Heroes travels

Chapters

Mission Briefing
The great mistake
Out of the bushes
Close Call
This is odd...
Returning to Ponyville
Sneaky sneaky
The Savior
The Introduction
The Introduction part 2
That's gotta hurt...
The Awakening
Meeting the Apple's Part 1
Meeting the Apple's Part 2
Questions and answers part 1
Distant memories
Did someone order a Royal princess?
Royal guard rumble!
Day of the diamond dogs
The night in the forest
Return of the sane human
Pleasant dreams are overrated...
Prince Douchebag...I mean Blueblood.
Gaining allies
I call shenanigans: Part two: Celestia's revenge
I call shenanigans!: Part three: Adjustment
I call shenanigans! Part 4: Final strike
To mend ones heart...
Working at Neon's.
Vinyl's questions
Drinking makes everything better: Part one: Wake up to the news.
Drinking makes everything better: Part two: The unexpected visit
Drinking makes everything better: Part three: Preparing to party
Drinking makes everything better: Part four:
Drinking makes everything better: Part 5: Those Celestia damn humans!
The truth.
Meet the humans
Staying the night
I call shenanigans! Part one: First strike.
Bonus chapter 1: 200+ favourites special: Questions with the cast! (Added 2 forgotten questions)

Mission Briefing

Richard put the box onto the table “here’s some mail for ya’ Ash...” turning his head to Callum “I never got to thank you for saving my life. I...I just don’t know what came over me... i had this sudden feeling of adrenaline, I felt unstoppable, thinking that i could take them all on until...well you know...” the smile slowly turned into an expression of sadness on Richards face

Callum got out of his chair and put his right hand onto Richards shoulder “don’t worry about it, i know that feeling you get and i know it feels incredible. BUT, remember that you’re in war and the Russians wont draw mercy on you so pay attention to orders next time okay?” removing his hand from Richards shoulder. Callum started to open the box only for Ashley to snatch it away from him

“You don’t go looking through other peoples mail, even if it’s mine okay?” said Ashley with a grin on his face as he put the box back on the table he opened it to see a letter, grabbing it and reading out loud

"To Ashley,

Hope you will be coming home soon; here are some of your things that I thought you might want to have, here are the following items I sent you: a new MP3 and earphones (your old one got damaged and I put music on this one from your computer), 6 cans of Monster energy drink (I know this is your favourite drink and I want you to be alert during your missions. Pack of 20 cigarettes (I’m not sure if you took up smoking while there so I thought I should send you some).

Just try to take care of yourself okay?

Lots of love, Mom."

Ashley put the letter down next to the box and looked inside to find that the listed items were in there. Taking one of the cans of Monster and opening it. He took a long sip from the can “God I missed having one of these a day...Oh and Callum, you can have these cigarettes since I don’t smoke”

Callum picked up the cigarettes looked at them for a brief second before putting them back on the table to slide them away "i stopped smoking several days ago so who ever wants them can have 'em"

an hour and a half later, back at the Tent

Ashley was sitting on his bed while browsing through the songs on his new MP3, smiling to see most of his favourite songs, Putting in the earphones into his ears and turning on the music, relaxing his body he slowly drifted to sleep...

His dreams were usually filled with the faces of the soldiers before he shoved his knife into their eyes or hearts. The terror which would strike their face only to slowly fade away with their muffled screams of pain. The sick, twisted smile of his when he saw his own face in the reflection of their eyes...this didnt bother him in the slightest, in fact he enjoyed this dream alot. But this is only one of the two dreams Ashley has.

The other dream always makes him wake up in cold sweat, breathing fast , heart beating hard this dream was the one he dreaded the most...it was him killing Callum in the most painful ways possible. Everytime it would be different methods but always the same result. Everytime he thought about it during his meals, his stomach would turn which he would then immediatly lose his appetite or make him run to the closest trash can to vomit. Sometimes this caused him to feel like crying but he had to set an example to other soldiers so he would always put on a brave face until he was alone...

drifting into his usual dream, he was woken by a hard kick to his bed which startled him into falling off it. pain struck through the front of his body as he hit the floor but quickly faded away. Pushing himself up from the ground, he looked up to see Colonel Roberts.

Ashley always thought of Robert's as an asshole but grew fond of him over time.

With a smirk on his face, Colonel Robert's said "oh good you're awake, go find Callum and meet me in my office in 5 minutes"

"wait a sec, why do you want us?" Ashley replied while rubbing his forehead

"are you questioning a direct order from a superior?" questioned Robert's with the tone of anger in his voice

"No sir, 5 minutes, retrieve Callum and be at you're office sir." Ashley answered while giving a salute to Robert's

"Good, now hurry up. Time is of the essence" Roberts left the tent and headed to his office leaving Ashley with the question of 'Where the hell is Callum going to be?'

Ashley put the MP3 and earphones into his front pocket and ran out of the tent, running while yelling around the base looking for Callum, getting information of some soldiers on where his location was, Ashley ran towards the tent that private Richard slept in. Finding Callum with Roberts and 2 other soldiers discussing how to sneak up on an enemy soldier quietly and killing him without anyone noticing.

Callum looked up to see Ashley out of breathe while trying to say something "Callum...*pant*...Colonel Robert's...*pant*...wants us in his...*pant*...office"

"bit out of breathe are we Ashley?" replied Callum with a smirk on his face

"oh just fucking hurry up Callum, we are late as it is"

Callum and Ashley sprinted to the Colonels office only to slow down when they got to the door. they knocked and only heard "it's open" from inside the room. Opening the door, Callum and Ashley entered the office to see Colonel Robert's talking to a helicopter pilot

"Ah, you're here. i would shout at you for being late but now is not the time. Ashley, Callum. Meet Steven's. he will be flying you into this mission"

Ashley with a confused look on his face and asked "Wait, what mission? what do we need to do? when will we--". Callum nudged Ashley's ribs causing him to stop mid-question.

Richard's looked at Ashley's face and then to Callum "Thank you, now. You two are going to be infiltrating an enemy weapons plant, it is lightly guarded from what recon tells us but intel can be off sometimes so we are sending you to see whats being made in the building and radio us of your findings. if we find it as a dangerouse threat, we will authorize you to destroy it. when you have escaped the building, you will need to find you own ways of transport. Steven's here can only take you so far without being detected and shot down by enemy SAM's"

"sooo...weapon do you think they are making sir?" asked Callum

"We dont know, thats why you two are going to find out, now go get yourselves ready, you're leaving in 10 minutes. oh and also take your personal items onto the helicopter as you will be going straight home if you complete this mission" Richard's pointed to the door to signify that he wanted everyone to leave his office.

Ashley and Callum nodded and left the room, followed by Steven's. Colonel Richard picked up the phone and dialed, hearing the phone being picked up on the other end, he whispered "They have been briefed and are leaving in 10 minutes, i expect the experiment to be ready by the time they arrive" and put the phone down.

Back at Ashley's and Callum's tent

Ashley and Callum walked into their tent, going to their own bed and picking up their bags. they exchanged looks to each other, Ashley's was confusion while Callum's was showing determination. putting on their gear they both walked outside the tent in silence and saw other soldiers watching them.

Ashley decided to break the silence between him and his teammate "so...this is it...we can finally go home"

Callum simply responded with "remember, only if we finish the mission"

"Callum, you know what we can do. we WILL complete this mission and before you know it..." a smile was growing on Ashley's face "we will be able to do all the things we want and see all our family again"

Callum turned his head to Ashley and gave him a slight smile before turning is head forwards to see the helicopter's rotor blades spinning with Steven's standing at the stairs going up to the pad

Steven's walked up to Ashley and Callum "You guys ready?" but could hardly be heard due to the helicopter being so loud

Ashley and Callum simply nodded and followed Steven's onto the pad. Entering the helicopter and closing the door. it started to increase altitude and started to fly away from the base.

Ashley looked through the window to see the base getting smaller and smaller in the distance and looked at Callum with a smile on his face "since we are fighting Russian's, do you think they will have some vodka somewhere for us to steal and celebrate victory with?"

"oh i hope so, i haven't had any liqour in so long. God i can taste it now..." Callum drifted into a daydream while Ashley took out his mp3 and started to play "Clouds by Omnipony" while continuing to stare out the window...

meanwhile at the Colonel's office

The Colonel was on the phone, he was checking his windows in case they were open and someone could hear him

"its nearly operational? WHY ISN'T IT OPERATIONAL NOW!?" Robert's yelled to the other person on the end of the phone only to realise if someone outside heard him, "hold on a sec" he opened the door and put his head through it to see no one was around before going back into the office and locking the door.

"Mmhm, okay, so you only need 5 minutes and it will be in full working order? okay, i will get the pilot to slow down a bit to buy you some time"

Richard's hung up the phone and had a sip of his coffee before leaving his office

Back on the helicopter

"Roger that sir" Steven's replied to the colonel via radio and shouted back to Ashley and Callum "WE'RE GOING TO TAKE AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE, IT WILL TAKE US ABOUT AN EXTRA 5 MINUTES SO WE WILL BE LANDING IN 10"

Ashley just barely heard what Steven's said and turned off his MP3 and put it into his shirts front pocket, Callum woke up startled to see Ashley showing him his open hands to show him they were landing in 10 minutes.

Callum grabbed his weapons, checking the supressors were on proparly as well as ammunition, Ashley decided to do the same. This killed about 5 minutes and they sat staring out the windows for the rest

Steven's landed the helicopter about a mile away from the factory and yelled to Callum and Ashley "IT'S BEEN GREAT FLYING WITH YOU GUYS, KICK SOME ASS AND GOOD LUCK!"

The great mistake

Ashley and Callum grabbed their weapons and got off the helicopter and proceeded towards their objective as the helicopter took off and flew back the way it came.

about 40 minutes of running, they had their objective in visual range. it was dark, cold and tonnes of snow, perfect for them to sneak into the building but the trouble was getting past the guards

laying on a rock overlooking the building from a distance, Ashley pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked at the areas that were being lit by lamposts, to his shock. he didnt quite see what he expected...

"What the hell? recon said this is lightly guarded, i can see 3 tanks, 4 mobile AA , about 30 soldiers and a couple of troop transports and thats just on the outside! who know's how many are in the inside" Ashley whispered to Callum before handing over the binoculars for him too see for himself

"Holy shit...how the fuck are we going to get past them?" replied Callum while passing the binoculars back

"i dont know, maybe there is a side door we can enter through or try to get on the roof...wait scratch those ideas, i think i see about 8 guys on the roof and i can see 2 squads of 5 patrolling the sides. it's as if they knew we were coming..."

"well we can't call in air support as those AA will shred them to pieces, vehicles would take too long to get here and would most likely be spotted by Russian RPG teams"

Ashley looked through the binoculars once more "hold on, the bases alarm is going off and their mobilizing, this is our chance to get in"

Putting the binoculars away and taking out his suppressed MP5, he started to run through the shrubbery towards the building with Callum close by.

Meanwhile in the weapon plants office

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, only 3 men were in the room watching the security camera's. one of them picked up the phone and dialed.

"we have seen them, we are mobilising to drive them out of hiding and into our building, all is going to plan"

the 2 other men decided to stop watching the screens and turned to the one on the phone

"we will try to lure them into it, we have 2 Russians we captured and will patrol. hopefully they will lead them to the 'experiment' and will be killed in the process. i recommend you get some transport and meet us here as soon as possible Colonel..." he put down the phone and flipped a switch which caused the buildings alarms to activate

The cold wind was getting stronger, causing the snow to move around which made it hard to see even 10 ft away. Slowly making their way to one of the side doors, Callum checked if the door was locked. instead it opened with a loud creak which caused them both to run into the building quickly before a patrol was going past.

Ashley took out his lucky pistol and turned on the flashlight. the only sound that could be heard was the alarm and it seemed the troops were packing up and moving out. "well atleast we got inside, now let's find that weapon"

5 minutes of checking corners, sticking to dark areas, the pair found 2 guards patrolling the inside. one of them was wearing a blue thermal coat while the other wore a white camoflauged coat similar to the blue one, both of them were speaking in russian.

Ashley slowly crept behind the guards, only looking back to see Callum doing the same with his pistol behind the guard with the blue jackets head. Ashley then drew out his knife and shown Callum 3 of his fingers. this was the signal for them to attack at the same time

3...

2 ...

1 ...

Ashley then clenched his fist and tackled the guard with the white coat to the ground, making sure he was on top of him the whole time while Callum executed the other guard with a single suppressed pistol shot in the back of his head. blood and parts of the brain shot out through the bullets exit wound "a nice clean kill" Callum thought to himself while looking at the lifeless body

The guard that was tackled hit the ground hard, trying to reach for his weapon but it was too late, Ashley already put his hand over the guards mouth and put his knife into his heart. The muffled screams of pain was music to Ashley's ears. all he saw was his twisted smile forming on his face by looking into the eyes of his victim as they became motionless...

Ashley pulled the knife out of the guards heart and wiped the blood on his victms jacket. Looking at Callum "remind me to add one more to my knife"

Callum nodded, he always felt a bit scared when Ashley would perform that tactic. Seeing his friend go insane for a brief moment made him think that Ashley had dark thoughts and always decided not to ask him about it.

They checked several rooms but all were empty in the hopes of finding some more information on the experiment. all the computers were wiped clean so Callum and Ashley decided to keep looking. after 5 minutes of searching, they found a room which appeared to have a warning sign with russian text underneath it. both put their backs to the walls on the side of the door. Ashley reached for the door handle and opened it as quietly as possible while checking for anyone inside.

Ashley motioned Callum that the coast was clear by waving his pistol in the air, both walked into the room, only for their breathe to be taken away. they found what they were looking for.

The experiment was a circular pad which seemed to be around 3 meters wide in radius. long, thick wires where attached to computers around the room which connected to the pad. Ashley checked one of the computers but could only access one file, he opened it and it read...

"...Got ya..."

Ashley turned to Callum with confusion, he walked up closely to the pad and examined it followed by Callum

The door they entered through swung open and a dozen armoured soldiers entered the room with bulletproof shields, followed by around 15 soldiers with rifles

One of the soldiers shouted to Ashley and Callum "PUT YOUR WEAPONS AWAY, YOU TAKE ONE STEP AND WE WILL SHRED YOU TO PIECES!"

Callum quickly turned around only to see the large force behind them, knowing they were outnumbered, out gunned, he put his weapons away and put his hands on his head, Ashley done the same shortly after.

One man then entered the room, he was wearing a pilots helmet which covered most of his face while holding a black bag and was followed by another wearing a black ski mask. Ashley guessed the one with the mask was their leader.

The masked soldier took off his mask...only to see the face of Colonel

"Colonel Roberts!? What the hell is going on!?" Callum shouted

"you are not in a situation to be asking questions gentlemen, so listen to me carefully..." Colonel replied in a calm voice, walking up to one of the computers and activating the experiment

"this is not negotiable, we feel that you have done this country alot in defeating this enemy, but in the art of war, we need to stay more advanced than our enemies. So i am introducing the Matter teleporter to your eyes. this device will allow our soldiers and their vehicles to be teleported anywhere in the world, allowing us to destroy enemy weapons plants, high value targets within a few minutes of finding where they are"

Ashley looked at Callum with confusion yet again before turning back to the Colonel "i have one question"

The Colonel focused his sight on Ashley "well, considering how much you have helped us. you both get one question and ONE question only, do i make myself clear?"

both replied with a simple nod

"why the hell are you doing this to us if we are so useful?" Ashley asked with anger building up inside him

"Good question" replied the Colonel "we feel you knew too much of the experiment already and did not want to risk letting you give away any of the information"

"What are you going to do with us" Callum asked while lowing his head, he knew the end of his life was coming

"again, good question" replied the Colonel "we are sending you to a random location, you will most likely be teleported to in a large ocean with no means of getting to land or in a large desert, with no sign of civilisation. the chance of this happening are quite large so my associate here wants to give you both something before you are gone"

The person the Colonel walked in with took off his helmet. It was Steven's

"i'm sorry i had to do this guys, but they were threatening to kill my family and my boy only turned 2 last week." Steven's tried to avoid eye contact with Ashley and Callum as he walked towards them, he put the bag into Ashley's backpack and said in a quiet, calm voice "here's a little going away gift, i think it may help you a bit" and walked away with his head looking towards the ground

Ashley kept his eyes on the Colonel who turned around to the soldiers "if those two dont do what i say, force them into the experiment on my mark, if they retaliate with weapons, kill them."

All the soldiers replied with a simple nod while some checked their ammo

Colonel Robert's turned on the machine which caused it to give off a purple glow and said to Callum and Ashley "you two. Onto the pad. Now. take your weapons with you if you wish."

Ashley and Callum walked onto the pad with their hands still on their heads. the only sound in the room was the machine being powered

Colonel Robert's hit the activate button which caused the pad to glow more of a pink / purple light and created a cylinder barrier which stopped the 2 occupants from being able to get off the teleporter. but then sparks started to come out of the pad. The only sounds to be heard now were sparks being given off and an alarm saying "Power Failure" over and over again

Ashley and Callum couldnt move, they tried as much as possible but could not go through the barrier

"WHAT THE HELL!?" shouted Colonel Roberts "I THOUGHT WE FIXED THE POWER PROBLEM"

The computers were giving off sparks, some caught on fire, rendering control of the teleport into nothing

A bright white light encased the pad, when it disappeared, the occupants were gone.

The teleport pad's circuits overheated and melted, repair was pointless. making another teleport was out of the question as they lost all the data on the computers on how to build another.

Colonel Robert's looked at the remnants of the pad and gave a small smile and mumbled to himself "atleast those two are taken care of" before leaving the room, followed by rest of rooms occupants.

Out of the bushes

Ponyville, Equestria

Celestia's sun was rising and glown brightly, the clouds were being cleared by a rainbow maned pegasus. The shops were being opened while ponies were on their way to work or to do their daily routines. Fillies could be seen going towards the schoolhouse, some were gathering to walk in together. A grey coloured pegasus with a blond mane could be seen delivering mail to the town's residents, with a few crashes and bumps on the head although this didnt seem to affect her at all.

Fluttershy's Cottage, Ponyville, Equestria

Fluttershy woke up and got out of bed, she looked in the mirror to see the dreaded bed mane "nothing a quick brush can't fix" Fluttershy thought to herself, she looked around for Angel but could not find him, she walked downstairs to see Angel sleeping on the couch and proceeded to walk up to him and nuzzled him gently

"time to wake up angel...i mean...thats if you want to..." her voice getting quieter but even that didnt stop Angel from waking up. he looked at Fluttershy's mane and hopped up the stairs, only return about 30 seconds later with a brush. he jumped onto Fluttershy's back and started to brush her mane while she walked into the kitchen to make her and Angel breakfast

a short while after, she put the breakfast for herself and her small companion on the table. Angel jumped onto the table and stared at his breakfast which consisted of carrots, lettuce and some other vegetables and then to Fluttershy, rolling his eyes which looked like he was saying "oh, im having this again..."

"Whats the matter Angel? dont you like what i made for you?" said Fluttershy as she started to eat her breakfast which was a bowl of cereal with a glass of orange juice. Angel looked down at his food and started to dig in.

After breakfast, Fluttershy started to tend to the other animals, she checked they had enough food and water, made sure that they were happy. She looked towards to the sky to see Rainbow Dash preparing a cloud for herself to nap on and smiled before looking towards the Everfree forest...

She squinted her eyes to see 2 small dots falling towards the forest, thinking it was 2 birds or even worse, 2 pegasi that have been injured, her caring instinct kicked in as she started to run to the Everfree forest.

Rainbow Dash was just about to lay down on the cloud when she saw Fluttershy heading towards the Everfree and flew down behind her "Hey Fluttershy..."

This caused Fluttershy to jump and try to find a good hiding spot, going into a nearby bush. Rainbow Dash gave a light giggle and walked up to the bush and said in a calm voice "don't worry Fluttershy, its only me"

Fluttershy slowly peaked her head out of the bush only to be greeted by the cyan pegasus "oh...sorry Rainbow...i didnt know it was you..." she replied as she slowly got out of the bush

Rainbow flew above Fluttershy and helped lift her out of the bush and put her on the ground.

"heh, it's okay Fluttershy, i should of known by now not to sneak up on you like that. Why are you heading to the forest anyways?"

"Oh..um.." Fluttershy tilted her head towards the ground while digging her hoof into the ground a little "i...i saw something falling into the forest...and i think it might be hurt so i thought i should go see if i can help it..."

Rainbow stared at Fluttershy for a while before turning her head towards the forest "did you think that i was going to let you go in there alone? what kind of friend would i be if i let one of my best friends go in to dark, dangerous forest by herself with no means of protection?"

Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow silently before saying in her soothing voice "n..not a very good one?" before hiding her face behind her mane

"EGGS-actly" Rainbow replied with a smile on her face "now come on, let's go see what happened".

***

Ashley and Callum both woke up, only to hear the sound of air rushing past their ears while all they could see was a small, flickering bright pink/purple light in the sky. Both felt like they were falling and slowly turned their bodies only to see they WERE falling and the only safe spots were trees or a small pond which would be too far away to land in.

Both decided to use their common sense and try to slow down the falling rate by spreading their bodies out more, it didnt help much but it was going to be better than diving head first into the ground from about 400ft in the air.

When they assumed that they were about 100ft away, they turned their bodies once more so that their bags would take most of the force of hitting the tree's (hopefully) or hitting the ground. Callum closed his eyes as hard as he could while Ashley just looked at the sky. The breaking of tree branches and rustle of the leaves replaced the sound of air rushing past their ears.

Luckily, their bags DID take most of the impact but it didnt help them from injury, about 2 minutes of groaning from pain, Ashley struggled to stand up, using nearby trees to support his movements. He slowly limbed to Callum, clutching his left arm with his right hand after seeing a huge cut going up his forearm (it wasn't fatal, but nothing a bandage couldn't fix, thats if they had any bandages on them). He held his left hand out to Callum who grabbed hold of it, Ashley pulled Callum up only to see him with a few minor scratches and cuts over his hands and neck "Lucky bastard" Ashley thought to himself.

Callum looked around to see their new environment, all he saw was trees, bushes, and the odd blue flowers which he decided not to go nearby in case they were poisonous. He looked up, only to see the 2 shapes him and his friend made when they 'landed' with a couple of broken branches, as well as being blinded by the sun's light breaking through them.

Ashley on the other hand was in pain, but he didnt like to show it in front of Callum, sitting on the ground, he took off his shirt, he pulled out his knife to cut the shirt in half so it its purpose would be a makeshift bandage. wrapping the shirt around his arm but dropping the shirt as he only had one hand to do so "Callum, i need some help here..."

Callum turned around and walked over to Ashley. Grabbing the ripped shirt and bandaging the wound "Would you like me to kiss the boo-boo better now?" he said with small laugh

"I know something else on my body you should kiss" replied Ashley while pointing to his behind, with a huge grin on his face.

"thats just disgusting and you know it" replied Callum while putting slight pressure onto the wound with a smirk on his face.

"FFFF- THAT FUCKING HURTS YA' KNOW?!" pushing Callum away with his other hand, Ashley putting his knife away and slowly stood back up, checking his bandaged wound before looking at the scenary "where in God's name do you think we are?"

"i dont know, i was thinking the Amazon rainforest but for one thing, it is way too quiet"

Callum got out his pistol and turned on the flashlight, checking the suppressor was on properly before whispering to Ashley "if anything attacks us, maybe the flashlight will blind them slightly. You should get your weapon out just in case. also, check your suppressor. We dont want to get any unwanted attention from God knows whats in this forest"

Ashley done what his friend asked, he listened out for any noise, all he could hear was the rustling of nearby bushes with the sound of large footsteps getting closer. he turned to Callum who was keeping an eye behind them "we should hide, as in NOW." he whisper loudly to Callum

But it was too late...

Authors Note: Sorry if this took awhile, i have been quite busy with P.E coursework but i will be breaking up for christmas holiday tomorrow (insert Fluttershy yay~ here). this should allow me to write these more frequently. Comment, rate, you know the drill

Close Call

Ashley turned round to see a lion-like creature land right a meters in front of him, he became motionless. The creature how ever opened its wings and charged right past Ashley and towards Callum. The impact of the charge sent Ashley into a nearby tree, luckily, he still had is bag on otherwise his spine would of been shattered by the blow, rendering him unable to do anything. the impact of hitting the tree with his head however, that was was alot. blood started to form on the back of his head. his sight went into darkness, his mind went blank...

He was unconscious.

Callum on the otherhand was capable of dodging the incoming creature. Barely. on closer inspection, Callum saw the creature had a scorpion-like tail and tried his best to keep away from it. The creature noticed Callum was behind it and focused its attention on him. It roared in the efforts of trying to intimidate Callum but this only made him angrier.

***

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash proceeded through the forest, trying to stay in open areas in case they were to be ambushed then they could easily escape.

A roar broke the silence. both of their hearts skipped a beat...

it sounded close...

***

Taking out his pistol, Callum stared at the creatures eyes with a mischievious grin on his face "you want me? come and get me"

The creature didnt take this very well, it broke out into full sprint, stopping in front of Callum. It bared its claws and swung its paw at Callum,

Bending down, the claws just missed the top of his head, Callum got back up, looked at Ashley's body and thought to himself "im so sorry...". before running into some nearby bushes. the creature stood its ground for around a minute in case Callum returned.

He didnt.

The creature turned to Ashley, licking its lips, baring its razor sharp teeth. it slowly creeped up to his body as if it was going to play with its food. it opened its wings. it could smell the aroma of fresh blood from Ashley's wounds. The creature took a long sniff of Ashley's blood soaken bandage causing saliva to drip out of its mouth.

Callum was watching the creature closing in on Ashley from the bushes. he slowly got up from the bush with his pistol in his hands and shot 3 times. 2 of the bullets tore through the creatures wings, making it roar in pain while the other bullet just missed the creatures back.

The creature looked at its blood soaked wings and saw Callum in the bushes. it decided to flee as fast as it could but Callum didn't let up. he decided to chase the beast down and kill it with his bare hands if he had to.

***

Walking deeper into the forest, Fluttershy was thinking that going into the forest was a bad idea but this thought was pushed aside by ones which filled her with worry. She could tell Rainbow that they should go back and forget about what she saw but then she would imagine 2 animals, writhing in pain with nopony to take care of them.

The more she thought about this, the faster her heart beat.

She could here the sounds of a large creature running through the bushes, followed by "GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!!"

She looked at Dash with concern, only to see Dash shaking from fear "maybe we should go back to ponyville, you know, where its safe.." said the frightenened cycan pegasus

"But we haven't found the things that fell from the sky yet..." Fluttershy decided to continue the search for the things that fell "Why don't you fly up and try to see where they landed?"

Rainbow replied with a nod and a salute before taking to the skies.

***

10 minutes of full sprint without stopping would cause someone to be out of breathe, but everytime his body started to grow weak, the image of the creature hitting Ashley played through his mind. Anger started to fuel his movements, he wasn't going to give up so easily...

Callum tried to keep the creature in his sight but with small branches smacking him the face and trying to watch where he was running not to mention that he was in a place he had no idea about, he soon lost visual of the creature.

"Just fucking perfect" running his hand through his hair, he decided to look back the way he came "looks like this will take a while to get back, lets just hope Ashley is fine". He started to walk back due to his muscles aching from the fall and from sprinting for so long.

***

5 minutes of flying above the forest, Rainbow was getting bored not to mention hungry. She decided to fly back to Fluttershy but something caught her eye. She could see a couple of tree's that were missing some of their branches. She flew over to the area to see blood splatter on the floor "This does not look good" she thought to herself before deciding to fly back to Fluttershy.

About 20 seconds of her discovery, she found Fluttershy "Hey! I found something!"

Fluttershy looked up to see her cyan companion and took to the skies

***

Callum decided to keep his pistol ready in case the creature returned or something worse came out of nowhere. His muscles started to ache less but not by much, he was now capable of walking at a slightly faster speed. "If Ashley is seriously injured, i swear to god that im going to hunt down that motherfucking thing and gauge out its eyes with my bare hands. Then im going to shoot it in its legs--" He was started to have mental images of what he was describing to himself.

2 minutes passed of these thoughts being created in his mind and the joy he would have when performing them. he stopped and shook his head fast to try and get the images out of his head. He swears that he was becoming more like Ashley the more he watched him kill...

***

Rainbow Dash returned to her discovery with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy turned slightly pale when she saw the blood splatter on the floor. They both landed and looked around before they noticed a creature laying against a nearby tree

Fluttershy slowly started to walk up to it only to be stopped by Rainbow pulling on her tail with her mouth

"What the hay do you think you're doing!? what if that...thing is just pretending and will attack you if you get too close!?" whispered the cyan pegasus. Fluttershy decided to sit and stared at the creature.

It looked like a hairless ape, but its only hair was on the top of its head. it had wierd things on the ends of its arms. She noticed that on one of the arms, there was a cloth wrapped around it which appeared to bandage a wound.

Fluttershy stood back up and walked to the side of the creature (keeping a couple of meters distance in case it was to wake up) and noticed blood on the back of its head. The creature appeared to be knocked out.

"Maybe we should get Twi here, maybe she knows what this thing is" said Rainbow Dash

"Well, since you're much faster at flying than i am, you should go to Twilights while i keep an eye on this thing in case it wakes up. I will hide until you get back" Replied Fluttershy as she made her way back to Rainbow before getting ready to hide in a bush

"Well, okay...try to stay safe until we return okay?"

Fluttershy was silent, she simply nodded her head before hiding behind several bushes. Rainbow took to the skies.

The wind was flowing past her face, flapping her wings as fast as she could, this would be the perfect speed to do perform some awesome tricks but now was not the time. about 1 minute later, she glided towards Twilight's house, using her wings as brakes, she landed at Twi's front door.

She knocked on the door with one of her front hooves...No answer

She decided to do the same again but with more force...Again no answer

Impatience bubbled inside Rainbow, she repeated the action a third time with even more force...the door opened.

A lavender unicorn stood in the doorway, looking displeased "What do you want Rainbow Dash? im very busy with my studies and i--"

"sounds great Twi, sorry to interupt but me and Fluttershy need you in the forest. NOW. we dont have much time so if you could just do one of your teleport spells then that would save us A LOT of time" Said Rainbow Dash

"wait...what?...what is going on Rainbow? Is Fluttershy hurt or something!?"

"NO TIME! JUST DO THE DAMN SPELL!"

This is odd...

Note: The following chapters scene will be taking place inside, well lets say Purgatory shall we?.

Ashley opened his eyes. he was already standing "okay thats wierd". he looked at his arm out of curiosity, the bandage and its wound was gone. completly healed. He poked the area where the wound should of been with his finger only to recoil in pain "Okay, now THATS just wierd..."

Deciding to look around, all he could see was nothing. literally nothing except white. He turned around to see a door which appeared to be made of wood. He put leaned his body against the wall using his uninjured arm only to fall over straight away. His face meeting the unwelcoming floor, a bit of pain surged through his face but that feeling went away about 3 seconds later. Pushing himself back up, he dusted himself off with his hands and continued to inspect the door. there was writing on the glass which spelt out "Joseph: A.C GA"

"A.C GA? what the hell does this mean?" asking himself, he then knocked on the door with a clenched fist. After a few seconds of doing so, he heard a faint voice. if anything, all he could make out was "come in".

He opened the door to his amusement, was an office. computer, filing cabinets, whiteboard. You know, the usual stuff you see in offices.

Behind the desk was a large chair which spun round. Sitting on the chair was a man who looked very similar to Ashley, just replace the brown hair with a dark metallic shade of purple mixed with black, take away the scar. he was wearing a white suit with purple tie.

"Ah! your here, took your time like always" the mysterious man held out his hand for a handshake. Ashley was a bit concerned with this guy since HE did look a lot like him. he slowly moved his hand towards the friendly gesture only for it to be grabbed and shaken wildly "Dont worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya" said the mysterious man with a reassuring smile.

"Anyways, onto more serious matters. im sure you have some questions for me. ask what you want and I shall answer with the utmost of truth, to a certain extend of course" clicking his fingers, a chair appeared next to Ashley "Please take a seat"

Sitting himself down "Okay, lets start with some basic questions. Number one: Who are you?. Number 2: Where the hell am I? and number 3: What does A.C GA mean as it was--" turning himself round, his mouth stayed open from the shock of the door no longer being there "...that door"

"Hmm? oh ignore that. okay. Answers here we go. Answer one: My name is Joseph and thats all you will need to know. Answer 2: lets just say that your dying but not dead yet and this next answer will be the most important, A.C GA stands for Ashley Cook's Guardian Angel" Replied Joseph, clicking his fingers once more. A platter of biscuits appeared on the desk "do help yourself, although you wont really taste anything"

Ashley just sat there quietly, staring at his lap "im dying?" he thought to himself,

"Yes you are dying but like I said, not dead yet. That nasty hit on your head knocked you out and i would of thought you would have recognised me since we have met quite a few times in fact. Oh and by the way, since im your guardian angel, I can listen to your thoughts as well as knowing everything about you"

Ashley looked back up "Wait what? if you know everything about me, what is my biggest fear?"

Clicking his fingers, a giant spider appeared where the biscuits once stood, Ashley's blood started to run cold, he could feel every heartbeat as if it was about to break through his his ribs, his breathing pattern started to increase as his eyes widened. Another clicking of Joseph's fingers made the spider disappear

"Need I say more?" giving Ashley a smirk, he clicked his fingers once more but nothing happened.

after a few minutes of trying to get his breath back after that ordeal, Ashley replied "so you know about me. Onto you, do you have...like you know"

"Wings?" Joseph raised one of this eyebrow. Standing up, he took off the top half of his suit to reveal his wings. They were clear white and well, looked like angel wings but also gave off a light glow. Joseph walked up next to Ashley, spreading his wings "you can touch them if you want"

Ashley stood up, it turns out that Joseph is slightly taller than Ashley but only by a few inches. He held out his hand and stroked one of the wings with the back of his hand, it was soft and slightly tickled.

Both of them returned to their seats, Joseph clicked his fingers and a new suit appeared on him. it was the same colour suit but with a pink tie.

***

Meanwhile, in the forest

***

A blinding white light filled the area. As soon as it subsided, 2 figures were standing where it once was. Fluttershy peeked out of the bush to see Rainbow Dash and Twilight rubbing their heads with their hooves.

"Ugh...im still not used to that" groaned the purple unicorn

"Atleast it isnt as bad as a hangover" complained the cyan pegasus. She looked around to see Fluttershy approaching out of the bush, they both looked at Twilight who repsonded with "Okay...So what is it that you two wanted that forced me to come to this...place?"

The two pegasi looked at each other silently before focusing their attention on the unicorn

"Well, Fluttershy was doing her usual. you know, tending to her animals and stuff" said Rainbow Dash

"B-but then I saw these two things fall out of the sky and i thought they were birds. we only found one but we think that the other one might be chasing some poor animal." Fluttershy started tear with the thoughts of an animal being hurt but put on a brave face so she could help the thing by the tree.

"Uh huh, okay." replied Twilight "just show me where the creature is and im sure I can levitate it back to my basement for--"

"Dont you think it would be best for us to take it to Fluttershy's? since she lives much closer and all" interupted Rainbow Dash

"Does Fluttershy have a basement to keep it in incase it is dangerous? not to mention what this thing will do to her animals if it was. Atleast if it did escape from my basement, it would be dealt with by the local guards within seconds"

"guess when you put it that way...lets just get the hay out of here okay?"

Fluttershy being herself, was trying her best to stay out of the conversation and kept her eyes on the creature

"Okay let's see if we can lift it without waking it up" Said Twilight as her horn started to glow

***

Back to A.C and Joseph

***

Joseph was leaning back on his chair while Ashley was examining the room again. The silence was broken when Joseph fell of his chair as Ashley gave a small laugh to the accident.

"Hmm"

"Whats wrong?" questioned Ashley

"Im detecting a force being emmited very closely to your body and it seems it is trying to contact it. I will be back very shortly" Joseph clicked his fingers and disappeared, leaving a confused human in his office

***

Back in the forest

***

Joseph appeared next to Ashley's corpse, looking around to see what was causing the detected force. To his amusement, he saw a unicorn and 2 pegasi standing in front of him. Being a guardian angel; he could only be seen by the one he was assigned to protect so they couldnt see him nor hear nor feel his presence. He clicked his fingers once more and disappeared.

***

Back to the Guardians office

***

While Joseph was gone, Ashley was searching through Joseph's desk, this turned to be a complete waste of time due there not being any drawers or cabinets. He couldnt access the computer and the phone was dead. He decided to sit back in his chair.

Joseph returned in a bright blue light. He looked at Ashley and accessed the computer. The computer stored all of Ashley's memories, details about his body, his fears, pretty much everything of Ashley was on this computer and it would only respond to the guardian. He turned his head towards Ashley "I found out what was causing that disturbance, it is not harmful"

"so what is the force then?" questioned Ashley while scratching the back of his head

"Well, you are not going to believe me anyways and I would rather keep it a secret. Since it is not harmful, I will allow it to make contact with your body. BUT I will disable contact if it tries any funny buisness"

"What is the force trying to do then?"

"Oh its just going to levitate you and thats all. Now I must make a call to the big man upstairs

"Wait a second! By the big man upstairs, do you mean God?"

"No nonono, The big man upstairs is my boss who works for God. now if you dont mind" Picking up the phone, Joseph started to dial numbers and put the phone to his ear, a few seconds passed before he got an answer "Whats up Big Dawg!?....nothing much, got the guy im protecting right here....why did I call? ah yes, im just giving you an update on a force that I have enabled contact with...The force? well im not going to say what it is in front of my client so I shall send you it in right now" He clicked his fingers and a floating pen and paper appeared next to him, the pen scribbled something on the paper before disappearing. "You got it?...Good. Now im sure I will have contact you again soon but until then, see ya big dawg"

He put the phone down and turned his attention to the computer "this computer holds everything about you. memories, dreams, nightmares, what food you like. Pretty much what makes you...well you. Now as you heard, I will have to contact big dawg very soon and it will concern you greatly

Ashley was speechless, he had no idea what was going on. the only thing to make it out of his mouth was the word "okay"

***

Again we go back to the forest

***

Twilight was putting all her concentration into the levitation spell, but she felt something was preventing her from making it contact the creatures body. as soon as she was about to give up, she saw the body start to float off the ground before it came to a stop at about 1 meter in the air "Ah, there we go. Only took some extra concentration"

The three started their walk back out of the forest...

Callum returned to the area where Ashley's body was, only to gasp from shock as he couldnt see his friends body where it once was. He could hear the sound of hooves hitting the ground nearby. he followed the sounds until he saw 3 horses walking down a path with Ashley's body floating behind them.

"What the hell? how are they doin' that?" he thought to himself "best follow them to see where they take him". He started to do what he was best at, stealth. He started to follow them, making sure to listen carefully in case they stopped and grew suspicious of his presence.

So, this is what i got done before Christmas, since i will not be accessing my computer for the next 2 days, i decided to upload thisr. Im really enjoying writing this part of the story (Mostly because of Joseph and i hope to use him more often) and like always, comment and rate! for i feed off them. Have a happy holiday!

Returning to Ponyville

Callum was running out of places to hide while he followed the 3 ponies. there were some bushes he could use but the rustling of the leaves would grab attention. Trees? they were to far apart or too thin to hide his body behind. He decided to watch the ponies from a far distance with the binoculars he still had when he ended up in this wierd place.

The ponies were soon small dots in his line of sight until noticed a nearby tree. It was quite tall, the branches were thick, judging by this. Callum thought that the branches should be able to lift his body weight without breaking. He climbed to the second branch and sat on it, he pulled out his binoculars and proceeded in watching the ponies.

***

Meanwhile with the ponies

***

The sun was at its highest peak, Twilight knew it was around 12pm. Ponyville was in full view and it would only be around 10 minutes for them to arrive at Twilight's house. The only problem however is the residents of Ponyville...

"you know...im sure everypony will be bombarding us with questions if we walk through Ponyville in broad daylight with this thing with us" Rainbow stopped walking which caused the other 2 ponies to look back at her "Maybe we should hide it until its darker before we take it to your basement Twi"

Twilight stared at the cyan pegasus before looking at the creature being levitated by her "Maybe she is right" she thought to herself

"But it needs medical help right away and we dont have time to lose" Fluttershy responded in a brave, assertive voice.

Both of the pegasi looked at Twilight and said in unison "What should we do?"

Twilight dreaded being put under pressure. Both sides made valid points but they were talking about an unknown creatures health at risk. Twilight sat herself down on some nearby grass and started to think to herself "If we do hide the creature...then it's condition would get worse...but on the other hoof, we would most likely get noticed by somepony or even worse, Pinkie Pie"

While Twilight was thinking, Fluttershy was keeping an eye on the creature while Rainbow was watching Fluttershy in case she tried to do anything she would regret.

Twilight broke the silence while standing back up "I have made a decision. We are going to find a way of hiding this thing while we make our way back to my house, Rainbow. i will need you to go and find something we can use to hide it,

Rainbow held her hoof to her chin "What about bedsheets? i think they would do the trick"

"Perfect, Fluttershy, i will need you to be my lookout while we head back to my house"

Fluttershy nodded as Rainbow took to the skies in her search for bedsheets.

***

Meanwhile, with Ashley and Joseph

***

Ashley was leaning himself against the wall with his arm crossed while Joseph was on the computer

"I have some good news and bad news, which do you want first?"

Ashley stood up straight and looked towards Joseph "im'ma go with good first"

"Very well, the good news is that you have been approved"

Ashley tilted his head to the side slightly "Approved for what?"

"Oh i didn't tell you? I requested for you to pull through and survive and well, they said yes but on some certain conditions"

"Thats great news, but what are the conditions" Ashley sat himself back down into his chair

"Well this is the bad news. They said that they will have to erase segments of your memory, starting with this meeting of us but dont worry. Every guardian has to erase their clients memory of their meeting but they are introducing a new system where we give you those memories back everytime we meet and delete them when the meeting is finished. Stops us from having to introduce ourselves everytime we meet"

Ashley stared at Joseph for a few seconds before scratching his own head "I understand...I guess?"

"Splendid!" Joseph stretched his arms out before yawning "And to think, you still have a couple of hours with me"

"More time for you to relax while I sit in silence?" Ashley replied, giving Joseph a smile

"Yep, when something comes up then I will tell you" Said Joseph as he put his hands on his stomach, feet rested on the desk as he closed his eyes. Drifting of to some well deserved sleep.

***

Back to the ponies

***

Rainbow Dash returned a few minutes later with several bed sheets, she gave them to Fluttershy who then placed them gently over the creatures body, she double checked to see any parts of the creature could be seen...Nope, everything was hidden

"Rainbow, i will need you to distract everypony while we sneak back to my house" said Twilight as they all made their way to Ponyville

"Twilight, you're talking to the fastest flier in the whole of Equestria! I have a couple of awesome tricks I can perform to keep my fans distracted" replied Rainbow Dash as she held a hoof up to her chest.

Twilight smiled to herself. How could she forget it was Rainbow Dash...That pegasus would easily get everyponies attention

The 3 ponies arrived in Ponyville shortly after. Rainbow flapped her wings so she could hover above the ground "i will see you two at Twilights in about 10 minutes" she said to the others before taking off to the skies

Fluttershy and Twilight proceeded through the alleyways of Ponyville, only to stopping when they thought they heard somepony behind them.

Rainbow Dash was doing what she does best. She flew to the center of Ponyville and started to perform sharp turns around the market stalls before performing a flip. She then flew up at an incredible speed towards the clouds, bursting through them to make them disperse into smaller clouds. She looked down to see ponies looking up to her with smiles on their faces, some were cheering while others clapped their hooves together.

***

Back to Callum

***

Callum followed the ponies into the town. The appearance of the town made him feel sick, it was to brightly coloured for his tastes but he smacked himself on the side of the head with his palm to make him gain focus on the ponies. Seeing through his binoculars, he watched the cyan pegasus performing tricks until he noticed the yellow and purple ponies from before, trying to sneak through alleyways

"Huh...these things are smarter than I thought" he said to himself. He climbed out of the tree and proceeded to the civilisation before him, checking frequently through his binoculars to see where the ponies he saw from earlier were heading to.

As he drew closer to the town, he looked through the binoculars once more to see the purple and yellow ponies walk inside a huge tree in (what he presumed) the middle of the town, he knew that if he was to walk in the town in daylight that he would be discovered very quickly. he put the binoculars back into his bag and headed back to the forest "Dont worry Ashley...I will come for you at night" he thought to himself

***

Back to the ponies (again)

***

"Wasn't even doing of my new tricks and yet they still love me" she thought to herself as she flew her way towards Twilight's only to see her 2 friends and the levitating creature into the house. Rainbow slowed herself down when she neared Twilight's door, flapping her wings to bring her to a hover off the ground before landing. She then knocked on the door.

"Can you go and attend to the pony at the door while I get this thing into my basement?" Twilight asked Fluttershy who replied with a nod of her head. Fluttershy waited until the creature was levitated down the stairs before answering the door, only to see Rainbow Dash. She poked her head outside to check if anypony was following her before opening the door fully to allow her friend in. She then slowly closed the door.

Twilight proceeded down the stairs with the creature levitating behind her. The basement was filled with old science equipment which rested on a large table in the middle of the room. Boxes could be seen in the corners of the room as they were covered in dust. "Note to self; basement needs some spring cleaning" Twilight said to herself

She looked around her basement for anything she could tie the creature up with in case it woke up, she looked in small pile of boxes in the corner to find some rope "this will have to do" she thought to herself. She then levitated all the equipment off the table before placing the creature on it gently. She then proceeded to tie pieces of rope to the legs of the table using her magic before tying the ends of the rope around the creatures limbs. She then took a large piece of rope and wrapped it over the creatures chest before tying both ends under the desk.

She went back upstairs in search of a quill, ink and paper before noticing Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were sitting in her living room staring at her

"I've tied the creature up securely and will do some research to see if I can find anything about it, it's best that you two leave so I can work" she said to the 2 pegasi before they looked at each other, they focused their attention back to Twilight who was levitating books off shelves and gave her a simple nod. They made their way to the door and left.

Sneaky sneaky

Twilight returned to the basement, keeping the creature in eyesight as she put the books on a nearby pile of boxes. She started to to examine the creatures blood soaked bandage. Using her magic, she untied the bandage to see a vast amount of dried blood on the creatures arm surrounding a large cut.

"Hmm" she mumbled to herself before levitating one of the books she brought down with her "Lets see...healing spell healing spell healing spell....AH! found you!". she glanced at the page with the spell on it for a few seconds before performing said spell. Her horn started to emmit a light blue aura which started to make contact on the wound.

Except...it wasn't going according to plan

Twilight's head start to pound, she could even hear herself thing as the pain started to increase. The only sound Twilight could hear was the beats of what she assumed was the creatures heart growing faster in frequency but she could feel hers slowing down, it was if the creature was sucking the life out of her for it's own...

***

Into the office of Joseph we go~

***

Ashley was sitting in his chair as he watched Joseph sleep. He could feel his heartbeat growing fast even though he was relaxed...

Joseph's eyes suddenly shot open, he looked at Ashley who was starting to cringe in pain "No...nonononono! he said before clicking his fingers and disappearing.

Ashley's muscles were contracting to try and endure the pain, his eyes felt as if they were about to explode while he could feel the blood coursing through his veins getting hotter...

***

Back in the basement

***

Joseph appeared (as his invisible to others self) and witnessed the unicorn he saw earlier trying to endure pain as she was performing a spell on his clients vulnerable body. He walked up to Twilight and placed his index and middle fingers on both of Twilights temples as he put his forehead against hers.

Twilight's head ceased in pain, her mind was clear as the rest of her body started to shake off the pain, she could feel a presence in her mind, as if something was standing in there, watching her. Her eyes remained closed as she could see a bright red light being pictured in her mind, all she heard in a calm voice was "Stop what you are doing...the more you try to invade this creatures body, the more the pain will increase and will increase the risk of death, I will give you 2 minutes to gain your strength before you can try this spell again" and then the light disappeared in her mind.

Joseph stood back up to see Twilight using one of her hooves to rub the side of her head, still dazed from what just happened. He looked over at Ashley's body and clicked his fingers, disappearing once more.

***

Joseph's office

***

A bright white light grew in the office and disappeared, leaving Joseph in it's place. He looked over at Ashley who was now on the floor with eyes half open, rubbing his head with both hands before slowly standing back up while using the nearby chair as support

"Different force this time, At first, it was detected it as a hostile so it was stopped from making contact with you but since I wasnt the one who detected it...I couldn't stop the pain from occuring in time, i'm deeply sorry but im allowing the force to make contact with you after I found out it was beneficial"

Ashley gave an threatening star at Joseph as anger was starting to flow through his body but it quickly subsided due to the fact he couldn't really blame Joseph as he knew that we all make mistakes.

"It's okay" replied Ashley as the pain started to go away "it's not your fault" sitting back in his chair, he closed his eyes

***

Back in the basement

***

"Ugh..." Twilight moaned to herself as she started examine the wound again "Nothing...why wont my magic work on you the first time?" she thought out aloud, she started to take deep breathes to calm her body down from the event that just occured.

After a couple minutes of doing so, she remembered what the voice said while she was performing the spell the first time. At first she hesitated at the thought of performing the spell again, but curiosity got the better of her. She put her horn close to the wound and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worse. The bright blue aura engulfed her horn and flowed to the creatures wound. She opened one eye cautiously to see the cut starting to go away, the cells of the damaged flesh started to repair and multiplied, healing the wound. After which the creatures skin started to cover the wound slowly.

"Thats just wierd" Twilight said to herself, she levitated the paper and quill and took note of the creature being able to block the magic first time round as well as the voice she heard while performing the spell

***

Celestia's sun was almost gone as the moon rose to take its place, a small amount of ponies could be seen making there ways back to there homes to sleep, Market vendors were packing up after a long day of providing their services. The sky was clear while the moon and stars glown brightly

"Ashley would love this view" Callum thought to himself before heading from the forest towards Ponyville with hand in his pocket, gripping his pistol in case things got ugly. After what felt like 10 minutes of walking, Callum arrived at the village and looked around, the moons light provided some visual of the almost deserted village streets. He decided to stick to alleyways, occasionally finding large cardboard boxes to hide under when ponies were passing him, as well as using the them to slowly get across open areas.

After about 20 minutes of stealth and miscalculations on where he was heading to, he found the large tree he saw Ashley's body be taken into earlier that day.

"Hmm" Callum thought to himself as he slowly checked the door in case it was locked. It wasnt. He slowly opened the door, trying his best to prevent it from creaking. He walked in, pressing his feet against the hard wooden floor slowly incase of loose floorboards and the fact that his combat boots would cause alot of noise if he was to walk normaly.

He looked around, the moons light barely light up the room, It was stacked with books ontop of shelves that were carved into the tree. He noticed a pair of stairs going down and a pair going up, he decided to go down the stairs with his pistol drawn.

Twilight was looking back and forth between a book titled "Creatures of Equestria" in the desperate hopes of finding out what the creature was.

Callum noticed the pony-like creature looking between a book and his friends body, he noticed his friends wound was completely healed. This raised questions in his mind but they were instantly put to the side. He HAD to save his best friend. He slowly creeped up to Twilight...

"What the hay is this thing!?" Twilight loudly complained only to feel as though something was behind her...

"The second half of you're worse nightmare" Callum whispered silently, causing Twilight to turn in horror as the grip of Callums pistol impacted the side of her head with enough force which caused her body to fall limb and hitting the ground.

"Now then" Callum smiled to himself "Lets take advantage of this shall we?" he walked up to his friends strapped down body, he put his ear next to his friends chest to hear Ashley's heart beat...

"Let's bust you outta here" he thought to himself as he started to untie the rope...

The Savior

The ropes was tied quite tightly, it took a few minutes to untie one of Ashley's limbs. after about what seemed to be 20minutes of untying, Callum lifted Ashley's limp body and sat it on the floor, leaning his friends back against the wall towards him and the table.

"Now then, it's time for the fun part" Callum thought to himself aloud as a dark smile slowly grew on his face, he grabbed the ponies body and threw it onto the table, he grabbed the rope and proceeded to tie the creature to the table, Wrapping its hooves in the rope before tying off the rope on the table legs.. Callum decided to sit on the table, keeping his eyes on the creatures body as he waited for it to wake from its unconcious state.

***

Joseph's office

***

Ashley's eyes drew open for to see Joseph staring at him with his head resting in his hands.

"you look so adorable when you're asleep, you know that right?" said Joseph as he gave a twisted smile

"You would look good with my boot crushing your face, you know that right?" replied Ashley jokingly.

Joseph shook his head, stopping to look at the computer screen. A new message was received...

"Well...looks like we are going to find out what will be wiped from your memory"

Ashley's face slowly made its focus to the ground "Just get it over with"

"If you say so...looks like you got off pretty easy"

Ashley raised his head "Oh really? how so?"

"Well, says here you're going to lose the memories of the following, your mothers face, all memories of the following years in school: 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th, how to drive, couple of memories shared with Callum and that whole brony thing since it isnt really that important."

Ashley was shocked, losing so many precious memories in the blink of an eye. He could of just asked if he could let him die but he didnt want to put Joseph through that.

"Hey, dont be so down, it could of been A LOT worse" said Joseph in a quiet voice, trying to comfort his client "They could of removed all of your memory if they felt it was appropiate"

Ashley could see through his guardians attempts to make him feel better which they did. He stood up and held out his hand towards Joseph "Thanks for looking out for me"

Joseph grasped Ashley's hand and shook it "It's what I do" he let go of his hand and walked over to the door and held it open "When you walk through this door you shall awake in roughly 5 or so minutes, memories will be erased and im looking forward to seeing you again"

A smile grew on Ashley's face as he made his way to the door but was stopped by Joseph's arm blocking his path

"Oh and by the way when you wake up you will remember one thing"

"What?"

Joseph placed his hands on Ashley's shoulders and looked into his eyes "Save her by any means"

"Wait what!? save who?!" His questions were ignored as Joseph literally threw Ashley through the door as it closed by itself

***

Twilight's basement

***

Callum untied his friends body, he lifted it over his shoulders and walked over to a pile of boxes next to a wall and leaned his friends back against it. He turned his attention to the creature he just knocked out and walked up to it, he shook his arms to prepare for a heavy lifting but the creature was surprisingly light. He lifted it onto the table started to tie its limbs to the table with the rope, looking back to his friends body every so often in case he woke up.

After he finished tying the creature, he drew out his combat knife and poked the creature with the handle, it groaned in response.

Callum was growing impatient, he decided more brute force was needed and slapped the creature round the face with the back of his hand, causing it wake up but couldn't move

"Wha..what the hay!?" shouted the unicorn as she began to panic, she looked at her front hooves to see they were tied up, she start to use her magic to untie one of the knots only to see a blade being struck into the table infront of her. She followed the arm of the thing holding the knife and realised what it was.

The creature had a short black mane, it seemed to be the same species as the one she found earlier, it looked very frustrated, she could see it baring its teeth slightly in a sick, twisted smile. She noticed the creature had sharp teeth. She could tell the creature ate animals by seeing this.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you" said the creature through its teeth. "Can you understand me?"

Twilight gave a nod, she could feel her heart racing "This thing is crazy!" she thought to herself as she looked around the room, she could see the creature she found sitting against the wall next the books she placed on the boxes earlier.

"Heh..." the creature smiled to itself "Im going to have some fun slicing you up and see what makes you work!" stroking the side of the blade across her cheek

Twilight was starting to sweat, she has never been this scared in her life...

Ashley started to comeback to reality, his head felt as though he was shook violently by someone. He noticed Callum was talking to a pony-like creature when he heard a voice in his head

"Save her by any means..."

Ashleys silently struggled to get back up to his feet, using the wall as support. He saw a large book ontop of a pile of boxes. He grabbed the book with both hands and silently started to sneak up behind Callum

"Oh I cant wait to see your face as I rip you open and tear out your organs one by one" Callum chuckled to himself. Twilight's eyes were looking around the room frantically until her eyes met were the other creature was...but nothing was there. She looked back at the black haired creature and braced herself for the pain, she closed her eyes "This is the end, I know it" she thought to herself

Ashley was right behind Callum with the large book above his own head, He put all his power into smacking Callum with it. All that was heard was a loud THUD and the sound of a body hitting the floor

Twilight opened her eyes to see the brown haired creature which was looking at the floor. she looked down slightly to see it with her book in it's grasp, a small patch of blood could be seen on the cover of the book. She stared at the creature's face as it's eyes met hers "Uh oh" she thought to herself once more, her horn started to glow but she watched in shock as the creature started to untie her,

Ashley's showed no emotion as he untied the pony-thing from the table, it looked familiar, as if he had seen it before. He scooped up the creature and laid it on the floor. He turned his attention to his friends body in disgust as he lifted it up and put it on the table, tying his friends limbs to the table and checking that the knots were secure. He rummaged through Callum's pocket to find a pistol with its suppressor attached and looked at the floor to see his friends combat knife, he picked that up as well and shoved them into his bag.

Twilight just sat still as she watched the creature tie up another of its species and see it take the knife and a wierd metal looking black object from it. She had the thought of running but she felt as though she could trust it since it saved her life but decided to keep her distance away from it just in case.

Ashley looked at the creature and looked around the room, he saw some paper and a quill and picked them up, he started to write something down, stopping to look at his friends body before going back to writing...

He finished and walked up to the pony-like creature and placed the paper infront of it before taking a couple of steps back. Twilight lent over the paper to see badly written words, sentences were scribbled out but she couldn't make out what they said. Her attention was drawn to the bottem of the page which contained one circled, readable word. It said...

Hello...

The Introduction

Twilight stared at the paper that was given to her, she looked up to the creature staring at her, awaiting her to respond

"Uh...Hello?" asked Twilight

Ashley gave a small smile as he walked back up to the creature and picked up the paper, he proceeded to write on it before giving it back to the creature about 10 seconds later

Twilight read the message aloud "Great, I can see you understand me, are you okay? did he hurt you?" she looked back up to the creature before her "i'm fine, my head is a little sore from it hitting me which what I assume knocked me unconcious"

Ashley clenched his fists and looked towards his friends tied up body "Fucking asshole" he thought to himself, he walked forwards to pick up the paper, he wrote another message and put the paper back infront of the pony-thing before taking a couple of steps back again.

"I'm deeply sorry what my friend done, I will talk to him about it when the time is right. Can you tell me how i got here? all i remember was a lion like creature hitting me into a tree and then darkness before I woke up here" Twilight was silent as she thought through what she was going to say next "Well, I didn't find you, my two friends did. They saw your injuries and one of them came here to ask me to help them move you out of the forest" She looked towards the tied up creature "I tied you up in case you were dangerous as I have no record of whatever you are in my books"

Ashley was shocked to hear that he was tied up, a small gasp slipped through his lips, he stood there in silence. Thinking through the situation but in the creatures perspective "creature never seen before, tie it up incase it is dangerous...can't blame it for being cautious" thinking to himself

"Can you talk like the other one can?" she asked pointing towards Callum's unconcious body

Ashley nodded his head, he walked over to pick up the paper once more and wrote on it, doing the same as before

"I can talk but I choose not to right now" Twilight read aloud before responding "What are you?"

Ashley decided to take a seat on the table, he pulled out his knife before quietly saying "a human..."

Twilight's eyes gleamed, a entirely new creature was having a conversation with her, she had alot of questions to ask it but she didn't want to overwelm it

"Where am I exactly?" the creature asked Twilight

"You don't know where you are? what are you? an alien or something? You're in Ponyville, Equestria"

This grabbed Ashley's attention fast, he heard those names before but can't remember where from...it only occured to him that this "Ponyville" is inhabited by ponies and that they must be the dominant species seeing as they are sentient beings from what he can see before him. He sat in silence while looking at the floor. The room was silent for a few minutes

Twilight broke the silence with another question "So...Where are you from exactly?"

"Well..." Ashley replied in a quiet tone "judging so far, this must be an entirely different planet since ponies don't talk from where I come from." He stood up and gave a salute "Planet Earth, Willing to die for Great Britain" He turned the hand used to salute into a fist and held it across his chest, looking down with his eyes closed "For queen and country"

"Quite the dedicated one isn't it?" Twilight questioned herself in her head before asking in a curious tone "Earth? Great Britain? Queen? you MUST tell me more soon" giving the creature a small smile "Do you mind if I ask what your name is? that is if you have one..."

"Name's Ashley, Ashley James Cook, but you can call me Ashley" he knelt down next to the pony and held out his hand "What's your name?"

Twilight stared at what Ashley put towards her and put her hoof on it slowly, its skin was soft. Ashley started to shake her hoof before taking his hand back "Atleast it has manners" she thought to herself before holding a hoof to her chest and saying "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville libarian and the princess' faithful student" she put her hoof back down and tilted her head slightly "So...um...do you have a gender?"

Ashley gave off a small laugh "I am a male and so is my friend here" turning his body slightly to look at Callum's body "His name is Callum...now before you ask questions about him i'm going to say one thing. The reason why he must of hurt you is most likely that he was trying to protect me"

Twilight felt pity for Ashley, he had a close friend who was willing to do anything for him, even kill.

Ashley lowered himself down, taking a seat by leaning his back against the wall, he patted the floor near him with his hand

"Um...that's okay, I think i'm going to stay here" rejected Twilight with an small smile

"Alright, I understand, you want to keep your distance as a new creature you dont know much about is right next to you and its friend was about to kill you. Boy do i know that feeling of about to be killed" a grin started to emerge on his face

Twilight was getting a bit scared and took a step back. Ashley saw this and stood up "if i'm making you uncomfortable then please say so" trying to apologise

Twilight returned to her spot "No...it's fine. i do however have another question for you"

"Ask away" replied Ashley with enthusiasm

"Well...you see...usually when you see a creature with sharp teeth--"

Ashley interupted "they eat meat?" Twilight responded with a nod "Well, yes we humans do eat meat. Our world has alot of different societies and some do eat animals the rest wouldn't eat, for example, dogs, shark and im sorry im going to have to say this..."

Twilight grew curious of the next reponse but was quite disgusted on the animals humans eat

"but some do eat horses"

Twilight's eyes opened wide, she took a couple of steps back, Ashley saw this and tried to apologise "Wait! let me continue...The society I come from does not eat horse due to it being highly frowned upon and even so, humans are in fact omnivores" he opened his mouth wide and pointed to teeth that were flat, he closed his mouth "so we do eat both plants and animals. Just to reassure you, the only animals I eat are pig, cow and chicken. Same with Callum here. Animals on our planet are not as sentient to you ponies when compared and seeing that you are very kind and are handling this situation very well not to mention helping me when I needed it..."

Twilight started to slowly feel comfortable towards Ashley, she took a step forward and sat down. Staring at Ashley's face "Well...I only believe you because you saved me"

"I only trust you because you helped save mine" he gave her a reassuring smile

Twilight's horn started to glow, the quill was dipped into a pot of ink as a piece of paper floated infront of her. She looked towards Ashley who was gobsmacked

"How the heck are you doing that!?" he asked

"Magic...why? do you not have magic where you come from?" Twilight asked as she wrote notes from things they discussed earlier

"Nope, instead our race relied on technology and we are quite advanced if say so myself" Ashley raised his chin up slightly

"can you tell me some of the things your species has done with technology?" Twilight was very interested in this discussion now all because where there is technology, there is SCIENCE!

"Hmm...what to choose? Airplanes...I think this will interest you. As you can see, we humans do not have magic nor wings so we built airplanes. These are giant metallic vessels that are designed to give us flight and to transport supplies. one of my favourites is a jet. These types of airplanes are designed to go at very fast speeds to drop bombs, fire missles. Basically provide air support on the battlefield. Specially designed jets have been confirmed to break the sound barrier and are known to create the Sonic Boom. Thats all I really know about this subject, sorry"

Twilight's quill was scribbling as much down as it could "Oh its fine! what you just said is very interesting, if you have another examples then please do go on!" her tone was filled with excitement.

"Oh boy...this is going to take a while, you know what? instead, im going to show you a personal favourite piece of technology I own" Ashley put his hand into his bag and pulled out his MP3 and the earphones for it.

This grabbed Twilight's attention "What's that" she pointed towards what he held with her hoof

"This" plugging in the earphones "this is a MP3, when you turn it on and have this cable plugged into it..." he put one of the earphones into his ear and held the other towards Twilight who tilted her head in confusion "just put it into your ear, its better to show you"

Twilight walked over to Ashley and sat down next to him, she levitated the small piece into her ear "I dont hear anything" she responded

"Thats because im choosing something for you to listen to" Ashley responded with a cheerful tone, his attention focusing on the MP3's small screen "Ah, here we go!" he hit play

Sound started to come through the small thing Twilight put into her ear, it sounded like a song due to drums being struck fast as well as words being sung "What does this do exactly?" she asked

"It plays music no matter where you are, all it needs is a charge, these earphones, some music stored onto its memory and there you go. Music. I dont really understand it much as I dont really pay attention to all this technical stuff, I only use it for its designed purpose"

Twilight levitated the "earphone" out of her ear, scribbling down more notes onto her paper via magic. "I have many many more questions to ask. Care to ask in a more...well lighten environment?" she stood up and walked towards the stairs, followed by the quill, books that she brought down with her, the small bottle of ink and paper.

"Sure why not?" Ashley stood up only to hear a loud rumbling sound emmiting from his stomach

Twilight looked back "you can tell me more about your diet while we grab some food" giving a smile

"That'd be nice, thank you for your hospitality" Ashley responded, he put the MP3 and earphones into his bag and followed Twilight.

"Maybe if we could keep this trust going, maybe I will make a new friend" smiled to herself at the thought

Oh mah gawd will you look at that! 2 chapters in one day!? somethin' aint right!

Anyways, I'm really enjoying this part of the story and hopefully so do you. Dont forget to comment / rate!

The Introduction part 2

Twilight walked towards the kitchen followed by Ashley, she looked back to see him examining the environment.

"You sure do keep a lot of books don't ya?" Ashley asked as he turnded his head to look at some books on a shelf. He felt as though he knows this place from somewhere. He used his finger to wipe across one of the shelves "Doing a fine job in the cleaning department" turning his head to give Twilight a smile

She returned the smile "Thank you for the compliment" she gestured her hoof towards the door infront of her "This way to the kitchen" before walking into there herself followed by Ashley

The kitchen was spotless, well organised and smelled like cirtus fruits, Ashley took a long breath through his nose, inhaling the scent. He looked around and noticed a table with a couple of chairs next to it. The counters were reflecting the suns rays from the window which blinded Ashley until he moved out of the way, he looked at Twilight who already took a seat and was watching him

"You may begin" Twilight said proudly, levitating the quill, ink bottle and paper infront of her

"Begin what?" Ashley asked, giving the pony a look of confusion

"Making something to eat? I want to take notes on what you eat" giving off an unamused expression

"Oh, that makes sense" scratching his cheek while putting on an awkward smile, he began by walking over to the sink and turning on the tap to wash his hands. Only to stop to ask for something to dry them with which Twilight used her magic to open a drawer next to him which revealed dish towels. He picked one up and closed the drawer, drying his hands before placing the cloth over his shoulder.

"Right...where is the bread, butter and hamthe cheese?"

"Ham?" Twilight tilted her head in confusion "Whats that?"

Ashley facepalmed, realising that ponies here are vegetarian like they are on earth "Pig meat"

"Sorry to disappoint you but we ponies don't eat meat"

"Great...no chicken, no sausages, no beef..." he thought to himself, his eyes widened "Oh god no bacon!"

"Is something wrong?" Asked Twilight raising her eyebrow.

"huh? oh yeah...everything is...fine...I dont really feel in the mood to eat right now" he replied, walking to a wall near Twilight and leaning his back against it "you mentioned that 2 of your friends found me"

"Yes I recall saying something like that. Why? would you like to meet them?" she gave him a smile

"At some point but for now I want to adjust being here" his stomach growled "do you have any fruit?"

"Fruit? which fruit do you like to eat?" her eyes were glistening as she was ready to take down notes

"Well let's see...I eat grapes, apples, bananas, lemons, melon, watermelon, oranges and different types of berries but i dont like them much"

"Well we do have apples, the best in fact as my friend Applejack works at Sweet Apple Acres which isn't far from here. We should visit her sometime"

Ashley stood in silence "Why do those names sound so familiar to me?" asking himself in his head

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked, she was starting to worry about Ashley more and more

"Nothing is wrong so don't worry. I was just thinking about something that doesn't concern you in the slightest" giving her a grin "So...where are those apples?"

Twilight pointed a hoof towards a small cabinet above the sink. Ashley walked over and opened the cabinet door to be greeted with a pile of apples falling on him. Twilight couldn't help but giggle as she levitated the apples off him. Ashley stood back up, giving and awkward smile to cover the loss of some of his dignity. Twilight moved the apples onto the table and kept on floating one infront of her to take a bite. Ashley took one of the apples and took a bite as well, the apple was bursting with a sweet juice, the flesh was delicious, he started to take several bites before chewing.

"Looks like somepony likes there apples? pointing her hoof to her cheek to signal that Ashley had some juice running on his. He grabbed the cloth on his shoulder and wiped off the excess juice before putting his attention back to the apples

"The correct term is some-ONE since I'm not a pony and second of all these apples are so DARN GOOD!" he exclaimed before stuffing his mouth with more apple goodness

Twilight's quill was taking notes of the situation, on the paper "Loves apples" was circled.

a few minutes later and a slaughter of apples at the hands of Ashley. Both human and unicorn sat in the front room. Ashley's eyes kept being drawn to the large amount of books "you could run a library with all these books y'know?"

"this is the ponyville library and I live here" answered the lavender unicorn who's hoof pointed to Ashley's arm "how is your...your..."

"Arm" said Ashley before pointing to the things on the ends on them "and these are my hands which help me hold objects" he wriggled the things on his hands "and these are my fingers"

Twilight took notes of what the human just said with her floating writting equipment "your arm was injured when we found you, when we got you here and I tied you up downstairs. I tried to perform a healing spell on you" she didnt want to discuss about the voice she heard as it could cause problems

"You tried?" said Ashley who was examining his arm, poking it in several spots where he remember were the wound was "Because from as I can see you done a fantastic job"

Twilight was flattered from the compliment and a small blush made its way onto her face which Ashley decided to ignore "I'm still a bit freaked out by the whole magic thing by the way since when it comes to injuries, my body cells repair the damage done slowly most of the time" He could go into more detail about his cells needing protein but then it would bring up meat and he doubted that a vegetarian creature will want to discuss killing animals"

"The way your body works sounds fascinating" Twilights eyes started to glisten and opened wider "You must tell me more!"

Ashley moved himself away from the unicorn slightly and gave her an awkward smile "Another time, an saying on my planet was I only know this stuff because I studied physical eduaction in school"

Twilight's mind was filled with questions about the educational system from where the human came from but she thought that she asked enough questions for one day "don't want to overwhelm him" she thought to herself

Ashley stood up and made his way to the basement "going to check on Callum" all he heard was "Okay" from Twilight

Twilight made her way over to her desk. There were a small pile of books on the desk, some were opened. She opened a drawer via magic and put her writing equipment and notes in there. She was about to make her way down to the basement when she heard a knock at the door, she opened the door with her magic slowly only for it burst wide open due to a certain cyan pegasus bursting through it, Twilight turned back round to see Fluttershy standing infront of her

"Oh...h.hello Twilight, do you mind if we come in?" asked Fluttershy who tried to hide behind her mane mid-question

"Of course Fluttershy, at least you have the decency to ask" replied Twilight who gave a frown towards Rainbow Dash who was giving her a unamused look

Twilight moved out the way to allow Fluttershy access to her home, closing the door after letting in the pegasus

"Sooo...anything happen at all when we left you with that thing?" Asked the rainbow maned mare

"Um...I think we should dicuss this somewhere else" replied Twilight as she made her way upstairs "follow me"

They followed her into her bedroom, Twilight closed the door when were all in "Well...let's start off with once you two left, I tied it up to a table in my basement, which I spent hours trying to find information about it in my books but that came up inconclusive. I tried to use a healing spell on it's injured arm which worked in the end but something strange happened..." Twilight's tone start to become quiet at the end

"What happened?" Asked Fluttershy

"That's the thing...I still need to discuss that with it and I wish we do not discuss that particular event until then"

Both pegasi nodded before Twilight continued her story "Promise you wont freak out about this but" both pegasi leaned forward slightly and gave a nod, eager to hear what she had to say next "Well, I was hit with something and then I was unconcious bu-"

"WHAT!?" Yelled Rainbow Dash "IM GOING TO BEAT THAT THING SENSELESS!" she opened the door and charged down the stairs

That's gotta hurt...

Ashley was standing infront of the table which held down his unconcious friend. Usually Callum wouldn't kill something innocent with a good reason...sure he was trying to protect Ashley but his response was out of hand. Ashley stood in silence with his arms crossed before hearing yelling from upstairs

"Huh...wonder what's wrong..." he made his way up the stairs "Guess there is only one way to find out"

As he made his way into the front room, Ashley could hear (well what sounded like) hooves coming down the wooden stairs and fast. He rubbed the back of his head with his hand, feeling dried blood in his hair "I really need to have a shower...wait...do they even have showers here?" he proceeded into a deep thought totally unaware of the situation at hand.

Rainbow ran down the stairs as fast as she could, anger built up inside her. She reached the bottom of the stairs and made it into the front room to see the thing standing there in deep thought. Without second thoughts she charged at the beast and headbutted it with all her strength...

impacting on *ahem* Ashley's private area...

Pain surged through Ashley's body awakening him from his thought, he fell onto his back while using his hands to cover the area of impact. Rainbow stomped both her front hooves on his stomach, winding him. Ashley was in tremendous pain as he saw a cyan pony standing on him, applying its body wieght onto his stomach with the look of anger on it's face. His muscles were weak from the pain but he built enough strength up to push the pony off him. He curled into a ball while holding his private area and was groaning in pain as tears started to emerge out of his eyes.

Twilight and Fluttershy ran down the stairs as fast they could to see what happened. Twilight started to panic and yelled at Rainbow Dash "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" before running up next to Ashley

Both pegasi were shocked, Rainbow stared at the creature as it was groaning in pain...Guilt started to form inside her but she shook it off "Looks like I found his weak spot" chuckling to herself

"Y-you f-fucking...BITCH" were the only words to escape through Ashley's clenched teeth. Rainbow and Fluttershy gasped when they heard the creature speak

He tried to get back up but only made it to standing on his knees. That was before a certain feeling started to build and started to make it's way up his throat. he pulled himself away from the ponies. He closed his eyes and vomited on the wooden floor, still holding the impact area with one hand as the other was used to provide support to stop Ashley falling into his vomit. he opened his eyes to see the vomit and tried to get rid of the taste by spitting onto it.

"EEEWW" the 3 ponies said in unison as they backed away from Ashley. Rainbow started to feel guilty again, she didn't realise she caused it THIS much pain...

"Ohgod...My insides...they feel like they are on--" said Ashley only to be interupted to vomit again, this time there wasnt as much as vomit, Ashley crawled towards one of the bookshelves and leaned his back against it, one arm went across his stomach while the same hand still held the impact area as he still groaned in pain.

All 3 ponies stared at Ashley, Twilight turned her attention to Rainbow and said through clenched teeth "What. Did. You. Do?"

Rainbow looked towards the lavender unicorn, she could see the rage forming inside her "All I did was headbutt it. Sheesh"

"Y...you forgot...the part where...you stomped...on my stomach with...both hooves...you fucking idiot" Ashley slipped these words in, too weak to talk as the pain from the impact showed no signs of going away as well as nausea. "I-I will clean this up... when the pain stops"

The room grew to a stand-still. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional hoof tapping the wooden floor and Ashley's pain ridden moans. It took several minutes before Ashley could stand back up but needed support from the bookshelves.

Fluttershy flew up next to him "You must rest...y-your body is still w-weak"

Ashley turned his head towards the pony "Must be a pegasus...why is it so friggin' adorable? why did that cyan one attack me? Why do they sound and look so familiar!?" he thought to himself. He continued to stare at the yellow pegasus, into her wide, beautiful eyes. The only word to slip through was "okay" before he took his seat again.

Twilight walked up next to Ashley, avoiding the vomit. She put a hoof on his shoulder "Are you okay?"

Ashley groaned, he took a couple of deep breathes before responding "I'm sure I will pull through...I've had much worse happen but this is near the top of the list" he turned his head to the cyan pegasus who was turned away from what was going on, he could tell the guilt was eating away at it.

