Tim took another slow sip from his coffee as he sat on one of the balconies that branched off from the main room of the guest wing of Canterlot Castle. The warmth that spread through him was welcoming in the cool air of the early morning. Maps were spread before him again as he and Princess Cadence continued the conversation from the night before.

“Tim,” the woman began, sitting down her own cup of coffee, “I still feel a bit uncomfortable with you and the girls going out on your own,… Surely a small squad of troops would lessen your burdens as well as ease my own mind. Have you given any thought to reconsidering a few well-armed infantrymen accompanying you all?”

Tim sat his mug down and slowly rotated the cup in its place with his fingertips before letting loose a short sigh.

“No, your majesty. As I said last night, I feel a group as large as we already have will be drawing enough attention as it is. Add a half dozen or so of your golden boy troops to it? Might as well blow a horn and holler out our intentions.” He drummed his fingertips on the rim of his coffee before looking Princess Cadence directly in her eyes. “I would rather have whoever is out there thinking we are on a mission of the crown rather than knowing for sure. And speaking of knowing for sure, I have a question for you about something I saw last night.”

Finishing a slow draw of her own coffee, the noblewoman nodded. “What would that be?”

Tim looked off in the distance that the view of the high-rise balcony provided him. Without the cover of night, he felt he could see miles upon miles of countryside surrounding the booming city below. He slowly scanned the horizon as he turned back to his host.

“The scenes in the glass windows of the main hall. I noticed all of the battle scenes involving two particular women fighting all sorts of monsters whatnot. I’m guessin it’s safe to assume that those two women were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

Cadence nodded in response.

“I figured as much. But what interested me most was that last window I seen just before we entered the throne room. Now, Applejack’s big brother had told me back on their farm in Ponyville that this here group of women have already done some pretty outstanding things for the royalty and the country. I already come to realize that magic and flyin’ and such was the normal around here, so I didn’t think it was much more than a brother bragging on his sister at the time, but when I saw that image of them gals in that window, I knew there had to be something more. Care to fill me in on that?”

The princess just smiled at Tim, then tipped her cup seeing that it was now empty. “Well,” she began as she stood and took a few steps from the glass table the two were seated at, “we are going to need a lot more coffee for this talk. Come, let us refill our mugs and take a bit of a walk”

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Horse Goddesses. Magical crystals. Nightmare Moon. Elements of Harmony. God of Chaos, Discord…. It was a lot to take in.

Tim and Princess Cadence had a long talk as they strolled through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Just as Tim had thought, each and every stained-glass window of the castle told a story in regards to the history of this land called Equestria. From it’s early days before the Horse Goddesses brought magic to the people of the world to save them from the Wendigo ice-monsters, the unity of the three tribes under the flag of Equestria, the stone imprisonment of the Chaos God Discord to the banishment of Princess Luna to the moon after being possessed by the spirit of Nightmare Moon and the use of the crystals known as the Elements of Harmony to purify her soul when she returned after one-thousand years… it was all there pictured in glass. The image of the six women wearing their crystals- the Elements of Harmony- truly did show how important these women were. Apparently they were the “Chosen Ones”, the only ones in the land who would wield the Elements, which Tim related to in his mind as being some sort of superweapon that ran on love, friendship, and, of course, magic.

He and Princess Cadence had since parted ways, her stating she had to attend Day Court and seeing to the day to day affairs of her position. Tim had burned the layout of the castle in his mind and was making his way toward the main entrance as he processed all that he had been told. If these women were indeed as powerful as he was lead to believe, why did they need him? In a land ruled by peace, love and harmony, what place did a man who had such a rough and violent past have in helping to save it? Tim was even more set in his belief that he did not belong here and had no clue as to why Twilight was led to him as means of help. All he did know was that that was the situation he found himself in, and be damned if he wouldn’t try to figure it out and do what he can in helping locate the missing Princesses.

