right foot to send David's face flying into the ground.

I was about to step on him to hinder his movement, but he grabbed his dagger and swung for my lower leg. Fully aware of all the Achilles heel stories, I bounced out of his path and to safety. This allowed David to stand up.

"Ugh, still prefer to disable than wound, eh? Guess some things never change," David growled, a cocky grin filling his face as he stood up. He now held his sword in one hand, while his dagger was in the other. "But your resolve to not kill is your one weakness!"

And thus began his second phase of attack, starting by throwing his dagger at me, which was easily dodged. However, I wasn't able to dodge his sword, and expected it to hit me dead in the stomach.

…

But it didn't. I was protected by a spell; a shield spell. I could tell by the muffled impact.

"Nice timing, Shining!" I praised my teammate, finally opening my eyes and looking towards the shield that protected me… and the one who conjured it… Shane!

"Not sure who this… 'Shining' person is, but he's not responsible for this," he told me, his voice filled with strain and giving off a slight coarse tone. "Sorry for worrying you, but I believe I can be of use here."

I could hardly believe my eyes. Shane shouldn't have been moving at all with his injuries. But here he was, standing in front of me. I could hardly think of what to say.

Not that an opportunity to speak came, as Shining now appeared behind David, using his shield spell like a riot shield to bash against David. This movement on its own caused a pretty hefty distraction for David, causing him to focus attention on Shining, and giving me and Shane some much-needed breathing room.

As soon as he was able to, Shane dropped his shield and rested on his knee, breathing heavily. A couple of droplets of blood fell from his chest, but were quickly wiped away.

I returned to my senses, kneeling down beside Shane. "Dude, it's nice to see you up and about but I'd suggest getting to safety. You're in no condition to fi-"

"I don't care. This is as much my fight as it is yours," Shane argued, getting back upright on his feet. "Walking away now would mean accepting defeat, and as the virtue of honour, I refuse to be the one to walk away from this."

I sighed. I knew how stubborn Shane was, so there was no use arguing with him.

"…Don't make me regret agreeing to this," I told him, despite my gut heavily telling me to send him away to safety. I knew there wasn't a chance of that happening though, hence my response. Damn, one of the few times I wish I was intimidating…
Shane slowly turned in my direction. "Alright… what's the plan?"

"Same as before; distraction duty," I told him, looking towards David and Shining, who were fighting rather evenly. "Your job is purely support. Don't try anything stupid or take any risks, just protect me whenever I take risks."

"Yeah, because the stupidity is just part of being British, right?" Shane chuckled, looking towards me as I gave him number 6; the 'you're going to die' look. "Okay, I guess I missed the joke window."

"Yes, while you were knocked out. Now come on, we've broken Monty Oum's 'no fighting and talking' rule for long enough," I told Shane, rushing into the fray once again, while Shane stayed back.

This time, I was able to catch David off guard, kicking him in the stomach as he was about to circle around Shining Armour's shield spell. This blow sent him rolling backwards, but he managed to land on his knees and once again ran towards me, swinging his sword towards my torso. I was able to block this, but received a kick to my own stomach for my efforts, sending me falling to the ground and injuring my back on a piece of glass that I landed on.

Shining attempted to hit David with another shield spell, but got too close to David to do so, allowing David to give him a right hook the side of his head and send him onto his side. David now raised his sword, turning to me and looking me in the eye.

"Not this time, Gingie. Looks like it's time for your flame to go out." He chuckled, blinking and changing his expression to a shadowy glare. "Goodnight…"

And just as perfectly timed as he could be, Shane appeared in front of me yet again, holding his hands up quickly to cast his shield spell, but mistimed his casting, causing David's sword to find a target in his shoulder instead. But this didn't phase Shane, as he grabbed David and threw him to the opposite side of the throne room, crashing him into his headquarters.

Despite the gruelling pain, I got straight to my feet and quickly pulled the sword from Shane's shoulder, which I once again tied up with a makeshift shirt bandage. I knew it wouldn't hold for long at all, but it was just to put me at ease.

"A-are you ok M-Marc?…" he groaned, holding his shoulder slightly as I tied up my shirt fragment. His twisted facial expression basically summed up how he felt right now.

"Worry about yourself. If that shield wasn’t there, you'd be alright! I'm no—"
Shane placed his good arm on my shoulder "My intention was to protect you, not myself. Shield or no shield, I would've done the same."

"Not now guys, he's getting back up!" Shining Armour warned us, pointing his hoof towards the now-moving David.

"Does this possession magic come with instant steroids and numbing powers or something? David's never had this much endurance!" I yelled, picking up David's sword and tossing it to Shining, who now held it in his telekinetic glow. "Keep it away from David. He's a monster with it."

"Don't worry, got that covered," Shining said, casing a new spell; some weird portal… thing. He just put the sword in it and deactivated it. I just stared in confusion. "Thank Celestia for pocket vault spells."

"I'll… just forget that you basically just bent reality and move on." I shook my head, stabbing my own sword into the ground and looking over to David. "I'm pretty sure you know the drill by now. Keep going, don't let him escape, don't die and all that jazz."

David spat out a bit of blood, then turned to me and twisted his neck, chuckling as he did so. "I'll admit, I almost felt that one." He raised his dagger, which is clenched backwards in his fist. "But you'll definitely feel this one!"

And David launched his next successive strike, his first target being me. While Shining cast a shield spell in his path, David was capable of jumping over it easily. But this caused him to change his target to Shining, who was about to cast a second shield spell, but was prevented from doing so when David grabbed his horn, dissipating the aura around it. After that, David kicked him in the neck, a blow that rendered Shining unconscious.

"Well, that's one down…" David muttered, turning around back towards us. "Two to go."

"Come on Rainbow, hurry up…" I groaned, staring over at David as he began to shift his gaze between myself and Shane. "What's wrong, too scared to fight your own kind?"

"Nope, merely choosing who to kill first…" David answered in an oddly chipper tone, almost seeming happy. "Although I'd rather save that thought for after this fight so I have some leverage for whoever you're stalling for."

"In that case, let's settle this. Me and you, no weapons," I told David, raising my fists to my head and lowering my stance in preparation.

David chuckled. "I agree to finishing this, but I'll do so of my own choosing, thanks." David fidgeted with the dagger in his hand, once again clenching it as he ran towards me.

As soon as we were within five feet of each other, David took a swipe for my jaw, which I narrowly dodged and countered by grabbing the wrist he held his dagger in. However, he twisted my arm into a pressure lock, causing me to let go, which also gave him a free shot to my shoulder, more specifically, my joint.

I was able to block out the pain for now, instead grabbing his shoulders and attempting to trip him up, which failed. I was sent tumbling to the floor, once again in a position where David could've easily finished me off. And from the looks of things, he was about to.

Next thing I knew, Shane once again threw himself into the line of fire, tackling David to the ground and away from me. I watched as he struggled to grab David's knife off him, rolling around on the floor and switching between having David pinned and being pinned himself.

I could only sit there and watch. I would've tried to help, but I was afraid getting involved would cause me to hit Shane by accident, but if I did nothing, there was no doubt Shane would suffer more injuries. As much as I wanted to have faith in him, Shane was against the ropes.

That's when a miracle happened. I heard hoofsteps, lots of them coming from the nearby corridor. As I turned to face the entryway to the room, I saw some familiar faces. Six of them. Twilight and her friends had returned, each in possession of some weird pieces of jewellery. Everyone but Twilight wore necklaces with a version of their cutie marks cut into a gem in the centre, whereas Twilight had the same in a tiara.

Their attention was immediately drawn towards me, as I was the closest to them. Fluttershy was the first one to gallop over to me, noticing the ripped fabric and blood marks across my shirt.

"Marc, are you alright? What happened?"she asked frantically, her voice naturally filled with as much caution as most mothers did on a day to day basis.

I groaned, finally able to sit upright and look around better. "Don't worry about me, I'll recover, but Shane's in trouble. He has David pinned… or the other way around, they keep switching! You need to help him!"

Twilight gasped, looking over to Shane and David. I also looked over and noticed something bad; Shane was exerting himself far too much, as all his struggling was making his treated wounds open quickly. He was losing strength quickly, and was now being pinned down by David and was struggling to stop David from stabbing him with his dagger.

"We can't use the elements if Shane's in the area! We need to move him!" Twilight yelled, her eyes filled with doubt and worry. "But if nopony's holding David back, he might run away!"

"Just use them!!" Shane yelled, gasping for breath as he continued to struggle, his chests wound slowly begging to spew out more blood. "I'm pretty sure I'm not corrupted by anything, so I'll be… fine, just fire them!"

"But we can't! We've never used them on regular ponies before, or aliens! What if it thinks you're a threat and hurts you more?" Twilight argued, her friends looking toward one another in doubt. Despite this, I knew what needed to be done.

"It's the best shot we've got, Twilight! If we don't do something now, Shane's wounds will re-open and he will die!" I yelled, standing up and moving behind them. "Just do as he says!"

Twilight's ears dropped, having come to the realisation I had. She turned to everyone else, who seemed as worried as she was.

Rainbow was the first to snap out of this, stepping into position and shifting her gaze between all her friends. "I'm with Marc. We don't have any other choice, and if Shane wants us to do it, then we have to, for him. Because… he's our friend too."

"I-I can't… hold him any longer!" Shane groaned.

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. "Get in positions girls, it's time."

And thus all six technicolor ponies moved to form a wonky sort of circle, with Pinkie and Applejack moving over to each side, Fluttershy and Rainbow slightly behind and closer centre, Rarity slightly forward and to the right, and Twilight in the dead centre. Once Twilight's eyes closed, the gemstone in the centre of her tiara began to glow, which triggered a chain reaction with all the other elements, all of them giving off a radiant light.

From there, a small rainbow trail formed from Pinkie's and AJ's elements, which moved and expanded like a ribbon to connect to Fluttershy's, Rainbow's, and Rarity's elements. The trail then began to spiral upwards and towards Twilight's elements, which caused the light from their elements to begin to glow brighter.

After this, a white orb began to form above them, radiating with pigments from the entire rainbow. It took a few moments to gather more energy, but then the colours began to concentrate in the area pointing to Shane and David.

Then, in a burst of rainbow energy, an enormous beam of light erupted from the orb, hitting Shane and David with the force of a tank shot, the shock wave hitting me in the gut and almost causing me to lose me balance. Once the beam hit, I lost all visibility of my friends, and it stayed that way for a good ten or so seconds.

…

Eventually, the lights began to dim down, slowly bringing David and Shane back into view. From the looks of things, David had finally been knocked out, and likely Shane too. That was until the elements fully wore off, when I saw David slowly begin to stir and come to.

I saw a painful expression fill David's face as he began to wake up, so I took this chance to run directly over to him, sliding onto my knees as he came to.

He let out a violent coughing fit, opening his eyes slowly. "Ugh, what's going on… why do I hurt?"

"David, are you feeling ok?" I asked worryingly, scanning his body for any form of injury, which was pretty much pointless, as he seemed pretty much ok.

"Marc… what happened? My head is… cloudy." He wheezed, straining himself as he attempted to sit up. With a little assistance from myself, he made it up.

"Don't worry about that right now. What matters is you’re alive. I think we can thank the girls for that," I said, turning to look to Rainbow, Twilight, and the others, who all seemed naturally wary of David.

David narrowed his eyes, adjusting his currently cracked glasses. "My vision might be a little poor, but are those… horses or something?" He looked over to me, as I nodded to answer. "Right… in that case, you have my thanks for… whatever you did."

The girls all seemed to still be wary, but to my shock, the first to approach was Fluttershy.

"I… I'm Fluttershy. It's nice to… meet you?" she said timidly, now being roughly a few feet from us.

David smiled warmly, nodding at her. "Yeah, same here… ugh, headache!" He forced his head into his hands, groaning at his pain.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "What's going on, man? Are you ok?"

"I'm… it's nothing, I'm fine." He winced, his neutral expression suddenly exploding with shock after a spark of realisation hit his face. "Shane!"

As if on cue, Shane began to groan from his wounds, attempting to and failing to get back up. His clothing and bandages were laced with mixtures of dry and fresh blood, and his breathing sounded deep and hard. His face was also pale, to the point where I would consider him a ghost.

Both David and myself immediately bolted over to Shane, who slowly began to open his eyes, coughing slightly and spitting out small droplets of blood.

"D-David… are you… back?" he asked, struggling to keep his eyes open, his whole face unable to register and broadcast the pain he was in.

"No, don't think about that right now! You're too injured to talk right-" David tried to argue, being interrupted by Shane placing his hand over his mouth, said hand shaking violently.

"No… I know I'm… at the end of my rope. This is the last page for me… so to speak." Shane turned to me. "Marc… thank you. Thanks for being there for me."

I calmly breathed. My head was screaming at me to react with tears or fear, but I already began ignoring my head about an hour ago. "Dude, that's hardly something to thank me for. Just… well, I should really thank you. You were like family."

"Same here… like the brother I… never had. You, me, and Sam. We… we could've done anything together."

My eyes went slightly moist and irritated, so I rubbed them, revealing tears. "You always fought with everything man… thank you… for everything."

"I'm glad I met you…" Shane smiled lightly, turning to David. "I'm… I'm glad you're… safe. David… look out for Marc… please." Shane's breathing began to slow down, his eyes closing gradually.

"Shane…" David whispered.

"David… don't blame… yourself…" Shane closed his eyes, exhaling for the last time…

David closed his eyes, placing his hand on his head and sighing. He didn't cry, but it could be seen that he was upset by the way he held himself.

I turned around to the others, who were acting oddly quiet through the whole thing. To no surprise, most of them were crying. Rarity's crying seemed to cause her Mascara to run, making black marks under her eyes. Applejack held her hat down to cover her face, but didn't seem to be crying. As for Fluttershy, her tears seemed to be the most serious, and one look at her upset was almost enough to make my heart break.

"Thank you Shane…"

-0-0-0-0-0-

R.I.P; Shane Longsdale. Virtue of honour.
Chapter 6 (honour) - Chapter 10 (glory)
Sacrificed himself to protect and save the ones he cared about.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Despite the events that unfolded today happening incredibly quickly, Celestia had already gained back control of the castle shortly after David's sanity had returned as the Changelings and rebel guards had been dealt with.
With that in mind, Celestia saw what became of Shane, and saw it fit to give him his own grave in the royal Canterlot gardens, which was prepared incredibly quickly. It was essentially an impromptu funeral, with everyone present during the time attending.

Twilight and the rest of her friends each stopped for a little bit to pay their respects to Shane, but soon left to give me and David a moment. At least, that was until the now-treated Captain Flowers came by to say his respects, also announcing his retirement from the castle guard. After this, we were given a moment’s silence from Silent Swordsmare, who left shortly after her ex-captain.

Me and David were about to have a discussion then, but a familiar face appeared behind us; Shining Armour, now with a small protective gel around his horn and a cooling strip on his forehead.

"Woah! War veteran inbound!" I joked, trying to lighten the mood and take my mind off Shane, watching as Shining approached.

"Yeah, good one," Shining said in a neutral tone, walking up to and sitting next to me and David, whom he looked directly at. "You feeling any better now?"

"I don't exactly remember feeling… bad? So yeah, I'm ok," David answered, immediately turning his attention away from us and back inside his own thoughts, something he did a lot after Shane's loss.

I stared towards Shane's grave, sighing lightly. "Still can't believe all this."

"I know… Captain Flowers retiring, your friend dying. I guess… we should be glad we made it out ok," Shining claimed optimistically, looking towards me, then back to Shane's grave himself. "Life goes on, even if we miss them or we don't. All we can do is remember them."

"It seems remembering is all I can do nowadays… I don't even know what happens next."

"Don't worry. You have friends by your side. Just have faith the right thing will happen, and it will," Shining suggested, looking down at the badge on his armour. "I've been asked to speak to the princess tomorrow. Something to do with today's events and Captain Flowers. I don't have all the details… but at least it's a start."

"Yeah, good luck with that… I'll try to visit you next time I'm here, man… and thanks for today."

"Hey, not a problem, Marc. Any friend of my sister is a friend of mine," Shining declared, walking off and leaving the area, leaving just me and David on our own.

After a slight sigh and a few minutes worth of arguing to myself, I finally decided to talk to David. After Shane died, David pretty much went mute, only speaking when asked questions by myself or Celestia, and only small answers at that. So enough is enough.

"David… you ok?"