Twilight walked up behind Rainbow and poked her on the back with a hoof, causing the pegasus to turn around. Rainbow just stared at the creature as it was still in pain but it looked like it could tolerate it now. She turned her attention towards Twilight "I didn't mean to do that to it"

"Him, Rainbow Dash, Its a male. And you shouldn't be apologising to me" replied Twilight who pointed in Ashley's direction with a hoof.

Ashley watched as the pegasus flew towards him slowly with her head hung.

Rainbow lifted her head, giving the creature a look of sadness "I'm really sorry for hitting you it's just that well...I heard that Twilight was hit and I thought it was you..."

Ashley sat in silence as Fluttershy back away and flew next to Twilight before landing. Ashley stared at the cyan pegasus with frustration, the hand which was attached to the arm that went across his stomach clenched. Ashley wanted to cause this pegasus as much pain as possible...

But something was stopping him...As much as he wanted to hurt it, he couldn't...he knew if he did then not only would he be seen as dangerous but he knew he would change Twilight's opinion of him drastically not to mention he felt all anger disappear when he thought about the pegasus. He pointed towards Rainbow before patting his hand on the floor next to him. Rainbow looked back to her friends to see Twilight nodding her head and Fluttershy hiding behind her mane.

She hovered herself slowly towards where Ashley wanted her. She landed with her head hung in the attempt to avoid eye contact. Ashley used his hand to gently push up the pegasus' chin so that they were eye-to-eye. They stared into each others eyes, Ashley's blue eyes were surrounded by a pinkish colour due to crying in pain, He couldn't stop staring into the pegasus' eyes. They were a shade of magenta, they looked beautiful and he swear he could see a tear forming in her left eye. He sighed "Apology accepted..."

A weak smile grew on Rainbow's face before she walked back towards her friends, avoiding the vomit only to stop when Ashley spoke again "But...I'm still going to get payback". Rainbow's expression changed to fear, she didn't know what this creature was capable of.

The room fell silent for a few minutes. Twilight broke the silence with another question "Care to introduce yourselves to each other while I get a bucket to clean up this mess" she left the room, leaving the 2 pegasi and Ashley alone

"Well...That was quite the first impression that I wont be forgetting for a long time. Anywho" Ashley brought an open hand to his chest "My name is Ashley James Cook, you may call me either Ash or Ashley. I am a Homosapian or simply put, a Human" he pointed towards the rainbow maned pegasus "You. Whats your name?"

"M-my name is Rainbow Dash..." she replied

"That name definatly rings a bell, why does she calm me down so easily?" Thinking to himself only to come back to reality to listen to Rainbow.

"...And I'm the fastest flier in the whole of Equestria" she lifted her hoof off the ground to put it against her chest, but she decided to put it back to the ground.

Ashley turned his attention towards the yellow pegasus trying to hide behind Rainbow who was revealed when the cyan pegasus moved out the way "And what's you''re name?"

Fluttershy tried to say her name but no sound came out.

"This is Fluttershy, as you can tell she's extremely shy" said Rainbow Dash

"I can tell" giving them both a smile, Ashley tried to stand back up, using the bookshelves as support once more. By now the pain subsided and Ashley could walk normally again. He walked towards the pegasi and avoiding the vomit.

Both pegasi realised how tall he really was. Rainbow decided to ask a question "Why are you standing on your back legs? doesn't that hurt?"

"Im sure Twilight wouldn't like it if i was answering questions and she wasn't--"

"If I wasn't what?" a voice came from out of nowhere. The human and pegasi looked around and saw Twilight standing in the kitchen doorway, floating a bucket and mop. She moved the objects next to Ashley and placed them on the ground. Ashley picked up the mop and started to clean up his vomit

"I was saying that you wouldn't like it if I was answering questions and you weren't there to take notes" Giving Twilight a smile which she returned.

She proceeded to her desk and opened the drawer via magic and levitated out her note-taking equipment before taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash "Let's begin shall we?"

The Awakening

The next couple of hours were filled with questions and answers from both species. The ponies were told more about Ashley's life and what his planet was like. Let's just say they didn't like what they were hearing with all the killing, starvation, diesease and hatred. One of the biggest shockers for the ponies was the fact that the sun and the moon raised by themselves as well as no control of weather and animals took care of themselves.

They were disgusted about all the evil on Ashley's planet. The human told them about some of his adventures of him and Callum. One particular event he remembers was a prank they performed on a friend.

The victim was a stoner, a drinker but an alright guy to hang out with when he didn't have any of these. One time, the friend was completely drunk and walked to Ashley's house at 3:30am-ish and knocked on the door. Ashley peered out the window after being woken up to see his friend vomiting on his door before walking off. Ashley told Callum about the incident and they decided to perform the following

Step 1: Acquire black clothing, black ski masks, katana (easy to obtain due to a close friend of Ashley's being a weapons collector who was more than happy to help) and Russian phrases they could use as threats.

Step 2: Get the victim either stoned / drunk and kidnap him and lock him Callum's tool shed at night.

Step 3: Use the katana to threaten the victim as well as shouting the Russian threats to scare the crap out of him and make him do embarrassing things.

Step 4: after about an hour of doing so, make it look like they were going to kill the victim but at the last second. Reveal themselves and get the victim to clean up the vomit on the door.

Step 5: Get drunk and party together.

The ponies didnt find this very funny except Rainbow Dash who couldn't stop laughing. She raised her hoof in the air towards Ashley who highfived / hoofed her. Ashley was felt like he knew Rainbow Dash his entire life...

It was midnight. Luna's moon hung brightly in the sky as it was surrounded by starts in the sky. Fluttershy went home a couple of hours ago while Ashley and Rainbow talked the hours away. Twilight was taking notes as well as taking part in the conversation.

Callum started to wake up. A pounding headache greeted him, he tried to move his hand towards his forehead but it had limited movement. He looked at what was causing this to find out he was tied to the table by his limbs. All he could remember was him about to kill the pony-like thing before something hit him on the back of the head with a sheer amount of force.

"HEEELLLLOOO!?" he cried out...he could faintly hear voices upstairs...

The 2 ponies ears perked as they heard something, Ashley also heard something and decided to walk down to the basement in which the 2 ponies followed.

Callum shifted his eyes to the stairs to see a shadow moving towards him. It grew closer to the light to reveal his best friend and he didn't look very happy.

"Oh thank god your here, get me out of this thing so we can get out of this place" Callum's voice grew quieter as the 2 ponies made there way into the light. "What the fuck!?" his expression turned to confusion

"Glad to see you awake Callum" Ashley said as he crossed his arms "nice job I did on you eh? quite proud if I must say so myself" he pointed towards the rope holding down his friend

"So this is Callum? he is quite violent from what I can tell" Twilight whispered to Ashley and Rainbow but Callum still heard her

"Wait...How does it know my name?! The fuck is going on Ashley?!" Callum tried to pull himself up but the rope restricted him

"Calm down and I will explain...then I will untie you" replied Ashley. Callum stared at him before releasing a sigh, staying quiet for about a minute before saying anything.

"Okay...I'm calm"

"Good, now then. When you were about to kill Twilight here" making a gesture towards Twilight "I woke up and saw a nearby heavy book. I just couldn't stand there and let you kill something which was innocent so I knocked you out which im sorry about by the way"

"That's fine...I think I overreacted...continue with your story"

"After which I untied Twilight and tied you up. I communicated to her by writing on paper until it came to the point I communicated verbally. She was quite welcoming even though what she just witnessed. She was curious about our species so I answered some questions..."

Callum just laid there in silence, processing what his friend just said. He couldn't bring himself to apologising because he was trying to protect his friend not to mention that the name Twilight reminded him of something that Ashley has told him about before. "What happened next?" he asked.

"Well...I told her about that we humans eat both meat and plants and told her what meats both you and I eat to avoid any confusion" Ashley walked over to the table and started to untie the knots. After the first one which held down one of Callum's arms. Callum moved the newly free arm around to gain feeling back in his arm. "I came to check up on you and then I heard yelling upstairs so I went to check what was going on"

At this point Rainbow looked away from the event taking place as she knew what was going to be said.

"Then I took a headbutt from this pegasus" he pointed to Rainbow Dash "which had enough force to make me vomit twice" he untied the other arm which allowed Callum to sit himself up. Callum rubbed his back with his hand due to lying on a hard surface for so long before untying one of his legs as Ashley done the other.

"Where did it hit you?" questioned Callum

"First, you mean she and second of all...she hit me in where it hurts the most for a man"

Callum sat there confused for a couple of seconds before getting what Ashley just implied "Ouch...that must've hurt, are you okay?" showing his concern for his friend

"Oh it did...couldn't move much due to the pain but i'm fine now" responded Ashley.

Callum slid himself off the table, slowly putting his wieght onto his legs and used the table as support. He rubbed the back of his head to find some blood on his hands which he showed to Ashley with concern.

Ashley turned to Twilight "do you have any bandages?". Twilight replied with a nod and made her way upstairs. Callum walked up to Rainbow Dash and examined her body. Mostly to see her mane and tail which he pointed towards with his finger

"Nice dye job"

Rainbow Dash replied with an unamused look "It's natural..."

Callum shrugged and contiue to examine the ponies body. His eyes were drawn to the image on it's behind, again which he pointed at with his finger "Hey Ashley, its the exact same thing on your handgun"

Rainbow turned her head to look at her cutie mark "That's my cutie mark and why do you have it on whatever you just said...in fact, what is a handgun and why does it have my cutie mark!?"

Ashley searched his bag to find his handgun and inspected the grip, he looked back and forth beween it and Rainbow's cutie mark "Well I be, that is something. Rainbow, promise to keep this quiet?"

She nodded her head and brought a hoof to her mouth and moved it sideways to signify she will keep her mouth closed. Her eyes grew wide when Ashley took out a small black object.

Ashley checked the clip in his pistol. Full mag. He took the magazine out and put it into his pocket and turned on the safety on his pistol; better safe than sorry. "This is a handgun. It is used to shoot projectiles at very fast speeds and its purpose is to kill. This baby has saved me countless times...I always keep it near me...As for the picture on the grip, I have no clue how that got there Rainbow"

"Wait a second" Callum interupted "did you just say Rainbow? Oh now I see what's going on..."

Both Rainbow Dash and Ashley tilted their heads in confusion towards Callum. "Whats going on?" Ashley asked

"Rainbow, your second part of you name is Dash isn't it?"

Dash nodded her head, still confused that they just met and that Callum knows her name without nopony telling him. To be honest, she was growing quite suspicious. (I mean, 2 aliens appear out of the sky and one knows your name? Totally not suspicious at all. Nope)

Callum gave a small chuckle "It's so obvious now. Ashley here is a fan of a TV show back on our planet and he would talk non-stop about it. Saying things like Rainbow Dash is his favourite which is one of the reasons he put that cutie mark of yours on his gun"

"What's a TV and what has that got to do with anything?" questioned the curious pegasus, tilting her head slightly

"it's a device humans made to be able to view things that happen across the world by showing moving pictures and playing sound. To shorten it down...Humans are capable of watching things across the planet without actually having to be there. All they need is a camera and some other technical stuff and there you have it. Anyone can watch." Callum replied. He saw Rainbow Dash rub the side of her head with a hoof, still confused.

Rainbow tried to process what was being told to her. The key points she picked were and the fact Callum knows who she is...

"Wait a second!" said Rainbow Dash as she turned her head to look around the room to see if anypony or anything else was around. Nothing else was around "What did you see?"

"Well, I haven't seen anything but Ashley here has seen quite alot. From what I recall, he used to mention something about pony named Rainbow Dash and something called a sonic-ray-boom..."

Her eyes grew wide with excitement "Do you mean my signature sonic-RAIN-boom!? Something on another planet has witnessed my true awesomeness!?" she yelled, but not loud enough to grab Twilight's attention

"WOAH...Calm down or am I going to have to smack a bitch!?" Callum countered as he raised the back of his hand only for it to be pulled back down by Ashley who was giving him a stern look

"We can talk about this stuff later. Back to the discussion we were having before that whole outbreak. What the hell are you talking about Callum? if I done something like that then I would be sure to remember it..." Ashley said, putting away his weapon.

"Wait if you don't remember...that hit on your head must of fucked up your brain there Ashley. To be honest, i'm glad you don't remember anything about that show but who else knows what else you forgot. Looks like im probably going to have to try my best to restore your memories, won't I?"

Ashley sat on the table. looking at his boots as he didn't know what to say next. He felt that other points of his life were missing. He looked towards Callum with a smile on his face "Yeah...let's do it"

"Excellant but a warning to you. I can only tell you what I actually paid attention to, which wasn't much" he stared at Rainbow Dash who was watching the conversation "Rainbow. Not a single word of what we just said shall be spoken again unless us three are alone together. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah yeah...I still don't trust you" pointing a hoof towards both the humans who made their way towards the stairs

"As you shouldn't Rainbow but strangely enough, I trust you" emphasising the I and you "Well, I'm sure Twilight will want to ask you some questions Callum. Just try to steer clear what we did on the army. I think we should tell everyone when we think they are ready and we get to know them better"

Rainbow squinted her eyes "What DID you do in the army?"

"All will be revealed in time Rainbow..." making his way up the stairs

Callum nodded his head in agreement and followed Ashley upstairs, followed by Rainbow Dash.

Meeting the Apple's Part 1

"So, how many of yourn friends are you going to introduce us to?" asked Callum

"You have already met Rainbow Dash but Ashley as also met Fluttershy" Twilight replied "I will ask Fluttershy to meet Callum. Applejack is very busy on the farm, Rarity is designing dresses and requires to be left alone for a couple of days so all that leaves is Pinkie Pie but she will bring too much attention to you right now"

"Well, why don't you go get Fluttershy and we will just wait here" Ashley asked as he picked up the blanket and pillows that Callum slept on and put them into an organised pile "you really need to clean up after yourself Callum"

"Geez, thanks mom" he responded in the tone that was similar to an annoyed teenager but put emphasis on mom. He sniffed his underarm and recoiled from the sweaty odour "Excuse me Twilight, but do you have a bath I can use?"

"Sure, it's upstairs at the end of the hall. There should already be towels in there"

Callum replied with a nod and made his way upstairs. Twilight looked at Ashley who gave her a smile

"He will take quite some time so it's best you go get Fluttershy now"

Twilight took Ashley's advice and decided to leave to retrieve her timid friend. Around 5 minutes after her departure. Ashley looked outside through the window to see any ponies nearby which there were none.

"All clear" he thought to himself.

He made his way to the front door and opened it quietly, exiting the library before closing it quietly. He took a long breath of fresh air and started to walk around. He noticed a red barn on the a hill "That must be Applejack's farm" he started his journey towards the barn. It took atleast 20 minutes for him to arrive near the farm. From what he could see, it was a apple farm due to the very large amount of apple trees covering the land. He saw (well what appeared to be in the distance) a large red pony which was pulling a cart towards the barn. Looking to the left, he could see a orange pony (wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat) using its back legs to kick an apple tree and to his amusement, all the apples in the tree fell out and landed in baskets. Ashley could see a much smaller pony sitting on its haunches facing the direction of the orange pony.

***

"but why not sis?" Applebloom pleaded

"Because ah don't want ya'll to get hurt" replied Applejack in a strict tone

"But what if ma cutie mark is demolition?"

"Ah said no Applebloom!" Applejack was starting to get very annoyed "and that's final!"

Applebloom let out a groan of anger. She sat in silence for a few minutes before apologising "Ah'm sorry for making you angry sis. Ah'll just see what else we can do"

"It's fine Applebloom, ah'm sorry for getting mad at you but ya'll have to understand that you're family and we Apple's always look out for one another"

Applebloom stared at her sister and gave her a small smile before being pulled into a hug for which she returned. After both sisters let go of one another. Applebloom started her journey to visit Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to plan their next shenanigan.

"Going to see Scoot's and Sweetie Belle sis!" she called out to Applejack

"Okay!" she shouted in response "Just be back in time for dinner and try not to hurt yerself!"

Applejack continued with her applebucking. Applebloom walked past the farm gates turned towards Ponyville instead something blocked her path, She looked up to see a very tall creature, standing on its back legs. It stared down at her. It gave her a smile which shown its teeth (Remember us humans have some sharp teeth? thats what she saw"

"AAAAHHHH!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Turning around, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the farm "MONSTER!!"

Applejack heard screaming in the distance, she looked at where it was coming from to see her sister running back towards her. She ran towards Applebloom, who when they got to each other. Hid behind her "What the hay are you goin' on about Applebloom?"

"Ah saw a monster at the front of the farm! It was really tall and it had sharp teeth!"

"It's okay sis" Applejack nuzzled her sister to try and comfort her. She looked towards the farm gate and saw a figure standing there. Fear and anger ran through Applejack's body "Go get Big Mac. Nothing scares mah little sister and gets away with it" She began to charge towards the figure.

Applebloom nodded and ran towards the barn "BIG MAC!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

***

Ashley was busy looking at the vast amount of apple trees on the farm. He heard something approaching him. It grew closer and closer before it stopped. He looked around to see nothing before looking down to see a very small pony before him. It wore a big pink bow in its red mane. It was too late to hide so he he tried the first thing that came to his mind. Smile (not the best plan since it shown the humans sharp teeth)

"AAAAHHHH!!" it screamed.

The sound almost made Ashley deaf. His natural instinct made him cover his ears with his hands and close his eyes. He opened his eyes and moved his hands away from his ears to see the small pony running away.

"MONSTER!!" it screamed as it fled.

"Well...That could of gone better" he thought to himself, he continued down the path and stopped at a sign "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" was written on it.

"This must be the farm Twilight mentioned" he thought aloud. He looked towards the barn up the hill. Noticing the small pony running towards the orange one before hiding behind it. He watched as the orange pony nuzzled the smaller one before it looked towards him. They both continued to exchange stares until he saw the smaller pony started to run towards the larger red pony that went into the barn. His vision focused on the orange pony who was now charging at him

"Oh crap" he said to himself as he watched the pony growing closer at a very fast pace. He could see the rage on its face. He put himself into a defensive postion.

As Applejack sprinted closer and closer to the figure, she started to notice how tall it really was, not to mention what it looked like. It reminded her of a hairless ape but the only hair on it was on the top of its head. She continued her charge, she was only meters away from the creature, she lowered her head in the effort of using her speed as power.

Ashley saw it lower its head as it got closer "Oh no. Not this time" he thought to himself. He jumped into the air, spreading his legs out to the sides. The pony went right under him. He landed on his feet and turned round to the see the orange pony look around in confusion

"Where the hay did it go?" Applejack said to herself

Ashley coughed to signify his presence. Applejack turned round to see it staring at her, she dragged her front hoof on the ground angrily before initiating another charge which the creature rolled out of the way. She started to grow tired, she ran towards the creature again and stopped before turning round to use her back legs to kick him the chest.

Ashley repeated his first dodging tactic again but saw the pony stop and it turned around. Its back legs hit his lower chest hard. Causing his back to hit the ground hard. Pain surged through his chest, it felt as if one of his ribs was broken

"Note to self; this pony knows how to kick" he thought to himself as he rose back onto his feet

"How the?" Confusion struck Applejack's face "Nopony is capable of getting back up from one of mah bucks"

Applejack was trying to get her breath back. She could see the creature shrug off the pain as it got into another defensive position. She charged at it once more however, Ashley foresaw this and stepped to the side. he timed when to strike, he placed one arm over the orange pony and lifted it up to his side before using his other arm to help hold it infront of him. He stared into its emerald green eyes. He could see the fear inside them.

Applejack tried her best to struggle free but her efforts were meaningless "It's going to eat me. Ah know it" she thought to herself. She closed her eyes to for the worse to happen...

"You had enough yet?" Ashley asked.

Applejack's eyes shot wide open. She looked around to see if a nearby pony just said something to her. Her search came up negative. She looked back at the creature holding her off the ground with a serious look on its face.

"YOU CAN TALK!?" shouted the orange mare

"YES. I CAN ALSO SHOUT AT YOU ASWELL. THANK YOU FOR ASKING!" He returned but in a louder voice.

An awkward silence lingered between the pony and human. Only to be broken by the pony

"So...Aren't ya'll going to eat me?" she gave a look of confusion

"What? No of course not!" objected Ashley "What made you think that I was going to do that?"

"Well...Don't creatures with sharp teeth usually eat..." Applejack choked when she knew she would have to mention eating meat

Ashley opened his mouth wide which caused Applejack to pull away from him. She glanced at the creatures teeth. There were the sharp teeth but she noticed flat teeth near the back and larger teeth at the front. Presumably for biting into food.

"I'm an omnivore. I eat both meat and plants. Eating meat is optional so don't worry much. I won't eat any ponies" he tried to give her a smile

Applejack sighed in relief. Being the element of honesty, she could tell it was telling the truth.

***

Applebloom burst into the barn, her eyes darted around the room quickly before they locked onto a large, muscular, red pony

"Big Macintosh!"

Big Mac turned around to see his little sister in panic "What's wrong little bloomy?"

"Yer have to help Applejack! Ah saw a monster at the front of the farm and it was tall and had sharp teeth and Applejack ran towards it!"

Big Mac was silent. He made his way to the barn door and looked towards the front of the farm. He could make out his sister being picked up by a creature. His brotherly instinct kicked in. He went into a full charge towards the gate...

Meeting the Apple's Part 2

Big Mac was running as fast as his legs could take him. He watched as the creature opened its mouth at Applejack who tried to pull herself away from it but was still in the creatures grasp.

"Gotta save A.J." he mumbled to himself. His body produced more adrenaline to drive him faster. At his current speed, it would take him about 7 seconds to teach the beast a lesson it wont ever forget.

***

Ashley put down the orange mare. He dusted himself off with his hands while Applejack readjusted her hat.

"So, do ya'll have a name?"

"Names Ashley. You can call me Ash or Toast if you want."

"What kind of nickname is toast?"

"It's a long story that happened during my school years."

Applejack shrugged. A large thudding sound could be heard. Growing louder and louder as it drew closer. Applejack looked around and saw Big Mac running towards them. Ashley could already tell it was another pony coming at him. He turned around to see a much larger pony charging at him.

"Ugh..." Ashley groaned "Can't I meet a pony without being getting hurt physically in the process!?" readying himself into another defensive position. He let the incoming steamroller / pony come towards him.

Ashley tried to roll to the side but Big Mac smashed into his legs. The pain from the impact felt as if the red pony just broke both his legs. Ashley struggled to get back onto his feet but was immediatly tackled by the pony once again. Big Mac stood over Ashley's chest and started to punch him the face with his hooves. The each punch started to make Ashley angrier.

"Yer going to wish you never messed with the Apple family, son." Big Mac yelled, smashing his hoof into the creatures nose. A cracking sound pointed out that he just broke its nose. Blood seeped out and covered Big Mac's hooves

"Bring it on you fucking bitch!" Ashley managed to yell, he put all his strength into a well placed punch into Big Mac's face.

Big Mac flinched in pain. Ashley took this opportunity and used both of his arms to push the pony off him. He wiped his broken nose with the back of his hand. Looking back at it to see it covered in his blood. Even though the barrage of hits he just took. The pain subsided quickly. He stood back up only to be greeted with the back legs of the pony hitting him the chest.

Ashley was sent flying into a nearby tree. A large thud filled the air as Ashley's body fell limb at the base of the tree.

Applejack was shocked at what just happened. She never saw this side of Big Mac. Sure she has seen him be protective against those who threatened his family or mocked them, but he didnt usually resort to violence

"Is it dead?" Applejack asked.

"Ah'm not sure. Ah think mah buck might of knocked it out." responded Big Mac, clutching the area he was punched with his hoof. He made his way over to the creatures body and lifted one of its arms with his hoof. The arm fell limb as soon as Big Mac moved it away "Looks like it."

Big Mac's face was a few inches away from the creatures own. He stared at its features. It's eyes were closed and blood covered its face, bruises could be seen taking their form on its face

"That'll teach it not to mess with us-" Big Mac was interupted by something grabbing his throat

Ashley's hand grabbed hold of muscular ponies neck "Hehe..." Ashley's eyes shot open "It's my turn now bitch!"

Ashley stood up immediatly, he walked over to the farm gate as he dragged Big Mac behind him by the neck. Big Mac tried to struggle free but everytime he tried, the creatures grip would tighten. Ashley smashed Big Macs chin on the fence several times before pinning him to the ground. He started his barrage of punches on the ponies face.

Applejack done what she thought would be necessary and pushed Ashley off her brother. Ashley hit the ground and got up immediatly, his eyes flared with hatred and frustration

"Don't fucking get involved!" he yelled through clenched teeth.

Big Mac slowly rose to his feet. His face was in agonising pain "Don't ya'll threaten mah sister!" he began charging at the creature.

Ashley moved out the way "You want me? Come get me!" He started his sprint towards Ponyville

"GET BACK HERE!" Big Mac yelled, he started to chase the creature.

Applejack thought it would best to warn her friends. She started to run towards Fluttershy's.

Big Mac was finding it hard to keep up with the creature. It turned out it was very fast and easily overcame obstacles such as falling over small rocks and (when they reached Ponyville) jumping over market stalls. Causing the residents of the town to scream in terror and hide.

***

5 guards which consisted of 2 pegasi, 2 earth ponies and a unicorn were patrolling the streets of Ponyville until they heard screaming

A brown pegasus guard turned to the others "Did you all hear that?"

"sounded like screaming." responded a grey earth pony guard

"...Lets go check it out." said the 3rd of their group who was a white pegasus

All of the group nodded and started their way towards where the screaming orginated from

***

Rainbow Dash was doing her usual, taking a 'well deserved' nap on a cloud that was above the centre of Ponyville. Her eyes darted open when she heard screaming. She looked over the edge of her cloud to see a familiar creature running on its 2 back legs towards the centre, jumping over market stalls and ponies that got to scared to get out of the way and cowered on the floor. Noticing it was Ashley with blood on his face and several bruises, she averted her attention to see what he was running from. The last thing she expected to see was Big Mac charging through the streets after him with blood on his hooves and bruises of his own. She flapped her wings and made her way towards Twilights house and knocked on the door as hard as she could.

***

Callum finished with his bath. His body was relaxed and the scent of sweat was replaced with the scent of flowers which he didnt really like the smell of but it beat sweat anyday. He put his clothes back on and heard knocking at the front door. As he approached the door, a thought came into his mind.

"Wait, if this was Twilight then she would just walk right in." He looked through the open window and saw a familiar rainbow maned pegasus.

"Ugh." Rainbow groaned to herself "Why isn't Twilight answering the door?" she turned around and opened her wings

"Psst."

Rainbow looked around to see what made that noise. She shrugged and resumed to takeoff

"Rainbow, come to the window!" Callum whispered loudly

"Wha-?" she hovered herself next to the window "Callum? what are you doing?"

"Twilight isn't here. I think she went to get a pony named Fluttershy to introduce me to. What's the matter?"

"Well, I was napping on a cloud when I heard screaming. I looked over my cloud and saw Big Macintosh chasing Ashley with blood and bruises on them so I came here to tell Twilight."

"Oh...alright. You better get to Fluttershy's then. FAST."

Rainbow nodded and took to the skies towards Fluttershy's house.

"Whoever that Big Macintosh is..." Callum opened the door and closed it. he noticed ponies running towards (what he thought was) the town centre. He began his sprint "...he's in for a world of hurt."

***

Ashley's run came to a dead end. He looked behind himself to see his opponent aproaching him slowly

"It's all over for ya.'" Big Mac said through his heavy breathing

"What in the name of Celestia is that thing!?"

Both human and pony looked to who spoke. They both gazed upon several guards in their golden armour. All taking their positions infront of Big Mac. The brown pegasus turned to Big Mac

"Im going to have to ask you to stop what you are doing. This...thing will be taken to Canterlot for the princess to see"

"No way. This thing threatened mah sister and it's going to pay fer it. Ya'll can stay outta this one" Big Mac barged past the guards. They all saw the look on his face and the assumed he was about to go nuts. The guards knew that they couldnt hurt an innocent pony without getting into trouble

"How about we help you beat the crap outta this thing and we take it to the princess? It'll make it easier for us if it is unconscious." one of the guards smirked

"That's...not a bad idea." Big Mac responded. The guards walked to the sides of Big Mac, readying themselves for a fight

A crowd had formed to see what was going on. Ponies could be heard asking each other questions like "What's going on?" and "What is that thing?". Some were cheering Big Mac on by shouting his name repeatedly

"Whats this? a 1v6? I must say that this is quite the disadvantage..." a smile grew on Ashley's face.

He looked at the faces of the ponies looking at him. They all said the same thing "It can talk!?"

"...for you." putting himself into another defensive stance. He motioned his opponents to come at him with his hand. "So...Who is willing to commit the first strike?" he smiled

The horn of the unicorn guard started to glow a faint yellow. A bright yellow beam was shot towards Ashley who tried to move to the side but the beam barely hit his arm in the process. The impact area of skin felt as if it was melting. Ashley clutched it in pain with his hand.

"Oh now it's on!" Ashley yelled through his clenched teeth as he recovered from the blast.

The two pegasi guards flew at Ashley in the attempt of knocking him down. Ashley foresaw this and timed when to strike, grabbing the necks of the two pegasi. He smashed the back of their heads onto the cobblestone floor. The sound of metal hitting rock filled the air. Ashley lifted both guards by their necks and started to spin round, gaining more momentum to send the guards into the walls of nearby buildings. One hit a a nearby market stall, making it collapse ontop of him while the other guard went face first into a wall, making him fall unconcious

***

Callum made his way to the centre and was greeted by the huge crowd that was watching the fight take place. Nearby pegasi sat on clouds, some were eating popcorn while some cheered on the guards and Big Macintosh who was trying to recover as much energy as possible. He saw a unicorn in armour in the area of the fight shoot a yellow beam towards Ashley. He noticed his friend grab hold of his own arm as the beam barely hit

"Excuse me, do you mind getting out of my way?" Callum asked to a dark blue unicorn with a black mane whos attention was on the fight taking place

"Fat chance of that happening" replied the unicorn, rolling his eyes before focusing on the battle.

"We can do this 2 ways, either you step out my way or I force you out my way"

"Look, I already said i'm not moving pal now ju-" the unicorn turned round, a large creature stood before him that looked like similar to the one in the fight, give and take a few features. It stared into his eyes. His blood ran cold as he moved out of the way. Ponies that were infront of him turned around to see what was going on and either gasped or stayed silent as they move out the way to make a path for the creature to the fight.

"It wasn't that at all now was it?" Callum said as he made his way through the crowd.

Callum walked up behind the unicorn guard who was trying to shoot his beam at Ashley without hitting his teammates.

"And what the fuck do you think you are doing?"

The unicorn went to turn his head but Callum wrapped one of his arms around the guards neck and pulled it towards his chest

"I wonder what your life would be like if I was to rip off your horn and break all your limbs..." he whispered into the guards ear

"Now you have a choice. You can leave this fight now and watch what happens or I do what I just said. You have five seconds."

The guard tried to get Callum to release him but beating his hooves into the creatures arm but this only caused the grip around his neck to tighten.

"Four..."

The guard tried once more, he was starting to choke due to the lack of oxygen.

"Three..."

The guard's head felt as if it was about to explode.

"Two..."

The guard used his last breath of oxygen to speak.

"F-fine..just lemme go!"

Callum released the unicorn and let him drop to the ground. The sound of metal hitting rock grabbed the attention of Big Macintosh and the 2 remaining earth guards as well as Ashley. The unicorn guard was pulled away by the crowd. The guard struggled to get his breath back. His body felt light due to the lack of oxygen in his muscles.

"Right...NOW WHO THE FUCK IS BIG MACINTOSH?!" Callum yelled.

Several ponies attention was diverted to the large red stallion who was shaking in fear

"You." Callum pointed at Big Mac "Get. The. FUCK OVER HERE NOW!" he pointed to the ground infront of him

Big Mac gulped, slowly made his way to the creature with his head hung low. As he reached the destination, he noticed the sound of metal hitting rock twice. He looked back to see the creature he was fighting with standing over the 2 earth pony guards who were trying to crawl away.

"Pathetic excuses for authority." Ashley smiled as he made his way to Callum, clutching the wound from the attack of the unicorn

"How you holdin' up Ash?"

"I've had worse." he pointed to Big Mac who was watching both creatures in fear "This one actually put up a good fight."

"Well I have plans for him." Callum kneeled himself down to Big Macs hieght to make eye contact "I hope you know how to live without the use of your legs because your about to be in some serious fucking pain." a twisted smile started to form on Callum's face.

Ashley put his hand onto Callum's shoulder "This is between me and him. Thanks for stopping that asshole." he pointed to the guard who just got his breath back and was struggling to stay on his hooves.

Callum stood back up "Alright, what you gonna do with him?"

Ashley kneeled down, he put his face next to Big Mac's ear and whispered "Tell me, why did you start hitting me?"

Big Mac stayed silent, he felt 'Ash' poke him in the chest. "Ah thought you were gonna attack mah sister." he mumbled quietly

"So that's what this is all about?" he whispered, he held his hand out to Big Mac who stared at it "Well...this is kinda awkward but i'm sorry for all the punching and stuff and calling you names. I would feel much better if you accept my apology"

"Ah guess ah'm sorry for jumping to the first thing that came to mah mind. It's just that ah had to protect my sisters..." he whispered once more, tears started to form in the red stallions eyes.

"Don't start cryin'. I know exactly how you felt. I feel it everytime someone threatens or mocks those I care about" he whispered before standing back up and turned to the crowd and yelled "This is all been a misunderstanding. Leave now."

None of the ponies moved an inch

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Callum yelled.

The crowd started to disperse, some of the crowd went to help the guards and took them to the hospital to tend their injuries. The unicorn guard followed with the support of a colt and a mare. Ponies could be heard talking about the fight and saying who would of one. It turned out some of the ponies made bets with each other but neither side won so they got to keep their bits.

The humans brought their attention back to Big Mac who was sitting on his haunches, putting a small amount of pressure onto a bruise on his face before pulling the hoof away in pain

"Well...lets see the damage. Not only did we just scare everyone here and show them that we know how to fight. We also attacked the local authority who will comeback with a vengence not to mention we are going to have to explain what happened this to Twilight and the others" Ashley said, rubbing the back off his head with his hand.

Big Macintosh stood up and tried to walk, his legs were too tired from the distance he ran and made him collapse.

"I think we should just wait here for a while. Im pretty sure the word of what happened will reach Twilight."

said Callum, sitting himself down on the cobblestone.

Big Mac and Ashley nodded in agreement and made themselves as comfortable as possible to regain their strength

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

around 20 minutes after the fight ended. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack arrived to the town centre. They saw Ashley, Callum and Big Mac talking to each other.

"I wonder what they are talking about..." Twilight said to herself but was heard by her 3 friends

"What ah don't understand is that how that 'Ashley' could take a buck from Big Macintosh and still get back up."

As they grew closer, they could see the injuries on Ashley and Big Mac. The 2 humans and stallion started laughing together. Presumably to a story Big Mac was telling them about the females and them turning crazy with lust at a specific time of the year and how he managed to escape. Callum thought Big Mac was lying but laughed anyway while Ashley kept a mental note...just in case.

"How the hay!?" shouted Rainbow Dash whos yell wasn't loud enough for the humans and stallion to hear "Last time I checked. Big Macintosh looked like he was going to kill Ashley."

"Maybe they settled their differences?" Fluttershy suggested

"Maybe...but we should still find out what what's going on." Twilight answered as her 3 friends and herself appoached Ash, Callum and Big Mac.

Big Mac saw the 4 mares approach the humans from behind with looks of confusion on their faces "Hey there sis" he waved with a smile on his face "And howdy Twilight, Rainbow and...Fluttershy" he nodded to the three other mares. He gave a light blush (which was well hidden due to his coat colour) when it came to Fluttershy.

Callum turned around to see the 4 ponies behind him. Ashley however saw Big Mac give a small blush when he mentioned Fluttershy

"Wait...does he have feelings for her?" he thought to himself and shrugged "I'll ask him some other time."

"Hey Big Mac." Applejack returned the wave. The look of confusion still staying on her face "Do ya mind tell me what the hay happened?"

Big Mac looked towards Ashley who shrugged at him

"Well...this is what happened..." Big Mac started the story

Questions and answers part 1

Okay...Now I must be dreaming...10,000+ views!? REALLY?! Seriously guys. I love you so much for reading my story not to mention that I'm very appreciative about the rating you have given it so far! Again, I thank you for doing so.

Onwards with the chapter I say!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Big Macintosh was telling the story of what just happened with Ashley, Applejack and Callum and Rainbow Dash telling their parts. Twilight and Fluttershy were listening carefully while Rainbow and Applejack were more interested in the fight scenes. Ashley remembered that his nose was broken and got Callum to snap it back into place. Let’s just say that all the ponies were disgusted by the sound of it except Callum who smiled through it while Ashley screamed in pain.

“I could have performed a healing spell on you...” Twilight said, trying to forget what she just saw.

“Twilight please...” Ashley looked at the purple unicorn “I’ve had much worse than a broken nose.”

“Really? Like what?” Rainbow asked “I bet it wasn’t as painful as breaking a wing or having 2 of your legs broken at the same

time or slamming into a mountain at a fast speed!”

“I’m guessing you’re talking about yourself there Rainbow. Now imagine several small pieces of metal traveling at a very high speed that tear through flesh easily. The pieces of metal are known as bullets” Ashley rolled up one his trouser legs to reveal two scars, pointing at them with his finger “These scars right here show where those bullets penetrated. I was in agonizing pain since I couldn't walk...Luckily, I was taken to surgery very quickly and was under the effects of anesthetic so i didn't feel a thing during said surgery. The doctors told me the bullets didn’t hit one of my major blood vessels or a nerve otherwise I would of either bled to death or been paralyzed for the rest of my life...and you think that this was painful?” He looked at Callum who nodded at him.

“Well...I...Uh...” Rainbow was lost for words. She started to regret what she just said before Callum rolled up one of his shirt sleeves, revealing similar wounds to Ashley’s but there were 3 of them.

“These were also made by bullets. Now, here’s the thing. The human arm has fewer nerves located in it than the leg. It is known to be the best place to take a bullet. But the thing is. 2 of the bullets didn’t go straight through this arm but instead, stayed in”

All the ponies jaws dropped simultaneously, sitting in silence to the human’s stories.

“Are...Are they still in there?” Twilight asked

Callum shook his head in disagreement “No. Ashley helped me by taking out the bullets. I don’t want to go into much detail so all I will say is this. If you do not want to hear me go into slight detail then please cover your ears”

All the ponies covered their ears with their hooves.

“Fine, be killjoys” Callum said with disappointment. The ponies took their hooves away from their ears.

Ashley patted Callum on the shoulder as he rolled down the sleeve to hide the scars.

“It's fine. They wouldn't understand much of it anyway.” Ashley smiled. He looked at the faces of the ponies which were a mix of interest, disgust or confusion. “Now can we change the subject? Although I would love to tell you about mine and Callum’s adventures, I’m pretty sure all of you would be very disgusted by the amount of detail we go into”

All the ponies heads nodded in agreement. The group went back onto discussing the fight. The part of the guards taking part

was being told before Twilight interrupted.

“This is bad...Really bad.” Twilight started to panic.

“Enlighten me why this is bad Twilight.” Callum said with a posh voice.

“I say my dear friend. It appears that you have also caused me to use this voice!” Ashley said with a similar impression (Their British so all that sophistication and whatnot has to be released somehow, am I right?)

“Why did ya’ll change the way you speak just now?” Applejack asked.

“My dear friend here and I used to say things in different accents for our amusement and for those around us when we were younger. As you can, we still do.” Ashley replied.

“Well can you two stop it? This is very serious!” Twilight snapped.

“Fine jeez.” Callum returned his voice to what it was before.

Ashley shrugged “Whatever floats your boat.”

“Now, where were we before that unrelated topic made its way into this conversation?” Twilight stared angrily towards the humans who stuck their tongues out in return “You attacked the guard who-“.

“What did I say about the guard Twilight?” Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh? I don’t understand what you mean.” Twilight responded, tilting her head to side slightly.

“Oh for crying out loud!” Ashley yelled “Remember what I said about the guards last night?”.

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, trying to remember what was said...

Thinking...

Got it! ...I think

“Wasn’t it something about blood?” Twilight asked with an awkward smile. She looked at the other ponies whose eyes widened

“You were going to kill the guard!?” Rainbow interrupted as she flailed her front hooves in the air for emphasize as well as hovering off the ground by flapping her wings.

Ashley face palmed “No Rainbow. I told Twilight about first blood. Which means that I will not attack until the opponent gets the first hit. A unicorn guard shot this yellow beam at me” He looked at the wound where the beam done its damage “The guards I did harm though were on the same side and advanced on me so I took action. It was all self defense.”

Rainbow lowered herself back to the ground. Feeling guilty for her outburst.

“Those guards should count themselves lucky” Callum added “Ashley could’ve killed them very quickly...” he looked towards his human friend “Am I right or am I right Ash?”

“Yeah right...” Rainbow added sarcastically.

“He is right.” Ashley said quietly.

All the ponies looked at him in shock.

“But since I’m not in the army anymore, I have no reason to kill. Only perform self defence when necessary.” Ashley said in a slightly louder voice. He put his hand over the wound on his arm and applied pressure. He didn’t feel any pain strangely enough.

“Here, let me fix you up...” Twilight’s horn began to glow as she put it near to Ashley’s wound but he pulled away.

“No thanks...I’m fine...” Ashley edged himself away from the horn slightly.

“Nonsense, now let me heal you.” Twilight tried to get closer but she felt something pushing on her chest. She looked down to see Callum’s hand pushing her away from Ashley. She looked towards the black haired human

“He said no thanks...” Callum glared angrily at her.

“B-but...” Twilight stuttered before giving up, pulling herself away from Ashley who decided to stay where he was. She looked towards Big Macintosh who was still covered in bruises

Big Mac nodded “Go ahead Twilight.”

Twilight gave a reassuring smile. Putting her horn closer to the red stallion, a bright blue aura started to flow towards the injuries on his face. They slowly started to fade away as Big Macintosh could feel as if the pain was being washed away with a cooling effect. Once the injuries were healed, Twilight returned to her spot.

“Ah appreciate what ya’ just did Twilight.” Big Macintosh smiled.

“It wasn’t a problem at all.” she returned the smile before looking at the humans “At least you’re not stubborn when it comes to medical treatment.”

“Whatever.” the humans said in unison. The other ponies bared a small chuckle.

“So...” Applejack dug her hoof at the ground a bit “What ya’ll going to do now?”

“I originally wanted to explore the town. Hence why I was at the farm.” Ashley gave an awkward smile “Until...Well we all know what happened.”

Everyone bared a small laugh.

“So...This is Fluttershy I presume?” Callum gestured towards the yellow pegasus with his hand.

“You’re correct. Fluttershy, this is-“

“Callum Thomson at your service!” Callum loudly interrupted, he held his hand out towards Fluttershy with a wide smile.

“Oh...um...H-hello Callum” Fluttershy replied nervously in a barely audible voice. She started back away slightly from his hand, hiding her face behind her mane.

“Oh-Kay” Callum pulled his hand away and leaned himself next to Ashley’s ear and whispered “I think my heart just exploded from her adorableness”

“Mmkay.” Ashley said, scratching his chin “I would go back to the library but it’s so boring there...no offense Twilight.”

“None taken.” Twilight replied with a smile.

“I’m starting to like you more and more Ashley” Rainbow said jokingly “Sort of remind me...of well, me.”

“But more bad-ass?” He replied with a grin.

“Well...sort of. But don’t go around saying you’re awesome because everypony knows I’m unbeatable when it comes to being awesome.”

Everypony else rolled their eyes.

Ashley raised an eyebrow “Is that so?”

“Yes. Yes it is.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes slightly “Are we going to have to prove it?”

“Well...pick a challenge and prepare to lose.” Ashley put his forehead against hers. Both of them trying to intimidate each other but failed since they couldn’t stop smiling.

“Oh it’s on now.” Applejack said.

“Pick a challenge...How about a race?” Rainbow said as she flapped her wings to hover off the ground slightly.

“You’re on, but no flying.” Ashley replied.

“Fair enough. The starting point will be at Twilight’s house while the finish line will be at Sweet Apple Acres. We’ll start at noon tomorrow.”

“You’re on!” Ashley held out his hand.

Rainbow lowered herself back to the ground, placing her hoof in his hand and shook it.

“You two are going to be great friends I can tell.” Twilight said sarcastically

“You think so? I’m still thinking on how to get revenge on her for that ‘incident’ that happened before” Ashley smiled evilly.

“What incident?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Well...I’m not going to say anything if Rainbow Dash doesn’t mind.” Ashley looked towards the cyan pegasus “Do you?”

“I’d rather not have everypony know what happened. Thanks for asking.” Rainbow smiled awkwardly, causing Ashley to give a small laugh which infected her. Everypony and Callum just watched silently.

“So Twilight, got anymore friends that we need to meet?” Callum asked.

“Well there is Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Although I think we should leave Pinkie until last because-“

“WhatareyoutalkingaboutTwilight?” A pink blur burst out from underneath Ashley’s shirt.

“!” Ashley fell onto his back from shock. The sound of being discovered on Metal Gear Solid somehow popped into his mind (this was the only thing I could come up with that would suit this type of situation.)

“How the hell?! Where did she come from!?” Callum’s started to shoot questions like wild fire with his eyes opened wide, looking back and forth between the pink pony and Twilight “How did she get there!? Why did she appear when you said that name!? Why aren’t you answering my questions!?”

“Whoa! Relax!” Rainbow Dash shouted at Callum “Give her time to think. Sheesh.”

Twilight looked towards at Callum, seeing him panicking. She then turned her attention to Ashley who was on his back, the expression of shock / surprise on his face didn’t go away.

Ashley sat back up to be greeted by the pink pony smiling widely in his face. She smelt like cake for some reason.

“...Hi!” The pink pony said cheerfully

“This. Is Pinkie Pie...” Twilight said before dragging the pink mare by the tail away from the humans with her magic.

Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to Comment and rate is all I can say really.

Distant memories

Pinkie stared into Ashley’s eyes, wondering what she was staring at. Ashley shifted uncomfortably as he tried to avoid her stare

“What's this? Someponies new pet? Does it like play-“Pinkie was interrupted with hoof going into her mouth.

“Will ya’ll just simmer down? Let them introduce themselves first” Applejack said in a stern voice, pulling away her hoof from the pink mare’s mouth after she nodded.

“Alright...” Callum began “My name’s Callum or you can choose to refer me as Cal.”

“And my name’s Ashley, you can refer to me as either Ash or Toast.” Ashley held out his hand to the pink mare

Pinkie stared at Ashley “What are you? You remind me of a monkey.” she asked as she slowly put her hoof into his hand.

“We’re humans. I would like it if you didn’t call us monkeys even though our DNA is around 95% similar to a chimpanzee.” Ashley said as he shook the mares hoof before letting go.

“So you’re new here?” a smile appeared on Pinkie’s face

“Yep” Callum replied

Pinkie’s eyes narrowed as her smile grew wider (beyond the point to which both humans thought was physically impossible) which was starting to creep out the humans.

“What the heck is she smiling about?” Ashley turned to ask the other ponies

“Wait for it.” Rainbow replied

Ashley turned back to find Pinkie gone. “Where’d she go?”

“Well, since you’re new here, she’s most likely planning you two a party.” Twilight said

“The last thing I would really want right now is a party. Especially since the whole town thinks were monsters that hurt ponies.” Ashley snapped back

“Like it or not, you’re having a party. The best thing to do is to go to it and enjoy it...” Rainbow Dash stepped closer towards Ashley with her eyes narrowed “Unless you want to see Pinkie cry. You’re not that kind of...”

“Person” Callum interrupted

“Thanks.” She nodded to Callum before turning her attention back to Ashley “You’re not that kind of person are you?”

“Are you telling me what I can and can’t do?” Ashley stood up, towering over Rainbow “I. Will. Not. Be going to any party. Do I make myself clear?”

Callum stood and put his arm of Ashley’s shoulder and took him away from the group “Let me just have a word with him” he called back to them

When they were out of earshot, Callum put his hands on Ashley’s shoulders “What the fuck do you think you’re playing at?”

“Callum, we both know about why I don’t like parties.” Ashley said in a sad tone, averting his eyes away from Callum.

***

Flashback: 4 years before teleportation. Location:??? Mission Objective: Destroy enemy weapons factory and comm station

***

A large explosion went off in the background, in the distance on a hill. A group of five men raised their weapons and cheered. Two of those men are slightly younger versions of Callum and Ashley. In fact, this was their second mission. For you see, Callum and Ashley were assigned to a group when they became almost as good as they are today.

Francis...A true friend. Willing to go to hell and back even if it was just to see you smile. He would gladly risk everything he had for his friends. One thing you didn’t want to do was remind him of his family which was taken away from him at a young age by robbers. The image of him finding his parents dead bodies still haunts him...

Josh...A bit immature when you meet him but on the field...he knows what he’s doing. He was always known for being a bit of a pyromaniac who grew his interests into explosives. Just don’t offend him in his face unless you want to blown up into a million pieces.

“WOO! Mission complete fella’s!” Francis cheered.

“Man...Pretty fireworks eh guys?” Josh said, putting his arm around Francis.

“You never disappoint Josh.” Ashley pat him on the shoulder “Come on, we got a jeep to catch.”

Lets skip 15 minutes ahead. Delta squad arrived to the e vac vehicle and are making their way back to base.

“You guys like whiskey?” The driver called out.

The driver. Also known as Simon. He didn’t really like doing missions like Ashley and the gang but was treated like one of the gang, mostly because he was their transport to and from missions.

“It’s alright” Callum shrugged

“Well here, catch” Simon threw a water basin filled with whiskey to Callum who caught it in his lap

“Here Josh, you get first sip” Callum opened the lid, passing it to his friend.

“Thanks” Josh sniffed the bottles mouth; the strong, burning scent of whiskey filled his nostrils before he raised it to his mouth “Bottoms up” he took a large sip. The inside of his mouth burned but he didn’t care. After he finished his sip, he let out a sigh of refreshment before passing it to Francis.

“Cheers.” Francis raised the basin slightly before taking it back to his lips. After taking his sip, his face scrunched up “Burns a bit on the way down don’t it?” he put the bottle in front of Ashley’s face who pushed it away with his hand.

“Drinking on the job ain’t my thing and you know that.” He gave Francis a stern look.

“Oh...right, forgot.” Francis took the bottle back “Sorry bro.”

“Nah, its cool.” Ashley gave him a smile.

Josh grabbed the basin from Francis “Guess it’s a party for me and Francis then!”

“What about Callum?” Ashley asked

“Oh right, you want in Cal?”

“One sip” Callum replied in a strict tone, taking the basin. He took as sip and shown no emotion as he passed it back to Josh

“Alright” Josh took a mouthful of whiskey, he could feel it burning the inside of his mouth but gulped it down quickly “This is some good shit” he held the bottle up to his chest

“Alright guys” Simon yelled back “We’re going to have to drive through this village and we should be back to the base in about 2 hours.”

30 seconds later.

The jeep was turned onto its roof, the bottom of it caught on fire as Simon desperately tried to undo his seat belt to escape. It turns out that the village had a group of hostiles still in the area and one shot an RPG next to the jeep. The others managed to escape the flaming vehicle

Ashley and Callum tried to get the door to open for Simon but they were sitting ducks for the enemy to pick off. They both ran into a nearby building with their weapons in their grasp and looked across the street. Francis was hiding in an alley with his gun in his left hand as his other was clutching a bullet wound. Josh was inside the building next to him.

“Josh. You have what looks like 7 hostiles on your rooftop.” Ashley said into his radio

“Roger that. You have 2 on yours, looks like they are trying to get at Francis” Josh replied “Where’s Simon?”

“He’s still in the jeep, he can’t get out.”

“ASHLEY GET DOWN!” Callum shouted, he grabbed his friend by the shoulder and pulled him to the floor. A large explosion caused the building to shake, windows smashed as dust fell from the ceiling.

“What just happened!?” Ashley yelled down his radio

“The jeep blew up” Josh’s volume decreased “Simon didn’t escape in time...”

“We’ll mourn him later. Let’s try not to die—“ Francis said into his radio before being cut off

“Francis? FRANCIS!? Come in Francis!” Josh yelled down his radio. No response “DAMN IT!”

Ashley peered his head over one of the windowsills, he looked into the alleyway where Francis was but all he saw was his friends corpse with a bullet through its skull. Ashley looked to the rooftop and saw one of the hostiles aiming his gun down the alley

“Francis is KIA. Hostile on your roof got him.” Ashley radioed to Josh

“Those fucking assholes...” These were the last words Ashley heard from Josh

Josh ran upstairs, he looked into his bag and found C4 but only had a wire that was a meter long. He placed the C4 on the ceiling and wired it up. He clicked the remote. The explosion caused the house to collapse. The explosion blew Josh apart, even if he lived. The house’s weight would have killed him. The hostiles on the roof either got caught in the blast radius or were blown off the roof and suffered large injuries.

“Josh! Josh respond!” Callum radioed. No response “GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!” he threw his radio to the wall, shattering it to pieces

Ashley grabbed Callum by the shoulders “We don’t have time to mourn. Let’s get those two bastards on the roof and get outta here!”

Callum nodded in agreement. Both burst out of the door and turned round, aiming their guns to the roof. The two hostiles made the fatal mistake of looking over. Both sides fired wildly at each other. A bullet tore through Callums arm, causing him to drop his weapon. Ashley managed to shoot one of them in the head. Both Ashley and the hostile ran out of bullets and stared at each other. Ashley saw the enemy trying to pull out his pistol but Ashley already had his drawn

“Say goodbye maggot” He muttered quietly. He pulled the trigger as the bullet raced through the soldiers head. His body lent over the edge and fell in front of Ashley and Callum.

“Oh shit your hit!” Ashley ran to the side of Callum and pulled out his radio “Base. This is Delta one. Our e vac was ambushed and we have wounded. Driver is dead as well as 2 members of delta. We need Med-e vac now!”

“Affirmative, Delta one. What is your current location?” a female voice replied over the radio.

“Were in a village nearby the mission objective. The jeep exploded so you should see a large amount of smoke above the village.”

“Alright Delta one, Med-evac is on the way.”

Ashley put his radio back and noticed one of his enemies who were on the building before it exploded trying to crawl to a weapon. Ashley walked up to it and kicked it away. The dying soldier looked up, Ashley’s figure blocked out the sun

“This is for Delta...” Ashley pulled out his knife and forced it into the enemy’s eye socket. Blood squirted as the soldier cried in pain. He tried to get Ashley to stop but the blade went in deeper. Eventually piercing his brain. Ashley kept the knife in the soldier’s eye until his movements ceased.

Ashley stared at the motionless body and spat on its face. He pulled the blade out of the socket. The eye was ripped out as the blade was still inside it. Ashley grabbed the dead soldiers hand and used it to wipe off the eye

“Number one” He said to himself. He made his way to Callum who was lying on the floor clutching his bloodied arm.

Several minutes passed before a Chinook arrived with two Apaches. The Chinook landed, causing dust to fill the area as a squad poured out of it, raising their guns and looking around the area for hostiles. Two medics rushed out of the Chinook and grabbed Callum, putting his arms over their shoulders to help him walk.

Ashley walked over to Francis’ body and dragged the body into the Chinook. He noticed Josh’s dog tags on the floor and grabbed them, putting them in his pocket. He returned to the flaming debris of the jeep. He looked through the window and saw Simon’s carcass being burnt to a crisp. The dog tag was embedded in his melted flesh. Ashley walked back onto the helicopter as the squad ran back inside as well.

“Mission accomplished...” He said to himself as the door closed.

***

Present day

***

"I know you're thinking about them Ash" Callum said

"That obvious huh? The hardest part was telling their families and friends." A tear started to form in his eye but he wiped it away quickly.

"You want a few minutes to yourself?" Callum asked, putting his arm over Ashley.

"Yea...a few minutes..." Ashley said as he started to drift off. Memories of the good times he had with those guys. But then the images of how they died flooded his mind. He tried to think of something else but nothing worked. The only thing that got rid of the images was killing.

"Right...I'll just be over there" He pointed to the group of ponies who were staring at him.

Ashley didn't reply. He sat himself on the cobblestone ground. Callum walked over to the ponies who stared at him in confusion. Twilight was the first to break the awkward silence.

"What was that all about?"

"Some tragic stuff happened. Don't ask me or Ashley what happened unless you want to sign your death warrant." Callum replied, his face shown no emotion. His eyes appeared as cold as his words.

"B-but--" Rainbow stuttered

"I said no." Callum's face started to show anger. He took several deep breaths, eventually he calmed down "I'd respect the fact that none of you will ever ask about this. Okay?"

The ponies were reluctant at first, but one by one they agreed by nodding or something called a 'pinkie promise'.

Several minutes passed until Ashley returned to the group. He tried to put on a fake smile but his red eyes gave away that he had been crying. He noticed a tear was still on his cheek and wiped it off with the back of his hand

"Haven't had a good cry in a couple of years. Does wonders" He looked around at the ponies who were looking at him in confusion or sympathy "What?"

"Oh its just-" Twilight began but she looked at Callum who was staring daggers at her "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Callum told you not to ask about it, didn't he?" Ashley raised an eyebrow

"Eeeyup" Big Mac said.

“Good. Although he probably threatened you as well, didn’t he?”

Big Mac nodded.

Ashley face palmed “God damn it Cal. Remember the last time you threatened someone about this?”

“Oh...Right. I was just looking out for ya’.” Callum smiled awkwardly.

“What happened last time?” Twilight asked

“Well...Iets just say we were thrown out the clubbing district. Some loser kept asking me questions about why I was upset and every time I told him to leave me alone. The guy wouldn’t stop asking so Callum came into the conversation and threatened the guy.”

“So then what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked “Did he do anything?”

“Yes. The guy walked away and Callum sat down to talk to me. But the guy returned and smashed a bottle over Callum’s head. This sent Callum here into a frenzy.”

“What happened next?” Rainbow asked once more, her eyes were gleaming as her hunger for the story increased “Was there a fight?”

“Yes. Callum smashed the guys face into the bar and smashed a bottle of vodka on the back of the guys head. He then dragged him to middle of the dance floor and smashed the guys head into one of the speakers. Blood was all across the floor and just when you thought he was finished. Callum twisted the guys arm behind his back awkwardly and broke it. The bouncers rushed towards the dance floor in the attempt to fight Callum.”

“What happened next!? Tell me tell me tell me!” Rainbow dash said quickly. She took a seat closer to Ashley.

“I don’t really want to talk about it anymore.” Ashley smiled to the cyan mare

“Pleeeeeaaasssee. You gotta tell me!” Rainbow begged, giving Ashley her best fake sad face. Pouting her lips, she even threw in a fake tear into the look.

“She’s so cute! Wait no... She’s weakening you Ashley...But look at the cuteness! Can’t resist...” Ashley thought to himself. He couldn’t stop staring into her wide, beautiful, magenta colour eyes. They felt as if they were staring into his soul. He shifted his body slightly from being uncomfortable but...The longer he stared into the eyes, the more he felt at ease.

“Okay. I’ll spill the beans.” He smiled. Rainbows expression changed to joy. Ashley realized her sadness was fake “Cunning, gotta keep my eye on her” he thought to himself

“What beans?” Applejack asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

“It’s a figure of speech. Anyway, onto the story. One of the guards held Callum back by the arms while the other punched him in the gut a few times. This pissed me off so much that I barged through the crowd and rugby tackled him”

“Rugby tackle?” Twilight asked

“Rugby is a sport from where we are from. Basically, there are two teams that compete for the control of a weirdly shaped ball. Each team has line they must defend. If the opponent manages to get a player holding the ball to cross their line, then that team scores a point. Now this sport is a contact sport and you don’t wear protection. Well, maybe a bit of protection. You want to stop your opponent then you have to bring them down with a tackle. Callum care to demonstrate?”

“Yea sure. You going to tackle me? Also is there a park nearby?”

“There’s a park, just follow me. I want to see this ‘rugby tackle’.” Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings and took to the skies. Leaving a faint trail of rainbow colours behind her

"Okay now that is pretty cool." Ashley pointed towards the trail "Now lets get going"

***

Princess Celestia was in her private quarters with a list in front of her. She was looking over the countries economy charts.

"All seems in order" She smiled to herself. She put much work into keeping the economy right while her sister was on the moon. Now that she had returned, Celestia had a bit more free time on her hooves, it wasn't much but it allowed her to calm down from stressful days of having to appear in courts and visiting the cities of Equestria. She kept watch of the economy every now and again to make sure that her sister was taking her role back effectively.

Outside of the princess' private quarters, two unicorn guards stood at the door. Two groups of four guards would patrol the hallways nearby. A grey pegasus walked down the halls. Her cutie mark was an envelope with wings but most of this was covered up by her saddle bags. Her mane was a light shade of blue. She was one of Celestia's most trusted forms of mail delivery between her and Ponyville. She walked up to the guards at the door.

"What is your business here today?" The guard asked, diverting his gaze to the pegasus mail-mare

"I am here to deliver an urgent letter to the princess." She took off her saddle bags and put them on the ground. She opened them with her mouth before pulling out a scroll with a red ribbon wrapped around it. She placed it on the ground in front of the guards.

"Thank you." The guard said as he levitated the scroll next to him "I shall give it to her majesty right away"

The mail-mare nodded before turning to leave. The guard knocked on the door.

"You may enter" Princess Celestia called out. The guard entered the room slowly with the scroll levitating next to him. He made his way to the princess before stopping to bow down

"You may rise Captain Night Wind."

"Thank you your majesty. A letter arrived from Ponyville for you." He levitated the scroll in front of Celestia and let go. The scroll became encased in the princess' magic

"You have my gratitude Captain. You may leave now." Celestia said in her calm voice with a smile.

The captain bowed down slightly once more before leaving the room, closing the door behind him and returning to his post.

"Now lets see..." She opened the scroll in front of her and began to read "Oh its from the Ponyville hospital...Guards have been hospitalized from being attacked...two mysterious creatures that stand on their back legs..." The princess finished the letter. She closed the scroll and tied it in the ribbon it came with before levitating it over to a small pile of letters.

The princess left her room. She stood in front of Captain Dark Wing "Captain."

"Yes you majesty?" He looked up to the majestic sun princess in front of him and bowed.

"Prepare a tier two escort." She said in a slightly stern voice.

"Tier two ma'am?" He asked, still bowing down.

"You heard me correctly. Prepare them in 15 minutes."

"Yes ma'am" He rose back up and made his way to the guard quarters. The other guard tried to look away from what happened but he met the gaze of the princess.

"Captain Solar."

The guard bowed down "Yes your majesty?"

"You have my permission to leave your post. I want you to come with me."

"Yes ma'am. I have a question to ask you." Both unicorn and alicorn started their journey through the castle

"Ask away" Celestia said with a smile

"Why are you in the need of a tier two escort?"

"One of the patrols of Ponyville were attacked by two creatures that have been claimed to walk on their hind legs. Who knows what they are capable of."

"I see your majesty. Lets just hope that these creatures will not attack."

"I hope so as well"

Both alicorn and unicorn walked the rest of the journey in silence. Ponies bowed down in the sight of the princess and rose when she left the room to resume their duties. They entered the palace garden. There were three chariots, each to be pulled by two pegasi. The front and back chariots would contain unicorn and earth pony guards while the middle would contain the Princess and two of her most trusted guards. In this case, Solar and Dark Wing were to be in the same carriage. The escort also consisted of five pegasi on both sides of the chariots with three at the back and at the front in a V shape.

After preparations were complete and the guards and princess boarded the chariots. The set their journey towards Ponyville.

***

The ponies and the humans arrived at the park. It was quite popular but a pony screamed that the 'beasts' were here which caused everypony to run away

"You just have to love the reception here." Ashley joked.

"I'm ready when your ready." Callum walked several paces in front of Ashley and prepared himself.

"Right-o. Everyone watching?" Ashley said as he lower himself slightly and prepared to charge at Callum

"Everypony Ashley" Twilight giggled.

"Yea yea, whatever" Ashley rolled his eyes.

"Come on! I'm not getting any younger!" Rainbow yelled from above.

Ashley nodded towards Callum who returned the nod. Ashley began his charge slowly but quickly picked up the pace. He lowered his torso down as he collided with Callum. A large thud was heard upon impact and followed by an even louder one when they hit the ground.

Ashley got off of Callum and held his hand out for his friend who grabbed it and got back up. "And that's basically a rugby tackle. Not much to it really."

"So, I'm guessing you played this sport before?"

"Correct. I used to enjoy playing it in school when I was younger." Ashley smiled, he dusted himself off with his hands. Everypony and Callum's head turned to him when his stomach growled "Guess I sorta missed breakfast." he smiled sheepishly

"That's okay. Spike should be returning today anyway so we can go to my place to grab something to eat and introduce him to you."

"Spike? Is it your pet or something?" Callum asked

"No. He's my number one assistant."

"Okay then. Can't wait to see his reaction to us." Ashley chuckled

Twilight rolled her eyes "Come on lets go." She turned her head to the other ponies "See you later!" she waved.

"See ya' later Twi! You too Ash and Cal!" Applejack called out

"Bye Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled "Ash! we need to hang out sometime!"

"Sure, We'll hang out later today if you feel like it!" Ashley called back

"Sounds like a plan!" Rainbow returned.

Ashley turned back to Twilight and Callum who were staring at Ashley. With smirks on their faces

"What?"

"Oh nothing." Both said in unison sheepishly. Their eyes darted around and their smirks disappeared.

"Whatever." Ashley shrugged "Can we get a move on? I'm wasting away here!" He started to walk ahead of Twilight and Callum but stopped "Which way was the library again?"

"Just follow me" Twilight took the lead.

Spike was unpacking his things. Mostly just pictures of Rarity. He heard the door open and made his way downstairs to see Twilight walking in. He decided to greet her.

"Hey Twilight, How's it been for the last week?" he waved

"Well...It has been eventful to say the least" She walked up to Spike and hugged him "I missed you so much Spikey Wikey" she giggled

"Ugh. I didn't ask for this!" Spike tried to struggle free but couldn't break out of the embrace so he returned the hug and was let go by Twilight "What did you mean by 'eventful'?"

"Well...There's some ponies..." Twilight face hoofed "I mean people I want you to meet."

"People? What are you on about Twi?" Spike scratched his head with his claw

"You'll see" Twilight turned towards the door "You can come in now."

Spike watched as two creatures walked in. They towered not only Twilight but looked around the same height as Princess Celestia. They didn't have fur coats or scales and had paws similar to his but the claws were long but were not sharp. He looked at their facial features. One had a brown mane while the other had a black one. The brown maned creature had a small scar on his face and blue eyes while the black maned one had brown eyes. The strangest thing he noticed was that both creatures stood on their back legs like him.

"W-what are those!?" Spike shouted, his mouth was covered by one of his paws while the other was pointing towards the humans "Are these like, your new pets or something!?"

"Spike. They can understand you." Twilight said in an unamused tone.

"What?"

"She's right you know." Ashley said

"THEY CAN TALK!?" Spike was on the verge of passing out but held himself together

"CONGRATULATIONS! WE CAN ALSO YELL AS WELL!" Callum yelled at the top of his voice. Ashley was not affected by it while Spike was literally blown away from it. Twilight had her hooves over her ears

"Next time give me a warning!?" She said angrily

"Fine." Callum sulked.

Spike was still dazed by the shouting fiasco and slowly stood back up, clutching his head "I'm going to have a headache from that."

"Heh, that'll teach ya." Callum chuckled to himself. Ashley couldn't help but do the same "Anyway. My name is Callum and this is Ashley."

"Yo." Ashley waved

"Ugh...What are you?" Spike asked, still rubbing his head

"We are humans." Ashley responded.

"What's a hyuu-man?"

"Basically. An evolved ape that has become much smarter and uses technology and science to make its life easier. Our species appears to have not existed here and everypony dislikes us because what happened earlier today." Ashley said in a monotone voice.

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"Oh Ashley got into a fight with Big Macintosh and then he ran into town which then a bunch of guards tried to get him. I found out that Ashley was in a fight so I ran to the scene and almost strangled one of the guards to death while Ashley beat the crap out of the others. It was fun to say the least."

"Yea...That's basically what happened." Ashley smiled awkwardly until he noticed his stomach groan again

Spike was completely speechless. He looked at Twilight in panic but saw that she trusted them so he thought that he could do the same. But he kept hold of some of his suspicions just in case.

After getting something to eat AND a large explanation of what happened so far. Spike was now up to date with the situation. If anything, he feared the creatures near him but they told him that as long as he doesn't get them in a bad mood and 'perform first blood' then everything would work out.

"Spike?" Twilight asked after finishing her meal

"Hmmph?" Spike replied, still with a mouthful of food

"Don't speak with your mouth full. It's rude." Ashley said smiling while raising an eyebrow

Spike stared daggers at Ashley before chewing and swallowing his food "There. Happy?"

"Yes." Ashley smiled

"What was it you needed Twi?" Spike asked.

"Spike. I think its time we send a letter to the Princess."

Jesus Christ...5000+ words. All I can say is that I feel that this chapter was WAY better than the one a posted before I redone it. I just couldn't stop with this chapter and then I realized it was getting late so I decided to upload this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter more than the other one and I ask you to do one thing: Never mention the scrapped chapter ever again. NEVER. AGAIN....

So I thought I should throw in a bit more of the humans past so that's what I did...So yeah...Comment and stuff...I'm just going go sleep now...

Did someone order a Royal princess?

Dear Princess Celestia.

I’m sorry that I have not been able to send any letters for the past few days. I have been quite busy...It’s hard to explain through letters so I was hoping you would have time in your schedule to come for a visit. There is something I would like to show you.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

“Okay Spike. Send it.”

“Alright” Spike replied, he held the scroll in front of him and breathed a green flame over it. The scroll burned within an instant

“She said send it. NOT burn it!” Callum groaned.

“I did send it. This is how I send letters.” Spike said reassuringly.

“Either way, that was pretty cool.” Ashley said.

“Hehe, thanks.” Spike smiled from the compliment before a familiar feeling started to rise inside of him. The intensity was working its way up Spikes throat as he emitted a loud burp which sprouted out green flames. A scroll appeared in front of him.

“Let me take back what I just said and replace it with that was pretty damn awesome!”

“You think that’s cool. Prepare to find out what dragons can eat.” Spike looked at his claws with a smug look.

“What’s he talking about Twilight?” Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Dragons eat gems. You know, like rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other types as well” Twilight replied.

“No. Freaking. Way.” Ashley’s jaw dropped “Surely that costs you loads for those gems?”

“Not really. Gems are quite common to come by. In fact, Rarity makes a lot of her dresses with gems embedded in them. You can find them quite easily if you have the know how or the right spell.”

“I want to go gem digging at some point. Seems like fun.” Ashley smiled “Anyway. What was does that letter say?”

“Oh right, the letter.” Spike opened the scroll and held it out in front of him “Dear Twilight Sparkle. I have begun my journey to Ponyville. There has been a situation involving some of my guards and I shall visit them after we have talked about your discovery, from her royal highness. Princess Celestia.”

“Oh no...” Twilight started to panic “She knows about the guards...”

“Twilight calm down” Ashley said in a calm tone “She’ll probably want to talk to us when she gets here and if she wants to arrest us, then so be it. As long as I get to hang out with Rainbow Dash first, not to mention race her tomorrow.” Ashley said reassuringly.

“Don’t feel like breaking a promise, eh Ash?” Callum taunted.

“You know it.” Ashley said smugly.

“Alright, maybe if she see’s that I trust you then maybe she won’t be harsh.” Twilight added.

A cyan blur broke through the front door. It darted around Twilight’s house before stopping in the kitchen where the dragon, unicorn and humans were. As it stopped, Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway, leaning on it.

“Oh hey guys.” She looked towards Ashley with smile “Its later.” Trying to look casual.

“Alright fine.” Ashley got out of his seat and walked towards the front door with Rainbow following “See you guys later. If you want me then I will be at...” He looked towards Rainbow and whispered “Where are we going?”

“Beats me, the park I guess?” she shrugged.

“We’ll be at the park.” Ashley called out to the others.

“See ya’ Ash and Rainbow. Don’t get in any trouble” Callum called out before diverting his attention back to Twilight and Spike “Like that’s going to happen.” He said, rolling his eyes.

“I know.” Twilight giggled “When the princess arrives and if the introduction of you goes well then we will go find Ashley.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Callum yawned “I’m going to go take a nap.” Walking over to the spot he slept on the previous night. Grabbing the pillow and blanket from last night, he laid them on the floor before resting himself on them. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

“Alright. I’ll wake you up when the princess arrives. I’m just going to do some reading.”

“I’m going to have some shut eye as well” Spike hopped of his chair and made his way to his bed.

“Okay Spike. Do you want me to wake you up as well?”

Spike stopped for a second, bringing a claw to his chin before shrugging “Sure why not?” He started his journey to his bed once more.

“So what was it you wanted to do at the park?” Ashley asked as he walked next to Rainbow.

“I was hoping show you some of my tricks.”

“That would be cool. I would of thought you would have some questions for me.”

“Well if you don’t mind me asking...”

“You’re going to ask about the whole ‘not wanting to go to a party’ thing. Weren’t you?” Ashley interrupted

“Actually, you’re wrong” Rainbow smiled “I was going to ask what you think about me and my friends so far.”

“Oh that’s an easy question. Where should I start?”

“Let’s start with...” Rainbow stopped and held a hoof to her chin “Twilight. What do you think about her?” she began walking again.

“I think that she is a smart, secluded individual who cares a lot for her friends. Not to mention that she basically took us in even though she didn’t know much about us as well” Ashley said confidently “Who’s next?”

“Your choice.”

“Alright, I think I’m going to with...wait...scratch that. I want to save the best until last. I choose Big Mac”

“Oh I wonder who the last is going to be.” She said rolling her eyes.

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Ashley smiled “Anyway. Big Mac to me...Well, he reminds me of when it comes to someone hurting someone he cares deeply for. He’s one of those guys who are great to have as a friend even though he doesn’t talk much. I can tell he has very powerful legs from experience” Ashley rubbed his chest. Remembering the kick he took and how far it sent him flying.

“Let me guess, he bucked you?”

“Bucked? You mean the kick with both back legs?”

“Yea, that’s what is called a buck. Him and Applejack buck apples at the farm.”

“Ah. Alright then.” Ashley noticed all the ponies around were scattering in different directions. He looked back at Rainbow who was gone. He looked around and noticed a rainbow tail going into one of the buildings “HEY!” he shouted. He walked up to the door and realized the building looked like a carousel “Weird house design if you ask me” he thought to himself as he banged on the door with his fist.

“RARITY! What the hay!?” Rainbow yelled at the white mare

“Didn’t you see what that...that..THING did to the guards!? Not to mention its horrible sense of fashion.” Rarity said as she went into the kitchen “I’m sorry Rainbow but I don’t want to see you be hospitalized by the ruffian.”

“He isn’t a ruffian! He’s my friend!” She walked towards the door which was locked “Unlock the door. Now.” Rainbow demanded.

“I’m sorry Rainbow but I can’t-“ She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door “It knows we’re in here! Be quiet!” she whispered

“Fat chance! Now open this door!” Rainbow yelled.

“Rainbow, move away from the door.” Ashley’s muffled voice filled the air.

“What? Why?” She slowly edged herself away from the door.

Ashley took a couple paces back, prepping his shoulder, he charged in to the door.

THUD!

Nothing...Ashley prepared once more but took more paces back. His shoulder ached but the pain subsided quickly before he charged once more.

THUD! CRACK!

The door was starting to splinter, cracks were becoming visible. Ashley stood in front of the door and took a sideways stance. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. He raised his leg slowly and went to kick the door...that was until the door was unlocked and opened, causing Ashley to fall into the building.

“My precious door!” Rarity said desperately, she walked up to it and inspected the damage. There were large dents as well as the wood cracking open. She looked at the beast that got back up and towered over her “You. Will. PAY FOR THAT!!” She yelled angrily, her horn started to glow but Ashley didn’t flinch. He waited for her to strike first.

“Rarity!” Rainbow intervened “Don’t do something you will regret.”

“Regret!? I will enjoy hurting this door breaking, poor sense of fashion piece of garbage until it cries for mercy!” Rarity yelled as her horn grew brighter.

“Don’t do it!” Rainbow stood in front of Ashley, her wings flared “That’s what he wants you to do, to strike first.” She said in a slightly calmer voice “Just...stop.”

Rarity stared angrily towards Ashley who returned the stare but with a smile on his face as well. She looked down slightly to Rainbow who had the look of pity on her face.