Tim found himself in the great ivory-walled room with the large door that led outside. He noticed the two pairs of guards on posted that the sides of the main door and nodded to them borfee tipping his head in the direction he wished to proceed. The guards nodded in response and two of them pushed the door open, allowing Tim access to the outside. He made his way down the staircase and began walking down the road toward the main gates. Just as he was about to approach the gates which led to the city outside, Tim heard a rustling come from one of the topiaries to his right. The moment he stopped, he saw the bush shift and he slid his right foot back to gain more of a defensive stance. No sooner than he moved his hands up into position, a figure shot out of the bush to his left and blindsided him, tackling him to the ground.

Tim grabbed ahold of what he felt to be the wrists of his attacked as they launched through the air and hit the ground rolling. As he slid across the ground on his back, his vision was filled with the pearly white of teeth and the piercing blue of a set of eyes mere inches from his own.

And the color pink. Lots and lots of pink.

“Hiya Tim! Where ya headed? Did you get lost walking around the castle? I got lost once my first time here and I ended up just walking and looking and looking and walking until SPLOOSH! I fell into a fountain! You haven’t fell in a fountain yet, have you? They’re pretty cold…”

Pinkie Pie. Tim released the young woman’s hands and rolled her off of him. He covered his face with his hands as the woman continued to talk about falling in fountains and being chased by swans. He then got up, brushed the dirt and grass off of his clothes and reached a hand down to pull Pinkie to her feet.

“…. And the swans were like ‘honk-HOOOOONK’ all mad like and I thought when I’m all mad because someone ruined my nap, I always feel better when I get a cupcake, so I picked up the swans and ran into the kitchens-umph!” Pinkie Pie was cut short when a hand firmly pressed over her mouth. Tim looked at her with squinted eyes before shaking his head at her.

“I’m going to remove my hand, now…” Tim began, “and I want to know what in the world inspired you to jump me like that.” Pinkie eagerly nodded at him and he slowly lowered his hand so she could speak.

“Well, I dunno… It just seemed like fun! You need to have more fun, Tim. You look like you’re mad all the time like someone put sand in your underwear or something. I saw you heading out the castle doors al alone and grumpy looking so I figured I’d surprise you and tag along with you and make sure you weren’t lost!” Pinkie smiled at Tim with her hands clasped in front of her and rocking back and forth on her heels. “Sooooooo…. Where ya going?”

Tim couldn’t stay mad at the young woman. He knew she meant well, she was just so energetic and happy to be doing whatever it was she was doing. He just smiled back at the Pinkie and shook his head. “Well, I just wanted to walk around a bit, think about a few things, go and see what this city is like in the daytime. Seeing as how you decided to ambush me like ya did, you can make it up to me by showing me around Canterlot a little bit. Every city has its demographic and culture, I want to get a bit of a feel for it and see if there is anything that might stick out as odd or out of place. Any environment can seem stable to someone who is complacent with their surroundings, so being an outsider looking in, I might see something or notice something that aint right.” Tim looked to the main gate and the guards keeping it secure. “Daylight’s wasting, Pinkie. What do ya say to taking in the sights for a little while?”

Pinkie Pie jumped into the air, pumping her fist. “WHOOO-HOOO! Let’s go!” The pair then made their way to the gate and out onto the cobblestone streets of the city of Canterlot.

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The pink-haired woman bounced and skipped along the sidewalks of Canterlot with Tim in tow. She would stop and look into one storefront and comment on something inside, be it clothes or jewelry or sweets, then hop along to the next one. The people in town were much like how Tim remembered the big-city folk being back on Earth, with the exception that some were hovering about on wings or were floating their purchases behind them in their magical aura. Most were dressed in fancier clothes that he recalled the people in Ponyville were dressed in, which he found understandable, but almost all seemed to walk around with their noses in the air, so to speak. A majority of the people who they passed along their walk paid no mind to them, simply ignoring the bouncing pink ball of energy and the jean and flannel-clad country boy moseying along behind her.