David raised his head slowly, groaning at the headache he had and looking at me with his squinted eyes.

"What I'm about to tell you… keep it quiet. Please."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is it bad?"

"I… I remember. Everything," he declared dejectedly, lowering his head in shame. "Waking up after crashing, meeting Crysalis… what I did. All of it."

"… yeah, and?" I asked. "You weren't in control, man. It wasn't you—"

"No, it was my fault!!" he shouted, hitting his knee to vent. "You don't know how I felt, or what happened to me!… Every choice I made… it felt normal. I actually… wanted to do all that shit. Take over Equestria, serve Chrysalis… killing Shane. I didn't want to do it at all deep-down, but even if I fought with all my heart, my mind won out every time… I'm sorry."

…

"But you're back to normal now! Me and you always have each other's back, all the way to the end. As long as I'm here, I won't let that insectoid bitch lay as much as a mandible on you!" I told him, looking over to Shane's grave. "I'm not losing another friend… not after Shane gave so much to save you."

David sighed, standing up and beginning to walk off. "You all might've forgiven me, but I'll never forget what I did… I'll see you at the train."

As I watched my friend walk away, I felt something inside me break. I couldn't bare to watch him blame himself for all this. He wasn't in control, he was hypnotised, so whatever happened was because of someone else's influence. Not only that, seeing him blame himself for this was wrong. I was the one who… never mind. It doesn't matter.

"So this is what Celestia said I was like after returning from the moon! Safe to say I see what she means now," I heard a voice say behind me, almost causing my skin to jump off my bones and giving me a heart attack. I turned around to see this oddly familiar voice looked… oddly familiar?

I could immediately tell who it was, judging from a similar moving mane as Celestia. Although the dark blue coat and black necklace went with the answer; Princess Luna.

I would've likely bowed, but given what Celestia was like, I decided to just take the opportunity to recover from my jumpscare.

"Ooh, sorry about that. I guess you're not used to teleportation as of yet…"

"Yeah, you could say that…" I muttered, recalling the time Twilight used the spell at Pinkie's party, even though she used it differently than Luna did. "I'm going to presume you're Princess Luna. Nice to meet you."

"And going off my last encounter with you, I believe your name is… Marcus Smith? Or would that be just 'Marc'?"
I was about to answer her question, but something else caught my interest. "Wait, what do you mean 'my last encounter'? We've… just met."

"Well, perhaps for you, but I have seen you before… In the dream realm," Luna explained, using her magic to place some flowers on his freshly-dug grave. "I was there as you saw your friend dead. My guess is it was a warning, a vision. Those only happen for the strongest and wisest of Unicorns here in Equestria, so you're incredibly lucky to have seen one."

"Well, I don't feel very lucky." I groaned, standing up and walking over to Shane's grave, placing my hand on his plaque. "Ever since seeing that dream, I've been incredibly paranoid about the whole thing. I vowed to myself to not let anything happen to Shane… but I did. The virtue of loyalty; not even able to protect those he cares about!"

"… you know, you remind me a lot of my sister," Luna commented, walking off to the side of Shane's grave and looking over the area, the sunset giving everything around the area a mellow glow. "You're strong, that much has been said by Twilight and her friends. But you don't use this strength for yourself, you use it to for those around you. To protect and help them in any way… but most importantly, you care for their lives more than your own."

"Are… you just describing your sister, but just replacing all the bits about her with me?" I asked.

"That's not the point." Luna turned to face me. "I understand how you feel, and Celestia also. Losing someone you see as family can hurt you in ways that are indescribable. The fact you're taking it so well proves you're strong."

"… I've seen death before. My parents… they died getting me to safety. That's how I'm here… and they also saved Shane. He was… family. The only real family I had left. Now he's gone… and I could barely do anything except watch as others tried and failed to save him.

"… but I have to stay strong. David already blames himself, and I need to keep calm and not get upset, otherwise he'll no doubt get worse as well…"

Luna placed her wing on my shoulder, causing me to look towards her, who was giving off a warm and calming smile. "That's brave of you, and considerate for your friend. But do remember that even though you're hiding your emotions, don't let them build up. Trust me when I say that doesn't end well."

Luna walked away, likely to leave, but stopped just beforehand. "Wait, I almost forgot, Celestia wanted me to give you something," she said, casting a spell that caused a small black box to simply… appear, then levitated it towards me.

Curious as to what was inside, I opened the box to reveal two silver rings, somehow perfectly sized to fit the index finger. I could feel some peculiar engravings on the one I picked up, but they felt smooth and cold to the touch.

"Those rings were created with an embedded perception spell," Luna explained. "While you wear it, you should appear as a regular pony to everypony else. Just consider it an emergency tool, should you come across a use for them. Although make sure you put them on in private, as anyone who sees you put it on can see the regular you, so be very wary."

"Woah. A little overkill, but I think they'll come in handy," I said, placing the small box in the last undamaged pocket in my pants. I'd probably have to speak to Rarity about getting these mended. "Nice bumping into you, Luna… and thanks for the pep talk."

"That's not an issue, Marcus. If you ever need me, I'll always be available to you in the dream realm, should you need me." Luna bowed towards me, unfolding her wings from place and flying into the air and out of sight. After I gave her a quick salute, I turned back to Shane's grave. The train to Ponyville would be leaving shortly, and I wanted a few last words before I left.

"… I'm sorry Shane… I couldn't save you," I whimpered, facing the ground in shame. "All I could do was hold out until someone else came along to help. You were knocked out trying to protect me, and only came back to do so again… twice…"
I clenched my fist tightly. "If only I was stronger… maybe you'd be here…

"If I was stronger."

Author's Note

And thus ends the first arc of project horizon; the landing saga… also, the first death of the series. Sorry about that guys, but we've lost our first virtue.
Now would be the time I'd say I'm taking a short break, but I feel kinda guilty for breaking my schedule and being ten days late with the chapter, soo… if you want me to resume right away, there's a like button for a reason (hint hint, I'm aiming to be featured).
(And if I don't get featured, I'll probably blame myself for Jinxing it).
Until my next upload, later!

Chapter 11; the second beacon.

Chapter 11; Remembering the fallen.

It'd been two long weeks since everything that went down at Canterlot, and as per mine and Pinkie's arrangement, I was delivering her a 12-pack of Coka Cola.

As much as I'd prefer to have Pinkie head over to the ship to pick up the cans, she already told me she'd be busy on shift today. That and with David still buried in guilt, my ship had seen cleaner days. I'd also mention my food stores are now going down much quicker, but since I now have to feed three people (and the fact David consumes his body weight in snaky food daily), I'd basically be stating the obvious.

I entered sugar cube corner, realising that not many ponies were actually here yet. Then again, it was a school day, and the morning, so most of the early customers were gone. All there really were was a couple of ponies towards the glass window to the side, while an elderly stallion was way near the door with a newspaper in hoof, a muffin on his table. I was glad.

I walked toward the main desk where I saw Mrs Cake, packing cupcakes and donuts into delivery boxes. She also had a Coffee on the counter, likely a morning pick-me-up. I couldn't say, I was carrying two personal cans of Coke on me for emergencies…

"Morning Mrs Cake, I've got Pinkie's delivery." I told her, placing the small box on the counter, stretching my aching arms afterwards.

"Thank you Dearie, Pinkie should be here in a minute for those." She told me, putting her boxes to a side for a moment. "Can I get you anything? On the house, naturally."

"Well, I've never been one to turn down free food…" I muttered, scanning the display case for my options. "Salted caramel donut?"

"Of course, I'll get that for you." Mrs Cake said with a chipper tone. To be fair, I was starting to get used to this town, and it was honestly quite nice. Especially the likes of the Cakes, who's baking we're one of the only reasons I ever leave my ship… aside from chores… and Twilight's occasional interrogations- I mean… well, yeah, they were basically interrogations.

"How's your friend doing? Wasn't his name David?" Mrs Cake asked, placing my donut on the counter.

"No real change. Still moping around in the ship, eating constantly and completely paranoid about what he did." I told her, sighing as I picked up my donut. "It's gotten to the point where I had to keep my favourite foods in a password-protected fridge! And I had to change the password on my Coke storage machine twice."

Mrs Cake chuckled. "Ooh, I feel you there. There's no worse crime than having somepony take your favourites."

And thus the door connected to the kitchen opened up, revealing Pinkie. She was carrying a servers tray on her head and one in her front-left hoof. Not entirely sure how she can remain balanced while doing that, but I guess I shouldn't really look too much into it. I'm still recovering from her using her hair to pick things up.

"Hi Marc! Gimme a minute." She said, placing the trays of fresh food in the counter and putting the spare food into the display shelf. Once she was done, she put both trays on top of one another and set them to the side. "Alright, done. You brought the Cans?"

I smacked the top of the box. "Yep. This bad boy's got all the cans you asked for." I pushed the box towards her. "Honestly quite glad not many ponies are here. I don't really want a repeat of last time."

"Don't worry Marcy, I learn from my mistakes! From here on out, any parties involving you will include no more than me, my friends and the crusaders. Pinkie promise!" She declared, making a cross mark on her chest with her hoof and placing her hoof over her eye.

I chuckled. "Yeah, unless I tell you otherwise… which is unlikely, but… wait, why would you throw me another party? Wasn't the last one enough?"

"That was your welcome party silly! I'll still throw you parties for your birthday and for the anniversary for when you landed in Equestria! It's just manners."

I raised an eyebrow. "How… are you going to figure out my birthday? Not even David knows that."

"Marc, trust me when I say she'll find a way. She always does." Mrs Cake warned.

"That's true! Even if I have to follow you 300 days a year, seven days a week. I will find out eventually!" Pinkie giggled, casually running her hooves together as a smile for- wait a minute.

"… you mean 365 days a year, right?" I corrected Pinkie, a dazed and confused look filling my already slightly tired face.

Mrs Cake shook her head. "The Equestrian calendar has only 300 days Marc. Ten months, thirty days each. Is it different on your world?"

"Where I come from, there's 365 days in a year, with around about 30 or 31 days in a month… Great, time differences! This should be fun to sort out…" I moaned, realising this meant I'd have to sit down in my ship for about an hour or two figuring this out… or just get Cloud to do it, therefore making the whole thing happen in a matter of moments.

"I know, right? Now you'll have two ages, one for each world! That means double the birthdays!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing into the air and somehow… causing confetti to burst out?

"I'm… not sure that's how it works, is it?" I asked, honestly curious about how that'd work, given it seemed… incredibly inconsistent. Especially for that one day every five years where the birthdays both occurred at the same… time. "Wait, would that make me 18 in Equestrian age?"

"Yeah. Well, maybe 19, but definitely 18." Pinkie declared, about to begin packing up some more boxes when she stopped and stared at me. "Wait! That means you've missed three birthdays!"

"I… don't think those count. So unless you're planning on doing them scattered across the year between now and my next actual birthday…"

"Oh no, I have a better idea… brace yourself Marc, because I just had an amazing idea!" Pinkie declared, a certain glint in her eye telling me… well, that I should probably try to slowly walk away. "I will combine all your missed birthday parties, and make one mega-jumbo birthday celebration!!"

Me and Mrs Cake just stared at Pinkie blankly, looking towards one another.

"Should I be exited, or extremely terrified?" I asked.

"Both." Mrs Cake replied, the both of us returning our gaze to Pinkie.

"Come on Marc, this'll be a first for me! And I always throw parties for my friends!" Pinkie stared into my eyes with her puppy dog eyes, almost feeling as though she was staring into my soul… a rather faithful use of number 37, not bad. "Please? PLEASE?!"

"Okay! But if we're doing this, then I have a few conditions." I told Pinkie, backing away for some breathing space. "First is that the guest cap is at 12 or 15 at most. As I said before, I don't want a repeat of last time."

"If that's what you want, then I'm alright with it." Pinkie said.

"Alright. Next is that over the next few days, we'll arrange the day the party is happening."

Pinkie chuckled. "Marcy, I can set up a party in ten minutes. All you need to give me is a couple hours notice and the party will be ready for you.

"Alright, duly noted. As finally…" I scratched my chin. If I'm technically considered 18 here… "I want beer."

"Marc, you need to be at least 21 to drink in Equestria. You're not old enough in Equestrian years." Mrs Cake said, denying my request straight out of the gate.

"Well, you need to be 18 to legally purchase alcohol where I come from. And given I'm technically 18 in Equestrian…"

"Sorry Marc, nothing we can do about it, wether or not it's allowed on your world." Pinkie sighed, her eyes suddenly lighting up afterwards as to say 'eureka! That's it!' "I might be able to ask Applejack for some apple cider for the party. It might not be alcoholic, but it's family-made by her, she's a friend, and it's the closest thing you can have!"

I paused for thought. "Not sure I can negotiate up from there… alright, deal!" I grabbed Pinkie's hoof for a hand shake, but I was still unfamiliar with how ponies gripped things. As such, it felt like Pinkie's hoof was a suction cup, grasping to my hand and almost refusing to let go… until she did.

"Yay! I have another party to plan!" Pinkie albeit cheered, reaching into her mane and pulling out a reasonably large bag of bits (based off memory, it should be 200 bits?) … and here came the headache again…
She then poured out roughly half the bags contents and put it to the side. "I'd usually ask for some bits upfront for the price, but given this is a special case, and you're a friend, I'll just call it half the total bits from the coke money. That alright to you?"

"You're asking me if I want a hefty discount off a party I didn't know I was having until three minutes ago… do you expect me to say no or something? Because I'll gladly take that offer." I joked, grabbing the bag of bits and throwing it into the air, catching it then throwing it again in a loop. "You're a legend Pinkie. Pleasure doing business with you." I glanced at Mrs Cake." And nice bumping into you Mrs Cake."

"Not a problem dearie. Take care now!" She called over, waving me away with her free hoof, busy at the cash register.

And so, with a reasonably hefty amount of bits to my name, I decided I'd have a wander around. Errands to do, food to buy, arcades to play then immediately beat in less than half an hour… in other words, a typical Tuesday.

-0-0-0-0-0-

And thus, having spent some of my bits on a cone of chips, some sweets and an hours time at the arcade (which was mainly spent trying to obtain this single Indiana Jones-looking pony plushie), I finally arrived at my next stop; Carousel Boutique, the workplace and home of Rarity. Not too shabby in my opinion.

I mean, the design was rather intriguing, as the building itself was reminiscent of an actual, well, carousel. What made it even more cool was the addition of several display pony mannequins (ponequins?) lining above the ground floor. While I was slightly disappointed that it didn't spin like the fairground rides of old, I was aware of how much time and money it'd take to set up and run. I'm not going into the fact Ponies likely rode these things in fairgrounds, so would basically be riding… horses?

Anyway, enough discussing the peculiar design, I had business here. As such, I pushed open the door, causing a Cliqué bell notice system to play. Take it from a Brit, this was more than familiar to me.

It took me only a moment to look around the shop, but what I saw was essentially several built-in runways, each with rows of dresses and suits nearly lining beside and around them, with a single feature dress in the middle of each runway. Speaking as someone who just throws on clothes without really worrying about trends or anything, I'll admit the display was rather impressive, but I honestly just shrugged and moved forward, towards the main desk.

"Be with you in just a minute!" I heard Rarity call from one of the back rooms, the light buzz of a sewing machine telling me she was in the middle of working. I knew she was expecting me, but I guess I should've come here before I went to the arcade… even though that meant I'd have to carry the clothes she was making for David around with me.

I heard several quick and light hoofsteps walking towards me, revealing a rather familiar young filly; Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo's fellow crusader and Rarity's younger sister.

"Hey Marc! What're you doing here?" She asked, a chipper and happy tune embedded in her voice.

"Just picking up some clothes for David. I asked Rarity to make them for him a few days ago." I explained to the tiny child, crouching down so I could see her better. "I learned the hard way that David can't fit most of my clothes, so I asked Rarity to sort sort some out for him specifically."

"Why do you humans wear clothes all the time anyway? I only see ponies in Canterlot wear clothes as much as you."

"That's… an incredibly awkward and complicated question… such as the question of why you're not at school right now." I returned her question, relived I wouldn't have to explain… that story.

"N-no, It's not like that! I help my sister with her work sometimes!" Sweetie's squeaked, waving her hooves in front of her for defence. "Since she gives me bonus allowance for it, Ms Cherilee sees it as a job and let's me off for it."

"Ah, ok. Just making sure you weren't scything or something." I groaned, recalling that one time I was pressured into scything a lesson with a friend… it ended really well.