“Fine...BUT, only because you say so Rainbow Dash.” She said in a slightly calmer tone, but the hostility in her voice was still noticeable.

“She’s right you know.” Ashley said “About the striking first thing. That’s why I was fighting the guards and Big Mac.”

“What has striking first have to do with anything!?” Rarity’s volume rose.

Ashley sighed “So much explaining.” He thought to himself, remembering that he has to see the princess “Oh god she will want to know everything.”

“Uhh Hell-o? Equestria to Ashley?” Rainbow flew to Ashley’s height and tapped on the side of his head.

“Huh? What?” Ashley shook his head, breaking out of his track of thoughts “Oh right.” He noticed Rainbow and Rarity staring at him. “First strike, or as I prefer to call it, first blood. Basically, if I can tell there will be a fight, I allow my opponent to make the first hit. I then respond in self defence and beat the crap out of them.”

Rarity stood in silence. Completely gobsmacked of the thing inside her house.

“FYI, I’m a soldier who has killed many of his own species in the act of war. I could’ve easily killed Big Mac and the guards but since I’m no longer in the army. Killing is not necessary so I just beat them up a bit. Big Mac did a number on me and we worked things out. The guards however, I have no idea what happened, probably taken to a hospital or something.”

Rarity ushered Rainbow to the kitchen “I need to have a word with my friend here.” She called back to Ashley.

“Take your time.” He said, crossing his arms.

As they entered the kitchen, Rarity closed the door and turned to Rainbow “Okay. Now tell me Rainbow, does Twilight and the others know about him?”

“Of course. Me and Fluttershy found him in the Everfree a few days ago and asked Twilight to help him.”

“But why would you help...that thing?”

“That thing has a name and it’s Ashley. It’s a long story...”

“I have plenty of time. Explain.”

And thus a very long explanation of the past few days events started. It went on for at least half an hour. Ashley was looking around the house, noticing a lot of sketches of dresses and various types of fabrics in neat piles. He found a very large closet that held many dresses. Some look pretty good and quite a few of them had gems embedded in them

“Twilight wasn’t lying about the gem thing...” Ashley thought to himself. He wondered back to the front door and continued to wait for both ponies to return.

Another 5 minutes passed and both emerged.

“Sorry we took so long...” Rarity said before going silent, trying to remember the human’s name.

“Ashley...” Rainbow said with a bored tone.

“Right...Ashley. Sorry about the whole ‘going to enjoy hurting you’ fiasco. It was terribly un-ladylike of me.”

“It’s okay. Sorry for breaking your door. Hopefully I can earn some currency around here and I’ll pay you for the repairs as soon as possible.”

“That would be nice.” Rarity smiled faintly “Although I have to ask. Why are you wearing such dreadful clothes?”

“Oh here we go.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. Earning a evil glare from Rarity and a smile from Ashley.

“This is my uniform from my mission before me and Callum were sent here. Before you say anything, it’s supposed to camouflage me in the snow and has to give me a good range of movement. You probably wonder about human fashion don’t you?”

Rarity’s eyes shimmered as she eagerly nodded her head.

“Well. I wanted to hang out with Rainbow so I’m going to give you a quick version. We usually were clothes to hide our bodies due to our anatomy being different and to hide...Ahem, private areas.”

Rarity and Rainbow both thought about what the human implied. Rarity was the first to blush deeply, followed by the cyan pegasus.

“Although these clothes are pretty banged up” Ashley said, ignoring the blushing ponies. He looked down at his outfit. There were many rips and tears. Some parts were stained in his blood and covered in dirt as his boots were worn down.

“I agree with you there Ashley” Rarity said with the blush gone “If possible. I would love to measure you for a new outfit. Oh something that is casual...Maybe a few gems in it as well.”

“No gems.”

“B-but why?”

“Because in the art of war. You want stealth. If you were to be seen by a sniper with clothes on that really stood out. Then you would be dead in seconds not to mention that it would make the outfit look girly.”

“What’s a sniper?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“A sniper is a soldier who expertise's in long range weaponry. They are deployed mostly for scouting missions and assassinations. So you would want to stay out of their sight.” Ashley said.

“So gems are a no-no?” Rarity asked, disappointed.

“Correct. If anything, just go with a black version of this outfit. I like to be one with the shadows if possible and this is quite practical.”

“Hmm...I think black would suit you well. Come see me another time and we will get started.” she said, imagining the outfit in black.

“Alright. Callum will probably want one as well...”

“Just bring him down with you so I can measure him” Rarity smiled.

“Will do. It has been nice meeting you Miss Rarity.” Ashley bowed before making his way to the door “you coming Rainbow?”

“Finally! Let’s go.” The cyan pegasus sped past Ashley, through the door.

Ashley turned back to Rarity and waved goodbye. Rarity waved back as Ashley left the building. She closed the door and let out a sigh.

“Oh I can’t wait to start on this task” She thought to herself.

***

Twilight was reading a book until she heard knocking at her door. She walked over to it and opened it with her magic. There stood her mentor. Staring down at her with a motherly smile. Twilight bowed down

"Welcome princess" She said

"You may rise Twilight" Celestia said with a giggle "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"Oh that's right. Let me just wake him up." Twilight walked over to the sleeping human and nudged him with her hoof.

Callum groaned and went back to sleep. Twilight nudged him even harder.

"Wake up. The princess is here."

Callum opened his eyes slowly. Allowing them to adjust to the light "Huh? What?" He asked tiredly.

"The princess is here." Twilight repeated. Callum shot up and stood up immediately. He looked down at Twilight

"I'm ready."

"Okay then." She turned towards the door and yelled "Come in Princess!"

Callum's jaw dropped. He looked at the pony in front of him. Not only because she had both horn and wings but instead stared at her mane. It flowed even though there was no wind current Her coat was literally glowing slightly, she was the most majestic thing he ever saw. Celestia was almost the same height as Callum. She stared at his features. Short black mane, small amount of facial hair could be seen growing. Indicating it was male but she wasn’t quite sure. Its arms were muscular and long with claws which were blunt. The creature was bipedal.

“Could this be the thing that attacked my guard?” She thought to herself.

Celestia continued her examination of the creature in front of her. Making more mental notes of its appearance "Oh my...This is quite the find Twilight." she gasped.

Twilight blushed lightly at the compliment "Thank you princess. I believe that introductions are in order." she looked at Callum

Celestia raised an eyebrow "Are you implying that this creature can talk?"

"Indeed I do your highness." Callum bowed down "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Callum Thomson. You can call me Cal if you prefer to."

"I think I will refer you as Callum. You may rise" She giggled, leaning towards Twilight and whispered "Did you teach it how to address royalty?"

Twilight shook her head in disapproval.

"Knowing how to address royalty or superiority is something everyone should know." Callum said amusingly "I'm going to take a wild guess and you will want to know a bit about me?"

Celestia nodded

"Alright. Basic version. I am a human which is basically an evolved ape. I am a soldier who no longer serves an army due to arriving to your fair land." He bared his teeth towards Celestia "As you can see, my species have sharp teeth to rip flesh but..." He hooked one his fingers around the edge of his mouth, revealing the flatter teeth at the back "We also have flat ones to eat vegetation so we are classed as omnivores. Eating meat is a decision we humans can make and it is highly frowned upon in the society I grew up in to eat horses or ponies." He said reassuringly,

Celestia was awe struck, trying to process everything Callum just said. She was relieved that the creature wouldn’t eat her subjects.

"Don't worry princess. I have notes that you can look at." Twilight said in a cheerful tone, walking over to her desk and taking out the notes via magic.

“Thank you Twilight.” She nodded, turning her head to Callum “Although I must know. What gender are you?”

“Male.” Callum said, his face showing he wasn’t amused.

“I see. I would like to continue these questions another time.”

“Whenever you feel like asking. Just do so.” Callum said reassuringly.

“Oh! I almost forgot. There is another human. He arrived with Callum and he’s with Rainbow Dash at the moment.”

“I would very much like to meet him. Come Twilight and Callum. We shall go find him.” She opened the door and walked out.

Callum and Twilight exited the building, Callum closed the door and his jaw dropped. There he saw a ton of guards, mixture of pegasi, earth pony and unicorns. Two of the unicorn guards were staring at him angrily. Their armour was slightly different from the others. Instead of being gold armour, there was a red strip that went down the top of their helmets. There was a blue trim on both sides of their body armour.

“They must high ranked guards.” Callum thought to himself.

“Your majesty.” Both guards said in unison, bowing down to the solar princess

“Rise captains” she said in a calm tone.

“Your majesty, are you ready to go to the hospital?”

“Not yet. There is another human I would like to meet.” She gestured towards Callum “I need some of the pegasi to scout Ponyville for a creature that looks similar to this one.”

“As you wish. Pegasus squad one.”

“Yes sir?” One of the pegasi spoke up.

“You will scout the northern half of this town for a creature that looks like this one.” He gestured towards Callum “Pegasus squad two.”

A Pegasus landed on the ground and saluted “Yes sir?”

“Your squad will search the southern half of this town for the similar creature to this one. Both squads are to report to me in half an hour with your findings.”

“Yes sir.” Both said in unison. The flapped their wings and took to the skies. Parting in opposite directions, followed by two other pegasi each.

“I was wondering princess. Since we are waiting for Ashley, would you like to answer some more questions?”

“I don’t see why not.” Celestia smiled “Question one. As a soldier, what do you expertise in?”

“Well...” Callum began “Me and Ashley were part of a squad known as Delta. I’m not going into detail about why we were in that group until Ashley wants me to. We specialise in stealth missions, missions that are thought to be suicidal to other soldiers. We kill because those are our orders or it is necessary to complete the objective. Anything else you want me to cover?”

“Yes. Why did you join said army?”

“Because Ashley is my closest friend and I wasn’t going to let himself get killed without me by him. To be honest, I’m glad I joined.”

“Why? Why would you be glad you killed all those humans?”

“Because If I didn’t my country would be either enslaved or destroyed. I was protecting the lives of the innocent even if meant I had to kill.”

“Have you killed anything since you came here?”

“No.”

“That’s good to hear. You said that you eat meat, what animals do you eat?”

“My personal favourite is beef which comes from a cow. I do also eat chicken and pig and some fish. Ashley likes to eat mostly chicken and won’t touch fish.”

“Do you have magic from where you are from?”

“Nope” Callum said happily

“Why are you happy about not having magic? Who raises the sun and the moon for your species? Who takes care of the weather?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You see, since we don’t have magic. We used our intelligence to create tools to complete tasks. Such as grant us flight, allow us to travel on the seas, send humans to space and back. We have accomplished many things using technology. Technology was used for weapons which made killing easier, I would go into more about that but I doubt you want to hear about wars of humans killing humans.”

“You’re right. That sounds absolutely horrible!” Celestia held a hoof to her mouth, shifting herself due to being uncomfortable about the subject. Callum on the other hand was completely fine with said subject.

“I’m no scientist but all I know is that our planet, Earth, orbits the sun while the moon orbits earth. Weather comes by naturally and we can’t manipulate it so we predict what is coming and prepare if need be.”

“Your planet sounds dreadful. No offence.”

“None taken, I like it here much more than Earth.”

“That’s very good to know.” She smiled

***

“Alright show me your moves!” Ashley yelled up to Rainbow who was standing on a cloud, stretching.

“I will! Just need to warm up!” She yelled back, she started to flap her wings until she got to a good altitude. She then started to fly straight down, spiralling. A faint rainbow could be seen to take shape behind her as she picked up speed. She noticed where Ashley was standing flew down towards him at a fast speed. She banked her body to the right, narrowly missing the human. She then arched her back upwards to start gaining altitude. She whizzed past several clouds and started to pile them together. When she felt happy with the size, she started to shape the cloud. All Ashley could see was a small cyan blur with a rainbow trail zooming around the cloud, stopping to kick the clouds into shape at some points. Rainbow grew tired after she finished her cloud art. She flew back down towards Ashley but exhaustion stopped her from flapping her wings and allowed herself to drop towards the earth. Ashley started to run towards where he calculated Rainbow would land and held out his arms. He bent his knees slightly so he could cushion the impact.

“Got ya’.” Ashley said as he caught her but the impact caused landed onto his back (luckily, the ground was grass and soft). He could feel her body heat on his chest and could smell sweat. He looked down at Rainbow’s head on his upper chest, her body curled up on the rest of his torso. He saw her covered in sweat, her chest was increasing and decreasing in volume at a fast pace to provide her body with more oxygen. He could hear her panting. To be honest, he wished he could take a picture of this.

“You alright?” He asked

“Yeah *pant* I’ll be fine *pant* Just let me *pant* Get my breath.” Rainbow said tiredly.

Ashley looked towards the clouds, his jaw dropped. One of the clouds looked like a fist that was pounding against what looked like a hoof. Behind it was Rainbow’s cutie mark in cloud form.

“T-that...That is...FRIGGIN’ AMAZING!” Ashley yelled, noticing Rainbow’s head was on his chest and the fact he just yelled into her ear “Woops, sorry about that.” He apologised in a calmer voice

“It’s okay.” Rainbow said joyfully but you could still tell she was tired “I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I absolutely love it.” He started to stroke Rainbow’s mane slightly with the back of his index finger “Thanks for making it for me.”

Rainbow smiled contently, she could hear Ashley’s heartbeat, and she could feel it pulse through her ear every time it done so. Exhaustion started to creep over her as she slowly closed her eyes; she shifted body slightly to get comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

Ashley leant his head to the side and saw the Pegasus with its eyes closed.

“Awww.” Ashley thought to himself “She looks so cute when she’s asleep”

Rainbow let out a loud snore (The kind which make people think twice about watching someone sleep or makes them leave the room)

“Huh...Still cute” Ashley thought to himself as he shrugged it off. He placed the hand that wasn’t stroking Rainbow’s mane behind his head to rest on. He continued to stare at the cloud art. Not having to worry about something that could kill you as you slept was great. He actually felt at peace in this world. He could feel himself growing tired due to not sleeping last night and being so relaxed.

“Maybe a nap wouldn’t hurt.” He thought to himself as he allowed himself to go to sleep.

***

Meanwhile, in a distant location not far from Ponyville

***

“We need more workers” A voice said from the shadows

“We need more...” Another voice said

“We need...slaves.” a third voice could be heard

“Shall we send the troops?” The second voice said

Silence...

“Yes. Tell them to grab as many as possible.” The third voice said

A scattering of claws hitting rock could be heard, running away from where the voices came from.

“Let’s see them try and stop us.” The first voice said, smiling evilly.

Wow. I've just noticed that chapters are becoming much longer than earlier ones. Must be because the story is starting to get a bit more exciting than previous chapters. I Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I liked typing it. As you can probably tell, there will be some enemies.

Comment and rate, You guys know the drill! (And it shouldn't be the one that shall pierce the heavens either.)

Royal guard rumble!

Pegasus squad one search was becoming unsuccessful. Twenty minutes of searching for a similar creature to the one before but nothing turned up.

“I doubt we will find it.” Said the squad leader

“We’ll just have to keep searching.” Said the second Pegasus

“Let’s check the park.” The leader spoke again, both of the other guards nodded. They all turned their flight path towards the town’s park.

Rainbow woke up and yawned. The sun blinding her, she closed her eyes immediately before slowly opening them to adjust to the light. She looked around, nopony in sight. She noticed that Ashley was asleep.

“Is that it?” a voice came from behind her. She sat up and turned to where the voice came from. There stood three pegasi in guard armor.

“Looks like it.” The leader spoke “It looks like its sleeping.”

“We’ll just have to wake it up then.” Spoke the third guard

“He.” Rainbow spoke

“You do realize I can hear you?” Ashley said tiredly “I have the habit of keeping an ear out for noises while I sleep.” He opened his eyes slowly, the sun’s rays reflected off the guards armor and into his eyes “OW MY EYE’S!” He closed his eyes immediately, holding his hands over them.

“You okay Ash?” Rainbow asked

“I’ll probably be fine, what do they want?” He pointed to the guards, still with his eyes closed tightly.

“The princess asked for us to search for a creature that looked similar to the one earlier and told us to tell her where it is. This creature happens to be you.”

“Right...you go tell her while I try to wake myself a bit.”

The three guards nodded, flaring their wings before taking to the skies.

“Well, looks like I’m probably going to be arrested.” Ashley said in a disappointed tone.

“Most likely, why so glum?” Rainbow asked.

Ashley turned his back towards the sun, patting the grass next to him. Rainbow took a seat and cocked an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“Because I promised to race you tomorrow and I doubt the princess will find that as a good excuse to let me be free until then.”

“Well, maybe Callum has the situation sorted out or the princess doesn’t know it was you yet.”

“True...” Ashley slightly perked up, sniffing his underarm. His expression changed to disgust “Man, I seriously need a shower.”

“Yeah...You do.” Rainbow giggled.

“So do you miss sweat’s-a-lot.” Ashley said jokingly

“One second.” She flew off to a nearby cloud and brought it above Ashley’s head

“Rainbow what are-“ Ashley was interrupted by a large amount of water smashing onto his head. The water was cool on his skin, he let out a sigh.

“There. That’ll probably help.” Rainbow laughed as she peered over the side of the cloud.

“It probably did.” Ashley stood up and shook his body violently. His clothes were soaked. “Now the problem is that I’m soaking wet.” Ashley said in a stern voice.

“Oh I can fix that!” Rainbow hopped of the cloud and started to fly tight circles around Ashley, getting faster and faster. All Ashley could see was a blur of rainbow flying past his vision.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Ashley said, he felt a large amount of wind coming from all directions, he could feel himself becoming dry “Oh now I see...”

Rainbow came to a stop, breathing slightly faster than normal “That, is my infamous Rain-blow dry.”

“Rainblow dry? Nice pun you have there.” Ashley smiled, he felt his clothes which had faded blood and dirt stains but they were dry “Cheers for that.” He noticed his odor was better than before, well it was tolerable.

“Heh, no problem.” Rainbow looked in the direction of where the guards flew towards “I wonder what’s taking them so long.”

Ashley shrugged “Beats me.”

“Yo’ Ashley!” A voice shouted in the distance

Ashley and Rainbow turned their attention to the voice, seeing Callum walking with Twilight, a ton of guards and a smiling princess. He waved over to them before walking towards them.

“So what did I miss?” Ashley said as he held his hand out to Callum when they were in arm distance

“Not much, answered some of the princess’ questions” He shook Ashley’s hand “Came to find you so we can go somewhere with her.” He turned to Celestia “Where was it you wanted to go?”

“I need to visit several guards in the hospital. Apparently, they were attacked by strange creatures.”

“I wouldn’t say attacked...It was self defense.”

Celestia cocked an eyebrow “And how would you know...” It finally hit her “YOU ATTACKED MY GUARDS!?” She yelled. Ashley swore he could see fire in her eyes.

“No need to yell...” Ashley said in a calm voice “Like I said, it was self defense.”

“Explain.” Celestia demanded

Ashley looked at Twilight who was uncomfortable being near Celestia being this angry “Shall we start from the beginning?”

Twilight sighed “Yes.”

“Alright first we shall tell you what hap-“

“No need. I will look into your recent memories. I can’t trust you in case you lie.” Celestia said sternly.

“First, I want to know HOW you will look into our memories...” Callum said, walking next to Ashley.

“I will contact your forehead with my horn as I perform the necessary spell. You and I will appear in your mind. If you do not want me to see something prior to you arriving to this world then just say. I do not want to see creatures being killed.”

Ashley and Callum exchanged glances, unsure if they should allow the princess to practically violate their minds.

“Well?” Celestia asked

“Let us think this through first.” Ashley responded.

“It’s that or I let my guards do whatever is necessary to arrest you.”

“Hmm...” Callum put his hand to his chin “I could go for another guard beat down.”

“Callum...” Ashley said, annoyed “Now is not the time.”

“Actually, I have a better option princess.” Callum stated

“I’m listening” She responded in a slightly calmer voice.

“You search our minds and if you think we should be arrested, we’ll apologise to the guards we injured and allow them to take one free shot at us each. Then you can throw us into cells.”

“And what if I think that you shouldn’t be arrested?”

“We apologize to the guards we injured and you allow us to fight...” He pointed to all the guards behind her “Those guards. I can tell they’re eager to get a little payback for what we did to the others.”

Celestia turned her head towards he escort, most of them did look angry while others shown restraint on their emotions.

“Hmm...” Celestia brought a hoof to her chin “Will you kill them at all?”

“No. We’ll just beat them up a bit. I want to see if those guards are better than the ones we fought. We can’t guarantee that we won’t break bones.” Ashley said cheerfully, pointing at the two higher ranked guards.

“Do you really think you can beat us?” Solar said smugly.

“I don’t think. I KNOW I can kick your ass!” Callum yelled towards the unicorn.

“Oh yeah!?” Night wind shouted in return, his horn started to glow.

“Stand down Night Wind. We don’t want to aggravate them.” Celestia said in a stern voice.

“Yes your majesty. I don’t know what came over me.” Night Wind hung his head in shame

“It’s fine. You were merely trying to prove how well you were trained but you let your emotions get the better of you. I will let this slide, this one time only.” Celestia said in a calmer voice.

“Thank you your highness.” Night Wind brought his head back up.

“Can we get this thing over with?” Ashley stretched his arms and yawned.

“Of course. Now hold still.” The guards circled the humans as Celestia put her horn on Ashley’s forehead “Now clear your mind.”

Ashley took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all thoughts. He could feel something inside his head starting to grow, he closed his eyes.

Ashley was standing alone in a dark empty space. He noticed a faint white light appearing next to him, growing in intensity and size

“Am I...In my own mind?” He thought to himself. The exact words he said were amplified out of nowhere “Looks like I answered my own question.”

As the light grew, it started to take shape into a large pony, a horn started to grow out of its head and wings started to form. Ashley waited for the transformation to complete. When it finished, Celestia was standing where the light once was.

“Let’s get started shall we?” Ashley smiled.

“You’re surprisingly calm about this situation.”

“That’s because I have been in much worse. Would you like me to show you?”

“Does it involve killing?”

“No. But it does involve me being tortured for two weeks straight, going insane and then brutally injuring the people who were torturing me with my bare hands. Quite gruesome stuff but boy was it fun when-“

“I’ve heard enough.” Celestia said in a disgusted tone.

“Right...So how do I show you my memories exactly?”

“Just imagine all your memories are behind doors in a large hallway...Or something like that.”

“Okay...” Ashley shut his eyes and concentrated. A large hallway with many doors started to form around them. Windows started to form on walls that allowed synthetic light to shine through them. Pictures on the walls started to form. Most of them being of his family, Celestia stared into one of the pictures. There were 5 humans in the image.

“Who are these?”

Ashley walked up to Celestia, the hallway was still forming the doors. “Ah.” He pointed to the person on the far left “That’s me when I was sixteen years old.” He moved his finger to the person next to him “That’s my older brother who was twenty two years old back then. He was a jerk to me but I still loved him. That’s my youngest sister who is two years older than me. I didn’t like her at all”

“Who are those two?” She pointed at the two women in the picture. One was blonde while the other was a brunette.

“The brown haired one was my older sister. She’s one year younger than my brother. She was my favourite because she treated me with respect and I done the same. The blonde haired woman is my mother. Great woman, she was willing to do anything for her kids, pretty much like most mothers. But...”Ashley’s volume was barely above a whisper “Most of them were taken away from me.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened to them?”

“Not going into much detail so here. Basically, three robbers broke into our house and held me and my brother hostage in the front room. My brother tried to defend us but he was shot in the head by one of them. I watched his body fall to the ground in a pool of blood. Two of the robbers tried to have their way with my sisters but were unsuccessful because they heard the gun shot. I watched them drag them into the same room and kill them...That’s when I snapped...”

“W-What happened next?” Celestia knew she was going to regret asking but her curiosity got the better of her.

“They searched the house for more people. Luckily, my mom was celebrating one of her friends getting married and was partying with others. She worked hard to provide for the family so she deserved a break. My mind went blank, I snuck into the kitchen quietly and got a razor sharp knife and hide behind the door. One of the robbers made the mistake of coming into the kitchen and well...You can see where I am going with this.” Ashley look towards Celestia, he swore he could see tears forming in her eyes.

Celestia was silent so Ashley decided to skip to the end.

“My mom got back and saw my brother and sisters bodies and phoned the local authority. She noticed me in the kitchen and the robber’s bodies, covered in their blood. I shown no emotion in ending their pathetic lives. The police took me away for questioning. I wasn’t charged with anything due to the circumstances of the situation and said I done it to protect myself. This event caused me to go mentally unstable for two years before I joined the army . I hide my insanity well. Not even Callum knew about it or what happened entirely that night. In fact, I have told you more than he knows. In fact, I haven’t thought about that night in the past 5 years.” Ashley had shown no emotion as he spoke. His voice didn’t change in the slightest.

“B-but why? Why have you told me all of this?” a tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I feel though I can trust you yet I hardly know anything about you. Maybe because I needed to tell someone other than Callum?” Ashley sighed “I...I just needed to vent is all.” He put his back to one of the walls and slide to the ground. He held his head in his hands.

“Venting does tend to help out quite a bit.” Celestia took a seat next to Ashley and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Do you want some minutes to get yourself back together?”

“No.” Ashley shrugged her hoof off him “It will only waste time, besides I know their all in a better place now. I doubt any of them would like to see the things I have done so let’s just move on.”

“Well, if you say so.” Celestia stood back up, both of them started to walk down the hallway. Doors they passed were labelled such as ‘Child memories’ and ‘Times with friends’.

“I doubt we will find the memories like this.” She stopped walking “I would like to try another spell on you to aid us in our search.”

Ashley turned around “By all means.” He leaned his head towards Celestia who put her horn on his forehead. Ashley could feel a small tickling sensation run through his body for a brief second before Celestia pulled away.

She looked past Ashley, down the hall. She saw a door giving off a faint yellow glow

“There.” She pointed with her hoof.

Ashley looked back to where Celestia was looking and saw the glowing door. Both human and alicorn walked over to the door in silence.

“Shall we?” Ashley opened the door for Celestia.

“We shall.” She smiled before walking in first. Ashley followed and closed the door.

Small screens flew around the room. Each of them were memories from Ashley’s perspective.

“Now, imagine putting all these memories in order, starting from the earliest one which would be you arriving to this world to the most recent which would be right now.”

Ashley nodded and looked towards the flying screens. They started to fly towards both human and alicorn but stopped in front of them. They started to organize themselves into a larger screen which was now the size of the side of a house.

“Well, that was easy. How do I start them?” Ashley asked.

Celestia shrugged “Try touching it?”

Ashley held his hand out and poked the screen. The image of him waking up started appeared on the screen. He noticed it was the forest straight away “Um...Play memory?” He said sheepishly, the memory began to play from his point of view.

Celestia watched the screen carefully. She watched as Ashley was smacked into a tree by a Manticore and was knocked out. The next memory played as it was him waking up, seeing what looked like Callum holding a knife over a pony which looked like Twilight Sparkle. Anger started to bubble up in the princess but she watched as Ashley smashed a book into the back of his friends head and released her student.

“Why did you help her?” Celestia asked

“One second. Pause memory?” the memory paused on that moment. He turned to the princess “I don’t know...All I knew was to save her by any means. Before you get mad at Callum, take into thought that we didn’t know anything about this land and he was trying to protect me while I was unconscious. He will do anything to protect me just to let you know.”

“I see...I would like to thank you for saving my student. I don’t know what I would of done if I found out-“ Celestia silenced herself, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Ashley nodded and looked back towards the screen “Resume memory?” The memory resumed its showing.

Celestia watched as Ashley put the knife that Callum had in his pocket after tying him up as well as taking a weird ‘L’ shaped object and putting them into a bag. She watched as Ashley picked up quill and paper and started to write but scribbled out many sentences before circling ‘hello’ and giving the paper to Twilight.

As the memory kept playing, she asked question at certain points of them, mostly they were ‘why?’ questions but Ashley answered them all honestly. They got to the part where Ashley met Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Celestia watched as Rainbow head butted Ashley in his lower torso. She was disgusted by him vomiting in the memory.

“Why did you vomit?” She asked, her eyes still glued to the screen.

“She hit me in the place where it hurts a male the most at a very fast speed.” Ashley replied, he felt his insides turning slightly at that point, remembering the pain from the impact.

“Wait...what?” Celestia asked before realization hit her in the face and mentally facehoofed, she coughed “Well, I hope you made a full recovery.” She said awkwardly.

“Yeah...I did...” Ashley replied. “Just don’t tell anyone else okay? I promised not to tell anyone else unless Rainbow Dash wanted me to.”

“I promise. You are being quite the loyal friend to her. I expect she is being the same to you since she is the element of loyalty. “ Celestia smiled.

“Don’t worry, she is.” Ashley laughed “Let’s get back to watching okay?”

Celestia didn’t respond, her eyes went back to being glued to the screen. She watched as Rainbow, Fluttershy and Twilight were talking to the human. Listening to their every word but paid extra attention to what the human said in the memories.

“Are you really going to get revenge for what Rainbow Dash did?”

“I did want to at the time but she didn’t know WHERE exactly she hit me until I told her so I used it a bit as a meaningless threat, nothing to worry about really.” Ashley replied.

Both human and alicorn continued to watch the screen. They watched the memory of waking up Callum play. Celestia listen carefully to every word that was spoken.

“You handled that situation quite well. I didn’t expect Callum to adjust so easily.”

“That’s because if I trust someone, he will at least show them respect. It doesn’t mean he won’t trust them though.”

“Mmhmm.” Celestia went back to being glued to the screen.

As both human and alicorn watched the memories play (and Celestia asking a bunch of questions), they got to the part which Ashley feared the most.

The fight with Big Macintosh.

“Pause memory.” Ashley said in a stern voice.

“Why did you pause it?”

“To ask you to be quite until I say so.”

“This is the part where you fought my guards isn’t it?” Celestia clenched her teeth.

“No, that is after this specific memory. I’m not going to spoil it for you so just watch and try to be quiet.” Ashley snapped before realizing what he just did “Sorry for my outburst. Just watch. Resume Memory.” Ashley said in a calm voice, the memory resumed.

Celestia watched as Ashley was walking up to a large apple orchard which she knew was Sweet Apple Acres. Mostly because she always has apples delivered from there for the chefs to prepare her and her sisters meals with. She watched as Ashley did not harm Applejack but merely responded by picking her up and trying to explain what he is.

“Wow.” Celestia was gobsmacked “You had the perfect chance to harm one of my ponies yet you shown resilience and did not strike her even once. You even took a kick from her and still resisted...You are very confusing to understand Ashley.”

“You’re going to want to take those words back.”

“Wait...Why?” Celestia looked at the screen and saw a large stallion smashing its hooves into Ashley’s face. She became shocked to see that Ashley punched said stallion in the face and standing back up to be bucked hard into a tree.”

“Why...WHY DID YOU HIT HIM!?” She shouted angrily

“Pause memory” Ashley said in a calm voice before turning towards the princess and yelling “CALM THE FUCK DOWN.”

“Tell me why you hit him.” She said through clenched teeth.

“Because I knew that he wouldn’t stop and he broke one of my rules. He fucking broke my nose!” Ashley took in a deep breath. He knew Celestia would ask about the rule “One of my rules is that if I am in a fight, if my opponent strikes first then I will respond. Notice I didn’t hit Rainbow or Applejack? That’s because I could easily over power them but I was capable of explaining. Big Macintosh on the over hand was in a full blind rage so I wouldn’t be able to get any words into his head unless I made him tired. He was trying to protect his sister from a creature that no one has ever seen before.”

“I-I...”Celestia was speechless. She was silent for a few minutes, trying to think of what to say.

“Resume memory” Ashley turned his attention back to the screen, so did Celestia.

Celestia watched the human grab the stallion by the throat and smash his chin on a nearby fence. Every time she saw impact, she would cringe. She watched as the human pelted Big Macintosh with its fists. Bruising the stallion’s face badly before being shoved off by Applejack. The human ran towards Ponyville at a very fast pace. Celestia was surprised by its speed not to mention how well it dodged ponies and obstacles while the stallion chased him.

Then she saw five ponies wearing royal guard armour. She watched as the human stood in its place. Waiting for the guards to make the first move. The biggest shocker was that she saw a guard fire a harmful spell towards Ashley, burning skin on his arm.

“I’m sorry for my guard’s brutality.” She said quietly, still glued to the screen.

“Just keep watching.” Ashley said with a strict tone.

Celestia watched the human easily dispatch two pegasus guards, throwing one into the side of a house and the other into a market stall. She heard what sounded like the voice of Callum. As Ashley dispatched the earth pony guards, she saw Callum come into view and the unicorn trying to get its breath back.

“What did he do to that guard?”

“It’s better if he tells you.”

Celestia nodded and resumed watching the memory. She watched Ashley holding his wound and walking up to the red stallion who was standing in front of Callum with his head hung low. She listened to Ashley asking the stallion why he attacked him and his answer.

“Even though I disapprove of what you did to my guards. I will admit that they responded in way that was not appropriate. They should have not attacked you unless you attack them.”

“Meh, its fine. I could have done a lot better if I didn’t have that brawl with Big Mac.” Ashley laughed.

She continued to watch the scene taking place on the screen. The part of Applejack, Fluttershy, Big Mac, Twilight and Rainbow Dash as well as the two humans were talking in a circle. She listened to their conversation. She listened to the stories of the humans past and found them interesting. As the memory drew to a more recent time, Celestia was becoming bored and shown this by yawning.

“Pause memory.” Ashley turned to Celestia “Yeah, I’m bored as well. I’m sure Twilight can fill you in on the next parts.” Ashley smiled “Are you going to go probe Callum’s mind now?”

“You know what? I don’t think I will. I have seen enough and I will decide what happens to you and your friend when we return to the real world.” Celestia leaned her horn towards Ashley who responded by putting his forehead to it. He closed his eyes and reopened them. Appearing back with Callum at his side.

“How did it go?” Callum asked.

“It was...okay I guess.” Ashley shrugged “The princess got to know me better and saw what happened from my view.”

“Cool. I’m guessing it’s my turn?” Callum asked Celestia.

“Actually, I have seen enough already and will not need to look into your memories.” Celestia stated “I will need a few minutes to make my verdict.”

“Go ahead.” Both humans said in unison and walked a few feet away from the princess. A couple of guards went with them thinking they could stop the humans from running away. Rainbow followed as well.

“So...What was it like?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“It was basically me and Celestia being able to talk to each other. She saw a picture of my family and asked about them which I told her. The memories were represented by a large screen, like a TV and we watched them. She asked me questions during them and I answered. I also tried to explain some of the situations as well, Callum.” Ashley smiled.

“Cool. Better you than me I guess.” Callum laughed “I do NOT want her to see some of the things I’ve done.”

“Like what?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head.

“Some really embarrassing stuff which we promised not to speak about. EVER.” Ashley snickered.

“Whatever.” Rainbow shrugged. She looked back at the princess who was walking up to them.

“Made your mind up?” Ashley asked to Celestia.

“You WILL show respect to the prin-“ A guard said before being interrupted.

Ashley slipped the guard the middle finger “Fuck you. I don’t want to hear your shit.” Callum could be heard trying hold in a laugh in the background.

“I have decided that you two will not be arrested but on certain conditions.”

“Okay.” Both humans said in unison.

“You will not harm any of my guards. In fact, I am making you part of this towns patrol.”

“WHAT!?” everyone said in shock.

Celestia giggled at their response before turning serious once more “You are capable of handling situations effectively and I understand that since you do not serve under an army, you have no means of using your hoof to hoof combat. Am I correct?”

“First. We don’t have hooves. We have hands so it is hand to hand or in this case, hand to hoof and last time I checked princess, these last few days have been quite punch filled.” Ashley couldn’t bear but smile at that last part.

“True...But your training will be quite useful for defending this town since it has been known to be vulnerable from diamond dog attacks and the occasional creature venturing out of the Everfree forest. Not to mention that your appearance here could also drop crime rate significantly as well as I would feel better if we had you on working for us, not against us.”

“I’m not sure...” Callum said curiously

“It’s this or you rot in a cell.” Celestia smiled evilly but you could tell she was joking.

“Guess it’s a deal.” Ashley held out his hand towards the princess who shook it with her hoof. She held out her hoof towards Callum.

“Fine but only because Ashley is doing it.” Callum said jokingly, shaking Celestia’s hoof.

“I admire your cooperation humans. I shall want to get you fitted for armor now. You shall come with me to Canterlot.”

“No can do princess.” Ashley shook his head.

“Oh really? And why is that Ashley?”

“For one, this armor is based on appearance, not performance. It is very weak and has many weak spots. Second of all, I move better without armor on.”

“Same here” Callum said.

“Very well, I will have to see what I can do to show the citizens of this town that you are appointed to the guard.”

“I’m sure I can come up with a design to put on our sleeves. I’m sure Rarity would love to help with this task. I will have to request that my uniform will be in black. I like to remain stealthy.” Ashley smiled, Callum nodded in agreement once more.

“That’s...Not a bad idea.” Celestia nodded “I will need to see the designs first though.”

“Of course.” Both humans replied in unison.

“Very well. I will now visit the guards in the hospital and explain the situation.” Celestia started to walk away, followed by the guards who were giving the humans evil stares.

“Oh princess!” Callum shouted, grabbing her attention “You forgot something!”

Celestia walked towards the humans, followed by the guards “What is it?”

“Remember what I said if we weren’t guilty?” Callum asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

“I’m sorry but I can’t allow that.”

“Why not? It will allow you to see us fight and your guards are quite eager to fight us.” Ashley said.

Celestia turned her head towards her guards who were, in fact very eager to fight.

“Even though I disapprove of this unnecessary violence, I would like to see how you humans fight without weapons or killing for that matter. You have my approval. You have five minutes to prepare.”

“Aww yeah!” Both humans high fived.

“Rainbow, alert the town. I want them to see us beat down these guards.” Ashley said happily

“I’ll go tell Pinkie, she’ll spread the word quickly.” Rainbow said before taking off with her signature rainbow trail.

“Do you really need an audience?” Celestia asked

“What’s a better way of showing this town that your new guards are powerful by actually beating your guards? I can’t think of any.” Callum joked.

Celestia sighed “Fine. But I’m sure my sister will want to see this. She has been quite busy trying to adjust to modern times and I think she could really use a break.” Her horn started to glow. A bright blue light appeared next to her that started to dim down, revealing the princess of the night.

“Sister, why did you need to interrupt my studying?” said the dark blue alicorn.

“This must be princess Luna I presume?” Callum asked.

Luna looked before her to see the two ape like creatures in front of her “What are those?” She asked to Celestia.

“They’re humans, I’ll explain later. They will be fighting our guards in a few minutes.”

“Fighting our guards?” Luna shook her head as she examined the creatures “Those two will not stand a chance.”

“Looks can be deceiving princess.” Callum joked “We thought it would be appropriate to have an audience to witness this fight. Celestia here told us you could do with a break from whatever your doing.”

“Very well. I look forward to you calling out for mercy upon our guards.” Luna smiled.

“We’ll just have to see now won’t we? I’m also throwing away my rule for this fight.” Ashley said with a smirk.

As five minutes passed, ponies crowded around the park to watch the fight. Pegasus would bring clouds to rest on. Ponies of different ages, colours and types gathered. Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took a seat next to the Princess’. The guards sorted themselves into four groups. Groups one was earth ponies, group two was pegasi, and group three consisted of unicorns while group four was the two captains.

The arena was a large circle, Celestia used her magic to make invisible walls so that the audience would not get in harms way during the fight. Princess Luna was standing in the middle of the arena with the first group and the humans on both her sides.

“WELCOME CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!” She said using the RCV (Royal Canterlot Voice), the crowd cheered in excitement “Today’s event consists of these humans challenging our royal guard!”

The crowd cheered even louder, practically all of them were cheering for the guards who were waving out to them.

“Uh princess?” Rainbow asked Celestia

“Yes Rainbow Dash?” this grabbed rest of the mane 6’s attention

“Do you mind who we cheer for?”

“Not at all Rainbow Dash. That goes for the rest of you as well.” She smiled towards the others.

“Sweet!” Rainbow replied in excitement.

“Uh princess. There will need to be some rules of this fight.” Ashley said to Luna.

“What are these rules if I might ask?”

“Your guards are not allowed to wear armor but are allowed to use their wings and magic if need be.”

“Trying to make it easier on yourselves are we?” Luna giggled.

“No, the armor will hinder their moving capability and we want them to be at their best.” Ashley grinned.”

“Very well” Luna nodded “Let the battle commence!” She used the RCV once more before teleporting herself next to her sister.

Both teams met in the middle. The earth ponies stared at the humans as if they were better than them. Ashley put his hands together and bowed, he held out his hand to one of the ponies

“May the better team win.”

The pony scoffed and turned away, followed by the others.

“Asshole.” Ashley exclaimed, making sure that his voice was loud enough for the pony to hear it.

Both teams stared at one another from each side of the arena. Ashley was stretching his arms while Callum was stretching his legs.

“Are both teams ready?!” Luna used the RCV, both teams nodded “Three!”

“Two!” The crowd joined in.

“One!” Callum and Ashley got into position

“Fight!”

Both humans walked to the center of the arena while the Earth guard split into two groups of four.

“20 bits that the guards lose.” Celestia whispered to Luna

“You’re on.” They both shook hooves and drew their attention back to the fight taking place.

“I’ll take the ones on the left, you take right. Call out if you need assistance.” Callum said quietly.

“you got it.” Ashley replied. One of the guards was already a couple of feet in front of him and tried to tackle him by jumping towards his chest. Big mistake.

Ashley dodged the tackle with ease. The guard landed and turned towards the human, except he wasn’t there. The guard looked around frantically trying to find him but he could only see Callum who punched one of his fellow teammates in the jaw.

The guard began to move towards Callum but felt a blunt force greet the back of his head. His face hit the floor, he tried to get up but Ashley put his foot on the guards head and applied pressure.

“You’re too easy.” Ashley said as he grabbed the guard from the back of the neck, he threw him into the invisible wall.

Ponies on the other side flinched as they heard a large thud, followed by a crack. Blood flowed down into the guard’s mouth from his nose. His body ached, he struggled to get back up but his legs buckled, greeting his chest to the ground.

Ashley chuckled to himself, seeing the guard collapse was an amusing sight, but it was also a distraction. One of the guards jumped onto Ashley’s back while another tackled from the side, bringing both ponies and human to the ground. The two ponies and their other teammate started to smash their hooves into Ashley’s torso. The pain was unbearable but for some reason, would subside faster than it normally would.

Callum grabbed two of the guards he was fighting by their jaws, smashing their backs into the ground repeatedly. He grew bored of this and charged towards the invisible wall in front of the princess’ and smashed the guard’s backs into it several time. Thuds, cracks and the very common groan / scream of pain could be heard. The princess’ and the mane 6 stared at Callums face. His teeth were clenched; pure anger could be seen in his eyes.

Both guards bodies went limp after another few blows to the wall, blood seeped from the back of their heads and trickled down their necks onto Callum’s hand. They were both unconscious so Callum dropped them and turned his attention to the other two who were shaking in fear. The guards that were pummeling Ashley with their hooves continued but could see in the corner of their eyes what the other human did.

Ashley tried to block as many punches as he could, trying to find the perfect time to strike, he punched one of the guards in the side of his head. The guard groaned slightly from the pain as he accidentally pushed another guard of Ashley. Using his hand to grab the final guard, Ashley stood back up and span in a circle, building up momentum to throw the guard in his grip into the other two. The guard went flying into the chest of the other two, creating a pony pile.

Callum kicked one of his guards in the face while he held the other one in his right hand, punching him in the face several times with his left. The guard which was kicked slowly got back up but was greeted with the guard in Callum’s grasp being thrown into his face.

“Ashley you’re slacking.” Callum yelled

“Just you wait.” Ashley said to himself. He grabbed one of the guards from the pony pile and threw him against the invisible wall. Before the guard could slide down the wall upon impact, Ashley charged into his chest with his shoulder. The audience either looked away or felt phantom pain and said “Ouch”

“They are quite the fighters Celestia, maybe they will actually stand a chance.” Luna said smugly.

“Indeed sister, although I feel that Ashley, the one with the brown mane, is not putting all his effort into the fight. Callum is meeting expectations nicely.”

“I doubt they will be able to take on the pegasi let alone unicorns.”

“We will just have to see now won’t we?” Celestia smiled a bit.

A couple of minutes passed, the entire earth pony guard was either knocked out or refused to fight anymore due to the agonizing pain they were in.

“Victory goes to the humans!” Luna shouted in the RCV.

“WOO! GO HUMANS!” Rainbow cheered, getting looks from the audience but she didn’t care.

“WAY TA’ GIVE IT TO ‘EM!” A voice cheered from the crowd, everyone looked to see Big Mac cheering.

Ashley and Callum smiled and waved to both ponies, they looked towards each other.

“Right Pegasus fight. We need to either tire them out or clip their wings. I’m up for the clippin’.” Ashley chuckled

“I’m not sure about breaking their wings but whatever makes it easier to kick their sorry asses. They will most likely try to swoop down on us and use the momentum of diving down to give them more impact. If you’re capable of grabbing one, break their wings straight away.”

Celestia cancelled the wall so that the Earth pony guards could be taken to the hospital. Medical staff already arrived at the scene just in case somepony needed some quick medical attention before being whisked away. After the guards were taken away, twenty-two pegasi guards took off their armor and entered the area. Celestia made another invisible wall but made it so that at a certain height, the pegasi could leave the area.

“Rules of this round, pegasi are only allowed to leave the arena for 5 seconds otherwise they are disqualified. Humans will have to use their wits and strength to defeat them.” Luna said in her RCV. The ponies cheered for the guards while Big Mac and the mane six cheered for the humans. Celestia wished she could join them but she had to stick with her guards.

The earth pony guards that were still conscious were being healed by the medical staff’s unicorns but this was only to speed up the natural healing process of flesh. Bones on the other hoof / hand would be under a small effect of the spell and would still require a cast.

“Are both teams ready!?” Luna shouted in her RCV, receiving a nod from both teams

“Three!” The crowded shouted

“Two!” Ashley cracked his knuckles

“One!” Several pegasi guards already flared their wings.

“Fight!”

The guards split into two teams of six and two teams of five. Not realizing they could all rush the humans and outnumber them easily.

“Stick together and watch above you.” Callum said to Ashley who didn’t reply.

One group of five took to the air while the others went higher to watch the fight from above. The five pegasi swooped down at the humans, using their bodies to knock them onto their backs before preparing to perform another strafe run.

“Dodge and grab their back legs.” Ashley said through clenched teeth as he got back up. Callum followed suit and braced his body.

The pegasi turned back around and swooped towards the humans once more. Ashley and Callum ducked and grabbed the legs of one guards at the right time and brought him to the ground.

“you take care of him while I get another.” Callum said, letting Ashley grab hold the Pegasus by the throat, trying to struggle free.

Ashley smashed the Pegasus’ face into the ground, putting his knee on the ponies back. He grabbed one of its wings...

“What is he about to do?” Luna asked

“Uh oh.” Celestia gulped, knowing what was about to happen, she looked at Rainbow who was glued to the fight. “You might want to look away.”

“Huh? Wha-“ Before Rainbow could finish, a large snapping sound sliced through air, followed by the scream of sheer pain. Many ponies looked away at that moment while others opened their eyes widely.

“Did he just-?” Twilight asked Celestia who already nodded, both were still cringing from the sight before them.

The Pegasus guards watched as the human broke one of their fellow guards wings, they watched as the Pegasus cried out in pain.

Ashley grabbed the pony from the back of the neck, examining the limp wing and the tears rolling down the guards cheek.

“You. Are...” He spun around, gaining momentum as he threw the guard into the invisible wall “PATHETIC!” He listened to the thud of the guard hitting the wall, his scream of agony followed by another thud as he hit the floor. Ashley stood still, staring at the broken Pegasus. Who was being lifted out of the arena to medical staff. The two pegasi chose smartly and sacrificed their chance to fight to help the guard out of the arena.

“Guard down, two disqualified. Nineteen remain!” Pinkie shouted through a megaphone. Gaining looks from everypony as they wondered where she got the contraption but looked back at the fight because it was Pinkie being...Well Pinkie.

“I ask the humans to stop breaking the wings of the pegasi.” Luna asked through RCV. Both humans shook their heads in disagreement and motioned the next guard to fight.

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?” Both humans yelled. They watched the pegasi shaking in fear. They laughed.

“You call yourselves guards!? The ponies without the wings put up a better fight than you! You disgust me.” Ashley shouted. A couple of the pegasi guards hung their head in shame while a few decided to fight. Another wave of five landed and charged towards the humans.

“They never learn do they?” Ashley asked Callum.

“Nope, still going to break their wings though.”

as the fight waged on, Fluttershy looked away in horror. In fact, the only ones who didn’t were Rainbow and Applejack, they still cringed at everytime the humans broke the wings of the pegasi as they laughed at their screams of pain (Mostly Ashley’s maniacal laugh filled the atmosphere). The audience looked away and held their hooves over their ears at these parts. Big Mac watched without flinching as well as the princess’.

After several minutes and a large amount of discarded, broken winged pegasi being carried away from the arena as well as silence, Callum finally spoke.

“So who’s next!?” He yelled, slamming a fist against his chest.

“I...Um...The unicorn guards...” Luna struggled to speak in her RCV, imagining what the humans will do them.

Celestia teleported herself in front of the humans with a look of concern “That was highly unnecessary for you to snap all those poor pegasi’s wings like sticks. You should be ashamed.”

“Yet I remain completely fine and will not be put down on a guilt trip. Send in your next group so we can snap off their horns.” Ashley replied, too busy examining his knuckles.

“Your majesty...” Solar walked up behind the princess “I feel that group three should not fight. Let me and Night Wing fight instead.”

“Are you sure captain? I’m certain these humans will not hold anything back anymore. They appear to be more brutal with each match.”

“Then we’ll just have to calm them down, your highness.” Night wing stated as he walked up next to Solar.

“If you wish to fight, then so be it. You have been warned.” Celestia teleported herself next to Luna.

“What was that all about Tia?”

“The unicorn guards shall not be fighting the humans but instead Captain Solar and Captain Night Wing shall fight. I warned them that the humans are becoming more violent but they’re still eager to fight them.”

“Don’t worry sister, if it becomes too much then we will intervene.” Luna smiled weakly, she turned towards the audience and prepared her RCV

“Citizens of Ponyville! This next fight shall be memorable! Introducing the guards who will smite down the humans! Captain Solar!”

The crowd cheered, Solar took in a deep breath, expanding his chest and waved towards the crowd with a grin on his face

“…And Captain Night Wing!”

The crowd cheered once more, Night wing only waved to the crowd, snapping his vision back on the humans who were looking at them, unimpressed.

“Are both teams ready!?” Luna questioned with her RCV.

Both teams met in the center of the arena. The humans held out their hands, the guards shook them.

“May the better team win.” Ashley said happily.

“I agree. Let’s put on a show for the crowd.” Night Wing replied.

Both Callum and Solar nodded before both teams split. They took several paces back before looking towards each other. All that could be heard was the slight breeze flowing past everyone’s ears.

“Three!”

Ashley flexed his fingers, clenching them into fists

“Two!”

Solar stretched out his hind legs slightly

“One!”

Silence…

“Let the final battle…COMMENCE!” Luna said with RCV, slamming her hoof on the ground. Celestia let out a small giggle.

Both teams circled the arena, staring at each other.

“I’ll go for Night Wing.” Ashley stated with a smirk

“I’ll go for the one with the brown mane.” Night wing stated with a similar smirk to Ashley’s

Both Callum and Solar nodded and glared at each other.

“So…Who do you think will win Rainbow?” Celestia asked

“I’m sticking with Ash and Cal. They’re doing pretty well but they don’t know much about magic so I’m not really sure if they will win as easily as before.”

Solar's horn started to glow. Small balls of light started to appear next to him while balls of darkness floated next to Night Wing as his horn glowed.

"Their preparing their attacks!" Callum prepared himself to dodge

"Break their horns. It may prevent them from using magic." Ashley replied

Both unicorns rose onto their hing legs and smashed their forelegs back on the ground. Sending a small shockwave of light and darkness around them. The balls were at least the size of baseballs. Solar's set themselves on fire while a faint aura started to emit from Dark Wing's.

"FIRE!" Solar yelled. The balls of fire went straight towards Callum who dodged a couple of them. The ones that hit ignited his shirt on fire.

"FUCK! FIREFIREFIRE!" Callum shouted in desperation. There was no nearby water so he tried to pat the fire out, but it only grew. He decided the best course of action was to ditch the shirt. He quickly ripped them off since it became weaker because of the flames. Parts of his skin had already suffered from the flames but not by much

The dark balls struck Ashley in the chest, one smashed into his face. It felt as if someone punched him with a metal fist. On contact, the balls would explode and fade away but leave a mark of dark purple / black where they hit. Half of Ashley's face was covered in it while around a third of his torso was as well.

Night Wing began to laugh, getting a look of confusion from Ashley

"Just wait a couple of seconds..." He said maniacally

"Wait wha-" A large current of pain passed through his body from the impact zones of the magic, bringing Ashley to the ground. He started struggling to breathe.

"Who's pathetic now!?" Night Wing said as he approached the human, smashing his hoof into the side of his head.

"Still you..." A voice came from behind Night wing. He snapped his neck around and was greeted with the sight of Callum. And boy did he look pissed. In the background, Solar was struggling to stand back up but every time he put pressure on his front right hoof, he would scream in pain and collapse.

Callum wrapped his fingers round Night Wings throat and began to squeeze.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" He shouted through clenched teeth, holding Night Wing by the throat above him. He used all his strength into smashing the unicorn into the ground. He let go of his throat and stomped on his chest, winding the unicorn.

Solar saw that his partner was in trouble, He looked towards the sun which was still shining brightly. He started to charge his magic, nearby balls of light would form and be sucking into his horn.

"Is he really going to use that spell!?" Luna looked at Celestia in desperation and excitement.

"I believe so." Celestia answered, her eyes were as wide as saucers.

A ball of energy started to form around the tip of Solar's horn. It set on fire as well as his mane. A large beam of flames shot towards Callum's back.

"FFFFFFFFFFF-" he managed to scream in pain as his body hit the floor. some of the skin on his back appeared to have melted and you could see parts of his flesh, his back felt as though it was literally on fire. Both humans lay on the floor, struggling to move an inch.

Night wing got back up slowly and proceeded to Solar to help him stand. Both walked over to the humans.

"Do you admit defeat?" He said quietly into Ashley's ear.

"...No..." the word managed to escape the humans frantic breathing.

"Very well. Let's see what makes you tick then!" Night Wing's horn started to glow, he put it against Ashley's forehead. Upon contact, Ashley started to scream.

"Luna, what spell is he using?" Celestia asked with concern.

"Just a spell I taught which allows him to see his victims worst fears. If he increases intensity of the spell, he can bring back painful memories...Why did you ask?"

"Just as I expected. Ashley told me some of his past and that he went insane after he watched most of his family killed in front of him. Who knows what other traumatic memories he has." Her horn started to glow "We must end this fight before it gets out of control!"

Ashley's eyes were forced closed. He could see images taking place, each one of something that horrified him. Memory of his brother being killed...His sisters killed...His friends killed on their second mission...Being tortured...Watching one of his soldiers throat being ripped out by the mouth of an attack dog while he lay there, helpless...

He started to remember the emotions he had at those times...

Anger...

Hatred...

Revenge...

Kill...

His eyes shot open. Night Wing was still concentrating on the spell, he opened his eyes and became shocked the human woke up.

"What the-ACK!" His throat was grabbed by Ashley.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUGH!?" He stood back up immediatly, still with the unicorn in his grasp. He punched him in the face several times. He felt his muscles strength going beyond their limit, fueled by anger.

Blood started to pour out of the side of Night Wing's mouth and nose. He was starting to lose conciousness due to the impact of punches he was taking.

"I!" Ashley grabbed one of the unicorns front legs, he twisted it in an awkward position, he could hear the guards voice scream in pain, he twisted it even further with more strength and speed. SNAP! He let go of the leg and proceeded with the other front hoof.

"HATE!" He repeated his previous actions, snapping the bones in the guards leg followed by an even louder scream of agony from Night Wing

Finally...He grabbed the unicorns horn and started to pull on it as if it was a lever with all his strength.

Celestia teleported herself onto the arena

"ASHLEY NO!" She called out but she was too late.

"YOU!" Ashley started to laugh maniacally as the horn was ripped off the guards forehead. His eye started to twitch as a wicked smile grew on his face, causing the crowd to grow in fear, some ponies fled the scene just in case.

The horn was still in his hand, the guard was still in his grasp, a few sparks would appear where the horn once was. Ashley threw the guard towards Solar who was so scared, he couldn't move.

THUMP! The body of Night Wing collided with Solar, both were groaning in pain.

Ashley's vision quickly turned to Celestia who was appalled by the event before here. She stared into his eyes. They called out one single word...

Insanity...

Ashley noticed the wall disappeared and barged through the crowd of ponies (Most of them moved out of the way quickly but those who did not were barged out the way). He felt no pain, only hatred. The images were always flooding his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw a tragic memory take place. He knew he could do one thing...

...Hide...Hide until you die...

He kept on running, tears flowing past his cheeks due to his speed. Ponies that were still in the town started to flee at the sight of the human.

The mane six ran up to Celestia who was channeling magic into Night Wing in the attempt of regrowing his horn or giving his body the energy to start the growing process. Luna was tending to Solar's injuries with a healing spell while Callum was receiving medical attention from the staff at the scene. (By which they tried their best to heal his burns.)

"What the hay was that all about!?" Rainbow shouted angrily when she approached Night Wing who recently gained consciousness from Celestia's spell.

"Wha...what? AAAAHHH!" A wave of pain shot through Night Wing's forehead.

"Hold still captain. I'm trying to repair as much damage as possible." Celestia said in her soothing voice "Unfortunately, you will not be able to perform magic for a couple of weeks until your horn grows back."

"Princess, what happened to Ashley?" Twilight asked quietly.

Celestia sighed "The spell Night Wing performed was originally to find out the fears of his victim. But I'm afraid he increased its power too much and brought back all of Ashley's repressed memories. One of which he told me."

"What was it?" Twilight asked,

Luna finished healing Solar's injuries as much as possible but he would have to deal with sore muscles for the next couple of days.

"He told me...The day that he watched most of his family killed before him when he was merely sixteen years of age. He said that he went insane for two years after he killed those responsible. He told me that he hid it well and that Callum didn't even know. There are most likely many, many more horrific memories and now all he will see is those memories playing in his head as well as experiencing the exact same emotions at those specific events for the next couple of days...hopefully."

"That's awful! But where did he run off too?"

"I don't know, we need to find him quickly since he is in an unstable condition."

"Well you better get searching now..." Callum said from behind Celestia "If someone pisses him off, he's gonna kill them on the spot in the most painful way possible. Trust me, I have seen that face many times."

Ashley continued his sprint, he saw Twilight's house come into view. He approached the door and twisted the handle to see if it was unlocked

The door opened unbelievably...

Ashley frantically started a search in the house, trying to find his bag. He noticed it was still laying against the bookshelf and grabbed it. He checked it's contents.

Pistol...Check...Knife...Check...Pistol clips...Counting five so check...MP3...check...That's all of it.

He put the bag on and stepped outside, his eye was still twitching slightly but was only noticeable on close examination. He started his journey through the town, taking one last look at the scenery before going to the forest...

***

"Are they ready?" The first voice said

"Yes, they are advancing as we speak. one of our scouts said there was a fight between two tall monkeys and pony guards. The monkeys won with ease." The second voice said.

"Good, maybe we can use them to our advantage." A third voice exclaimed "They must hate ponies as well."

All three started to laugh...

This chapter should be just over 10,000 words without this authors note. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and as you a few of you guessed, the enemies are in fact diamond dogs. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I like typing it.

Don't forget commenting and stuff!

Day of the diamond dogs

After five minutes of frantic searching, Rainbow could not see Ashley anywhere and reported back to the Princess’ who too, were searching. Twilight and Callum went to check if Ashley had been at the library while Applejack searched the farm with help of Big Macintosh. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie were going around town asking the citizens if they had seen the human recently.

First Person: Ashley

“Oh this is just fucking fantastic!” I said to myself after I had another flashback, causing my eye to twitch a bit.

I looked up towards the sky and noticed Rainbow Dash flying about, looking in different spots. Trying to find me I bet.

“You do realize what they’re going to do to you when they find you...don’t you?” A voice spoke up in the back of my mind. I knew this one well since it sounds just like me but it had a tone to it...Was it sympathy? Anger? Hatred? Happiness? Its tone would be similar to my emotions. After it came to me quite often, I decided to refer it as my insanity with a voice.

“I probably do, but you might as well say it to enlighten me.” I said to myself. I know I was getting odd looks from nearby ponies but who gives a fuck about what they think? I’m a monster to their eyes so why should I care if they can hear me or not?

“It's simple.” My insanity persona with a tone which sounded like it was amused “They’re going to throw you in a cell and let you rot. Letting you spiral down even further into insanity. They would most likely forget about you within a week.”

“Hmm...” I pondered at the thought *Twitch*(Image of a soldier’s set on fire, his skin melting as he reached towards Ashley for help) Looks like I had another flashback. “Note to self, get more payback on that god damn unicorn.”

“Oh I’d love to see that. Maybe we can think of something up? OH! How about we break every bone in his body and watch him squirm?” The voice noticed Ashley didn’t respond “No? How about...

“Stop it.” I interrupted. He looked around and noticed Callum and Twilight searching the area so I hid in a nearby alley behind a dumpster.

Third person

“I just don’t know why he wouldn’t want our help.” Twilight spoke, peeking through a nearby window to find the place abandoned.

“There are different stages Ashley goes through when he’s like this.” Callum looked down an alley, staring at the other end for around ten seconds before turning back to Twilight. Little did he know that Ashley was in that exact alleyway.

“Really? Did you not think to tell everypony earlier?!”

“HEY!” Callum shouted angrily in return, he toned down his volume as he noticed a few ponies staring at him because of his outburst “I didn’t occur to me at the time okay? We all make mistakes.”

“Alright.” Twilight rolled her eyes “What are these ‘stages’ then?”

“Well, The first one turned out not to be too bad due to him running off. The first stage consists of him having a bloodlust but even when insane, he still has some moral fibre. The second will be celebration of whatever he killed in the first stage. The third stage he will isolate himself from others for a while. I can’t really remember if there is a fourth stage or not...” Callum brought his hand to his chin and starting rubbing. After about ten seconds of thinking he shrugged “Lets gather everyone else so that I can tell them to at least expect what’s going to happen.”

Twilight reluctantly nodded as both human and unicorn started to search for the princess’ and others. Ashley waited several minutes until he decided the coast was clear.

First person: Ashley

“Boy that was close.” I noticed my heart was beating fast so I decided to let it calm down a bit by staying in the alleyway for a minute or two. I had another flashback while I was hiding.

“You know what’ll make you feel better?” My insanity persona spoke once more. I was thinking of giving him a mental appearance. At least then I could pretend I had company.

“Tell me...Uh...” I didn’t really have a name for him...It...Whatever.

“Oh you want to give me a name? Why not James? I’ve always liked that name and even then, it is part of your name”

“Deal. I want to give you some form of appearance in my mind. Tell me what you want to look like.”

“Hmm..." James took a while trying to think of something awesome but wanted to be something that Ashley could relate to easily

“Well?” I was starting to get annoyed with James taking so long.

“Oh I have the perfect Idea...Since you’re a soldier...Make me a Spartan”

“A Spartan? Really? Like from Halo right?”

“You heard me right. Do it. They’re generally awesome and I like their armour in those video games you used to play.”

“Fine by me.” I imagined James with the same appearance as me as the armour started to replace the skin. The fictional armour was a very dark shade of purple with several scratches. The visor was pitch black as the emblem on both upper parts of his arms were a pistol and a knife crossing over each other to make an ‘X’.

“Now this is swag.” James said happily as he examined his appearance. Sometimes using his fingers to check different parts of the armor and it’s scratches.

Even though he’s just a representation of my insanity, I had to agree with him. It did look pretty bad ass but lacked a manly colour...

“No you can’t add pink.” He said with hostility. You’d think he would like the things I liked...

“Fine...” I sulked a bit *twitch* (The image of a bullet forcing itself through my brothers skull plagued my mind)

“As much as I like being able to be part of your conscience right now because of these images...I can’t help but feel sorry for you.”

“Aww what’s that? Mister James-y actually doesn’t want me to be insane?” I thought to myself, experimenting to see if he could hear me without having to actually speak.

“Shut up! I was being sympathetic you half wit!” Well, that confirmed my experiment worked.

I decided to walk around a bit more but stuck near alleyways for quick escapes. I made sure to scan the area fully for places to hide and obstacles in case I needed to flee. Even though I had the urge to kill, I didn’t want to kill a pony...Weird isn’t it? But it won’t stop me from beating the crap out of them if they piss me off.

“Maybe you should beat them up until they’re NEARLY dead.”James spoke

“Alright.” I shrugged, realising I said it out loud which gained a few glances from ponies which to my amusement, fled straight away from me. “I guess word spreads fast. Then again, I am a creature from another world so they’d run even if they didn’t know what happened.”

“I want you to try something...” James spoke after being quiet for an amazing one minute!

“I’m listening” I replied as I continued to scan the town for the search ponies and Callum

“You know how some people have imaginary friends and believe in them so much that they can actually see them in front of them but others can’t?

“I see where you’re going with this.” I closed my eyes. Even though the memories of my past played over and over, I was slowly capable of seeing James appear in front of me. I must say that his armour looked the same and he was the same height as me since...well, his form is practically is me.

“Oh god all these colours! It’s like a clown ate a huge amount of skittles and blew up!” " I could tell he was joking so we both shared a small laugh.

“Hmm...” I pondered my thoughts. I noticed I had very familiar urge building inside me. I looked at James who was staring at me. For being a representation of my craziness, he was pretty mellow.

“Yeah...Just you wait until the next part of stage one kicks in...In fact, It’s building up right now.” James said to me. I pictured that he was smiling under his visor.

“Stage one?” I questioned, scratching the back of my neck.

“You don’t remember? You know that feeling you have right now? That urge that is SO familiar and you can feel it building up?” I nodded in agreement “Well, that is what I like to call your berserk mode.”

“Berserk mode?” I actually felt that I was stupid but who gives a damn?

“Hmm...Let me think of an example...Oh I have one. Close your eyes.”

I did what he asked. I watched one of my memories take place. This time it was the loss of the rest of Delta squad. I could feel the anger...the hate...the urge to kill building up inside of me.

“Those feelings you have right now. Those are what fuel your berserk mode. You tend to take things too far and don’t listen to others...”

I opened my eyes once more. I twitched a bit but nothing too serious. I took a deep breath as I listened to James

“But...You still have a bit of...Lets say a part of you that affects the berserk mode. This part of you actually encourages your berserk mode to defend those you care about which drives you to do whatever you can do in your power to defend them.” I couldn’t help but give a small smile. Even when completely insane, I STILL have some form of my personality that shines through.

As I walked around the town with my hands in my pockets. My left hand had my knives handle in its grip while my right had my pistol, fully loaded, ready for action. James was walking beside me, turning his head to different areas that we passed. I could still feel my ‘berserk mode’ building but to be honest...I want it to build up.

Outskirts of Ponyville

The diamond dog army approached. It consisted of around thirty of the hairy, foul smelling canines. At the front of said army, there was a diamond dog whose armour had a dark blue trim that had some rust on. Ponyville was a mere distance away from their position.

Location: Ponyville park

“Now tell us why y’all stopped us from searchin’ fer Ashley?” Applejack questioned. The element bearers, the captains, Big Mac and the princess’ were all staring at Callum.

“Like I told Twilight. Ashley goes through certain stages when he goes a bit loopy.”

“Tell us more about these stages.” Luna demanded

“Alright. Stage one. You know before he ran off during that fight that he done...those things to you Night. Well, that wasn’t the full version of stage one. Usually when in that stage, he has a bloodlust. He has the massive urge to kill.” The ponies let out a small gasp of shock (Except twilight since she already heard this)

“What happens next?” Celestia asked in a stern tone

“In stage one. Ashley still has some form of moral fibre. I notice that he tries to defend those he cares about and the innocent. But if you start to piss him off, he will hurt you severely but not kill you entirely. Stage two consists of him celebrating.” Callum looked towards Pinkie “And no, not as in a celebration like a party since he hates those things. Stage three makes him isolate himself from others until he gets better or repress the memories once more. I think there is a fourth stage but that could be my imagination.”

“At least we now have more insight to what he will do.” Celestia turned to the other ponies “We must continue our search though.”

Everypony nodded before running to search for the human.

First person: Ashley

“Okay seriously. What the fuck are those things.” I said, staring at these...hairy creatures walking into the town.

“What are you talking about?” James replied, he looked at Ashley who was staring at something. James stared towards where the human was looking and saw around thirty hairy creatures in light armour.

“I don’t like the looks of them.” I looked around and noticed ponies running in terror away from them. I ignored their screams but then I heard one shout two words

“DIAMOND DOGS!!” The mare screamed as she ran towards a building that had a bell tower.

The bell rang through the town, alerting everypony inside it.

“Dogs eh?” *Twitch* (Image of soldiers throat being ripped out by the mouth of a German Shepard)

“Do it.” James said eagerly, I pictured an evil smile on him...It was creepy and I loved it. “You know you want to.”

“You know me too well James...” I couldn’t help but share a similar smile

“That’s because I am part of you, remember? Just a figment of your insanity at it's best.”

“Whatever.” I watched as one of dogs pointed towards me. A dog in similar armour but had a rusty, blue trim looked at the dog then looked back at me. It approached me with two dogs next to him, one on each side, both with chains in their mouths.

“Chain it up! We can use it to grab some ponies!” He shouted to the dogs. They both approached slowly.

“Touch me and I’ll rip off your genitals.” I spoke. I looked at the dogs faces showing surprise.

“You speak? Then this will be a lot easier.” The leader focused his attention on the two other dogs “Back off.”

I watched as they went back to the sides of the leader.

“We have a proposal for you.” The leader spoke

“What are your terms?” I noticed James disappeared but only put himself back in my mind. I could tell he was waiting for me to go on a frenzy but I wanted to have some fun first.

“We noticed you were fighting ponies. You must hate them as well.” Pony haters eh? Better keep up the charade

“Go on.” I narrowed my eyes towards the leader. I have to show them I’m not a pushover but judging by their reaction to when I spoke, maybe I won’t have to do much intimidating. All I have to do is gain their trust.

“We are diamond dogs and we need slaves. Ponies would make excellent slaves to dig up gems for us so we want you to help us grab some ponies. We saw that they’re scared of you so maybe you could force them to come with us? It would make our job a lot easier.”

I stood in silence with my arms crossed. I noticed my right eye twitch a bit but the stupid mongrels didn’t notice it. “And what do I get if I help?” I smiled, baring my teeth.

“We see you have sharp teeth like us. So you must eat meat. We can provide you it easily as well as...” The leader pulled a small crystal out nowhere. Probably had a small sack under his armour for the gem. “This.”

“What is it?” I had to ask. Gems were pretty much worthless to me.

“It is our biggest discovery. We figured it has some sort of power but we cannot use it. We figured it was incredibly rare...Do you accept this offering?”

“A gem with a so called power? Is that the best they could offer you?" James said in a disgusted tone

“Dude. Their dogs. I’m just having fun with them and you know it.” I replied to him in my mind before speaking normally to the canines “I accept.”

“Good.” The dog put the crystal in the small bag and placed it a foot towards me before backing away. I picked it up and opened it, examining the crystal. It was as clear as water but in the middle was a dark purple and black haze. There were (what looked like) a very dark shade of red veins that went from the top, through the crystal and came out of the bottom. I put it back in it’s small bag before putting it in my own. I knelt down and extended my hand towards the dog. It looked at me confused.

“Ugh.” I face palmed with my other hand before putting it behind my back “Put your paw in my hand so I can shake it.” I watched as the leader hesitantly put his paw in my hand. I shook it a couple of times before letting go. What he didn’t realize was that behind my back, I crossed my index and middle fingers.

“Lets get going then.” The leader motioned the rest of the army to follow as I walked besides him.

The bell tower was still ringing. Ponies were still hiding. Callum was curious what the hell was going on and asked Twilight after he met back with her very recently. She told him that Diamond dogs must be here and that they try to steal ponies to make them into slaves to find gems but were driven away by guards but seeing that they were in hospital, there wasn’t much to stop them pony napping. Callum pieced the pieces together in his mind

“Ashley plus Repressed memories that have resurfaced plus dogs equals...Shit...” His face grew slightly pale which Twilight picked up on.

“What’s wrong?”

“We need to gather the others once more. I’ll go and try to defend as many ponies as I can. You gather the others.”

Twilight nodded, still confused by Callum as she started to run to find Applejack

“Twilight!” Callum called out, stopping her in her tracks “Be careful!” She nodded and continued her gallop. Callum ran towards the town center.

First person: Ashley

The diamond dog army stood still where they met the human. Near the town center, Their leader and Ashley had cornered several ponies. They knew what the human was capable of and would not be able to put up much of a fight. Ashley was standing behind the leader with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face as he looked down at the terrified ponies.

“Come with us and you will be making it easier on yourselves.” The leader demanded. He knew that just having the human nearby was a great asset.

One of the ponies was a grey Pegasus with a blond mane and tail. Bubbles for her cutie mark as she held a small unicorn to her chest. The unicorn was crying into the pegasus’ chest.

“You know you want to do it.” James hissed.

“And you know I’m going to do it.” I thought to myself as I slowly reached into one of my pockets. The ponies were all looking towards me in fear. I used pointed towards them before putting my hands over my ears and closing my eyes tightly, the image of the dog killing a soldier plagued my mind again. I could feel all the anger being made into energy that went straight to my muscles. I opened them to find that they done what I did. Hooves on their ears, eyes closed tightly. I reached back into my pocket and pulled out my knife. I couldn’t help but twitch.

“Yes! YES! DO IT!” I heard James call out in my mind “GO INTO BERSERK!”

My eye twitched as a creepy smile grew on my face, I spoke “You want to know something...” I watched as the leader’s ears perked up.

I sent my blade straight into the back of the dog, between its shoulder blades. His screams of pain and surprise were like music to my ears. The crimson red liquid flowed freely from the wound as I twisted the knife.

“I.” I wrapped my arm round his throat

“FUCKING.” I pulled upwards. Choking the diamond dog but he done what I intended him to do as he stood on his hind legs

“HATE.” I yelled into his ear through clenched teeth, I brought the blade in front of him before he could even speak...

“DOGS!” I drove the blade into his chest repeatedly. His blood squirted but didn’t land on any of the ponies who were still doing what I wanted them to do. The blood that came from the wound in his back had imprinted itself onto my shirt. The front was pretty much covered in the stuff.

I let go of the dogs throat and let him fall limp on the floor with a thud. Blood started to pool around him but I could tell he was holding onto dear life. I took out my pistol and put on it’s suppressor. Taking aim at his skull.

“No...” I said quietly

“What!? FINISH HIM!” James yelled.

“That’s what I’m going to do.” I said to him in my mind. I removed the suppressor and put both it and the pistol into my pocket. I removed the dogs helmet and threw it behind me. I raised my boot high above his head and used all my strength and weight to bring it down on him.

CRACK! His skull couldn’t handle the force of my boot and the concrete floor it was against. It shattered, fragments of his skull pierced the skin and went into his brain and tore through his skin. Leaving a bloody mess all over the place, remarkably, none of the ponies got covered in the stuff.

“YEAH!!! CURB STOMP BITCH!” James yelled in my head as I shouted the exact same words out loud.

I found a nearby rock, I picked it up and put it against my knife. Scratching another digit to the list

“The one of many of today.” I said in my mind to James. I felt as if he was smiling creepily just like me.

“You desire more don’t you?” He asked.

“And I know just were to get it.” I said to myself. I looked at the cowering ponies who still had their eyes closed and ears covered. I walked up to the blonde Pegasus and moved a hoof away from her ear.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” I tried to coax her I noticed she was about to open her eyes “Don’t open your eyes. I don’t want you to see what happened. Just follow my voice okay? I’m going to take you to a safer place.”

I watched as the Pegasus slowly nodded, holding back tears. I done the same to the other ponies. All were standing with their eyes closed.

I walked up next to the small unicorn which the Pegasus was holding before and whispered into her ear “I’m going to carry you okay? I’m guessing your a young pony so you’re the most vulnerable.”

“O-okay m-mister” She said as tears flown down her cheek. The blonde Pegasus turned her head but kept her eyes closed.