That being said, there was a minority who was paying attention to the duo. Tim noticed the small groups of younger folk slipping in and out of the crowds. He would spot two or three of them in this alley, then see a different group in that alley. They would slip out into the streets and people watch, just as Tim was doing, but with a different intent altogether. After about two or three hours of walking aimlessly about town and stopping in this store or that for whatever treat that caught Pinkie Pie’s eye, Tim noticed a group of four youths that was apparently following them from a distance. Tim kept this information to himself, not wanting to worry his young tour guide.

“Tim! Tim!” Pinkie exclaimed rushing up to the man and causing him to turn his attention to her. “We HAVE to go in this store! They sell the most-best-est-est triple dark-chocolate and cayenne pepper truffles in AAAAALLL of Canterlot! We HAVE to get some!”

Tim raised a brow at the woman before him who had both her hands on his shoulders and was jumping up and down in place faster than what he thought was physically possible. “That’s ok, Pinkie,… I think I’ll pass on those for now. You go ahead…” He then nodded to the small alley next to the sweets shop on the corner of the block. “I’ll just wait for ya out here by the corner over yonder. Take your time, I just wanna be out of the crowd for a bit.”

“Okie-dokie-loki! I’ll be right back!” And with that, Pinkie Pie dashed into the store, swinging the door open so fast Tim thought the little hanging bell above it was going to fly off its brace. Seeing that Pinkie was safely in the store, Tim approached the alley and walked a short distance into it, leaning against the brick wall of the outside of the sweets shop. He tipped the brim of his hat down, closed his eyes and crossed his arms, enjoying the shade the surrounding buildings provided. Then he simply waited.

“Hey man,” a voice came from a short distance away. “You got a smoke to spare?”

Tim never opened his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Naw, don’t smoke anymore. Sorry.” He flatly responded. He could hear a group of footsteps approach him from the street.

“Well, how about you let me hold a few bits so me and my buddies here can go get us a pack?” Tim heard the footsteps come to a stop after surrounding him. He still refused to open his eyes, the only movement he made was shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Sorry, partner,… Ain’t got any bits to spare. Bad habit, smokin… Yall should quit.”

“I don’t think you heard me right, old man. I didn’t ASK you for your bits…” Tim opened his eyes as he heard a single set of footsteps come closer to him. A young soulfolk man with dark green eyes and matching hair stood mere inches from him, looking him straight in his eyes. His clothes didn’t quite match those of the people walking the streets outside of the alley. His bulky dark-blue jacket shown signs of going through a scuffle or two and his pants seemed more suited to what a hunter would wear; with multiple pockets and panels of thicker material over the thighs and knees. With a smirk on his face, the man then put a hand on the wall next to Tim’s shoulder. “You’re going give me your bits, or me and my pals here are going to take them. Do ya understand that or is that too hard for your country-bumpkin ass to understand?”

Tim leaned his head to the right away from the man’s arm and looked around him. Three similar soulfolk youths stood close behind the man, each of them similarly dressed and smiling while looking back and forth to each other. Tim then leaned back to his original position and looked back into the eyes of the man in front of him.

“I don’t think ya heard me, son,” Tim said as he spit on the ground to his right and stood up from the wall he was leaning against, forcing the man before him to take half a step back. “I told ya I aint got any bits to spare. Ya’ll best be moving along.”

The group of soulfolks began to laugh at Tim’s words before the man before him stepped forward and pressed his chest against Tim’s. “You’re a funny one, hick.” The man’s horn began to glow with a fluorescent green hue. “Now, you’re going to empty your pockets and come off your bits, or me and my friends here-“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as Tim reached out with his right arm, grabbed the young man’s right wrist and spun him into the wall with an arm-bar type maneuver, pinning the man’s right wrist into the center of his back.