"Anyway, I'll go get Rarity for you. Just wait here for a-"

"Oh, it's you Marc! Sorry, I didn't realise." Rarity said as she walked over.

"Nope, doesn't matter then." Sweetie puffed.

"Alright Sweetie, back to work please. I need you to go get some Aqua silk and turquoise fabric from storage please." She instructed her sister, who's ears immediately perked up.

"I'm on it sis! See you Marc!" Sweetie shouted as she galloped away.

"Alright, I guess that gives me a moment to relax." Rarity said, levitating a brush and giving her mane a quick swipe or two, restoring it to it's usual style. "How are you doing Marc?"

"Meh, slightly tired but overall alright." I answered, having a quick look around at the clothes on display, mostly so my mind could wander. It wasn't even lunch yet and I was already knackered. "David's slightly better than he was, but that's like saying my hair is slightly longer today that it was yesterday."

"That poor dear. I do hope he gets better soon." Rarity used her magic to levitate a box onto the counter. "These are the clothes you asked me to make for him, although this is only the first half. I've been too busy so the other half will take a couple more days to complete. But these are mostly pyjamas, underwear and socks, shirts and pants. A pair of shoes aswell, you can thank your Cloud friend for showing me to do those."

"And… probably everything else too." I added. "Seriously, how were you able to get him to help you? He intterupts me every five minutes while I'm trying to watch anime or something."

"Take it from me darling, working with different kinds of ponies is something one has to do to succeed. Cloud was foalsfolly!" Rarity chuckled, pushing the box towards me. "And once he gave me the patterns necessary to make human clothes, that was easy too."

"I'm just going to… politely smile and nod." I joked, pulling out the remainder of the pack of bits Pinkie gave me and placed 42 of them on the table. "This should cover you for your help. And again, thanks for this."

Rarity pushed the bits back. "No need darling. I found this experience rather interesting, and no doubt I'll need to know how to make clothes while you're all here."

"Alright, I'll rephrase. This should cover you for the materials you used." I told her, once again pushing the bits in her direction. "I'm not usually one to turn down free things, but not paying you for this feels wrong. So please, for my own sanity, take the money."

"Alright then! But only since you insist." Rarity finally conceded, picking up the bits with her horn and placing them in the nearby till. She then looked back to me. "Anyway, I don't mean to be rude, but I have another order I need to start working on. Nice speaking to you Marc, and… good luck with David."

"Thanks. I'll need it." I said, walking over to the door to exit. I took a quick look-back towards where Rarity was a moment ago, to find she'd already went neck to her workroom. As such, I just turned and left the shop. Back home I go…

-0-0-0-0-0-

Having just entered the orchards of Sweet Apple acres, I decided to have a quick sit down by a tree. The walk between Ponyville and AJ's family farm was surprisingly long, my legs began to ache by the time I made it there.

I took a quick moment to look to the sky, the brilliant weather giving me a nice view of the bright blue sky. A few small clouds floated here and there, but I overall found it rather relaxing. Quite surprising how Pegasus ponies can affect the weather, huh?

If it wasn't for the mention of Pegasus manipulating the weather in the history book Twilight gave me, I'd probably call it blasphemy… as well as all the magically-altered physics if this world. But to be fair, I've seen enough in this world to realise that I should just probably accept whatever crazy stuff goes on in this world, for my own sake.

"Hey Marc, over here!" I heard a familiar call over to me. Turning in it's direction showed me it's source; Twilight.

"Twilight. How's things?" I asked, groaning as I got back onto my feet and turned to her, noticing a scarily wide smile forming on her face… I now regret asking.

"It's going amazing! I finally cracked your aura info!" She said with a squeal, levitating a small scroll above her head with pride. "It took me days, but I finally did it! This could make history for your kind in Equestria!"

"Woah, calm down Twilight!" I told her, raising my hands to try and hush her. She'd stopped speaking, but a light squeal could still be heard coming from her. "One step at a time. Now explain to me slowly and simply, what's so ground-breaking about this information?"

"Long story short, You're magic is almost identical to equestrian magic!"

"… what do you mean 'almost'?" I asked.

"Well… that's a long story. Want me to explain?"

I groaned, getting back to my feet. "Sure, but walk and talk. I'm heading to my ship anyway."

Twilight walked to my side. "Alright, where do I start?… Well, the basis of a ponies magic starts from their soul and makes aura. That much I already explained."

"Back at the party, I know. The different bodily focuses of a pony gives each of them their respective magic, and aura is the fuel for that. Yada yada, science stuff."

Twilight nodded. "Nicely remembered. But that said, I couldn't find those same 'focuses' in yours or Shane's data. Fact is, you're identical in species, but your magic is different."

"Didn't you look into genes or aura colour? Would that have any affect?"

"You thought exactly as I did, but no. Aura's colour seems to have no correlation to the magical ability, given both you and Shane have green-ish blue or aqua aura. And I couldn't access your genes without asking you for DNA. Not to mention human and pony DNA are different. So guess what I did next?"

"You're probably going to tell me anyway…"

"I looked at what your aura does when your magic activates, and it's… complicated."

"As was everything else you've said so far…" I groaned.

Twilight ignored my comment. "Shane's aura mostly concentrates in his head and his hands, with streams connecting them. If he knows how, he can activate the shield similar to a unicorn using a spell. You're… different."

"I know, my magic is different." I answered back sharply, fully aware I brought on this mini lecture by myself… great.

"No, I mean you're aura is. It's just… there. It's through your entire body, but it only activates when you're hurt."

"And… it goes to the injury and… magically heals it?" I asked.

"Not exactly, more like it accelerates your bodies own natural healing. If anything, you're aura enhances your whole body. Speed, strength. Stamina and reaction time, on top of your healing."

"In that case, why doesn't it work when I'm being sneak attacked or knocked out?"

Twilight scratched her chin. "Well… maybe it doesn't affect durability? I don't know, it's just a hypothesis."

"So… you told me all of that, as a hypothesis? As in you don't have a concrete answer for it?" I asked bluntly.

"Well, it's the closest I've come to an answer, and I figured you'd want to know." Twilight moaned.

"Ugh, well it's better than nothing I guess…" fortunately for me, I'd arrived at my ship. "Go on in and… lecture Cloud or something. I'll just be grabbing a shower and working on some equipment."

"…At the sam-"

"INDIVIDUALLY!!" I cut Twilight short, correcting my statement before she could pull off a joke. Didn't stop her from laughing though.

…Anyway, having survived Twilight's speech, I opened my ships doors, and immediately got blasted with enough loud music to shatter glass! I tried to walk in to find the source, but tripped and fell as I stood on piles of trash and cans all over the floor, resulting in me dropping my box of clothes (the fact it was sealed preventing the clothes themselves from falling out.)

I looked up from my lower vantage point to see David, spread out over my sofa-bed, watching an intricately choreographed anime fight scene on the big TV, with the volume, as clearly proven, at incredibly dangerous levels.

Seeing this as my first view upon walking into what was essentially my home, I decided to do the only sane thing that felt right for the moment; I flipped the sofa, with David still on it, and used the remote console on the table to turn the TV off. The room fell into almost perfect silence, aside from David squirming his way from under the sofa.

"What the hell?! I leave you alone for a few hours and this is what you do?" I yelled at my friend, now coming to understand why my mother hated high volume… words I never thought I'd ever agree with.

"Ah piss of you ginger prick!" David growled in rampancy, getting off his knees and approaching me. "You should've seen that coming after locking me out of the coke machine, again! You're lucky I figured out the password, otherwise I'd be well and truly pissed right now!"

"Fuck sake man, how the hell'd you figure out-"

"You set the password as 'password'! I'm pretty sure even Connie'd figure that one out!" David yelled, face-palming hard enough to be heard from miles away. "I've tried to tell you about sorting out proper codes for your doors and that. Putting the password as 'password' is the computer equivalent of saying 'please open me'!"

"Yeah, but I put a second password! That kinda screws up your whol-"

"The second one was 'unlock' mate! That's even worse!" David walked up to the cola storage, pulling out a can. "Face it mate, I'm better with computers and that than anyone in the project. Something as simple as guessing a password doesn't even stretch my metaphorical back!"

At this moment, Cloud finally chose to make his appearance, his first action being a quick glance around the room. "Oh thank god, the music's gone!" He turned to face us, and specifically took notice of Twilight. "Hey there Book Horse!"

"Hey computer person." Twilight greeted, walking over to cloud as the two of them began their own minutiae conversation. I don't really want to get involved, as Cloud and Twilight combined essentially become a living glossary of Equestrian and Earthen information. It's… overwhelming, to say the least.

I groaned, returning to pick up all the remaining empty cans (and silently prey at their loss. They were too young to die…)

"David, I know it's rich coming from me, but could you try to lay off the coke? You know this stuffs essentially my income."

"I know… but come on man, we both know how good that stuff tastes! At the very least we could replicate the formula and make more of the stuff."

"Yeah… but that's being held off for as long as possible." I explained. "No doubt it'll be needlessly complicated to get all the ingredients, secret ingredient included. Knowing me, I'll probably mess it up some point down the line."

"As depressing as it sounds… I can't argue there. When it comes to planning stuff, you're as useless as Caboose from Red vs Blue." David joked.

"Yeah, but at least I'll have a Tucker to blame everything on." I returned the joke, fully aware of what I'd likely awoken.

"Pfft, dunce."

"Imbecile."

"Fanboy."

"Fangirl."

"Baked bean!"

"Symmetry freak!"

"Knobhead!"

"I-idiot with… Brown hair!"

David chuckled. "Yeah Marc, must've thought about that one all night."

"Yeah, I came up with it while I was banging your mom!" I burst out laughing, barely able to believe I just used that joke!

David groaned. "I hate you…"

"I hate you a slightly larger amount!" I returned, giving him a deadpan stare, locking eyes with him as though we were arch-rivals.

In truth, this kind of conflict has happened more than once before. And as always, I knew what came next.

Me and David both erupted into an uncontrollable laughing fit, barely able to breathe as we came together in a sort of brotherly hug. That's what happens when two autistic as fuck nerds come together in an argument. Death battle, eat your heart out!

"Okay… that makes things… 6-4 to you?" David managed to splutter out in the middle of his laughter, sitting back on the still flipped sofa.

"Pretty sure I won that one though, so more like 7-3 to me." I answered his question, only being met with an irritated groan.

"I'd hardly count counter-arguments only as a victory. If anything, I got that one through my actual insults, meaning I got in more insults than you quicker."

"Alright, let's leave it to the audience then. Who do you two think won?" I turned to the other two, realising they'd completely blanked us through that entire argument. "Nope, no third party."

"Let's… just call this one a draw." David muttered, flipping the sofa back up and sitting down on it, the whole mood changing in a mere moment.

Having picked up on his sudden mood shift, I sat down next to him. "You alright man? Still feel bad about Shane and that?"

"What do you think? Of course I do man! I just… I don't know." David moaned, cupping his head I his hands and groaning. "Everything just feels… normal, after everything I've done. Even now, I still can't get the thought out of my head. What I've done is… yeah."

I reached over David's shoulder, pulling him closer. "Look, David, you can't blame yourself for this. You weren't even in control at the time, not to mention the fact you openly believe it wasn't wrong, proving your decision was clouded!"

"But I still did it! Nothing'll change that!" David looked up from his hands. "It doesn't matter if I was hypnotised or corrupted at the time, what's done is done. These are my demons, and I chose to face them!"

"Then I'll face them with you dammit! I don't care what it takes, I'll snap you out of this!" I told him, standing up and holding my hand up for him. "I'll always have your back."

David remained silent for a moment, eventually turning away from me.
"I… I just need time Marc. Thanks but, I have to face this myself." He turned to lay down on the sofa, facing the back cushion to avoid eye contact with everyone.

Having reached a dead end with David, I decided to walk over to the kitchen area, grabbing some of the nearly past-date donuts I had and taking a nibble of it. Quite frankly, I'd have to buy more food eventually, meaning the food I had needed to be consumed quickly. In that sense, I guess David being an absolute pig is a good thing? Maybe I could just ask Pinkie to help clear things up. She'd be able to handle everything, bar the meat.

Having officially become bored, I decided to final start paying attention to Twilight's and Cloud's conversation. My shower plan would come after, but after my depressing-ish conversation with David, I needed a pick-me-up, regardless of my understanding of it.

I sat down at the desk, the chair scraping the floor causing Twilight and Cloud to wince, pulling them out of discussion.

"Don't mind me guys. Just figured I'd check what you're talking about, given talking to David is essentially the same as talking to a brick wall right now." I explained, stretching my back before leaning forward on the desk.

"Take it from me Rusty, you don't want to get involved in this. It's an enhanced Twilight lecture, with extra trimmings of esposition and enthusiasm." Cloud warned. "Although it could be fairly worse I guess. You're just lucky I'm better capable of understanding and applying information than you."

"… you're just recording the conversation for later, aren't you?" I asked him, realising that the voice recording application was active on my computer, and an episode of Cowboy Bebop was playing on the screen.

"What? No, I'm-" cloud tried to bluff his way out of it, only stopping as I turned my personal computer off, as well as the apps. "H-hey! The recording only saves if I press stop idiot!"

"Nice try with the bullshitting there Cloud, but maybe turn the monitor off next time?" I told him, his only returning insult coming a a middle finger in my face. He was also about to say something, but his hologram and voice cut out, leaving myself as Twilight confused.

"What was that? Is he alright?" Twilight asked worryingly, looking at the holographic projector and under the table for signs as to what was going on.

"My guess is some software or computer system's got his attention. He'll probably be back in a moment." I answered, sitting on the chair and turning the computer back on, deciding I'd get back to watching a couple of anime episodes. "Even if he doesn't come back, less of a headache for me."

As soon as I finished that sentence, Murphy's law decided to kick in, Cloud re-appeared, his hands furiously tapping his holographic hand-tablets as though he was possessed.

"Marc, we've got another awakening beacon. Tracking it now." Cloud declared, once again disappearing briefly, causing the equestrian map to pop up.

"An awakening beacon? Isn't that the thing that let you find your friend Shane?" Twilight asked curiously, lifting herself up (given her minuscule size) to see the map.

"It is. That means someone else finally decided to wake up." I explained to Twilight. "I'll be honest, it took them long enough. I mean, it's been over a whole week already! Not to mention a third of us are already awake, so why is this taking so long?"

"Hmm… alright, found it. Look here." Cloud started, Turning to the map. From there, the two dots representing mine and Shane's ships began to send off two beams of light
Towards a southern area of Equestria.

"I'm now able to use both this ship and the other fragments beacon receiver to triangulate this third ship segment. And… it apparently originated from these… badlands south-east of the Macintosh hills? Not sure how we didn't pick it up until now, but it's registered as at least three, maybe four, days old."

"That's not really important right now. All I know is a virtue has been found, and I'm going to bring them back here." I jumped up, quickly running over to my equipment storage area, scanning my stuff for necessities.

Cloud gave me a deadpan stare. "Let me guess; joke about Americans and guns?"

"Nah. To be fair, these things have kinda saved me a couple of times, given anything and everything wants to kill me here." I said, drawing out my Katana and a pair of pistols, fastening their holsters to my belt. I them grabbed a smaller box just below my swords display stand. "Besides, I think this might be better to use."

I opened the box, revealing the enchanted ring that Celestia had made for me. It seemed rather normal as far as rings go, being made of gold with a clear, white gemstone in it's centre. Further inspection revealed engraved symbols around the main ring itself.

"Ahh, that thing! Yeah, that'll definitely help you avoid any unwanted attention." Cloud nodded, currently scanning the train route for the best way there.

"An enchanted ring? What does it do?" Twilight asked, walking up to me and picking up the ring with her magic for a closer inspection.

"Luna said… it'd make me appear as a pony temporarily, until I take the ring off. Only thing is that people who see me put it on can see my actual body." I groaned, realising how convoluted the item actually sounded.

"So a ring with a built-in perception spell? Sounds handy to me." Twilight gave me back the ring, walking back to the table. She then turned back around and looked at me. "Alright then, try it out. Put it on."

"How's that supposed to work? You're not supposed to look at me when I put it on."

"I know, I'll close me eyes… but cloud has to keep looking. Just a control variable." Twilight explained, closing her eyes and covering them with her hooves. "Alright Marc, let me know when the ring is on."