“I’m guessing she’s this ones guardian or cares a lot about her.” I thought to myself, James of course listening to everything I said. Watching everything I did. I adjusted my bag so that the pony wouldn’t get blood on herself but the bag would instead.

“Okay, everyone to the wall on the right.” They did as I told them, the looks of worry on their faces. “Okay now follow my voice. Stay against the wall.” They done as I said. I guided them away from the mess and to a safer location.

“Open your eyes.” I whispered loudly for them to hear. I watched as they were all blinded by the change of lighting but adjusted to it quickly. I set the small pony down next to the blonde Pegasus. They hugged each other tightly. All of the ponies where focusing on the heart warming moment as was I.

The Pegasus looked towards me. Her eyes were screwed up but I didn’t care. She smiled at me.

“Thank you...” Was all she could say before going back to the embrace.

“I will have to admit.” James spoke “That is freaking adorable.”

“Same here bro.” I replied in my thought. I listened to the rest of the ponies gasp when they saw my shirt covered in blood. They understood what I did but were still thankful.

One of the ponies, a unicorn with a white and blue colored mane and tail looked up to me.

“Thank you for warning us about...whatever you did.” She smiled weakly which I returned with a similar one.

“It wasn’t a problem. I don’t want you to have that image plague your mind for who knows how long.” The rest of the ponies also gave small smiles, the biggest one was from the small pony which broke the embrace with the blonde Pegasus.

“T-thank you for saving us mister...” Her words were broken by sobs. I knelt down and held out my hand to stroke her but recoiled away. It would have to wait another time.

“Just call me Ashley okay? Or Ash if you prefer.” I smiled to her before looking back towards the others “I’m going to eradicate this dog problem. I recommend that you stay inside and do not look outside until I say so. Do you understand?” The ponies nodded. I gestured for them to follow me.

I walked up to a nearby house and knocked on the door. An earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane looked through the window and saw ponies but didn’t notice me. She quickly opened the door to see me towering over her (Totally forgot that my shirt was covered in blood). She quickly tried to close the door but I put my boot in the way and forced the door open.

“Just hear me out.” I said calmly “I was wondering if these ponies could take shelter here until I get rid of this dog problem.” I gestured to the ponies behind me.

The earth pony looked towards the ponies with me. They exchanged looks but I could tell the earth pony was still uneasy.

“He saved us from the mean dogs.” The small pony stated which made the other ponies with her nod in agreement. The earth pony was good friends with most of the ponies. She gestured the ponies to come inside quickly. As they entered, she glared at me with a look of...It looked like she was thankful to which I smiled back.

“Don’t look outside until I say its okay. Understand?” She nodded and thanked me for saving those ponies before closing the door. I heard locks being locked and decided to hunt the rest of those basterd dogs down.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” Callum said in a disgusted manner. He discovered the body of the leader of the dogs. He noticed the stab wounds and a severely crushed skull and immediately thought this was Ashley’s doing.

“What’s the problem?” Celestia asked as she walked up next to Callum and witnessed what he was on about “Oh my...”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight and the others grew closer to examine but Callum and Celestia blocked their views.

“Dead Diamond dog, multiple stabs wounds, severely crushed cranium. I’m guessing this is Ashley’s doing...Wait a second.” Callum looked in the distance and saw a bipedal figure walking around “There he is.” He whispered to the ponies who turned their heads and saw Ashley.

Ashley noticed them as well, his heart started to beat fast as he went into a full sprint away.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow was soaring after Ashley, he could hear her flapping her wings but the one thing she underestimated was that Ashley knew some easy escape routes due to him planning ahead. Every time Rainbow was about to collide with his torso, Ashley would either duck or move to the side and run the opposite way. After doing this tactic often, he lost the cyan pegasus quite easily. He noticed that he was near where the rest of the diamond dogs were.

"Time to have some fun..." The creepy smile returned to his face. He put on the suppressor for his pistol. The dogs were not even aware of him. He took out three magazines, putting one in the pistol, two would be to take down more dogs while the third would not be used but kept in the pistol for future use.

He pulled the trigger several times, watching the dogs fall into confusion as they watched team mates drop like flies. Looking around to find the source of the problem. Ashley was an expert with a pistol as he whipped out eleven of the twenty nine dogs with a single mag. He would of got nine since that is the clip size but he managed to get a couple of collateral's

He quickly switched mags, popping the skulls of another eleven dogs. The remaining eight split up. three groups of two and a two single dogs.

"Those fools..." Ashley maniacally chuckled to himself. He took out his knife as he walked over the corpses. The scent of flesh plagued the area. Ashley couldn't help but take a long sniff, the scent of blood was like ecstasy for his nose.

"Darn it!" Rainbow said in anger, losing the human. She continued to fly around above the town, trying to get a view of him but came up negative. She flown back down to the rest of the group. Seeing the disappointment on her face, they knew she didn't catch him. Fluttershy patted her friend on the shoulder.

"I'm going to go find him." Callum started to walk away from the group.

"What!?" Celestia stepped in front of Callum "You'll get yourself killed! Didn't you see what he did?!"

"Yes. And you're forgetting that I know what I'm doing. I have seen Ashley do much worse things than that." Callum looked Celestia straight in the eye "You're also implying that I haven't done this before. I'm the best shot we have at least calming down Ashley. Now out of the way."

Celestia didn't move an inch. "I order you to stay with us."

Callum was about to object to the order but realized he was a guard. A guard which would follow orders from the princess' themselves "Fine...But don't say I didn't warn you." he nodded.

Everyone looked around when they could hear what sounded like howling. They all started to sprint to originated.

"A job well done." Ashley already caught up with one of the groups and slain them with his trusty knife. Lets just say that he performed a bit of stomach surgery on two of the dogs while the other dog was dead from blood loss due to Ashley brutally removing the dogs reproductive system. It wasn't a pretty sight to watch let alone to see the ending. Ashley dusted his blood soaked hands. His trousers were covered in blood, he had a few scratches but they didn't break the skin to make him bleed. He darted off to find his next prey.

"HOLY SHIT." Callum was shocked by the large pile of bodies of the diamond dogs. counting twenty two of the hairy beasts. Unfortunately, all the ponies saw them as well and looked away immediately except for Big Mac but he was still disgusted by the sight. Callum examined the bodies. He noticed that all of them had been killed by a pistol (He found the shell casings in a nearby alley)

"I counted the shells. He used eighteen and killed twenty two. He's still got it." Callum couldn't help but bare a small laugh.

"Got what now?" Big Mac asked, he decided to divert his eyes elsewhere from the corpses.

"Ashley's a fucking pro when it comes to using a pistol. Since it's basically his second favorite weapon. Number one being his knife." Callum smiled.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Luna asked

"Sure. Don't know who will get rid of the bodies."

"I'll sort it out later." Celestia added.

The group continued around the town together. Finding the three bodies of Ashley's most recent kills, luckily Callum decided to stay ahead of the group in case of a discovery like this one and warned them not to go near there.

"Oh for fuck sake Ashley. That's just going too far." Callum covered his eyes when he saw the body of the dog who's 'special area' was brutally slashed to pieces.

"What's the matter?" Big Mac asked with closed eyes.

"YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS. ESPECIALLY BIG MAC!" Callum yelled. The ponies took his warning. and walked away from the scene.

"These dogs are too easy." Ashley just finished killing the other group of three and ran into one of the single dogs. The group had a limb ripped off their bodies and shoved down their throats as much as possible. Ashley only suffered a bite on the arm but stabbed the dog in the eye socket with the knife.

"Wait a second...there were thirty wasn't there?"

"Yep." James replied

"And I've killed 29 so it looks like we're going to hunt for the last one!" Ashley spoke out loud. He felt like a kid in a candy store.

"Well you better go get him!" James said eagerly, causing Ashley to laugh like a maniac for a bit before running around the town in the search for the last diamond dog.

"Now that's creepy..." Callum discovered the last group. Seeing the bodies with torn off limbs in their mouths was a pretty horrific sight but it was an improvement from the earlier one. He turned to the ponies who were a few meters away. Taking the hint of what Callum just said, they just found more bodies.

"I...I didn't know that Ashley was capable of doing all this..." Celestia said as they all walked away from the scene. They were all silent until they neared Carousel Boutique...

...That was until they saw a diamond dog. bursting out the door of the building, dragging a small white unicorn by the tail...

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity called out, she started to chase the dog in the attempts of saving her sister.

"Oh shit...Rarity get back!" Callum called out.

"Wha-?" She watched as a dark figure jumped off the roof of the building, pouncing on the diamond dogs back with a loud thud. Everyone saw it was Ashley.

The diamond dog let go of the small unicorn who ran towards her sister. All the ponies looked away from Ashley while Callum continued to stare

"Ha...Haha...HAHAHAHA!" Ashley's insane laugh filled the air as he brought out his blood covered knife, driving it into the dogs back. The diamond dog howled in pain but Ashley wasn't finished yet. He started to cut down the dogs back, revealing more flesh and getting more cries of pain.

He ditched the blade by stabbing it in the side of the dogs chest. He removed the dogs helmet and crushed it's head with a curb stomp

"FUCK YEAH CURB STOMP BITCH!" James said in Ashley's head while Ashley said the same thing out loud.

Ashley dusted his shoulders like nothing happened and shared glances with Callum. He still had his creepy smile but it start to die down. He took in a deep breath.

"That was entertaining." His creepy smile was just a smile of content at this point.

"Dude...The fuck?" Was all Callum could say.

Ashley shrugged and walked past Callum who was still staring at the body. Ashley continued to walk past the ponies until he felt something poke his knee. He looked down and saw the small white unicorn which, he heard from Rarity's scream was Sweetie Belle.

"I-I just wanted...To say thanks for saving me..." She gave a small smile

"Don't sweat it. Now go back to them lot." He pointed back towards the others.

Sweetie Belle done what she was told and went back to Rarity who hugged her immediately. Both princess' walked up to Ashley with looks of worry.

"Ashley...Are you okay?" Luna asked.

"I'm fine. I have the urge to celebrate..." He said with slight hostility. He turned to Pinkie "And no parties. I want to be alone."

"Where do you plan on going?" Celestia asked.

"If I told you, then you would most likely follow me or spy on me. I want to be left alone."

Night Wing came forward and stopped in front of Ashley

"Look...I'm really sorry for what I did."

"Get the fuck out of my face." Ashley snarled. The guard cautiously backed away.

"Please Ashley..." Celestia said in her signature motherly tone "Just let us help..."

"No. Just leave me be!" Ashley broke out into a sprint.

"Get back here!" Rainbow unfurled her wings but Callum stood in the way.

"Just leave him alone. He needs to do this himself."

First person: Ashley

"They'll never understand! WHY CAN'T THEY JUST LEARN TO FUCK OFF?!" I said mentally to James

"Don't worry about it much. It's time for stage two.." James said reassuringly.

"...Celebration?"

"Exactly. "

I smiled. I still had a bit of blood lust and was hungry from the assassinations so I continued running until I found a path to the forest. I noticed a small cottage nearby that had a lot of animals near it.

I licked my lips in anticipation and hunger as I approached the cottage...

Tonight was going to be good...

Now, I know I was a bit late with this chapter. I'm sorry but that was because I scrapped it quite often until I got something I liked and that was the result. Hopefully you enjoyed Ashley going on his killing spree and his figment of insanity, James will be in the next chapter or two. Comment and rate. You know I love it when you do that...

P.S This chapter will be edited a bit tomorrow. Just to re correct some spelling and very, very minor changes. E.g. colored text for James and some other bits. Nothing major really. (This P.S. will be deleted when the changes have been made)

The night in the forest

First person: Ashley

“Do it...” James spoke in my mind “Do what you were born to do. You must do it. You must survive. Your body can’t handle the temptation. Just do it."

I stood there in silence. Watching the animals shriek and cry out as I watched them. There were a large variety of animals but there was only one type I had my eyes on...

...Chickens...

James was right. My body couldn’t beat its temptation. It wanted meat, juicy, succulent meat. I swear I could already taste it. My mind kept saying no but I didn’t want to listen. It had been so long I hadn’t have meat and I was going to celebrate. I could hear my breathing becoming faster and harder as well as my heart beating faster. Adrenaline was already going through my body so I acted.

I stepped over the fence into the chicken containment. I watched as they all scattered around but couldn’t escape due to the fences being way too high for them. I just watched them running around. I stood there for a minute, picking which ones looked like they had the most meat on them. Two chickens appeared to have the most amount of flesh on them so I grabbed one by the neck and slit its throat with my knife. I watched as its struggling came to a fast stop, hanging limp in my hand. I dropped the corpse and grabbed the other. Repeating my actions but unfortunately, there was quite a lot of blood in this birds which pooled on the ground onto my boots and partly on the front of my body but that didn’t matter. I was already covered in blood from the diamond dogs a while back. I picked up both bodies, one in each hand by their freshly cut necks with the blood mixing with the dried diamond dogs own crimson liquid. I carried them into the forest.

First person: Fluttershy

After Celestia told us all to get some rest, we went back to Twilight’s while the princess’ and Callum decided to go door to door and tell the ponies that they should not look outside until Callum comes by again. Callum offered to get rid of the diamond dog’s bodies and offered to clean up the blood as well. Luckily, the ponies did what he said.

It had been a stressful day and I just hope that Ashley would be okay. I know he didn’t mean to kill all those poor dogs but we all saw what happened to him at the fight. I really wanted to help him but Callum pointed out that it’s best to let him get it out of his system by himself. Everypony was worried sick about Ashley, especially the princess’, Rainbow and Callum but he hid it well. I asked him about Ashley’s past but he only said that he didn’t want to infect our minds with Ashley’s horrible past. I took the warning and made my way home after spending around an hour round Twilight’s.

As I crossed the bridge over the river near my home, I noticed a lot of my animal friends panicking. I rushed to their aid, calming them down as much as possible until I came to the chicken coup. I was shocked by the scene.

I saw a large pool of blood, several feathers where scattered around and all the chickens except two were in the corner. I saw prints from the blood going towards the forest. Next to each print was drops of blood that soaked into the grass. My heart raced as I was reduced to tears from the loss of two animal friends. I rushed towards Twilight’s but met Callum who was taking a small break from cleaning up. His arms and part of his front was covered in blood but he turned away so I didn’t have to see it.

“What’s wrong Fluttershy?” He spoke calmly. He saw my tears and rushed to my side “Why are you crying?”

I couldn’t speak from my crying. I could tell he wanted to hug me to help comfort but he held back due to the blood on him. My head hung low.

“M-my...C-Chi-Chickens...B-blood.” These words were all I could muster through my sobs.

“Chickens?” Callum cocked an eyebrow before he realised what must have happened. “Listen Fluttershy. Go to Twilight’s while I clean up okay? When I’m done, I’ll check out what happened.”

I nodded before I slowly made my way to Twilights, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

As I approached the door, Twilight opened it as she was about to leave to go somewhere but stopped when she saw my tears. She ushered me inside and I told her what I found. She held me close, trying to soothe my crying. It took me at least half an hour to stop crying but I was still saddened by the loss. During this time, Applejack visited and helped comfort me. I told them both that Callum said he would check out my discovery.

First person: Ashley

“That was a nice." James said to me, he decided to appear next to me.

We walked into the forest with the deceased chickens that were still in my grasp. Walking in a forest which had those...Lion things which were obviously carnivorous was a bad idea but this time, I had my gun and knife as well which were both in my pockets. I could tell something was following me so I checked behind me frequently. I noticed the bush move every time I done so. I had many open advantages to attack what was in the bushes but I didn’t know what lived in this forest except those lion things.

I found a small clearing which was a small hall. This was a very good spot to rest since it allowed me to see above nearby bushes and had a tree at the top which would allow me to rest in. There were dead sticks lying around from the tree which would make great firewood. Sure I could just snap some branches off the trees but I was being lazy and wanted to cook the meat as soon as possible.

But there was one problem with my plan...Building a fire.

I knew how to make one. I have done so many times before as well as surviving in a forest. All I would need to find is a stone I could use to not only sharpen my knife with since it was getting a bit dull but if I struck fast and hard enough, it would produce sparks which could start up a fire but the chances of it actually catching the sticks on fire were slim unless I acquired a more flammable substance. Like dead grass for example. I didn’t want to but I had to. I put the chicken bodies in a nearby bush. I doubt they would still be there when I returned. I started my search for the more flammable substance.

I used some of the sticks as breadcrumbs so would be able to find my way back to my ideal resting post.

First person: Callum

“God that took for ages.” I thought to myself as I knocked on Twilight’s door. I was covered in dog’s blood and my body ached from all the heavy lifting. Celestia asked me to pile the bodies somewhere away from the town so that some creatures from another country could take them for her as a small gift. She said something about the creatures thinking the diamond dogs were a rare specialty for their species.

When she opened the door, I saw Fluttershy who was still holding up from her discovery, surrounded by Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity. I wondered where Rainbow was but threw the thought to the back of my mind.

“So...er...Can you lend me some soap, a few buckets of water and a wash cloth?” I asked Twilight sheepishly as I saw her grow disgusted from my appearance but she thanked me for doing my deed. She left me at the door. Applejack came towards me and gestured me to come inside but I declined. I didn’t want to track blood in Twilight’s home which she agreed on.

Twilight returned with a bucket of water with the soap and an old wash cloth and passed them to me with her magic. She told me that if I needed more water or soap then I should knock on the door and asked. I thanked her for the items before Rarity came to the door and asked me to discard my clothing and burn them. I hesitated at her request but I looked down at my clothing which was stained in blood, had many tears so it was in pretty bad shape. She told me that she would start designing a similar outfit straight away. I nodded before walking into a nearby alley.

I sighed and stripped down to my boxers. I held the clothes in front of me, remembering all the adventures I had with them. Sure it was just an outfit to others but it was more than that to me. It was one of the things that I held dearly. I washed myself with the soap, water and cloth. I smelt myself, didn’t smell like blood or sweat but instead of soap which was a major improvement. I knocked on Twilight’s door while in my undergarments and asked for my bag. She levitated it towards me and I put the outfit into it. I decided to keep it as a keepsake from my home.

Everyone asked me about why I was still wearing clothing (Except Rarity who I guessed already had been told the same thing by Ashley). I told the rest of them that humans wear clothes due to us hiding our private areas. I bared a small laugh when I saw most of them blush slightly.

Rarity asked Twilight for some paper and pencils which were given to her. I asked her if she was starting the designs which she nodded eagerly to. She requested I watched her to make sure she got the dimensions right. She left momentarily to grab some supplies which consisted of different types of fabric, cutting and measuring equipment and a sewing machine.

I had to stand still for around an hour. Luckily, my body could take the punishment of staying in a certain pose for that duration of time but it didn’t really help that my muscles were still a bit sore. Rarity thanked me for perfectly still for that long. She let me feel the types of fabric. There were many I liked the feel of but only one stood out from the rest. It was the same material as my previous outfit. She asked me if the colour was okay. It was a dark grey which I told her was perfect, grey being one of my favourite shades.

I could tell that she was slightly disgusted by my choice in colour but she knew that the ‘customer’ was always right. I told her that as soon as I make some currency that I would pay her back but she declined and replied about being generous and that ‘designing for a different species was going to be an exciting challenge’. I shrugged when she said that, telling her that at some point we need to work on some emblems for Ashley and I’s uniforms to show the towns ponies that we’re guards. I swear she almost fainted at the request so I let her get on with her work.

I checked outside and saw it was already getting dark. Applejack decided to head off home while Rarity said that she would continue the outfit tomorrow. Twilight demanded that Fluttershy stay at the library. Fluttershy objected and said something about taking care of the animals.

“Well, since I’m going to check out your place anyway Fluttershy, just write down what your animals need to be fed with and I’ll do it.” I said to the yellow pegasus in the calmest voice I could muster.

She nodded as Twilight levitated a quill and paper. Fluttershy told her what to write. I stood there for around ten minutes before being given the list and was given directions. I nodded and walked out. It was already dark, the streets where lighted by street lights (they didn’t have light bulbs or flames so I just went with magic.)As well as being quite empty. There were still some ponies walking around but appeared to be on their journey home.

The streets were quiet as I walked down them. The night wasn’t too cold so it didn’t bother me. I did feel a bit...exposed but again, didn’t bother me much. After around twenty minutes and a couple of miscalculations of the route to Fluttershy’s, I finally arrived. I walked up to the side of her...cottage? Yeah, let’s go with that. One of her animals started to panic which caused the others to start as well. Luckily, Fluttershy’s place was out of earshot from the town. I hastily entered her home and saw a rabbit that started to wake up. It lazily looked at me and immediately stood up. I swear it made a gesture trying to threaten me. I ignored it and went to where Fluttershy kept her animal food. There were so many different bags! Bags for birds, some for squirrels and many others, I turned round and saw the rabbit with a carrot. A sharpened one to be exact.

“Fucking hit me and not only will I fucking pummel your body into the ground, but I’ll also cut you open and pour steaming hot salt water on the wounds and watch you squirm.” I wasn’t really hoping for it to call my bluff but if it had to come to it, I would do it.

The white rabbit continued to stare at me, it backed down so I guess it could understand me. Which was good, I took another look at the list and saw ‘Feed Angel two carrots’.

“You’re Angel aren’t you?” I asked. I was a bit shocked when it nodded. I looked around the kitchen and found some carrots, handing two to the rabbit. He didn’t take them from my hand so I placed them near him and walked away.

“If you’re wondering about Fluttershy, she’s upset about some chickens and is at Twilight’s.” I looked over at the rabbit to see it shocked. It walked to the door and pointed to it.

“You want to see how she’s holding up?” it nodded “Alright, let me feed her animals for her. I told her that I would check what happened to the chickens.”

I walked outside with a large bag of bird food. I dug my hand into the seeds and threw them in the chicken coup. I saw the chickens were staring at me in terror. I saw a dark pool of liquid that reflected the moons light. I guessed it was blood since there were feathers inside it. I saw boot prints which faded away the further they went from Fluttershy’s. They were going to the forest.

“Ashley you crazy basterd...” I smiled to myself. It took me a few minutes to finish feeding the rest of Fluttershy’s animals so I placed the food back where I found it. I almost forgot about Angel. I offered it to sit on my shoulder which it did. It sat there during the journey, eating a carrot while I held the other one for it.

I knocked on Twilight’s door, Fluttershy answered and felt my little hitchhiker tap me on the side of the head, gesturing me to put it down.

“By the way, what gender is that rabbit?” I asked the yellow Pegasus as I put down the rabbit of my shoulder, giving it the other carrot which it took slowly from my grasp.

“Oh Angel is a male. He’s very protective of me and I love him dearly.”

I shrugged lightly and watched as Angel jumped onto Fluttershy’s back and hugged the back of her neck. I saw Fluttershy smile from the affection before we both entered the library, closing the door behind us. Twilight was in the kitchen, enjoying some hot beverage. There was another mug with a hot liquid on the table which I assumed was Fluttershy’s. I asked where Pinkie went off too and was told she went home recently.

“So...What did you find?” Fluttershy asked.

“Found blood and feathers. Saw boot prints which are exactly the same as the ones Ashley wears. There was blood that trailed to the forest so we know where he went off to. I’m very sorry for your loss Fluttershy but you can’t blame Ashley entirely. You know how he is right now so he’ll do things without thinking of the consequences.”

Fluttershy nodded slightly, still devastated by the subject.

“I’ll go door to door in the morning early to tell the townspeople...ponies that it’s okay to come out.” I changed the subject.

“That’s good to know.” Twilight added.

First person: Ashley

“Jesus why is this taking so long!?” I thought loudly to myself, and to get an answer from James but I didn’t.

It was dark and hard as hell to see. I was about to give up but then I found a patch of dead grass in a small clearing. I picked up as much as I could see and put it into my bag. I could barely see my ‘breadcrumbs’ but I made it back to my resting place. I looked at the top of the small hill and saw something next to the tree.

I pulled out my knife just in case it was hostile. As I approached, it looked like a quadruped...its shape looked similar to a dog. Not a diamond dog though. I could hear it whimper as it was jumping up at the tree.

I still hadn’t noticed me approaching. I narrowed my eyes at the tree, trying to find what was so interesting for the animal. I couldn’t see anything due to how dark it was.

“The fuck is that thing?” I thought to myself, I was still cautious in case the creature was indeed hostile. I drew closer to it, it noticed my shadow on the tree and it stopped jumping. I looked up saw a large branch, I grabbed the branch it seemed sturdy and could probably hold my weight for a while.

The creature turned around and growled. Its eyes grew a bright yellow. It jumped at me but I jumped and held onto the branch, lifting my upper body out of the way of the creatures pounce. I could feel a presence in my mind again, immediately thinking that James was back.

“James?” I said quietly to myself.

“Yo, what’s up?” He yawned. Was he sleeping? If he’s part of my insanity than surely he doesn’t require such a thing?

I decided to ignore his yawn and looked at the creature whose eyes appeared to be focused on the apple. I looked down the hill and saw another pair of the same eyes in the bushes. These were slightly larger. The creatures appeared to be wolves...made of wood? That’s pretty weird but then again, I’m in a place with magic.

I had a choice, break the wood...wolf...Yeah...Let’s go with that. I could either break it into a thousand tiny little sticks, hoping that will kill it or make a run for it. I knew that if this was like the wolves like the ones at home then they would travel in packs and they would have two major advantages at their disposal. One being they would know more about the forest and its routes and the second being that its dark as hell so I wouldn’t know where I was going...unless...

I took out my pistol, remembering it still had a flashlight on it. It was battery operated and would last at least eight hours which would probably be enough juice until sunrise.

I had to take a risk...

I took out my knife and attached the suppressor on my handgun. A gunshot would attract too much attention without it.

We continued to trade stares. The creature looked eager to fight but it didn’t know what I was capable of. I heard the rustling of bushes coming from behind the wood wolf, at least three more pairs of the same bright yellow eyes emerged, followed by several growls.

“Oh crap...” I said to myself.

“The chickens...” I heard James say quietly in my mind. I wondered why he said it like that but who cares?

The thing about wolves is that they can smell fear and if you make sudden movements then they will more than likely attack you. I slowly started to edge myself away from the wood wolves but they kept the same distance between us. As I reached the bushes, I searched for the dead bird’s bodies.

I couldn’t feel anything except leaves and twigs “Shit...Shitshitshitshit!” I was starting to panic as I heard the growls coming from the wolves becoming louder. My heart was racing as I turned on my pistols flashlight, pointing it into the bush. I could just see the legs of both of the bodies. I sighed in relief as I grabbed them and pulled.

The wolves started to grow closer to me but I didn’t care. I had my distraction. I threw the chicken bodies in front of them and started to run. I could hear the wolves fighting over the dead meat. I eased up knowing that my plan worked.

“Well...There goes your celebratory meal.” James said in a amused tone.

“Fuck the meal. I’d rather survive.” I said in my mind with hostility.

I ran as fast my legs could carry me. Using my flashlight to highlight my path for obstacles, what felt like five minutes of running, my body started to grow tired. It needed energy and rest from the amount of effort it put out today. It doesn’t help that I’m starving and I just gave up my meal. I knew I couldn’t just stop in place so I slowed down to a walk so I could still get my breath and find a new spot to rest. I had another flashback image surface while I ran but it wasn’t so bad.

My muscles felt like they were on fire but their recent activities kept me warm for a while. As I continued on my search for a liable resting spot, I came what looked like a hut.

“Who the fuck would want to live here?” I said to myself. I realised how loud I spoke as I heard the door of the hut open. The bright light started to burn my retina’s as I could make out a figure standing in the doorway. As my eyes adjusted to the change of light, I started to make out the figures shape. It was around the same height as the ponies so it probably was one.

“H-hello?” I mustered quietly.

First person: Callum

Fluttershy grew tired as the night progressed and fell asleep. Twilight opened the doors as I carried the resting pegasus into a guest room, laying her on the soft bed as I drew the blanket over her. We both left quietly and returned to the kitchen.

“So…What are your plans for tomorrow Twilight?” I asked after sipping on some tea she provided me earlier. The beverage was sweet and was a tad bitter but was still pretty good.

“Well, I was hoping to visit Zecora’s later to pick up some tea like this one.”

“That sounds good. Who’s Zecora?”

“She’s a zebra that lives in the Everfree. She uses herbs and other plants she finds there to make potions, medicines and a bunch of other things. She rhymes when she speaks.”

“Huh...” I replied “Is it safe for you to go to Zecora’s?”

“The path is safe during the day except for the very rare passing creature.”

“I’m not having you go into that forest alone so I’m coming with you.”

“Somepony is a bit protective now aren’t they?” She teased.

“Well...That and I’d like to meet her. We can ask her if she has spotted Ashley at all and to tell us immediately if she sees him.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I nodded as I sipped the remaining liquid from my mug before I rinsed it out and placed it in the sink. We both walked into the front room. We could both hear Spike’s snoring coming from upstairs, Twilight let out a soft giggle before yawning.

“Looks like someone could use some much needed sleep.” I teased. Her response was a soft smile and her rolling her eyes.

“I’m fine, It’s just been a stressful day that’s all.”

“That is has. Do you know about the spell that guard used on Ashley before he went crazy?”

“Let me check...” She made her way to one of the bookcases, levitating several books at once and looking at their contents pages. She shook her head at many of them until her ears perked up at the last book she picked up. “It says here...that the spell lasts until the victim sleeps. The one affected by the spell’s repressed memories will fade away. Soon those memories will be repressed like they were before the spell so it could mean that he will be the way he was before.”

“That’s good to hear. We still have to find him though.”

First person: Ashley

The figure before me turned out to be a zebra that spoke with rhymes and an African accent. I told her my story about no one understanding me and judging me on my looks. It turned out that she too was judged on appearance which caused the ponies to hide in fear. I asked her what she was doing living out here in the forest. She told me that there were many fascinating plants in the forest that she studied and made into several things like medicine.

We spoke to each other through the remainder of the night, mostly about her homeland Zebrica. She offered me several hot beverages during the conversation that turned out to be tea she made. At first I declined them at first but she persuaded me every time.

She told me her name was Zecora, she offered me something to eat which I happily accepted as well as a place to rest. She noticed my twitching at several points in conversation and asked about them.

I sighed. I didn’t really want to tell her about what they really were about but I decided that since she had done so much for me so far. She could have just slammed the door since I was literally covered in blood, sweat and some dirt. Mostly blood of course as well as badly torn clothes so I owed it her to tell her everything that happened.

“Alright. I’ll tell you...” She gave me her undivided attention “I’m a soldier who somehow ended up here on this world with my partner Callum.” I stopped, realising what I could of just implied “Partner as in part of a duo.” She nodded “When we landed, we were attacked by a creature that looked like a lion with a scorpion tail and wings.” She held up a hoof, making me stop my story.

“The creature you speak of is called a Manticore which are deadly things, some useful information for you is that they cannot use their wings.” She put down her hoof, allowing me to continue my story.

I went on for at least half an hour, explaining everything. I told her that my twitching was a side effect from a spell Night Wing used on me which caused me to go insane. I didn’t tell her about James and that he was a figment of my insanity that I could see. She didn’t judge me but instead gave me sympathy which was the not the reaction I was expecting. She told me that the wolves from earlier are Timberwolves that try to protect the forest and themselves. I told her that I killed thirty diamond dogs during my bloodlust which James told me was highly likely not to show up again since it had been fulfilled. She asked me about my flashbacks but I declined from telling her. She didn’t pry which I thanked her for.

After my story, I felt as if a large weight on me had been lifted. I felt slightly happier and asked Zecora if I could sleep here. She smiled and nodded but first asked for my clothes.

“Why do you want my clothes?” I had to ask.

“Maybe she has a fetish.” I heard James laugh in my mind, I would laugh as well but that would probably scare her a bit.

“You’re a mess and smell like blood and sweat...” I held up my hand to signal her to stop talking.

“I get it. You want me to clean up.” She nodded “Do you have any large pieces of cloth I can use to cover myself after I wash up?” She nodded once more, getting up to bring me a large dark green fabric “Thanks, do you have any soap and water I could use at all as well?” She nodded again, leaving me for a few minutes before returning with a bucket filled with water, a small bar of soap and a clean wash cloth.

I took the cleaning equipment outside and closed the door behind me, I went behind some bushes. I hung my boxers on the bush and put my blood covered clothes in a neat pile. I washed my entire body down which by the end of me cleaning myself, I poured the bucket into another bush since I turned a dark red. I shook myself as much as possible to get rid as much water as possible. My hair was dripping wet but I didn’t care. I put on my boxers and grabbed my clothes, putting them in the bucket with the now dark red cloth beneath them.

I re-entered Zecora’s hut and grabbed by bag. I shook out all the dead grass out of it and placed my old clothes inside the bag. My weapons were still in the pockets. Zecora gave me looks of confusion when I came back inside.

“I’ve had this outfit for a long time and it’s been through a lot. It has a large sentimental value.” I noticed that she still had the same look on her face. “Humans were clothes to hide private areas.” It was getting annoying to have keep saying things like that.

She shrugged before taking the bucket from me. I grabbed the large piece of cloth and wrapped it around my body. It was quite soft, didn’t restrict movement...I had an idea.

“Hey Zecora, do you think you could make this into a hood for me at all?”

She smiled “I shall take your request but only if you have some rest”

“Oh she got ya’ there Ash." James laughed, his voice was much quieter than earlier today. I wish I could punch him, he was starting to get a bit annoying but he was speaking less frequently.

“Sure.” I replied with a smile to Zecora. She grabbed me a pillow from across the room and a blanket. I laid them down next to the wall, lying on the blanket as my head hit the pillow. I pretty much fell asleep instantly...Then I wish I didn’t...

Ashley's dream state...

“The fuck was that!?” I quickly turned around, the room was pitch black and my heart was pounding. Something darted past me in the corner of my eye. I could hear it breathing but could not see anything. My skin felt hot while my insides were freezing cold. My breathing rate increased as breathing of whatever was nearby got louder.

...And then...Nothing...No sound at all. My body felt numb. I couldn’t move my body as a sharp pain quickly emerged in the back of my head. It felt like something pierced into my brain. The agony shot through the rest of my body.

The scenery changed. It was the day of my families funeral...but something was off...I looked at the people standing with me. Their faces had their eyes ripped out, blood was seeping from their sockets and into their mouths and partly down their cheeks. The all looked at me and started to smile. A smile I easily recognized.

I was the same smile I see in when I go crazy. Their teeth were razor sharp and black. Blood oozed from their top layer of teeth and onto the bottom. I started to run as fast as I could but they were all faster than me. I heard their grunts of hunger as they closed the distance.

After what felt like running for several minutes, I looked back to see they were all gone but I still kept running until my face collided with something. As my back hit the ground, I stared up at what I hit.

It was Callum...but he looked like the things from before but larger. Both height and in muscle. His cheeks were nonexistent except some skin was remaining, allowing you to see the entirety of his razor sharp teeth.

“What’s the matter Ashley!?” His voice ripped through my eardrums, I could feel them leaking some liquid. I dabbed my finger into one of my ears and pulled into my eyesight. I saw black ooze that started to burn my finger like acid. The pain felt as if it was real.

The demented figure of Callum laughed at me as it took a step back, his fingers started to become longer as his hands started to turn pure black. His fingers became claws, the tips would glow a faint green.

I got up as quickly as I could and sprinted in the other direction. I was gaining distance from Callum.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” I heard him yell. His entire arm stretched after me and grabbed me almost instantly. He pulled me back towards himself as he laughed maniacally. “Oh I’m going to enjoy this.”

He held up his other set of claws, he hovered them in front of my eyes while his extended arm still wrapped around my body, lifting me in the air and preventing me from struggling free. They lunged straight into them...

Zecora’s hut

I quickly shot up in a cold sweat. Quickly touching everything around me to make sure everything was real. My vision was blurry as I looked around the room and saw Zecora who was sick with worry. My breathing was still going fast and hard. My heart was beating like crazy, my skin was slightly pale.

“The...F-fuck w-was...T-that?” I could barely speak, my throat felt as if I was choking on fist.

“Is he alright?” I heard another voice...A familiar female voice...

“I don’t know...” This one was much more familiar and was masculine “Didn’t you see him shaking while he slept?”

“W-who’s...Who’s there?” I whispered quietly.

“Don’t worry Ash. It’s Callum and Twilight.” The masculine voice said. I looked at where it came from and saw a blurred figure and that did look like a human, next to him was a blurred version of Twilight.

Callum sat down next to me, placing my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm round my shoulder as my body shaked violently. “Ssshh...It’s over now.” He said in a quiet voice.

“W-what are you two d-doing here?” I said in my shaken voice, it was barely audible.

“I came here to get some more tea from Zecora and Callum came with me so he could ask about if she has seen you yet...”

I didn’t respond. I just laid there with Callum trying to calm me down for almost an hour. My breathing and heart rate had returned to their normal state as my body stopped shaking. I slowly started to get up. I only just realised that Callum had a new outfit on. It was a dark grey version of his uniform.

“James?” I thought to myself to get his response...Nothing.

“Are you okay Ash?” Twilight asked, her face was still showing her worry.

“I’ll manage...” I whispered “I...I just...”

“Come on Ash, let’s go back to Ponyville. Everyone is worried sick about you.” Callum stood next to me, he grabbed my bag for me.

“Before you leave...” Zecora left us to grab the hooded robe she made me. I put it on immediatly.

“...Thank you...for everything Zecora” I lowered myself and hugged her. She wrapped a forehoof around me

“You’re welcome.” She whispered into my ear. I broke the hug and grabbed my bag off Callum.

“Let’s get going...”Twilight said. Callum picked up a small bag from a nearby table.

“Thanks for the tea Zecora and taking care of Ashley.” Callum smiled.

“It was not a problem my friend. For those who require help, I shall tend.” She smiled back.

We began our silent journey back to Ponyville. We were near the edge of the forest when Callum decided to break the silence.

“Oh by the way Ashley, you might want to apologise to Fluttershy immediatly since you killed her chickens.” Callum whispered into my ears as we walked “Also don’t worry about the diamond dog bodies. I took care of them.”

“Sure...and thanks Callum.” I whispered in return, my head still facing towards the ground. “Where’d you get the threads?” I said in my normal voice, changing the subject.

“Rarity started on making me this last night and finished it this morning. Told her about making guard emblems for us and she almost fainted.” I gave a small laugh which was barely noticeable, getting a weak smile from Callum “You should see her when you can. She really wants to thank you for saving her sister. Not to mention that there are several other ponies that would like to thank you.” Ponyville came into our sight “You should see Rainbow Dash after you see Fluttershy. I think she was the one who was most worried about you. I saw her this morning, still searching Ponyville for you. I doubt she even slept.”

“Will do.” I whispered. I am not looking forward to apologising to everyone...

There ya go guys. I got some extra spare time today so I started on this chapter and finished it. Comments and ratings are like drugs for writers. WE NEED MOAR!

Return of the sane human

Quick A/N: Italics will now be used for the characters thoughts. (I should of used this soon but...oh well). Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Twilight and the humans arrived to Ponyville shortly. Ashley was unsure about what the time was to which was answered by Twilight who told him they arrived at Zecora’s at around midday. As they walked through the busy streets, Ashley was feeling really uncomfortable, mostly because he was wearing only his boxer shorts and a hood that did cover almost around three quarters of his body while the shadow from the hood concealed his face.

First person: Ashley

Callum was greeted by the odd pony now and again, a lot of them wondered what he was walking with that hid under the robe. They were totally oblivious that it was me.

“Someone you’ve seen before.” He mostly used this as an answer. The ponies would either shrug and continue their routine or would try to get a better look at me

My disguise was going well...Until a pink pony who we all know blew my cover.

“Oh hey Twilight! And Callum!” The pink pony paused, drawing closer to the hooded figure

“...Hi Ash...” She said in a quieter tone which was quite the shock but that still didn’t help. A nearby pony heard then name and looked at the hooded figure. It was the same height as the human she saw before.

“HE’S BACK!” The mare shouted, grabbing the attention of EVERYONE in earshot.

“Oh god...Not now...for the love of-“ I brought my hand to his face and stroked over my left eye. I was not in the mood for questions let alone talking much today. I noticed ponies were keeping their distance from me and were quite uneasy to be in my presence. At least they have the decency to give me my boundaries.

Three ponies walked up to me to which I recognised almost instantly. They were the part of the group I ‘saved’ from yesterday. Probably to extend their thanks once more.

“Excuse me...Mister Ashley?” The small pony from yesterday asked in a quite cheerful tone.

Ugh... I placed hand on the end of the hood and pulled it back, the warm light of the sun beaming on my skin “What?” I spoke with a flat voice.

“We’d just like to say thanks again for helping us.”

I lazily stared at the small pony in silence “Wasn’t a problem. What’s your name?”

“My names Dinky!” The small pony replied in the same cheerful tone as before “And that’s my mom.” She pointed to the grey, weird eyed pegasus from yesterday who to, was smiling but not as much as the smaller pony.

The Pegasus held out her hoof towards me “My names Ditzy Doo but you can call me Derpy.” So this is Derpy? I can see why with those eyes with hers.

I lowered myself down to the ponies height and shook her hoof lightly “It’s a pleasure meeting you both but really, it was no trouble at all for what I did yesterday.” I smiled weakly before noticing the unicorn with the blue and white mane from yesterday as well. “What’s your name?” I asked her.

“My name’s Colgate.” Really? A pony named Colgate whose hair looks like toothpaste? If she works in the dental business then I’m going to punch myself. ”And I’m the local dentist.”

SMACK

Huh...Didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would...Aaaand now everyone is staring at me weirdly...Oh wait they already were. I bet I’m going to get at least one awkward smile.

“Why did you hit yourself?” Colgate asked

“Felt like it.” I wasn’t in the mood to say why so hooray for short answers.

“O-kay...” She smiled awkwardly Yep, totally wasn’t going to expect that now was I?

“Come on Ashley.” I heard Twilight speak from behind. She’s been awfully quiet for a while now hasn’t she? Not that I’m complaining, I was enjoying that silence. ”We should get going.” She turned to Pinkie “Are you coming to?”

Pinkie nodded fast. By this I mean I thought her neck was about to snap off. I pulled the hood over my head. Why? Because when you where a hooded robe, you feel like a badass...That and you can hide your face which is the main reason why.

“Do you want me to go get the others Ash?” Callum asked, signalling he was about to leave.

I grunted in approval, seeing Callum leave “Don’t get Fluttershy. I’ll go see her when the time comes.”

He nodded and continued his journey. This robe was quite comfortable...This is so going to be part of my uniform. Not even the princess’ will stop me from wearing this...I wish it was in black though...The princess’...Oh they are going to want to have a word with me and I bet it’s going to be a god damn lecture as well about how ‘Oh we were just trying to help’ and ‘You had everyone worried! What were you thinking?!'...I don’t like walking around in my boxers...

“Who should we go see first Ash?” Twilight asked, making me lose my track of thought.

“Don’t know. You pick.” I mumbled in return.

“Okay. How about we see Rarity first? I’m sure she’d love to thank you for saving Sweetie Belle and she could measure you for your clothes.”

“Yeah...Sure...Whatever.” My voice was barely even audible. I just wanted to tune out their voices so much! As we continued our walk, I remembered about my MP3 and pulled it out as quickly as possible.

“What are you doing?” I saw Pinkie peek her head over my shoulder. I don’t know how she reached up there without any sort of step ladder and I didn’t care “Ooooo what’s that?”

“MP3. Excuse me while I listen to some music.” I held the power button, the LED screen lit up and the word Samsung appeared. I watched the small loading screen pass as a song name came up. I scanned through the songs, immediately going to one of my favourite songs ‘Riot by Three days grace’. I put the volume level onto twenty eight out of forty This should pretty much mute everyone. I plugged in the earphones and connected them to my ears.

If you feel so empty

So used up, so let down

If you feel so angry

So ripped off, so stepped on

As the intro started to play, I felt something pull on one of the earphones, seeing a pink hoof take my left earphone. I saw in the corner of my eye that Pinkie somehow managed to successfully put the earphone into her own ear.

You're not the only one

Refusing to back down

You're not the only one

So get up...

She listened with undivided attention which was a bit of a surprise coming from her. She didn’t seem to be effected that much by the song so far...Until it got to the chorus. I watched as her cheerful face turned to one of slight disgust.

Let's start a riot, a riot

Let's start a riot

Let's start a riot, a riot

Let's start a riot

If you feel so filthy

So dirty, so fucked up

If you feel so walked on

So painful, so pissed off

She immediately took out the earphone and dropped it, letting it hang by its cord “How can you listen to that? It sounds so...so...”

“Angry?” Ending her sentence for her, she nodded. I’ve had this conversation quite often.

“Why do you listen to that?”

“Because I like it and I think it sounds awesome, mostly because I love listening to rock. This music sort of speaks to me.” I must admit, I was cheering up a bit. Must be a side effect of being near this pink menace.

“Rock music? You mean the stuff Dashie likes to listen to?” Dash likes rock? Maybe I can use this to my advantage when I see her...

“What other music do you like?” She slid back to the ground, taking her place beside me while we walked with Twilight who was listening to the conversation taking place.

“Depends on my mood and if I like the song or not.” I pressed pause on the song which was around a third through its duration.

“You said that song is angry...So does that mean you’re angry right now?” Twilight asked Didn’t expect her to ask that sort of question.

“I...Uh...I don’t know really what I feel right now...It’s a mix. There’s shame...a bit of anger...throw in a bit of a positive attitude I guess. The reason why? I don’t know so we should just leave it at that.” I placed the other earphone back in my ear, switching to the OST’s I had stored. I decided to put on some Ace Combat tracks. Never played the games, the OST is pretty epic though.

The rest of the journey went quite quickly, I noticed Twilight’s and Pinkie’s mouths moving so they must have been talking. I could have taken out my earphones at any point but I was into the music and didn’t want to. We eventually arrived at Rarity’s.

Twilight knocked on the door as I put away the MP3 and earphones. Rarity opened the door with slight delay.

“Oh, Hello Twilight and Pinkie. How are...you...” She slowly averted her glance towards me noticed my hooded figure behind them Any second she will snap. “WHAT IS THAT MONSTROSITY TO FASHION?!” Called it

I pulled back the hood, revealing my face “Miss me?” I gave a cheeky smile.

“Ashley!" At first her face was of surprise and then slowly made its way towards a smile "What are you wearing!?” Apparently, clothing is more important than the person who saved your sister and ran into a forest after a rampage.

“Zecora made me this so I wouldn’t have to walk around everywhere in my boxer shorts because of all the stains on my other suit.” I knew she knew what stains I was talking about. “OH! And I’m fine by the way.” I put emphasise on the second part. I saw Rarity roll her eyes as she let out a small giggle.

“Come in, all of you.” She moved to the side of the door, allowing us access. Pinkie bounced into the building which I sort of expected from her happy nature.

“So…” Rarity spoke out after a few minutes in awkward silence which I was enjoying a bit. “Are you…well…”

“Am I okay? Am I sane again? Do I like pie? Do you want me to do something?” I shot the questions like wild fire with a grin on my face. Watching her trying to pick a question was fun.

“Lets just start with are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I feel a bit exposed right now with some other emotions but they’re becoming more neutral now.”

“Well…That’s good to hear.” She have me another smile “I’d really like to thank you for saving dear Sweetie Belle from that…that…”

“I get it.” I held my hand up to stop her talking “And I accept your appreciation but that’s not the main reason why I’m here.”

“Oh? Why are you here exactly?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow, I swear I could hear something moving upstairs but I decided to ignore it.

“I’m here to apologise.”

“Apologise for what darling?”

“For causing everyone to worry about me while I ran into the forest in my state at the time, refusing help from any of you.She better not be a drama queen about this otherwise I’m walking out.

“I will admit. I was worried dearly about you as the rest of us were.” Pinkie and Twilight nodded. I swear I could hear voices upstairs “But seeing you comeback and in good health and apologising…It takes a true stallion…er…Man?” I nodded in approval “Right, It takes a true man to say sorry for their actions no matter what they are and actually mean it. I gladly accept your apology.”

“Good.” I turned to Twilight and Pinkie “Do you accept?”

“Of course!” Pinkie bounced as she practically screamed into my ear.

“Ashley, I would be a fool to refuse your apology.” Twilight smiled.

“That’s good…” I walked up Twilight who was watching me with confusion.

“What are you doing?” She asked, my shadow covering the majority of her body

“Oh…I don’t know…” I turned my head away, appearing to look deep in thought. I quickly grabbed Twilight, making her squeak in surprise as I hugged her. I could tell she felt awkward but she wrapped her forelegs over my shoulders to return the embrace. I put her back down after a few seconds, noticing her with a smile on her face.

“Aww…” I heard both Pinkie and Rarity from behind, commenting on my friendly gesture towards the lavender unicorn

“Don’t think this is over yet.” I quickly grabbed Pinkie who was giggling in excitement as I hugged her. I don’t usually hug people...ponies…but I think that this is a special occasion since I could do with some cheering up.

She was still giggling as I set her down, I turned to Rarity who reeled back when I approached her, disgusted by my outfit.

“We can do this one way or another Rarity.” I said playfully “Either you hug me like this.” I pointed to my hooded robe “Or I take it off and hug you with my slightly sweaty body.” I bared a small evil grin. Man I love messing with this girl.

“I…Uh…” Rarity hesitated for around ten seconds, trying to buy herself more time.

“I’m only kidding Rarity.” I heard her sigh in relief “I’ll comeback for the hug another time.” I heard muffled voices come from upstairs once more “Is someone up there?” I pointed upstairs

Rarity nodded “Yes, Sweetie Belle and her friends are upstairs. I’m sure they would like to meet you.” She approached the stairs and walked up them. As she disappeared around the corner, I could hear her faint voice talking to the others followed by what sounded like a mass of hooves dashing towards me.

That’s when I regretted coming to this place…

I watched as three small ponies ran down the stairs. One being Sweetie Belle, another was a small Pegasus with purple hair and orange coat while the last one…I remembered her instantly and she done the same.

“THAT’S THE MONSTER!” She tried to hightail it back up the stairs but Sweetie Belle and Rarity blocked her path. She couldn’t run through the door because I was standing near it.

“Applebloom! You’re acting irrational!” Rarity said in a strict, motherly tone.

“But that’s the monster I saw near the farm!” The earth pony said in her thick southern accent.

“If he really was a monster then would he have saved Sweetie Belle? Wouldn’t he have attacked us already? If he was a monster, would he have saved several other ponies from the diamond dogs? If he was a monster, wouldn’t the princess’ have taken him away?” Twilight spoke up. She made some very good points.

I watched as Applebloom couldn’t say a word. Finally, I decided to speak up. “I see you remember me.” I started to pace around the room with my arms crossed “Tell me…What makes me so scary. Don’t hold back on your opinion.”

“Well…Uh…Yer really tall…Taller than most ponies…You have sharp teeth an’ usually things that have sharp teeth eat animals an’ you look evil with that there scar.” She pointed to my face.

Okay…I was a bit displeased being told that but I know that’s what I pretty much asked for. “Thanks for sharing that. Now let me enlighten you. My teeth? Yes I do eat meat, but also have flat ones to eat fruit and vegetables. Eating meat isn’t really necessary for my survival since my species is an omnivore like I just described. This scar is from an accident I had as a child, nothing big, ran through a bush and cut my face. As for the whole being taller thing…I like being this tall and I wouldn’t change my height if I had the option.”

I heard her sigh slightly in relief and watched as she looked at everyone in the room. The small Pegasus looked at me in utter awe She must of heard something about me while I was gone or something while everyone else was giving her looks to reassure her I was okay.

“If it helps…Celestia said that me and Callum who is a human also. My closest friend as well, are going to be appointed to the guard after witnessing our combat training in before her own eyes.”I gave a faint smile. “Now that I have done what I needed to do for Rarity. I need to be elsewhere. If you have any questions then come see me or Callum.” I started to head towards the door but Rarity blocked me.

“Oh nonono. You’re going to sit here while I make your uniform. I will not let a guard let alone a dear friend go out in…that.” She pointed to my outfit in disgust.

I shrugged “Fine by me.” I turned to Twilight and Pinkie “I’m probably going to be a while so you do whatever you had planned today.”

“Okie dokie.” Pinkie burst out the door pretty much instantly, Twilight remained in her place.

“I think I’m going to stay with you a bit. I’m sure the girls here would love to ask you some questions.” She gestured to the three small ponies whose faces were smiling widely.

“Alright.” I cocked a smile as we all followed Rarity into her work area.

There were many types of fabrics piled neatly around the room. Among them was measuring equipment, accessories, gems and pieces of paper that appeared to have dress designs on them, all of them in neat piles. A couple of mannequin’s were dotted round the edge of the room, some had parts of dresses on them and some had full dresses while some had ones that were nearly completed. For someone who works hard, Rarity is still capable of keeping her work area presentable.

“Lets begin shall we?” Rarity levitated several measuring tapes next to her.

“Lets my fair maiden.” I put on my gentleman voice, getting a small laugh from the fashionista.

“I’m going to ask you to remove that thing.” Bet she is talking about this hood. Better do what she asks.

I removed the robe, standing in the middle of the room in my boxers with everyone looking at me. I could tell they were examining my near naked figure.

“Whoa…you look strong.” I heard the orange Pegasus speak up, noticing she was examining my toned body “Not as strong as Big Mac I bet.”

“Oh really? Have you seen those bruises he has?” She nodded “Where’d you think he got them?” I smiled smugly “Although, he did quite the number on me.”

“So…Are you really good at fighting?” the same pony asked again

“Not going to lie. Yes I am. I’m surprised you don’t know what happened in the last couple of days.”

“What happened?” Applebloom asked.

“Brief version. Me and Callum beat up a lot of the guards. I stopped the diamond dog attack.”

“Pfft. Fat chance you could take on the royal guard. Those guys are tough!”

“Oh really? Why don’t you ask the princess’, the guards themselves and pretty much everyone who lives in this town. A large crowd watched us fight the guards with ease.”

“I’ll take yer word for it. You look pretty strong.” Applebloom spoke up

“I’m also fast.” I lifted my arms up to my sides, allowing Rarity to measure my upper body. “I’m hoping to have a running race with Rainbow Dash at some point. You can watch if you want.”

“Puh-lease.” The orange Pegasus spoke up “Nopony is as fast as Rainbow Dash.” She says it like she’s her role model…

“You’re right…” I saw her smile smugly “No-PONY. I’m not a pony as you can tell.” Her smile disappeared while I brought out my own smug smile. Messing with these ponies is quite fun. I should do this more often.

“That’s your upper body done. Spread your legs a bit.” Rarity spoke, I done what she asked.

“So…What’s your name?” I pointed to the orange Pegasus.

“My name’s Scootaloo.” She replied as she leaned herself against a desk, trying to look cool. “Rainbow Dash’s number one fan.”

“Aww ain’t that cute? Rainbow’s got a fangirl!” I cocked my cheeky smile again. She gave me an evil glare.

“Hey stop it you two.” Twilight giggled “Don’t you girls have more questions?”

“Oh oh!” Sweetie bell chimed “Do you have a cutie mark?”

“Cutie mark? Our species doesn’t have them.”

“But…How do y’all know what your secret talent is?” Applebloom asked with slight sadness.

“Everyone has a talent but having a mark to prove it would make the person restrict to that talent. Humans like to have a wide variety of skills. For example, one of my skills is cooking while another is being able to fight my opponent with moves that don’t hurt them but restrain them to prevent them from movement. Why’d you ask about the cutie mark anyway?”

“Because…” Sweetie belle smiled, all three small ponies drew in a deep breath

“WE ARE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” They screamed. Not the loudest thing I’ve heard but it’s up on the list. I looked towards Rarity and Twilight who had their ears covered with their hooves Wow…They didn’t even think to give me a warning…oh well.

“Oh-kay then.”

The rest of the process was amusing. They told me about what they did to get their cutie marks but failed every time. I told them from what I understood from the subject that the experience you have earning your cutie mark even if you fail many times is much better than getting it straight away and that later in life, you’ll look back at those adventures and the fun times you had with your friends as you all tried together. This cheered them up almost before they darted out the building to attempt another cutie mark operation.

“Well, I have your measurements. It will be much easier to make your outfit since I’ve already done Callums and know the shape. Can you comeback in a couple of hours?” Rarity said as she levitated different coloured fabrics towards a sewing machine

“Sure. Shall we get going Twilight?” She nodded “Oh and Rarity, Can you make me a black one of those robes? It grew on me and I’d love to have one that goes with my uniform.”

“Sure. That will only take a few minutes to make anyway.”

“Great. See ya’.” Both me and Twilight waved goodbye. I made sure to pick up my robe and put it on, covering my face with the hood. I closed the door when we exited.

“So, who shall we see next?”

“Well, are the princesses still in town?”

“No they had to take care of some business but they said that if we find you then we should tell them. They said they would visit as soon as possible.”

“Well that’s nice of them. Shall we go see Spike so he can send the letter?”

“Sure. Lets get going.” We started our journey back to the library.

As we walked through the town, I noticed quite a few of the townspeople…ponies were easing up to me. Instead of running away, they would step out of my way while others continued on with their day. Some would stop by to have a quick chat with me. I didn’t want to talk to them much but some were really impressed with some of my moves in the fight yesterday except the whole breaking bones thing.

First person: Callum

It’s great to see Ashley is back. Hopefully he has already apologised to either Pinkie, Twilight or Rarity. I continued my path towards Sweet Apple Acres, spotting Applejack and Big Macintosh was quite easy. Applejack was bucking the apple trees while Big Macintosh was dragging the cart which they would carry their produce in. By dragging I mean easily pulling the almost full cart. Seriously, that guy is a like a tank when it comes to the strength of these ponies. I approached them both after a few minutes watching them do their work.

“Well howdy there Cal! What can I do fer ya’?” Applejack asked after striking the tree with her back legs, apples falling into the baskets beneath the tree.

“Not much. We found Ashley at Zecora’s and he seems fine now. He wanted me to come and get you and Big Mac.”

“Tell him we’ll meet him at Sugarcube Corner once we’re done with work fer today.”

“Right. Do you know where Rainbow Dash is?”

“Hold on a second.” Applejack trotted off deeper into the orchard. I could barely see her but I could make out her kicking one of the trees, followed by a thud. “Found her!”

I walked over to Applejack and saw the cyan Pegasus rubbing her head.

“What the hay was that for Applejack?” Rainbow groaned.

Applejack looked towards me “you tell her. I’m going back to work.”

“Right see ya’ in a bit Applejack.”

“I told you that you can call me AJ Callum.” She smiled Oh yeah, now I remember

“What is it you wanted to tell me?” Rainbow stood back up and stretched herself. Her feathers were a bit ruffled from sleeping in the tree. You could tell that she was lacking sleep from the slight darkness forming under her eyes.

“We found him.”

“Found Ashley?” I nodded “Where’d you find him?”

“He was asleep at Zecora’s. He’s fine and the last I saw of him, he was with Twilight and Pinkie. He asked me to get the others so I thought get Applejack, you and Big Mac while he does whatever he wanted to do.”

“Oh alright. Are we going to stand here forever or what?” She taunted as she already started to walk back to Ponyville.

“Lets go. I told him that you were probably up all night trying to find him.”

Rainbow yawned “Yeah…I was…Sort of collapsed when I was flying over AJ’s farm and decided to sleep in a tree. I didn’t feel like grabbing a cloud at the time but now I wish I did.” Man I’d love to sleep on a cloud. Bet it would feel like almost nothing.

“Since he’s with Twi, should we go to the library?”

“Good idea.” I nodded. We continued our journey.

First person: Ashley

As we opened the door, the heavy scent of wood polish filled my nose This must be Spike’s doing…or Twilight got him to do it.

“Is that you Twilight?” I heard Spike call out from upstairs.

“Yes Spike. I need you to take a letter.” Twilight replied in the same volume. I listened as claws scratched against the wood as Spike came downstairs. I pulled back my hood.

“Oh hey Ash. How you doin’?” Spike smiled as he grabbed a quill and paper

“Fine. How about yourself?”

“Not bad.” Small talk even though it’s highly likely he knows about what happened…I’m really liking this kid. ”So Twilight, what is it you want me to write?”

“Oh just a letter saying that we found Ashley and that he’s back to normal.”

I watched as Spike wrote on the letter before rolling it up and engulfing it in his green flame. “Still cool you can do that.”

“Heh. Thanks.” he beat his chest as his cheeks grew in size, he released a large belch that would put me to shame any day although I’m not really one for that sort of thing. A letter appeared out of the green flames he emitted. He opened it and began to read aloud…

Dear Twilight Sparkle

I’m glad you found him and its wonderful news to hear that he is back to normal. Luna and I shall be preparing a carriage to visit your library again very shortly.

Please notify Ashley of our visit when possible.

From HRH, Princess Celestia

“That’s great. I think we should have about an hour to kill.”

“Well since we have an hour…What shall we do?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know about you but I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since last night.” My stomach growled a bit when I said that. It just had to pick the perfect moment when to strike.

“We can visit Sugarcube Corner. I’m sure Pinkie would love for you to try some of her confectionary.”

“I’m guessing Pinkie works there, doesn’t she?” She nodded “Sort of expect that with all the energy she seems to have endless amounts of.”

Twilight laughed a bit as we left, I pulled my hood back up. I really love having a thing like this although I can’t wait to see what Rarity makes for my outfit. As we approached Sugarcube Corner, I saw Callum coming towards us with Rainbow Dash.

“So I heard that you might have stayed up all night trying to find me?” The bags under her eyes confirmed it with her slight nod. I picked her up and hugged her “I’m sorry for making you worry so much.”

I felt her hug me back “It’s cool. I don’t leave my friends hanging.”

I put her back down and pulled by hood back.

THUMP

“What was that for?” I questioned as I rubbed my arm from the punch from Rainbow.

“Don’t make me worry so much like that!” She said jokingly and laughed a bit. I rolled my eyes and shared the laugh.

As we spent around thirty-five minutes in Sugarcube Corner, I felt sorry for Mr and Mrs Cake for having Pinkie work there. Seriously, she’s freaking insane! But they said that her parties and the amount of work she puts in really helps out the business so I shrugged off my thought from earlier. Twilight, Callum, Rainbow and I made our way back to the library and waited for the princess’ to arrive. We only had to wait around five minutes when we got through the door to hear it knocked on.

“I got this one.” I split myself from the group and opened the door, seeing both princesses looking at me as I returned the stare. I immediately bowed “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Hello Ashley.” Celestia spoke “How are you doing? Also you can stand back up.”

I stood back up “Doing fine. Better than yesterday that’s for sure.” I moved out the way for the princess’ to enter “Come in if you want.” Both princesses walked in.

Rainbow, Callum and Twilight noticed the princess’ and bowed respectively. Both princesses told them to rise and they done so. Twilight and Callum began to speak to Celestia about how they found me while Rainbow Listened.

After a couple more minutes of telling the princesses my story, Celestia spoke up.

“Are you in a stable condition to take on your part as of the guard like Callum has?”

“Indeed princess.”

“Excellent.” Celestia smiled “Have you been to Rarity yet?”

“Yes. She measured me for my outfit a while back and said that it should be ready soon. Why don’t we check on her?” Celestia and Luna nodded before we all exited the library towards Rarity’s.

As we walked down the streets of Ponyville, the ponies would immediately bow to the sight of the princesses. Twilight walked between Celestia and Callum while Rainbow walked between Luna and I. Luna and Celestia were side by side.

As we approached the door to Rarity’s, it opened as my hand grew near.

“Oh hello Ashley.” Rarity greeted me with a smile “I finished your uniform quicker than expected.” She leant her head to the side of me and saw the princesses and the others behind me and bowed “Princesses, it is an honour to be in your presence.”

“Rise Rarity.” Celestia smiled “We are here to discuss the design of the emblem that Ashley and Callum will need to have on their uniforms.”

Third person

Even though half an hour had passed, it felt like several hours. The tension of making something with the princesses overlooking everything you do was stressful for Rarity. She suggested many designs for the emblem but either Ashley or Callum disagreed or the princesses disagreed. Ashley was wearing the black uniform Rarity made him with the robe resting over his shoulder. Ashley gave his many thanks to the fashionista

“I think I have an idea...” Everyone turned towards Ashley “How about we each have an emblem to represent one of the princesses? I was thinking that my emblem could be a half moon with an image of my knife and handgun crossing over each other to make an ‘X’ shape on top of it?”

“That...Sounds pretty good.” Callum agreed “Mine could be a sun instead of a moon though. Care to share your thoughts on this?” He looked towards the princesses

“I think...” Luna spoke first “It sounds good as it enables those who see it to instantly know which princess you’re working for. It has my vote.”

“I share the same opinion as my sister.” Celestia smiled

Rarity sighed in relief in the fact they came to an agreement “I’m going to need your...weapons...as references to complete the design.”

“Alright.” Both humans said in unison. They both took out their handguns and removed the clips and put on the safety followed by taking out their knives. Rarity levitated the weapons out of their grasp and put them on a nearby desk as she instantly started to sketch out the designs.

“So while Rarity does her thing. Is there anything I need to know?”

“Yes there is Ashley.” Celestia spoke “You two will be patrolling the streets at least four days a week. If you wish to do some extra hours during the night then do so. If you wish to take up a second job then that is your choice as long as it does not collide with your patrol shifts.”

“When are the shifts?” Callum asked

“The shifts will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday starting from ten in the morning and ending at six in the afternoon. The local guard station will be notified of your presence and that you work for us. Your pay will consist of twenty bits an hour.” Luna added

“That sounds pretty good. We can do training on Saturdays and do a bit after each shift.” Ashley smiled, hiding the fact he knew nothing about the currency here.

“Excellent. I’m glad that you understood this quickly.” Celestia smiled towards the humans before Rainbow spoke up.

“Y’know, if you’re looking for a second job, there is a club that I used go to on Fridays that could use some new bouncers since the others quit and moved town.”

“Sure. Who do we need to speak to for the jobs?” Callum asked.

“The clubs owner is known as Neon Light. She’s quite laid back and a good friend of mine. I’m sure she would love to have some guards protecting her place if I put in a good word.” She replied in a smug tone.

“Tomorrow is Wednesday right?” Callum asked, getting a nod from both princesses before putting his attention back on Rainbow “Good, you can show us the place after we finish our shift.”

A small amount of time after this, Rarity returned with three sets of each emblem.

“I’m going to need your jackets and shirts.” She requested, both humans complied and stripped the necessary items off themselves. Both princesses and Rainbow were examining their upper bodies. Looking at every muscle and seeing how toned they were. Callum’s muscles seemed to be slightly bigger than Ashley’s.”

“Whoa...Nice muscles.” Rainbow said awestruck as she stared at Ashley’s muscles.

“Uh...Thanks...I guess.” Ashley replied modestly. He noticed her staring at his body “You should take a picture, it would last longer.” He winked playfully, causing her to blush slightly.

“What these old things?” Callum smugly said as he flexed his muscles, you could see some of the veins rise closer to the surface of his skin.

“Stop being a douche Callum.” Ashley said as he jokingly punched his friend in the arm.

“You’re just jealous of my larger muscles because you are tiny baby man.” Callum returned in a playful tone, poking Ashley in the chest with his finger.

“Not really.” Ashley shrugged “Remember that while you’re stronger, I’m faster.”

“True.” Callum nodded a bit with a smile.

“Enough you two.” Twilight giggled “We don’t you two getting hot headed now do we?”

“I think it’s a bit too late for that Twilight.” Celestia added as she tried to hold in a laugh.

Several minutes later, Rarity returned with the human’s shirts and jackets which were folded. Their weapons rested on top of their clothes as she levitated the items to them.

“Go ahead, try them on!” Rarity said joyfully, eager to get feedback on her hard work.

The humans put their weapons in their trouser pockets before putting on their shirts. Callum had the emblem he wanted which was on the left of the shirt, the same was with Ashley’s but was the emblem he described. Both humans were smiling like children on Christmas morning as they put on their jackets. They looked on the upper sleeves and saw their respected emblems on there. The stitching was hardly noticeable so it wouldn’t run the look.

“Seriously Rarity, this is absolutely amazing. I can’t say anything bad about this because there is nothing bad about it.” Ashley said smiling, Callum nodded in agreement.

“I’m very glad you enjoy it darling and I really appreciate the compliment.” Rarity returned the smile “If you ever need anything else, clothing wise. Then you know who to come to.”

“As if I would go anywhere else to get something as amazing as this. When it comes to clothing, we’ll always come to you.” Callum replied, causing the fashionista to blush a bit from the compliment.

“Oh really now...There is no need to compliment so much.” Rarity said as she regained her composure.

“Well if you insist.” Ashley replied before turning to the princesses “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

“No I think we’re done for today. Go to the guard station later today so you can get started tomorrow. We shall be seeing you again soon.” Princess Luna spoke before both princesses took their leave, heading back to the library to get back on their carriage.

“Hey Callum, did you ask Applejack and Big Mac to see me earlier?” Ashley turned his head to him

“Yeah, she said we should meet at Sugarcube corner later after they finish work.”

“Shall we just wait there then?”

“Sure let’s go.”

“You two go ahead. I’m going to go home for a bit to check on Spike.” Twilight waved goodbye, as did everyone else in return before she left.

“I want to take a small break before getting back to work on a dress. Speak to you three soon okay?”

“Sure. See ya’ Rarity and thanks again for everything.” Ashley said as he left, followed by Callum and Rainbow who also said their goodbyes.

The three of them walked through the town, asking for directions to the guard station. Rainbow offered to go to Sugarcube Corner to tell Applejack and Big Mac that Ash and Cal were at the guard station. Both humans agreed and she flew off to the confectionary store.

As the humans approach, they noticed a very familiar unicorn guard walking out of the building. It was the same guard that Callum almost strangled. The guard gave them a glare of pure hatred but the humans just laughed it off. They couldn’t wait to see the same unicorns face when he finds out their on the royal guard.

They entered the main reception. a grey Pegasus mare with a brown mane which was styled in a bun greeted them. Her eyes were a light shade of brown.

“Are you two the creatures the princesses wrote to us about?”

“Yes we are. We were told by them to come here to sort out some stuff before we start our duties tomorrow.” Ashley replied

“Very well. Follow me please.” The mare got off her chair and gestured the humans to follow her through a long hall way. “Let me give you a quick tour.” They passed a green door “That is the training room. We have an outside training area for pegasi and those who want to practice in a more open space.” They continued down the hall, passing a couple of guards who gave them slight nods which the humans returned. They approached a red double door “This is the mess hall. Not much to it much really but you can eat outside if you wish.” They kept going down the hall.

Going past several doors, finding out this station had a shower rooms for both genders. The entire building was spotless which was expected from a place like this.

“I’m just curious, are you two those who injured the guards at all?”

“That would be us.” Callum replied nonchalantly

“Well it’s good to have you working for the guard. We run a tight schedule here and judging from the letter the princesses sent. You two are highly trained combat soldiers if I’m not mistaken?”

“You’re correct once again ma’am.” Ashley said.

“Please, there is no need to be formal with me. Just call me Grey Ink.”

“Well, if you say so. Where are we going to anyway?”

“I’m taking you to the guy in charge of this station. From what I hear, he really wanted to get back at you for beating up his guards but he calmed down since the princesses told him that you’d be working for them.”

“So what’s this guy’s name?” Callum asked.

“Captain Shockwave. He’s a unicorn who can control electricity to some degree. He’s saved quite a few lives and is quite tough. Not as tough as Captain Solar or Night Wing. Those stallions can save me any day...” she said with lust as she started to daydream before quickly snapping out of it with a heavy blush “You didn’t hear any of that.” She snapped.

“Hear any of what?”

“What I just—Oh you’re good.” She said playfully.

“I’m also good at something else.” Callum winked at the mare.

“Oh really? And what would that be?” she teased

“It happens in the bedroom department...” Callum had a smile on his face. Seeing if the mare would fall for his trap.

The humans noticed the mares wings flare out almost immediately with a small pomf-like noise and a very noticeable blush on her face.

“Uh...are you okay?” Ashley asked.

“Me? Uh...Y-yeah...Never better. Why’d you ask?” She tried her best to get her wings to go back down but they had a mind of their own.

“Because you’re blushing and your wings flared as soon as...Callum...said...OH MY GOD!” Ashley started to burst out in laughter as well as Callum when he understood what was going on.

“Will you keep it down?! This is a delicate situation.” She whispered loudly, checking the hallway for anypony around.

Ashley could hardly breathe from his laughing fit, Callum jerked a tear of sheer joy. Grey Ink’s wings went down but she was still blushing.

“Oh man...That was brilliant.” Callum finally stabilized himself “Besides I was only kidding.” He heard the mare sigh in relief “That’s what Ashley’s good at.” The mares blush intensified.

“That’s a lie and you know it Callum.” Ashley said seriously.

“Yeah yeah. I know.” Callum rolled his eyes “My names Ashley and I’m an asexual.” He teased.

“And my names Callum and I sleep with almost any girl I can.” Ashley said in a mocking tone, both humans were laughing once more. The Pegasus mare just shook her head.

“You two are weird.”

“Well you’re going to have to get used to it.” Ashley smirked “Shall we keep going then?” The mare nodded as they all continued down the hall.

It took them around a minute to get to what Grey Ink said was Shockwave’s office. She said her goodbyes and so did the humans. She enjoyed their company since they knew how to have a good laugh unlike most of the guards who didn’t really talk to her.

Ashley knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“The new guys.”

“Ah! Come right in.”

Both humans walked inside the office. The place was well organised with a couple of file cabinets, images on the wall which looked that had the stallion before them with some other ponies, probably either good friends or family or both. Shockwave was a yellow unicorn with a short, spiked mane that had purple highlights at the tips. He was larger than most stallions but not as large as Big Mac.

“Ah. You must be the hoo-mans the princesses told me about.”

“Humans sir.” Both humans saluted.

“Heh. At ease.” Both humans done what they were told. “I was told you are highly trained combat soldiers from a different world.”

“you are correct sir.” Ashley said

“Please. Don’t call me sir until you start tomorrow.”

“Alright then.” Callum replied.

“Okay. Now, one of the things that concern me the most. You two are the ones who are responsible for attacking my guards?”

“Yes.” Both replied in unison.

“But in self defence.” Ashley added.

“I see. To be honest with you. I’m glad you did, those guards specifically since they’re short fused and rush straight into a fight. They needed to be brought down a notch.”

“Glad to be of a service I guess.” Callum said

“Alright. Now onto your shifts, I’m sure the princesses already told you them?”

“Yes. Sunday to Wednesday, start at ten in the morning and finish at six in the afternoon.” Ashley replied.

“Good. I’m glad we have you on our side. You’ll make fine additions to this station. This town is pretty calm but we like to stay alert since we’re so close to the forest and diamond dogs attack every now and again. I heard one of you two prevented the last attack.”

“That would be me.” Ashley raised his hand slightly and put it back down “After Captain Night Wing used a spell on me and brought horrific repressed memories that made me go insane and brutally kill the thirty diamond dogs that attacked. Saved a few ponies in the process.”

“And you left me to clean it all up.” Callum snapped but wasn’t angry.

“I see. I’m sure they won’t be coming back since unless they have a death wish.”

“Yeah...” Ashley nodded.

“I was told that I have to alarm every guard about your presence and about the emblems you wear.” Shockwave pointed to the emblems on both humans arms “Are those them?”

“Yes. This is our uniform.”

“Why are you not wearing armour?”

“Because we prefer to be able to move freely instead of having armour that does not benefit much in protecting its wearer.” Callum said.

“I see. I don’t care for armour that much but I wear it when I’m walking around town. Mares like a stallion whose in uniform.”

“Callum would totally understand what you mean.” Ashley said with a grin, gesturing to his friend who nodded.

“Ah I see.” Shockwave gave both humans a smile “This has been a good introduction. I hope to see you at ten. On the dot.” He held out his hoof over the desk.

“Oh trust me. You will.” Ashley reached out and shook the stallions hoof. Callum did the same.

“Alright then. You two take care now.” Shockwave waved goodbye as the humans left the office.

Going down the hallways, they noticed the unicorn guard from earlier who shot another look of anger. The reception desk was in sight so both humans decided to talk to Grey Ink again. Telling her about the meeting, she was quite surprised by Shockwave’s reaction to the humans since she expected him to shout at them at least. She told the humans a funny story from her past. After around half an hour of talking to the Pegasus, they said their farewells and left to Sugarcube Corner.

Well guys, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Comment and stuff because I like to see them.

Pleasant dreams are overrated...