“Or what?” Tim leaned forward and smoke into the man’s ear. “I think you and your buddies here need to move along before someone gets hurt. And I’m gonna tell ya, that aint gonna be me.”

The man laughed again as Tim finished speaking. “BIG mistake, hillbilly.” He then whistled, and with that, the three remaining thugs rushed Tim, one each grabbing him by a shoulder and the third grabbing him in a headlock. Tim adjusted his hold on the man he had pinned, putting him in a choke-hold of his own. As Tim was pulled from the wall, he brought the first man with him, dragging him backward by his neck. He held fast, even as the blows began to rain down him. Punches came from the right and the left, assaulting his ribs, trying to get him to release the group’s apparent leader.

Just as Tim felt the man in his hold begin to go limp, he felt the man behind him let go from his headlock only to strike him in the back of his head. Tim winced and released the man in his grasp, letting him fall to the ground. The man behind him continued to strike the back of his skull, trying to knock him out. Tim then pushed backward as hard as he could, bringing both men who held his arms with him. The group slammed into the man behind them and Tim continued his backward charge until he felt them slam into the opposite wall of the alley. He heard the head of the man behind him smack the wall with a dull thud. Tim responded to this by rearing his own head back, head-butting the man behind him in the face. The wall behind them provided a solid surface to ensure the man’s face took the full force of the hit, the resulting crunch and following scream letting Tim know he dealt significant damage. Tim then turned his body to the right, blading himself to the man behind him who was now holding his face with both hands and blood flowed from his nose and mouth. He then kicked out with his right foot, striking the man against the wall in the chest with enough force to expel all the air from the man’s lungs, resulting in blood, as well as a dislodged pair of teeth, spew forth and hitting Tim in the face. He then turned to the man on his right and delivered another nose-shattering head-butt, causing the man holding his right shoulder to release him.

With his right arm now free, Tim turned to the man on his left and swung, connecting his fist into the remaining man’s throat. Just as Tim felt the man he struck let go of him to bring his hands to his injured neck, his vision was clouded by a bright green glow. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself jerked up from the ground and slammed into the wall of the alley. As Tim bounced off the wall and landed on the ground, he was surrounded by the glow again and slammed into the brick wall once more. This time was different in that Tim found himself being thrown into the wall again back-first before being pinned in place leaving his feet about a foot off the ground.

“I told you, hillbilly…” a scratchy voice began, “you made a BIG mistake.” The young man who first approached him was walking up to him while rubbing his throat, the short horn protruding from his forehead glowing once again. “See, we just wanted to rob you, rough you up a little bit, and go about our merry way… But now...” The green-haired man grinned wide at Tim, sliding him down the wall with his magic and bringing the two eye to eye. “Now, we’re going to take twice as much blood from you as you took from us,” He produced a short, fixed-blade knife from his coat pocket, “Not to mention your little pink-haired girlfriend you were strolling around with.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed in anger as the young man lightly chuckled. “Oh yeah, we saw your cute little girl bouncing around with you. She looked real soft and sweet, young too. That’s how me and my boys like ‘em.” The rage in Tim’s mind began to grow, causing him to ball his fists and his body to begin to tremble. He noticed that the other three men had now gotten back on their feet, but his eyes never left the group’s leader.

“I’m sure little miss pink-stuff is going to come out of that shop any minute.” The thug said as he closed in on Tim, raising the knife up and pointing it toward Tim’s face. “She’s going to come on down the block to find ya, and when she shows up,…” He grinned menacingly as he stared into Tim’s eyes. “My boys will drag her down into this alley, and they’re going to hold her in place for me, making sure she’s looking you dead in the eye, as I cut her panties off and show her what a real man is like while you watch. What you think about that, you hick son of a bitch?”