"Alright then…" I breathed outwards, closing my eyes and slowly slipping the ring onto my finger. "Here goes something."

I felt the cold metal end of the ring touch the end of my finger, so I opened my eyes and… realised nothing had changed. "Brilliant, no dice!"

"Is there… some sort of delayed reaction or something?" Cloud asked, clearly as impressed as I was in the current moment. "Twilight, I don't think it works."

"Huh? That's weird. I swear I felt the rings spell wor-" Twilight now looked fully at me, her jaw dropping as soon as she looked at me. "I-I… uh, it… it works."

"Okay, so Twilight can see it, while Cloud and myself can't. I think that confirms what Luna said?" I mumbled, walking back over to my storage cupboard and closing it. Just as I did though, I was caught off guard by my reflection, or more accurately, what my reflection looked like.

I saw a pony staring back at me, or more accurately, the spells illusion being reflected through the metal panel. What I saw was a stallion slightly smaller than Big Mac was, much more thin too. A thick, green coat of fur all over him, flaming red hair and tail, and a pair of wings by his side. For an illusion, I was oddly caught off guard at how realistic it looked… I looked?

Although I was more shocked at how it was copying my exact facial expression. I was shocked at first, then intrigued, moving around to see how well it would copy me.

"Ok… that's oddly… creepily realistic! Bloody hell!" I yelled, watching as my words came out of the reflections mouth. Adding to the weirdness factor.

"Twilight, should we be worried about him? Wouldn't he get disoriented if he saw himself like that for too long?" Cloud pondered.

"Let him get used to it. After all, that's how everypony will see him while he has the ring on." Twilight answered, walking up to me nudging me, knocking me out of my trance. "When are we leaving?"

Having snapped out of my focus, I once again returned to my actions, grabbing a small sack bag and putting some essentials into it, starting with two bottles of water. I then paused. "Wait… we? Implying you're coming with me?"

"Sure, why not? I've been needing a break anyway."

"… did you not see me grabbing weapons? Pretty sure it'll be dangerous."

Twilight chuckled. "Marc, you've got the element of magic stood right in front of you. I think we'll be fine."

"Meh, suit yourself then." I hung my bag on my chair, taking the ring off for a moment. "I'll grab a shower and meet you at the train station in about an hour-ish. That sound alright to you?"

"Sure thing! I'll grab a few things and let spike know to cover the library for a couple of days." Twilight chirped, walking directly over to the door. "See you soon! Bye Cloud!"

"Yeah, see you Sparky!" Cloud chuckled, looking as though he was about to return to something, but got caught off-guard by my own laughter. "Okay, what?"

"Pet names man? Seriously?!" I yelled, stopping for a moment to breathe. "Do you like her or something?"

"Pfft, coming from the guy who's categorised facial expressions? Yeah, right." Cloud rolled his eyes, pulling out his tablets. "Jeez, make friends with one like-minded person, and everyone thinks you like each other. Typical."

"Alright tiny, keep you knickers on…" I opened my bathroom door, turning for a glimpse of the room. I noticed David had somehow gone to sleep. As such, I once again walked back over to Cloud for a moment. "Let him know what's going on when I'm gone, will you?"

"Don't worry, I'll have to. I'm not going to be the one on nanny duty this time bitch." Cloud chuckled.

"Oh, and one more thing." I turned the PC back on. "I need you to keep changing my food storage password while I'm gone. You know, to stop David from getting in."

"Really? Still hung up about that?" Cloud asked, the stern expression I answered with being enough to tell him the deal. "Alright, I get it. I'll protect your precious food! Happy?"

"Very much so. Thanks Cloud." I said, running over to the bathroom and closing the door. I had a time limit, and I wasn't planning on going past it.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Well, despite scraping the time limit, I managed to get to the train station and meet Twilight, who'd already bought our tickets for us. As such, we were mainly just waiting in the train for the departure. This… was mostly filled by me putting my feet up an staring out the window, but that's only because I found the time to drag.

This was cut short, thankfully, as Twilight attempted to grab my attention, coughing and causing me to look her way.

"Can I… ask you an honest question?"

I sighed. "Go ahead. Not much better to do."

"Well, your main job seems to be tracking down your friends. You travel Equestria and track them down, bring them back and… well, you get where I'm going."

"No, I don't." I told her, raising a curious brow.

"What I mean is, that's what you have to do, your mission, so to say. What I'm asking is, what do you want to do outside of that? What's your personal goal?"

"… why bring it up?" I asked.

"Well… all you seem to do is get yourself in danger…"

"I tend to believe danger finds me. If I had a choice, I'd be more than happy to hide myself in a pillow fort or something."

"… I mean you keep putting yourself out there. Twice now you've left the ship to find someone, even though you're confident something will come after you." Twilight sighed. "What I'm asking really is… why? What do you get out of it?"

I paused. I didn't really know how to answer that question at first. So I sighed, and just let it out as it was. "I don't… like staying still. I guess after everything I've been through, working towards an objective is something I'm used to… this last week just reminds me that I need to be doing something, stay busy, to function.

"I guess I keep going because… stopping doesn't feel like an option anymore. Wether it be for my own benefit, or for those who died to get me where I am… I have to keep going."

"Marc, you don't need to feel like that." Twilight interjected, leaning forward and donning a lethal combo of a caring voice and number 14. "It wasn't your fault everyone's dead. What happened on your world was a tragedy, even what happened to Shane."

"… my parents died trying to get me and my brother to safety. My brother might still be out there, but I was… right there when I lost Shane! He was the closest thing to family I had left." I couldn't help but shed a few tears. "It's why it hurts so much when David blames himself. I was the one who had no control. I had to sit there, watch Shane sacrifice himself to save David."

I noticed that, after my small outburst, I seemed to cause an awkward silence. "Sorry. I think I over-reacted there."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm the one who brought it up." Twilight answered, moving over and taking the set directly next to me. "You're clearly going through a lot right now. Even through it, you're trying to focus on helping David rather than yourself. But that only makes things worse."

"What can I say? I'm an emotional sponge. I was chosen as virtue of loyalty for a reason." I chuckled, remembering all the times Connie used me as her own private Psychiatrist. Not that I was bothered by it.

"You're my friend Marc. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." Twilight told me, smiling brightly before moving back over to her seat, picking up one of the books she brought with her.

I sighed, opening my own bag and grabbing my GameGear, one of the remaining things I have from my parents. I'd recently charged it, but i hadn't played it in years.

Well, this should be interesting.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The rest of the train ride seemed to whizz by like a blur, as me and Twilight had arrived at the closest stop to the badlands. This involved getting off just before the mountains, which meant we had a reasonably large trek in order to reach the signals origin point.

Fortunately for us, there seemed to be an engraved path on the way there, meaning there was a good chance there was a village nearby. A quick glance at a few ponies passing by us confirmed this suspicion.

After about an hour and a half of walking, me and Twilight came to a stop, having noticed the village in question ahead.

"You think we could stop there for a bit and rest? My legs are killing me?" I groaned, switching the leg I put my weight on so I could stretch the other. Twilight seemed to do a similar thing.

"I don't think that would be an issue. We can stay there and figure out how far the ship fragment… is." Twilight paused, squinting at the village. "Is… that it there?"

I jumped at this,looking in her vicinity. "Where? Near the village?"

"No, inside the village! Look!" Twilight said, pointing towards a structure inside the village. True to her word, the ship fragment was directly in the centre of the village. It stood out like a sore thumb.

"Hmm… must've moved it there for security I guess." I scratched my head. "Come on, let's go see who it is."

As I began to jog, Twilight moaned. "Come on! My hooves are killing me!"

"And you think I'm not hurting aswell? It's irrelevant, we're really close."

After another ten minutes of walking, me and Twilight arrived at the town. From first glance, it seemed rather big, with several multi-story houses and a few shops lining the road. It had a western sort of feel to it, something to do with the tone of the houses or the dirt-moulded road.

I took a moment to look around, eventually noticing a sign just by the entrance of the town.

"Welcome to… Marecambe? Ugh, is my home town not even immune to the pony parody names?!" I whined, gathering a confused glance from Twilight.

"Is that really what you're focusing on here? Isn't finding your friend more important?" She asked.

I groaned. "I know, I know… maybe we find something to eat first? I don't think the ship is going anywhere."

Twilight was about to say something, but a growl from her belly interrupted her. "Yeah… what my stomach says."

As such, me and Twilight entered the town, gaining a few welcoming glances from a few townsponies. I couldn't help but feel butterflies while this happened, realising how in the open I was. I continued in regardless, glad Twilight offered to come along.

We began walking down a few streets, where I began to notice some construction work going on. It seemed solidly underway, But I instinctually stood away from it. Guess I was just playing it safe.

We then walked through another splitting pathways, when I came to a stop. I'd seen a humanoid figure, so I wanted to get a better look. So I continued in that direction, and my heart skipped a beat when I realised who it was.

A familiar brown cut of hair, rounded face, almost as tall as me. I knew who it was, and it wasn't a good thing. Even Twilight noticed I was distracted.

"What's up?" Twilight looked in my line of sight, noticing the person I was staring at. "Isn't that the friend you were looking for."

"No… we're far from friends." I sighed. "That's… Joseph. The virtue of Honesty. AKA, the biggest prick on the whole project."

Author's Note

And just like that, I'm back in action. Sorry for the wait giys, but it turns out jumping in head-first without a chapter plan is a stupid decision. Reguardless, chapter 11 in now here! Huzzah!
Hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 12, facing the past

"Wait, he did what?! To Shane?"

So… after bumping into Joseph in the streets, myself and Twilight decided it'd be smart to find somewhere to have a quick rest, given it took us what was equivalent to a hike in order to Marecambe. As such, we set up base in a nearby Café. We placed and paid our orders, and while we awaited our ordered food, Twilight decided to ask what Joseph was actually like. I obliged her, having nothing better to do.

"Yep. More than once too." I answered, stretching in the slightly smaller than liked chair I was in. I was uncomfortable, and while I did want to simply sit on the floor, I had to keep up the cover my illusion ring was giving me. "Shane and Joseph constantly butted heads. Jo thought it'd be smart to try bring up family in front of Shane. Note to the wise, never insult anyone's dead parents."

"And… then they fought one another?" Twlight asked, more into the story than I'd like to admit.

"Saying they 'fought' would indicate it was even a close bout. Long story short, Shane broke three of his ribs." I explained, causing Twilight to spit out a majority of her drinking water… all over my trousers. "Thanks…"

"Sorry!" Twilight chuckled lightly. "It'll dry off quickly, the weather seems warm.

"If you say so…" I groaned, feeling the lukewarm water seep through my pants. Note to self; bring a spare change if clothes in future.

"Anyway, back to your story?" Twilight asked, wishing to go back on-topic.

"Yeah, ok. So, Shane broke ribs. Fortunately, he got away Scot-free, because the project had a rule of not intervening with the virtues as they, quote on quote, 'figure out their differences'."

"That seems a little unsafe. What if someone gets hurt, or dies even?"

"Ok! Firstly, fights never get to the point of life-threatening. I'm pretty sure Shelby intervened long before that stage."

"Is… Shelby another virtue?" Twilight asked.

I sighed. "Yeah. It's thanks to her most of the virtues weren't constantly at one another… making the fact her pod didn't make it all the more of a loss."

Twilight noticed my slight attitude change. "I'm… sorry to hear that. She sounds nice."

"I knew her a bit. 'Nice' isn't too far off" I said, "My point is, Joseph is a pain to deal with. Not even Shane could keep him in check. I'm half tempted to just go back to Ponyville and leave him here."

"Only half?" Twilight asked. "If he's really as bad as you make him out to be, why even try?"

I sighed. "I… look, I have to be the bigger man here. I might not like him, but I have to at least try to reconcile or something. Hell, even a 'we may hate each other, but let's be civil' speech won't go awry."

"That's… oddly mature of you, given the sircumstamces." Twilight claimed. "I'll have to put that in a friendship letter to Celestia at some point."

"…Uh, a 'friendship letter'? What's… you know what? Never mind. I'll figure that one out some other time." I halted myself, knowing I was likely about to cross the line into lecture territory. "I'll head over to see Joseph after our food comes… if it comes."

"Now you've jinxed it, the waiter will probably serve us next." Twilight giggled, looking over to the waiter serving another couple on a nearby table.

And them, I kid you not, Twilight's prediction came true. Murphy's law kicked in, having the waiter drop two bowls of daffodil and cheese salad pasta on the table… one without the daffodils, thanks to a reasonable cover story from Twilight.

"Seems you're aware of Murphy's law, eh? That was a good call." I pulled my bowl over to me, chuckling now the waiter was out of our line of sight.

"1, I dabble. 2, technically it's called 'marely's' law in Equestria. And 3, how could you not expect me to say it? You basically asked for it."

"Yeah, point taken." I sighed, picking up a fork and diving straight into my pasta. From the first bite I knew it was good! The pasta had just the right level of moisture to make it taste neither chewy or soft, and allowed the cheese to perfectly blend into the pasta. Pasta was never really my favourite food, but I could tell a good bowl when I tasted it.

But there was something about the dish that made me feel… bad. Something didn't feel right. And after about 3 or 4 additional forks of the stuff, I stopped eating.

"… Connie would love this."

Twilight's ears perked. "Huh? Who's Connie?"

"My other best mate. Known her since day 1 of Horizon. And to note, she's a bigger food nut than me." I told Twilight, realising how long it's been since I last saw her. "Every single day, she'd wait for me outside my room, hang out with me and David, stand up for me, even if she was clearly out of her league, or if I was in the wrong."

"Did you… like her?" Twilight curiously asked.

"No, not like that. She's by best friend, but I have no interest of going that far with her." I explained, scratching the back of my head in slight embarrassment to that question. Truth be told, it wasn't the first time. "Besides, she had a crush on David. I promised not to tell him, but she's so damn shy when it comes to romantic stuff and that."

"Does David like her back?"

"Yeah… but he seems to think she likes me. Put it simply, I'm stuck in a love triangle." I sighed, nostalgic over the memory. "She's still out there somewhere. I'll find her, I know it."

The conversation went silent for a short while after that, as I returned to my food, polishing off the remainder of the bowl. By the time I was done, Twilight seemed to only be half way through her own dish.

I slowly pushed away from the table, attempting not to break the small chair I was sat on. "You go ahead and finish your food, I'll go deal with Joseph."

"Marc, wait!" Twilight yelled, stopping me in my tracks. She then coughed lightly, setting her time back to normal. "Could you… tell me how you met Connie? She… she sounds important to you."

I was at an impasse. While it was still a slightly sore subject, it was either that or going and talking to Joseph. And given I just explained why I disliked Joseph and why Connie was so important to me, I decided to oblige Twilight's request and reminisce a little longer.

I carefully say back down. "Ok… but this is a one-off. Keep quiet, turn all mobile devices off and enjoy your movie!" I joked, bartering a chuckle from her. Nice to know my sarcasm was still growing strong.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was your typical blustery Tuesday over at the Project Horizon compound, and mine and Shane's first day. We were recently brought in after I drew attention to myself while some drama at a nearby outpost… long story, and encountered Leon, the project's personal scout.

I remembered Leon well from back in the day. He was never around for long, always saying exactly what needed to be said and nothing more. He was the one who convinced myself and Shane to join the project, despite my own personal hesitance.

Having donned the projects signature insulated track suits, Shane and myself were following Leon as he lead us the the main hall, where the other virtues were awaiting us. However, Shane noticed my lack of conversation, something he knew was a bad sign.

"What's got you so quiet Marc? You good?" He asked, nudging my shoulder a bit. Truth be told, Shane could always tell if something was up with me. Call it a sixth sense picked up from traveling.

"Sam… I still can't believe I couldn't convince him to be able to come." I moaned, in the beginning of my blank phase. It was something that happened when I first came to the project, being unable to think of nothing other than Sam. Not having him there was… unusual to say the least.

"Don't worry Marc, I'll make sure to look after him. He'll be keeping busy as long as he's with me." Leon assured me, still keeping his eyes dead forward.

"Look, I get it's weird… among many other things. But we still here together, right? That much I'll ensure never changes." Shane promised me, nudging my shoulder to try cheer me up. This bartered nothing more than a slight smirk, mainly to keep him off my back at the time. I just needed to put up with his sympathetic chattering for a few more minutes, then I could find a window to go mope by… no, seriously.