After their meeting with Shockwave and their half hour long discussion with Grey Ink, both humans slowly gained visual of the doors of Sugarcube Corner. The citizens’ of Ponyville would still glance at the humans but were either with a smile or remained neutral. They started to see them both as one of their own after word spread that both were working as guards for the princesses but stationed in their fair town. Ashley and Callum were already starting to plan ahead. The first on the agenda was to get their own place to live which would take a while. The second would be to pay back Twilight for everything she has done for them (Ashley still wanted to pay back Rarity for damaging her door). Both humans discussed about getting to know a few more of the citizens better.

During their journey, they walked past the school house, seeing the CMC talking to each other. Applebloom noticed the humans, calling out to them and waving. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle noticed the humans and done the same as the Ashley and Callum waved back in return. A pony approached the humans from the school house. Her cutie mark consisted of some flowers while her tail and mane colours were different shades of pink. She introduced herself as the teacher of the local school and her name was Cheerilee. She asked them both if they could come and introduce themselves to her students on Friday and allow them to ask some questions.

“Well, it will have to depend on what questions they’ll ask. I have an idea.” Ashley spoke

“By all means share it.” Cheerilee smiled.

“Have you’re students write out five questions they want to ask us, two for me as well as two for Callum. Finishing with a question about anything they want to ask.” Callum nodded in agreement with the idea.

“Sounds like a plan. See you two at ten thirty on Friday.” Cheerilee quickly returned back to the school’s playground. The CMC were already badgering her with questions about what she was talking to them about but she said she will tell the whole class once break was finished.

Both Ashley and Callum continued their journey towards Sugarcube Corner. They easily spotted Applejack and Big Macintosh walking inside.

Inside Sugarcube Corner

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were talking about their plans for the week until they heard the bell above the door ring, telling them somepony just entered. They turned towards the door and saw Applejack and Big Macintosh

“Hey girls.” Applejack nodded slightly as she said her greeting, her hat slid down her face bit “So where is he?” she readjusted her hat.

“Ashley and Callum had to go to the guard station to discuss their guard job.” Rainbow replied, as the door started to close, she spotted both humans arriving through the narrowing gap, talking amongst themselves “They should be here any minute.”

“That’s fine then. So do y’all think it went well?”

“I hope so but I doubt the captain in charge of the station didn’t go easy on them.” Twilight spoke up, noticing the jingle of the door bell. Both Ashley and Callum walked inside, closing the door behind them.

Ashley looked around the confectionary store, he was disgusted slightly by the amount of sugary treats around him and their heavy aroma filled his nostrils. He wouldn’t mind eating a cupcake but he noticed the amount of frosting on top of them. Sure they looked delicious but the amount was pretty much overkill for the human. Callum on the other hand took in a deep, long sniff of the store. He on the other hand loves the taste of sugar, much like the pink party pony in the room.

“So...” Applejack snapped both humans out of their trance “Is there somthin’ y’all wanted to see us fer Ashley?”

“Huh? OH! Yes there is.” Ashley cleared his throat “Applejack, Big Mac, I’m sorry for making you worry about me yesterday.”

“That’s it?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow with a grin “Well, since yer apologisin’, Ah’ll accept but just try to at least say goodbye next time. Ya’ hear?”

“Alright Applejack.”

“Y’all can A.J, you know.”

“Alright Apple...A.J.” Ashley turned to Big Mac “And you?”

“I accept. Sorta guessed y’all could take care of yerself.” Big Mac said in his deep voice.

“Well. Since that is all sorted, there is still one pony I need to apologise to.”

“Who? Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah...I’m not looking forward to it and I doubt she’ll forgive me in anytime soon but at least apologising will make me feel better.” Ashley opened the door to leave “Her house is that cottage near the forest right?” Everyone nodded.

“I’ll come too. You can use the company and maybe I can try to get Fluttershy to speak to you.” Rainbow followed the human as they both left.

“Well, while he goes and does his thing. I have news for you all.” Everyone turned to Callum “We spoke to Captain Shockwave and-“

“Oh oh! Did he shout at you? What did he-“ Pinkie interrupted but Callum foresaw this and grabbed the pink mares muzzle, she still tried to speak but the only think audible was humming.

“Leave the questions till last okay?” Callum smiled

“Mm-hmm.” Pinkie nodded as Callum released his grip.

“Anyway, he didn’t shout at us at all. He was quite collected about the whole situation and gladly welcomed us to his station. We got a tour from the receptionist who is fun to talk to. Played a bit of a joke on her at her expense but it was all in good fun. As we were walking back here, Cheerilee asked me and Ash to come to the school on Friday and let the students ask us some questions they’re going to prepare.”

“Well that’s good to hear.” Twilight spoke up.

“Oh oh Cal! Do you like cupcakes!?” Pinkie quickly asked eagerly, waiting for a positive response.

“Well yeah, who does-“ Callum replied, being interrupted by the pink mares hoof stuffing one of her creations into his mouth. At first he could just let the cupcake rest in his mouth since he couldn’t chew due to the hoof preventing his jaw muscles from doing the movements required. Pinkie pulled away her hoof and watched Callum chew with excitement.

After Callum finished the cupcake, he stared at the pink pony with a grin on his face “Best cupcake I’ve ever had.”

“Do you mean it?” Pinkie asked curiously, her eyes narrowed.

“Damn straight I mean it!” Callum smashed his fist on a nearby table “Hit me with another one!”

“Well alright then!” Pinkie grabbed another cupcake from behind her back and threw it towards Callum. The cupcake sliced through the air at almost lightening speed, colliding with the humans face. None of the icing got on the uniform luckily. Everypony laughed at Callum’s misfortune.

“Guess I sort of asked for that one.” He complained as he wiped the remnants of the baked goods of his face with a napkin that Pinkie conjured up out of nowhere.

Meanwhile with Ash and Rainbow Dash

Ashley and Rainbow haven’t gotten very far from Sugarcube corner due to ponies asking questions to the human. A couple of pegasi guards struck up a conversation with the human about what Shockwave expects from his guards. Rainbow only listened ten seconds into the conversation before becoming bored. She walked off (not very far) from the conversation to talk to some members of the weather patrol.

“-And that’s why you never go to training with a hangover after having intimate relations with a mare the previous night...unless you want the captain to prevent you from being able to make foals.” One of the guards finished telling his story to the human as they all broke out in laughter.

“Sorry I’m going to have to go guys but I’ve got something really urgent to attend to. See you guys around.” Ashley waved off to the guards nodded their farewells as they continued their patrol. Rainbow Dash saw Ashley running after he split up from the guards before telling the weather pegasi she has to go. She flew herself next to the human at a steady pace. She had to admit that he was running quite fast but she still thought she could run faster. Ashley however wasn’t even doing a full sprint.

“You’re a pretty fast runner but I know I’m faster.”

“Well...Why don’t we make a race out of this?” He halted to a stop.

Rainbow landed beside him as she folded her wings “You’re on!”

Both racers stood next to a lamp post, putting an imaginary starting line next to it. Ponies nearby were staring at both human and Pegasus, eager to see what happens. Both Ashley and Rainbow prepared themselves. Ashley put one leg forward and leaned slightly on it while Rainbow stretched her legs.

“Ready? Finish line is Fluttershy’s front door.” Rainbow asked

“Yeah. Count down when you’re ready.” Ashley grinned.

“Alright...Threetwoone GO!” Rainbow said quickly as she accelerated off in a mad sprint. Ashley decided to jog for the time being.

The Pegasus was gaining distance fast, she looked back to see Ashley jogging.

“Why is he going so slowly?” She said to herself, she readjusted her focus on sprinting as her body was now starting to crave more oxygen.

“Three...” Ashley whispered quietly. He started to increase the distance of his steps

“Two...” His speed was going slightly slower than Rainbow’s as far as he could tell.

“One...” He matched Rainbow’s speed since he could tell he was neither gaining nor losing distance

“...GO!” He yelled as his body drove into a full sprint which was allowing him to catch up to Rainbow at an alarming rate.

Rainbow’s breathing started to become heavy, knowing that she was already halfway to the finish line. She turned her head as the sound of hooves hitting to the dirt road filled the air around her, including her heavy breathing. She turned her head and saw the human was in his full sprint.

Ashley hunched his body over slightly and rotated his torso to the side slightly as if he was going to charge into something. His breathing was getting heavier but his speed increased. He was only a few meters from the cyan Pegasus. Sweat was starting to form on both racers as they came neck to neck.

“Hey, Rainbow...Time for overdrive!” Ashley tried yelled between each breath. He shortened the distance between each step slightly but they increased in frequency. He was taking the lead as they already gained visual of Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow tried to push her body to its limit to try and catch up with the human. If she could use her wings then she could win easily but she didn’t want to cheat. Even if she lost, she knew that she would still be the fastest flier. Nopony could take that title away from her.

Ashley’s muscles started to ache since he hasn’t run this fast in a long time let alone trained for a while. He was going as fast as his body allowed him as the lactic acid built up in his muscles. He increased his breathing rate even more to compensate.

Rainbow saw the distance between both her and the human. Maybe if she made one final push, she could at least draw. She galloped as fast as she could. She felt her muscles were on fire as her breathing was going fast. The sweat on her head was increasing.

She couldn’t take the strain anymore. Her muscles were practically calling out for her to stop and rest. She kept on trying to surpass the point of weakness but her body had other plans and collapsed. Her body hit the dirt hard as dust flew out from underneath her. She lay there, unmoving as she tried to get her breathe back.

Ashley was already across the small bridge that goes over the small river next to Fluttershy’s. He put all his energy into the very short distance, he slowed down as he approached Fluttershy’s front door. He was a couple of meters away from the finish line until he turned round and saw Rainbow collapsed. Sighing, He began a light jog towards Rainbow.

Rainbow could feel her heartbeat against her chest fast, desperately trying to pump the blood to deliver the much needed oxygen around her body.

Ashley’s breathing was heavy but was nowhere near as bad as Rainbow’s. He approached the collapsed Pegasus, grabbing her and putting her over his shoulder.

“What *pant* are you *pant doing?” Rainbow tried to ask as she was lifted.

“I don’t like leaving friends behind.” Ashley grinned weakly as he slowly approached Fluttershy’s. He could feel not only his own heartbeat, but Rainbow’s against his shoulders as well. Her body was hot from the exercise as was his own. He could feel the sweat dripping off her coat onto his skin. He knew he would have to wash his jacket since it was going to be covered in pony sweat as well as his shirt being covered in his own.

“Why *pant* are you doing *pant* this?” Rainbow’s breathing was starting to regulate as they approached the finish line.

“What’s the point if only one of us finishes? I’d rather carry you and draw than win by ditching a friend in need.”

Rainbow smiled softly from his response but Ashley couldn’t see it. He was focusing on his task. She let out a small whisper of appreciation to which he nodded to. She never had someone do something like this for her in a race. Usually in a running race, her opponent would ditch her and refuse to help her cross the finish line let alone have a guy care this much for her...She always liked being in his presence...Was she actually growing more emotions towards him?

Wait...Why am I EVEN CONSIDERING that? she pondered to herself Sure he’s nice...much nicer than any other colt I’ve ever been with...And much more awesome in comparison to them all put together. ..And stronger...And faster...And cool to hang out with...UGH! Why am I even thinking about that sort of thing...EVEN if it is all true.The thought continued to rattle around in her mind. The more she thought about him, the more she would think about why she liked being near him.

Man... Ashley started to think to himself I could really go for a Lucozade right now...Rainbow’s coat is really soft...and sweaty. He started to daydream about an ice cold bottle of his favourite sports drink touching his lips, the cold liquid rushing down his throat. All this did was driving his thirst.

When close enough, Ashley tapped Fluttershy’s front door with his boot several times. Afraid that Rainbow would collapse from her muscles being weak for the time being. The door slowly opened as the timid pony was too busy watching Angel to look at who was in front of her.

“Angel...I said you could have two carrots.” She said assertively. She turned her head towards the large figure at the door. At first she thought it was Callum but then she looked at the body in more detail, it had slightly smaller muscles and its outfit was black. As her eyes rose towards it’s face, she noticed Rainbow Dash over its shoulder, she immediately went to her aid.

“Oh my...Are you okay Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked in a slightly audible voice, still oblivious to it was Ashley carrying her pegasus friend.

“Huh?” Rainbow shook her head, breaking her deep thought “Oh...Yeah I’m fine Fluttershy. Me and Ash were just racing and I collapsed from exhaustion and he carried me here like a good little helper.” She pat him on the head lightly with her hoof, Ashley merely rolled his eyes and smiled.

“A-Ash?” Her voice shaken, she examined the figure with Rainbow over its shoulder. It had a scar on its cheek, brown mane and ocean blue eyes. She immediately recoiled away from the human and tried to shut the door. It wouldn’t close no matter how much force she put against it, looking at the base of the door she saw Ashley’s boot blocking her attempts.

“Look Fluttershy. I don’t care if you don’t want to see me but I’m saying this no matter what.” Ashley sighed heavily “If you don’t want to forgive me then I don’t mind. My actions were uncalled for but I wasn’t myself at the time. I craved for blood, I’m really sorry for performing my actions yesterday but the result of those very same actions did save my life from Timberwolves during the night. So as you can tell, I’m really sorry for my actions and I don’t expect you to forgive me in anytime soon so I’ll just leave.” He turned his head to Rainbow “Do you want me to carry you back to town or would you like Fluttershy to tend to you if she wants to.”

“I’ll stay with Fluttershy.” She whispered into his ear.

Ashley slowly lowered Rainbow to the ground, making sure she can stand on her own before leaving. He waved off to both pegasi, only Rainbow returned the wave weakly before both of them entered the cottage, closing the door behind them.

“That went well.” Ashley said to himself as he crossed the bridge. He stopped midway and stared into the river. Fish were swimming upstream as the plant life below was flowing in the water which glistened from the sun. After a couple of minutes of staring, thinking about nothing in particular, he continued his path towards the town to meet back up with Callum and the others.

As the evening grew on, Rainbow Dash tried her best to get Fluttershy to forgive Ashley, she made some progress in changing her mind but she knew it was all Fluttershy’s choice. She left around an hour and a half later after Ashley left. Her muscles recovered enough for her to be able to walk so she decided to check up on Ashley before she headed home. She found out from Callum that Ashley was napping but decided to wake him up. He kicked him in the ribs lightly which did the trick nicely. Rainbow explained what happened at Fluttershy’s to which Ashley was grateful towards the cyan mare for trying to help. Twilight was busy taking notes as she read several books. It was an eventful day to say the least but it took its toll on Ashley so he returned to his sleep when Rainbow left,

Time: Around midnight Location: Ashley’s dream state

“YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER!” The black figure darted around in the attempt to find the human. Its features were similar to Callum but were much more deformed than the last dream. Dark crimson liquid bled out of its eyes and seeped into the creatures many large slash wounds upon its face. Its flesh looked like long, thick black worms that moved under the skin but could only be seen when the protective layer was broken. The deformed figure’s right arm was the same design as its flesh with hunks of meat which Ashley presumed used to be muscle still visible. It’s other arm was a large, black claw that when struck into the floor, would make the earth shake as tendrils broke through, their tips were green with blood stains as they quickly tried to tear Ashley asunder.

The area was a destroyed town. Ponyville to be exact, buildings were either reduced to a heaping pile of rubble and wood or were still on fire. Some leaked dark purple liquid which when makes physical contact with a living organism, would start to burn through the flesh until it was near a bright source of light. Ashley learnt this the hard way since his left hand accidently went into the stuff as he was flung into a flaming building. The sky was grey with clouds but a full moon could be seen. The dream began with fire ascending from the heavens onto the several buildings. The fire spread more and more while the dark bubbling liquid (Which shall be called liquid corruption) spread from the town center. The figure trying to hunt him down formed out of the liquid and immediately started to hunt for him.

Ashley tried his best. He couldn’t hide forever but only had to hide until the nightmare ended...

He noticed the figure searching through piles of rubble in the attempt to find its prey. Ashley found this the perfect chance to try and get as far as possible from his hunter. He took refuge behind the shattered, flaming remains of Sugarcube corner. He saw the figure was still searching through rubble, just a different pile. Ashley turned around...

There she was...Pinkie Pie. Staring at him in the eyes that shown no emotion. She shrieked at a high pitch, grabbing the attention of Ashley’s hunter. The sound left Ashley disorientated but he quickly started to run with his ears covered by his hands. He turned to see Pinkie still staring at him. Her mouth extended more than a normal pony would, the skin and flesh tore open like paper as her teeth grew sharp and black. Three dark pink tendrils ripped through the flesh of her back, all pointing towards Ashley as he ran for his life. Pinkie’s eyes went pitch black, the light from the fires reflected off them. She slowly walked after her prey, followed by the corrupted figure from earlier.

He ran. He ran as fast his legs could carry him. His heart pounding as his body administrated adrenaline from being under threat. He knew he couldn’t hide. Only run. The creatures seemed to be incapable of catching up to him...or were they doing it on purpose?

THUD.

Something pounced into Ashley’s side causing him to collide into the ground. He caught a glance at his attacker...He saw the familiar brown cowboy hat and blond mane...

It was Applejack...

Her eyes were the same as Pinkie’s when he first saw her. Her body started to shake violently as she held Ashley to the ground, his arms still capable of movement. Her jaw started to lower, revealing the razor sharp teeth that dripped blood onto his chest.

“What’s the matter Ash?” the corrupted Applejack hissed “Y’all seemed to be able to take care of yerself!” She smashed a hoof into his jaw. It felt someone just smashed a brick into it. The pain was real for all he could tell.

Corrupted Applejack laughed as she proceeded to smash another hoof into his jaw but Ashley grabbed it. He used his other fist to smash her in the eye. She staggered and hissed her tongue. It was black and oozed the liquid corruption off its end. The tendrils ripped out her back, these ones were dark orange and seeped blood from their tips. Ashley quickly got up and proceeded to run as fast as he could.

Corrupted Pinkie and Callum gathered next to Applejack, all three walked after their prey.

“YOU’RE MERELY POSTPONING THE INEVITABLE!” the earth shook as Corrupted Callum shouted in the distance.

He was right...Ashley knew that some point they will find him and catch him...maybe not in this dream but the next one...or the one after that...What caused these things to happen...He had no idea...The only thing he knew was that it was too real to be a dream...

He stopped to rest after running so much, his heart beat against his chest frantically. He would at least be able to get some more energy to run again by the time they found him...or so he thought...

He examined the building he was next to. More specifically, he was right near a large pool of bubbling liquid corruption. He stared at it for a moment to see if a new creature would come out of it but nothing turned up.

“Hello darling...” That voice...That very familiar voice let alone the building he was next too...

Oh shit...

He slowly looked above him towards the roof top. There stood Rarity with the look of anger as the nearby flames eating at the buildings around them lit up her eyes.

“You...You disgusting. Revolting. ABSOLUTELY HIDEOUS HAIRLESS APE DARES TO INSULT ME BY TREATING MY HARD WORK LIKE TRASH!?” Her voiced boomed as she jumped of the roof and landing in front of Ashley. He started to back away from the enraged unicorn.

She started to shake violently as the tip of her horn start to seep liquid corruption down her face. Her eyes turned black as her jaw ripped open, revealing the signature razor sharp teeth the others had. Black, sharp gem daggers formed around her as they launched towards Ashley. He dodged as many as possible, only one grazed his arm as its flesh started to burn from the contact with liquid corruption. Ashley quickly ran towards a flaming building, dodging the onslaught of sharp objects launching towards him. The liquid faded away as he put it near the open flames. One it was gone, he continued to run from the corrupted fashionista who laughed at his feeble escape.

The three other corrupted figures gathered with Corrupted Rarity as they all walked after their prey...

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” Ashley yelled as he dodged a boulder narrowly flying past him. He looked towards where it came from and saw Twilight who shared the corrupted resemblance to Rarity.

“I’ve always wanted to see what your species anatomy is like Ashley...” Twilight hissed as she used her magic to life nearby rubble and pact it together into another boulder this time with large spikes that were covered in liquid corruption “And what a better way to see that than ripping you open!” She launched the boulder towards the human who went prone, a spike narrowly missed his head as it crashed into a nearby building.

“UGH!” Corrupted Twilight groaned “STOP MAKING THIS HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE!” She shot a beam of fire towards Ashley. His jacket set ablaze as he struggled to put out the flames. He tore off the jacket as fast as possible revealing his shirt suffered slight burns as well as his skin. He quickly started to run through an alley

The figures all gathered with the corrupted purple mare and laughed as each of them walked after Ashley.

His lungs felt as if they were filled with lead as he ran. His body grew tired once more as he took refuge behind some rubble. He checked his burns which were not fatal but still hurt on contact.

CRACK!

Ashley’s eyes quickly shot to in front of him. There he saw another figure he knew. It was a pegasus...Rainbow Dash to be exact. She landed from a great height directly onto her hooves, causing the earth to crack below her and create a small crater.

“You hurt Fluttershy’s feelings...” She whispered. Her mane was hiding her face as she lifted a hoof towards Ashley. A pair of sharp claws whose tips were light blue that faded into black which were also covered in liquid corruption formed out of the end of the hoof.

“Wha-“ Ashley was pounced by the cyan mare. Her eyes grew a bright red. “AAAARRRGGH!” he screamed in pain as Rainbow thrust her claws into his abdomen. Another set of claws grew out of her other hoof as she drove it into the side of his torso.

She started to rip his flesh to shreds as Ashley tried his best to block her attacks. The liquid doing its magic as it burned his flesh from the inside.

“FUCK! GET OFF ME!” Ashley screamed as he smashed his fist into her eye. As she staggered off him, he kicked her in the side of head as he held the first wound from the corrupted pegasus. She laughed at his feeble attacked and bucked him in the chest, sending him soaring into a flaming building. The liquid faded away but torn flesh remained. He could hear his heart beating as his vision went slightly blurry. He staggered away from the building, noticing the pegasus was laughing at him with the other corrupted figures beside her. He collapsed and crawled from his hunters...

He heard crying...

Saddened sobs from a distance...but were closer than he thought...

He saw it...A figure in the shadows curled up in a ball...

He grabbed a nearby piece of flaming wood and pointed it towards the figure, lighting the dark area.

Its canary yellow fur...its wings...its...tattered pink mane...its...cutie mark...It was Fluttershy...

The crying became angrier as Fluttershy started to get up. Her eyes grew a faint orange as it stared into Ashley’s eyes...

He watched the faint yellow, blood stained claws taking form on Fluttershy’s fore hooves as her cry became more and more hostile

Then it struck him...The light was pissing her off...

Before he could pull away his light source Fluttershy already sprinted towards his side. Her claws grew sharper as she screamed. Ashley tried to pull himself along the ground to escape but it was pointless. He rolled onto his back and was greeted with his assailant. She starting to slash her way into his chest, tearing through the bone and organs like wet paper as the scent of fresh blood filled the air with Ashley’s scream echoing in the distance. The other corrupted figures circled the spectacle...

Laughing...

“You will never escape my grasp...” Corrupted Callum whispered as Ashley's vision went black.

Well, there you are folks. Another nightmare sequence! (it's based on my actual nightmare) There will probably be more of these at some point but I'm not quite sure...OH! And put a little bit of dialogue from one of my favourite video game enemies. The hint? It's two of the things that Corrupted Callum says and the enemy is from a horror game franchise which is I think is releasing its next installment later this year.

Why did I put that in there? Because I wanted to put it in at the time. If no one can find it then don't worry. I'll post the answer in the next chapter.

Prince Douchebag...I mean Blueblood.

Time: During Ashley’s slumber Location: outside Twilight’s library

“COME ASH WAKE UP!” Callum shook his friend by the scruff of his neck. Twilight was crying as spike was standing next to her, trying to calm her down.

During his nightmare, Ashley would scream in pain which woke nearby residents. They grew angry and knocked on Twilight’s door to see the crying mare pointing to Callum and Ashley.

The citizens watched in horror at the pale human who was sweating a lot.

“FUCK! GET OFF ME!” Ashley pain filled scream filled the silence.

Fluttershy was called upon to try and ease Ashley but her attempts were effortless. No one could wake him up. Callum kept trying but wasn’t breaking through to his friend.

As time grew on, more and more ponies were woken up by the commotion. Eventually word got to Rainbow Dash who was sleeping on a nearby cloud so she rushed towards Applejack’s and told her what she heard. Applejack ran as fast as possible towards the library, followed by Big Mac.

The cyan pegasus then flew towards Pinkie’s and told her the same news before doing the same for Rarity. As the group gathered at the library, there was already a crowd outside. Some of the crowd were medical staff from the hospital. Rainbow Dash and the others barged through. A grey pegasus mare who told them that she knew Ashley and wanted to see him as well as Captain Shockwave. Several guards were keeping the library’s crowd under control. Callum motioned both Shockwave and Grey Ink to come inside.

They stared at the horror before them. Ashley’s eyes were closed tight as he squirmed around. Sweat pooled around him as he screamed in more pain.

“What’s wrong with him?” Shockwave asked, approaching the panicking humans side.

“I don’t know but he’s having one hell of a nightmare. He can’t be woken and he keeps crying out.” Callum replied sadly. He hated not being able to help Ashley when he’s in pain.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie (Whose mane was deflated and straight) and Rarity were crying around Ashley. Applejack was tearing up while Rainbow was standing above Ashley’s chest, trying effortlessly to wake the human up. Tears rolled down her face seeing the faces of agonising pain occur in front of her....

“Witch...” She heard Ashley whisper before he cried out in more pain. She quickly got off him to avoid being hit by a flailing limb.

Spike blew his green flame on a letter to Princess Luna, being the princess of the night. She was capable of looking into the dreams of those asleep. Shortly after sending the letter, two lights took form in the library. As they faded, Princess Luna and Celestia looked over at the human who was still crying in pain.

“What’s wrong with him?” Celestia asked worryingly as both princesses rushed to the human’s aid.

“It must be a nightmare but we can’t wake him up. He’s been like this for a quite as while now.” Callum kneeled down next to his friend.

Luna put her horn against Ashley’s forehead, trying to look into his dreams. As soon as she made the connection, Ashley’s eyes shot open as he woke up. He gasped for air as he looked at the faces around him looking worryingly towards him. His heart was beating hard against his chest as he rubbed the side of his head with his left hand, covered in sweat. He was still shaking slightly from his ordeal.

“Ugh...”Ashley groaned as he stood up “I need some fresh air.” He stood up to leave the room but was blocked by Rainbow Dash. He saw dried tears that had stained her cheeks.

“Y-you’re n-not going a-anywhere...” She struggled to speak.

“Why are you crying?”

“You were screaming in pain a lot while you slept. We tried to wake you up but we couldn’t. We could only stand there and watch...We all really wanted to help but...” Rainbow tears started to begin forming again in her eyes.

“Ssshh. I’m fine now...As far as I can tell.” Ashley said soothingly as he lowered himself next to the Pegasus, holding her towards him in the attempt to calm her down. He pressed her head against her chest. She heard his heartbeat slowing down as he gently stroked her mane to soothe her.

“Uhhh...Ash?” Callum spoke up, ruining the moment “You mind telling us what was going on in that dream?”

“No. Not now.”

“But why not?”

“Because I don’t want to speak about it right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now drop the subject.” He said with hostility, gritting his teeth.

“Ashley...”Luna spoke gently “You will need to come to Canterlot with us so if this happens again, I can try to stop it.”

“Sure. Let’s go then.” Ashley slowly let go of the cyan Pegasus as he stood up to leave. As he walked towards the open door, he looked at Rainbow who was still crying. “...Only if Rainbow can come with me though.”

“I’ll come too.” Callum stepped forward but Celestia blocked his path.

“I’m sorry Callum but we still need you to stay here and do your duty. This is a direct order and I know you care deeply for Ashley’s well being. We will contact you as soon as you, Twilight and the others are capable of visiting.

Callum look Celestia in the eye with burning anger but she didn’t show any signs of intimidation but returned a stare of her own. A stare that pretty much said ‘Don’t you dare tell me what to do. I’m the mother fucking princess of the sun, bitch.’

“Fine...”Callum sighed in defeat, taking a step back from the sun goddess.

Ashley grabbed his bag, grabbing his knife, pistol and MP3 player from inside it before throwing it next to where he slept. Grabbing his hooded robe, he gestured Rainbow to stand next to him which she did, slowly.

“Grab hold of my wing.” Celestia opened her wing towards Ashley hesitated at first but done it anyway.

“Rainbow Dash, grab my hoof.” Luna spoke. Rainbow done what she was told.

Both of the princess’s horns grew brightly, causing everyone in the room to look away. As soon as the light faded, the only thing left in their presence was a mixture of a white and dark blue mist. The blue mist sent shivers down the spines of those it breezed past while the white mist gave welcoming warmth to their bodies.

Callum clenched his fist. “There’s not much we can do for him now. We’ll have to wait until we can see him.” He stepped outside to the crowd “The situation has been handled. Please return to your homes.” A few ponies split from the crowd but the others remained. Callum sighed before Shockwave stepped outside.

“You heard him. Leave now.” He spoke, causing everypony to file back to their homes.

“Thanks.” Callum said as he watched the ponies going back home, talking about what just happened most likely.

“No problem.” Shockwave nudged the human’s leg with his elbow “Y’know. We have bunks at the station if you want to sleep there.”

Callum looked back towards Twilight who collected her composure. You could still tell she was a bit worried but it was a vast improvement from earlier. She smiled weakly, nodding.

“Go ahead.” She gestured for him to leave.

“Alright. But first things first.” Callum grabbed both his and Ashley’s bags, strapping them across his shoulder. He walked over to Twilight and embraced her “Thank you. For everything.” He broke the embrace as he left. Leaving five ponies and a baby dragon alone in the library since Grey Ink decided to go back home.

As they entered the station, they both made themselves some tea in the mess hall. There were still some guards dotted around the mess hall. Most likely having their lunch breaks during their night shift. Shockwave couldn’t help but ask some questions to break their awkward silence.

“So...How long have you known Ashley?”

“Almost my entire life.”

“You guys like...Best friends or something?”

“Yeah...Always have been best friends but to ourselves. We were brothers. We’ve been through a lot together even if one of us didn’t want the other to get involved.”

“How old were you when you met him? And how old are you now?”

“I first met him at three years of age and I’m twenty five years old.”

“Dang...Twenty two years?” Shockwave took a sip of his beverage, giving a sigh of relief after swallowing. “Can I ask you something else?”

“You can ask me anything. I may hold back some details but that’s for your benefit.”

“Alright...What was it like in your army?”

“It was the most stressful, agonising time of my life. Ashley and I done many things. Saved many people and yet killed many. We’ve watched teammates die. Watched close friends die. I joined because I wasn’t going to let Ashley go by himself. It’s tested our friendship, resilience, physical and mental strength and we always came out on top. Sure we came out with a few scars but that’s what shaped us into the men we are today.” He sighed, staring into his drink before taking a long sip.

“You’ve been through a lot as far as I can tell...What was your life like before you joined the army?”

“It was fun as hell. Pulling pranks on friends, partying like made. Getting drunk. Getting ladies. Getting ladies while drunk. Doing things with them if you catch my drift.” He smirked

“Oh trust me. I know that lifestyle but taking the role of a guard shaped me up nice and proper. What about Ashley? What was he like?”

“He partied like me. Pulled the pranks with me but when it came to the ladies, he didn’t do anything. He’d always turn them down if they wanted him. Sure he likes to have a good time but not THAT sort of good time.” Callum laughed a bit as he finished off his drink.

“What?!...He’s a fool!” Shockwave chuckled a bit.

“I thought that at first but I still respected his choice.

Location: Canterlot royal castle

Ashley sat in a room. A small room to be exact with all walls the same width and height. The tiles on the ground were spotless as were the walls. The room had a window to allow fresh air to flow around the room. Sitting next to him was Rainbow Dash with the faint look of worry on her face. Ashley’s belongings that he brought with him were wrapped in his robe that lay on his lap. Across the table, Luna had several blank pieces of parchment ready with a couple pots of ink and several quills. All ready to take notes of Ashley’s dream. Celestia was sitting next to her sister since she’d be asking most of the questions.

“So...Shall we begin Ashley?” Celestia asked.

“...Let’s.” He replied quietly.

“First question. Where did this dream take place?”

“Ponyville.” As he spoke, Luna used her telekinesis to write the question and answer on the parchment.

“Were there any others involved in the dream?”

“Callum, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy.”

“What did you do in your dream?”

Ashley was silent, thinking what to say to the princesses “Running...panicking...burning...being torn apart...” His stared at the table, not blinking once.

“Do you know what was doing those things?”

“Not really but I knew who they were...”

“Who were they?”

“The names I said before...It was them...”

“Wait...What?” Rainbow said shockingly “What do you mean it was US?”

“Their appearance...their voices...” His voice trailed quieter, barely audible “They resembled you all...but your appearances...they were slightly different...deformed.” Ashley felt his heart rate increase slightly.

“What do you mean deformed? I hate to ask you this Ashley...” Celestia spoke in her soothing voice “But we need you to tell us their appearances and what they did.”

Ashley looked at Celestia’s eyes, then at Luna’s before turning to Rainbow Dash’s. He sighed in defeat “Alright but I’m not too good with descriptions.”

“Just describe to the best of your ability. If it gets too hard for you then stop if need be.” Luna spoke as she gave a faint smile to Ashley.

“...Fine. We’ll start with Callum. He’s been in both of my dreams. The second dream being the worst, his left arm was a large black claw while the right arm was a mass gathering of worms-like things that appeared to be his flesh. He had multiple large slash wounds over his face as dark red liquid which I thought was blood, flown out of his eyes and into those slash wounds. He was the first to appear. The dream started out with balls of fire coming from the sky and smashing down onto Ponyville while he came out of this large bubbling pool of black liquid. I’ll explain what I found out about that stuff later. As he emerged, he came straight after me, destroying buildings in his path.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled I could really go for something to drink right now “When he forced his claw into the ground, some large sharp things came out of the ground and started to attack me. They too were black but the sharp tips were green with blood stains as far as I could tell. Onto that liquid, I was hit near a pool of the stuff and noticed my left hand went into it.” He looked at his left hand and brought it to his eyes, examining it. “It felt like my hand was in a tub of acid, burning through the flesh until I was thrown into a flaming building which made the liquid fade away quickly.”

“That sounds horrible!” Rainbow gasped “Did you feel pain?”

“Every. Damn. Bit.” Ashley replied, putting his hand back onto his lap, he continued his story “After I was smashed into that building, I ran as fast as I could. I could actually feel myself getting tired from my sprint so I took cover behind a building. I checked the side and saw Callum’s figure searching for me in a pile of rubble. I turned around and saw Pinkie.”

“What did she look like? What did she do?”

“I don’t want Rainbow to listen to this. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash but I need you to leave the room for a moment, I don’t want you to-“

“Nu-uh.” Rainbow interjected “I’m staying with you.”

“This isn’t a negotiation Rainbow Dash.” He looked her in the eye with a small grin “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving.” Rainbow scowled “You were there for me earlier so I’m here for you now.”

“...Fine.” He turned to Celestia and Luna “Can you make it so she can’t hear me?”

“I can try.” Celestia’s horn started to glow as did Ashley. He felt a small tingling sensation in his throat “Say something to Rainbow Dash, preferably something you’ve never said to her.”

He turned to Rainbow who was looking him in curiosity “I hate being at Sugarcube Corner.” She watched his lips move but no sound came out.

“Repeat what he said Rainbow.” Celestia asked.

“I...I can’t. I couldn’t hear him.” She said honestly.

“Then it worked. Continue your story Ashley.” Celestia gestured to the human to do so. Luna was waiting eagerly for the next installment of his story to write down.

“Pinkie didn’t do much. She screamed at a very high pitch which shattered my ears. Her eyes were emotionless but then her jaw extended beyond a normal pony is capable of. Her teeth grew sharp and turned black as the skin around her mouth tore open which revealed more of the teeth. Three dark pink...It’s better if I draw what it looked like. Pass me some paper and a quill.”

Luna levitated the items next to him as he draw the basic shape of the tendril. Labelling the sharp end. He slid the parchment over to the princesses who inspected it carefully

“That...looks like a tendril.” Luna held a hoof to her chin “Yes that’s exactly what it is.” She continued with her notes. Rainbow Dash was able to see the drawing briefly from her angle before Luna slid it into her notes.

“At least we know what it is. Anyway, Her eyes turned black and I noticed that Callum noticed her screech so I ran as fast as I could. I noticed they were going much slower than me but then I was tackled by Applejack. I landed on my back as she stood over my chest. Her eyes held no emotion but then her body shook violently as she held me against the ground. Her teeth turned sharp as blood dripped onto my chest. She smashed her hoof into my jaw saying and I quote ‘What’s the matter Ash? Y’all seemed to be able to take care of yerself!’.” He said the quote in his best country voice. He chuckled a bit at his impressive attempt.

He watched Luna smile a bit at his impersonation as she continued her notes.

“Anything else?” Celestia cocked an eyebrow. Even in dire times she would keep her posture.

“Ah yes. She tried to hit my jaw again but I blocked it and smacked her in the eye with my fist which made her get off me. She hissed, her tongue was black and the black liquid dripped of its end. Three dark orange tendrils came out of her back with blood dripping from them. I ran as fast as I could...”

The discussion went on for almost an hour. Rainbow was bored since she couldn’t hear what Ashley was saying but stayed in the room as support. Ashley looked over at Rainbow Dash when he was talking about her part in the dream with a faint look of sadness. He tried to hide it quickly from Rainbow but she saw it.

After the discussion, Celestia went back to sleep since in a few of hours she would have to raise the sun. Luna was looking over the notes of the dream while Ashley was walking around the Castle with Rainbow Dash, weapons in his pockets while he wore his hooded robe. Guards were giving the human suspicious looks but realised his emblem on his shirt when he shown it to them. Rainbow started to grow tired and yawned which grabbed Ashley’s attention almost immediately.

“You’re either bored or tired or both. Which is it?” He asked in a cheerful tone.

“The second one, I woke up because SOMEPONY made me worry about them again when I was sleeping.” She nudged him the leg with her hoof playfully.

“I do make you worry about me too much, don’t I? I promise to make it up to you sometime alright?”

“What did you have in mind?”

He shrugged “Whatever you feel like, it could be another race or grab something to eat or whatever. It’s your choice.”

Rainbow brought a hoof to her chin as she thought of what they could do but came up with nothing. “I’ll get back to you on that.” She replied.

“Fine, but you should get some rest.”

“Yeah…I should but what about you?”

“Well…I can risk having another nightmare or I can stay awake for a few days. Most likely the second idea unless I can get the princesses to sort something out.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well…I’m hoping for the princesses to make it so my body doesn’t require sleep but I doubt they could make that happen.

“If they could do that, imagine all the things you could do with that time!” She gave a small smile then it struck her. She knew what she wanted to do with Ashley but wanted to keep it secret.

Both human and Pegasus approached a large set of doors which had two guards guarding it. These guards were different from the others, these had bat like wings and darker coats and armour. Different shades of dark blue and black which Ashley guessed that these were two of Luna’s personal guards. Both Ashley and Rainbow Dash approached the guards.

“What is your business here?” one of them asked

“I’m here to see Luna about a personal issue she has been looking into for me.”

“Hmm…” The guard looked over Ashley “I’m not letting you in, not with verification that you’re allowed to.”

“Oh really? If you don’t let me in, you’ll end up like either the diamond dogs that invaded Ponyville or like the pile of guards in the hospital. Your choice.” Ashley grinned evilly.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with…” The other guard spoke up, clenching his teeth.

The door opened, gaining everyone’s attention. Luna stood in the doorway and looked bitterly towards the guards.

“This is the guard I was telling you about. He is allowed to see me whenever he feels like it unless I say otherwise. Do you understand that?”

“Yes princess.” Both guards bowed down to the princess in apology.

“Good.” She motioned Ashley and Rainbow into her quarters “Please, come in.”

As Ashley and Rainbow Dash entered the room, they saw a mass pile of books thrown across the room, some open while some were still covered in dust. The moonlight shined through the stain glass windows as the cold breeze flown into the room through the doors to the balcony. Rainbow shivered slightly as the breeze ran through her coat while Ashley walked onto the balcony and stared at the star filled night sky. A small smile appeared on his face.

“Do you like it?” Luna’s voice came from behind him.

“The night?” He turned around, seeing Luna nod “Yes…Actually I love it. The night is my favourite time since the air feels cool when you breathe. You’re capable of seeing things that are a huge distance away as the moon reflects the light from the sun. The night tends to calm me and staring at the sky just…makes my mind go blank. Luna, you do a very good job at making the night this beautiful.”

“Oh…Well uh…” Luna blushed slightly. Nopony has really said that they admired her work like this. “Thank you Ashley, for the compliments. I don’t have many who admire the night.”

“Heh, no problem. I like to give compliments when they’re due. I must say one more thing Luna.”

“Oh? You do?”

“Yes. Rainbow has fallen asleep on your floor.” He sniggered as he pointed towards the cyan pegasus who was curled up in a ball, shivering from the cold but was sound asleep.

“She shouldn’t be sleeping on the cold floor like that. She can use my bed for tonight.” She levitated the sleeping Pegasus above the bed. Ashley pulled the quilt so Luna could place Rainbow on the mattress. He gently put the guilt over the majority of her body when she was placed on the bed. They both quietly returned to the balcony, shutting the door to prevent more cold air going into the room.

Ashley looked through the door’s windows, staring at the Pegasus. “She looks cute when she’s sleeping.” Mumbling quietly to himself.

“You care for her don’t you?” Luna stepped next to Ashley, also looking at the sleeping Pegasus roll over into a more comfortable position.

“Yeah…” He replied, quickly realising what the alicorn could’ve implied “But as a friend.”

“Really? Are you sure?” Luna cocked an eyebrow with a mischievous grin.

“I’m sure. She worries about me a lot so she must think that I’m a close friend…Well, that’s what she is to me.”

“I see…” Luna grew silent and looked towards her night sky “Do you…” she went silent, trying to ditch the question but Ashley had other plans.

“Do I what? Do I like syrup? Do I floss regularly? Do I write with my left or right hand?” he smiled as he shot random questions.

Luna rolled her eyes and giggled lightly “None of those…Do you ever think about going home? Would you go if you had the chance?”

“Let me tell you something that not even Celestia bothered to find out about when she had the chance.”

Luna’s ears perked up “Go on.”

“Me and Callum were on our final mission before we would go back home from the army. It was all going well until the guys we were working for betrayed us and used as guinea pigs for their experiment. Something went wrong with the power and sent us here. To be honest…I’m glad we did.”

“Why?”

“Because…This world is a utopia compared to ours. Everyone is understanding and helps each other even if they don’t expect anything in return. Our planet was filled with hate and greed but there were some people who are like the ponies here. I didn’t have much back on my planet…Only my mother, Callum and a few friends that I lost contact with ages ago. But hey, I’ve got a new set of awesome friends who I wouldn’t trade anything for.”

“Do I count as your friend?” Luna gave him her best puppy dog look (You know, looking sad with wide eyes and pouting. That sort of thing), she was obviously teasing him.

“Two things. Number one being that puppy eyes don’t work on me and two, of course you’re my friend.” He smiled at the alicorn “I would be a fool to even object.”

“Good to know.” She smiled back. Both human and alicorn continued to stare at the night sky for a couple of minutes silently.

“I have to ask you this Luna.”

“By all means ask away.”

“Are you capable of making it so someone does not require sleep?”

“What?” She looked at him confused “Why would you want to know?”

“Because I’d like it if I couldn’t sleep to prevent from having any more nightmares.”

“Well...I’m sorry but even if I could, your body would still require the rest.”

“Oh that’s right...My body needs sleep to detoxify.” Ashley face palmed “How could I have forgotten that? Thanks anyway Luna.”

“Glad to help.” She replied “You know quite a bit about your body. Why is this?”

“I studied this sort of thing in school years ago and it helps a lot for training and medical situations.”

“I see...”

“You can ask any question you want by the way, except for the touchy subjects.”

“Okay...Ummm, how about you tell me some of your hobbies?”

“I enjoy cooking a bit, training, hanging out with friends, walks during the night and a bit more.” He turned to Luna “I want to ask, what did you say when you told those guards earlier?”

“Oh uh...I can’t say right now. It would ruin a surprise.”

“Fair enough, as long as it isn’t a party then I’m okay with it.”

“Why don’t you like parties?”

“Personal story of close friends being kil...Passing away.” Ashley sat down on the cold, stone balcony floor with his legs crossed.

“I see, I won’t ask about it then.” She took a seat next to him and patted him on the shoulder with her hoof.

“Thank you. I was told at a young age that true friends respect your decisions and support them.” He smiled weakly. “I’d like to steer away from this type of conversation now.”

“Well...What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know.” He stood up and slowly opened the door to Luna’s room, trying to be as quiet as possible not to disturb Rainbow Dash and her snoring. He noticed she was still shivering even under the bed covers. He removed his hooded robe and gently placed it over Rainbow, watching as she snuggled up to it.

“I swear she does that thing on purpose.” He whispered, loudly enough for Luna to hear but not to wake up Rainbow Dash.

“Does what?”

“Being adorable when she sleeps.”

“I…I don’t see what you mean.”

Ashley shrugged “Whatever, I think we should let her rest in quiet.” He slowly opened the door to leave Luna’s private quarters (Motioning Luna to go through first).

The two guards looked in the corner of their eyes at the human following the princess. They hated him with a passion but Ashley could sense their hostility, it amused him. As they both walked past the guards, Ashley looked back and flipped them the middle finger with a grin on his face. They didn’t know what the gesture meant which made it more amusing for him.

As both of them walked down the halls, the moon had already gone down as the sun rose. Its light beamed through the windows, lighting the castle’s interior effectively. Caretakers and guards could be seen doing their jobs. Through the window, you could see gardeners and animal caretakers in the castle gardens. As they continued on, Ashley noticed a white unicorn stallion with a blond mane.

“Who’s that?” He nudged Luna lightly and pointed towards the unicorn.

“That’s my nephew Prince Blueblood. Ponies tend to not like him because he is…How can I put this…”

“I’m guessing he is a snobby, selfish pony who uses his powers to get what he wants and treats everyone below him like common dirt.”

“Actually…That’s exactly what he is like. How did you know?”

“Because he just made a pony cry because she done something wrong by accident.” Ashley glared angrily towards Blueblood who was currently yelling at a cowering mare. Turns out she accidently tripped and spilt something near him but didn’t get any on him.

“I’ll have a word with him.” Luna said as she started to move towards the prince but was blocked by Ashley’s arm

“Let me handle this. I’ve dealt with his type before.” He shifted his neck to the side, making a cracking noise “Watch me work my magic.”

“You can perform magic?”

“It’s a figure of speech, although I wouldn’t mind trying it out.” He walked up to the prince and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ugh. Who dares touch me?” He held his nose high as he turned around, his eyes met Ashley’s “What is this disgusting thing doing in here!?” He yelled out, grabbing the attention of several guards and ponies.

Ashley folded his arms, shaking his head “That’s not a good way to say hello now is it Blueblood?”

“This is the most horrid thing I have every laid my eyes on!...It's probably a uncivilised hairless ape.”

“Hairless ape? Okay...I'll give you that one. Uncivilised!?" Ashley clenched his dist as he got closer towards Blueblood "If I was uncivilised, how come I am communicating with you? How am I not beating the shit out of you right now? Because I'm holding back but don't fucking tempt me because I'm not a guy you want to call bluff on a threat.Go ahead. Insult me again and see where it gets you. I think a bit of manual horn removal would do just fine...Maybe a few broken bones and make you go into a coma.”

“You wouldn’t even be able to get near me. My guards will put you down before you could even say ‘stop’.”

“Oh really? Did you hear about the Diamond dog incident in Ponyville?” This guy is a douche, might as well have some fun with him.

“As a matter of fact I have.” He said smugly.

“Did you hear about the guards in Ponyville being beaten up and sent to hospital? Did you hear about Night Wing have his horn ripped from his head?”

“Yes, of course I have. Why are you asking me such trivial things?”

Ashley chuckled to himself quietly like a madman “Because I’m the one who done it.”

“Wha-? You’re obviously lying.”

“Oh am I now? I’m sure I can get Night Wing to tell you. I’m sure that MANY ponies in Ponyville will vouch for me. I’m certain that even…” He gestured to Luna who was watching the scene take place from a distance “Princess Luna AND Princess Celestia can confirm what I did. Now I’m going to tell you a nice little story to why I’m not going to make your skull make a nice acquaintance to the floor for being a generic asshole to that poor pony.”

Blueblood stared at him in silence. His heartbeat increased, being in the presence of a killer animal and being spoken to in such a manner…Only one pony has ever treat him with disrespect was a white unicorn he met at the Grand Galloping Gala once.

“You see. A couple of years of me being in the army, we had a new recruit. His name was Chris. He was just like you. A self centred person who thought that because his parents had power, he could tell others what to do and treat them like dirt on his shoes. You know what we did with him?”

“W-what?” Blueblood replied in his shaken voice. Rainbow Dash was already awake and was watching the scene take place, far behind Luna.

“Easy. We made him do one of our training sessions. Stripping him of all titles and made him do hard work. We kept yelling at him, firing weapons near him, putting him under A LOT of stress both mentally and physically. He asked his father, who was a General, if he could quit but even he wanted us to change his son’s asshole attitude so he made his son stay. The kid refused help from teammates, always thinking he could do things himself. I swear that kid must have played too much Call of Duty.” Ashley chuckled to himself, obviously knowing only he would get the joke “He actually thought he could order what Callum and I do and he was only a private! At one point, Chris got fed up of me and Callum treating him like he would do to other soldiers and he challenged one of us to a fight…”

“What…What happened next?”

“Let’s just say that Callum went easy on the kid. He broke both his arms, one of his legs, a few ribs and a broken jaw and almost killed the kid. Oh and Callum is my best friend so if you say anything bad about him…” Ashley grabbed Blueblood by the jaw, pulling his face towards his own as he stared at him with pure anger. his body was dangling at least a foot off the ground as he tried to get Ashley to release his jaw with his hooves

“We’re going to have some problems.” Ashley let go of his jaw. Blueblood landed on the floor with a *thud* and scrambled back to his feet. The look of terror in his eyes was amusing to Ashley.

“Now. The reason why I’m not going to beat the crap out of you today is that I’m in a good mood and I’m going to give you a second chance. Apologise to this pony for your behaviour and treat EVERY SINGLE PONY with respect. You got that?” Ashley scowled

“Y-yes sir.” He quickly looked at the mare who was still cowering “I’m sorry for my actions. It will not happen again.”

“Good. Oh and by the way. You’ll be seeing me more since I’m a guard as well but I don’t give a crap about you being a prince. For me to even say that title near your name, you have to earn my respect.”

Everyone in the room was watching Ashley in shock. Luna was actually pleased that someone was putting their foot down at her nephew’s behaviour while Rainbow (With Ashley’s robe over her back) was holding her laughter. The mare was starting to clean up her mess but was stopped by Ashley doing it for her.

“Remember Blueblood. If I hear you treat someone like that again. Welcome your horn when I shove it up your ass.” Ashley gestured the mare to follow him as he looked at everyone giving him looks of surprise. He grinned in return as he walked away.

Rainbow flew up next to him with a beaming smile “DUDE THAT WAS AWESOME!” She laughed hysterically “I can’t wait to tell Rarity what you just did!”

Luna had taken her place next to Ashley “I must say that was quite the show. Much better than me telling him off although I think you went too far with that threat.”

“Maybe…But I will do it if I find out if he does it again.” He looked over at the mare next to him “What’s your name?”

“Oh…My name is Green Mint but my friends call me Minty.” She smiled.

“Nice to meet you Green Mint, my names Ashley Cook but you can call me Ash or Ashley. Whatever suits you.”

“Oh…Okay then, thank you Ash for doing that back there.”

“No problem. I hate people with his personality, always think they know best and think they’re better than everyone at everything.” Ashley looked behind himself and saw Celestia walking up to him, her face had a small smile to it. He immediately bowed.

“Good morning Celestia. How did you sleep?” both Rainbow and Minty bowed when they saw Celestia approach.

“I slept well Ashley, thank you for your concern, you may all rise.” They rose “I just heard that a certain somepony just gave my nephew a piece of their mind.” She glanced at Ashley.

“Yep.” He replied with a beaming smile “He was being a jerk so I put back in his place, threatened him too.”

“What did you say?” Celestia asked with a concerned tone.

“Nothing much…” Ashley shrugged “Just that I will shove his horn up his ass if I hear he treats another pony badly.”

“Well...Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. Will you be joining Luna and I for breakfast? This includes you Rainbow Dash.”

“I’d never want to miss the chance to eat with the princesses.” Rainbow replied with a smile.

“I will gladly accept your invitation Celestia, I would be a fool not to.” Ashley replied in his posh voice, getting a couple of laughs from Rainbow and Luna, Celestia rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Well, I should get back to work.” Minty said, she was about to move but Ashley tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around as Ashley put his mouth next to her ear and whispered.

“If you see Blueblood act like a jerk to anyone, tell me and I’ll come and sort him out.”

Minty nodded as she left the group, returning to her duties. Rainbow, Ashley and the princesses walked towards the dining hall. The princesses were talking to each other, ahead of Ashley and Rainbow who were talking to each other. Rainbow gave back Ashley his robe with a faint blush.

“Thanks for letting me use this.”

“No problem, you seemed to enjoy hugging it at night.” He put on the robe, it had a couple of her feathers on the inside. He removed them “A little keepsake I think.” He put them into his pocket.

First person: Callum

Well...Ain’t that a load of shit. Celestia always orders me to do something when it involves Ashley greatly...A downfall of accepting this guard job.

After my talk with Shockwave, I went to the stations bunk room. The beds weren’t that soft but they beat the wooden floor of Twilight’s house any day. I immediately went to the shower room which when it came to me having a shower...Was quite difficult. For starters, the shower heads came up to my chest which resulted me having to kneel down on the floor. Second problem was that I had to borrow one of my co-workers soap since I didn’t have any myself. He didn’t mind but asked if he and a couple of his friends could watch me and Ashley train when he gets back. I had an idea for a little surprise for when he gets back. Hopefully he can still speak some Russian.

I Grabbed breakfast from the mess hall at around 9:15am before heading to Shockwave’s office. I stopped by the reception briefly to see Grey Ink since I had plenty of time. She was still a bit shaken from the ordeal earlier. Poor dear...She could use some cheering up soon. If I could find a bar that serves alcohol here then I would invite her, Shockwave and my other friends to come drinking...I could try out that club Dash mentioned but I don’t have a clue what it was called. I’ll have to wait when she gets back.

...Although I don’t think I would like to be drunk around ponies...I doubt they would be able to handle me and my sexiness not to mention the pranks...Oh god the pranks...I seriously need to get back to speed with that. It’s been a few years and I’m sure Ash could use the cheering up.

I visited Shockwave who told me I would be patrolling the town centre. Easy enough. All I did was walk around the town, getting a bit of chit chat with the locals. So many asked about last night but told them that the matter was none of their concern. Most of them nodded and changed the subject or left while some tried to pry some more information out of me. Didn’t work out for them though since I put on hard ass mode which is basically me saying one word answers and not really giving a fuck about what they had to say. Reminds me of Ash when he gets troubled...or is annoyed.

Before I even knew it, my shift was over. It wasn’t so bad and was easy money. I went back to Shockwave’s office to get my days pay. 160 bits...I have no idea if that was good or bad but I was pleased with a days work without trying to not get killed in the process. Things were finally turning alright for me but it would be better if Ashley could get his dreams sorted out.

Location: Canterlot Castle First person: Ashley

Okay...Rainbow must be freaking out a bit...

We were all having breakfast. Simple enough right? Not in this case. I could tell that Rainbow was panicking a bit since she noticed that the rest of us were eating with utensils. Celestia and Luna their magic of course. Rainbow just continued to stare at me and then her food.

“What’s wrong Rainbow?” I asked.

“Huh...Oh...Uh nothing. Everything’s cool.” I could tell that she was freaking out a bit. Out of all the ponies I know, she ACTUALLY was concerned about how she was going to eat in front of the princesses.

I took another spoonful of my oatmeal. It was blistering hot so I blew on it of course to cool it down a bit. I was getting fed up with Rainbow worrying about her breakfast so I did what a good friend would do.

I held spoon out to my side and dropped it, hearing the several *clings* (or whatever sound metal makes when it hits marble tiles) as it bounced on the ground upon impact. The princesses immediately look towards me, as did Rainbow, all with looks of confusion on their faces.

“Ashley...What are you doing?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh you’ll see.” I gave her my cocky grin. I placed both my hands on the side of the table, leaning myself backwards slightly. I rushed my head straight into the bowl of blistering hot oatmeal. I grabbed as much as I could in my mouth before pulling my head out of the bowl. My face was burning like hell. Luckily I didn't get any of the stuff in my eyes but I didn’t show weakness.

“Ashley...Why did you do that?” Luna asked.

I grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped my face, swallowing my mouthful “Man that’s hot.” I looked towards Rainbow, her facial expression was more of shock than confusion but you could tell she had both emotions going through her right now. I looked towards Luna who was confused while Celestia gave a light giggle as she took another bite of her breakfast.

“Breaking the tension by the way. I noticed Rainbow was worrying about how she would eat her breakfast. Can’t blame her since she only saw us using the utensils.” I looked at Rainbow who gave me a faint smile “Didn’t hurt much. I’ve suffered worse.” I gave her a smile as hers grew a bit more before she lowered her head down to eat part of her sandwich.

Both princesses smiled and rolled their eyes, continuing with their own breakfasts. Luna levitated her napkin and wiped my cheek

“You missed a spot.” She giggled a little as she said teasingly. I rolled my eyes and suppressed my smile.

“Gee, thanks mom.” I mocked as I brushed the air with the back of my hand.

Celestia watched the little moment of Luna and I and said in a mocking tone...

“You two would make a cute couple.” I deadpanned. That was uncalled for.

“...” Both Luna and I were silent.

Rainbow was laughing a lot in the background and I mean A LOT. She was loud and fell onto the floor, clutching her sides. Celestia was laughing as was Luna but it sounded a bit fake, trying to be part of the joke I guess. I decided to have some payback.

“So you would you and Callum, Celestia. I can imagine the child being a half human, half pony with horns and wings and flowing mane.” Yeah...I went there. Threw in my cheeky smile with a wink just for fun.

“W-w-what!?” She started to freak out. I either hit a nerve or it’s mostly from shock from my comeback. It was my turn to go into hysterical laughter with Rainbow. I swear she wouldn’t be able to breathe if she kept it up. Luna was trying to hide her giggling behind the hoof over her mouth but you could see her wide grin.

She needs to learn I hold no bars when it comes to comebacks.

Celestia kept on denying which made it even funnier for me. I could tell she would try to counter my comeback.

“Actually I take back my joke...” Celestia said, an evil grin found its way onto her face “It’s obvious that you and Rainbow Dash would make a MUCH cuter couple.” Luna burst out in laughter.

Rainbow and I ceased laughing immediately. I was gave Celestia a mischievous wink but in the corner of my eye, Rainbow’s face was beet red as she started to object.

“Ewwwww.” More laughs from the princesses “He’s not even a pony!” Ouch...That stung a bit. I’ll have to admit that. She flailed her hooves to emphasise her point.

These princesses man...Didn’t expect them to be so laid back...

I had one more weapon in my comeback arsenal. This will probably be a game ender.

“You know Celestia...” I leaned back on my chair, putting my hands behind my head with my cheeky grin “...You and Twilight would make an even better couple than my other suggestion.”

Celestia was silent, jaw wide open. Awestruck at what I just said. Luna, Rainbow and I were in hysterics at her face.

“Don’t think this is over.” She gave me an evil grin as she said in serious tone. Oh fuck... I will admit, I’m scared. Goddess of the sun wants payback but I didn’t show any signs of being intimidated.

I remained calm. Both Rainbow and Luna were anticipating my reaction, as was Celestia who was looking quite smug but I didn't let her get any satisfaction.

To be honest...These are some pretty damn awesome princesses to hang out with.

"Bring it on..."

Authors note

Celestia confirmed to be a bit of a troll in this story: Check

Ashley confirmed to know how to counter troll: Check

Callum and Ashley to perform pranks: Pending.

So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just had to finish with a bit of comedy in there. And yes Celestia WILL GET REVENGE!

So keep an eye out for that. You're probably wondering what Rainbow wants to do with Ash. It's a surprise which will be done in a couple of chapter hopefully. Same with the small reveal of the surprise that Luna spoke of to Ash.

You're probably wondering "When will Ashley and Callum BOTH get to do their guard job together?" That my readers, shall be done shortly. There will be pranks in this story and I can't wait to write them up. Don't forget to comment and stuff fillies and gentlecolts! I sell that stuff to fuel my caffeine addiction!

Gaining allies

Princess Celestia was in the royal library, looking for the perfect act to perform on Ashley as payback for situation earlier at breakfast. She searched far and wide, looking at the names of almost every book in the library.

It has to be here somewhere...

Her efforts were futile. She had been searching for a while now, finding books that did have some funny things she could do to him. She found spell that could turn her victim drunk within a few seconds.

Hmmmm...I wonder what Ashley would be like if he was intoxicated...Probably wouldn’t have much effect on his personality. Besides, the spell has a drawback on the caster so I’d become intoxicated as well. Not the best thing for revenge.

She continued her search until she found what she was looking for. The book was hardcover, royal blue and looked to be brand new. It was most likely a rewritten or updated version of the original book which she kept in the library elsewhere so that none could ruin it.

Ah! Found you.

She levitated the book labelled ‘How to prank: Masters Guide’ to a nearby table and opened it. Browsing through the contents page...

Page 1-3: Welcoming pages

Page 3-43: Funny things to pull on Earth ponies (No magic required)

Page 44-75: Funny things to prank Pegasi ponies with (No magic required)

Page 76-126: How to mess with Unicorns (No magic required)

--- Following section will require magic and/or potions to perform ---

Celestia decided to go to her favourite part of the book which was entitled after her since the author and herself were good friends at the time the original book was written...

Page 432-460 Celestia’s favourite tools of destruction...

Celestia let out a quiet laugh “Prepare yourself Ashley...nopony is a match for me...well...Almost nopony.”

She closed the book and teleported to her private chambers with it, plotting which one she would pick.

Ashley, Luna and Rainbow were talking about what happened at breakfast even though it had already been a around over an hour since Celestia left.

“So Ashley...” Luna levitated a cup of tea to her lips, taking a sip before speaking once more “Do you have any plans for today?”

Ashley took a sip of his tea with his pinkie finger out. “Mmmyes. I believe I do.” He spoke in his posh voice “I wish to make my return back to Ponyville to negotiate with my dear friend Callum.”

Luna and Rainbow giggled a bit at Ashley’s impression.

“Why do you do those voices?” Luna asked.

“Hmm?” Ashley cocked an eyebrow, setting his tea on the table before turning his voice to be more southern like Applejack’s “Heck...Ah don’t know. Maybe it’s all because ah find it funny.”

“What other voices can you do?”

Turning his voice back to normal “I do a few but I only do them if I feel like it. I don’t care who is around me, I just do it because I used to do it as a kid with Callum.”

“That makes sense I guess.” Luna took another sip of her tea “Do you feel well enough to go back to Ponyville?”

“I feel great. Sure the nightmare freaks me out at first but having you two and the friends back in Ponyville make me not think about them...”

“Well, if you think you’re okay now then I’ll get Night Wing and Solar to prepare some transport for you.”

“Can’t you just teleport us?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh. Right, forgot about that.” Luna awkwardly smiled.

“I want to talk to Night Wing.” Ashley spoke up, looking at Luna.

“Excuse me?”

“I’d like to speak with Night Wing.”

“Fine...I’ll let you settle your differences with him...”

“Thanks, but I’d also like to smash his-“ Ashley interrupted.

“I’m not done.” Luna held her hoof up at Ashley, gaining control of the conversation “You are not to harm him.”

“AWW COME ON! Just one punch at least!” Ashley shot up from his seat quickly, slamming his hands on the table as he pleaded.

“Ashley. This is an order.” Luna scowled. She stared at him sternly to which Ashley returned. Both of them were up in each other’s faces, waiting for the other to back down.

“One. Punch.”

“No.

“One Punch in the arm.”

“No.”

“Fine...I get to punch Solar for setting Callum on fire then.”

“No.”

“...”

“I’m not backing down Ashley.”

“Neither am I.”

Rainbow Dash was awkwardly watching the heated moment, she didn’t want to get involved but she knew she probably would have to. If not then she would get dragged into it.

“Fine...Tell me the surprise you had in store then.”

“No.”

“It’s either that or I punch Night Wing.”

“No...F-fine. I’ll tell you the surprise.” Luna sighed in defeat. Ashley smiled a bit from his victory, Rainbow however sighed as well, glad that the moment was calming down.

“Alright...How can I put this...”

“Just say it.” Ashley returned to his seat.

“Me and Celestia think that...Each of us should...”

“Each of us what?” Ashley cocked an eyebrow.

“You know what? I’ll just say it.” Luna took a deep breath “Assign you two with Solar and Night Wing.” Luna winced, expecting Ashley to flip his lid.

Ashley sat there in silence as he clenched his fists in anger. Luna noticed his fists while Rainbow Dash was starting to worry about her human friend.

“Ash...” Rainbow said worryingly “Take it easy...”

“Tell me.” Ashley said quietly to Luna. You could hear the anger in his voice “Tell me all of it.”

Luna gulped, taking another deep breath “Since Night Wing is my most skilled unicorn guard. You’re going to be paired up with him when I need an escort or whenever I need you. Both of you will listen to my orders and follow them but are capable of being able to object to my sisters. The same will apply to Callum and Solar but they will take all orders from Celestia but can object to mine.” She prepared herself again for Ashley to express his anger

“...Why?” he said calmly “It’s obvious me and Callum work better as a team of two...”

“It was only going to be temporary. It’s only to help you and Callum to get along better with Solar and Night Wing.”

Ashley ran his hand over his head and let out a sigh. He looked towards Rainbow who was staring at him with a worrying smile.

“I’ll accept...If I can punch Night Wing once in the arm.”

“Please Ashley. Don’t do that.” She pleaded, her head hung slightly in the attempt of making Ashley think otherwise.

“No. I’m going to punch him.” He looked at Luna whose head was hanging. He started to feel guilty let alone he remembered that he was going against her orders. Even though he hadn’t accepted that role yet, he was still a guard. A guard that obeys the princesses. He sighed, speaking in calmer voice “Fine...” He noticed Luna look up “I’ll promise not to punch him. BUT...” He held his finger to emphasise he wasn’t finished. “I’m only doing it because...Reasons...”

Luna smiled weakly, raising her head back to normal “I’m glad that we came to an agreement.”

“Sooo....” Rainbow said awkwardly “What should we do now?”

“Simple.” Luna got out from her seat, walking next to Rainbow Dash “I’m sending you back to Ponyville.” She extended her hoof “Grab my hoof.”

Rainbow done so as Luna’s horn grew bright. Ashley shielded his eyes with his hand as the light grew brighter before it faded, leaving Luna’s signature blue mist flowing where she once stood.

Location: Sweet Apple Acres

Callum, Applejack and Big Mac were working on the farm. Callum knew that the day was going to be boring without Ash so he decided to volunteer at Sweet Apple Acres. At first, Applejack refused his help, saying that she and Big Mac could handle it. Callum didn’t have any of this and helped out anyway, saying that it was to kill time and that it was going to be free labour on her part. She decided to let him help out, carrying the apples from the trees she bucked.

Callum had been working at the farm for a couple of hours. It was a good work out. Being out in the wide, open space of the farm, the fresh scent of apples greeted his nose not to mention that he was lifting heavy loads but they didn’t strain him. Big Mac was impressed at how efficient Callum was at the job. He guessed that they would finish today’s work within the next half hour.

With Callum’s help, Applejack and Big Mac now had more time to do whatever they wanted. They were all resting next to the barn, each with a mug of cider in their grasp. Callum took his first sip of the beverage. The warm crisp taste of the apple cider drowned his taste buds as the fizz of the liquid tickled his tongue slightly. He didn’t think if this was alcoholic cider or not but he didn’t care either way. For starters, it was too early to drink and secondly, it didn’t leave a bad after taste like the cider back on Earth.

“So, do y’all like it?” Applejack asked, wiping the foam from her drink that was around her mouth with her hoof.

“Pretty damn good.” Callum replied before taking another sip, savouring the golden liquid in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. He let out a sigh “Tastes better than the stuff back home as far as I can tell.”

“Thank ya’ kindly Callum. Not every day we have somepony from another world compliment our cider.”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac took a sip of his cider.

Callum rested his back against the barn, crossing his legs. He looked over the horizon towards Ponyville, seeing the dots of the citizens doing their routines and pegasi flying through the clear sky. The three of them were having small talk as they drank their cider. As soon as Callum finished his, he said his farewells and headed towards Ponyville, followed by Applejack.

It took them a while but they made it. The town centre was filled with ponies shuffling up and down the busy streets. Market stalls were dotted around the area as ponies were buying the merchandise that stood on them. As they walked around, guards would often strike up a small conversation with Callum. Most of them began with asking what happened to Ashley but Callum politely told them he was fine.

Both mare and human walked past the school house. Cheerilee saw Callum, reminding herself of both humans visit on Friday. She knew that a couple of her pupils were going to ask Ashley about his dream now, only because she saw some of the questions that were being prepared already. Some were questions about their home world and their lives back then.

As Applejack and Callum continued through the town, talking about various things, they saw a bright light appear in front of them. Those who looked towards the light either looked away or shielded their eyes. As the light died down, Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash stood where it once was. Luna used her teleportation spell once more to get Ashley, leaving her signature blue mist which sent shivers down Rainbow’s spine. Both Callum and Applejack approached the cyan pegasus.

“Hey Rainbow Dash.” Callum waved

“Oh hey Callum, hey A.J.”

“Howdy R.D." Applejack tipped her Stetson towards the cyan pegasus "How'd it go with the princesses?"

“Oh it went fine. Ashley freaked out a little from some news that Luna told him but he said he’s fine to come back to Ponyville so Luna is going to bring him here any second.”

“That’s good to hear.” Callum smiled

“Oh yeah, he wants to talk to you about something Cal. Oh and A.J. During our visit, he threatened Blueblood.”

“Wait what?” Applejack asked confusingly “What made him go an’ do that?”

“Blueblood was being a jerk to some mare because she had an accident so Ash stood up for her. It was so freaking funny!” Dash laughed a bit, remembering the face of horror on Blueblood at the time “Ashley didn’t even care that it was the prince!”

“Sounds like Ash’s back to normal.” Callum grinned. Shortly after, the same light from before came back. Everyone shielded their eyes until the light disappeared, leaving Ashley and Luna in its place.

“Sup Cal?” Ashley greeted his friend with a nod

“Not much bro. You needed to speak to me?”

“Yeah, come over here.” He gestured his friend away from the others. Luna decided to take up a conversation with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Alright...Did Rainbow Dash tell you what happened at all?”

“She’s only told me about you and the prince. Nice job by the way.” Callum raised his hand for a high five.

“Thanks.” Ashley high fived, shoving his hand in his pocket “Now, this morning...Celestia tried to be a bit funny.”

“What did she do?”

“Well, I had some oatmeal on my cheek from my oatmeal at breakfast because I decided to ditch utensils and went face first into the bowl because I say Rainbow panicking a bit about the rest of us using said utensils.”

“Being a good friend like always.” Callum smiled, getting a nod from Ashley “Go on.”

“Well...Here’s the bit I found the best. Luna wiped a bit of oatmeal that was on my cheek with a napkin and Celestia said, and I quote ‘You two would make a cute couple’.”

“Heh, that’s brilliant timing.” Callum chuckled

“It gets better.” Ashley smirked.

“Oh really?”

“My comeback was ‘So you would you and Callum, Celestia. I can imagine the child being a half human, half pony with horns and wings and flowing mane’. You should’ve seen her reaction, it was priceless!” Ashley began to laugh a bit, remembering her face when he came back at her.

At this point, Callum was struggling to breathe from his laughter, grabbing the attention of Luna, Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“What the hay are those two talkin’ about?” Applejack shot a look of curiosity towards Luna and Rainbow Dash.

“Most likely what happened this morning.”Luna spoke in an amused tone.

“What happened this morning?”

“Well...It all started at breakfast...” Rainbow started to tell the story to Applejack.

***

“What happened next?” Callum finally stifled his laughter

“Well...She tried to counter me by saying that me and Rainbow Dash would make a cuter couple.”

“That’s a good one. Not as good as yours though.” Callum chuckled a bit. Both humans noticed the laughter from Applejack, Luna and Rainbow Dash.

“It gets better...”

“Oh god...” Callum smiled “What did you do?”

“Weeelllll...I sort of said that her and Twilight would make an even better couple than you and herself.”

“Ba-hahaha!” Callum clutched his sides from the laughter. Both humans were getting odd looks from nearby ponies and the group of mares they were with earlier.

***

“Then Celestia said that me and Ash would make a cute couple!” Rainbow said

Applejack chuckled a bit “Y’know sugarcube, you two would make a good couple.”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow dash yelled defensively.

“Ah’m just playin’ with ya’ sugarcube.” Applejack giggled a bit, as did Luna. Rainbow Dash was blushing slightly but she felt lucky that nopony saw it.

***

“Oh man...” Callum stabilised his laughing fit, jerking a tear of joy “I wish I was there. Oh that reminds me, we need to get our prank back on. It’s been a long time.”

“Good news for you Cal, I was going to ask you to help me with a prank or two.”

“Sweet! Who’s the victim?”

“Princess Celestia.”

“You’re kidding?” Ashley shook his head “Oh boy.” Callum started to rub his hands together with a mischievous grin “This gonna be good!”

“Here’s the thing, Celestia said at breakfast that ‘this isn’t over.’ So she’s going to get back at me and I need your help for this one.”

“I’m all ears.”

Ashley put his mouth next to Callum’s ear, whispering his plan against the sun goddess. After a brief moment of discussion, both humans shook hands, promising not to tell anyone of their plan. Applejack was in a laughing fit while Luna was giggling, Rainbow was smiling towards Ashley as he approached.

“Right. We’re set.” Ashley spoke up. Applejack’s laughter was calming down as Luna turned serious.

“Did you tell him about the Night Wing situation?” She asked.

Callum’s cheerful expression to one of concern “What Night Wing situation?”

“Callum. Promise you won’t freak out.” Ashley grabbed hold of his friends chin, rotating his face towards his own for eye contact.

“I promise, now spill the beans.”

Ashley sighed, letting go of his friends chin “I’m being partnered up with Night Wing while you’re going with Solar.”

“...Okay...What else?” He spoke calmly but you could tell he was bottling his emotions.

“It’s to make us work better with those two and is temporary.” Hearing Callum sigh in relief, he continued “Night and I will follow orders of Luna and if we want, defy against Celestia’s. The same applies to you and Solar but you listen to Celestia.

“Alright I guess.” Callum shrugged “I’m only doing it to get it over with.”

“Glad you came to an agreement as well Callum.” Luna spoke, her horn started to glow faintly “I must return to Canterlot and tell my sister that you both agreed. Farewell.”

“See you later.” Both humans said in unison, waving. The light grew brighter as everyone covered their eyes. Luna left her blue mist in her place as it started to fade away.

“They really need to stop blinding us.” Callum said, he turned towards Rainbow Dash “So...Shall we check out that club?”

“Sure.” Rainbow gestured the humans to follow her. Applejack decided to go check on Twilight to tell her that Ashley's returned.

The club wasn’t far away from where they were, around a five minute walk. The large sign said “Neon’s”. Looking closely, the humans could tell that the sign would light up during the night to make it more noticeable. Rainbow Dash told them a bit about the club, what it’s like on Fridays and that it’s even better on Saturdays as well as a bit about the owner. Neon was described as one of those people that can take a joke but will deal them out as well and that you don’t want to get on the wrong side of her. A bit of a drinker but always responsible and only drank after the club closed or when she was at home with some friends.

As the humans and ponies walked into the near empty club, they were greeted by a jet black unicorn. Her mane and tail were blue with a black strip running through them. The hairstyle was short but well kept. Her eyes were dark blue.

“Hey.” She waved, noticing Rainbow Dash “Oh hey Dash, are these the new guys?”

“Hey and yes. This is Ashley...” Rainbow gestured towards him.

“Yo.” Ashley waved .

“And this is Callum.”

“Hey girl. How you doin’?” He greeted her with a smirk and a wink.

“Hello Ashley and...Callum...Don’t try anything. I don’t swing that way.” She returned a similar wink.

“She got ya’ there Cal.” Ashley wrapped his arm over his friends shoulder, looking up at nothing in particular except the ceiling above them “There’s always the next one.”