Tim was breathing hard and his whole body was trembling. Every word that fell out of the young man’s mouth was fueling the fire that was the rage building inside him. He was grinding his teeth so hard that the thug in front of him could hear it. The green-haired soulfolk reared his head back and laughed, being joined in the act by his buddies. It was too much for Tim to take. He began to fight against the magical force that held him pinned to the wall. Every ounce of his being was poured into the muscles of his arms, trying with everything he had to get to the young man who had him held against his will. There was nothing else going through Tim’s mind other than the thought of killing the thug to protect Pinkie; to cave the man’s face in with his bare hands and pounding his head into a bloody pulp…

Suddenly Tim’s right arm broke free, connecting with the young man’s jaw. The surprise hit caused the man’s magic to fail, letting the rest of Tim’s body free and fall to the ground. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Tim leaped upon the man, tackling him to the ground. He straddled the thug’s body and gripped him around the throat so hard that he cut off all the air to his lungs. The rest of the small gang surrounded Tim, kicking and punching him as hard as they could in their beaten state. Tim paid no attention to them as he tightened his grip further on the neck in his hands and pulled the face of the man on the ground under him closer to his own.

“You will DIE before you touch her!” Tim roared into the young man’s face, spit flying from his mouth and blood dripping off of his face from earlier in the fight. He then slammed the head of the man down into the ground as blows from the gang around him continued to land upon him. Tim held the throat in his grip to the ground with his left hand and he drew back his right before slamming it down into the thug’s face with a sickening crunch. Tim drew back his fist and was prepared to slam it down again when the body below him flickered with an eerie green light. Tim froze and his eyes went wide at the sight below him.

The man’s skin had taken on a sickly black-green hue. The whites of the eyes he was staring into had changed to a jet-black color along with the horn that was now crooked and jutting up at an odd angle from the forehead of the crushed face below him. The man’s mouth, which was now a broken and caved in mess of viscous green blood and visible bone, was now filled with jagged, razor-sharp teeth and a thick, black, forked tongue that was nearly severed in two due to the set of large fangs that were broken off and shoved into it from the impact of Tim’s punch. Tim didn’t even notice that the other three men had stopped trying to help their fallen leader and had run farther down the alley and out of sight. Suddenly the body below him burst into flames that seemed to cling close to it like it was a second skin. Tim jumped up from the burning body just in time to see it become completely engulfed in the flames before it exploded into nothingness. All he could do was stare in shock at the now smoking and singed jacket that laid on the ground where the black and green skinned body had laid just moments ago.

“What in the holy hell…” Tim took a staggering step back as he tried to process what he had just experienced. One minute he was fighting a group of gang-bangers and the next he was witnessing people turn into some kind of alien out of a horror movie before burning away into nothing more than a wisp of smoke. Just as Tim brought his hand up to his face, he found himself being tackled from behind and shoved toward the alley wall.

“Don’t move! Place your hands behind your back- you’re under arrest!” Tim turned his face to the side to look behind him and noticed he was outnumbered four-to-once once again, but this time it was by a group of the golden-clad guardsmen he recognized from the castle as well as from around the city. Once the restraints were placed upon his wrists, Tim was grabbed by two of the men, turned away from the wall and brought up to face the one guard whose armor seemed to be a bit more elaborate than his fellows.

“You are hereby placed under arrest for disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and assault with intent to seriously injure! Guards!” The apparent captain of the group then shouted as he remained staring directly into Tim’s face. “Throw this one in the holding cells and show him the punishments for those who break the laws of Canterlot!” The lead guard then stepped away and was replaced by the last remaining guard, who promptly delivered a swift and hard punch into Tim’s gut before they drug him out into the street. Tim looked up just as the two guards who held him summoned forth their wings. The last thing Tim saw before he was hauled off as the guards shot into the sky was Pinkie Pie staring at him with her wide, blue eyes from the doorway of the corner sweets shop with her jaw hung low, chocolate on her face and a triple-dark-chocolate and cayenne pepper truffle falling out of her raised hand and onto the sidewalk.

Author's Note

The story's not dead yet! I know it's been way too long since the last chapter, but hey... better late than never, right?