When we got to the main hall, I was… honestly disappointed. It basically looked like a school building's dinner hall. Cheap looking benches, an open area to get food. Hell, there were even TV's donning the far walls and vending machines littered around the place! Safe to say I was unimpressed.

As for what I could see of the virtues, they we're mostly all gathered together in the centre of the room, with two others off on their own.

"Alright guys, gather around! We've got newcomers!" Leon yelled over to the others. With a few groans, everyone slowly approached, bar David, who was content working on his own in the corner.

"Okay, I don't plan on wasting your time today, so I'll get all the formalities over with and let you guys figure stuff out." Leon told everyone, patting Shane on the shoulder. "This young man here is called Shane. He'll be our virtue of Honour for the project. Anything to say mate?"

"Shane shrugged. "Nothing that comes to mind."

"Alright, fair enough then." Leon then walked backward a bit, moving behind me and pushing me forward a bit. "And this is Marc, the virtue of loyalty! Best get in his good side now, while you have the chance." Leon, as well as a couple of the virtues, chuckled at this. "You got owt to say Marc?"

"Uhh… I wasn't told there's be speeches." I answered, gaining a giggle from… someone in the room. "Look, can we just go and do our own thing now? I'd rather not be the centre of attention for long."

"Meh, suit yourself then. Just means I can grab a brew from the staff room." Leon shrugged, heading towards the rooms exit. "I'll leave you to sort out your own differences. See you guys next time!"

Once Leon was out of sight, I was more than happy to walk away, planning on heading to the nearest window, when I saw someone blocking my path. This 'someone' was the same height as me, with grown out blonde hair on his head, covered by a beanie, and had slightly coloured skin. He held his hand out to me.

"Nice to meet you newbie. Names Joseph, Joe for short." He greeted, his smile seeming warm and inviting.

"Uh… hi?" I answered weakly, slowly reaching my hand out to him, his hand eventually doing to shake itself.

"Don't worry about the jitters, most of us had them to start with, they'll fade." He told me, leading him over to his table, Shane slowly following suit. At this point, myself and Shane included, only 8 virtues were in the hall. As such, he gestured to the three with him. "These are Shelby, Mary and James, the virtues of Empathy, Knowledge and Strength respectively."

"Nice to meet you two. About time we got some new faces!" Shelby greeted, causing Shane to… blush for some reason? Irrelevant for the time being.

"Yeah, 'nice' is a rather subjective word or our meeting, but I will say this meeting is… noteworthy?" Mary said, confusing the hell out me.

"Yeah… Virtue of knowledge of you…" Joe muttered, turning to the last of the group. "James is still half asleep, so he's probably worth leaving alone."

"I could've told them that myself you know…" James moaned, turning to face us. "Heads up, he like to talk."

"I think we noticed." I answered, turning back to Joe. "Thanks for the intro, but I need to be on my own for a bit… I've got to think something over." And like that, I began to walk away. However, something about that changed the aura of the room, if you catch my drift. Something about Joseph changed.

"Oh, great! You're one of those guys." He groaned, face-palming and drawing my attention again. "I get it, you're emo! You don't need to tell us that! Just go off alone if you're going to. Don't need to tell us!"

"Dude… overreaction much?" I told him blankly, my tone of voice attempting to tell him I wasn't up for his shit today. Naturally, he didn't pay attention, or listen.

"Oh what? You think you can come here and try undermine me?! Get the memo newb, I call the shots around here! You don't want anything to do with me? Not happening! You don't go off on your own without asking ME first! Got that?!"

Shane grabbed his shoulders, pulling him away. "I wouldn't talk to my friend like that if I were you."

Joseph chuckled slyly. "Ohh, ok! What you gonna do, knock me out? No! You don't have the balls for that!" He threw a punch at Shane, who caught it in his hand, twisting his hand backward into a pressure lock.

A glint of anger sparked in Shane's eye. "No, I'll keep you awake and subject you to unbridled pain! I'll break your ribs! Snap your arm! I'll be your worst nightmare if you even try touching Marc, or anyone! Ever again! Got me?!" As much as Shane went over the top, it was nice to know he still had my back,

Shelby, having gotten up from her seat, positioned herself between Shane and Jo, splitting them apart. "That's enough guys! Nobody's gonna touch anyone today. Or any day! Got me?" She threw a deep glare between Shane and Joe, ensuring they weren't about to murder each other. She then gave me a caring, calm look. "Go sort yourself Marc. I've got these two sorted out."

"T-thanks Shelby." I responded, slowly walking away from the whole debacle and taking my own seat in the far corner away from the group. Aside from nearly starting world war four, things went… okay?

I managed to get in a sigh, maybe a minute or two of sulking? That's when another figure approached, claiming the seat adjacent to me. This young woman, looking roughly my age, had dark brown, almost black hair, with bright green eyes to boot. She didn't say anything at first, just sitting there quietly. Eventually, I turned to her.

"Do you need to sit there? I kinda want to be on my own right now." I told her, causing her to turn my way.

"Ah, sorry! I just come here to think, that's all." She answered, turning back to the nearby window. "Have you heard of the book called 'of Mice and Men'? If you have, I think Joseph reminds me a bit of Curley from it."

"My… Mom used to read it to me. I know what you mean." I answered, realising I probably wouldn't be able to get rid of her for a bit. "An angry short guy, likes to make himself seem tougher by picking on bigger guys."

"In other words, just like Joe." She chuckled. "He ended up getting his hand crushed by Lennie though."

I sniggered too. I saw her joke from a mile away. "Switch Lennie for Shane though, then you've got Joe."

After we finished a little giggle, the girl gave me a light dig. "I'm Connie, and just for the record, the rest of us aren't as bad as Joseph."

I smiled, genuinely. "Yeah, glad to know that." I turned my attention to the sky, mainly recalling my attempts to get to safety over the few months leading to this point… and my parents.

"You're thinking of someone, aren't you?" Connie asked, having immediately picked up on my change of mood.

"My brother… my parents." I muttered, still feeling a little wounded at my folks loss. "My parents died getting me here. My brother… can't be in the project."

Connie didn't try say any words of pity, instead looking out of the window with me. "You know… if bad things happened to you before coming here, then good things are bound to happen in the future. It won't make up for what happened, but you'll feel better, I know it!"

"I… I guess." I couldn't flaw her logic. It was essentially her defining what karma is. "Thanks. I… just need time to get over it. Everything as in."

Connie simply smirked. "Don't worry Marc, I'll be here as long a you need me."

-0-0-0-0-0-

…" And that's basically it. I joined the project, Joseph acted a bit of a dick an I met Connie through it. That's the barebones version of it." I told Twilight. I stretched my back and clicked my neck, having nearly gone stiff from sitting still through that.

"You're a great storyteller Marc, you know that?" Twilight praised, having finished her pasta at least half way through my tale.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Above average memory I guess. A curse and a blessing." I groaned, getting back onto my feet. "I really shouldn't be putting this off. I'm heading over to meet Joseph. Go ahead and do your own thing until I'm done."

"Alright. Good luck Marc." Twilight nodded a me, beginning to walk off in another direction. Knowing her, she'd probably go to a library or something.

I shook my head, I needed to focus, so heading to Joseph's ship fragment was next on the--

Or I could go back for desert! I'm a bottomless pit as it is, so it wouldn't make much--

I cut myself short, literally slapping myself out of that train of thought. "No! No more putting this off!" I yelled at myself for motivation, bartering a few confused looks from the townsfolk, sending shivers down my spine. Ugh, I had to be in the middle of the road, didn't I?

Once I felt less gazes around me, I sighed. "Let's just get this over with so I can go home. Waiting any longer will drive me nuts!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

So, after an internal battle that took about ten minutes, I managed to convince myself to confront… meet Joseph. Even if a part of me wanted to murder him.

So there I was, minutes from his ship. He'd either be there, or somewhere else in town. My head begged for the former rather than the latter. I'd walked more than enough for one day, thank you very much.

As I began to approach said ship, I began to hear a large number of overlapping voices, likely a small argument. My curiousity, somewhat bored by the quiet town, was now piqued. So I turned the corner, and saw… him.

Joseph, clad in knee-length shorts and a white shirt, was surrounded by a small group of ponies, all seeming to be yelling things at him. All their gathered voices made me unable to properly hear what was going on.

Joseph raised his hand up slightly. "Woah there everyone, chill out! One at a time!" He instructed, causing the voices to reduce significantly in volume. "Alright. Ms flights, what's your problem?"

"The boiler you fixed the other day stopped working! No hot water is coming out!" The mare moaned, stomping her hoof on the ground to emphasise her anger.

"I'll have a look at it later. I've got an appointment with Puzzle Piecer at 4:30 about his display shelves. I should be able to fit you in after that." He explained, turning to the next pony. "Faded Fossil, what's the problem?"

"Yeah… you know that drill you loaned my team for the ruin exploration? It's… stopped working." The stallion explained in shame, lowering his head to the floor.

"Ok. Did you try refuelling it with the canister I gave you?" Jo asked.

"Oh… that's what that stuff was for?"

Joseph sighed. "Unscrew the nozzle near the handle and pour the fuel in from there. That should fix the problem."

"Joseph, I just came to thank you for helping fix my oven. It runs almost twice the efficiency now!" Another mare told him, almost throwing herself at him for a hug.

"Not a problem. If it starts to have any more problems, call me over and I'll give it a look." Joseph's gaze fell my way. "Hey buddy, you need me for something?"

Thanks to my illusion ring, Joseph didn't recognise me at all. "Uhh… yeah. I need to talk to you in private, if possible." I told him.

Joseph shook his head. "Sorry budski, got some other people to talk to first. If it's not important, it can wait. Now, where was-"

"You're Joseph Plows, virtue of honesty from Project Horizon, a colonisation mission from earth."

Joseph turned back to me. "… how do you know that information?" He asked, giving me a look that bartered cation, while also seeming curious.

"I'll discuss it in your ship. It's private." I answered.

After looking between myself and the others with him, Joseph sighed. "Sorry guys, gotta deal with this. I'll contact you guys later if your issues are important." After his little speech, the crowd scattered. Having nobody in earshot outside of myself, Joseph opened his ships door. "This better not be a trick."

I nodded, entering the ship fragment, Joseph slightly behind me. In summary, Joseph's ship fragment was almost identical to mine, the only acception being the sheer amount of tools and electronics littered on every counter possible. The only clear areas were the food prep station and his main computer terminal, which were in pristine condition.

Joseph walked slightly ahead, picking up a bottle of water than laid on the side and taking a quick chug of his drink. In this brief moment, I chose to take the ring off, knowing nobody would see us.

"Alright then. whatever you're name is… what do yo- Holy words of Oum! What?!" Joseph leaped out of his skin, having realised it was me behind him. "M-Marc? How? Why?! What the hell?!"

"Illusion ring, thought it was funny and nice to see you too." I asserted slyly, casually walking past him and taking a seat down. Given he was still shell-shocked, he didn't exactly react much. "What's wrong? Weren't expecting the Spanish Inquisition?"

"I, uh… who expects a human to be pretending to be a magical horse? Pretty sure I'd guess the Spanish Inquisition before that." Joseph asks back, having narrowly avoided a heart attack. He joins me in sitting down. "I wasn't expecting guests, so my bad for the mess. Can I get you anything?"

"Jo, cut the shit. We both know we don't get along, so let's skip trying. I'm here on business."

Joseph groaned. "Ugh, whatever then. Why are you here? Plot convenience?"

"I picked up your awakening beacon. They all broadcast the same frequency, so I had to get here before learning it was you." I laid back. "Pretty sure if the signal told me I was dealing with Bob the builder, I would've stayed at home."

Joseph chuckled. "Oh, yeah, because I can totally see you doing this kind of shit on a daily basis! And note to the wise, my beacon went off at least three days ago! So unless you woke up after me, which I'm not assuming, you've been lazy about getting here, haven't you?

"Ok, jeez! Slow down a minute." I yelled, attempting to calm the bloody guy down. "For starters, we only got your beacon today. So if anything, I came as soon as I could. Secondly, I have been busy. My job is killing fucking wooden monsters that trespass onto the farm I keep my ship at. Newsflash, it's tedious."

"… are you sure you don't want a drink? I think we both need to cool off." Joseph offered, holding his head in his hand. To be fair, I could agree that this whole thing was a bit of a headache.

"You know what? Fuck it, why not?"
I groaned. Joseph got up directly afterwards, heading over to his kitchen counter.

As he passed his computer in the way, he stopped briefly. "Terra, rise and shine. We've got a guest." He said to his computer, a familiar holographic mesh appearing and taking form. Another AI.

This one seemed distinctly feminine compared to Cloud was, sporting a red base colour scheme and reasonably long hair that dropped to her lower back. She wore some form of clothing, mostly akin to a fantasy style RPG game.

"I swear to god Joe, if I have to deal with another fucking horse, I'm gonna…" Terra moaned, turning and facing me. The moment she did, her whole colour scheme jumped to blue, likely implying shock. "Oh… hi there. I wasn't expecting more… human company."

"I know what you mean. Only Eight of us on this bloody planet, meaning we're more endangered than a bloody dodo!" I chuckled. "Marc, virtue 7."

"Wait, you're Marc? Joseph said you'--"

"What do you mean eight? Only three died in transit." Joseph added in, pouring some lemonade into some glasses.

"Shane… he died last week… protecting me."

Joseph didn't respond at first, but stopped pouring the drinks. Moments later, he sighed.

"I… I'm sorry. He was… decent… at times." Joseph said, turning slightly to me while returning to the drinks. "We got off on the wrong foot, all three of us did. Shane was alright when calm. I… didn't exactly help matters."

"Yeah, you were a prick."

"I'm well aware!" Joseph growled, groaning afterwards. "Sorry! Sorry, I'm trying to sort myself out. I'm taking anger management sessions with Terra. I was a bit of a dick, I realise that now. But I'm trying to change." He placed the drinks on the table. "There you go."

I stared at the glass sceptically. "What the fuck is this shit?"

"It's lemonade Marc, and you know what it is. It's just that someone prefers coke to lemonade, and refused to bring any on his ship." Shane answered, pushing the drink towards me. "Go ahead. Have something other than coke for once in your life."

I pushed the glass back. "No! I'm in a committed relationship! It'd be blasphemy!"

Joseph pushed the glass back towards me. "Marc, quit the shit. Drink the drink. Wasting food and drink is a sin."

"Ugh, fine. Only if it'll shut you up." I moaned, taking a small sip of the drink. "At least you didn't offer me Pepsi. If you did, murder would've took place."

"You have problems." Shane grumbled. "Anyway, what we're we discussing?"

"I have a few things I need to do while I'm here." I told him, pulling over my bag. I pulled out the flash drive first. "To start things off, I need to plug this thing in so our ships become linked. It's to then we can improve connection between the ships, allows for more accurate tracking of other ship shards, data sharing and all that stuff."

"I'm aware of the program in question. Plug the drive in and I'll get straight to work on that." Terra said, opening one of the drive hatches automatically. "I'm guessing you have information on your computer that'd be worth us having?"

"Movies, anime, cartoons and maps and information of this planet. You'd have to negotiate with the dickhead of an AI my ship came with, but it's all there."

"Huh, I'll have to investigate that later." Terra muttered, a sudden bright red flash briefly appearing. "Sorry gents, that's the notice for my next matanence check. I'll catch you guys around."

Once terra disappeared, Joseph turned back around. "Okay, is that all?" He asked.

"No, I said 'firstly'." I told him. "Secondly, I'm going to need access to some of your gaming files. Classic games on my GameGear work fine, but some of the bigger 21st century games would be nice to get my hands on."

Joseph sighed. "I had a feeling you'd bring up games after a bit… go for it. As long as you copy rather than take, then it's no problem in my books."

"Alright, thanks. I think that's the gist of things I need to do," I said as I stood up, approaching the computer terminal with my flash drive in hand, placing it into the slot Terra opened. "What do you think of these AI then?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess they're… something? I only have Terra to go off, so…" Joseph looked directly at me. "You're fully aware they used fragmentation on these things, right? That's-"

"Illegal, I know. Don't know why it's illegal, but I know it's illegal."

Joseph rubbed his chin, humming in thought. "I think it's something to do with an… AI's mind being based off a human one? As such, fragmenting a smart AI would be the equivalent of mental torture towards a human."

"So, morality. Ugh, that's the last card I expected the government to play."