Callum flicked an imaginary tear, speaking in a depressed voice “I thought we had something special!” He leaned his head on Ashley’s shoulder, trying to look saddened from the rejection.

Neon and Dash just laughed at their charade.

“Are they always like this?” Neon asked as Callum broke himself off from Ashley, both with smirks on their faces.

“They do it when they feel like it.”

Neon smiled at this. She started to walk around the humans, poking at Callum’s legs and arms when possible to feel the bulk of their muscles. After a while, she turned to Ashley...

“She Didn’t even buy me dinner yet. I feel so violated!” Callum joked, getting a jab in the side from Neon’s horn.

“Quiet you.” She giggled, turning back to Ashley as she started to examine him.

“Like what you see?” Ashley teased.

“Not bad. Good muscles, seem to be in top shape from what I’ve heard from Dash. You’re hired.” She held out her hoof.

Ashley and Callum kneeled down to shake her hoof, taking turns. Ashley decided to speak “Thanks. When do we start?”

Both humans stood back up as she brought her hoof back to the ground, making her way to the bar with Dash next to her. The humans followed “You start at 8PM. Even though on Fridays we open at 8:15PM and close at 3AM. Eight bits an hour sound good?”

“Sure. Sounds great.” Callum smiled “Anything else?”

“Yeah there is.” She grabbed a drink that was given to her by the barcolt. She took a sip “All you do is stand there and get admission fees which are four bits per pony but there is also a VIP. Her name is Vinyl Scratch, light grey unicorn with a music note for a cutie mark. She’s usually seen wearing purple shades and her mane is very noticeable since its electric blue. She’s hard to miss.”

“Light grey unicorn, blue mane, purple shades, Vinyl Scratch.” Ashley said, keeping them as notes for the job, giving thumbs up to Neon “Got it.”

“Glad you understand. We're open on saturdays as well but already have some guys who do your job that night. You two should check it out, it's just as busy on friday. See you two tomorrow?”

“Sure we'll check it out. See you tomorrow.”

***

“Come on…Come on.” Celestia muttered to herself, she had spent the past hour flipping through pages, looking for the perfect act of revenge. Spells upon spells were listed among the potion recipes.

“You have to be here somewhere…”

Her eye shot open as she reached the page she was looking for, she levitated a piece of parchment and a quill (Dipped in ink of course) and jotted down the spell among a couple of others she would use in case Ashley made some payback of his own.

“One can’t be too careful.” She smiled to herself, the parchment and herself disappearing in the bright light from her horn, leaving her signature warm mist in her place.

After talking to Neon, Callum, Ashley and Rainbow Dash decided to visit Sugarcube Corner…And by Ashley visiting I mean literally dragged by Callum.

“I don’t see why I have to go in there.” Ashley folded his arms, pouting like a small child not getting their way.

“Because I said so. Okay?” Callum said strictly but you could tell that he was amused by Ashley’s shenanigan. “Besides I’m sure Pinkie knows something about pranks since she’s always up for fun.”

“Oh trust me…” Rainbow spoke up proudly “Pinkie Pie loves to pull pranks. She’s the best I’ve seen! Better than me!”

“Interesting…” Ashley rubbed his chin with his hands “We could ask her to assist us in our task, don’t you agree Callum?”

“I’m up for it.”

“Excellent!” Ashley stood up, dusting off the dirt on his back with his hands but he could only do so much. Callum decided to dust off the parts he missed.

“Thanks.” Ashley smiles “We must make haste! Time is of the essence!” He struck a heroic pose, pointing towards Sugarcube Corner. It didn’t take them long to get to the front door.

“One sec guys…” Rainbow stood in front of the door “Let me see if Pinkie’s in first.”

Several moments passed and still no signs of Rainbow Dash. Both humans became impatient, Callum opened the door as Ashley used the end of his sleeve to try and stop him from smelling the inside of the confectionary store.

As they entered, the only light on the room was in the middle, over a small desk. In front of the desk were two chairs, other side was a large office chair which faced the other way from the humans.

“Uh…” Callum said “Hello?”

“Ah…” both humans heard a voice, familiar…Sounded to have a small accent…Posh maybe? Sounded more sinister than posh. “You have arrived…” The chair spun round, the light poorly revealed Pinkie Pie’s mane and part of her face. She was wearing a dark grey suit, the tie was pink and had several balloons on it, alongside with confetti. She was also wearing a fedora.

“Y-yeah…We have…” Ashley spoke although his voice was muffled by his sleeve.

“Yes…You have…I know of your proposal so please…” She gestured towards the two chairs “Take a seat.”

Both humans shuffled towards the chairs, slowly taking their seats. Ashley’s legs were crossed over, leaning back on the chair as held his sleeve over his nose while Callum sat up straight.

Pinkie opened one of the drawers, taking out a cup of what looked like hot chocolate. She stuck a lollipop into her mouth, pretending the stick was a cigarette “I know you’d like my help with some pranks…”

“Correct.” Ashley’s muffled voice spoke.

“But the only way I’m going to help you…Is if I get something in return.” She spat out the lollipop stick, the sound of it hitting a nearby trashcan. How she consumed the sugary treat without biting it confused both humans but they put the thought aside

It’s Pinkie being Pinkie. They thought to themselves.

“Well, what do you want?” Callum asked.

“I want pictures!” She slammed her hoof on the table, spilling some of the hot chocolate on the table “Pictures of ponies!”

“Uhhhh….” Both human’s quickly glanced at one another, returning back to the pink part pony in front of them.

“Nah I’m just pulling your leg!” Her voice returned to normal, her smile could be seen from the light. She coughed slightly before her smile disappeared, returning to the voice from before “You.” She pointed towards Ashley.

“What about me?”

“I want you.”

“Want me for what? Play a guitar solo? Go sky diving? Have a fight with a brick wall?”

“Heh heh.” A laugh came from the shadows, both humans recognised it as Rainbow’s.

“Maybe one of those…Actually…” Pinkie spoke, leaning back on her chair as she put her two forehooves together, near her chin “You are going to one of my parties.”

“AWW COME ON!” Ashley shot up, the chair rocketed backwards from his movement and hit the ground.

“It’s that or you get destroyed by Celestia in your feeble prank war.”

“I’d rather take my chances.” Ashley mumbled as he walked towards the door.

“There has only been one pony in the entire history to successfully win a prank war against the sun princess.” She examined her hoof as if she was bored.

“And who was that?” Ashley asked with concern, stopping in his tracks.

“…Me.”

“…I’m listening.” Ashley picked up his chair, not taking a seat in it but leaning his body weight on it.

“I know what really makes her tick. What reeeaaally gets on her nerves. She will go all out on you and just think. She has been alive for a long time, thus allowing her to perfect her jokes and becoming a master of them. Many have rivalled her in the art of the prank war but none have succeeded. Many couldn’t drive themselves to even counter her prank. Some tried to get back but she foresaw them easily, turning their pranks against them with ease. That was until I came along.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate, savouring the flavour for a moment

Ashley was intrigued as was Callum. Ashley went back into his seat before speaking up.

“Go on…”

“I already have a few things you can do to get her if you accept my conditions.” A smile grey faintly on her face.

“I’m not so sure…”

“Ashley…” Rainbow spoke up, bringing herself to the light in the room “Can we speak for a sec?”

“Sure I guess.” Both human and pony exited the store. The sunlight started to burn Ashley’s eyes.

“Y’know you said you owe me right?”

“Of course.”

“Well I made my decision.”

“Go on.”

“At first, I was going to say that you could treat me to a meal, like you suggested. But now, I want to you go to a Pinkie Party. I’m sure it would mean a lot to her.”

“Ugh…” Ashley groaned, wiping a hand down his face “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

“Please Ash…Do it for me?” She started to give him the puppy dog look, forgetting that he was impervious to the attempt.

Ashley bit down on his fist. He REALLY didn’t want to go to the party but he promised he would make it up to Rainbow, not matter what she asked. He felt like a ton of bricks were balancing on his head, ready to fall onto his body at any second.

Rainbow decided to turn up the sad meter, making her eyes water as her lower lip quivered.

“You know that those looks don’t work on me right?” Ashley said amusingly, lowering his voice to a whisper “Fine I’ll go.”

“Sweet!” Rainbow cheered up instantly, knowing that Pinkie would be thrilled to throw both humans a party.

“As long as it isn’t here.”

“Why?”

“The smell of the place…It disgusts me.”

“But it smells like cake and sugar! How could you NOT like it?”

“That’s why I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of sugary treats. Can’t stand the smell let alone the taste.”

“Fair enough.” Rainbow shrugged, opening the door to allow both of them to enter the store. Ashley covered his nose with his sleeve again.

“Weeeelll?” Pinkie asked, leaning slightly over the table. The top of her fedora and the front of her mane were completely visible.

“Rainbow talked me into going to your party as long as it isn’t here.”

“…” Pinkie was silent, removing the fedora and placed it on the table. She remained calm as she hopped of her chair and stood next to Ashley, glaring at him.

“Uhh…” Ashley was starting to get a bit creeped out by the pink mare until she wrapped her hooves around his neck, suffocating him.

“WOO HOO!” She exclaimed, squeezing tighter on his neck “Now I get to throw both of my favourite humans a party! Oh-oh! It’s going to be so much fun! There’s going to be cake. And punch. And pie and-” She dragged on and on, listing things for the party but was completely oblivious to Ashley’s struggled breathing.

“Pinkie! *ack* Can’t breathe!” Ashley was ready to throw the pink pony over his head to regain control of his breathing.

“Woops!” She smiled sheepishly as she pulled herself away from Ash “Got a bit carried away.”

“It’s…Okay Pinkie…Just…Warn me next time…Okay?” Ashley spoke between breathes, Callum couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Ash could of easily overcome Pinkie with his strength.

“So…What did you have planned Pinkie?” Callum spoke up.

“Just follow me and you will see!” The pink pony turned on the lights, the desk completely disappeared as did her suit which left everyone confused but as always…

It’s Pinkie being Pinkie

***

“Wow…” Both humans were awe struck. They followed Pinkie into the attic of the store, learning that she lives here with Mr and Mrs Cake. They ascended up a ladder into the attic and found many cabinets, each filled with notes of things needed for pranks. At the end of the room, on a pedestal was a very large book. It appeared to be at least 5000 pages.

“This…” Pinkie spoke, her eyes gleaming as she approached the book “Is my masterpiece.”

“What is it?” Ashley asked.

“It’s a book silly! It contains EVERY prank, joke and silly thing ever known. Written by me and is updated often.

“So this’ll help us get at Celestia?”

“Not this book. I have a secret book just for her! You three need to turn around and close your eyes and open when I say so.”

The humans and Rainbow Dash did what she asked. Pinkie put her hooves into her manepulling out a small black notebook, opening it and flipping a couple of pages. Finding step one of her plan easily.

“Okay, now you can look.” She said cheerfully, her audience did what they asked.

“So what do you have planned first?” Callum asked, looking at the notebook.

“This…” She went to a nearby drawer, pulling out a small plastic bottle of clear oil “This is body oil but not like any other body oil. This is the first step to get back at Celestia.

“Alright. What do you need us to do?”

“Callum, this will require you to convince the princess to have a massage from you…”

“Mmkay.”

“The room must be dark. Ashley has to be hidden in the room. After a few minutes, switch with Ash but if she talks, you have to speak to keep up the illusion. Ashley, you’ll have to massage the oil into her coat and completely quiet. You know how to massage don’t you?”

“Damn straight.” Ashley spoke up “It would be a bit awkward for me to massage her but if it’s to get at the princess, I’m in.”

“Good. There is a little surprise I want you to add at the end…”

Ashley rubbed his hands together, an evil grin found its way onto his face.

“Oh boy…Dis gun be good.” He said with a small laugh.

Sorry for the late update guys, been a bit hectic with coursework and real life which made me push this chapter down until I almost forgot about it completely. Not to mention the fact that I love reading other fanfics and they really waste down my spare time. As you can tell, I revealed one of the pranks for next chapter. I throughly enjoyed writing the Pinkie Pie scene.

Next chapter WILL have the pranks, both sides in fact. I think two pranks on each side should do well. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter so let me know in the comments and such.

Oh and before I can forget...FUCK YEAH 21,000+ VIEWS! Love you all for reading this story so far and giving me a lot of positive comments, driving me to get off my lazy ass to write.

I call shenanigans: Part two: Celestia's revenge

Celestia grew wary of the human’s capabilities which drove her to the brink of gaining accomplices to aid her in the task. The banana cream pie was easy to remove after Twilight openly allowed her mentor to wash up at the library. After one awkward cleaning session (By awkward, I mean that the bath was a bit cramped for somepony of Celestia’s size. Oh and she still has the effects of the oil on her just to let you know), she remembered what Luna told her earlier that day...

Callum was under her control now. He would have to do whatever she said...Even help get Ashley back. It was obvious that Ashley asked him for the help but she still needed to teach Callum a lesson.

One that he would never forget...

A wicked smile grew on her face but she quickly shook it off, seeing Twilight approach her with a look of worry, head down slightly.

Celestia was a bit disheartened at the sight “What’s wrong Twilight?”

“I’m sorry princess...” Her voice was quiet, saddened. “We couldn’t find them. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.” The feeling of failure ran through Twilight’s body. She usually completed set tasks by Celestia with either ease or going through several mistakes but was successful nonetheless.

“It’s okay Twilight.” Celestia spoke her calm, regal voice. Noticing that Twilight was now looking up at the sun goddess “I’m sure they’ll turn up eventually.” She nuzzled her student to comfort her to which it did. She noticed a smile replaced the look of sadness on her.

“Thank you princess.”

“Twilight.” Celestia frowned “I would prefer it if you didn’t use formalities around me. Please, just call me Celestia. You’re like family to me Twilight. Never forget that.”

“Of course prin-“ Twilight cut herself short, smiling awkwardly before she re-corrected herself “I mean Celestia.”

“Excellent.” Celestia responded with a smile, gesturing for her student to follow her. “Come Twilight, we shall gather the others.”

Twilight happily obliged, a question however started to embed itself into her mind as they walked around the town. Ponies would bow down at the sight of her mentor, as always. To be honest, she did feel quite confident right now, being in the presence of whom she trusted the most, let alone one of the most powerful beings in all of Equestria. The question started to dig further into her mind the further they walked, getting to the point to where she would just HAVE to ask.

Celestia could tell that something was on her students mind, immediately thinking she was going to ask about what happened...

“Um...Celestia?” Twilight asked. Celestia turned her head towards her student as they continued walking, raising an eyebrow “I was just wondering...” The lavender unicorn grew a bit distant from the question, thinking that asking the question would be stupid.

“You’re curious of what happened, aren’t you Twilight?” The bright pink alicorn received a nod in response “Let’s just say that it was a joke that Ashley must have convinced Callum to take part in. Don’t worry much Twilight, it’s all in good fun and I do plan on having my revenge. We can’t have them running around, playing pranks on everypony until somepony teaches them a lesson.”

“I have to agree with you there Celestia. I was told about what happened this morning, did Ashley really say about...You know...”

“Yes he did, again it was all in good fun. I enjoy both his and Callum’s company. I think it’s cute that Luna likes to be in the presence of Ashley while I prefer Callum’s presence.” Celestia giggled a bit. It was true that both humans seemed to take a liking to the princesses. She thought about how this would also be beneficial for when it comes to being partnered up with captain Solar and Night wind.

“I just don’t understand human’s Celestia. They’re quite the...random ones aren’t they?” Twilight laughed a bit with her question.

“Indeed they are Twilight. But I’d rather have ones that are willing to stand up against both Luna and I than some who would bend to our every whim without hesitation. Not to mention that both can keep my nephew in line. It’s about time somepony else stood up to him.”

“I’ll have to agree with you there, I wonder what Rarity will say when we tell her about what happened.”

“I’m sure she will be glad...Maybe she’ll be excited that somepony is teaching him a lesson.”

Both ponies giggled as they walked on. They soon came across both Shockwave and Fluttershy, searching for the humans.

“You two can stop now. They’ll come out eventually.” A voice spoke from behind them, Fluttershy quickly hid behind a nearby bush. Shockwave turned around and saw the princess as well as Twilight approach them. He immediately bowed down to the princess.

“Is there anything you need princess?” Shockwave asked as he lowered his head, Fluttershy peeked her head out of the bush slowly and quickly got out. She took her place next to the captain and bowed herself down towards the princess.

“You can both rise.” Celestia spoke with a smile “Like I said, you can stop searching. We will just wait for them to come out by themselves.”

Shockwave gave a salute “Shall I tell the other guards?”

“If you please captain.”

Shockwave gave a nod before walking off into the distance, instantly striking a conversation with several pegasi guards. They listened to what he had to say and each of them spread out to find other guards.

“Finally...

Warmth...

Body heat...

Life...

Years of waiting...

Decades of patience...

Broken...

Centuries alone...

Nothing to care for...

Deprived of all contact of life...

...

I miss you...

Rainbow and Pinkie had to leave Ashley and his pal in Sugarcube corner by themselves since Applejack came by and asked for their help to find the two pranksters. Ashley finished vomiting into a nearby bucket from the smell of the bakery finally reaching his nose.

Rainbow and Pinkie worried about his behaviour everytime he entered the confectionary store. Pinkie was itching to know why he didn’t like being there. After all, it’s the best bakery EVER filled with SO MANY delicious cakes, pies and other sugar filled snacks.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t like being there...” Pinkie spoke with a sad tone. Her mane was drooping a bit and was a slightly darker shade of pink but still maintained most of its bounciness.

“Well...” Rainbow began, trying her best not to hurt her friends feelings “He doesn’t like Sugarcube corner since...Well, he doesn’t like the smell of it.”

“WHAT!?” Pinkie yelled, grabbing the attention of ponies nearby. “Sorry about that...” She said sheepishly, some ponies laughed to themselves while others just either smiled or continued with their business.

“Yeah...I was surprised as well. Turns out he doesn’t like sugary things, saying that he can’t stand the smell let alone the taste.”

Pinkie’s mane turned back to normal, she replied with her cheery tone “Well, everypony has things they don’t like. It’s a shame he doesn’t like things like cupcakes...or pie...or brownies...”

“Let’s just not make a big deal outta it.”

Ashley burst out of the door of the bakery, immediately gasping for fresh air. Onlookers stared at his outburst, some raised eyebrows while others whispered.

“Dude...It ain’t that bad...” Callum said as he took a bit of a cupcake with purple frosting that spiralled with white frosting.

“FUCK YOU.” Ashley yelled as he put his index and middle finger down his throat, letting his gag reflex do it’s magic. “WHY DID I LET YOU TALK *ACK* ME INTO THAT!?”

“Because of my sexiness.” Callum chuckled, taking another bite of the baked treat in his hand. Note to self, compliment bakers on making awesome treat...And to ask how much these things cost.

Ashley jammed his fingers down his throat in further than before. He felt the liquid from his stomach force its way up his throat as he spewed it onto the floor in front of him, in the middle lay the chewed remains of a single bit from a muffin. He spat once he finished, trying to get rid of the taste in his mouth.

The onlookers either watched in disgust, said things on the lines of “Eww.” Or “That’s disgusting!”

Celestia, Twilight and Fluttershy were still walking around the town. Ponies bowed at the sight of the pink alicorn, some tried to hide their laughter. They headed towards Sugarcube corner and saw the humans outside, Ashley was leaning forward with a light green substance on the floor in front of him while Callum was eating a cupcake, smiling.

Callum saw the ponies approaching him, quickly holding up Ashley “Dude...Check it.” He pointed towards the princess.

“She doesn’t look pissed anymore...” Ashley said, his stomach ached a bit from his vomit “Hey Cal...”

“Yeah?”

“CHEESE IT!” Ashley quickly started to run in a random direction from the alicorn. Callum followed but took a different path.

Princess Celestia heard Ashley shout something about cheese. She had no clue what it was but she spread her wings and immediately went after Callum. Twilight and Fluttershy approached the bakery, seeing the human’s bile on the floor.

“He better clean this up.” Twilight said flatly before her and Fluttershy walked away from the scene.

She just had to go for me didn’t she? Callum’s muscles ached from running for the past half hour non-stop. He needed to rest badly as he hid himself on Sweet Apple Acres. The trees would stop Celestia from getting a birds-eye view of him. His breathing was frantic as his sweat covered body started to cool down, he closed his eyes as he calmed down his breathing, clearing all thoughts from his mind for a few minutes.

Looking back, Callum thought over why Celestia gave up when he was darting towards the orchard.

“Got ya!” A voice spoke as something hard tackled Callum. Realising the tone had a southern accent, he had two idea’s who it was. It was either Applejack or Big Mac since they were the two candidates that would most likely be able to tackle him successfully. His eyes darted open to find a red hoof on his chest.

Big Mac...Of course...

“Nice going Mac.” Another voice came from behind, this time it was a female’s with a southern accent. Immediately suggesting it was Applejack speaking.

“Y’all put up quite the search there Cal.” Applejack leaned over Callum’s head, her face was upside down from his perspective.

“Y’know...I could easily get outta this right?”

“Oh we know...Applebloom!” Applejack had an evil smile on her face as she called out for her sister “Get mah rope!”

“Rope? Really?” Callum rolled his eyes “You could just ask me to come along...”

“But where’s the fun in that?” Applejack giggled a bit, looking over the human’s face to make eye contact

“Never knew you had a bondage fetish A.J.” Callum winked. Big Mac pushed harder onto his chest but it didn’t bother him much “Go ahead Big Mac. I get off from pain. You’re just making me want you.” Callum teased seductively, gaining blushes from both ponies. Big Mac’s was harder to see from his natural red coat but it was still noticeable.

“Y’all just have to make things awkward, don’t ya Cal?” Applejack asked as Applebloom walked over, passing her sister the rope.

“Tie me up. I’ve been a bad...Bad boy.” Callum said seductively once more as before he licked his lips receiving a hard smack on the face from Applejack’s hoof.

“Don’t say those things in front of Applebloom. This is yer warning.” Applejack scowled.

“Alright alright.” Callum chuckled “I’ll behave but only if you don’t tie me up and just let me walk with you.”

“Hmm...” Applejack pondered at the thought “Alright. But one suggestive thing like that around Applebloom or any young'un in that matter, yer going to wish that ya never came to Equestria.” She tried to look intimidating to the human but didn't work much in her opinion.

“Deal.” Callum smirked as Big Mac lifted his hoof off his chest. Callum started to dust himself off with his hands, noticing the ponies staring at him “What?”

“Nothin’.” Applejack spoke “Thought ya would try to run away.”

“Makes a promise...” Callum crossed his arms with a smug smile “Keeps it.” Sometimes…

“Well…Callum’s been caught.” Ashley spoke as he watched his friend walk with the apple farmers. Surprised that Callum didn’t try to break free and judging by the slap from Applejack, Callum said something that was suggestive in a sexual manner. Smiling to himself as he watched them walk away from the orchard and towards Ponyville. His body wasn’t aching much since he saw Celestia going after Callum, after (what he thought was) ten minutes of running, he stopped since he headed straight towards the orchard since he could easily run into the nearby forest if need be.

The taste of vomit still lingered in his mouth but it was an improvement to the super sugary muffin bite he took. He began his search for something to get rid of the taste.

Celestia, Twilight and Fluttershy were able to gather Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, all the ponies were together in the town center as they saw Callum approaching with Big Macintosh, Applejack (Applebloom went to go and see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo). The human had his hands in his pockets, looking particularly bored, given the circumstances but remained calm.

“I see you caught him.” Celestia smiled towards both members of the Apple family as they bowed down to her. “You may rise.” Celestia grew tired of having to say that every single time she had to.

“Not really caught.” Callum said “I could easily got Big Mac off me and made it so they couldn’t walk.” He gestured towards Applejack “Found out she has a bondage fetish since she wanted to tie me up.”

“Ah do NOT like that sorta thing!” Applejack retaliated smashing her forehoof into the human’s stomach. It didn’t wind him but it was still a bit painful.

“The more you deny, the more it is likely to be true!” Callum started to laugh as he covered the area of impact. These ponies are way to easy to mess around with.

Applejack snarled, thinking of getting some payback “Well…Ah’m sure that ya like to get nice and close to Ashley at night.” She said suggestively as she winked.

“Ooooo~ Applejack has fangs!” Callum teased, at least someone actually made a comeback “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Why’d you ask? You want to watch us two go at it?” He went down to Applejacks level, giving her bedroom eyes “Or do you want to get involved?” he stoked the bottom of her chin softly with his index finger.

Those listening to the conversation were blushing while Rainbow was trying her best not to break out into laughter. Applejack was the worst when comparing the others blushing, her eyes were wide open.

“You have no shame do you Callum?” Celestia spoke with a small giggle, she had to admit. It was amusing to watch the humans make jokes towards her subjects, knowing they’re only joking and wouldn’t go too far.

“Nope.” Callum smiled as he raised himself back up, Applejack’s expression was still the same which broke a soft chuckle from him. “The fun part is…I might follow through with what I said.”

Boom. Everyone was blushing again (Except Callum of course, he made the assumption that everyone was picturing the orange mare and the two humans.). Callum could barely breathe from his laughter, holding his sides as tears of pure joy seeped from his eyes.

“You ponies are WAY too easy to mess with.” He looked towards A.J. and winked. He could tell that he was making everyone REALLY uncomfortable to which he enjoyed but decided to stop “Okay…Okay” He could barely muster a word as he tried to recover from his laughter “I’ll stop…”

Everyone sighed, their blushes started to fade but the look of shock still remained on Applejack’s face.

“…For now anyways.”

Ashley was watching the conversation from a nearby rooftop. Luckily, no pegasi were flying high enough to see him as he overheard the discussion between Callum and the ponies. He had to remain quiet otherwise his cover would be blown. How’d he get on the roof? Stacking crates helped a lot.

He decided he had heard enough, he needed to laugh off the situation somewhere so he went back to the orchard, quietly removing himself from the roof using the crates from before to get back down.

Celestia and Callum separated themselves from the other ponies since they were talking to Applejack. The orange mare finally broke out of her trance of shock, her blush was fading as Rainbow Dash could be heard laughing.

“Now.” Celestia spoke up as soon as Applejack recovered from the awkward ordeal “About the massage…”

“Heh…” Callum chuckled to himself “Ash got me into it. This little prank war you’re having with him is between you and him. I only played my part for him so he could get ya’.”

“Mmhmm.” Celestia pondered to herself. Maybe she could use Callum for her revenge though she would have to teach him a lesson sooner or later. She frowned towards the human.

“I can already tell you want to get us back.” He stretched his arms to his sides “Do what you want, get it over with.”

“Oh I have a better idea.” Celestia smirked, pointing a hoof at Callum “you’re going to help me get Ashley.”

“And why should I?”

“Well for one. You broke my trust. Secondly, remember what you agreed to do for me recently?”

“Ooooh~.” Callum smiled “Celestia’s going to use the resources she has eh?”

“Well Ashley done the same with you.”

“True. Not sure if I should help you though.”

“Either you help me or you end up on the moon.” Celestia whispered with a menacing smile on her face.

“Mmmmkay. I’ll go with helpin’ ya.” Callum agreed. Never pranked Ash before, might as well do it once in my life. The moon doesn’t sound too fun anyways.

“Really? You’re going to help me. Just like that?” Celestia’s smile faded to a compliment an expression of confusion.

“Yeah.” Callum agreed “Never pulled a joke on Ash before and I’m always willing to do things for a laugh.”

“Okay.” Celestia held out her hoof towards Callum. Twilight and the others noticed and were confused. “Do you give me your word? Will you help me and not tell Ashley anything?”

Callum grasped the pink alicorns hoof in his hand, shaking it “You have my word. If I am to break my promise then I shall be sent to the moon but I’m only helping you JUST this once. After that, I’m not helping anyone, not even Ash.”

“Hopefully, I will not have to send you to the moon.” Celestia giggled “And I’m sure that Ashley will be shocked.”

“So what do you have planned for him?”

“Simple…” A smile grew on Celestia’s face as she whispered her plan in Callum’s ear. As she went on about the plan, a mischievous smile grew on the human’s face.

After their discussion, Callum decided to speak up.

“Y’know. You look pretty good with a pink coat.” Celestia merely rolled her eyes at his compliment.

Ashley grew bored once more of the orchard. Luckily he had his MP3 Player so he decided to tune into some songs. Mostly just random OST’s and a couple of song’s one of his friends made. All they did was make time seem to go past faster. His stomach growled from hunger, remembering that all he had to eat today was his breakfast and the bite of a muffin he threw up earlier. He could grab some apples form the orchard but he didn’t want to steal them. He really needed to get some cash, hoping for both him and Callum to buy a place they can share. They hoped that they could design it similar to their place back on earth, just without the same technology like TV’s, stereos and video game consoles.

He began his journey towards the town in the search of his human friend.

It took him a while but he found who he was looking for. Callum was chatting with Twilight and the gang. Rarity noticed Ashley approaching and immediately walked up to him.

“Ah! Ashley. Just the person I wanted to see.” The fashionista smiled as she stood in front of him.

“Okay…” Ashley was confused, not knowing what she meant.

“I heard about your little encounter about a certain prince and what you said to him.”

“Oh that little fiasco?” Ashley smiled “It was no big deal but I intend to set him straight.”

“I see but I’d like to give you my appreciation on doing so.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because that…that.” Rarity’s expression turned sour but you could notice that she was bottling up her anger. Ashley decided to say the first word that sprang to his mind when he thought of Blueblood.

“Douche bag?”

“Well…If that’s what you prefer to call him, then yes. But I shall not stoop down to his level with insults.” She started to calm down “I will say that I had admired him very much but when I came to meet him at the Grand Galloping Gala, he treated me like filth and used me as a shield to prevent him being covered in Applejack’s cake. He completely ruined my fabulous dress let alone my make up and I completely lost it.”

“It’s a shame Rarity.” Ashley lowered down to the unicorn’s level “I’ll be tougher with him if you wish. He was a fool to let someone like you go. Let’s say that I shall avenge your dress and your honour for you.”

“Well…I approve but just don’t take it too far. You can still do what you threatened to do with him for all I care.”

“Sweet.” He smiled as he stood up “Let’s go speak to the others. I know they’ll want me to explain some stuff.”

Callum and the rest of the gang noticed Rarity and Ashley walking up to them. Ashley was shooting a smile towards Callum.

“Yo Callum. I heard you found out that Applejack has a bondage fetish.”

“Gosh darn it!” Applejack angrily walked up to the human. If looks could kill, Ash would be six feet under right now “AH DO NOT LIKE THAT SORTA THING!”

“Whatever you say Applejack.” Ashley teased as she turned away with a huff “Oh and if you want, I’m sure Callum and I would be VERY happy for you to join us.” He winked at the mare suggestively even though she didn’t see it, everyone else did.

Applejack’s face was bright red. Not from embarrassment but from anger. She stomped towards the human “Don’t mess with me.” She hissed through her clenched teeth.

“Alright alright. I’m sorry but it’s just so hard not to make jokes…” Ashley held his hands up as he backed away a bit from the frustrated mare. She let out a sigh as she turned away from Ashley, her face was turning back from red to orange.

“So…How’d ya hear about that?” Callum asked.

Ashley pointed to a nearby roof “I was up there, listening to that part. Got bored and went to hide at the orchard again.”

“Really? Where’d ya hide?” Applejack asked as her tone was much calmer than before.

“I could see you, Big Mac and Callum from a tree. Doubt you could see me though. When I went back I decided to listen to some music, got hungry since all I had today was breakfast and a bite of a muffin which I really hated.” He looked towards Callum “Curse you and your sexiness for persuading me to eat that thing.”

Callum couldn’t help but smile. Twilight however decided to speak up.

“You still have to clean up your mess from earlier you know.”

“Yeah…Might as well.” Ashley replied sheepishly as he went off to clean up his stomach contents from earlier.

Celestia had teleported herself to her private quarters a few minutes after striking a deal up with Callum. She was excited to have someone on the inside for her to complete her revenge since it would make it at least ten times easier to perform the task. She put Callum out of the revenge since he was helping her but she knew that she would still get him to do something to make up for it. Especially not a massage from him that’s for sure.

She examined the ingredients she needed to make the potion to exact her revenge. Placing the poison joke extract into the boiling pot of a strange grey liquid that glowed dimly. The scent of the liquid was strange since it would be different to those who would smell it, sometimes it would change every time they pinpointed what the scent to them was. It was a strange liquid which made a powerful potion that was discovered by Celestia’s friend (the same one who wrote the book) but she barely ever used it. The potion was known to have no flavour itself but if one was to put something like a fruit into it, the potion would harness its flavour. Knowing that Ashley detests sweet things, she experimented by throwing in a lemon into the mixture.

Ashley had shown that he would go to great lengths to get what he wanted and as the potion grew to the status of being drinkable, she poured it into a small glass vial after filtering it from impurities.

Sliding a cork into the top of the vial, she brought it closer to her eyes via levitation, seeing the grey liquid change to a mixture of dark purple and orange before turning a dark cloudy orange. She teleported herself and the newly acquired potion out of the chamber to Ponyville, leaving her signature mist to freely roam the floor of her room for a few seconds before disappearing.

It wasn’t an easy task but it took him a while to complete. The area of vomit was cleaned with disinfectant and a mop, borrowed from the Cakes. Callum told them what happened and paid them the necessary amount of bits for the cupcake and muffin earlier, also buying himself another one of the frosted treats. It came to a total of six bits to which wasn’t a problem to him since he had the pay from the other day on him.

“You’re an ass. Y’know that right?” Ashley mumbled to Callum who was clearly getting plenty of satisfaction of his friend’s misery.

“I may be an ass but I’m a lovable ass nonetheless.” He replied with a smug tone, taking a bite from his treat. Ashley cringed as he put his sleeve over his nose to take the mop back inside for the Cakes.

“Get it all?” Mr Cake asked, placing a fresh batch of cookies on the counter.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” Ashley gestured to the mop in his hand “Where do you want this?”

“I got it!” Pinkie zoomed into the room, immediately grabbing the cleaning tool before disappearing into the kitchen.

Mr Cake shrugged off the pink mares antics since he was use to it so much, growing curious to why the human had his sleeve over his nose.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” Ashley replied, cocking an eyebrow.

“Holding your sleeve up.” Mr Cake said with a bored tone.

“I hate the smell of sweet things. I can stand the smell for a few seconds but the longer it goes on, the more likely I’m going to vomit. Eating immensely sweet food makes me want to throw up as soon as it hits the bottom of my stomach.”

“Any reason why that happens?”

“Nope.” Ashley replied cheerfully as he walked towards the door “I’ll catch ya around.” He waved as he closed the door.

As the evening dragged on, Ashley and Callum grew bored. Pinkie was keeping an eye out for Celestia while the others had already gone home, except Twilight who was with the humans.

“Why did you do what you did to Celestia?” Twilight asked

“Because she wanted a prank war and that’s what she’s getting. It’s only mindless fun at each others expense, I won’t take it too far if she doesn’t.” Ashley smiled.

“Well…If I find out you took it too far…” Twilight put her face closer to Ashley’s, narrowing her eyes “I’ll just have to get involved now. Won’t I?”

“Don’t worry Twi, I’ll keep watch on him since I’m done with pranking for a while now.

“Awww dude…Seriously?” Ashley replied in a slightly saddened tone “It just won’t be the same without ya man.”

“I know but if I keep doing pranks to Celestia then she’s going to order me to do embarrassing things and I won’t be able to object because of the agreement.”

“Fair enough man.” Ashley held his hand out to his pal “It was a pleasure pranking Celestia with ya.”

Callum grasped Ashley’s hand with his own and shook it.“Likewise.”

Twilight yawned and stretched, clearly tired “I’m going home, do you two want to come with me?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Ashley replied.

“Sure I’ll come with you.” Callum replied, taking his place next to Twilight as they both headed towards the library.

“See you later Ash.” They both waved to him, returning the gesture himself.

After staying in the same area, Ashley once again grew bored so he decided to go to the guard station to see Grey Ink. From what he saw the night before, she was a bit shaken from his ordeal so he thought the least he could do was let her know he was fine. The sun was already starting to disappear over the horizon as the moon rose to take it’s place.

Grey Ink was shuffling paperwork into their correct folders which she spent hours filling out. She didn’t even go outside since she ate lunch at her desk to work and eat. The thought of what happened at night filled her mind before she started to work and returned when she finished.

She had to sign warrants, business deals for escorts and everything in between. She heard the door open and raised her head to look at who entered, immediately seeing a familiar tall figure walk towards the desk with a black hooded robe on.

“Um…” She put on an awkward smile “How can I help you?”

Ashley didn’t hesitate to lift his hood off his head, giving the mare a smirk “Did ya miss me?”

Grey Ink’s eyes shot wide open, her wings quickly unfurled as she took to the air, tackling the human to the ground with her body as she hugged him.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Ashley pat his hand on the mares mane. She realised what she done and quickly got off the human with a slight blush on her face.

“Sorry…Didn’t know what came over me.” She avoided eye contact with the human as he started to stand back up.

“Trust me. I’ve had A LOT of physical contact with ponies today so you’re just adding to it and besides, give me a warning next time okay?”

“Deal.” Grey Ink smiled, her blush finally fading as she folded her wings back into place “So what happened? Tell me all about AND don’t leave out any details.”

Ashley chuckled, gesturing the mare to follow him to the mess hall “I’ll tell you a bit on our way to get something to eat since I’ve had very little today then I’ll tell you the rest while we eat. Deal?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Well, it all started with some questions…” Ashley began to tell the story of what happened that morning. Grey Ink heard about him and Callum doing something to Celestia but didn’t get information from Shockwave when he was told to go and find them both for the princess.

Callum and Twilight were discussing what happened at the farm, Twilight did laugh a bit from Callum’s response and said that he does like to make things awkward. Callum took this as a compliment until he heard a belch come from upstairs.

“Hey Callum! You got a letter!” Spike called out as he scurried down the stairs, the claws on his feet scratching against the wood.

“Huh…Wonder what she wants.” He replied as Spike gave him the letter. Twilight was sitting besides the human, trying to catch a glimpse of what it said until Callum started to read aloud.

“Dear Callum, I would like to discuss very important matters with you this instance. Please report to Ponyville Park alone. From her royal highness, Princess Celestia.”

“Oooo~” Twilight teased like a small child “Callum’s in trouble!”

“Most likely.” Callum replied, heading towards the door “If she spares me, I’ll see you around.” He stifled a small laugh as he left the library, hearing Twilight share a giggle before she started to look at her books, obviously going to do some research or something like that.

It was only a few minutes for him to get to the park, seeing Celestia waiting on a hilltop for the human as she stared at him as he approached.

“Are you ready?” She whispered.

“Just tell me what I’ve got to do and get it over with.” Callum replied, seeing Celestia reveal a small vial of dark orange liquid.

“Ensure Ashley drinks this.” She levitated it next to him, releasing her magic’s hold on the vial to let him grasp it. “He like’s lemons doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.” He replied, putting the vial in his pocket “Why? Is it lemon flavoured?”

“Yes. The potion itself is tasteless until you mix in a fruit. Since he doesn’t like sweet things I thought he preferred sourness.”

“Well you’re right. So what will happen to him?”

“You’ll just have to find out in the morning.” Celestia winked with a grin, sending a small shiver down Callum’s spine as he started to have second thoughts about his task but orders were orders.

“Alright, I’ll try to get him to drink it then I’m helping no one.” Callum started to walk away from the princess “Best keep this meeting short, might drive suspicion.”

“I agree. I shall see you in the morning Callum.” Her horn started to glow as she teleported herself back to her chambers. Her revenge was so close she could taste it…and it tasted like lemons.

Grey Ink was laughing away at Ashley’s story, getting to the part with Applejack. They both had dirty dishes in front of them from their meals as they drank the remainder of their hot chocolate. They noticed Callum approach them, they both waved to the human to which he returned the gesture.

“What’s up Cal?” Ashley asked.

“Not much. A pony gave me this drink that’s supposed to make the consumer sleep easier. She said it is supposed to taste like lemons.”

“Lemons?”

“Yeah, thought you could use it so here ya go.” He revealed the orange potion onto the table, watching both his friends stare at it.

“Looks cool.” Ashley removed the cork with a small *pop* as he pulled the vial closer to his mouth “are you sure this will work?”

“I have no idea!” Callum responded, the image of Medic from team fortress both found it’s way into the mind of both humans.

Ashley laughed a bit “Well, Bottoms up!” He chugged the potion down, the lemon flavour filled his taste buds as the potion slid down his throats. It was warm from being next to Callum’s body heat.

“So? It tasted like lemons?” Grey Ink asked, taking a sip of her hot beverage.

“Sure did.” Ashley put the vial back on the table and yawned “I think it’s working quickly because I’m suddenly tired. G’night you two.” He walked off towards the sleeping area of the station, leaving the other two in the mess hall.

Ashley quietly opened the door, the room had many beds, most of them being occupied by stallions. Their armour rested on the floor besides them on the floor while the helmets hung of one of the bed posts. Ashley noticed a large bean bag and immediately sat down in it. The beds would be too small for his size so his feet would dangle off the side of the bed. The bean bag however was proving to be quite the mattress and pillow, pulling his hood over his head. He drifted off to sleep with ease, without a care in the world.

Location: Ashley’s dream world Time: Around three in the morning

“Well…This beats those other two dreams. That’s for sure.” Ashley was alone in a white abyss, he felt like he had been falling for ten minutes now.

“Be quiet.” A voice echoed through Ashley’s ears.

“What the?” Ashley immediately smashed into the ground, the pain…Well there wasn’t any. Strange. The other dream hurt a ton…

“I said be quiet.” the voice hissed.

“What the fuck is going on!?” Ashley yelled at the top of his lungs, the question practically summed up his last three dreams to him.

“When I…Time…You’ll…become…” The voice grew quieter, being barely audible. Ashley couldn’t even make out the full sentence.

“TELL ME!”

“…Wake up.”

“Wait wha-“ The white void disappeared he felt something jab him in the side of his chest.

Location: guard station sleeping room Time: Around seven thirty in the morning

“Any idea’s how he got inside? We should just throw him out. He’s not allowed in here, he’s not even part of the guard.” A voice spoke…It sounded like Shockwave.

“He ain’t waking, poke him again and let him explain himself.. I wonder where Ashley went off to anyways.” Another voice spoke, it was familiar…It was Callum’s.

Ashley’s eyes slowly forced themselves open. His vision was blurred. “Uh…What’s going on?”

“No fucking way…” Callum said in surprise “He sounds just like Ash.”

“It must be a coincidence.” Shockwave kicked Ashley in the ribs, waking him up fully “Who are you?”

“what do you mean ‘Who are you?’. It’s me. Ashley, you idiot.” Ashley groaned as he rubbed his head with his hand…it didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t soft and he tried to move his fingers.

He moved his hand into his line of sight…Gasping when he saw a hoof. A light green hoof to be exact.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” He shouted, immediately looking at Callum “What the fuck is going on?!”

“Well…” Callum back a away a bit from his friend “It’s payback.”

“Payback? For what?” Ashley started to get angrier by the second.

“It’s payback from Celestia mother fucker!” Callum started to laugh to himself, Shockwave joined in.

“…” Ashley’s face started to turn red from fury, he felt like screaming. So he did.

“CEEELESTIAAAAA!”

Location: Twilight's library

Celestia had decided to visit Twilight in the morning, both her and the lavender unicorn were having a conversation with a pleasant breakfast cooked up by Spike.

Celestia held her hoof up, silencing Twilight who shot a look of concern to the alicorn. The prank's effect had mostly faded away, the pink was barely noticeable in her coat but if one was to examine closely, it would still be noticeable. A grin was on the sun goddesses face.

“CEEELESTIAAAAA!” A voice shook through the wooden walls.

“What was that?” Spike asked.

“That my dear Spike.” Celestia took a sip of her tea “Is Ashley finding out what I did to him as revenge.”

You maybe wondering "Hey, how come Celestia's payback wasn't as good as Ashley + Callum's prank?". Remember they had help from Pinkie so her pranks will outshine Celestia's.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and what not. Also did you guys hear? Applejack has a bondage fetish.

I call shenanigans!: Part three: Adjustment

“Well…This is just fucking great.” Ashley exclaimed, complaining to his recent transformation over the night. Sure being a pony would be too bad but the only thing he was relieved of was that his uniform molded to his new shape except for his boots which decided to be jerks and disappear. His knife moved itself from his trouser pocket to the front pocket on his jacket, being easily accessable for him to grab with his mouth since he lacked fingers. The same goes for his MP3 player but his pistol on the other hand...He wondered where it went to and realized the one thing he would need to actually make use of the metallic weapon...

“I DON’T HAVE ANY FINGERS!” Ashley gritted his teeth, the anger inside him was at boiling point. Callum had seen him this angry a couple times before and the best course of action was to just stay out of his way.

“It’s that not much of a deal.” Shockwave said.

“Not much of a deal….NOT MUCH OF A. FUCKING DEAL?!” If Ashley knew how to walk with his new found body, he would have smashed his fist…hoof into the skull of the captain “I’ve lost the things a human practically NEEDS.”

“Ashley. Calm down.” Shockwave ordered. Ashley’s eye was starting to twitch from the sheer frustration of being told to calm down.

“Shockwave. Just let him blow of his steam by himself.” Callum interjected, getting a look of confusion from the captain “Trust me. It’s best if everyone leaves him alone until he calms himself when he wants to.” He started to walk to the door “Come on. Just leave him be.”

“Well…If you say so.” The captain left the room first. Callum was about to follow and shut the door but Ashley had other plans.

“Callum. Get the fuck over here.” His hostile tone sent a small shiver down Callum’s spine.

Callum sighed, knowing the conversation wouldn’t easy. He walked back into the room, locking the door before approaching his friend.

“Good. Now that Shockwave’s gone, we can talk.” Ashley’s voice was much calmer than the tone earlier. Callum thought that he had already calmed down, too quickly compared to other times he was that mad. “Don’t worry, it was all an act to get him out the room.”

“Okay…What is it you want to talk about?”

“I’m guessing Celestia pretty much ordered you to do this.” He pointed to himself, emphasizing his claim “Didn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Callum said awkwardly “Put me on a bit of a guilt trip by saying I broke her trust and mentioned what we agreed to recently.”

“Well, then I forgive ya man.” Ashley smiled to his pal who was quite shocked from what he just said.

“You’re forgiving me…Just like that?”

“Well…Sort of. Sure I’m pissed off right now but you can help me in a way…”

“Oh?” Callum raised an eyebrow “And what do I have to do?”

“Get Shockwave in here wherever he went. He’ll need to know as well.”

“You know I’m still outside.” Shockwave’s voice called out from the other side of the door. Callum unlocked it and opened it for the unicorn guard as he walked in “Right. What is it you want?” He looked towards the pony that claimed he was Ashley.

“Callum. Lock the door.” Ashley ordered, his friend done as he said.

“Right. Since you two are the only ones that know I’m a pony now. You’ll help me by bringing up the illusion of me being new in town.”

“Why?” both Callum and Shockwave asked in unison.

“Because I want it to be a surprise for the others to see I’m a dashing young stallion now.”

“Alright.” Callum agreed “Why don’t I say that you’re a pony I met during my guard duty?”

Ashley smiled “That’s good.” Ashley thought about his voice for a few seconds “You said I sound the same right?” Callum nodded “Well ah guess it’s time fer an accent.” He made his voice have a country accent, a bit lighter than Applejacks and was slightly higher pitched than his normal voice but was slightly different from the country accent he usually done.

“Brilliant.” Shockwave smiled “So what kind of pony are you? You’re obviously not a unicorn because well…” He pointed to his horn “You don’t have one of these.”

“Hmm…” Ashley jabbed his hoof into the side of his body, not feeling any wings “Don’t have wings either. Pretty glad I don’t.”

“Why?” Callum asked “It would be awesome to be able to fly.”

“True. As far as I can tell, ponies without either like Applejack and Big Mac have more physical strength so I’ll probably be as strong as I was before.” Ashley flopped himself off the bean bag with a soft thud. He tried to rise onto his hooves but failed miserably.

“Why can’t you stand up?” Callum asked.

“Because I have four legs. Not two. It’s pretty hard Callum.” Ashley hissed as he tried to get up again but failed once more. “Damn it.”

“Need some help?” Shockwave asked.

“It’s best if I learn to do it myself.” Ashley groaned as he tried once more, his hooves were shaking as he started to stand up. “Ah-HA!” He exclaimed with a smile as he was now standing up like a normal pony “Third times the charm.” Shockwave eyed his body. It was quite muscular and was slightly taller than the unicorn but was not as large as Big Mac in comparison.

“Good. Let’s grab something to eat.” Shockwave spoke as he walked towards the door, Callum followed.

“Ahem.” Ashley said in annoyance, grabbing both their attention “If I JUST learned how to stand up, how the fuck am I going to walk?”

Callum face palmed, the thought went completely went past his head…

“Alright. Let’s get started…” Shockwave groaned.

______________________________________________________________________________

It took them a while. And by a while I mean a couple of hours. Ashley had managed to bruise his chin from the amount of falls he took when he tried to walk to which Shockwave and Callum laughed at a bit. He shot them dirty looks and threatened them both a bit to set them straight. Shockwave quickly left to grab a member of the medical staff to heal the bruising via magic to which worked wonders. Ashley found out it’s similar to crawling but instead of the palms of your hands on the floor, it felt like he had stumps there instead, same goes for his knees being stumps. It annoyed him, he missed his hands so much.

It felt strange to say the least to walk everywhere with four legs when you had two to begin with. He was managing well to his transformation, saying something on the lines of humans being able to adapt to situations quickly. His anger still lingered in his body, shooting towards the sun goddess for taking his body and playing around with it.

The three of them walked into the mess hall. Guards shot looks towards Ashley who had his hood up the entire time, you could barely see his muzzle.

“Hey captain!” A black coated pegasus guard with an short yellow mane called out as he walked up to them, pointing towards the hooded pony “Whose the new kid?”

“This…This is uh…” Shockwave stammered, the three of them hadn’t thought of a name for the human turned pony yet.

“Mah name is...Not important.” Ashley spoke up with his southern drawl. He’d have to come up with an actual name later “Just call me Cloak fer now.”

“Riiiight.” The pegasus went back to his table to continue his meal, accompanied by a couple of other pegasus guards that were still shooting looks of suspicion towards the human but shrugged them off, continuing their conversation.

“If all goes accordingly, we might actually make it through the day.” Callum said as he picked up two trays, one for himself and one for his friend. “What do you want to eat?”

"Toast.” Ashley spoke with a flat tone "Nothin' but toast..." He held his hoof to his chin, pondering if he should have something else "And a large glass of lemon juice." The mare at the counter looked at him confusingly at his request

Who the hay drinks lemon juice by itself? She pondered to herself before immediately looking towards Callum.

Callum looked at the unicorn mare behind the counter. She styled a white coat with a ocean blue mane that was well kept despite being in a kitchen most the day. “You heard the pony.” He smiled, making his own decision “I’ll go for a bacon sandwich.”

“I told you before Callum, we don’t serve meat.” The mare at the counter giggled. Every time he heard that sentence, Callum died a little inside. “Go for something else Hun.”

“Fine, just give me a bowl of fruit.” He groaned in response but put on a fake smile anyway.

“I’ll go for my usual Mystic.” Shockwave smiled towards the mare.

“Alright, I’ll send somepony to bring your food to you when it’s done.”

Grey Ink spotted the Human and the captain but what intrigued her the most was the stallion next to them. She wondered why he was hiding himself under the hooded clothing and called out to them “Hey! Over here!”

The three of them spotted Grey Ink who was enjoying her morning coffee with a newspaper folded in front of her, they each took a seat at the table.

“So Shock, whose the new guy?”

“Just call me Cloak fer now ma’am.” Ashley smiled to the pegasus but she couldn't see much due to his hood stopping her from seeing the majority of his face.

“Well Cloak, why don’t you show me your handsome face? I promise I won’t bite.” She winked at him.

“Ah'm not sure ma’am.”

“Pleeeease? For me?” She put out her bottom lip out slightly, trying to give him the puppy dog look. Ashley ignored it but since she was considered a friend, he decided to go with it.

“Fine…Only because Callum told me about ya.”

“Oh really?” She looked towards Callum with concern who responded with a smirk.

“I told him dirty things about you.” He winked at the pegasus, followed by a small laugh.

“Oh ha-ha Callum.” Grey Ink's tone was filled to the brim with sarcasm, looking back at Ashley “Come on now. Show me that face of yours.”

Ashley sighed as he lifted his hood off, revealing a hazelnut brown mane that had a few teased spikes. The fringe would brush off to the side. Grey Ink looked into his dark blue eyes, thinking that she saw similar ones before. She noticed the small scar on his cheek.

“How’d you get that scar?” She questioned, taking a sip of coffee.

“Fell outta tree at a young age.” Ashley lied “Was cut up pretty bad, had a broken leg but nothin' too big. Kids will be kids after all.”

“I can relate to that.” She smiled “You know, you look quite handsome but what I don’t get is that you hide that pretty face of yours.”

“Are…Are y’all hittin' on me?” Ashley questioned, revealing a small blush on the mares face.

“What? No-nonono of course not!” Her blush deepened as Callum and Shockwave started to laugh a bit at her misfortune, she shot them both stares of pure anger which calmed them down a bit but smiles remained on their faces. She looked back at Ashley “I-I’m just c-complimenting your appearance i-is all!”

“Yer wings say otherwise.” Ashley smirked, pointing at the mares wings which were in fact the very same when she thought about her and either Night Wind or Solar.

Her entire face went an even darker shade red from embarrassment “I’m s-sorry!” She tried to fold her wings back into place but they had a mind of their own.

“It’s fine miss Grey Ink. Yer the first to say that ah’m handsome.” Ashley smiled towards the mare whose blush was starting to calm down.

“W-well…” She stuttered, her wings were now back under her control as she folded them back into place “I’m terribly sorry about that. It’s just that I can’t but help but mention what I like.”

“Oh so ya like me huh?” Ashley leaned forward a bit, wiggling his eyebrows a bit to make her blush She's too easy to make fun of, kinda cute if I say so myself. “Yer a cute mare miss Grey Ink.” He was telling the truth. He did find a lot of the ponies cute but didn’t have any other thoughts about them. Although he did like to make it seem that way but would make it so he was clearly joking, just to mess with them.

Grey Ink was flushed by the compliment “Oh…Thank y-you. Please, call me Grey.”

"Whatever ya want Grey." Ashley looked around the mess hall, spotting several guards staring at him but he decided ti ignore them. He looked at the clock above the door to go outside. It read 10:05am. Ashley turned towards Callum who was watching their food being delivered "Hey Cal, don't y'all gotta be at the school by ten thirty?"

Callum looked towards the clock, seeing the time "Uh...Yeah. Why? Wanna come with?"

"Sure. That's if the teacher don't mind of course."

"Nah, I'm sure she'll be okay with it."

______________________________________________________________________________

"So what did you do to him?" Twilight asked Celestia who was still smiling from hearing Ashley's reaction in the distance.

"Oh...Not much..." Her grin grew a slightly wider "I will say that I used poison joke extract for it soooo...Who knows what happened to him."

"Celestia." Twilight giggled "I can't believe you're a prankster as well."

"Well when you're my age, you have to know these sort of things." Celestia responded with a light giggle herself as she took a bite of her breakfast. She thought about his initial reaction, wishing she could be there to see it.

______________________________________________________________________________

As the time dragged on after eating their breakfast with Shockwave and Grey Ink, it was time for Callum to appear at the school. Of course, he would have to lie to Cheerilee to where Ashley was and ask her if his green coated companion could join him. Ashley on the other hand noticed a pink pony watching him, instantly knowing it was Pinkie Pie and the fact that she had not seen him in this form. He knew that she would want to throw him a welcoming party but he'd have to tell her what happened first.

Cheerilee noticed Callum and a hooded pony walking up to the school. Her concern had risen to where Ashley was but she was sure Callum would explain.

"Alright students." The teacher spoke to her class, they immediately stopped either talking to each other or were working. Some in fact were doing both. "I need you to get your questions ready for the humans that are visiting today while I speak to them outside."

She walked out of the classroom, leaving her students to perform the necessary task to go and see Callum who when he saw her, had a well hidden smirk on his face.

"Ah Callum!" She held out her fore hoof for the human to shake to which he did "Where is Ashley?" she questioned. Callum's brain however decided to stop working for a brief moment.

"Oh...He's uh...."

"Sorry to interrupt ma'am but Ashley had to take care of some business." Ashley's pony farm spoke with it's southern accent.

"Oh..." Her usual smile was replaced by a slightly depressed expression "Well I guess one of you two is better than none?"

"Always go fer the positive eh? Miss..."

"Cheerilee." The teacher held out her fore hoof to the light green stallion which he shook...somehow. "And who might you be? It's hard to see with that hood covering most of your head."

"Y'all can just call me Cloak, Miss Cheerilee."

"Very well Cloak." Cheerilee smiled as she turned towards Callum who was too busy day dreaming about nothing. Literally, nothing. "Sorry to sound rude but is there a reason why Cloak is here with you?"

Callum shook his head, breaking the trance he was in "Oh yeah. He's here because he's going to be..Uh..."

Ashley needed to cover his friends incapability to produce a lie once more so he thought of the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Well ya see Miss Cheerilee. Ashley was real sore about not bein' able to come to see yer wonderful students so he got some unicorn to perform some magic on him and mahself. Basically, he'll be able to hear the questions and will tell me the answers to them with this thing called Telepathy." Ashley let out a small chuckle "So ah guess ah'm like a messenger in this situation." Please buy it. pleasepleaseplease!

"Oh that's wonderful!" She exclaimed to which Ashley let out a mental sigh since if he did sigh in front of Cheerilee, she would surely pick up suspicion about him. "Well then, shall we get started?" She gestured towards the door to which she entered first.

Seeing her class with their papers which contained their many questions for the bipedal killing machine...And the pony version of the other killing machine.

"Alright class. Now Ashley couldn't make it today because he had some really important business to attend to." some of the class let out 'Aww" or things on the same line. "However..." The ones who were slightly depressed decided to become perky again, eager to hear the rest of their teachers sentence "Callum is able to join us AND a pony who goes by the name of Cloak will be answering for Ashley."

Some of the students tilted their heads out of confusion. Some whispered things between themselves such as "Why is Cloak answering questions for a human when he...or she is a pony?"

"Now I know you're all probably asking how Cloak is answering for Ashley. Well, he's communicating with Ashley with telepathy so he can give Ashley your questions and he will deliver his answers for Ashley."

"So he's like a mailpony?" Applebloom asked out loud, not bothering to raise her hoof.

"Yes. That's exactly right Applebloom." Cheerilee answered with her happy tune. She turned towards the door "You two can come in now!" She called out.

first, Ashley walked in with his robe's hood still covering all of his facial features except for the end of his muzzle. The students were curious to see his appearance, heck make that eager to see him. They watched as Callum made his way into the room with the best smile he could put on without scaring any of the ponies.

"Wow..." a light blue colt pretty much spoke for the whole class except for Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Dinky since they have seen a human before. The remainder of the class was awestruck from the hairless giant in their presence.

"You should take a picture." Callum said charmingly "It'll last longer."

"Alright class. you can ask your questions while I mark some of your work." Cheerilee walked over to her desk, taking out several sheets of paper from a pile as she grabbed a pencil in her mouth.

So that's how non-unicorns write. Both Ashley and Callum thought to themselves, noticing the whole class had their hooves raised.

"Alright...We'll go around the room." Callum pointed towards the pony sitting to his right at the front. "What's your name?"

"Diamond Tiara." the filly responded with a smug tone "Daughter of Filthy Rich."

"Don't know who that is and I honestly don't really care." Callum spoke flatly. He noticed Diamond get a bit angry at this but he didn't really bother with her expression "Whose your question for?"

"Actually. It's for Cloak."

"A question...Fer me?" Ashley noticed Applebloom's ears perk up at his accent, thinking that he might be caught or that it's similar to her families since not many ponies actually had anything near to their accent.

"Yes. Why are you hiding under that hood? Are you like...Ugly or something?"

"Diamond Tiara!" Cheerilee scorned "Be polite."

"It's okay Miss Cheerilee. She's just curious and ah'll be happy to respond to a question directed towards me." He smiled towards the teacher who seemed to calm down a bit, getting back to her task at hoof. He walked towards Diamond which made her feel uneasy "Now...Don't judge straight away that if someone is hiding their face that they're ugly. Some ponies prefer not having others to see their face. Ah guess ya want to have a look?"

Diamond nodded. Ashley removed his hood, revealing his brown mane and blue eyes alongside his scar.

"So...Miss Diamond. Do ya think that ah'm ugly?"

"Well...Except for that scar I would say that you're good enough to actually look at without being disgusted."

Ashley turned towards Cheerilee who was about to tell off the smug filly but Ashley interjected "Just let them be themselves Cheerilee. Besides, everythin' they say is being heard by Ashley himself so he'll judge them from what Callum and ah have to say about the class."

"Alright...But if it gets too out of hoof..."

"Ah know, ah know." Ashley rolled his eyes, taking his place next to Callum "It's yer class after all."

Cheerilee nodded, getting her head back into the marking work she had to do once more.

"Alright. Next question." Callum pointed towards a grey filly who had a pair of glasses on "And what's your name?"

"Silver Spoon." She too replied with a smug tone, much like her neighbor Diamond Tiara. Both humans picked up that they were probably either best friends or rivals.

"Alright. Ask away."

"Do you have a cutie mark?"

"Sorry hun but humans don't need cutie marks."

"But how will you-" Ashley raised his hoof, signalling Silver to stop speaking.

"Ya asked yer question, sorry but y'all gonna have to wait until it's ya turn again." Ashley said strictly. It felt good to be in charge. "Ah'm only makin' it fair on the others."

Silver Spoon let out a huff as Callum pointed out towards the next member of the class. Again, it was a filly but this one was a filly Ashley recognized easily. It was Dinky.

"Ah, hello Dinky." Callum smiled towards the filly "Whose your question for and what is it?"

Dinky gave a small wave which was accompanied by a friendly smile "It's for both you and Ashley." She quickly took a glance at her list of questions, picking one at random "Why was the princess chasing you two yesterday?"

"Alright, Cloak can tell you the story since it was mainly Ashley."

"Alright." Ashley shifted his neck around a bit, getting a satisfying popping sound from doing so. "One sec while ah ask Ash what he wants me to say." Ashley closed his eyes to provide the illusion of him actually talking to the his human self with his mind. Opening his eyes with a smile, he began his story.

"Basically, Ashley and the princess have a little prank battle going on between them. Yesterday was the result of Ashley's prank. As ya could tell, the princess had a fabulous pink coat fer which ah think she looks amazing in." He heard Callum give a small chuckle. "Callum helped Ashley get in close enough to pull off his joke and weelllll...Callum was held responsible as well for assisting but they talked it through. Princess Celestia knows it's all fer a laugh and is currently gettin' payback on Ashley."

The class, as well as Cheerilee were quite...Excited? Shocked? that their princess was going to prank someone. They did think that it was a bit inappropriate for royalty to behave in such a manner. Both humans had picked up on this from some of the class whispering to each other about it. Callum decided to defend the sun goddesses honor.

"Before you are all quick to judge her actions. need I remind you that the princess has to do stressful tasks and has hardly any spare time to herself so she does not really have much time for fun. Can you imagine a life without having fun every once in a while?" He allowed the class to imagine themselves in the same situation "It doesn't look good does it?" They shook their heads in disapproval "Now you see what I'm getting at. Even the princesses need to have some fun here and then."

"That...Was a very good lecture Callum." Cheerilee spoke up "I never really thought of it that way."

"Just doing my job, y'know? Defending the princess herself and her reputation is my job." Callum smiled, pointing towards a colt sitting next to Dinky. "What's your name?"

"My name's Pipsqueak but you can call me Pip!" The colt exclaimed with confidence but more importantly, a accent that sounded British.

"Well well." Callum spoke "Your accent is very similar to a town from the country that me and Ash are from. Tell me, where are you from?"

"Trottingham."

"Hah! I see what you did there." Callum laughed a bit as did Ash "The town I was speaking of is calling Nottingham...or it could be Tottenham?" Ashley coughed loudly at Callum, snapping him out of the pending sidetracking thought. His friend began once more "Anyway! It's either of those two and it's great to hear your accent. What's your question and who is it for?"

"It's for both of you. What did you do before you came to Equestria?"

"Well, Ashley and I were in the military." Callum replied, getting a few head tilts "Like the Royal guard but we go through really tough training both physically and mentally. I'm not going into detail as to what happened while were in there since I don't want to taint your fragile minds until your at a much more mature age."

"Ashley says that before both he and Callum were in the army, they were partying a lot an' pulled jokes their friends."

"Alright. Next question." He pointed at Applebloom who was sitting on the second row "Hey Applebloom, what's your question and who is it for?"

"Uh...It's fer Cloak." She replied. Ashley raised an eyebrow out of curiosity "What's yer cutie mark?"

Fuck... Callum thought to himself

ULTRA MEGA WHY DIDN'T I FUCKING CHECK FUKKITY FUCK FUCK. Ashley panicked. Without thinking, he grabbed the rear of his robe and lifted it. Every second it grew distance from the ground, the more he regretted it. A droplet of sweat shifted its way down the back of his neck, through his coat.

"Uh...We can't see yer cutiemark if yer wearing clothes." Applebloom giggled a bit.

Ashley mentally face palmed, he couldn't escape the inevitable of showing his cutie mark to which he had no idea that he even had one. Unless...

"Yeah...Here's the thing...Ah don't really like others lookin' at mah cutie mark." Wow...they didn't notice my uniform is basically the same from my human forms...Then again, maybe they need to see the emblem to notice it...

"But why?" Cheerilee asked from her desk.

"Because ah was raised to always wear clothes and ah feel uncomfortable without them. No one is going to see mah cutie mark unless ah'm close to them."

"So...You mean if they're your best friend or possible relationship partner?" Cheerilee asked.

"Yer correct miss Cheerilee, ah'm glad you understand.

"Shall we begin with the next question?" Callum asked to the class to which they nodded approvingly in response "Good, lets go with you." He pointed towards a rather chubby colt with beaver-like front teeth "What's your name, question and who is it for?"

"My names Snips and my question is going to..." The colt took a quick look at his paper "Uh...Ashley."

"Go ahead." Ashley spoke.

"Can you tell us about your family?" The colt asked.

The class as well as the teacher were all eager to know the humans response. However, Callum immediately started to panic a bit but all Ashley could feel was sadness and rage build up inside of him. The memory of his family being taken away from him filled his mind instantly, remembering the emotions he felt when the memory took place. Feeling tears about to rise to the surface of his eyes, He closed his eyes to fulfill the illusion.

"Ah'm sorry...He doesn't want to talk about 'em." The quiet words left his lips as he put the hood back over his head just in time to hide a tear that flown down his cheek. Luckily, no one was able to see it in time.

Judging by the classes reaction which consisted of confusion and curiosity buzzed through each and every student. Some already made judgements about his answer, some saying that he must hate his family or that his family abandoned him.

"Please refrain from questions about Ashley's family due to it being a very fragile situation which ended with something that would taint your innocent minds if I was to explain. Only Ashley will tell others when he feels like it and every time it's hard for him since he relives those memories." Callum spoke with authority, silencing the class immediately.

"Callum..." Ashley's words broke the silence that grew after Callum spoke.

"Yeah?"

"He wants me to tell 'em."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah...He said that it would be better if others know so they can stay clear of the subject better."

"Alright...If he wants you to then."

Ashley took a few seconds preparing himself "Y'all must not repeat ANYTHIN' that ah say without Ashley's consent. Do ah make mahself clear?"

The class nodded.

"Ah would perform a blood oath but ah'm just going to have to go with yer word."

Ashley took a seat on the floor, clearing his throat he began...

______________________________________________________________________________

Ashley told the story of his family. Recalling both good and bad memories about them, mostly arguments and such as well as the tragedy. He didn't go into detail and went with that on the very night, he watched them get taken away from him. Never to return. Some of the class thought that they moved away or something but Cheerilee knew what he was implying. He watched them being murdered at the mere age of 16. She wanted to know more but her mind reassured her that something else even worse probably happened on that night so she didn't press on about the situation.

While the class enjoyed their recess. Callum, Ashley and Cheerilee were discussing the teaching program of their worlds. Callum told the mare that you stay on the educational wagon until you're sixteen at which you can choose to go to college or go to sixth form. He told her that both he and Ashley went onto sixth form, studying physical education and other subjects as well.

The teacher was fascinated by their stories. Some of the subjects gained her interest such as I.T to which Callum and Ashley explained a bit about computers, saying they're machines humans built to store information and a whole bunch of other things. Staying clear from a discussion about the internet of course since they could discuss it some other time.

As the recess ended, they continued on with the questioning. Ashley kept the mental note that he was going to tell his friends about his past but that could wait until he was back into his original form. From his perspective, being a pony sucked. The lack of hands was annoying, he preferred being his humans height and being covered his fur while wearing not only his adjusted uniform and his robe started to make him feel hot. It was bound to happen but the heat wasn't as bad as most would think it would be since the breeze cooled him as well as it not being very hot outside.

The rest of the questions from the class mostly consisted of some of the humans adventures to which they answered that they did indeed travel a lot but stayed clear from the reasons why since they were basically missions they were sent to. Questions on the line of what their favorite food was and did the humans have a special someone back on their home planet to which both said no to the last one.

As the questioning session drew to a close, the class said their farewells and thanked both of the human and his friend for coming along. Callum decided it was best for Ashley to do things on his own for a while and headed down to Sweet Apple Acres to help out with some of their apple farming. It was starting to turn into a pass time since he was doing something productive and was basically working out at the same time.

Ashley thought it would be best to head to Sugarcube Corner to tell Pinkie about what Celestia did to him. She would be the only one to know besides Callum and Shockwave to which if they did spill the beans on his fun, he would forcefully remove their genitalia and shove it down their throats. Sure it would be unnecessary but it would get not only his point over to them but to everyone else as well to never try and piss him off.

He chuckled at the mere thought in his head. He wouldn't do something like that to Callum, he's too close to him to anything like that but Shockwave on the other hand...He would need to hang out with him more.

Grey Ink however...Defiantly enjoyed her company since she was easy to manipulate into making a joke but all in all, she was fun to be around. He wondered what she was like off work, maybe she is the same or just more fun to be around. Who knows? He'll have to ask around a bit but the thing what went through his mind during his journey to the hell hole of the bakery, was what Grey Ink said to him...

It’s just that I can’t but help but mention what I like. The very sentence ran through his mind. Did she like him because of his looks? Or his personality? Or perhaps both? The conundrum rattled his brain on and on, remembering that he admitted that she was cute and he liked being with her but no other emotions were present...

Pfft. Look at me. Ashley smiled to himself, ponies that wondered by shot looks at him, mostly ones of suspicion to know who the hooded pony was. Actually thinking about a relationship with a pony. Sure they're cute...Adorable...Awesome to be around...Better than my ex that's for sure...BAH! I'll think through this another time. Need to see Pinkie.

Ashley walked up towards the confectionery's front door, not being able to cover his nose since he needed four hooves to walk, he took a minute to brace himself for the smell to go into nostrils. He opened the door slowly and was greeted by Mrs Cake.

"Oh! Hello! She greeted him with a warm smile "How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see a pony by the name of Pinkie Pie. Is she available at the moment?" He asked with his accent.

"Sure. I know she'll be glad to see a new pony in town...You are new here aren't you?"

"Y'all can call me Cloak, just got here this mornin'. Met a nice fella by the name of Ashley, bit weird lookin' if you ask me but ah've heard about him in the papers. Fer what ah heard done what he done to those diamond dogs, he's an alright guy."

"Oh you met him? Everypony was searching for him yesterday, even Princess Celestia herself." She giggled a bit "I did enjoy seeing her pink coat. Was Ashley responsible for that?"

"Eeyup." Ashley said approvingly, realizing he sounded a bit like Big Macintosh.

Mrs Cake laughed a bit as she walked upstairs to get Pinkie. Ashley waited for around five seconds before quickly opening the front door to grab some air, quickly closing it when he was satisfied. Pinkie darted down the stairs to greet the new pony but before she could say anything, Ashley raised his hoof to silence her.

He lifted off his hood. Both Mrs Cake and Pinkie looked at him with his blue eyes and hazelnut mane alongside the small scar on his right cheek.

"Miss Pinkie, ah need to talk to y'all in private." He gave her a smile to which Mrs Cake left the room willingly.

"Alright...Pinkie." Ashley spoke with his normal voice but still whispered "It's me Ash. Celestia got Callum to fool me into drinking something that turned me into this form."

"I see..." Pinkie whispered "Follow me." She gestured for Ashley to go upstairs, into her attic. Once they were in there, she grabbed a nearby book "What colour was the drink?"

"It was a misty orange." Ashley responded.

"Alright..." She began flipping through pages for a couple of seconds before finding what she needed "Found it." She turned the book towards Ashley to see "This potion is made with poison joke extract. Celestia's favorite item for prank wars. Basically she uses it as a last resort but since you pulled that doozy of a joke on her, I'm guessing she decided to try and use this just to show you that she will win."

"Okay. So do you have anything to counter this?"

"There is only one more thing that will drive her nuts. Aaaaannnnd..." She put her hooves into her mane, revealing a cupcake "This is what will do the job nicely."

"A cupcake?" Ashley asked flatly but was sickened by the sight of the baked treat. He was obviously unimpressed by the cupcake with it's overkill sky blue frosting.

"It's whats IN the cupcake what matters."

"Ooooh I see. What does it do?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out. Just try and get her to eat this." Pinkie grinned.

"How the heck am I supposed to do that?!" Ashley asked with slight annoyance "She'll know something's up if either Callum or I ask her to do so."

"Well, since Callum worked with Celestia to get you he can't be trusted with this one..."

Both of them started to brainstorm for the past twenty minutes. The sun rose to its highest point, signalling it was midday. It wasn't too soon that Ashley came up with a solution.

"I got it." he made the motion to click his fingers...only to remember he doesn't have any which annoyed him very much.

"Lets hear it." Pinkie stated, taking a bit out of a brownie she pulled out of nowhere.

"We need the princess to come to one of your parties. We can lie about me working here at the bakery as long as no one tells her that I'm really Ashley in this form. I can try my best to get her to eat the cupcake."

"Sounds like a plan!"

"Just a question, how do I get rid of this effect from her prank?"

"We should see Zecora. She's helped us before when we went into a patch of poison joke and since that potion was basically what is was made of entirely, it should fix you up."

"Good to know. I think I'll stay like this for the rest of the day although I REALLY miss my fingers."

"Alright-y then! I'll send out invites and get the party ready...WAIT." The pink party mare's brain decided to give her a small idea.

"What?" Ashley cocked an eyebrow.

"This can be your welcome to ponyville party! Oh-oh, we can make it Callum's as well!"

"Well...I did agree to come along so I guess you might as well." Ashley groaned.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie was practically ready to explode from excitement. At long last she could throw the party for both humans but cooled herself down, knowing that the party should be for Cloak and Callum just to throw off any suspicions.

"Do you need any help with the party at all?"

"Nope. I can convince the Cakes to say that you're working here. I can set up parties..." She made a clicking sound with her hoof which confused Ashley much but shrugged it off because obvious reasons. "Just like that."

"Alright then. I'll leave ya' to it." Ashley turned to leave but stopped half way "Oh and Pinkie..."

"Yeeeeessss?" She leaned forwards with a wide grin.

"Thanks a lot for helping me out."

"You're my friend silly! And I love making my friends happy. Although I love making everypony happy as well but I can't say no when there is a prank involved!"

Ashley chuckled a bit, waving goodbye to the party mare as he left the building. He said farewell to Mrs Cake and decided to go to the school once more to see the crusaders since he had nothing better to do.

Man...It's good to be outta that place.

______________________________________________________________________________

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since the last update but real life has been a bit hectic recently. My friend got dumped by his girlfriend for hanging out with a girl that he is good friends with and nothing else. He was a bit depressed until I cheered him up throughout the week, convincing him to check out MLP:FiM somehow.

Anyways, this stopped me from writing this chapter since it did put me off the mood to work on it so hopefully this chapter turned out okay. Final prank coming up next chapter so I'll try to go all out on hilarity. Expect some more awkwardness from Callum since it's his thing and hopefully in the chapter after that, both Callum and Ashley will be working at the club and MAYBE drunk ponies + humans in the same chapter but who knows?

Anyways, hope you liked the chapter after over a week from the last update. Comment and such since I like to see your comments and reply to ones I'd like answer.

I call shenanigans! Part 4: Final strike

After seeing Pinkie Pie about not only his recent transformation but the discussion of their plan for payback, Ashley decided to go for a walk around the town. As he trotted around the market place, ponies would give him looks of suspicion due to him having his hood over his head. He noticed Applejack selling Sweet Apple Acres recent bounty of apples and she was doing well.

Should I go over and see her? Ashley pondered to himself. Nah…I’ll see her another time.

“That’ll be four bits.” Applejack said happily to her customer who willingly put the coins on the counter before taking their newly acquired produce. “Pleasure doin’ business with ya’.” Applejack waved to the colt as he returned the gesture, putting the apples in his light brown saddlebags.

Ah wonder who that is… Applejack was staring towards a mysterious figure that walked past her stall. She obviously noticed the clothing the stallion, her curiosity grew as the distance between them grew greater before she lost sight of him. Why was he wearin’ that thing? She brought a hoof to her chin but quickly dismissed it as another pony approached her stall

“Howdy! How can ah help ya?” She asked the mare, just realising it was Grey Ink.

She didn’t really know Grey Ink much, mostly because she didn’t even know she existed when the Pegasus was allowed access to the library when Ashley was taken to Canterlot for questioning a while back about his nightmares. She heard things about the mare but they were mostly about her being friends with the humans.

“Checking him out eh?” Grey Ink winked towards the southern mare.

“Wha? Nah…” Applejack smiled but being the “Well…Ah sorta was…” She noticed that Grey Ink grew more interested with a sly grin on her face about what she just said. The orange mare realised what she implied and hastily tried to make amends “Not like that. Ya have a dirty mind, y’know that Grey?”

Grey Ink shrugged “Eh…Too late to change that.” She giggled as she looked in the direction that Ashley went off to “So why were you looking at him?”

“Guess ah just wanted to see who he was. Why? Y’know him?”

“Yeah.” Grey Ink turned back to Applejack “He’s a guard that just came in and his name’s Cloak.”

“Anythin’ else?”

“Not much. He’s really secretive but he likes to have a laugh.”

“Really? And how’d ya get to know that?”

“Well...I...Uh...Sort of told him that he was good looking and that I can’t help but mention what I like.” Grey Ink’s face started to turn a rose shade from embarrassment, thinking that Applejack was going to judge her but seeing the orange mare shake her head with a smile made her ease up.

“Don’t feel shy Grey.” Applejack said “Colts like honest mares. Did he say anything after?”

“Well...He did say I was cute.” The blush that found a way onto her face still lingered but was at a more softened tone. Grey Ink found it much easier to talk to mares about these kind of feelings than colts from past experience. “And his accent! Oh sweet Luna...I love it! I’ve always loved country accents much like yours Applejack but his...” Grey Ink started to become oblivious to her conversation partner as her thoughts continued of the stallion continued in her mind

“Well...” Applejack paused to think but also brought Grey Ink out of her daze, coming up with an idea almost instantly. “If y’all like him so much...Why don’t ya ask him out on a date?”

Huh...That’s weird... A while after walking past Applejack’s stand, Ashley noticed a weird feeling in his gut. The feeling was one he knew well since it saved his skin a few times. Immediately taking the sense into consideration, he came up with that something drastic was going to happen soon involving a friend...

Or he was just bored and made up the entire thing...

Either way, he kept the thought in his mind but hidden it deep in case he needed to look back on it. He continued his journey around the town once more until a certain cyan Pegasus accidently crashed into him. His chest immediately smashed into the ground against the flat surface of his blade, luckily it did no actual harm but it still hurt nonetheless.

Rainbow Dash’s head was still trying to recall what happened. Hearing a groan come from underneath her, she used her wings to correct herself and bring herself to a hover, seeing the object that she collided with.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” She lowered herself next to pony she went into and held out her hoof to help her temporary safety mat off the ground. The hood still remained over Ashley’s face but the light allowed Rainbow to see half of his muzzle. He waved off his assailants hoof as he got up himself, seeing Rainbow Dash smiling sheepishly and looking off to the side a bit to avoid eye contact with him.

“It’s all good ma’am, may ah get to know the mares name that just crashed into me?” As he spoke, Rainbow Dash noticed his accent which peaked curiosity since there were not many ponies that had country accents like the Apple family’s but she decided to ask her friends if they had heard anything about the mystery stallion in front of her.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash.” The boastful cyan Pegasus replied, turning her head towards him. “Fastest flier in Equestria.” A smirk grew on her face as she raised a hoof to her chest.

“Fastest flier eh? Ya seem like the type of pony who can pull that off.”

“Heh thanks. So what’s your name?”

“Name’s Cloak.” As much as he didn’t want to lie to Rainbow Dash, it was necessary. He couldn’t afford for others to know his real identity except for Callum, Shockwave and Pinkie. Although looking back, he didn’t really trust Shockwave much to keep his secret. Note to self; break his legs if he squeals.

“Cool…” Rainbow Dash’s eyes averted from his face which could hardly be seen to his body which she couldn’t see much of since the hooded robe covered a majority of his body. “Why are you wearing that thing?”

“The hood?” Ashley asked, Rainbow nodded “Ah like to be a bit…Mysterious y’know?”

“Why’s that?”

“Ah don’t know. Just like to ah guess.”

“That’s…Cool. I’ve never seen you around…Well a pony that hides themselves like you so that means you’re new here, right?”

“Correct Miss Dash.”

“Drop that miss stuff.” Rainbow Dash said flatly.

“Whatever ya want Madame Rainbow.” Ashley chuckled a bit but Rainbow just glared daggers at him “Alright…Geez. Only playin’ with ya’.”

Rainbow eased up “Since you’re new here, you should watch out for Pinkie Pie.”

“Oh Ah’ve already met her. Nice gal, bit random if ah say so mahself.”

Rainbow laughed a bit “Trust me, I know.” She grew more curious to the stallions looks. Since she easily made him feel a bit comfortable, she easily found the courage to ask him another question. “Hey…Can I see your face?”

Ashley cocked his eyebrow, not that it was noticed by the cyan Pegasus since she couldn’t see it but she noticed the warm smile on his face “Sure. Ya’ll seem alright in mah books.”

Rainbow watched as the stallion lifted his light green hoof to the tip of his hood, pulling it back to reveal his brown mane, ocean blue eyes and his scar. The fact of the eyes looking similar seemed to skip her mind as she fell into looking at the stallion’s facial features but more importantly, the scar. Her mind raced into conclusion to how he got the scar. Maybe he was in a bar fight? Or fighting a diamond dog or something.

“Ya’ll should take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Ashley smirked, knocking the cyan Pegasus out of her trance.

“Sorry, too busy lookin’ at your scar.”

Ashley held a hoof on his right cheek, running it over his scar “Not an impressive story behind it. Fell out of a tree when ah was a young’un. Broke a leg as well.”

“And here I was, thinking you got it from fighting something.” Rainbow Dash giggled lightly.

“Well…It was a fight against gravity but that jerk always wins.” Ashley laughed a bit as he put the hood back on as he turned to leave “Guess Ah’ll let y’all get back to yer trainin’. Ah’m sure that if ya keep it up, y’all become famous one day.”

“I’m aiming for the Wonderbolts and thanks!” Rainbow unfurled her wings, beating them lightly to give herself a gentle hover “See ya around!” She shot off into the sky, immediately getting back into her training routine.

Right now that’s out of the way, I should see Zecora to get rid of this body...I miss my hands. Ashley started to walk through the town, towards the forest to meet a certain zebra to try and get a cure for Celestia’s revenge on him.

As he walked through the wilderness of the Everfree, he paid extra attention to his surroundings in case of an attacker. By doing so, he could find easy routes to escape or to turn into an ambush on his predator. A key skill he learned when it came to hiding from Russian patrol squads back in his army days. The path to Zecora’s was neither long nor tiring and since he already walked from her hut towards Ponyville, he easily found his way there.

He raised his hoof to knock on the wooden door. A small moment passed before the door opened, revealing the zebra. Judging by her slightly raised eyebrow, Ashley judged the fact that she would ask who he was so he decided to ditch the country accent for the time being.

“Excuse me Zecora but do you know a cure for a potion that’s made with poison joke extract?”

“Indeed I do. But the question is, who are you?”

“Oh right.” Ashley mentally face palmed/hoofed. He removed his hood for the zebra to see his face “It’s me. Ashley. Long story short, Celestia got Callum to trick me into drinking an orange potion that’s made with poison joke extract and I turned into a pony.”

Zecora examined his facial features, staring into his eyes. Her heart and mind told her that he was telling the truth (and the fact that he had the exact same voice as the human she knew).“I shall prepare a brew.” Zecora moved to the side of the door “Please come in so that we can begin helping you.”

“Uuuuhhh. Here’s the thing…” Ashley replied “I need this form to get my payback later today…”

“I see.” Zecora nodded. She was a bit against Ashley thinking of getting revenge on the sun goddess but seeing what she did to him. She shrugged it off.

“I was wondering if you could prepare the cure for me to use after doing so.” Zecora responded with a nod, accompanied by a smile. “Thanks a lot Zecora. I owe you a lot for helping me out now and from before.”

“Anything for a dear friend, now for the cure I shall tend.”

“Alright. Can you drop it off at the guard station at Ponyville for me?” Zecora nodded. Ashley turned around and began his journey back towards the town but waved towards the zebra “See you later Zecora.” The zebra returned the gesture before closing the door to her home. She began to prepare the ingredients immediately for the poison joke cure.

Celestia called upon a couple of guards to try and find Callum or better yet, Ashley but they came back with nothing. Twilight and the princess decided to take a small walk around the town, Celestia put on a small disguise spell for herself to hide her. Even though it was great that ponies would bow down to her, she felt it would be better to see what the town was really like without the presence of royalty. The only one’s who knew of Celestia’s change were Spike and Twilight who vowed not to break her disguise by mentioning it.

Ashley’s probably hiding away somewhere, too embarrassed to come out to the public. A variety of situations had fit themselves in her head to what happened with him. The potion would be random since it was poison joke so her imagination ran freely. Some of the situations were quite humerous, some were a bit mean while some…Lets just say that not even the princess knew how such thoughts occurred in her mind.

Her disguise was a small white unicorn filly, same height as Twilight. Her eyes remained the same colours while her mane was a light pink that shined in the sunlight, the fringe would sweep over to the left side of her face but only covered a small amount of it. . A few heads turned to see the unicorns brilliant mane, whispers could be heard about it. All were positive which made Celestia feel full with confidence, her form was basically a younger version of herself except for the lack of wings and a different cutie mark but stayed sun related. It was a sun behind a cloud and she decided to go with the name of Sunny Daze.

Seeing Ponyville from a different point of view was a experience she yet to embrace. Ponies would always be on their best behaviour when the princess was around and would go into formalities which she was displeased with. Seeing ponies in their more relaxed states and not trying to impress the alicorn form of her was pleasing.

“Enjoying yourself?” Twilight asked to the alicorn in disguise.

“Very much. It’s brilliant to see my subjects be themselves for a change.” Celestia replied.

“You mean you don’t like it when everypony is bowing down to you?” Twilight was confused. To be the leader of a country would both be heaven and hell. The respect you would earn if you were a good leader would be tremendous but the amount of meetings, courts you have to attend and stuff like that would drive a mare crazy. Sometimes she wondered how Celestia managed one thousand years doing so but since princess Luna came back into being co-ruler of Equestria, both princesses have been able to spend more time with their subjects without royal business as far as she could tell.

“To be honest Twilight, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to not be a princess for a while.”

“So you can have…A glimpse of sorts at normal life without royalty?”

Celestia smiled warmly to her student, glad that she took the words right out of the princesses mouth. “You’re correct Twilight. That’s one of the reasons why I like to be in the presence of you and the other element bearers. Not to mention Callum and Ashley as well. I think the same goes for my sister too.”

“Well maybe when all this prank stuff blows over we can all do something together. Princess Luna included of course.”

“GET AWAY THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!”

Due to Ashley becoming incredibly hot from wearing his hooded robe, he took it off and let it hang over his back, covering his shoulders. Of course, he taken into account of his uniform but the emblems did not exist on the shoulders, or anywhere on the uniform for that matter. The reason why he was screaming and bursting out of the door of Carousel Boutique was due to the following facts.

1: Rarity noticed his uniform through the store window.

2: He’s a stallion and he’s wearing something she practically made.

3: She’s VERY suspicious where he acquired a pony version of Ashley’s uniform.

4: She dragged him into her store for questioning. Ashley was surprised by her strength but he blamed it on him being a pony, therefore lighter than before and he couldn’t really escape the magic hold on him.

5: Stuff happened that will be explained shortly.

And last but not least, number six…

…

She needed a male model for her work.

Sure if she asked nice enough, Ashley (probably) would’ve agreed to stand still for the next hour or so for her to use him for a variety of clothing she was going to release. The first sets of clothes were mostly high quality suits that did indeed have a few gems embedded in them.

Around an hour earlier, immediately when Ashley was dragged into Carousel Boutique

“Where did you get that?” Rarity asked. She had shut the curtains and closed the store so that nopony would bother to enter the fashion store. Ashley’s hooves could not assist him in his escape since Rarity had bound him down with a mass amount of ribbon and cloth so movement except from his neck was suspended.

“Get what?” Ashley replied with his fake accent in the attempts to fool the fashionista into letting him go.

“That suit. It looks very similar to my own work YET I’ve only made one in that colour and that was for Ashley.” The unicorn stepped closer, glaring daggers towards the human turned pony on the floor, trying to look the least intimidating.

“Ah don’t know.” Ashley merely replied but of course, he dug himself into more questions.

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Rarity unbound one of his fore hooves via magic and brought it closer to his face forcing him to look at the sleeve of the uniform “Look at the stitching! The quality of the fabric! Only I, Rarity am capable of such a feat.” Using her magic once more to tie up the hoof again, she leaned her face down towards Ashley, the frustration was radiating from her.

“Y’KNOW WHAT!? FUCK THIS.” Ashley yelled at the mares face. The sudden outburst caused her to flinch away as a natural reaction. “I’m Ashley, alright!? I knew this would happen...” Ashley said in a calmer tone. Rarity however decided to test the claim to be true.

“If you’re really Ashley...” Rarity decided that a question that only Ashley would know would suffice the best at the current moment. “What is Callum’s birthday since Ashley and Callum are the only one’s who know.”

“It’s December the twelfth. Want more information!? Callum’s blood type is A positive while mine is the same. I was diagnosed with a very mild case A.D.D at birth. Callum almost died of blood loss once and I donated my blood for him to live. NEED ANY FUCKING MORE!?” Although the whole bit about blood type and A.D.D birth case were unnecessary, they did do the trick of making the unicorn into believing him.

Rarity really had no choice but to believe the claim that the stallion in front of her was the former human. Even if the voice was very alike if not the same as the humans then the small amount of his background as well as Callum’s was more than likely to be true. Rarity finally snapped out of her trance, seeing that she had basically pony-napped and held him against his will to get the information she wanted.

“All...” The white unicorn used her magic to untie Ashley. As he returned to a sitting position, rubbing his right fore-hoof with his left from irritation of the ribbon, he stared up at Rarity with a look of annoyance. “All I-I want to know is...H-how?”

“How what?” Ashley snapped back.

“How are you a pony?”

“Celestia.” Rarity cocked an eyebrow at his response. “She got Callum to make me drink a potion that turned me like this as revenge as yesterday and I didn’t want any others finding out about my transformation so I made a story that my name is Cloak. Kids at the school think that the human form of me is away on business.” Ashley sighed. His expression to seem to be more relaxed “you must promise me NOT to even mention who I really am. I’ve worked too hard for me to be revealed now and I have plans later that require this form and my disguise altogether.”

“Tsk tsk. You really need to be more careful Ashley...” A voice echoed through the store. Both Ashley and Rarity recognised it instantly.

It was Pinkie’s.

The pink mare revealed herself by dropping from the ceiling with a rope. Both Ashley and Rarity wondered how long she was up there let alone how she got in.

“How...How did-“ Rarity began but was immediately interrupted by Pinkie.

“Silly Rarity, walls can’t stop Pinkie Pie.” The party pony chimed as she put the rope behind her back, disappearing instantly. “Besides, I knew that Ashley was going to get into a situation like this at some point.”

“Ooookay.” Ashley rolled his eyes before trying to get the conversation to what it was before Pinkie shown up “So Rarity…Do you promise?”

Rarity pondered for a moment “Yes…Yes I promise.”

“Do you Pinkie promise?” Pinkie leaned her head towards the white unicorn.

“Cross my heart…” Rarity began as she made the appropriate movements for the promise. Ashley already lost interest in the conversation. There were only two promises that he preferred to use were the promise of the word, much like when Rarity agreed to earlier and his all time favourite, the blood oath. Although he didn’t really expect ponies to go through with it since most of them don’t like blood. At least he knew Callum would perform blood oaths but they hadn’t done one in years.

“…Stick a cupcake in my eye.” Rarity ended the sentence by putting her hoof on her closed eyelid to which Pinkie smiled before turning to Ashley.

“Do not let this happen again…Buh-bye!” She stated to him in a serious manner before going to a cheery tune like she always does, vanishing out of the store instantly.

Ashley was somewhat relieved that Pinkie had come by. He looked over at Rarity who had a gleam in her eyes. He didn’t like the looks of it.

They were both alone…

Rarity used her magic to close the door…

“You know…I know how you can repay me for the door you broke from before…” She stepped closer towards Ashley. If Ashley had issues with personal space then he would have either pushed her away or edged himself away right now.

“Really? How so?”

“Oh…I don’t know…” He noticed her horn glowing once more as cloth started to form around him, tightening almost instantly to prevent his escape once more. “You can help me by modelling my new line of clothing for stallions!”

Ashley gulped. He looked at the clock; it was 1:56PM. He had plenty of time to get ready for his revenge and his shift at Neon’s but he would rather drag himself around town doing nothing, or watch paint dry, or watch a guy watching paint dry for that matter.

Rarity didn’t wait for him to respond as she dragged him into the depths of the store, eager to get him into a suit. It was hard to come by male models since one; the town consisted more of the female population and two; it’s modelling. Enough said.

This brings us back to a couple hours later when Ashley had finally managed to escape. Bursting through the door in terror, Rarity had asked him to wear a latex suit to which he was not going to be any part of. He didn’t even know why she would consider that he would get into it let alone why she had to make one.

Ponies shot looks of curiosity at the running stallion but lost interest quickly.

After Pinkie’s visit to Ashley at Rarity’s, she had already begun getting a party ready which didn’t take long. It was her talent after all and only took her to conjure up everything in a matter of ten minutes. The one task she needed to be done was getting Celestia to come to it.

Her only option was to go see Ponyville’s single dragon resident. All she had to do was imagine she was at the library and poof. She was there. No fancy light shows or mist like the princesses except a simple popping noise when she arrived. Sometimes there would be confetti and the sound of children saying “Yaay!” but she went with the pop. (Yep, that’s how Pinkie gets to places and is capable of controlling her entrance to her destination however she wants.)

Spike had already finished his chores for the day and was relaxing with a bowl of sapphires, emeralds and rubies that Rarity let him have for helping her with her gem mining. Even though he was doing most of the work, the appreciation he got from the fashionista meant a lot to him. It always was gems with either a hug, a peck on the cheek (To which he loved the most but a hug was just as good but he had to wait to clean himself before he would touch her. Didn’t want to get her beautiful white coat dirty and the fact that Rarity wouldn’t want to hug a muddy dragon.) or a simple thanks which was the most common.

Pinkie knocked on the door to which the dragon scurried along the wooden floor, his feet making the scratching sound as he grew closer to the library’s entrance. Opening the door, a pink blur bounced around the room, Immediately identifying that it was Pinkie since she was the only one capable of doing so.

“What do you need Pinkie?” The baby dragon asked as he closed the door, going back to his snack.

“Oh-oh! I need you to send something for me.” The party pony stopped in mid-air before she slowly descended to the ground.

“Uuuuh. Okay.” He replied before stuff a ruby the size of his fist into his mouth, crunching on it with ease.

Pinkie Pie rummaged through her mane with her hooves, presenting a small rosy pink envelope, giving it to Spike immediately.

“So who’s it for?” He held the parcel in front of his face, ready to breathe his signature green flame onto it.

“Oh, it’s for Celestia of course! It’s super duper important!” She replied.

Spike nodded as he inhaled as much as he could. Reaching his limit, he sent his flame onto the note, engulfed quickly as it was sent to the princess.

“Thanks Spikey!” The earth pony chimed as she bounced out of the library (opening the door herself) “Come down to Sugarcube corner at four o’clock for Callum’s party!”

“Will do Pinkie!” The dragon called out as he closed the door, grabbing his bowl of gems. Now…Where can I find my top hat?

Twilight and Sunny Daze or better yet, Celestia were both eating at a restaurant in Ponyville called “The Four leaf clover”. Their specialty was the stir fry they made since it had won a couple of rewards from food critics from around Equestria. Luckily it was a slow day for them otherwise neither Twilight nor Celestia would have been able to get served. The waiter had set down their meals in front of them shortly after they ordered. The aroma of the stir fry filled their noses. Celestia had never actually had this type of food and after little convincing from her prized pupil, she wanted to try the experience.

The first bite of her food had filled her taste buds quickly; the food was amazing to say the least. Twilight watched as her mentor began to savour every bite of the meal before digging into her own. Out of the blue or green flames in this case. A small envelope had appeared in front of Celestia. Both ponies shot curious looks at each other before Celestia used her magic to open the letter.

It read:

Dear princess Celestia.

I’ve planned Callum’s welcome to Equestria party later this afternoon, would you and princess Luna like to join?

As for Ashley, sadly he did not want to attend the party. I don’t know why but who doesn’t like a good party?

From your faithful party pony, Pinkie Pie.

P.S.I loved your coat colour yesterday!

“Well it seems Miss Pie would like my sister and I to attend Callum’s welcome to Equestria party.” Celestia spoke up after she teleported the letter to her sister to get her answer.

“Are you going to?” Twilight asked after swallowing the recent bite of food she had in her mouth.

“Well I’m sure that Callum would love to see us both there and since He and Ashley are Equestria’s first contact with an off planet species and are friends of Luna and I, how could I object?” Celestia responded with a smile to which Twilight smiled in return.

Pinkie had found Twilight eating with a mare that she had never seen before, instantly going to introduce herself to the unicorn with the pink mane in her presence but Twilight cut her off.

“Should we tell her?”

“I don’t see why not.” Celestia replied with a smile.

Twilight looked around for anypony nearby who might hear what she had to say. Luckily the booth they were placed in wasn’t nearby others. “This is Sunny Daze…”

“Oh hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie an-“ Pinkie held out her hoof to the new pony in town to shake but was silenced by Twilight shoving her own hoof into her mouth, although the hoof didn’t stop her from trying to speak so all.

Twilight glared at Pinkie who stopped trying to talk, continuing herself before the interruption but cleared her throat first. “Who is also Princess Celestia in disguise” She whispered.

Even though Twilight’s hoof remained in the party pony’s mouth, she still managed to stifle a gasp. Celestia took it to herself to prove the claim by quickly shutting off part of the disguise. Her cutie mark changed back to her original one and a pair of wings accompanied her sides. Her mane had quickly turned into the multiple shades that everypony had seen before. Pinkie was in awe as the princess turned her disguise back on a couple seconds after of doing so.

Twilight removed her hoof slowly from Pinkie’s mouth but her jaw just hung there. Celestia was giggling a bit from Pinkie’s expression of shock.

Pinkie shook her head rapidly, breaking her awe-struck trance with a gleaming smile. “So Twilight, are you going to Callum’s welcome to Equestria party later?”

“Of course Pinkie, I wouldn’t want to miss one of your parties.” The lavender unicorn smiled warmly.

“Super! What about you Cele- I mean Sunny Daze?”

“Oh I would love to.” She replied. Pinkie was excited that her and Ashley’s plan could be set in motion now. “I’m just waiting for my sister to reply to your letter.” And conveniently, the letter reappeared in front of them in mid-air with a small bright light and dark blue mist that covered a small portion of the table. Celestia / Sunny Daze used her levitation magic to bring the letter to her eyes, a small grin found its way onto her face. “She accepts. She will be teleporting to Ponyville in twenty minutes after she finishes a current meeting with Gryphon diplomats. Oh and Pinkie, don’t let anypony else find out who I am.”

“My lips are sealed.” Pinkie made the motion of zipping her mouth closed with her forehoof before she left...

I won’t tell anyPONY...Except Ashley of course She thought to herself as she ventured back to Sugarcube Corner to double check everything was set for later.

Ugh...Meetings. Luna thought to herself as she just finished a long discussion with Gryphon diplomats about a dragon making itself home in one of their clans mountains. The Gryphons prefer building their colonies in the mountains not only for the wide open spaces but for the view of the landscape. The mountains were located next to a nearby forest to which they hunt their prey.

The dragon was described as being bipedal but not as large as a regular dragon that gave into greed and grown to its monstrous size. This dragon was around seven to eight feet tall or to put in pony terms, bigger than two ponies on top of one another in height.

They described the dragon to having dark, navy blue scales, quite muscular, very sharp claws and carries its own weapons and instead of taking things from others and being hostile, it would help the Gryphons catch prey in return for gems and help them build some of the cave systems which the Gryphons would make into their nests.

Luna however didn’t see the initial problem since the dragon was helping them but they told her that it was an Equestrian dragon that should stay in her and her sister’s country. She knew that she would have to have a word with the dragon so after a large amount of discussion, the Gryphons agreed to try and persuade the dragon to come to Equestria to speak with the royalty.

“Finally.” Luna sighed in relief as she entered her chambers, passing Night Wind and one of her ‘Night guards’. She started to prepare herself for Callum’s party later. To her, it was a shame that Ashley would not attend but she’d ask him about that later.

She wondered around her bedroom, thinking of what to wear. The only parties she had really gone to were the Grand Galloping Gala and her sisters. She enjoyed going to her sister’s birthday parties that were the highlight across Equestria. The Grand Galloping Gala however, she despised with a raw passion to match the sun in its ferociousness. All the nobles that tried to suck up to her sister and herself was annoying alongside the intolerable nephew Blueblood that walked around like he owned the place.

Then again, he’s always been like that.

Before her banishment to the moon, Luna gave up on going to the Grand Galloping Gala altogether since it was a waste of time in her eyes and she could see it in her sister’s eyes too. She thought to give it ago next time since at the last Gala, Twilight and the other element bearers alongside Spike attended the social event and she heard that it was chaotic from Celestia. Hearing how much her sister enjoyed it since it broke the bad habit of boredom.

“Night Wind?” She called out. Shortly after Night Wind opened the door slightly but did not enter.

“Yes your majesty?”

“I need your help with something. Please enter.”

Night Wind decided to do as he was told, glancing back at the guard that lip synced the following.

“Sucks to be you.”

Night Wind leered at the guard who had a smug grin on his face. “Lets see that smirk when I make you go on bathroom duty...Using your tongue.” He mumbled but loud enough only for the other guard to hear. His grin disappeared instantly. Yep...Still got it.

Closing the door behind him, he drew closer to the princess and bowed “How may I assist you princess?”

“I...I need you to help me pick a dress.”

Night Wind gulped.

It was now 4:06 PM and Ashley was immensely bored, again. Pinkie had found Callum and told him to go to Sugarcube Corner later, not telling him why. The party pony had already asked Applejack, Big Macintosh, Applebloom, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Grey Ink, Shockwave and Neon to go to Sugarcube Corner for the party. Shockwave assumed that Ashley’s revenge was taking place at the confectionary but only having a small insight on what the human could do, he didn’t to get on his bad side.

Pinkie managed to track down Ashley who was sitting on a park bench, talking a mint green unicorn by the name of Lyra who she introduced herself to him because of the way he was sitting. He watched as she got comfortable on the bench in her unique way, the same way Ashley was sitting on the bench.

“I don’t see why the way I sit is a problem to other ponies.” Lyra stated.

“It’s good to be different and it’s the way ya feel comfortable.” Ashley replied with his fake southern accent. He already had his hood down since their introduction. He learned that Lyra had a roommate by the name of Bon-Bon.

“So what is it you do?” Lyra asked.

“Ah’m a guard. Just got in Ponyville today and met some nice ponies. Quite relaxed town ya guys have ‘ere.”

“Thanks. Although for the past few days it hasn’t though.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well, A few days ago, two humans came into town and...Well I can’t tell you much except they fought against the Royal guard and one of them stopped an entire diamond dog attack by himself!”

“Ah see. That was Ashley wasn’t it?”

“I think so. How’d you find out about him?”

“Met him. We got on well and he asked me to fill in for him at the school since he had to go do some important business.”

“I wish I could get to see him and Callum more.” Lyra said with disappointment “You see...I’m sort of fascinated by their ‘hands’. The way they don’t need magic to hold things is amazing! I wish that I could have them to play my Lyre. Sure I can play it with magic but I want to let the music flow from my body, not my mind...” She looked Ashley “Do you know what I mean?”

“Of course. Y’all seem quite passionate about that there music of yers. Ah’d like to hear ya play sometime but that’s up to ya.” Ashley replied softly. Seeing how excited the mare was about his former hands, maybe he could cheer her up some time? “Ah’m sure if ya ask Ashley to get a look at his hands, he’d be happy to you.”

“Yeah but that’s the thing. What if he thinks I’m weird like some other ponies do?”

“Simple. Ya don’t know if he will unless you ask him. Yer fergetting that he’s from another planet and that ponies will ask questions about him. Besides, he wouldn’t want to say something that offensive to ya. Sure he jokes a lot but he knows restraint when it counts.” Ashley placed a hoof under Lyra’s chin, forcing her to look at his eyes. “Just go ask him.”

“Th-thanks...” Lyra had definitely cheered up since she wrapped her hooves around his neck, pulling him into a hug “Thanks for cheering me up Cloak. You’re a good friend.”

“Heh...” Ashley returned the embrace “Ah always get that.” Both ponies set themselves of the bench “Well, Ah’ve got a party for Callum to attend so Ah’ll catch ya later.” He turned to leave but an idea struck him.

“Actually...” His words made Lyra’s ears perk up “Why don’t ya come with? Ah’m sure ah can easily convince Callum fer ya to get a look at his hands and answer some stuff fer ya. How does that sound?”

“Really? You’d do that for me even though we just met?” Her eyes were gleaming with excitement as a wide smile started to form.

“Yer mah friend even if we just met and ah know this will mean somethin’ to ya.”

Lyra couldn’t contain her excitement as she started to bounce around Ashley, her speech was going at a speed that could almost rival Pinkie Pie’s. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthank-“ She stopped when she realised how foolish she was acting and that ‘Cloak’ was chuckling to her antics. She sheepishly smiled at him as they both made their way to Sugarcube Corner.

Shockwave and Grey Ink saw Ashley with a unicorn next to him. The captain easily picked up that Grey Ink had affection for ‘Cloak’ since she wouldn’t stop talking about him and his accent. Shockwave rolled his eyes as both unicorn and Pegasus approached Ashley and Lyra. Introductions were thrown around as they all walked towards the confectionary for the party.

Keep calm Grey... The Pegasus thought to herself He’s just an average stallion like them all...

...with a southern accent. You know how that gets you Grey...

Shut up brain, I don’t need those thoughts...Well...Not now anyway.

As the group entered the confectionary, Ashley promised to himself that he would stick next to open windows to avoid the smell making him vomit on the spot, If he done so then it would blow his cover. Pinkie knew she couldn’t do anything about that.

It was now 4:15PM. Callum was now at the front door of Sugarcube Corner as he opened the door slowly. The room was dark I wonder... He thought to himself.

“WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA!” Everypony shouted as he entered, the light immediately came on. Callum was shocked, he looked around the room. Cakes, cookies, milkshake fountain, candy floss machine and more sweets than he could possibly eat. It was like heaven...Well for him anyway.

Ashley saw this as hell, having to attend a party, being near sweet things that want to make him throw up. The only way it could get worse was if the place was crawling with spiders.

Fucking spiders...

“Daaaaayummm Pinkie! You must of went all out on this thing!” Callum looked around the room. A large banner saying ‘Welcome to Equestria!’ hung from the rooftop, above the counter. He saw Applejack and her brother alongside Applebloom who was next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Rarity, Fluttershy (Who was hiding herself behind her mane a bit but she did ease up near Callum), Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Spike and Rarity. Next to Twilight however was a unicorn he never saw before. Guessing he would be making introductions soon. He saw Grey Ink standing next to Ashley, getting quick glances of his pony turned friend. Next to Ashley was a mint green unicorn which smiled at him widely. Next to her was Shockwave.

Everypony was smiling but Ashley’s was a bit more sadistic, eager to get his revenge. After doing so much work of getting almost everyone to believe his disguise, he waited for Celestia / Sunny Daze to have a bite of the special surprise that awaits her. Luckily, Pinkie said that Celestia was here but in disguise and seeing that the only pony he didn’t know was Sunny, he pinpointed her as the sun goddess. The fact that the white unicorn was near Twilight much also helped convince him.

“Seriously guys, I thank you all for the great welcome.” Callum began “Trust me when I say this, I’m really glad I came to Equestria.”

Everypony cheered as the party began, except Ashley who was focusing more on payback. He looked over at Lyra who was eyeing Callum’s hands Figures.... He rolled his eyes as he made his way to Callum.

“Hey...Uh Callum.” Ashley spoke with his usual fake country accent.

“What ya’ need Cloak?” The human answered, everpony was already in conversation while Pinkie was sorting through a mass collection of records for the party music. Shockwave was talking to Spike who was styling a top hat for some odd reason. Then again, the accessory did suit the baby dragon well. Twilight, Sunny Daze and the others were all in a conversation them selves.

“Not much, just need ya’ to do me a favour.”

“Depends on what it is...Oh one sec.” Callum raised his hand “Pinkie, cupcake me.”

“Okey dokey!” The pink party mare shouted, pulling a cupcake from the table near her and threw it in the human’s direction. The base of the cupcake impacted with Callum’s hand softly, pulling it down to take a bit of the sweet haven of baked treats.

“Cheers Pinkie.” Callum thanked the mare after swallowing the bite, Ashley grimaced from the sight. Callum waved him off “Continue.”

“Can ya let Lyra...” Judging by Callum’s look of confusion, Ashley pointed out the mare with his hoof “That’s Lyra and ah promised her that she could get a look at yer hands.”

“She...Wants to look...At my hands?” Callum scoffed, obviously a bit freaked out from the question. “Err...Sure I guess.”

“Thanks man, Ah owe ya one.”

“Last time I checked, I made you eat a cupcake so I guess we’re even.”

“Yer right. We’re even.”

“Hey Lyra!” Ashley called out to the unicorn who instantly moved herself next to him.

“Yes?”

“You wanted to have a look at my hands?” Callum asked. Lyra could barely contain her excitement but she was able to do so. She eagerly nodded, Callum reached out his hand to the unicorn who enveloped it with her magic.

The other party goers were slightly confused of her actions and their faces shown it. Callum could feel a slight tingling sensation in his hand as Lyra used her magic to mentally get a look at every bone, muscle, blood vessel and everything else in his hand. After a few minutes of using her spell and everypony watching in curiosity, Lyra finally ceased her magic hold on Callum’s hand.

“Well...That was...” Callum struggled to finish his sentence, rubbing the hand that had been used for Lyra’s test with his other one.

“Cool?” Ashley suggested.

“Seems about right.” Callum agreed, looking at the unicorn “Anything else?”

“Ummm...Not that I can think of at this moment...Thanks a lot by the way.” Lyra smiled which Callum done the same.

*Knock Knock*

“Huh...” Ashley spoke out loud “Wonder who that could be...” He trotted to the door, he didn’t know how he managed to open the door with his hoof but it worked and that’s all he cared about. He looked up at the pony at the door...Well, ponies.

There, standing right in front of him was princess Luna. She shot him a look of curiosity since he looked somewhat familiar but she couldn’t put her hoof on who it was. Next to her were the second most hated ponies Ashley hated, Night Wind and Solar.

Right on that moment, he wanted to break both of their necks like twigs but the only thing stopping him was his promise (And the fact that he had hooves now). Ashley immediately bowed down to the princess of the night.

“Sorry I’m late.” Luna began with slight embarrassment.

Callum approached the door, looking over Ashley to see Luna and the two captains “Oh hey Luna, here for the party?” Luna nodded “Awesome. Any reasons why you’re a bit late?”

“Oh...Um...” Luna dug at the floor with her hoof a bit “I couldn’t decide what to wear.” She smiled sheepishly.

Callum raised an eyebrow “Like...A dress?” Luna nodded slightly “How come you’re not wearing one?”

“Because...” Night Wind began “I managed to talk her out of putting on a dress before she started to ask me questions about them.”

“Ahhhh.” Both Ashley and Callum knew why. The last thing they would want to do is get involved with girls and clothes as well. (Who can blame them?)

“May we enter?” Luna asked.

Both Callum and Ashley mentally face palmed / hoofed, both moving out of the way for the princess of the night, followed by Night Wind and Solar. Luna looked around the room, getting a quick look of who was attending the party. One specific pony drawn her attention and it was Sunny Daze. Luna knew it was really Celestia since only she knew what her sister looked like when she was younger and the fact that it was the disguise Celestia always used when it was necessary.

Pinkie had found a track to play and began playing the music in the background. Ashley looked over at Pinkie who winked at him, signalling him to start the plan. The former human walked over to Twilight and the group.

“Howdy ladies.” He greeted himself “Would y’all like me to grab ya somethin’ to eat or drink?”

“Hmmm.” Twlight began “I’ll go for some punch.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy squeaked “I’ll have some too. If you don’t mind that is.” She asked in her usual quiet voice since she was talking to a stranger but only knew of his name from Grey Ink.

“I would love some too darling.” Rarity smiled.

“Ditto.” Rainbow Dash replied “Oh and a cupcake.”

“Ah’m good.” Applejack stated with a warm smile, it was nice to hear somepony with an accent similar to hers around these parts.

“Oh. Ummmm.” Grey Ink tried to answer but her mind was else where, focusing on both his face and accent most likely. “I-I’ll just h-have a glass of punch.” And you tonight *insert dirty mental image* ...DANG IT BRAIN, I DIDN’T WANT THAT IMAGE YET.

“Alright...” He felt a bit awkward from Grey Ink just then but shrugged it off. He turned his attention to Sunny Daze. “Would ya like somethin’ too ma’am?” Please for the love of god pick a cupcake.

“Hmmmm....” Celestia pondered, she did feel a bit hungry at the moment and from what she can recall, and Twilight did mention that the cupcakes here were amazing so it convinced her more to try one “I think I will go for a cupcake.”

Ashley nodded and walked off to get the girls what they requested. None of the ponies or Callum noticed the sadistic, twisted smile forming on his face except for Pinkie. Judging from his reaction, Celestia / Sunny Daze had asked for something to eat.

“She said yes?” Pinkie asked the former human who nodded in response. Pinkie quickly zoomed into the kitchen, grabbing the cupcake that was designed for the revenge. Ashley put it on a nearby tray and carried it with his mouth, making his way to the punch bowl.

Callum saw his friend struggling to carry the tray so he offered his help. The human grabbed another tray and put the requested number glasses of punch on the tray. Ashley’s tray carried both Sunny Daze’s and Rainbow Dash’s cupcakes.

“Here ya go ladies. Ashley balanced the tray on his forehoof, “The one on my left is fer ya Rainbow.” Rainbow picked up cupcake with the white frosting m almost entirely covered by rainbow coloured sprinkles. “And this is fer you ma’am.” He held out the tray to Sunny Daze who used her magic to levitate the overkill sky blue frosted baked treat to her mouth.

Callum had placed the tray of drinks on a table next to the girls, making his way back to Luna who was in conversation with Shockwave and Spike along with Lyra. Night Wind and Solar stood outside, doing their duty by not letting anypony in except without proper authority or if they owned the establishment.

Ashley watched as Sunny Daze took the first bite of the cupcake, hearing a light moan of happiness as it plagued her taste buds. Rainbow was already half way in eating her cupcake but Ashley paid no attention to that. The moment that he had been eagerly waiting for is finally happening.

As Sunny Daze finished her cupcake, Ashley had to fight the urge to blurt out who he really was but he wanted to see the results. He made his way to Pinkie who was adorning an almost invisible smile. She too wanted to see the results so both sat back and relaxed, letting time take its course.

“So you girls can see my problem...” Grey Ink began.

“Like A.J. said before, just ask him.” Rainbow began “He seems like a nice colt.”

“I’d have to agree with them both here.” Rarity said “Who knows, maybe he feels the same way about you.” As much as she wanted to mention what their love could blossom into (like in romance novels), she knew it would be inappropriate and held back.

Sunny, Twilight and Fluttershy all nodded in agreement. Their responses did improve Grey Ink’s confidence but not enough to just walk up to the light green stallion. Rainbow Dash groaned, she pushed Grey Ink towards Ashley even though she kept objecting, telling the cyan Pegasus to stop, as she got close to Ashley, the more furious the blush on her face became.

“There.” Rainbow Dash had pushed the grey Pegasus next to Ashley who was looking confused. “Now don’t come back until you ask him.” Rainbow Dash demanded before retreating to her friends.

“That was really uncalled for Rainbow Dash.” A voice said, it was deep and masculine. Everypony in the group shot a look at who spoke...

It was Sunny Daze...

Well...A pony that resembled her...

Okay a stallion had taken her place.

“What the!?” Sunny Daze said in his newly acquired male voice “W-what is g-going on!?”

“Sooo...what is it ya need Grey?” Ashley asked. Pinkie decided to leave the two ponies alone for the time being.

Grey Ink was frozen like a statue, the blush was going all out and was highly noticeable. Ashley found it quite cute. The Pegasus mare couldn’t even stifle a single word since her throat decided to dry up.

Ashley narrowed his eyes, leaning close towards Grey’s blushing face. He smile warmly to the mare “Ya really like me...Don’t ya?”

Her heart was beating fast, slowly nodding in response. Come on Grey! You can do it! Her mind tried to persuade her to speak but she only blurted out sounds that weren’t even words.

Ashley rolled his eyes, the smile still on his face “Y’all were going to ask me something that is related to ya likin’ me. Weren’t ya?” Grey Ink nodded.

COME ON GREY. Her mind pushed on. JUST SAY IT. YOU’RE MAKING IT HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE!. The mare gulped, sucking up her confidence and taking a deep breathe.

“Cloak...Will you-“

“What the!?” A voice shouted “W-what is g-going on!?”

Everypony (including Callum and Spike) immediately looked towards who just blurted out. There stood a stallion who had the same features as Sunny Daze.

“Oh my god...” Ashley whispered to himself “BAH-HAHAHA!” He immediately fell to the floor, clutching his sides from the laughter taking over him.

Sunny Daze was panicking, she tried to use her magic to revert the problem but instead it got rid of her pony disguise all together. After a bright white light had filled the room and faded, there stood a male version of Celestia.

Since Ashley’s laughter was loud, everyone shot looks to him. Rainbow Dash, Luna and Twilight immediately got up in his face out of anger. “WHAT DID YOU DO!?” They all shouted at him, reducing him to a chuckle.

It was time. “Oh man...” Ashley spoke, ditching his accent. He stood back up and pointed at the male Celestia who was still in a panic “YOU JUST GOT PLAYED!”

Callum, Shockwave, Pinkie and Rarity were the only ones whose jaws didn’t drop. But Rarity and Shockwave were still shocked by the severity of the prank that had just been pulled. On the other side of the room, Callum was chuckling.

“Wha-“ male Celestia couldn’t manage to speak from her confusion.

“Let me clear things for you Celestia.” He pointed at the gender swapped alicorn “You.” He then pointed to himself “Just got played by me.” He chuckled.

“What...No...It can’t be...” Celestia was dumbfounded. The light green stallions voice, the colour of his mane, his eye colour and his scar on his right cheek. The fact that she heard that Ashley was supposedly away on business and this mystery stallion got along well with Callum...

She finally understood...

Her potion turned him into a pony...

And he used it to his advantage...

She couldn’t face it...

...

I’ve been defeated...By Ashley. male Celestia thought to himself. The only thing he could do was laugh a bit. His masculine laugh had joined Callum’s which had confused everyone, including Ashley.

“It seems I’ve been bested...” Celestia said with slight disappointment. he had to add Ashley to the list of ponies that defeated his in the art of pranking. Right below a pony that labelled them self, The Pink Menace.

In the background, Pinkie winked at Ashley who nodded at her with a smirk.

“What...” Twilight began. If looks could kill then Ashley would be running from the face of pure anger coming from the lavender unicorn. “What. Did. You. Do?” She demanded through clenched teeth.

“Geez Twilight, don’t get your knickers in a twist.” Ashley began with a chuckle “That cupcake she ate, that was gender swapped her.”

Luna, Rainbow and Twilight took a step back from Ashley. Grey Ink on the other hand was the most shocked out of all the ponies in the room. The stallion she fancied...Was Ashley. She didn’t know what to do but tears had already formed, she burst out of the confectionary store as fled the scene. She felt as if her heart has been torn from her chest and spat on in disgust.

“Oh for fuck sake...” Ashley facehoofed. “Cal, can you get Grey Ink for me? I need to talk to her.”

“Sure thing bud.” Callum walked out but stopped next to Solar and Night Wind who were curious from the shouting “Oh by the way, say hi to your new prince in there.” He chuckled once more as he saw Grey running through the town, he began his chase.

Both Solar and Night Wind raised an eyebrow at each other, peeking into the store. Both their jaws dropped when they saw an alicorn stallion that look very much like Celestia. They both agreed to ask about it later.

“Why did she run out crying?” Spike asked, still a bit shocked from what was going on.

“Easy Spike.” Ashley began “Grey Ink fell in love with the pony I was faking to be. Her heart must feel like crap right now.” He said with a slightly depressed tone. He didn’t mean to cause her to fall in love with him but it was too late. No...No. I’m going to solve this... Ashley found a sense of confidence from his thought but right now, he had to deal with a bunch of confused, angry mares.

“I think...” prince Celestia began, gaining everyone’s attention “I think that Ashley and I should stop this meaningless battle to out do each other’s pranks. It’s starting to affect other ponies emotionally and I can’t bear to stand with the guilt.” The gender swapped alicorn walked up to Ashley, towering over him and bowed. Everyone was confused, including Ashley but Pinkie wasn’t. he knew what Celestia was doing.

“Ashley. You win.”

“But at what cost Celestia?” His question made the prince stand up and cock an eyebrow “Like you said, ponies are getting hurt emotionally and Grey Ink just proved that.” Ashley looked up to the alicorn “There is no real victor here, only two beings that didn’t think of the emotions of others, only the satisfaction of out doing one another.” Ashley walked towards the door but stopped, looking back at the ponies (and Spike).

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a heart to try and fix. Oh and Pinkie...Be a dear and go to Zecora’s for me, she promised to make me a cure for what Celestia did to me and I REALLY want my hands back.” Ashley turned back and trotted out of the door, both Night Wind and Solar pointed in the general direction that Callum ran off to.

Well guys there you go. The final joke of the battle but at what cost? Will Ashley be able to mend the damage he caused on Grey Ink's heart? Will the potion be ready for the human? Will Spike finally get a mustache?

So many answers. So little time to update the story. Anywho, hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to comment! I need those things to sell to get more chloroform to use on a user called VitaExdet or as I call him, Vitamin.

To mend ones heart...

“Grey! Will you just stop for a sec!?”” Callum called out the fleeing mare whose tears flowed down her cheeks as she started to fly away. If she was running then Callum would have a better chance of catching her since she doesn’t really seem very athletic like Rainbow Dash.

He spent the past ten minutes trying to catch the mare, jumping on building rooftops to try and bring her to the ground but every time he missed, he got back up instantly. He was not going to fail Ashley. He knew that if it was Ashley in his position then he would travel across the world just to make him feel better, seeing not only his best friend in pain from accidently ripping apart Grey’s heart, the fact that her sobs were all that he could hear. They overcame his breathing as well as his own thoughts too.

Ponies nearby would wonder why the human was jumping rooftop to rooftop, sometimes smashing into the ground but shrugging it of like it was nothing. The CMC watched as he made a leap for Grey Ink, his fingers ran through her tail before he plummeted towards the ground.

Hope I’m not sore in the morning after this. Callum struggled to stand back up from his latest attempt to catch the fleeing mare. His chest was finally starting to fall victim to the impacts but he’s been through worse. The CMC curiosity peaked as they watched him start to climb upon some nearby crates to access another rooftop.

“Callum. What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo said with slight amusement “If you’re trying to fly, you’re going to need wings first.”

“Not trying to fly. Trying to catch Grey.” Callum called back to them as he lifted himself onto a rooftop. Looking around the landscape, he saw the mare on a rooftop herself but she quickly darted off down into the busy streets. Callum lost sight of her instantly.

“Dang it.” Callum muttered as he climbed off the roof the same way he got up there.

***

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Rarity asked the group who were all still inside Sugarcube Corner after the fiasco. Prince Celestia was constantly being laughed at by Luna now that she found the funny side of the joke.

“I’m sure unless Grey Ink has other plans for him.” Rainbow Dash answered. The moment she finished her answer, she began to worry not only for the mare herself but Ashley as well. She hoped that he could manage to repair the damage he had done. She knew that the prank war was a big deal to the human but the way he acted after he was declared victor...She knew that he knew that he went too far.

“Maybe we should help them?” Fluttershy asked, everyone turned to her not in anger but in agreement, all but Rainbow Dash.

“I think it’s best if we stay out of this.” The cyan mare spoke, getting looks of concern at her “Let them sort it out themselves you know?”

“Maybe we should help them out...” Twilight said in a curious tone “Maybe we should wait a while until we do anything.” All the mares nodded in agreement. Shockwave however was more concerned of Grey Ink’s wellbeing. Seeing her hurt like that was not the first time it has happened since they met. He didn’t see the mare as a receptionist, more of a friend. He cared deeply for the Pegasus like a sister.

“You better fix this Ash…” He grumbled to himself.

***

“W-why...” Grey Ink flew herself into an alleyway. No ponies walked by or through the alleyway which was the perfect place to consult herself “W-why d-did you d-do this to m-me?” Her heartfelt sobs had managed to make her struggle to even speak a clear sentence.

You see, Grey Ink was never one for rejection. It was and still is one of her biggest fears and it didn’t help that the pony she loved was nothing but a shamble, a lie, a gimmick to get back the princess for a stupid, foolish prank war for what? To declare whose better at being a jerk? For a title that practically meant nothing? That’s what it looked like to her. A stupid title must be more important to Ashley than her emotions.

In the back of her mind, she knew that she got attached too fast. She didn’t even know his full name at the time for crying out loud! As the tears of being betrayal and deceived slowly crept down the mares faces, she curled up into a ball, resting her head in her hooves.

***

“Grey?!” Ashley called out as he searched the town. He went as far as bursting into ponies homes, asking its occupants if they had seen the mare. Since they didn’t know who he was, they immediately shut the door on his face but now wasn’t the time to get back at those ponies. Now was the time to try and destroy the guilt that plagued his soul.

“Grey Ink!?” He cried out once more. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” The pain from the guilt could be heard in his voice. The image of the mare crying...Alone...Hurt...Betrayed...It was the only thing his mind would let him see. He saw the mares face everywhere; the sounds of her crying as she ran out of Sugarcube Corner were all he could hear. It tore his heart more and more, knowing that he done something so terrible all because he let some competition get the best of him.

He came to a stop in front of a restaurant called The Four Leaf Clover but he paid no attention to it. He was on a mission to fix the damage he had done to the poor mare’s heart.

***

“You’re stupid...Y’know that Grey?” The mare was speaking to herself but she had no idea what she was saying. The feeling of her crushed heart was unbearable and it didn’t help ease the pain now that she was not only judging herself but also contradicting herself too.

“You never thought it was too good to be true? You make me sick...” Every word she spoke to herself with was laced with acid. She felt like she couldn’t muster any more tears but they would still flow. “You were doomed from the start...To actually think that you had a chance with him? Pfft...You deserve everything that has happened to you...”

***

“Come on...Come on...” Ashley was continuing his search for redemption. He cared none for those who got in his way to find the heart broken grey Pegasus. Since nopony knew who he really was, they didn’t like the fact that he would barge right past them…

“Watch where you’re going jerk!” A female voice called out, turning out to be Ashley’s latest victim from his search.

“Don’t care! Trying to fix broken heart!” He called out as he started to search alleyways, behind crates. Everywhere he could get to, he would search.

Come on Grey…Where are you!?

***

Callum returned to Sugarcube Corner. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Ashley that he failed. He took in a breath and opened the door into the store. Everypony quickly glanced over to the where the human stood. Judging by his face, they knew that he didn’t find her.

“Where’s Ash?” Callum asked with disappointment.

“He’s gone to find Grey.” Shockwave said nonchalantly from the corner of the room which he was sitting in. “He’s been gone what…Twenty minutes now?”

“Hopefully he’ll find her.” Callum said as he sat down next to the captain.

“Trust me. If he doesn’t fix this, he’s in a heap of trouble.”

“Lemme guess, you love Grey?” Callum said bluntly.

“Yes…But more like a sister.” Callum nodded. He pretty much knew that feeling since he felt that Ashley was a brother to him. He too would have to sort Ashley out if he didn’t fix this but he doubted he would have to. He hoped that his friend could fix this problem fast.

***

As the time started to eat away, it had been already forty minutes since Ashley left Sugarcube Corner to find the heartbroken Pegasus. There was no way he was going to give up if he did then it would show Grey Ink that he doesn’t care for her. If he could cheer her up by any means, he would do his best to do so.

He knew that the wound he made on her would grow over time to the point where she wouldn’t care for him…or worse.

“Grey Ink!” He called out once more, the sadness was obviously lingering in his voice as he became more and more worried.

He entered a nearby alleyway, immediately trying to lift crates of whatever was inside them. He would try getting a better viewpoint if he wasn’t still a pony and could easily get on rooftops in his human form.

His efforts became unanswered after another twenty minutes of searching and not finding the mare he strived for. Determination still edged him on to find her, he would travel all over Equestria just to apologise to her for what he had done…

I should…I should have paid her attention... I’m a monster…

You’ve probably lost a friend just…just for a FUCKING TITLE?!

No…No this isn’t over…It’s not too late…I will find her…

No you won’t. You’re a monster. You’re a killer of both bodies and emotions…You should be locked away…with the key thrown away…

No…NO I’M NOT. I WILL FIX THIS!

Are you sure? Do you think she will even want to even see you again? You tore her heart like paper. You saw the way she was around you and you just thrown her away like trash…

SHE’S NOT TRASH!...She’s…N-not trash…She’s better than that…A million times better…

IF she is…Then why did you do what you did? Do you like torturing the feelings of others for your sick, twisted ways? Hmm? He who has no friends?

No friends? NO FRIENDS!? LAST TIME I CHECKED, I HAD PLENTY OF FRIENDS AND I STILL DO!

Whatever you say…Just face it…You’re lost without her…How does it feel?

How does what feel?

Knowing what you did…Knowing that you’re responsible for how saddened she is…Knowing that if you paid attention…You could have meant more to her…Maybe even she could have meant more to you…

What the fuck are you saying? Wait a sec…WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING ALL THIS SHIT?!

…Because I’m obviously your conscience. You’re having a mental conflict right now dipshit.

Fuck you brain.

You wish you could…Now, Find her…Find her and comfort her…Don’t let her leave you…Make sure that you comfort her...

…Alright…I will…Is…Is there anything else conscience?

Yes…Pull her close to you…And hold her. Don’t let go. She’ll need to let it all out…Maybe then…You can begin the path of redemption…

I’ll try my best…Thanks conscience…

…

Great…

“I must be going insane…” Ashley groaned. During his mental lapse, he sat on his haunches as he stared at the ground. “I wonder if James will show up…”

…

“Nope. Not insane.” Ashley chuckled to himself as he stood back up. He looked at the ground once more and noticed a wet substance on the floor beneath him…

The substance was also on his face…It…He...Cried for the mare…

“I will find you.” He mumbled to himself as he wiped the remnants of the tear of his cheek, immediately restarting his search for Grey Ink.

***

Grey Ink remained curled up in her protective ball, her head buried in her hooves as the cries of a broken heart filled the silence of the alleyway. She was at the point where her crying made it harder for her to breathe, her eyes reddened by the amount of shed tears of the past hour.

Ashley finally reached the last alleyway he hadn’t searched. He could hear crying…Crying that he heard before.

He slowly approached the source, finding a heap of grey fur with a brown mane that was wet from not only from the tears of the crying grey Pegasus but dirt from the floor mixed in both mane and her coat.

She looked a mess…Her feathers were ruffled as her crying continued. Ashley had no idea what to do now. Should he just sit next to her and wait? Or maybe nudge her softly…Then again that might not end well…Maybe he could hold her like his conscience told him to do. He needed to get on the path of redemption…Fast.

“W-why G-Grey I-Ink? W-why d-do y-you d-do this t-to your…yourself?” The crying mare was sending stakes into her own heart, causing more pain than what was necessary “H-he d-doesn’t c-care for y-you…H-he n-never w-will.” She let out another heartfelt sob.

Ashley was already reaching breaking point, seeing this mare in front of him confess her love for him…the love she had for him. Her voice could barely even speak a single word without struggling. As more tears flown his cheeks, he edged himself closer to Grey Ink. Lowering his muzzle next to her ears…

“Sssshhh…” Ashley whispered softly into her drooped ears “Don’t you ever say stuff like that…”

Grey Ink recognised the soft sounding voice that flown into her ears. As much as she didn’t want to look, thinking that her mind was playing tricks on her…She did anyway.

***

Ashley had been gone for a good hour when he left to find Grey Ink. The room of Sugarcube Corner was filled with an akward silence which was only broken once by Pinkie bursting into the room with Zecora’s cure for Ashley. She looked around the room and saw nothing but faces of sadness and worry. Both Celestia and Luna had to return to Canterlot with Night Wind and Solar in tow. Lyra had to go back home for whatever reason, it was obvious that she didn’t really want to be at the confectionary while it was riddled with the sadness of others.

Shockwave decided to go to guard station to see if Grey Ink was hiding out there while Callum, Spike, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy all remained in the store as well as their new addition of Pinkie.

She knew immediately that Ashley must not have found Grey Ink otherwise he would of surely brought her back here…Right?

“Ah think we should go look for them now.” Applejack spoke up, immediately grabbing everyone’s attention “Ah think that Ash could use some extra help tryin’ to find her.”

“And how do you know that Ashley isn’t trying to fix it right now?” Callum spat back with hostility. Everyone else was shocked at his tone “It’s best to let them work it out. BY THEMSELVES. Trust me, Ashley knows what he’s doing.”

“Really?” Rarity asked “How so? How does he know how to comfort a mare in distress?”

“I’d rather not say…”

“Well then he obviously doesn’t know and he needs our help.” Rarity stood up but the way she was talking about Ashley was getting on Callum’s last nerve. He wasn’t in the mood for bullshit and blocked the door with himself.

“NOBODY IS HELPING.” As the words left his mouth, Rarity immediately shot back to her seat, Fluttershy had immediately hid herself away behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Least to say, everyone was surprised by the amount of rage Callum was showing. His eyes flared with the burning passion. “You want to know how I know that he knows what he’s doing!?” He walked up to Rarity and poked her in the chest hard “He watched his FUCKING FAMILY GET KILLED IN FRONT OF HIM. Do you know what his mother felt like when she walked in on the most of her children brutally murdered!?”

Rarity shook her head. Everyone else had backed away from the severely pissed off human since they didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

“He was all that she had! HE was the only thing she lived for. HE was the one that comforted her after her loss. THAT’S WHY HE TRIES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO CHEER OTHERS UP!” Callum yelled through clenched teeth. The white unicorn felt like fainting but the fear decided to prevent her from doing so. Callum immediately walked out of the room, slamming the door which shook the entire building.

The room was completely silent. None of the ponies nor Spike were prepared for…well that. Callum started to walk to Neon’s. He had work there later that night so he though that a drink could calm him down a bit. After the stressful week, he finally blew his fuse at his friends. He immediately regretted it but he didn’t care. He was defending Ashley and that’s all he cared about.

***

“W-what?” Grey Ink stuttered, she still thought that her mind was playing tricks on her as she stared into the green stallion’s ocean blue eyes, how the tears had crept out from them and dropped to the floor in front of her.

“Just…Don’t say things like that…Don’t…Just don’t think I don’t care for you…” Ashley laid himself down next to the mare who shifted away from him slightly, her muscles tensed from being uneasy around him “If I didn’t care…Why did I immediately try to find you? Why am I crying? Why…”

“W-why w-what?” Grey stuttered confusingly.

“Why did I act like I did?” Grey Ink could see that she was not the only one who was heart broken. She still hated him for his actions but part of that was her fault too, she couldn’t blame it all on him.

Ashley awaited an answer but he only got the saddened look of Grey Ink staring into his eyes. “I lost one of my friends for what? A pathetic title that held no real value…A friend that had feelings for me but I had to just blow it and make her hate me.” Another couple of tears had escaped through Ashley’s eyes as he spoke.

Grey Ink was staying silent Does he really mean that?

“To know how your heart is crushed…I’ve been there. I’ve witnessed it for several years and maybe now…maybe now I’m finally coming to terms with it.” He looked at Grey’s hoofs, the fur was moist from her tears and several pieces of dirt from the ground were in there too. “My conscience…It started to eat away at me…It told me to do something…”

“W-what…What did it say?” Her voice was still shaken from her sobbing but at least she edged closer to the crying stallion, not by much but it was still noticeable.

“It told me…To hold you…To never let go…” He sat up as Grey Ink just stared at him “If you don’t want to see me again…That’s fine. Just know that if there’s anything I can do to cheer you up…Just say now.”

Grey Ink was awestruck. His mind told him to comfort her…He actually cared…He cared…for her. She started to feel better, knowing that she meant a lot to him. She watched as he started to walk off.

Do you still love him?

What?

Do you still love him? Will you let him redeem himself?

I…I don’t know...

That’s what your mind says…

Wha-

Listen to your heart. Does it still beat fast for him? Do you still wish for him to be your special somepony even if he isn’t a pony? Is his heart in the right place? Do you still love being in his presence? Do you…Love him?

…I…Don’t know…

You do know. There are only two answers. Yes or no.

I don’t kn-

Yes or no.

N-n…

You can’t say it, can you? You still love him. Do you see that he cares greatly for you?

I-I don’t kn-

You do know. This is your chance. YES OR NO?

…Y-yes…

Is that the truth?

Y-yes…

Are you sure?

YES! I LOVE HIM STILL OKAY?! He obviously cares for me! I may hate him a bit for what he did but I forgive him now! He didn't mean to do what he did and he's apologising...He's pouring his heart out...I...I still love him...Even if he isn't the stallion I fell for...I want to be with him...

…Go get him tiger. Show him that you do…You have a better shot…Let him hold you…Feel and hear his heartbeat…Feel his warmth…And one for thing…

W-what?

Take him up on his offer to cheer you up…You deserve it after all…

Grey Ink snapped out of her conscience, seeing Ashley starting to trot away. Go get him tiger… The words still lingered in her mind. She groaned as she struggled to stand, grabbing Ashley’s attention. He rushed to her side and immediately went to work to help her stand only for her to fall on him purposely, bringing his back to the ground. Her head lay on his chest as she wrapped her hooves around his upper body.

Two single words escaped Grey Ink’s lips in a saddened whisper…

“Hold me…” She heard his heart beating fast against his chest.

Ashley smiled warmly, wrapping his hooves around her as he tied her into an embrace, letting his warmth on her since it was a vast improvement from the cold, hard floor for Grey Ink.

“I’ll always be here for you…I’ll never let you go…” He kissed the top of her head, stroking the back of her mane.

***

Callum was still pissed but curious to what happened to his friend. As he walked to Neon’s, he noticed two ponies inside an alleyway. He recognised one of the voices that was speaking the most.

“My conscience…It started to eat away at me…It told me to do something…” He recognised the voice as Ashley’s but the tone…It was broken…Sad…Unhappy. He was about to go comfort his friend but remained around the corner.

“W-what…What did it say?” The voice sounded like Grey Inks but it too shared a disheartened tone.

Callum grew curious, eagerly awaiting Ashley’s answer.

“It told me…To hold you…To never let go…” The shuffling of a pair of hooves filled the air, Callum quickly looked around the corner to see his friend starting to sit up “If you don’t want to see me again…That’s fine. Just know that if there’s anything I can do to cheer you up…Just say now.”

Come on Grey…Please forgive him… Callum slowly peeked around the corner, seeing Ashley starting to approach his direction. He immediately started to ditch the scene but he heard a groan followed by the sound of hooves desperately hitting the concrete floor. He stood still...

“Hold me...” The voice was barely audible but it still recognised as Grey Ink’s.

“I’ll always be here for you…I’ll never let you go…” Ashley spoke. Peeking around the corner once more, Callum smiled, seeing his best friend embracing the pegasus. He decided went back to Sugarcube corner, not only to apologise but to let the others know what happened.

Way to go Ash...

***

It took him fifteen minutes to get back to the confectionary. He sighed as he walked back in, Shockwave had returned and all the others still remained. They all looked towards him.

Callum coughed once, clearing his throat “Girls...And Spike. I’m truly sorry that I unleashed my anger on you all. It was severely uncalled for and It’s just been a stressful week so far and I guess I just bottled up all my emotions and...Y’know...Flipped my lid so to speak.” He bowed down “So I ask of you all. Do you forgive me?”

All the ponies shot looks at each other. Spike was the first to approach Callum. He was a bit angry about the way Callum spoke of Rarity and held out his fist. The human raised his head, greeted by the baby dragons fist right in front of him.

“We’re cool.” Spike said nonchalantly with a smile “Just don’t let it happen again, okay?”

Callum grinned weakly, filling his side of the bro-fist with the baby dragon “I promise. I won’t let that happen again.”

Spike moved away from the human, looking back at the girls “He’s all yours.”

...

SLAM

Callum quickly recovered from his head injury which he got from smashing on his back onto the floor. He looked down onto his chest and saw Rarity and Applejack hugging his upper body, the white unicorn on his right, Applejack obviously on his left. The other four mares merely walked up to him with smiles.

“We forgive you Callum.” Twilight spoke softly.

“I’m terribly sorry for my actions!” Rarity’s voice was muffled by her head being buried in Callum’s upper body.

“Can we just forgive and forget what happened before?” Callum asked, getting a nod from everypony. “Excellant.” He smiled.

Applejack and Rarity got off the human, the orange mare held out a hoof to Callum to help him rise to his feet but he waved his hand in disapproval.

“Yer like family to us Callum, like ya’ said, ya were bottling up yer emotions. We’ve all gotta let off steam once in a while.”

“Thanks girls.” Callum went round and hugged each one of the mares. Applejack first, followed by Rarity then Twilight then Fluttershy then Rainbow Dash and finally Pinkie Pie who decided to tackle hug him instead.

As soon as the pink mare retreated from Callum, Shockwave walked up to the human.

“I couldn’t find Grey at the station. You can help me look for her.”

“Best leave them Shock.” Callum said as he dusted himself off. Strange that some of the dust was in fact confetti from Pinkie’s assault. “I found her and Ash making up. From what I heard...They’re getting along fine.

“Really?” Rarity’s ears perked up “you MUST tell us the details!”

“Might as well.” Callum took a seat as did Spike and the ponies. “I didn’t hear much but have what I got.”

Callum began to tell the short story of how he came across his friend and Grey Ink, telling those in his presence of what happened and seeing that both of them hugging out their problems. All the mares d’aww as they pictured the two of them in each other’s embrace. Rarity said something about it being romantic but Callum wasn’t paying much attention

***

Both Ashley and Grey Ink remained in the same position for thirty minutes, showing no signs of discomfort. Grey Ink was solely listening to Ashley’s breathing and heart beat, it managed to calm down about a couple minutes ago. Ashley was still stroking her brown mane with his hoof, the smile never leaving his face.

“D-did your mind say anything else?” Grey’s voice was a bit shaken but she was doing well on the road to recovery. Her soft, gently voice remained barely above a whisper.

“It...It told that maybe if I didn’t do what I did...I might have meant more to you...” Ashley felt his cheeks warm up a bit, Grey Ink looked up to him to find his slight blush. She found it adorable and prodded his nose with her own.

“Your mind was right...” She smiled weakly to him.

“But...” Grey Ink’s ears perked up slightly “It also said...You could mean more to me.”

It was now Grey’s turn to blush. Ashley mimicked her gesture by prodding her nose with his own.

“Do...Do you mean that?” Grey Ink’s slightly pink eyes look up into his own.

Ashley pondered for a moment, getting his answer...

“Yes...I mean it with all my heart.”

It was then that Grey Ink squeezed harder against Ashley with a weak smile, the blush remained on both ponies faces.

“Would you still love me...When I’m human again?”

Silence...That all there was. Every second of it ached at Ashley’s heart and mind.

Well...Until Grey Ink pecked him on the cheek. Both ponies blush intensified.

“Yes...With all my heart too.” As the soft spoken words left her lips, Ashley squeezed her slightly harder than before but his soft touch still remained.

"Sooo..." Ashley began "What was it you were going to ask me before...Well you know..."

"Oh! Um..." Ashley watched as Grey Ink's cheeks became a shade of rose again, "I was uh...G-going to ask you..."

"On a date?" Ashley interrupted.

Grey Ink nodded slightly, rubbing her head against Ashley's fur on his chest. She liked the way it felt. It was soft like a pillow.

"Well...We'll just have to wait and see now won't we?" Ashley kissed Grey's head once more. She loved how gentle Ashley was underneath his tough exterior.

"Yeah..." Grey Ink started to drift off, the sound of Ashley's slow heartbeat caressed her to sleep. Ashley looked over at the mares now shut eyes and smiled.

Ah, screw it. I deserve a nap. He slowly shut his eyes, keeping his hooves around the grey pegasus as he followed in her slumber.

Location: Ashley's dream state

"Well well well...Little Ashley has found himself someone to love..." The mysterious voiced echoed. Ashley stood alone inside a white void, the origin of the voice was everywhere.

"Great...Another crazy dream..." Ashley sighed.

"Oh shut up will you? Just be happy that you patched things up..."

"Oh so you care about me, whoever you are?" Ashley replied teasingly.

"...Quiet you...Oh and time to wake up."

"Wait what!?" The white void disappeared, Ashley was greeted by several ponies looking over him.

*** Time: 7pm ***

"Well...Looks like you two made up nicely." One of the ponies spoke, it sounded like Shockwave.

"Huh? Wha-?" Ashley was still a bit groggy from his recent awakening. He looked down on his body to see Grey Ink, still sound asleep with a faint smile on her face, accompanied with a small pink tint on her cheeks. He had to admit, it's something good to awake to.

"Aaaawwwwww." Several mares spoke as they stumbled across the two ponies hugging each other. Ashley knew that it was Twilight and the gang although he couldn't twist his neck to see them.

Grey Ink mumbled something but no one, not even Ashley could hear it. The pegasus stretched a bit as she let out a small yawn. She slowly opened her eyes half way, both Ashley and Grey's eyes locked onto each other, both smiled towards each other.

"Oooooh~ Maybe we'll get to see a kiss!" Pinkie was obviously teasing. As much as Grey wanted to try and dignify herself from her current situation, she realised that she slept with a caring stallion that promised not to let her go.

"Shush girls." Ashley whispered as he continued to stare into Grey's beautiful light brown eyes with his smile. "Should we get going?"

"Hmmm..." Grey Ink lifted her head of Ashley's chest and rose a hoof to her chin with a grin "Nah..." She plopped her head back to where it rested and rubbed against his fur "I like this more."

Ashley decided not to object and started to run his hoof through the back of her soft, delicate brown mane. "Alright..." He gave her a peck on the head "I like this too..."

"Well sorry to interrupt your snuggle moment Ash but you've got work in a bit." Callum spoke up.

"Awww...Do I have to?" The former human moaned like a child, Grey giggled a bit and rubbed his chest affectionately.

"Yes." Callum answered bluntly "The faster we get money, the faster we can get our own place...Then you two can do whatever you want in your privacy..."

*pomf*

Grey Ink's wings went off again but Ashley didn't mind. He heard snickering from the others but he raised a hoof to them.

"If I had fingers, I'd be showing you one!" He said sternly but was obviously playing. He put his hoof back down and started to stroke Grey's erect wings. "I have no idea what I'm doing..."

Grey Ink was thoroughly enjoying Ashley's gentle stroking, she wasn't even phased by her wings unlike she used to. When she was near Ashley, she didn't have a care in the world...

"So you don't want to be human again?" Pinkie questioned, revealing the small potion that would cure him.

His eyes shot open but he looked down at Grey Ink. She was staring into his eyes with her gentle smile again, Ashley found futile to even resist smiling back.

"Go ahead..." Grey Ink started to stand up but not before she gave Ashley a peck on the tip of his nose, her wings folded back into position. "I want you to see you use those fingers of yours." She said lustfully with a wink. "Maybe I'll come to your work tonight and after wards we can talk some more?"

"Sounds like brilliant plan Grey..." Ashley replied happily as he stood himself up. His back was covered in dirt from the floor and seeing how dirty Grey was, he still found her beautiful to say the least...

"We're a bit dirty..." Ashley leaned closer to the mare "Maybe we should..." He put his lips next to mare and whispered...

"Bathe together..." He kissed the back of her ear, hearing a satisfying *pomf* from her again, she even had a small blush this time.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that." She countered.

Ashley just smiled as he gestured for Grey to move ahead first, they both completely forgot about Callum and the others in the presence, nor did they really care.

Dang... Ashley thought to himself as he followed Grey Ink out of the alleyway. She's getting good...

*** Around fifteen minutes later ***

"So all I do is just have a bath with this stuff and I'm cured?" Ashley asked, the bath tub in Twilight's house seemed to be the closest nearby so they all agreed that it would be the best to use. The only ponies present in the bathroom were Twilight, who had the cure for Ashley in her magics grasp and Grey Ink since she did say that she would take up on Ashley's offer to get cleaned up.

Twilight was a bit uncomfortable with two ponies sharing her bathtub to be quite honest but seeing how happy they seemed to be now, she didn't want to ruin it.

"Maybe the potion can wait after me and Grey have some cleaning time for ourselves..."

"Well if you say so." Twilight turned to leave the room "Just call out if you need anything." She locked the door with her magic. Grey Ink immediately shot a look of which had a mischievous smile. She looked to the bath and back at the stallion, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Clean time now." Ashley chuckled but leaned towards the pegasus and kissed her on the cheek "But that thing can wait after a couple dates."

"Fine by me." Grey Ink nuzzled against his neck before hopping into the bath slowly. The warm water felt amazing against her fur as she slid the rest of her body in slowly. She looked towards Ashley with half open eyes and a smirk "Care to join me?"

Ashley grinned as he made his way to share a bath with the pegasus.

*** forty five minutes later ***

They didn't come out for almost a while but were clean, a vast improvement for both ponies as they walked down the stairs. Twilight looked towards them as did everyone else. Ashley nodded and told Twilight to meet him back upstairs, he nudged Grey with the tip of his hoof, motioning her to join him up there once more. She couldn't object since she whispered to him that she wouldn't mind seeing a naked human.

Ashley was blushing furiously from this. It wasn't long before the cure was ready, Ashley stepped back into the tub and held his head under the water. He felt his bones shifting, his fur dissolving but there was no pain. Only darkness.

As he rose his head out of the water, both Twilight and Grey witnessed the human back in his normal form. He quickly kissed his hands.

"Oh god how I missed these..."

Both ponies in his presence rolled their eyes and laughed a bit themselves.

Well happy days! Ashley was able to not only get Grey Ink to forgive him but he also managed to win her heart back and fell for her as well! Not to mention he's finally human again (Thank god.) Hope this made you feel a bit warm inside. Next chapter will be working at the night club.

Working at Neon's.

Twilight had left the bathroom when Ashley said he was going to dry himself off and that he didn’t want Twilight to be around while he was naked. However, Grey Ink decided not to leave but Ashley, using his skills of deception and cunning was able to trick the Pegasus to look somewhere else while he quickly jumped out of the bath and grabbed his boxers and slid them on in record time. When she turned around, she let out a loud huff of disappointment while Ashley just smiled warmly to her while he put on the rest of his uniform. Man did it feel good to be tall again. He checked his trouser pocket to find his pistol, knife and MP3 Player alongside the couple feathers he kept from when Rainbow Dash snuggled with his robe but he kept them in his pocket. He decided to put in his bag which was back at the station after work if possible.

How the fuck did you get in there? he thought as he held the pistol in front of his face, shrugging before he put it back into his pocket. Once he was all suited up, he opened the door for Grey Ink to leave the bathroom first. They both walked down the stairs to be greeted by their friends.