"No, the last expected card was 'let's stop spending money on gritting roads and retaining our public services, and spend them on last-ditch military and science projects for the salvation of a minority!" Joseph chuckled. "I mean, my dad invested, but that was only because director Coretech helped treat my moms cancer when I was younger."

"… I always thought he did it to guarantee your safety or something."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think the same. I don't even remember being recruited, it just… happened one day. Imagine that for a second, being pulled away from your family one day, left with nearly nothing, having to fend for yourself."

"I don't need to. That actually happened to me." I told Joseph. "My parents died out in the frozen wasteland, leaving me and Shane to look after Sam. I was recruited for… well, everyone knows that story."

"Yeah… and I immediately turned on you for wanting space. That's… just evil looking back on it." Joseph sat back, sighing.

"We didn't know each other's situations. If we did, we probably would've probably avoided all that back then. Hell, might've even gotten on too!"

"Yeah… but I was honestly on a high-horse back then. I doubt anything would've changed." Joseph admitted.

"You're still a prick though."

"A prick and proud." Joseph chuckled, leaning to see what I was up to."Why are we even talking about this now?"

"I'm just waiting for you to put the password in. Then I can get started." I gestured to the screen.

"Oh… right."

"Well? What's the password?"

Joseph winced. "Don't judge me for this but… Password?"

Despite trying my hardest to hold it back, I let loose a roaring laugh that I doubt Joseph was expecting.

"Ok, fuck you then." Joseph grumbled.

"No… no, I just do the same, that's all." I explain, typing in the 'password' and accessing the computer. From there, it was as simple as drag and drop. "And there we go. Tell Terra to extract and launch that file later. Until then, I'll take my leave."

Once I unplugged the USB, I get back out of my chair and begin to head back over to the door.

"Hey Marc?" Joseph called, briefly causing me to pause in my path, turning to see him scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Feel free to keep in touch, yeah? It's remote out here… but I still want to know what the fucks happening, you know?"

"Heh, fair enough then." I chuckled, turning to exit. I gave him a quick wave, opened the door… and immediately got stared at as if I just walked into a herd of deer.

"What? Another human?!" One of the townsfolk yelled.

Upon realising I had more eyes on me than an average zoo animal, I instantly closed the door again.

"I… forgot to put the ring back on… didn't I?" I asked.

"Yep!" Joseph answered.

"… fuck!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

So, after putting on my ring and escaping out of one of the ship fragments emergency matenance hatches, I eventually managed to evade the crowd and head towards the library. To absolutely nobodies surprise, guess who I found there? That's right, Bob Ross!
…
Joke aside, Twilight was doing some 'light' research. And guess who was blessed with knowledge bombs as we waited for the train? Me!… Oh joy!

"Not only that, but they've recently discovered some unknown ruins in the towns outskirts recently, even though this land only became the town we knew came to be a couple of decades ago! You know what that means?" Twilight squealed with glea.

"That I should've brought some headphones?…" I grumbled, completely overwhelmed by the information overload I was currently receiving. I doubt that no matter how long I stay in Equestria, I'll never get used to this.

"It means that life existed here before Equestria was founded!" Twilight squealed with glee, ignoring my irritation. "Not just that, but the walls are inscribed with weird runes and symbols that nopony is able to translate, not even from pre-equestrian books!"

"So what, wingdings or something?" I joked, somehow bartering a perplexed gaze from Twilight.

"Wait, what are wingdings?" She asked.

I scratched the back of my head in thought. "Well… it's kind of a joke font made by humans? At least I think it is, I was never bothered enough to look into it" I heard a loud whistle in the distance. "And it looks like our train is nearly here. Finally, I can download some games from Joe's ship."

"So things went alright over there then?" Twilight asked curiously. "I thought he was the bane of all evil or something like that."

"Oh trust me, he's still a dick. It's just… we got off on the wrong foot. Turns out he's, actually decent? God, that's gonna take some getting used to saying!"

"So you get along now?"

"Seems like it."

Twilight seemed to think for a moment. "Did you learn something from it?"

"To remember to always keep my illusion ring on in public areas outside of ponyville? Yes, very valuable lesson."

Twilight face-palmed (face-hoofed?). "No, I mean about friendship!"

I stared at Twilight blankly. "Not happening Twilight. I know you do letters to Celestia about the study of the magical friendshippy stuff, but I want no part of it."

"Suit yourself." Twilight shrugged, walking onto the train. "Come on then, let's head back."

"Don't need to tell me that." I scoffed, walking into the train gladly.

Upon sitting down and thinking of the others, especially David. I knew I'd ave to sort him out at some point, getting him over what happened.

Meh, that's a job for another time. My current problem is not falling to sleep on the ride back home… man I wish I had headphones right now!

Author's Note

Ok guys, nows the time when you can have an input in a future chapter! Yay!
I have three ideas for an upcoming chapter, but I can't choose between them. Hopefully, that's where you lot come in.
I want you guys to let me know which of the three ideas you like the most, Or if you have your own quirky idea you want to share.

A metroid-style Timberwolf killing spree (May end up leading to Marc Acquiring a Timberwolf cub as a pet).
An Ogres and Oogliettes session between Spike, Big Mac, David and Marc. Would mainly revolve around these four and a potential side-story I could do.
A poison joke chapter. What effect this herb will have on Marc will have to be kept quiet for now, but I find this idea to be the front-runner.

Aside from these, I haven't got much else to say. Hope you enjoyed, like'n'follow and that, and let me know if there's any corrections needed. Until then, ciao.

Prologue; virtues

Project Horizon: prologue.
--Date recorded; October 14, 2137-

--Subject: 7, Marcus smith, 14 years old. Virtue: loyalty--

--"Is this thing working? I pressed the thingy, so it should be... TESTING!!"--

--"Okay, so the idiots in charge wanted me to record some, well.. Recording, yeah, recording about history and what's going on, I guess. It'd probably help if I knew most of it, it's kind hard to explain."-

-"The gist of things were, the planet went to shit. The EU fell, world war 3 broke out, and shit just took a turn for the worst I guess. Hell, the King got murdered, so you know, something must've happened!"-

-"That's when, IT, landed. We thought it was just a comet hitting the planet’s atmosphere, just like any other. At least, that's what the news told us. But, it wasn't, and it landed somewhere in the Arctic. Whatever it was, it just made things worse, if you could imagine that!"-

-"All of a sudden, snowfall. In the middle of summer as well! I was, well... Confused. My brother just used it as an excuse to get out of school though. Then again, he was a bit young, so that was normal-ish for him."-

-"That's when I saw it. I don't know exactly what it was, but it looked freaky, almost like some kind of spirit. Its head... It was clearly a horse, but it had no legs, more like a tail, or just some kind of mist. I didn't see it too good and I was a kid, don't expect artist levels of detail!"-

-"Our leaders just ignored it, and kept fighting! All this shit was going on, global freezing was happening! Yet they still went head-to-head for, well, whatever reason. As I said, I'm no expert on the subject, I just got told to do this, what, five minutes ago?"-

-"Anyway, things kept escalating, both in regards to the war and the 'frost sirens', as we now call them. Hell, you knew it got bad when the whole Atlantic Ocean froze over! The Atlantic is the one between America and Africa, right?"-

-"That was what got the world to notice. One of the world’s largest bodies of water, just frozen! That would be like me having a headache and banging it on the table to get people to notice."-

-"They tried to stop the war, but they couldn't. Both the American and Japanese fronts refused to back down, fighting even more than they already were, and against the government’s orders."-

-"That's when the 'nUw N' was formed, with very original naming!.. Trust me, if you saw me when I first heard the name, you'd think I was suffocating. But seriously, it's easier to remember if you just called it 'the new UN', or just called it the UN and claimed you just remade the building!"-

-"Sorry, back on topic."-

-"They had a plan, something that seemed a little extreme at the time, and still feels extreme now. They were going to send humans off-world, sending up space-ships rigged with experimental Cryo freezing tech."-

-"However, the plan was expensive, and people claimed we could still save our planet, but the government insisted on it."-

-"Cut to now, 3 years in, and 70% of the planet was now frozen, and the daily average temperature plummeted to -10 degrees Celsius, being as cold as -70 on winter nights. The human race is slowly dying, with now just under 570'000 left. But, the project is ready!"-

-"We found a new planet, nearly identical to earth! They say it looks slightly different geologically, and are unaware if any life exists on it, but it's close enough for the ship to make it with the cryogenic systems not fucking up."-

-"Speaking of the machines, I... Feel really uneasy about them. They say it's relatively safe, but don't really know what will happen to them in space. Call me a pessimist, but I'd rather be wrong as a pessimist than wrong as an optimist."-

-"Anyway, I will be one of the 12 lucky people who will be traveling to the new planet. The group is relatively young, being aged between 12 and 18, nobody older, nobody younger. They say it's because of some specific reasons.-

-"The first is for safety. They say our bodies are at the stage in puberty where we're strong enough to survive the journey, but also still able to develop when we get there."-

-"The second reason seems rather weird to me. They claim we were chosen because we represent the best virtues of mankind, with the best traits. Empathy, optimism, courage, creativity... Loyalty. Among several others I can't remember and can't be bothered saying. They say they want to put forward the best mankind can offer, in hopes it will give us a better chance at survival on this new world."-

-"But... I have to leave my brother behind. For the virtue of loyalty, this is quite heart-breaking for me. We were all that's left from England, he was the only one of my family I could save! He's nine for god’s sake! I..."-

-"I just wish he could come. I won't be the same without him with me. How will I manage to focus without him with me?"-

-"I'm sorry, I need to change the subject."-

-"Erm... They let us all design our pods with whatever we want. I was going to get tonnes of video games, but Connie beat me to the idea, and said I could just use her pod if I wanted a go on them. So I decided to fill it with a massive tv with all of my favourite films instead! Deadpool, Pokemon, How to Train Your Dragon, Castle in the Sky. I'll stop there before I make this video double in length."-

-"They also made us have to take weapons with us for protection, should the planet contain hostile life, and for hunting. I'm not one for guns, but I managed to convince them to let me bring a katana! I was very specific about that, I have a really weird obsession with swords and knives for some reason. Don't judge me for it!"-

-"Tomorrow is.. Is our last day on earth before we set of for the new planet, dubbed 'Terra'. I think that actually means earth in Latin or something, I don't give a fuck though. At the end of the day, a name is a name."-

-"I'm gonna say goodbye to my brother tomorrow. I know he doesn't want me to go but... I have to. I want to! It's what needs to be done I guess. After that, I'm probably just gonna get to know the team a little, I guess. I know a few of them from the area, but some of them are coming from the states and I want to meet them."-

-"Anyway, I'm gonna get to bed now. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow, and an even bigger day after! And since I'm obviously gonna struggle to sleep tomorrow night, I'd best get as much rest as possible."-

-"This is subject number 7, Marc Smith, signing out."--

-0-0-0-0-0-

--Audio File no. 04; project horizon overview.--
--Audio recording of; Dr Robert Corteck, Director of project; horizon.--

--"Project horizon, to many, meant a future for mankind. For others, it felt like a white flag, a surrender. To me, it's a chance for humanity’s survival."-

-"As a brief overview, the project is a mission into the unknown, a shot in the dark, a torch of hope among several other analogies. Its objective is to transport 12 young souls off-world, and to another capable of supporting human life, which we have dubbed 'terra'."-

-"The journey will take years, more like centuries. By natural means, they would be dead by the time they got to the new world. That's where the Cryo-pods come into this. With these, the children and young adults aboard the starship Eclipse will survive the journey. The same tech will be used on any food, equipment, and other belongings they bring with them to ensure they don't decay or dissolve, amongst several other theorised issues we could encounter."-

-"The 12 young people aboard the ship each represent the best of the human race, each having a virtue we wish to pass onto the future of our race. They go as follows:"-

-"Honour, represented by Shawn Locksdale. He may seem a little stuck-up, but he's very skilled and is willing to give everyone a chance to stand for themselves."-

-"Strength, displayed by James Norris. For a 17 year old, his strength is unparalleled by even those twice his age. And while he looks intimidating, he's quite the personality."-

-"Kindness, shared by Gemma Rogers. In all my years, I haven't met a kinder young woman in all my life, even my wife... If she heard that, she'd kill me."-

-"Wisdom, honed by Jinji Nakamodo. From what I've been told from the group bringing him, he seems to be a rival even for my wisdom. A notable addition for the new world.-

-"Empathy, represented by Shelby Morehouse. From the little I've seen from here she's been the group peacekeeper. She's quite the young woman, I must admit."-

-"Honesty, told by Joseph Plows. Now, while honesty is a hard thing to measure, this young lad seems to best represent this virtue from what I've heard from him. However, he can be quite... Ahem. Vocal, if you were to annoy him."-

-"Loyalty, shown by Marcus Smith. This young man seems to be one of the best representations of a virtue, almost refusing to leave without his brother. Rumour has it that he protected a whole town while on the way here, although he claims that story is overly-exaggerated."-

-"Optimism, from Connie Mathews. She seems to be looking towards the future with a bright smile. However, she is a bit eccentric, and a massive gaming nut. However. I feel as though she can get irritating with her demands sometimes."-

-"Curiosity, represented by Antonia Jackson. This young lady has explored roughly 87% of the whole compound, despite the young recruits only having authority to access 60%. While she would typically be told off for this, most of the crew have accepted her presence and chose to ignore her.”-

-"Knowledge, known by Mary Faust. To put it simply, a child prodigy, extreme genius. She is the one responsible for completing the Cryo tech used in the ships, a feat that otherwise would've taken years!”-

-"Courage, displayed by Rebecca Ashton. The other individual who is coming to the compound overnight tonight. I only just got told this morning about this young woman, but it appears as though she faced a frost siren head-on, and merely walked away with a simple cold! Since we've heard of larger groups of people suffer worse fates, I am quite shocked as to her feat.”-

-"And finally, creativity, the virtue of David Marshall. Young Mr Marshall was the one responsible for the base design of the Eclipse, and has helped in several other ways in regards to design. He's quite the young man, I must admit.”-

-”These twelve children represent perhaps humanity’s last hope in this universe, and I have every faith they will succeed. This is doctor Robert Corteck, director of Project; Horizon, signing off."-

Author's Note

Just a quick heads-up, this part was made to provide a backstory for the events prior to project horizon, basically making this a "how they're here" story. For those of you who dislike heavy exposition dumps, feel free to skip angels to the next chapter. I won't blame you.

Chapter 7;* self-discovery

It was the following morning after me, Shane, and the girls returned from the desert, and my body was already responding accordingly; not wanting to move for anything… great.

Then again, I honestly don't blame it… blame myself, or whatever. Given that over the past few days I've been battered by beasts, pissed off by an AI, and outright confused by the physics (or lack thereof) of this planet. As such, every inch of my body felt like it'd been viciously broken apart and put back together, and I hated it.

At point, I was at an impasse; getting up would mean facing this pain, but so would staying in bed. At least staying in bed came with the chance of going back to sleep…

What the hell? What am I talking about? Rule 1 about me; sleep is optional!

…

Even though I was tempted to take the sleeping option…

Or I would've if it wasn't for the quiet muttering I heard while in bed. Turning over and forcibly opening my eyes revealed it to be… Shane and Scootaloo, not that there was any surprise.

Nope, I'm getting up.

Channelling every muscle in my body, I pushed the thick, warm duvet from my bed and onto the floor. Impractical, I know, but it got everyone's attention. Even if the cost was a leg cramp.

"Was there any need to do that?" Shane asked, drinking from the cup of coffee he… somehow made. This was made unusual by the lack of packed coffee on my ship, but I was too tired to bring it up right now.

"Don't talk. Too tired. Need food, now," I said slowly, moving my way over to my food storage area to prepare myself some food… or find a good third of an omelette on the counter.

"Luckily for me, I thought ahead. Help yourself," Shane told me, turning in his seat and smiling warmly.

Given my prior knowledge of Shane's cooking, along with my currently rebelling stomach, I took the plate without a second thought, placing it on the main desk and pulling out a chair from underneath. I quickly noticed Scootaloo though, given she was sitting atat on the table… and now sat between me and my meal.

"Morning Scoots, sleep well?" I asked, briefly leaning back and stretching, before reaching around her and grabbing my plate.

"Great, thanks! What about you?" she asked somewhat politely.

"Yeah… not the best, but I've had worse," I told her, about to take a bite out of my breakfast… before remembering something slightly important. "Wait a minute… why aren't you in school?"

"It's a Sunday, Marc. I don't know about where you come from, but we get weekends off here," Scootaloo explained, chuckling lightly and moving away. "I was just getting to know Shane a bit. He only got here last night."

"I know. I'm the one who brought him," I explained, taking a somewhat decent bite of the omelette Shane made. It tasted decent. "Cheers, Shane."

"Don't mention it," Shane said, returning to the book he was reading. "So kid, any plans for today?"

"Well, me and the other cutie mark crusaders are helping Pinkie at the party she's throwing for… A friend of hers,"
Scootaloo explained, standing up and moving over to the edge of the table, presumably to jump down. However, Shane seemed to have a curious expression on his face.

"If it's ok with me asking; what even is a cutie mark?" he asked, sitting up and temporarily putting his book down.

"You… don't know what a cutie mark is?" Scootaloo asked, visibly shocked.

"Aliens, remember?" I reminded Scootaloo.

"Oh, right. Almost forgot," Scootaloo said, moving closer to the table’s centre in order to explain. "A cutie mark is… a symbol a pony gets on their flank when they discover their special talent."

"What, like the ones Rainbow and the others have?" I asked.

"Exactly! But as you can see, I haven't got mine yet," Scootaloo explained, turning to show her visibly blank flank. "That's why me, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle formed the cutie mark crusaders. That way, we'll all get them together."

"Hmm… intriguing. A bit gimmicky, but impressive nonetheless," Shane said, standing up and taking away two plates, possibly from when he and Scootaloo ate. "So it's essentially a coming of age thing?"

"Pretty much," Scootaloo answered, jumping down from the table. "I'm going to meet my friends up. Thanks again for breakfast, Shawn!"

"It's Shane, but no problem kid," Shane said, Scootaloo having now left the room. "Seriously? People are getting that wrong here too?"

"She's just a kid man, don't blame her too much," I told him, having finished my food and taking the plate away myself. "Besides, she's alright."

"Yeah. She's similar to Sam, isn't she?" Shane asked. "Isn't that why you're letting her stay here?"

"How the hell did you figure that one out?" I asked, shocked.

"I travelled with the both of you for half a year, Marc. I have a firm memory of both Sam, and what you're like around him," Shane explained, sitting back down at the table and picking up a clipboard. "Forgive the sudden subject shift, but I'd just like to tell you I've done some work around the ship."

"Sounds like someone's been busy this morning," I said, moving over as taking a look at the clipboard.

"I linked in the extra solar cells with the ship battery, set up the backup generator in case of emergency, and connected the ship to the nearest water source. It took a while, but it was necessary," Shane explained, stating what he'd done as I read it in the list.

"D-do you even sleep?! How did you get all this done?" I asked in wonder, seriously shocked Shane could do this much work in such a short time. I knew he liked to keep busy, but this took the cake!

"I find manual labour stimulating. Besides, I'd only feel content with the job if I completed the task myself," Shane told me, grabbing his hammer and putting it in my equipment storage. "I also did the morning chores for us. Turns out whacking a tree with my hammer is an effective way of harvesting apples."

"… I seriously question how you function sometimes," I groaned, taking a particular interest in the book he was reading, the same book Twilight gave me. "Am I the only one who found that book confusing?"

"I'll admit the physics and power-scaling in the book looks abnormal to anything we've ever seen, but I find the history of this nation quite fascinating," Shane noted, sitting back down an opening the book. "This stuff about the rulers moving a sun and moon is surely propaganda though… right?"

"Meh, I blamed the nation being on cactus juice," I joked, skimming forward a few dozen pages to a page about some 'Discord' guy. "I got up to here last night. A mishmash reality warper."

"Ugh, this place has the physics of a cartoon! It makes zero sense!" Shane moaned, bashing his head on the table. "Not to mention 'magic' is a prominent force here."

"Yeah… I don't think they're the only ones who have that," I stated, making Shane put the book down for a moment.

"Remember back in the desert? That shield thing you did?"

"What shield-thing?" Shane asked, having no recollection of creating it.

"I was about to be attacked by the Sand Wraith, but you jumped in to protect me. After that, the shield appeared, took the force of the blow, and disappeared," I listed, running the information back through my head and being shocked at how well I remembered the ordeal.

"Wait, that was me? I can do that?" Shane yelled, looking into the palms of his hands in awe. "That's fairly impressive, although we need more evidence if we're to link it to this world’s magic."

"So, more than just a bubble shield. We need more proof," I muttered to myself, trying to recall if anything else peculiar happened while we were here… and then it hit me. "I… think I have a healing ability. Does that count?"

"Healing… I don't know how we're supposed to prove that without you getting injured." Shane noted, flipping to another page and noting this info down. "It'd help if we had someone else to run this by. Someone who's familiar with this planet’s magic."

"What, like Twilight?" I asked, getting a blank look from Shane. "Oh, you've only met AJ, Rainbow, and Scoots, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've only met them," Shane stated, looking at me blankly. "Is this 'Twilight' experienced with magic?"

"Well from what I've seen of her, she seems to be the most fluent in the group at using the stuff," I noted, recalling all the times she levitated stuff around. "I heard she lives in a library, so if anyone has the knowledge we're looking for, it'll be her."

"Okay, then that leaves one thing; we go into town and visit her," Shane declared, waking over to his bag and picking out a new, white shirt.

"Yeah. Last time we were in town, I got stared at by half the ponies there. You know what I'm like when I get direct attention from large groups of the unknown," I told him, standing up in objection.

"If you could take it at the train stations, I think you can walk through a town," Shane claimed, folding the sofa-bed back up.

"I recommend you change. You wore that shirt to the desert, and don't mind me saying, but you smell like shit."
Seriously doubting Shane's claim, I took a quick whiff in my pits--

And it was nearly strong enough to knock someone out. I threw that shirt to the other side of the room.

"Message received. Changing shirt," I said, moving over to my clothing area, spraying some quick deodorant and picking out a white shirt with red short-sleeves.

"I still don't want to go out. You know I'm an indoors person," I moaned, slipping my shirt on.

"Alright then, we'll settle this fairly," Shane stated, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Are you alright with rock/paper/scissors?"

"I guess that's fair…" I said, walking over to him. "You know how good at this game I am, right?"

"Yeah, because you always used to play it with me," Shane argued, rolling his eyes. "I win, we go. You win, we stay."

"Looks like we're staying here then, because I'm not losing!" I boasted.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I lost.

Yeah, yeah. Keep your comments to yourself, the idiot went with paper. I got overconfident.

Anyway… we were in the town, Ponyville! The most uniquely named town after Humansberg! (Seriously, where's the originality?)

Despite some obvious as hell naming, the small town wasn't all bad. There were some notable landmarks to look at, like the town hall, clock tower, and fountain, all of which were impressively built. But there was one thing missing…

"Aren't towns supposed to be… populated?" Shane asked, looking around at the emptiness of the town.

Yep, the entire area was empty, no one to be seen. It felt like the start of one of those weird zombie apocalypse films. It was… creepy to say the least.

"My brain is screaming zombie apocalypse, but there's clearly no damage or signs of struggle," I noted, looking into the houses, or at their closed blinds. "Think they're scared of aliens or something?"

"That's a definite possibility. But if that was the case, wouldn't this world’s law enforcement be here?"

"Yeah, that's true. And they weren't like this the past couple of days either," I added, continuing to walk through the towns alleys, still unable to see a single pony.

"Found anything yet?" Shane called over, walking through the alleyways between a couple of buildings.

"If I found something, I probably would've told you by now," I responded, joining Shane where he was.

We continued aimlessly wandering the town until we came across the market district, which was also empty.
Not only that, but every shop had their signs listing 'closed' up. Food carts to retail shops weren't open.

Well, all except one.

"Sugar Cube Corner?" I read from the sign and saw the place was open. "It isn't a library, but if the place is open, it might be worth asking directions."

"Worst case scenario; the shop is empty. I'd say it's worth a shot," Shane agreed, giving a confident nod and opening the door… to find the room pitch-black and empty.

Nonetheless, we walked in, despite having no clue what we were faced with.

"Hello? Is anyone in?" I asked, trying to look around the room for anyone who was there…

Then the lights immediately went back on, nearly blinding me. Almost immediately afterwards, a series of confetti cannons went off at once and I heard a small army’s worth of galloping heading towards us.

(Please don't tell me this is what I think it is…)

"SURPRISE!!!" A chorus of voices yelled at me and Shane, causing me to nearly pass out from shock. God knows how Shane was keeping his cool.

I opened eyes to find the entire room covered with ponies of all colours, sizes and genders, all staring at me and Shane… it was terrifying.

"I bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?" a distinctly familiar squeaky voice called over, revealing themselves to be Pinkie Pie. She gave Shane an excited look. "Hey there, you must be Shane. I'm Pinkie Pie! Dashie told me about you. Welcome to Ponyville!"

"Well, erm… hi?" Shane greeted, giving an awkward wave to everyone inside. "Is this the reason the town is near enough deserted?"

"Oh, right. Almost forgot about that!" Pinkie said, rushing over to the door and… somehow pulling a megaphone out of her hair… with the tip of her hair. "YOU CAN COME BACK OUT NOW EVERYPONY!"

And as if by a click of a finger, the town once again livened up again. Ponies wandering the street, shops open for business and all that jazz.

"Well… that's a thing," Shane muttered, turning to find me still shocked out of my skull. "Hey Marc? Are you alright?"
I don't recall telling you all about how my brain works for the most parts, but allow me to explain what's going through it right now:

Get the fuck out of there! Run!

And as if my life was in the line, I leaped out of the door and ran into the distance, clearly wanting some space right now.

-0-0-0-0-0-

I… suppose you guys deserve an explanation. I mean, running out like that isn't exactly the coolest thing for me to do at this
moment. Well… it's a long story, and I'll get around to it.

After the pre-mentioned freak-out, I ran away from the party that Pinkie set up, retreating to the side of a nearby bridge.

The advantage of this was not many ponies actually noticed me, and the few that did just… ignored me. It was a kind of
ignorance I was glad for.

So I just sat there… staring into the river, all the while my head was at war. While I understood 'why' I did what I did, I was still upset I went and ran. You never get a second first impression, and I used mine to run away!

But luckily for me, it seemed as though fate offered me a way to explain why I ran, as I heard someone approach from behind. I turned around and saw a familiar yellow and pink colour scheme.

Yep, it was Fluttershy.

"Are you alright, Marc? How come you aren't at Pinkie's party?" she asked, stopping her approach up to a certain stage.

"I got there, freaked out, and ran here. There was just… too many people there." I explained, leaning my head against the side of the bridge.

"Wait, you're scared of big groups of ponies too?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well… only in certain situations. If I know everyone there, and there's about ten or twenty people, then I can handle it. Up those numbers to about fifty… and you get the picture."

"Okay, I'm not going to that party either," Fluttershy declared, slowly walking over and sitting next to me. "But this is weird. You seemed really confident around others last time I saw you."

"As I said, smaller group. Besides, you said they were friends," I said, shifting over to give Fluttershy some room. "It's just… complicated."

"I understand. Everypon-- I mean, everybody, has their reasons for freaking out." Fluttershy explained, offering me a warm smile in an attempt to cheer me up.

"Yeah, mine comes down to my autism," I explained, getting an awkward look from Fluttershy. "It's not a disadvantage, I know. It's… more like a set of scales."

"How so?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, something good, something bad," I began, leaning back up. "On one hand, I'm much better at focusing on a specific objective in most situations. This goes for fighting, conversations, and even movies. In that regard, it's more convenient than hindering."

"And I'm guessing the other side is your fear of bigger groups of others?" Fluttershy guessed.

"Pretty much. If we're talking technical, it's social anxiety. It means unless I know a large quantity of people there, places like parties are like hell on earth for me… or hell in Equestria, or whatever."

"That makes sense," Fluttershy agreed, looking over to me again. "I'm sure if you tell that to Pinkie, she might be able to lower the numbers a bit."

"Yeah… I'm not exactly… comfortable talking… feelings. Especially about my autism," I told her. "Let's just say I wasn't exactly treated the best for having it."

"Bullies, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah. Not even Shane knows about it. I kept it to myself through the entirety of Project Horizon. The only one to know was the director, and even he kept it quiet."

"That's understandable," Fluttershy said, standing back up. "You probably just need some time to gather your thoughts."

"Yeah… thanks for the talk. I can't say it helped, but it felt nice," I returned, nodding in her direction.

I was now hoping for a bit of headspace, given everything that had happened…

But no, someone else approached. And considering it was two footsteps at a time rather than a series of four, I knew who it was.

"Let me guess Shane; here to tell me running away was wrong?" I asked, turning to my fellow virtue, who was slowly approaching.

"Quite the contrary actually; all things considered, I get why you ran," he said, also taking a seat next to me. "Why is this spot warm?"

"Fluttershy beat you here, she already spoke to me," I explained, looking over and still seeing her walking away. "Why do you think it's OK that I ran?"

"I didn't say it was OK, I just said I get why you did," Shane corrected, laying down in the shade the bridge was casting. "I saw the personnel files this morning. That included yours, which listed your autism."

"Invasion of privacy much," I muttered, my head sinking into my hands again.

"I'll give you one thing; you hide it pretty well. Not to mention it does help explain quite a lot," Shane said, looking over at me. "Was there really a need to hide it?"

"With the shit I was put through in school? Yes. There was need," I explained.

"That was years ago Marc. You need to stop living in the past!" Shane groaned, turning around and staring me in the eyes.
"If it was so bad, it would've been an issue during the project.

"I perfectly understand the literal hoard of ponies Pinkie rounded up. I don't have what you have, and it even made me uncomfortable. But if you think running away will help in any way, you're wrong."

"If you think you're helping here, you're wrong. I just want to be alone right now!" I groaned, turning away from Shane.

Shane sighed. "Okay man, what's up? There's clearly more than just the party freaking you out right now," Shane asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Is it about that nightmare you had the other night?"

"I thought you didn't care," I said, turning back to staring at the river.

"No, I said you're better than letting a nightmare affect you. Those are two distinctly different conversations," Shane corrected. "If it makes you feel any better, you could explain it to me?"

"Sigh, you sure you want to know?" I checked, looking over at Shane for his response.

"Do you want to get it off your chest or not?" Shane asked.

"Ok, jeez!" I moaned, turning back to face him.

And thus I explained the dream I had… and every detail of it. The spooky castle hallway throne room. The smashed glass windows. The mysterious voice and the fact he was on the floor, dead. Safe to say the sheer detail got him a little shocked himself.

"How the hell do you remember all of that?" Shane asked, shocked out of his system.

"How would I be able to forget it? It was so bloody graphic!" I answered, my hand shaking uncontrollably, my nerves having once again returned to me.

"Seriously man, calm down," Shane instructed, grabbing both my shoulders and once again staring me straight in the eyes, his face appearing a mixture of caring and stern. "It's freaky as hell, but it shouldn't be something to keep you up at night."

"No, because dreams happen while you sleep. Losing sleep over a nightmare is a logical paradox."

Shane groaned. "That wasn't what I meant. A nightmare is just a nightmare, you shouldn't let it affect you."

"You… do realise I was over it until you brought it back up, right?" I responded.

"Alright. Jeez, blame a guy for trying to help," Shane said, standing back up and walking slightly away. "I'm heading back to the party. I convinced Pinkie to whittle down the numbers a bit. Feel free to head over when you feel up to it."

Shane must've walked…about five or six feet? It didn't really matter. I was done feeling bad for myself.

"Wait there a minute, Shane," I called over, slowly standing up and stretching my legs, Shane turning back. "You're right. I'm not going to let it affect me anymore."

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't hear you," Shane joked, staying still until I'd caught up with him.

"Yeah yeah, shut up," I responded, making Shane laugh a little. And to my surprise, I couldn't help but smirk. I knew Shane was decent in the emotional speech department, but this was completely new.
Nonetheless, it was time for take two.

-0-0-0-0-0-

And thus, me and Shane were once again outside the door to Sugar Cube Corner. We hadn't gone in yet, we were just standing there as I gathered the confidence to go in.

"Really? I thought you were ready for this," Shane moaned, pressing his hand against his forehead.

"Look, I will be, alright? I just need something for the nerves," I explained to him, reaching for the inside of my shirt and pulling out… a can of coke.

"How the hell did you get one of them down there?" Shane asked.

"Most of my shirts have a pocket for a pistol in them for some reason. I just decided to… repurpose this one." I explained, cracking open the can and taking a decent swig. And as if by magic, my nerves disappeared. "Alright… I'm good."

"Okay then, no turning back now," Shane declared, slowly walking over to the door… and pushing it open.
As soon as the door opened, I could immediately see a definite change from before. That being that now I could actually see large chunks of the flooring. There were still slightly big groups of ponies present, but they seemed to be keeping to themselves for now. Not to mention Pinkie was in clear view, rather than hiding away to surprise me.

"Hi Marc. Sorry about earlier," she immediately said, bowing her head in apology. "I didn't know you didn't like big groups."

"Well, at least you fixed things… ish." I noted, still seeing about twenty to twenty-five unknown ponies in the room. "I really didn't make things better for myself though, all things considered."

"Don't worry about it, we're used to it through Fluttershy," Pinkie responded, before dashing off in a pink blur, reappearing in seconds. "Cheese sandwich?"

"Yeah… maybe later," I said, scanning the party for absolutely anyone recognisable. From which, I saw a familiar orange pegasus filly carefully squeezing between some other ponies’ legs. "I'm going to have a look around first."

"Suit yourself," Shane said, walking off to do the same.

After a couple of minutes of carefully attempting to squeeze past ponies, I'd managed to track her down to a table a little further in.

I also noticed she was with a couple of other ponies her age. The first being Applebloom, who I remembered from that incredibly awkward mealan with AJ's family. The other one… was completely unknown. I noticed a pale coat with a light pink and purple mane. From the sight, I guessed that they were the group Scoots mentioned earlier.

"Hey Scootaloo!" I called over, barely being able to broadcast my voice above the music. Luckily for me though, she heard.

"Marc, you made it!" Scootaloo shouted, running over to me and jumping up, seeming to expect me to catch her… but I didn't. This resulted in me being hit in the knee by her head.

"Ugh, nice shot," I groaned, relieved she didn't jump any higher… that'd make this a completely different conversation. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been hurt by worse," Scootaloo moaned slightly, looking up to me and giving me a smile through her pain. Luckily for her, she was somehow able to shake off the pain… unlike me. I had to endure it. "Come on. My friends want to meet you!"

"Alright then… might as well if I'm here," I said, rubbing one of my kneecaps as I walked over to the table.

"Marc, these are the Cutie Mark Crusaders! You've already met Applebloom, but that's Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo introduced, gesturing to the member I hadn't met yet.

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Sweetie Belle said, her high-ish pitched, squeaky voice seeming quite fitting for her age. She seemed a lot more excited than me about meeting me… given the other two were more shocked than impressed.

"Same with you, I guess?" I said awkwardly, somewhat caught off-guard by her manners. I turned my attention back to Scootaloo. "You could've told me the party you were helping Pinkie with was for me."

"Yeah, that's how surprises work; you don't tell anypony about them," Scootaloo explained.

"Ok, fair enough," I responded, taking out my can of coke and taking another drink of it… and that's when the fire nation attacked.

Nah, I'm just fucking with you. Pinkie appeared, seemingly interested in the can I was drinking from.

"What's that stuff? I haven't seen it before," Pinkie asked, leaning over me to take a look. I shoved back defensively.

"This 'stuff' is a fizzy drink from my world, and it's off limits," I told her, holding the can away from her.

"Come on Marc. Please can I try some? PLEASE?!" Pinkie begged, doing the whole 'enlarged eyes' thing I'd seen in several movies. Most find it cute, I just found it cliché… and annoying.

"Alright. If I let you call saves on the can, can you give me some space please?" I asked, met with an incredibly fast nod in response.

Sighing in response, I threw the remaining third of a can’s worth over to pinkie, who seemed to grab it… with her hair… what the fuck? How does that work?

…

Anyway… she immediately downed the remainder of the can… and her face somehow became even more lit up than usual.

"What is this stuff? How is it so good?!" Pinkie asked, looking as though she'd just found god… or her planet’s equivalent.

"Welcome to my world, Pinkie. That stuff is what helps me function, so to speak," I answered, attempting to take and
dispose of the can she had, but instead got a snake-like hiss in return.

"No! I must learn to make more!" Pinkie yelled, scanning the ingredients at the back of the can for the answer.

"Good luck with that. They had a secret ingredient that they don't put on the can. With what you have, you can't recreate it," I explained, giving her a brief pat on the back. "If you ever want more of the stuff, I have some on my ship. I suppose we could come to an agreement."

Within an instant, I was immediately tackled to the ground by Pinkie, whose face seemed desperate.

"I'll give you 250 bits for ten cans!" Pinkie seemingly demanded, with everypony around us gasping.

"Wait… is that a lot? A little?" I asked, trying to get Pinkie off me desperately.

"That's actually enough for a whole month’s rent!" somebody from behind the counter answered, a fellow ginger wearing kitchen attire. "Pinkie, how do you have that much money lying around?"

"Party ponies are actually paid quite a lot," Pinkie answered cheekily, turning over to the pony behind the counter, then back to me. "Do we have a deal?"

"Chill out Pinkie, I don't need that much money," I answered, another idea popping into my head. "How about this; 20 bits per can, and when you buy five cans, you get a sixth free. Deal?"

"Yes, deal!" Pinkie yelled, shaking my hand incredibly fast. I could see she was really happy with the offer I suggested.

"Alright. Come to my ship tomorrow and I'll sort you out with some," I told her, attempting to roll from under her. But this was pointless, as she finally decided to move.

"Okie-doki-Loki!" she said, singing to herself as she bounced off. This was when Shane walked up, offering me a hand up.

"You do realise you only have a limited supply of that stuff, right?" Shane asked, pulling me up from the floor.

"I know, but I know the secret ingredient. Once all this drama is over, I might be able to start selling the stuff for a living," I contemplated, thinking about how much income I could've gotten from that possible path.

"Well, you'd have to redesign the seal at the top so ponies could open it, but it's not that bad of a concept," Shane thought.
"You could've done a slightly lower price though."

"She suggested ten for 250 bits, that's 25 per can. I lowered that by five bits, and offered an extra can for bigger buys. That's six for a hundred bits, much better value than she suggested," I explained, feeling my offer was justified in the situation.
"It's the basics of supply and demand. And it was much nicer than just accepting the price she suggested."

"I agree with Marc, darlings; it was much nicer for him to offer her a better deal," a familiar posh voice called over… Rarity. "I like the little freebie he put on the end for her as well."

"Well, my dad did run a shop, and I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" I said, groaning at the dumb as hell apple joke I just made. maybe being around the apples comes with side effects. "Anyway, how've you been Rarity?"

"I've been busy with me boutique, but that's exactly how I like it, darling," Rarity answered, her horn lighting up and telekinetically raising a package. "That said, I still managed to fix up that shirt for you. Consider it a gift."

"You know, you didn't have to do that," I said, opening up the package to reveal… a completely changed shirt.
For starters, the sleeves were no longer green. It seemed the arm fabric was salvaged in order to repair the torn parts of the shirt’s chest. This made it into a sort of short-sleeved shirt… until I noticed some extended, bandage-looking white sleeves. I had to admit, it looked fairly cool.

"Wow, it looks pretty cool," I complemented, holding up the shirt to get a better look at its size in proportion to myself.
"I'm glad you like it, it was a particularly hard job," Rarity said, brushing the bandage-like sleeves lightly. "I decided to enchant these sleeves. Now, if you're injured while taking care of a Timberwolf, the bandages should instantly cover the wound."

"You… really didn't have to go that extra mile you know," I told her, holding up the shirt and hanging it over my shoulder.

"I almost gave up on it myself, but I had Twilight give me advice on how to properly distribute the magic," Rarity explained, unintentionally reminding me of the original reason me and Shane came out in the first place.

"Speaking of Twilight, do you know where we can find her?" I asked. "Me and Shane have something to discuss with her."

"Hmm… she should be here somewhere," Rarity guessed, looking around the room for any hints. "Keep an eye out for a purple baby dragon. Wherever Spike is, Twilight is probably close."

"Wait a minute… this world has dragons too?" I asked, seeming shocked at first, although I calmed down fairly quickly. I shouldn't really be surprised by this planet’s inhabitants anymore.

"Don't worry about it, you'll get used to Equestria eventually," Rarity sympathetically said. "I'll catch you later."

"Alright. Thanks for the heads-up," I moaned, now realising I had to do yet another hunt for someone in this party… yaayy.
And I thought the Triforce fetch quest in Wind Waker was bad.

That said, spotting a reptile-like creature in this party wasn't that hard, as I quickly saw Spike pinching some food from a table a few feet ahead of me. So I watched him return to his original position, revealing both his and Twilight's location.

"Hey, Twilight!" I called over, once again only just being heard over the music. I managed to grab her attention, but had to go closer in order to actually hold conversation.

"Hey Marc, just in time!" Twilight said, galloping over to me and immediately holding out a tape measure against me. "Hmm… twice the average height of a pony… do you know the average human height?"

"Any questions you have about my species can be asked at my ship later, but I have something to… ask… you?" I explained, switching to looking down at Twilight's purple and green assistant, who had his head covered in tin foil. "What's with the kid?"

"I'm not taking any chances, 'alien'! I'm not letting you read my mind!" Spike growled, attempting to put on a defensive face. But in return, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Finally! A superstitious one!" I yelled, trying my hardest to avoid the urge to pick up the midge and spin him around for the rational thinker he was. "But… foil around the head works on psychics, not aliens."

"Yeah, that's what you want me to think…" Spike muttered, slowly walking away from us, still keeping eye contact the entire time.

"Well… that was a thing," I summarised, turning my attention to Twilight. "Anyway, back to what I was going to say. I, well,
me and Shane need a favour."

"You mean your friend? Sure. What can I help you two with?" Twilight asked, levitating a chip over to her and eating it.

"Well, it's about when we were coming back through the desert yesterday. Something weird happened," I began to explain. "We ended up fighting this sand wraith, which was about to hit me with this weird 'hyper beam'-like move. Shane blocked the blast, but something… peculiar happened in the midst of that."

"Was it a bad thing?" Twilight asked, her expression having changed almost as soon as I mentioned the sand wraith.

"Quite the contrary actually, it might've saved the both of us," Shane interjected, taking over my explanation. "I can't fully recall how or why, but I seemed to be able to create some form of light-based shield that protected both me and Marc from the beast’s blast. As such, it raises a few questions."

"Yeah, what he said," I finished, turning back to Twilight. "Given you seem to be the magical guru around this place, me and Shane figured you're the woman to speak to."

"So… you seem to think there's a link between Equestria's magical field and your newfound abilities. Is that correct?" Twilight asked, getting a firm nod from both me and Shane. "It's definitely a strong possibility, and not something we haven't seen before. But it raises the question; what's your ability Marc?"

"I… think it's this incredibly fast healing I've got," I guessed, pointing towards the same spot where I was hit by wooden shrapnel post Timberwolf explosion. "That'd be my only guess. But that said, I have no idea how these supposed 'abilities' work, or what the cost is."

"If I were to guess, then I’d say it consumes aura like with ponies," Twilight explained, me and Shane giving a weird look in response. "You… do know what aura is, don't you?"

"I've… heard of it, I think. I think it's 'life energy' or something like that," I guessed, shrugging at the thought.

"I'm not superstitious. That kind of stuff never interested me back on Earth," Shane said.

"Well, Marc isn't far off," Twilight explained, sitting down and seemingly about to start a long explanation. "Aura is energy that Is given off by your soul, which is distributed around your body. For ponies, this power is concentrated in different places for different purposes.

"For earth ponies and pegasi, this energy is generated constantly, as their magic is also constantly active. Earth ponies gain enhanced strength from this, as well as the ability to share their aura with the earth around them. This allows them to easily farm sustainable produce on a quick and easy cycle. The same can be said for pegasus ponies, who can gain enhanced speed from this, as well as flight and the ability to manipulate the weather."

"Of all the times to leave my notebook at home…" Shane groaned, realising how important this info could be later on down the road.

"Hmm… do unicorns’ magic work the same way?" I asked.

"Not entirely," Twilight began to explain, giving a confident smile as she began to describe her own race. "Unlike the other races, unicorns are capable of using their magic as they choose, rather than it being constantly active. Our horns allow our aura to manipulate the magical field of Equestria, which we can use in order to cast spells."

"So, earth ponies and pegasus ponies have their magic constantly active, while unicorns are able to choose when to have it active or not," Shane noted, a brief pause falling over the group for a moment. "I'll admit, this stuff isn't as far-fetched as you'd first think."

"They're basically semblances," I claimed, getting two distinctly different looks from Shane and Twilight. "Come on Shane, are you telling me you've never watched RWBY before?"

"No I haven't, so could you explain how semblances are similar in this case?” Shane asked, reaching over to a nearby table and taking a sandwich.

"The fact aura is the key to activate it. The fact that the special power is different from person to person. The fact it also allows us to heal wounds," I explained, listing the features with my hand. "Wow, they're more similar than I thought."

"It's likely a coincidence, and I doubt that's how simple the magic works here," Shane responded. "We'd be able to work it out if we could see the difference between a human soul and one of a pony, but I'm guessing bodies of spiritual energy are harder to pick up with scientific equipment."

"It really isn't," Twilight said, backing off slightly, turning to the others around us. "Alright everypony, could you all move out of the way for a minute?"

"Twilight, what are you doing?" Shane asked, noticing as Twilight's horn began to light up with a deep purple colour. After a sudden flash, a series of scientific scanners and other equipment appeared, catching Shane completely off guard. "Unholy mother of Sephiroth! How the hell?"

"Hey! References are my shtick. Just stick to being the smarter one," I told him, walking over to some of Twilight's equipment. "What's all this for, anyway?"

"These smaller devices are made to tell us about your aura. Its colour, strength, and all," Twilight said, picking up a couple of wristband-like devices. "The bigger machine behind me is capable of scanning and recovering data in your harmonic core, as the technical name for souls are here."

"Okay?… Does that mean we need to use the bigger machine first?" Shane asked, still slightly caught off-guard by how much Twilight was able to seemingly teleport at once.

"All you really need to do is place your hand on the bigger machine’s scanner, and wear the bracelets until the next time your abilities activate," Twilight explained, walking closer to the machinery. "Who wants to go first?"

"... I’ll save the argument," I sighed, wishing to just get stuff out of the way first. As such, I placed my hand on the soul scanner’s orb-like sensor for a few minutes. After Twilight told me the testing was done, Shane went up next and did the same.

"Alright, I should have the results back to you within the next few days," Twilight noted, hovering two of the bracelets over to us. "As I said, you'll need to wear these for a few days too. Once your ability activates again, bring it to me to analyse."

"Twilight!…" we heard someone call over. I barely recognised the voice as Spike, who seemed to be gagging.

"Spike, didn't I tell you to go easy on the food?" Twilight asked the baby dragon in a somewhat motherly tone. Kind, but stern enough for intimidation.

"Twilight… it's not… ugh!" Spike groaned, burping out green flame… which also caused a white scroll with an apparent seal attached to it… because magic, right?

"It's a letter from Princess Celestia! But I only sent the letter about you a couple of hours ago!" Twilight claimed, either shocked or excited to have a reply so soon. With her tone of voice, I couldn't tell a difference. She immediately lifted the scroll with a levitation spell and opened it, reading its contents.

"Hey kid, you doing good?" I asked, crouching down and offering to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm alright. But don't think this changes anything!" Spike told me, doing the old 'eyes on you' hand message.

"Yeah, alright. Just don't get too carried away, okay?" I told him, turning back to Twilight for her reaction to her letter

"Princess Celestia… has summoned us all to Canterlot. We're needed there immediately!" she gasped.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Shane asked, unsure due to Twilight's current confused look.

"I don't know, it doesn't say. All she's told me is to bring my friends and 'the humans' to Canterlot as soon as possible," Twilight explained, holding up the scroll to Shane's face, from which, Shane grabbed the scroll and read it for himself.

"Hmm… alright then. Guess if the nation’s ruler requires our presence, we don't really have any choice but to accept, do we?" Shane claimed, rolling the scroll back up and handing it to Twilight. "I recommend we return to the ship and change into something more… fitting of royalty. And Marc?"

"What?" I asked.

"No weapons," Shane demanded.

"Agh, come on!!" I yelled.

Author's Note

Just realised I could've made a joke about gingers having souls or something in there, but I think that meme is dead already…