“Ah...” Callum said pleasingly as he saw his friend in his original, bipedal form. It was a bit weird looking at him now since he sort of gotten used to seeing Ash as a pony. “Glad to have you back, you just missed a green pony who sounds just like you.” Callum shot a smirk while Ashley just rolled his eyes.

From Callum’s point of view, being a pony could be annoying. He too wouldn’t manage without his fingers and noted that if he ever turned into a pony, he would immediately go to Zecora and do whatever was possible to cure himself. Hopefully that change to his body would never happen but since he has a plan, it wouldn’t really matter.

Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had returned home while Ashley was getting cleaned up. Shockwave, Spike, Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the only ones remaining.

Shockwave gestured for Ashley for a conversation outside, Grey Ink rolled her eyes since she knew what was going to happen. Since Callum knew that Shockwave treated Grey Ink like a sister, the conversation would most likely be about her and Ashley. As much as Callum wanted to be by Ashley’s side, he knew it would be a private conversation and he didn’t want to interrupt. Ashley was sure to tell him later anyway.

“Any of you guys have the time?” Callum asked the ponies and baby dragon in his presence, most of them didn’t have a clue what the time was so Twilight decided to go and check the clock in the kitchen.

“It’s about...seven minutes to eight. Why?” Twilight said as she came back into the front room from the kitchen.

“Cheers.” Callum said as he moved towards the door “Got work at Neon’s tonight and I don’t want to be late.” Callum called back as he quickly left the library to attend his shift, immediately running into Shockwave and Ashley.

“Neon’s?” Ashley heard the door close behind him, turning around to see Callum.

“Neon’s.” Callum nodded. How his friend knew it was time for their shift, he didn’t know nor did he care. It would save a few seconds for their journey.

“Alright, we’ll talk again later. Is that okay with you Shockwave?” Ashley said as he stretched his legs to prepare to run to the club so they wouldn’t be late.

“Sure.” Shockwave opened the door to the library “Good luck on the job.” He waved off to the humans before they turned and sprinted towards the club.

** Almost seven minutes of frantic sprinting, a few dead ends and a couple of falls later **

The building wasn’t hard to miss since it did have neon lights that were glowing brightly as the sun began to set. The light orange sky started to grow darker and darker so in around an hour, the cooling darkness of the night sky would overcome the town. Since it was a Friday, many ponies wouldn’t have work over the weekend and some would go to Neon’s to relieve them of the weeks stress and to welcome the weekend. Alongside hangovers and a night of chugging down drinks and dancing or just sitting down and socialising with companions. There would be a mixture of the two on a night like this.

It was now ten seconds before 8PM but the humans were not late for their shift. Neon was pleased to see them both breathing heavily as they ran to get to work. Seeing her new employee’s taking the job seriously already was good in all, but there was one single problem that had scratched at the mare.

** Earlier that day **

Neon was performing a stock check before opening for tonight. Many ponies would be showing up not just for the club itself but one of her good friends, Vinyl Scratch. As it turned out, Vinyl owes Neon for setting her up with the gig that allowed her to make a break and eventually became the most well known DJ in the entirety of Equestria. Every time she performs at Neon’s, she is overcome with the feeling of nostalgia, the feeling of her first performance at the club. At that very same performance, she was a nervous wreck but since Neon was so caring and gave Vinyl her full support for anything, the white unicorn went onto the stage and completely blew everypony away with her talent with a side order of wub.

It was one of the things that Vinyl cherished. She even kept the newspaper article that reviewed her performance, The Equestrian Inquirer was its name and as soon as it published the review, it was then what caused her popularity to rocket. She started to receive gig offers left, right and centre. Her fans grew largely in numbers but there was always a selected few that she held special to her, Neon being one of them alongside her parents and friends and of course, Pinkie Pie. She loved to party with her and then just chill out with the pink mare.

Vinyl always wondered how Pinkie was able to party so often and she was eager to see the mare around the town once more. They both had much to catch up on since her last visit which was around two weeks ago since she had a very important gig which Neon stood by her side throughout. It was one of the best moments of the jet black unicorn’s life, being on stage with not only awesome music but being in the company of her dear friend and tonnes of ponies enjoying themselves. This is why she loved the party scene and always strived to make every night completely awesome.

But anyway, back to the problem. You see, her old bar mare (Due to the club being quite popular on weekends, Neon had to hire somepony to help her out when she tended to the bar) had decided to move town and her replacement sent her a letter that she wouldn’t make it on Friday due to the train to Ponyville was still under repairs but Neon couldn’t blame her for that. Ponies would be dancing later and when ponies dance much, they become dehydrated which makes them want to drink. More drinks equal more bits and that means better business since the ponies return to dancing the night away and coming back for more drinks. It was a cycle that Neon loved since her bar served both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The drink that was well known not only to the club but among many in different towns was known as the Liquid Rainboom due to not only it’s beautiful colours of the spectrum but also it packs a punch due to its citrus flavour but had slightly less alcoholic content that a shot of vodka. It received its name from none other than Rainbow Dash, How you ask? The drink was a random mixture that both mares experimented with.

Before the Liquid Rainboom was invented, the club was a bit...less popular since they basically served drinks other bars served. Rainbow Dash noticed this and Neon Light’s troubles, so she decided to help. Both mares decided to try a make a unique drink that would make the club more noticeable. After many failed, some good but not good enough experiments, Rainbow dash and Neon Light decided to make one final attempt and mixed a random concoction of liquids infused with a few drops of liquid rainbow. Without the multicoloured liquid, the drink would be almost as clear as water but with a slight golden brown tinge to it. After both of them had a glass and noticed its citrusy flavour but the lack of taste of liquid rainbow, which was commonly known to be incredibly spicy.

After their discovery, they asked some ponies to give it a review and gave them free samples. Good reviews all around and then it went onto being sold at the bar. Any club that wished to sell the drink has to have the approval of both Neon Light and Rainbow Dash in written consent. Those approved had to give payment towards Neon’s club which would be twenty five percent of the money made selling the beverage.

It wasn’t long for the drink to become incredibly popular among bars, over thirty bars have been accepted to sell the product and many ponies travel all across Equestria to witness the birthplace of the drink.

The rest of her staff consisted of bouncers, waiters and ponies who would manage the lights for the DJ and other technical problems. None of them had the experience of pouring drinks which was another reason why Neon had to hire some help behind the bar since the club’s popularity was increasing.

She had nopony else to turn to in her night of need. If she didn’t find help soon then the club would most likely perish not to mention it would drive her up the wall with pressure and stress of taking orders. She hoped that a miracle would happen soon…

** Present **

“Are you two set?” The black unicorn asked the humans. They both wished they had suits, you know, to look important and because…Well there suits. Who wouldn’t want one? But alas, they had to do with their uniforms, not that they were complaining but they both knew they would need some casual and business wear at some point.

“Good to go.” Ashley replied as he went towards the entrance to greet ponies that would be showing up soon.

As the pressure of tonight continued to chip into Neon’s mind, she still hadn’t found any help for tonight. Even if she didn’t realise it, her face and body language were showing how stressed she was, her eyes moved around the room quickly, her body was more tense and was a little bit shaken.

“You okay?” Callum asked the stressed mare in front of him, kneeling down to her size to make eye contact.

Neon took a breather, exhaling with a sigh “Yeah…I’m good.” She didn’t want to lie but there wasn’t anything she could do for tonight. She needed help and she couldn’t find anypony who could. Callum however noticed her eyes dilate a bit and it was obvious the mare was lying.

“You’re lying.” Bluntly getting to the point, Neon wondered how he saw through her petty lie “C’mon, tell me what’s up.” He gave her a reassuring smile, it made her a bit calmer but the thought of tonight still lingered throughout her mind.

“Oh…It’s just that I-um...” C’mon Neon, out with it! Stalling isn’t helping the situation. She sighed once more “I needed to find some help for tonight since my new bar mare is arriving late and won’t be able to start until tomorrow and It’s going to be just me behind the bar and I’m defiantly going to need help and I-MMPH!“ As she went on about her problems, her voice became more and more stressed until Callum silenced her by putting his hand over her muzzle, preventing her from speech.

“So what you’re saying is, you need a bar man for tonight.”

Bar man? Neon thought to herself. I need a bar mare! …Wait…Is he…?

“So if you need some help with the bar tonight, I could help out if you want.”

Remembering he hand covering her muzzle, he quickly let go so that the mare could speak again. Little did he know that he was basically the miracle she was asking for earlier that day. He was dumbfounded when the mare wrapped her forelegs around his neck.

“Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Realising the gesture she was making, she quickly pulled herself away from Callum, she had to admit that was a bit…Out of the ordinary, even for her. She had to know if the human had any experience since she was his employer and the fact she didn’t want somepony doing something they didn’t have a clue at.

“If you’re wondering how I know what to do, blame me for partying so much that I picked up a few things…” A few things? Is that it? She needed professional help but he was the best she would be able to get at the time “And I also worked at a bar for a couple months when I finished my first tour in the army. Some of the best weeks of my life, talking to strangers, giving them advice, seeing drunk people make fools of themselves, showing my customers that I’m willing to listen to their problems and that I care for them.”

Neon Light understood exactly what the human was saying. She cared deeply for her customers and by showing them she cared for them, they would be more likely to come back.

“You’re hired.” She said with a beaming smile, using her magic to drag Callum to the bar by his hand.

“Help! I’m being kidnapped by this strange lady!” He shouted out like a small child, Ashley peeked his head through the entrance door to see his friend being dragged towards the bar. “Help! Stranger danger!” His friend called out once more. Ashley shook his head, chuckling as he went back outside.

Looks like I’m by myself tonight… He thought to himself. At least I’ll be outside in the night, not being bothered by drunken slurring and other things. Crossing his arms in over his torso, he knew it wasn’t long until opening time.

“Quiet you.” Neon chuckled as she poked the child within a full grown man’s body in the side with her horn.

“Hey!” Callum snapped “Quit pokin’ me with that thing!” His tone was more of an amused one instead on one of being annoyed “You have to wait until it’s late at night to get with this guy.” He said with a sultry smile, pointing to himself with his index finger, making the unicorn to burst out with laughter.

“Oh…” She said as her laughter started to calm down “I know it’s going to be a riot hanging out with you.”

“Likewise.” Callum rubbed his hands together a couple of times, rotating his shoulders twice “Lets do a little warm up.”

Grabbing the bottle of vodka from one side of the bar, he threw it high into the air and caught the neck of the bottle behind his back, flipping it back into an upright position before unscrewing the cap but he left it on the counter.

“Orange juice?” He asked the unicorn.

“In that fridge.” She pointed to a small fridge below the human with her hoof, she took a seat on one of the barstools. She was still a bit amazed by his little display earlier.

Opening the fridge, he was greeted with a wide variety of juices, some fruit, and some vegetable but weirdly enough, there were different flavour milks such as chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Grabbing one of the few cartons of orange juice, he closed the fridge with his foot as he grabbed a tall glass, filling around half of it with orange juice. He grabbed a lemon from a small basket behind him which also had limes. Grabbing his combat knife from his pocket, he sliced the fruit into separate wedges for later.

As the juice started to slowly cover a small portion of the counter, he grabbed bottle of vodka and filled the glass until it was around eighty percent full to prevent the mixture it contained from being spilled if it was being lifted upwards. He wedged a piece of the lemon on the rim of the glass before sliding it across the counter towards the unicorn mare.

“Done.” He said with a smirk, grabbing a nearby wash cloth to clean up the excess lemon juice.

Neon was awestruck. He completed the drink with ease and within a small amount of time. This guy had experience, the little trick he did was unnecessary but she was sure she could ask him not to do that since how popular it would be later, his speed would be handy without fancy tricks.

“You’re hired.” She said before taking a small sip from the drink he provided by levitating the glass to her mouth. It was good by her standards. Putting down the glass “Just don’t do any tricks since it isn’t really needed.”

“You’re the boss.” Callum agreed.

** Outside Neon’s **

It was now about 8:20PM. Opening time was five minutes ago and a small group of ponies were already arriving at the scene. They all gasped when they saw a weird creature standing on its hind legs in front of the door.

The group of four ponies which consisted of a beige coloured Pegasus with a dark brown mane, another Pegasus with light yellow coat with an orange, spiked mane to match, an earth pony whose coat was light pink with a curly lavender mane and the last of the group was another earth pony with a weren’t sure if it could speak let alone comprehend their speech. They were still quite frightened by it but one of them decided to take the plunge and speak to the hairless ape.

“E-excuse me?” The light pink mare asked the human, still wondering if it could understand her. Ashley immediately looked down to the mare.

“How may I help you ma’am?” His deep voice shocked the group. He rolled his eyes, guessing they were newcomers to the town or that news about him and his friend hadn’t spread like he thought it would. Guess aliens from another planet staying in your town wasn’t really something interesting.

“Oh u-um…We’d like to go inside Neon’s…If that’s okay with you.” The mare was obviously scared but she seemed to be the bravest of the group.

“Sure.” Ashley smiled “That’ll be four bits each for entry. Oh and by the way, there’s no need to be scared. I’ve been here for a while and I assure you no harm unless you disobey the law.” His tone was more serious than from before, crossing his arms “I am a guard too and so is Callum.” The mares were obviously confused since they didn’t even know about him. He face palmed for his mistake “He’s another human. I’m a human. He’s a guard too and he’s helping out at the bar for tonight.”

“Ooooh.” The mares all said in unison. They seemed to ease up a bit and revealed their payment to enter the club, three coins were given to the human from the light pink mare. Ashley moved to the side and opened the door for them.

“Enjoy your night ladies.” He said cheerfully as they filed into the building. He didn’t really know where to store the bits he called looked over towards the bar, seeing Callum talking to Neon about who knows what.

A light blue unicorn colt that was styling a black mane and wearing shades walked towards him, a small box was in his levitation’s grasp. He was a bit surprised he would be working with the human at the door.

“Sup?” Ashley nodded to the pony, allowing him to move outside with him before closing the door behind them.

“Not much. You got the bits from those girls?” Ashley nodded before shelling out the exact amount of bits given to him. There was one gold coin, a silver and a bronze. He didn’t really have to worry much about how much each meant since it said on one side of the coins how many bits each represented. Gold was ten bits, silver was five and bronze was one. The colt smiled before opening the box and putting the bits into it.

“So…” The unicorn began “How’s it going with your time here in Ponyville?” Ashley shot him a look of pure anger, making him feel uneasy but as soon as Ashley started to chuckle, he eased back up.

“All I can say is that it’s been hectic these past few days.”

“Really?” The colt asked “How so?”

“Well it all started with a fall that hurt like a bitch...” It was from this point that Ashley had to recall all the events that happened recently but kept it brief, not giving the colt much insight on conversations that he had with the princesses or parts which may embarrass others, much like how he met Rainbow Dash.

** Inside Neon’s **

“Orders up!” Callum called out into the crowd, within the first twenty minutes of opening time, there were already at least thirty ponies and they were increasing in number every few now. The latest batch of orders was like a walk in the park, simplistic drinks that didn’t have any alcohol in them except for a few. As the bar assistants grabbed the trays and carried them out to the ponies that requested the beverages, Callum began to wipe down the counter top.

“You really know your stuff.” Neon said from his side, he completely forgot that the mare was there and he completed all the orders by himself. She just stood there and watched him since she didn’t want to get in his way.

“Practice makes perfect I guess.” The human replied with a shrug.

“So, how are you enjoying life in Equestria so far?” She asked, knowing that he was an alien but she also wanted to get more insight on Callum’s past. Getting to know your employees was a essential to cooperation.

“It’s been...” Callum pondered for a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say at this point. Both he and Ashley hadn’t even been in Equestria for a full week which shouldn’t really be used to give his opinion on his stay so far. But then again, it has been quite eventful to say the least with waking up to a manticore when they got here, being knocked out by Ashley and being tied up, almost killing a guard, relaxing a bit with his best friend and Big Mac, fighting more guards and the rest. Sure he missed home a bit but knowing that he had a nice set of friends who he got along nicely with now, knowing that Ashley is comfortable enough to fall for Grey Ink.

Falling in love with a pony...Callum didn’t really see a problem in Ashley’s newfound relationship since they were in Equestria now and he wasn’t one to question who falls in love with who. He knew that Ashley was happy when both he and Callum hung out but there is so much that a friend can do. Knowing that his friend was romantically happy as well gave him a warm feeling inside, knowing that his friend was content made him feel...good.

“Hell-o? Equestria to Callum!” Neon Light said in a slightly raised voice, snapping the human out of his trance.

“Huh? Wha?” Callum blubbered as he snapped out of his trance, remembering where he was and who he was with “Oh right! It’s been eventful if I do say so myself.”

“Don’t ever like…Want to go back to your own planet?” Neon asked, she couldn’t imagine being dumped on another world without having any say in it nor being able to say goodbye to those she loved.

Callum however had to think this a bit through during the next hour, thinking of many reasons why he didn’t want to go back to Earth, even if he could.

As the hour flew by, Ashley and his partner for tonight had been letting the ponies in after they paid their fee. It was going well until he noticed a certain unicorn wearing shades walking up to front, skipping the line that formed around the corner of the building.

** Outside Neon's **

“Miss Vinyl Scratch?” He asked the unicorn, he liked her shades enough to make him think that he should get some himself but in dark shade of blue. He would have to do some research on someone who could make a size to fit his head, maybe get a pair for Callum as well.

“That’s me.” Vinyl smiled but was a bit taken back from just noticing the human’s size and his other features. “Whoa…What’s that?” She pointed towards the towering figure next to the door.

“That.” Ashley said bluntly “Has a name and it’s Ashley.”

“Oh alright, what are-“

“Human.” Ashley interrupted. He wanted to keep introductions short for now since he wanted to get some more ponies in and didn’t want them to wait too long. Judging by the tilt of her head, she was confused. Ashley sighed “I’m from another world alright?”

“Oooooh.” Vinyl eased up a bit but she was still a bit tense from being in the presence of a being from an entirely different planet“Are you going to like, invade Equestria or something?”

“Of course. I’m actually a drone sent from the planet Earth, I’m ordered to assassinate the rulers of this country so that we can level it out and make it into a fortress to take over the rest of this planet and kill everything off.” Ashley said with the utmost sarcasm he could muster, the stallion he was working with chuckled a bit in the background since Ashley told him a little bit about himself and Callum’s past.

“W-what?!” The look of surprise that had taken over the DJ’s face was priceless, making Ashley laugh out loud for a moment.

“Don’t worry, I was kidding.” Ashley managed to calm down a bit but Vinyl just frowned at him.

“Really?”

“Yeah really.” Ashley replied “I’m really a killing machine that fought guards with Callum, another human, killing machine and best pal who is working at the bar inside. And then we became guards because the princesses wanted us to. I’ll explain more some other or you could ask Callum when you can.”

Vinyl nodded as Ashley opened the door for her to enter. She found the human to be a bit weird but surely he was joking about being a machine made for killing? Then again, a few days ago she heard from Neon that some monkey thing stopped an entire diamond dog attack by itself but she thought that her friend was just making stuff up.

As the DJ walked inside, a loud cheer came from the room when Ashley closed the door. Good thing too since the sound would have probably shattered his eardrums.

Poor Callum. Ashley snapped back to the line of ponies “Alright, whose next?”

** Inside Neon’s **

After that incredibly loud cheer from the crowd and the squeal from Neon Light who was right next to the human. Callum had to take a few minutes to get his sense of hearing back.

Who the fuck knew ponies could scream that loud!?

As soon the satisfying noise of music filled his ears, he knew his hearing had returned to him and he made his way back behind the bar.

“Can I get two liquid rainbooms mate?” A crimson red stallion asked, his voice sounded a bit Australian to Callum.

“Liquid rainbooms…?” The fuck is that shit? “What’s a liquid rainboom?”

“Really? You don’t know?” The stallion shot him a serious look.

“Sorry man but I just started today and not even a week ago I came to Equestria from another planet.” Callum shrugged but he was being sincere, he decided to ask Neon to handle with his order “Yo Neon!” He called out to the stage. Somehow the mare was able to hear him above the mass amount of music that the DJ was playing. She trotted over to him but remained at the front of the bar.

“Yes?” She asked.

“What’s a liquid rainboom?”

“Oh it’s a drink me and Rainbow Dash discovered a while back, it’s quite popular.” She shuffled herself behind the bar “I’ll handle those, you deal with other drinks.”

“Sure thing.” Callum agreed as he split off to one side of the bar, taking orders from a group of mares that seemed to be having the time of their lives. They all asked for vodka mixed with fruit juice but each one gave a different flavour to the human.

“Orders up.” Within a small span of time, the drinks were already prepared. Neon hadn’t even managed to fill the liquid rainboom order yet. The mares hoofed over their payment for the drinks and walked away. Callum put them in a nearby safe under the counter.

“Seriously Cal…” Callum looked over to Neon “I can call you Cal, can’t I?” Callum nodded, preparing the next batch of orders “How do you work so fast?! I bet if you were a pony, this would be your special talent.”

The human shrugged, he didn’t really know either. He thought that it was because it was just relaxing with the scent of booze filling his nostrils as he poured the drinks or the fact he could watch others get drunk and find it amusing. There were a few more possibilities but maybe it was because he was just enjoying himself, doing a job that doesn’t risk him being blown up by a grenade or having to shoot himself out of boredom.

“I guess I’m just enjoying myself.” Callum began as he prepared more glasses for the next batch of orders “The atmosphere in here is awesome, nice people and whatnot.”

“I see.” As she finished the order for the crimson red stallion, he gave her his thanks and payment for the beverage before walking off into the massive crowd which was now around eighty ponies and rising every couple minutes.

** Lets skip to about 2:36 AM now **

It was now less than half an hour until closing time. The number of ponies had peaked to over a hundred around midnight and gracefully trickled down to around twenty now.

Jesus...Neon said it would be busy but not that fucking busy! Callum though to himself as he gathered empty glasses from abandoned tables. There were still a bunch of ponies dotted around at tables, mostly just trying to sober up a bit before they left for home. Ashley had disappeared earlier that night, around an hour and a half ago, saying that he would be helping others get safely home.

Neon approved of Ashley's doing since he was a guard, protecting the towns inhabitants from being mugged or something worse was part of the job. Callum decided to stay back since he didn't want to abandon Neon Light since around 1AM, the mass drink production began.

Ponies were thirsty as hell at that time which made Callum think twice about doing the job in the first place. Of course, he had been in higher pressure situations and with his unrivaled production speed, both he and Neon were capable of meeting the demand with ease. Not many ponies ordered liquid rainbooms that night to which Neon thanked. They weren't easy to make and getting the liquid rainbow for it isn't easy to come by unless you have high sources for the stuff.

All in all, Callum still enjoyed the night. Vinyl Scratch produced some epic music which reminded him of dubstep back on Earth and a song reminded him of the Tetris theme music but with more...wub. He doubted that he wouldn't be able to hear for the next hour or so but luckily, the music didn't compare to a RPG flying right past your skull in a warzone.

At one moment in a song, there was a loud bang to which Callum pulled out his handgun and took point towards the ground. Nopony knew that Callum had a weapon that could have ended there lives within an instant but judging by his look of determination, they knew it was probably a weapon.

After Callum apologised to the crowd about his actions via the microphone on Vinyl's turntable, saying that the loud bang reminded him of a gunshot and it was natural instinct on the field to ready your weapon, the party resumed. Neon was grateful that Callum didn't harm anypony but she was a bit ashamed him since he had that small metal thing on him.

After Vinyl had finally packed up her things, she finally had some time to cool off and relax, immediately going to the bar to grab a drink as well as getting a bit more insight on the aliens that had recently came to Ponyville.

"Sup?" Vinyl asked as she scooted herself onto a stool, Callum turned around to face her with a smile.

"Not much, just cleaning then I'm off to sleep at the station." Callum replied, putting away a glass he just cleaned at the sink, grabbing another dirty one to scrub "How about yourself?"

"I could use a drink." Vinyl shrugged "But other than that, tonight was good. Got some wicked beats out tonight."

"Hehe. You sure did, reminded of some of the music back home. So what can I get ya?"

"Hmmm..." Vinyl pondered, rubbing her chin with her hoof "I'll just go for some whiskey."

Callum nodded, grabbing a glass and a nearby bottle of whiskey, pouring the liquid into the glass before putting the bottle back.

"So...Tell me a little bit about yourself." Callum slid the glass to the DJ.

Well, there you go. Next up is Vinyl asking questions about humans to Callum. I would of included some songs on this chapter for you to listen to but I wrote most of this at school and didn't have the will to search through youtube.

I know there maybe some mistakes here and there so I will go over this chapter after some sleep (posting at 3:30am). hope you enjoyed the chapter and remember people, keep awesome and comment.

Oh and before I forget. Azzazel (check his stories, you will not be disappointed. Trust me, I'm british.) suggested I could do the pony eps (like the royal wedding) but include Ashley and Callum into them, I'm not entirely sure about it but it would be interesting to write at some point so I ask all of you, do you think I should do this?

Vinyl's questions

“So, what did you aliens come to Equestria for?” Vinyl asked Callum. Neon Light was busy in the back, checking the stock for Saturday’s opening.

“Well...We didn’t really come here out of free will.” The human replied, remembering the moment before they were engulfed by the portal. Seeing the face of betrayal before they disappeared from the face of the earth, it looked a lot like their general’s.

“What do you mean?”

“Ashley and I were on our final mission before we could go home and I’m not going into detail about that but we were set up by our own side and used as an experiment for a portal, the power screwed up and we ended up falling into the Everfree.”

“I heard that you two were in the army in your world, is that true?”

“Indeed.” Callum replied casually as he grabbed a glass, filling it with water from a nearby tap and taking a sip “What I want to know is where exactly you heard about us?”

“Oh.” Vinyl began, not only did she hear a small portion about them from Neon Light but apparently, they have been mentioned in several newspapers, one of them being the most important paper of them all; Equestria Inquirer, was the first to reveal the humans only yesterday morning in their latest issue. She wasn’t really sure if she should tell Callum that both he and his friend are in newspapers “I hear stuff around...”

“You’re lying.” Callum gave the unicorn a cold stare but he knew what he was doing.

“What?” The DJ raised an eyebrow, the human’s stare started to make her feel rather uncomfortable.

“You’re lying.” He repeated himself once more. His stare didn’t change at the slightest.

Vinyl sighed in defeat with a small grin “How’d ya know?”

“I didn’t. You just admitted that you were.” Callum smirked in victory. Vinyl realised the small trick he just pulled on her.

“Why you sneaky...” Vinyl smiled but she admired his method, deciding to tell him the truth. “You two are in the Equestria Inquirer newspaper as well.”

“So?” Callum gave a small shrug.

“So? That’s it? They’re the biggest newspaper agency in Equestria!” Vinyl was a bit taken back, getting into Equestria Inquirer was a big issue, and they don’t just let anypony be mentioned in their issues. “They’re the ones that allowed my popularity to shoot up!”

“Yeah that’s it. It was bound to happen sooner or later.” Callum began “Just think, alien life is here, in your country. It’s pretty obvious they would mention us. Oh and well done on your fame.”

“Oh I get ya, and thanks.” The white unicorn felt a bit stupid after hearing what Callum had to say but nonetheless, she didn’t let it bother her much “You do realise that they will want to interview you and what’s his name...”

“Ashley.” Callum answered flatly but he knew what she was getting at. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Ash and I were interviewed but then again...It wasn’t really an interview...”

“What was it then?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Sure.” Vinyl answered immediately, eager to listen to the humans answer.

“Fine.” Callum sighed “Ashley was captured by our enemy and was being tortured by them to get answers out of him.” Callum pondered his thoughts a minute, recalling the incident almost immediately “And by torture, I mean physical torture which did involve blood.” Although he wouldn’t mind going into the whole story about what happened, he knew that he would have to barricade the gore and more horrible things about his and Ash’s stories.

“That’s horrible! How could anypony do something like that?”

“Easy.” Callum took a sip of his water but savoured it for a moment. “First you take a sharp blade and-“

“I don’t want to hear it!” Vinyl covered up her ears with her forehooves, she wasn’t really one for being near blood let alone talking about it.

Callum chuckled a bit, he wasn’t really going to go into the story but he was waiting for a response like hers. As soon as Vinyl removed her hooves, the questioning started once more.

“Can we change the subject please?” Vinyl removed one of her hooves from her ears.

“Sure. Got anything you want to talk about?”

“Well...Word on the street is that somepony named Ashley is getting it on with a pegasus.” Vinyl wiggled her eyebrows with a sultry tone. By word on the street, she heard it from Neon who said that she has her sources. “Is that true?”

“Pegasus?” Callum asked with a confused tone, immediately knowing the answer “Oh you mean Grey Ink? Wouldn’t say they’re dating...”

“Really?” Vinyl asked “You mean they’re just friends? Or they’re friends with benefits?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Callum laughed “I think they will be going on a date soon.” Callum grinned, remembering a certain joke he played on his friend Nathan with Ashley ages back “And then Callum ‘Cock block’ Thomson shall rise again!”

“...What?”

“It’s a joke between me and Ashley did to our friends before we came to Equestria. Basically, we ruin the first date by being annoying as hell by being a cock block...But then again, I might not do it this time.”

“Aww come on!” Vinyl pouted “You can’t just throw away an awesome prank like that!”

“Girl...” Callum shook his head with a smirk “You’ve not been here for the past couple of days. We turned Celestia pink. PINK! Did you know how awkward it was for Ashley to do that? I had to go by Celestia’s trust to get him close enough to pull it off.”

“Oh that was you? That was all over the papers.” Vinyl let out a soft chuckle, remembering the article about how Celestia looks good in pink.

“Oh and Ashley turned Celestia into a guy earlier today.”

“WHAT!? BAHAHAHA!” Vinyl slammed her hoof on the counter a couple of times, her laughter could be heard from all corners of the club but then again, there was around four or five ponies in the club now, all members of staff. One of them being Neon, the others were packing away chairs and mopping up the dried sweat on the dance floor.

“It’s true. Celestia got payback by turning Ashley into a pony. He didn’t enjoy it much, he really missed his hands.”

“Really? Didn’t think she had it in her.” She took a sip of her drink. She wasn’t one to expect royalty to act in such a way but she sort of relate to the princess. Working all the time does make life dull so it’s good to have some fun every now and again. Although in Vinyl’s profession, all she has is fun but that’s just because it’s a party.

“Well she did.” Callum smiled “Anyway, a lot happened when Ashley was a pony, Grey Ink fell in love with him and he accidently threw away her affection but they both made up and well...Like I said, they’re probably going on a date at some point.”

“Wow...I should really move to Ponyville, a lot more happens here instead of Manehattan.” Callum chuckled a bit at the name of the town Vinyl just mentioned since it was similar to Earth’s Manhattan.

“So what do you like to do for fun?”

“Hmm...” Callum rubbed his chin with his hand, trying to list a couple of his favourite things off the top his head wasn’t one of his specialties. “I guess I’ll have to go with...Hanging out with my buds...Drinking...One night stands...Doing army stuff...Working out...Being a bartender and I guess I like to beat the crap out of those who mess with my friends.” Callum chuckled “That’s all I could think of right now.”

“You sound like a pretty cool guy, Soooo...” Vinyl began “Since Ashley has a special somepony...Do you have one right now or will you be looking for one as well?” She asked with a suggestive tone.

“Hmm...” Callum rubbed his chin for a moment “Nope, don’t think I will be having one any time soon. I’m more into having a night filled with sex than a relationship...Why?” He leaned towards the mare, his mouth was right in front of hers, but he was not making her feel uncomfortable in the slightest “You want to have a good time with an alien?” He wiggled his eyebrows while he ran the back of his hand down the mare’s cheek gently, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. “It’ll be an out of this world experience.”

“You’ll have to try better than that Callum.” Vinyl pushed away the human with her fore-hooves, both human and DJ began to giggle like school children.

“I’ve finally met a pony who didn’t blush or act weird when I done something suggestive.” Callum began after his laughter started to calm down “Vinyl, this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

“Likewise.” Vinyl smiled “I finally met somepony who acts a bit like I do for once.”

“You know for a DJ...” Callum began “I was thinking that you would be asking music questions.”

“Your species has music?” Finally, something she found something that was the peak of her interest, if she wasn’t wearing her shades, you would see her red eyes gleaming with excitement “Tell me more!”

“We’ve got all kinds of genres. Classical, Rock, techno, dub step, pop, J-pop just to name a few.”

“J-pop? Dub step?” Vinyl confusingly asked “What are those?”

“J-pop means Japanese pop. I used to listen to it when I was younger, didn’t get the lyrics since they’re a different language but it sounded cool. Dub step is basically what you were playing earlier.”

“Oh. Cool, who knew that my music would be like another species?!” Vinyl was becoming rather giddy with excitement, Callum was starting to get afraid that she would start channelling Pinkie Pie, bouncing around the room and speaking at one hundred words a second. “Do you have any samples at all!?” Vinyl grabbed the human by the collar somehow with her hooves. She was really starting to resemble Pinkie now.

“Chill out will ya?” Callum laughed as he pushed off the mare’s hooves “You need to see Ashley, he’s still got his MP3 player.”

“MP3 player?” Callum facepalmed, he forgot that ponies lacked some of the technology from Earth.

“Small device, holds hundreds of songs, play them wherever you want and it...” He held out his palm “Would fit in the palm of my hand.”

“You’re joking...” Vinyl chuckled “You’re clearly joking. Nothing could hold that many songs and be that small.”

“Oh really?” Callum smirked “Guess I’ll just have to wait for Ashley to get back here and show you then. Don’t underestimate the human race lady, we can do wonderful things.”

“Who you callin’ lady?” Vinyl pointed her hoof at the human, laughing before taking a small sip of her drink “And what do you mean by wonderful things?”

“Well for starters, we can build machines to allow us flight, talk to people on the other side of the planet from the comfort of our own homes, be able to launch humans to the moon and back and there’s a lot more. Even though we lack magic, we make up for it with science.”

“Woah...That’s pretty cool. Got any of that alien tech on you at all?”

“Of course.” Callum dug into his pockets, revealing a black, metal object to which he knew as his handgun. “This is a handgun, used to kill.”

“W-what!?” Vinyl edged herself away from the device in front her.

“You heard me, it’s used to kill. I am a soldier remember?”

“Yeah but I didn’t think that you would have such a thing on you!”

“That’s what a soldier basically is except for handling criminals in towns, we protect the entire country with our lives and end those who try to destroy us.” Sliding his weapon back into his pocket, he gave the mare a reassuring smile “Don’t worry, only me and Ashley have one and even then, we only have limited ammo for them before they pretty much become useless.” Vinyl sighed in relief.

“Well that’s good to hear. Can you tell me more about Ashley?”

Callum rubbed his hands together, he started to tell the mare about Ashley from the moment they met...

“Why the fuck did I do this?” Ashley groaned, the night sky made the area dark but thankfully, enchanted street lamps lit streets well enough for him to see. The night was accompanied by a small breeze that sent a chill down a pony’s spine when it hit them but for Ashley, it was his second favourite thing about the night.

As it turned out, the group of mares he was helping home turned out to be quite…Drunk and somewhat fans of the humans. They told him about that they had seen him mentioned in the Equestria Inquirer newspaper and that he was basically famous now. Ashley however didn’t like it one bit since the group was drunk. Luckily for him, only one of them came to the point of not being able to walk on their own so he suggested that he could give the earth pony a piggy back ride to wherever those girls were staying.

Her forehooves were wrapped over Ashley’s shoulders, meeting at the middle of his chest. The human held the mare’s hind legs by his waists. It was similar to giving a human a piggy back ride except it was softer due to her fur coat.

“Giddy up cowpony!” The pony that was riding him kicking him in the side as if he was a horse (A bit ironic, don’t you think?), this was really pushing Ashley to his limit. Not physically but emotionally, he was coming to a boiling point of just throwing the mare through a window but he knew he would regret it almost instantly. Not only would there be screaming and blood but there would also be the sheer amount of guilt that would plague him.

'Thank you Nathan for teaching me some restraint.' Ashley thought to himself although his thoughts were overcome by the noise the group of five mares with him.

“Woo! You know how to ride fella’s, don’t ya Ruby?!” One of the mares joked, getting laughs from everypony and Ashley, although he only let out a soft chuckle which wasn’t audible since the groups laugh was much louder.

“Oh hush Emerald.” Ruby slurred with a wide smile “You’ll scare him away!” Even though they were drunk, Ashley was amazed that their speech wasn’t slurred, which was much better than what he was used to back home, or maybe the mares weren’t completely wasted?

Now back in the day when Ashley was helping human girls while they were drunk, he did encounter some that pretty much forced themselves onto him but he always managed to push them off. Of course, he didn’t like taking advantage of girls like that unlike most of his friends. He had standards and he still does. Ashley thought that maybe drunk ponies are less physical than human’s but, boy was he wrong.

He felt something stroking the back of his neck, producing the urge to scratch at the area but a warm sensation breezed over the same area but he also noticed a wet sensation there as well. Little did he know that the mare was actually licking the back of his neck, strange? Yes, did it feel good? No.

“Mmmm.” Ruby licked her lips, her eyes were half open, not that Ashley could see them or anything since he was focusing on following the mares to wherever they were going “You taste like…Citrus fruits.”

“Good to know.” Ashley said, trying to keep communication to a minimum. He didn’t want to say anything misleading to the mares.

Ruby put her lips next to Ashley’s ear and started to nibble. Ashley REALLY didn’t like this but it beat a girl trying to take off his shirt like a wild animal any day or one of them trying to get into his underwear, although this was a good challenge to the past experience. He just hoped that no one he knew saw what was happening.

“And I love my fruits…” The mare whispered sultrily into his ear. Okay, now she was really grinding against Ashley’s last nerve.

“Are you sure you can handle him Ruby? After all, he is an alien and Celestia knows how many partners he’s had!”

“Oh I’m sure I can handle him Sapphire.” Ruby giggled and went into rubbing Ashley’s chest with her front hooves, resting her head over his shoulders with a sultry smile “I’m sure that he’s had at least a dozen mates…”

“You’re wrong.” Ashley snapped “I’ve only had one and stop with all this licking and nibbling bullshit. You’re on your only warning before I throw you through a window.”

“Ooooo~ Kitty has claws!” All the mares except Ruby teased but received a glare of complete anger from Ashley, setting them back in their place.

“Come on! Let me show you a good time.” Ruby whispered with the same tone as before into his ear “I’m sure I’ll rock your world.” She licked the back of his ear with the tip of her tongue.

'That’s it. Fuck this, I’m out.' Ashley lowered himself to the ground. “Get off.” He ordered, the mare however just squeezed herself tighter around the human.

“NO!” She screamed right next to his ear but she was clearly being dramatic due to her drunken state, well that’s what Ashley though. Ruby however, thought that it was a game Ashley was playing with her.

“I said GET OFF.” He had the urge to just flip the mare over his back and walk away but he had to fight it.

“I SAID NO! You’re going to make love to me!” The rest of the group were being loud and obnoxious by giggling but the human blocked out their laughter.

After a whole minute of trying to get the mare of him but some how she had a locked grip around him. Ashley sighed, Ruby was really getting on his nerves so he ditched the plan of trying to get her off his back and continued on the journey for another five minutes. She had finally calmed down after that, much to Ashley’s relief but she was only to be started again by her friends. They were not helping the situation at all.

“You’re so lucky that you’re drunk and I can tolerate this shit.” Ashley said to Ruby but she was too busy talking to her friends about the night she and Ashley would have. The human REALLY didn’t want to hear most of the conversation but he couldn’t grab his MP3 player out of his pocket because he was holding the mare.

'I’m SO going to need a drink after this...' Ashley thought to himself as he saw the hotel the girls mentioned before come into his line of sight. He started to pick up his pace.

Callum kept his explanation of Ashley brief although it did last twenty minutes. He told Vinyl about some of their past, some of bad times but more importantly, the good times. An example can be when He, Ashley, Francis, Josh and Simon were sitting around a fire before they went off to the very mission that got the majority of Delta squad killed. Many laughs were had, stories were told and all in all, it was a great night.

Of course, Callum didn’t tell Vinyl how they died but merely told her that they did die. She tried to show sympathy but Callum told her not to. He had come to terms to their death long ago, saying that they should be remembered for the good moments, not how their lives ended. He continued on with his story.

“Wow...” Vinyl was dumbstruck by the knowledge Callum had of his friend. Neon decided to join in listening to Callum go on of their past. “You’re really close to him...”

“Well enough about that.” Callum waved off the subject “Anything else you want to know about?”

“Sure.” Vinyl smiled “How’d you get this bar job?”

“It wasn’t hard for him to get it Vi.” Neon began. Vinyl rolled her eyes at the mentioning of her nickname “You remember Shake’s?” Vinyl nodded “Well she moved town and my new bar mare couldn’t make it tonight because the train to Ponyville was being repairs and well, I was hoping for a miracle and then.” She pointed at Callum “He walked in, asked what’s up and convinced me to let him help out for tonight.”

“You hired a novice?” Vinyl asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey!” Callum smirked, pointing to the other side of the room “HOLY SHIT!”

Both mare’s quickly turned around, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary but came up with nothing. Both ponies sighed before turning back to the bar. It turned out that Callum already poured them both Screwdrivers (Vodka and orange juice for those who don’t know) within the small amount of time.

“Who you callin’ novice?” Callum said in a smug manner. Vinyl was quite impressed while Neon already the human’s speed many times that very night.

“Woah, you’re pre-“ Vinyl began but was interrupted by a loud slam, instinct told all of them to look at the front door.

“Never. Fucking. Again.” Ashley began as he walked up to the bar. The two unicorns and Callum shot looks of curiosity at him, obviously not knowing how annoying the group of mares were when he managed to get them into their hotel room.

“Dude...” Callum began slowly pouring his friend a shot of vodka “What happened?”

Ashley immediately grabbed the shot, downing it like it was nothing, not wincing one but then again, the alcohol seemed to be a bit...weaker to what he was used to.“That fucking group...” He slumped onto a nearby stool, leaning on the bar “Especially that pony called Ruby...Fucking hell...”

Vinyl gave Ashley a soft punch in the arm, she winked but her shades concealed it but everyone noticed her wiggling her eyebrows. “Bet you had a real good time with them, didn’t ya? Tell me, did they like it rough”

“That...Is where you’re wrong and I was expecting that from Callum.” Vinyl and Neon laughed, Callum merely smiled at his friend while Ashley let out an annoyed sigh “Ruby was so freaking drunk that she couldn’t even walk. Being the gentleman I am, I helped her travel to a nearby hotel with a group of her friends.”

“Oh god...Don’t tell me...” Callum began to snicker.

“Hush Callum. It’s story time.” Neon interrupted, not turning to the human but kept her wide gaze on Ashley, showing her interest.

“As I was saying.” Ashley glared at Callum who was styling a grin “It was hard since not only did I have to carry her on my back to the hotel BUT she also made it very awkward.”

“How?” Vinyl asked.

“Licking the back of my neck, nibbling on my ear, saying she wanted me to make love to her and that was followed by a long conversation that she and her friends had about what Ruby and I would do...And I thought Callum was a pervert.”

“Hey I resent that!” Callum chuckled. Both Vinyl and Neon were laughing hysterically. “I’m not a pervert, I just have a high interest in sexual intercourse related...things.” Callum looked around the room, pretending to look shifty.

“Just keep telling yourself that Callum.” Ashley replied with a soft laugh “Man...I was so glad no one saw that. It was so weird.”

“Alright alright, let’s try to forget about that for Ashley’s sake.”

“Thank you.”

“So Ashley...” Vinyl began “I heard your favourite gem was Ruby...” Both mares and Callum started to laugh at the other human. Ashley just wanted to forget what happened. He pulled out his MP3, putting in his earphones which muffled their laughter but it was still audible until he turned on the device.

“Hey...” Vinyl poked him in the arm with her hoof, pointing at the small black device in Ashley’s hand with the other. “What’s that?”

“That’s Ashley’s MP3 player I was talking about earlier.” Callum spoke.

“You told her about this?” Ashley waved the small device in front of Vinyl, her eyes never leaving it. Right in front of her was the music of a completely different race. She was imagining the fame she could get just for remixing the tunes but she was more interested in the experience of alien music.

“Yeah I did. She is a DJ remember?” Callum answered “Thought she would be interested in the music you have on there.”

“Hey Vinyl.” Ashley began, tapping the MP3 on her shades, snapping her out of her trance “Want to listen?”

“R-really!?”

“Mmmmaybe.” Ashley smirked at the mare “I’ll let you listen to a song IF you don’t bring up Ruby ever again. Deal?”

“Ffffine. I’ll do it.” Vinyl sulked, she held out her hoof to the human who shook it in return. With the deal made, a smile had crept onto the DJ’s face.

“Seems like a good trade.” Ashley shrugged.

“Now fill your side of the bargain.” Vinyl smiled, trying to reach for the device but Ashley slid his MP3 to Callum.

“You pick one song for her.”

“Suh-weeeeet.” Callum immediately started to scroll through the list of songs Ashley had. He went straight past the OST segment, knowing it was mostly video game tracks. But seeing one of his favourite games series with remixed versions of their songs, he decided to click on the one he loved the most.

He placed the MP3 on the counter, picking up the earphones and holding them towards Vinyl.

“Put these in your ears.”

Vinyl nodded, letting her magic envelope the small objects, placing them into her ears. Callum pressed play, allowing the music to flow through Vinyl’s ear drums.

[ youtube link ]

Vinyl closed her eyes as the introduction started. The song did sound somewhat similar to what she usually plays. As the song started to pick up its tempo, her head started to rock back and forth slightly, signalling that she was enjoying the alien music.

[ Time of song – 1:40 ]

The song grew a bit calmer, not by much but it made her wonder what was going on. A couple more seconds played before Callum’s favourite part of the song began to play. The sound shocked the DJ a bit since she didn’t expect it but a toothy grin grew on her face.

The alien music was like a breath of fresh air to her musical talent. If she could acquire this song or maybe even more songs from Ashley, then she would immediately start to churn out remixes like never before.

As the rest of the song played, both humans and Neon sat in silence, watching Vinyl happily enjoying the music. When the song finished, Vinyl took out the earphones via magic and hovered them back to Callum.

“That...That was...” She was breathless, this music was a clear rival against her own, maybe even better and that was just one song. “That was...Beautiful...Amazing...Awesome...Sheer brilliant.”

“Ashley...” Callum whispered loudly “I think the song broke her.”

“Nah, she’s just trying to allow the awesomeness to flow at a steady pace instead of all at once.” Ashley shook his head in disapproval “Shame, I wanted to see her freak out.”

“PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE MORE AMAZING STUFF LIKE THAT!” Vinyl burst out, surprising both humans and Neon. Ashley and Callum were a bit frightened by the music crazed mare since she was now leaning towards Ashley in a very creepy manner.

“I think there is.” Ashley replied, his hands held up against the mare in case she grew too close “Just calm your shit alright?”

Vinyl nodded, taking a deep breath but her smile remained. She was completely oblivious to what she just done.

“Are you calmed down now?” Callum asked which Vinyl replied with a swift nod “Good.” He turned to Ashley “Isn’t Grey coming to see you later?”

Remembering what happened yesterday, Ashley did recall that she would visit him at work so they could talk a bit more.

“Oh I know they’ll be doing more than just talking.” Vinyl exclaimed, getting a suppressed laugh from Neon and Callum.

“And I know that you and Callum are sure to be doing something even worse, heck maybe Neon will get involved as well.” Ashley countered with a chuckle himself, silencing all of their laughter. He put his earphones in his ears, turning on the same song that Vinyl was listening to. “I’m going to go find Grey. See y’all later.”

They didn’t bother to say goodbye since he wouldn’t even hear them. Ashley thought to check out the station first to find Grey Ink since for starters, he didn’t know where she lived and secondly, he was tired so even if he didn’t find her, he could just go to sleep.

Back at Neon’s, the two mares and Callum were talking about that night. Discussing things such as what they heard other ponies talking about but they were mostly about Callum and Ashley since they’re from another planet, some claims were farfetched. Some ponies claimed that they’re robots, some said that the humans were scouting for a full scale invasion. All three of them laughed at the claims since the high majority of ponies that attended the club that night were from separate towns. The time had passed closing time and Neon was growing tired like she did every weekend of working at her club but thanks to Callum’s help, she felt more awake than previous Friday nights.

“C’mon, time to lock up.” Neon scooted herself of her stool, She looked around to see nopony else inside the club, Vinyl and Callum had left the building. Neon pulled a small key from out of her mane as she followed them outside. Sliding the key into the keyhole with her magic, turning it to receive its signature *clank* sound.

Callum stretched his arms with a loud yawn, the cool air gently sealed across his skin. It felt refreshing since he was inside a hot club for almost seven hours. “I’m going to bed, going to need some rest for tonight.”

“What are you doing tonight?” Vinyl asked for both her and Neon.

“Drinkin’.” Callum smirked. He was obviously looking forward for tonight, drinking with friends after all that had happened in the past few days. He knew that he deserved a break.

“Oh cool, I’ll be playing again tonight as well.” Vinyl smiled, she wanted to see what Callum was like when he was drunk. That is, if he does drink enough “Hey, can you get Ashley to let me play that song on his MP3 player tonight? I’d really like to play it.”

“I’ll see what I can do, see you girls later.”

“Bye Cal. Thanks for helping out tonight, I really appreciate it.” Neon waved as the human walked off to the guard station to get some much needed rest.

** At the guard station **

Ashley walked through the front door, waving to small patrol of three pegasi guards walking past him. They each smiled with a friendly nod as they continued their way. He walked into the reception to find a grey pegasus with brown mane resting the side of her head on a neat pile of papers. Nearby was a cold cup of tea and some biscuits.

’Looks like I wasn’t the only one working late tonight...Hmmm I have an idea...’ He took out his earphones and shoved them in his pocket, alongside his MP3 after turning it off.

He waltzed around the desk to take a spot next to Grey by lowering himself next to her. He rested the side of his head on the table, looking at the mare’s face. He gently blew onto her nose.

“Mmmm.” She let out an annoyed murmur as she wiggled her nose but her eyes remained closed. Ashley found it too cute to disturb her slumber just for a talk they could have another time. By the looks of the paperwork, she had quite some trouble. Some of the papers were scribbled on, some screwed up and thrown towards the bin but none of them landed inside their target.

“Have a pleasant one Grey.” He kissed the top of her forehead before he went off to the sleeping area, taking the same bean bag he used the previous night. It didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep.

** For those who wanted to know what he was going to do **

’Looks like I wasn’t the only one working late tonight...Hmmm I have an idea...’ He took out his earphones and shoved them in his pocket, alongside his MP3 after turning it off.

He waltzed around the desk to take a spot next to Grey by lowering himself next to her. He rested the side of his head on the table, looking at the mare’s face. He gently blew onto her nose.

Shrugging to himself slightly, he blew on her nose once more.

“MMMmmm” Her tone was more annoyed than the last time, Ashley could see her face tensing slightly into a frown. He blew once more on her nose.

“Celestia damn it!” Whispering to herself, Grey Ink’s eyes lazily opened, she immediately lifted a hoof to her nose to rub it. She noticed Ashley smiling at her.

“Dayum Grey.” Ashley licked his lips “I didn’t know you liked it that rough...” He teased, however Grey Ink fainted from the shock, thinking that she had slept with him. “Whoops...Oh well, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” He kissed the top of her forehead before he went off to the sleeping area, taking the same bean bag he used the previous night. It didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep.

There you are folks. I'd like to thank the following people for submitting some questions for Vinyl to ask (I know I didn't use all of them but you're still being thanked for pitching an idea.

Special thanks to:

Crimson Valor

Fluffyyeti

Grim Reaper - ESF Leader

rainbrodash666

bronymaster1

Zilenan91

And of course, thanks to all my readers. Without you, I wouldn't of continued this story and thanks bunch for making it reach 30,000 views!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Drinking makes everything better: Part one: Wake up to the news.

Hey guys. Here's what I'm going to do. If you saw my recent blog posts, you would know that I've been a bit busy with coursework which ended up with me in a writing block. I was originally going to post the huge chapter I had written. BUT. Stalking_Z0mbie suggested that I seperate the huge chapter into smaller ones, making it easier for you guys to read. If I post a blog, I want to hear what you want to say and I'll respond as fast as I can (Same goes for comments.)

Now then, the following few chapters are what I had and I've only done a bit of editing on them to seperate the huge chapter into smaller ones. I'm currently writing the drinking scene as soon as I finish typing this author's note.

Now here's the plan over the next few chapters. I will post the chapters I have hourly (the third will be posted at 3PM GMT and hopefully, the drinking scene will be done at the end of the day and posted as well. If not, I'll try to get it done tomorrow and post it on that day A.S.A.P.

After I post the drinking scene, I'll begin on the recovery chapter and will take a small break to think of some more chapters before I go onto one of the ideas that Azzazel messaged me. (So yeah, don't spoil that second idea you posted to me Azzazel. I'd like to keep it a bit of a surprise for the others.) I don't want to waste any more space up here, read the rest of the A/N at the bottom once you finish this chapter.

***

After sleeping only until 7:30AM, not only did Ashley awake as if he had a full nights rest but Callum, who was on the other side of town sleeping in one of Applejack’s trees at Sweet Apple Acres, had awoken around the same time as well. Just in time to help out Applejack with farming.

The biggest surprise though for Ashley was that the mysterious voice that haunted his dreams for the past couple of nights had not shown up during his most recent slumber, shrugging it off, he went with the fact it was his mind playing tricks on him and that he can finally have a normal night’s sleep once more, he decided that another couple of hours sleep could do some good.

“Howdy A.J.” Callum greeted the southern pony with his own southern tone from the tree. Applejack looked around for a moment before looking up to see the human relaxing in one of her family’s trees.

“Howdy back at ya, Cal.” The orange pony greeted the human with a small nod “Have a good night’s sleep?”

Shifting his body to the right slightly, Callum prepped his legs to land on the soft grass covered dirt but miserable failed since he smashed right into the ground, although his recovery was fast. “I’ve slept in worse places.” The human smiled as if nothing happened.

Applejack shook her head “Ya have a perfectly good bed at the station yet y’all sleep in mah trees. Why?”

“Well for starters…” Callum took in a deep breath, taking in the fresh morning air “The scent of apples is a good thing to wake up to, the view is amazing, it won’t take me long to come to the farm to help out since I’m already on it and…” Callum stopped himself early, raising suspicions from Applejack.

“And what?”

“Your trees are comfy.” Callum chuckled lightly, reaching his left arm backwards, under the back of his shirt to find a small piece of the tree stuck in his skin “Well, when you get past the very rare splinters.” Grabbing the harming tiny piece of wood with his fingernails, he pulled it out and flicked it away.

Applejack smiled with a small laugh “Y’all never going to change are ya Cal?” Callum shook his head “Right, let’s get to work then.” Applejack said as she turned towards the nearby barn.

“Sure.” Callum took his place beside the orange mare “Are you still up for tonight?”

“Tonight?” Applejack asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“Y’know, drinking?”

“Ooooh.” Applejack smiled “Sure as day I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

“Cool, those who are going can meet up at Twilights at eight thirty tonight.”

Around thirty seconds of walking, both human and pony had arrived at the barn. Big Macintosh was inside, putting empty baskets into a large wooden cart for him to pull later. Seeing both his sister and Callum walk in, he gave them a brief nod followed by a “Mornin’.”

“So what’s the work for today?” Callum asked, rubbing his hands together.

“We need to get the harvest from the south-east section of the farm, check on the trees in the north section and load up a few bushels for A.J. to sell later.” Big Mac said, attaching himself to the cart.

“Alrighty then.” Callum said as all three of them left the barn.

“So.” Big Mac began “How’d ya first night at Neon’s go last night?” Applejack was also curious to how well the human did.

“Went pretty well If I say so myself.” Callum began with a slightly amused tone “Neon was having a bit of a pickle since her old bar pony had moved out of town yesterday and her new one doesn’t arrive until later today I think. So being the gentleman I am, I decided to assist Neon in her time of need by helping behind the bar. Ponies were amazed by the speed I could produce their orders. I answered some questions from Vinyl Scratch as well, cool girl, pretty fun to talk to.”

“Sounds like ya had a good night there Callum.” Applejack spoke up.

“It was pretty cool but I feel a bit sorry for Ashley.”

“How come?” Big Mac asked as the group continued down the smooth dirt path to the south east segment of the orchard.

“Well it all began with Ashley taking a group of mares to their hotel...” Callum began to tell the story of Ashley and his encounter with drunken mares in the early hours of that morning.

***

Meanwhile at the royal Canterlot castle.

***

“Ugh...” Celestia groaned, plopping her head onto the large table that he and his sister Luna were sitting at for their breakfast, although for the princess of the night, it was her dinner. Because of Ashley’s prank, she was still stuck as a male. Fortunately for her, only a few ponies had seen her new form in all its masculinity. The smooth curves of her body were now slightly more muscular, not to mention other…attributes had changed.

“You know brother.” Luna began, Celestia shot Luna a glare that would make ponies cower in fear “You know for a fact that I’ve always wanted a brother and I think this makes up for a certain practical joke that you performed on me over one thousand and fifty years ago.” Raising her hoof to her chin, she made herself look deep in through “What was it again?” removing her hoof, she glared at her new found brother with narrow eyes “Somepony thought it was funny to put crushed bananas into all of my novels, let alone my cherished history books, geography of the dragon lands, notes on the constellations I have yet to even recover...” The list went on and on.

“I already said I was sorry Luna!” With Celestia’s new found voice, Luna couldn’t help but release a loud chuckle.

“Well sometimes sorry just doesn’t cut it.” Luna chuckled as she levitated her spoon out of her soup, taking its hot contents into her mouth and swallowing “Besides, we both know that you enjoy ponies looking at you in astonishment.”

Celestia rolled his eyes, it was true that the attention had grew on him many, many years ago. “You’re enjoying this as much as you can, aren’t you?”

“What!? Me!? Enjoying my sis- I mean, my brothers suffering?” Luna was obviously faking since Celestia could judge this by her over dramatic tone “We hath no idea what thou are talking about.” ((Quick A/n: I have no idea when it comes to writing old fashioned Luna, message me corrections if you know what it should actually be.))

“Oh look, old fashioned Luna is back!” Celestia smirked, easily getting under his sisters skin.

“Oh shush.” Luna lightly waved her hoof at her brother “I’d rather be old fashioned then have my gender swapped by a species from a different planet.”

Celestia frowned at his sister but Luna ignored it.

“Oh stop it.” Luna smiled “Keep up that face and you’ll get wrinkles.” Luna giggled, seeing Celestia immediately wipe his frown of his face but, she was able to see a small grin replace it, even though he tried to hide it by looking down.

***

Back in Ponyville: Guard station Time: 10AM

***

Getting up from his bean bag, Ashley let out a long yawn alongside a stretch, getting a satisfying pop from his shoulders. His eyes were still half closed from just waking up but it was nothing a splash of cold water on the face to fix, making him more alert. He went to the sink in the shower room to do so.

“So how did it go last night?” A voice spoke from behind him, he instantly recognised it as Shockwave’s.

“How did what go?” Ashley asked, his voice muffled by the towel he used to dry his face.

Shockwave rolled his eyes “Your trip to the moon of course.”

“Not much, defeated some space parasites, flew on a cat with the body of a pop tart as it rocketed us through space with rainbows.” Ashley shrugged with a toothy grin.

“...What?” Shockwave deadpanned. Ashley knew that he wouldn’t get the basis of nyan cat. “The buck did you eat last night?”

Ashley knew that if Callum was nearby, a your mom joke would of been made. “I tried tiger blood, Charlie Sheen told me to.” Shockwave’s became even more confused. He actually thought that the human had probably drunk the blood but wouldn’t think it would have a weird effect like this. Another question in his mind was who Charlie Sheen was.

“It’s a joke.” Ashley said flatly.

“Sort of guessed that.” The unicorn laughed lightly “Y’know, with the whole cat thing and drinking blood.”

Ashley merely rolled his eyes before managing to reply. “So I’m guessing you were asking me about how I did at Neon’s last night?” Shockwave nodded “Alright, but I assure you, it isn’t very exciting...”

“Spill it.”

“Fffff-ine. All that happened was that I was the bouncer for the club, helped a group of mares to a hotel and some really awkward shit happened on the way and there is no way I’m going to live through that again.”

“Alright then.” Shockwave laughed. If Ashley wouldn’t tell him then Callum was his second choice. “Remember that I said we were going to continue our talk?” the human nodded “Good. Follow me to my office.”

Ashley reluctantly agreed, tossing the towel he used earlier behind him, not caring where it landed. He followed the captain to the pristine office. The window was open, letting in the cool fresh air fill the small room. Shockwave immediately took a seat in his chair behind his desk, putting his fore hooves together as he leaned back. Ashley preferred to remain standing, closing the door behind him.

“Right…Now tell me…” Shockwave began “What do you think about Grey Ink?”

Ashley just wanted to get this discussion over and done with, honesty would be the key role for this talk and he wasn’t going to lie. “I think that she is a beautiful, elegant, funny and smart individual who I will do anything to see a smile on her face.” Ashley sighed “To be the most honest I can be, I’ve never felt this way about someone before, yes I’ve been in love but this is much greater. Just knowing that someone loves you as much is great and proof of that is what happened yesterday.”

“Mmmhmm.” Shockwave nodded slowly, playing the big brother role seriously because he knew that’s what Grey thought of him “So this isn’t just a physical relationship?”

“I don’t want it to rely on just physical attraction, let me assure you that those types of relationships don’t last as long. I know this because of Callum and what he does.”

“One night stands and relationships that focus more on sexual feelings rather than the personality?” Shockwave asked, raising and eyebrow with a smirk.

“Yes.” Ashley nodded

“Well I can see that your mind is in the right place, but what about your heart? Do you crave to be near her? Do you wish to be by her side as much as possible?”

***

Little did either of them know, the pegasus that they were discussing was actually on the other side of the door. She had meant to be delivering a note to the captain but hearing both his and Ashley’s voices, she put her ear next to the door to try and hear as much of what they were talking about as possible.

She didn’t get to hear the entirety of their conversation, only the part about were Ashley’s heart was. Her heart was beating fast as she held her breath. She wanted to soak in every word that the human was going to say.

“If I could be right beside her right now, I would want to hold her, like I always do.” Grey instantly recognised the slightly muffled voice to be Ashley’s, she kept on listening “She’s a magnificent woman and I’m incredibly lucky that she even felt attracted to me…Have you ever been in love Shockwave?”

“Of course.”

“Then you should know what I mean. My heart does crave for her, it breaks when she’s saddened. My heart beats faster when she’s next to me.”

Shockwave remained still, watching the human pour his heart out for the pegasus. Out of the three stallions that he questioned when they were dating Grey Ink, the human was doing considerably better. The others basically told small lies to the captain, thinking that he wouldn’t pick them up but he did. He stared into Ashley’s ocean blue eyes, he knew that the human was telling the truth.

“Trust me when I say this...” Ashley sighed, folding his arms together “But I’ve never actually felt happier in my whole life until I came to Equestria...I mean, I do miss my home world since I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends and mother. The only person to make me feel happy was Callum and even then, there is so much a friend can do. I’m sure Callum will vouch for me that I would act positive around others even though my past still haunts me to this day, but I’m getting past it now...And I want Grey to be beside me the entire way...” Ashley gave the unicorn a sincere smile “and of course, with the help of my friends as well but like I said, there’s only so much they can do.”

If the discussion wasn’t about Grey Ink in the first hand, Ashley would have spoken more about his world, the people who he knew, the things he had done and much more, but now wasn’t the time.

“I know that this may sound a bit cheesy...but I think Grey Ink is that happiness I’ve been waiting for...Not the charade I used to put on for my friends but…Actual fulfilment… She makes me feel like there’s nothing wrong and hopefully, I do the same to her.”

Grey Ink didn’t notice a couple of tears had been shed from her eyes, hearing the words come from his mouth meant much to her. Did he really feel like that for her? Did she really mean that much to him even though they haven’t even spent a whole day to themselves? She doesn’t even know much about the human as he didn’t know much about her. She knew that she would have to change that some day.

“But…” Ashley began, Grey’s heart stopped for a moment “There are two problems…”

Oh no... Grey in thought to herself, as much as she wanted to pull away from the door, her body wasn’t listening to her. Her ear remained pressed against the door’s smooth surface.

“Oh really?” Shockwave asked “And what are they?”

“Well for starters, I want to take this slow.”

“That’s reasonable. I’m sure that she would want to as well, she does have the habit of letting her emotions take control of her, pushing herself go through a relationship faster just to keep up with the other.” Shockwave held up a hoof “But. She does know that if her partner wants to take their time then she’ll wait.”

Grey Ink had a faint smile on her face, knowing the fact that the captain was always there for her and pinpointed her last two relationships in a single sentence, but she knew that there was another problem, her heart began to ache more as time drew by for the next problem to be heard.

“Mmhmm. What’s the second?”

“Well, from where I come from, different species relationships are forbidden and highly frowned upon. Not saying that I’m just going to ditch her because of this but…It’s just going to take me a while to get used to but I know I’ll prevail with Grey.”

The grey pegasus’ chest felt slightly heavier, her face had risen in temperature as well. Her face had begun to style a faint blush. Is he giving up something up from his past life to just be with me? She assumed in her thoughts. She wanted to just burst into the room and hold the human...No, her human, in the tightest hug she could muster.

“You don’t have to worry much about an interspecies relationship here but I hope you become comfortable with the fact soon.” Shockwave began with a smile “They are common in Equestria. Ponies usually mix with dragons, gryphons and even diamond dogs. Of course, there are ponies who think otherwise about those relationships, saying that they are undignified and that the pony is possessed or dirty or that they are ruining the pure image of our species.” Shockwave chuckled “But there is a problem that may surface soon.”

“How so?” Ashley asked.

Shockwave took a long, hard sigh, shaking his head to the sides slowly for a moment “Her parents are like what I just described. Hopefully they’ll make an exception of you but I won’t guarantee that.”

My parents? Grey Ink thought to herself, looking back at her parents in her memories, her eyes quickly widened. Oh sweet Luna! I totally forgot about them! They are definitely not going to like this.. Grey Inks parents are quite old fashioned, thinking that the pegasus race is the best of all three types of pony species (excluding alicorns due to them having both horns and wings, therefore are given the okay because of the wings and the fact that the only two of them are the princesses.)

“Onto another topic.” Shockwave began. He wanted to know more on the human’s beliefs and his moral fibre more than anything, making sure that there wouldn’t be much trouble in the relationship. After all, he was looking out for Grey to make it easier on her if they were ever to break up and to see if they were compatible. “…Same sex couples are very common in Equestria. ” Ashley raised an eyebrow at the captain, not knowing why he would bring up such a subject. “Due to there being a larger ratio of females in Equestria, some were bound to go for their own gender. Of course there are those who oppose such a thing but the numbers of ponies who do are very, very slim. ”

“What is the ratio of males?”

“Around twenty seven percent of the population is male.”

“Wow…It’s that bad?” Ashley asked, Shockwave gave a swift nod “It’s pretty even back home.”

“So…What are your thoughts on same sex relationships?” Shockwave asked, it wasn’t relative to their original discussion but it was good to know such a thing about someone.

“I’m cool with them.” Ashley shrugged “Who am I to judge who falls in love with who?”

Shockwave smirked, this was the answer he wanted to hear. “What about Callum?”

“He’s the same way.”

“Good to know.” Shockwave gave a brief smirk. He knew that Grey Ink would do well with the human but he still needed to know more about him but that would have to be for another time. “You can go now. We’ll continue our little interview some other time.” He waved him off with his hoof. A thought occurred to the captain as Ashley’s hand slowly reached for the door.

“Oh and Ashley…” Shockwave said, grabbing the human’s attention “Promise me you won’t hurt her.”

Ashley gave the captain a sincere smile “You have my word Shockwave. I’ll try my best not to.”

“Good, because if you do.” The captain narrowed his eyes “I’ll hunt you down and make you wish you were never born.” The threat didn’t even do anything to the human, knowing he could put down the captain at anytime he wanted but it was threat nonetheless, he took it seriously since after all, the captain is pretty much like a brother to Grey and Ashley just wanted their relationship to go as smooth as possible. He gave a brief nod before opening the door to leave.

Grey Ink started to panic slightly, her blush almost instantly vanished, wiping her tears, she turned away from the door in desperate plea of her escape to make it look like she wasn’t eavesdropping.

She thought that she had gotten away.

“Oh hey Grey.” Ashley said happily as he closed the door behind him, laughing a bit at the small rhyme.

She was wrong.

***

Sweet Apple Acres

***

During the story that Callum told to Applejack and Big Macintosh about Ashley’s night with the drunken mares, both ponies and himself couldn’t stop laughing, thinking of situations of their own that would happen to the brown haired man.

“That should just about do it.” Callum exclaimed as he lifted the final basket of apples onto Big Mac’s cart. The red stallion nodded at his human friend before trailing off to Ponyville, alongside him was Applebloom since he was taking her to go see the other members of the CMC.

“Y’know Cal…” Applejack began as both she and the human began walking up the smooth dirt trail towards the Apple family’s house on top of a small hill. “Y’all should see Granny Smith. Ah’m sure she’d be thrilled to meet ya.”

“If you want to introduce me to her then I’m game.” Callum replied, a small grin on his face. He wanted to get to know everyone in the town, especially the Apple family. He admired how close they were, how hard they worked and the fact that they were a proud family all in all.

It didn’t take either of them long to reach the wooden house that occupied the Apple family. It had a rustic charm to it, an amazing view of the farm and the sky, as well as the Everfree. The floorboards of the porch would creak under Callum’s boots as he walked up the steps with Applejack by his side. The building and the view reminded him of his dream home. The only thing that was missing though was a swimming pool and a Ferrari in a garage nearby. He admired the Apple family’s simplicity to things right down to how they work.

“Oh is that you Applejack?” A voice called out, Applejack obviously knew whose elderly voice belonged to, Callum decided to go with Granny Smith since that’s who they were here for.

“Yes Gran-gran.” Applejack replied, noticing Callum snickering behind her.

“Hehe...Gran-gran.” Callum said with a light chuckle, it was loud enough for Applejack to pick up so she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Ah’ve come here to let ya meet somepony.” Applejack called out from the front room.

“Oh! has mah little apple found a somepony?” A wrinkly pony walked into the room, she immediately looked back and forth between Callum and Applejack with narrow eyes “That ain’t no pony.”

Callum thought it would be best to introduce himself to the mare now, giving the old pony a pleasant smile. “Good morning Miss Smith, it is a pleasant to make acquaintance with another member of the Apple family. My name is Callum Thomson. Human.”

“Well it’s to meet ya Calibration.” Granny Smith smiled, Callum rolled his eyes with a smile “And stop with that fancy shmancy talk, we Apple’s are simple folk.”

“Well alrighty then!” Callum exclaimed in a Texan accent

Granny Smith raised an eyebrow at Callum, turning her head to Applejack.

“Don’t worry, he does this a lot.” Applejack nudged Callum in the side of the leg with her hoof, hard.

“I Didn’t know you like to be the dominant one A.J.” Callum teased. As much as he wanted to bring up the whole rope thing again, now wasn’t the time since first impressions matter after all. Applejack responded with an ever harder punch, this time in his stomach, sure it hurt a bit but it didn’t wind him. “Try being a bit softer and go lower next time babe.”

The Stetson wearing pony merely growled at the human, she was almost at boiling point before she would bludgeon the idiotic creature next to her into submission. Callum decided it would be the best option to stop, he thought that it his little jokes can wait until later.

“Ahh.” Granny Smith began, forgetting the amount of awkwardness that was held before her. “Ah’ll be right with ya.” She walked over to a nearby table, picking up a newspaper, pointing to the front page “Are ya that fella?”

Callum walked over to Granny Smith and gently took the paper, bringing closer to his eyes, he bagan to read it aloud…

NEW SPECIES IN EQUESTRIA!

That’s right fellow Equestrian’s, a new species HAS BEEN CONFIRMED to be in Equestria. No, we’re not talking about a hybrid animal but something completely out of this world! That’s right! OUT OF THIS WORLD! In other words, aliens are in Equestria!

Now before you go onto thinking that there is an invasion and we’re all going to be gobbled up by the space travelling race, please note that for starters that these creatures DO eat meat but are omnivorous, for those who don’t know: An omnivore is a type of animal that can eat both vegetation and meat.

The aliens are known as Homosapiens (A weird name but they are from a different planet!) or as they prefer, Humans.

What they look like: Imagine a large monkey, hairless (With the exception of a mane), they are taller than an average pony (Around the same height as princess Celestia herself). They stand on their hind legs (They do not have tails to balance themselves. They walk on their hind legs all the time and as we know, ponies cannot manage to do so for more than a minute due to our bodies not being anatomically correct to perform such a task.)

They have hands, now you’re probably wondering “What are hands?”. Well we are here to tell you about them of course! Now it is hard to explain so we had one of our best artist’s draw their basic shape, the image below should show you what they are.

Right below the text was an accurate drawing of a human hand. Fingers were labelled on the image as well, Callum continued to read.

We would like to thank a pony named Lyra Heartstrings from Ponyville who happily gave us inside knowledge of the appendage and giving a very detailed description of them for our artist to draw.

Now, back onto their diet. As we said, yes they eat meat. BUT, they have sworn not to eat anypony (you can let out that sigh of relief now reader). As it turns out, the animals they eat are cows, chicken, pig and fish. We will go into more detail about that subject later. As for delicious greens, the humans find hay, grass and flowers to be inedible but are capable of eating things such as carrots, apples, cupcakes and a large variety of fruit and vegetables. Again, we will go into detail about this later.

Now onto the humans themselves! There are two of them, both male and yes, they speak full Equestrian. One of them is slightly taller than the other, bit larger on the muscular scale and has a short black mane. This human goes by the name of ‘Callum’ and from we have heard, he allows friends to call him ‘Cal’ for short. This human tends to be with the other human much. We do not know if they are mating partners or that the males always stick in pairs since they are a different species and have a different culture compared to us ponies.

We have heard rumours that the human world DOES NOT have magic (Shocking we know!) but their race relies more on their much advanced technology. An example of this can be that they managed to get their own species onto their moon and back (That’s right, space travel!) and that they have machines that are capable of allowing them to fly (Imagine a very large metal bird, how it flies? We have no idea.)

Now, a quick bit of info for you ponies, both of these humans ARE HIGHLY TRAINED SOLDIERS. From what we have heard, they have killed but done so to protect others. It is advised that you DO NOT and we repeat, DO NOT TRY TO FIGHT THEM. (We don’t want ponies ending up in hospital or worse.)

How do we know? Well that’s simple. Our many sources say that they actually fought Celestia’s guards when she went to see them. They completely wiped out both earth pony and Pegasus squads with ease. (We will not be going into detail about what they did in those fights due to younger readers may re-enact their methods, nor do we condone violence in that matter). Now we all know about captains Night Wind and Solar now don’t we? Yes? Good. Why did we mention them? Well because they fought the humans as well!

The battle was in fact going into both of the captain’s favour until a very tragic incident happened involving Night Wind using a memory spell on one of the human’s (Not Callum). The result ended with Night Wind having his horn forcibly removed but was tended to almost immediately by Celestia herself, followed by another tragic event that we will cover shortly.

Now we have cleared up that small segment, let us continue on Callum. We have received word that both he and the other human are close (This drove the theory of being a pair / mating partner’s further.) and he is willing to protect him with his own life (Rumours say that Ashley will do the same for him as well). Now onto some of his diet, we have been told that this human is fond to consuming alcoholic beverages and sweet tasting foods such as cakes. It has been noted that he eats fruits such as apples but we have yet to see / go into further detail about his dietary habits. (We have many sources that say that both humans have promised not to eat meat during their stay in our country.)

Now let us being on Ashley, the second human.

This human is the smaller one of the two (Only by a few inches and is not as big in muscle) but is just as dangerous, if not more. He goes by a rule of ‘First blood / first strike’. You might be wondering what this is, again we are here to give you the information you need. From what we can tell / what we have heard, the first strike rule means that Ashley will not engage in physical combat unless his opponent makes the first move BUT we figure that this is more about fighting with honour compared to both humans previous line of work.

Small note: Remember that we said the humans were soldiers? Well they are, just like the royal guard but on a bigger scale. They serve the purpose of an army role and we judge that soldiers from their world will die for their country. Idiotic? Maybe. Respectable? Yes.

Now this human has been known to be the faster of the two when it comes to speed and has a better agility than Callum. This makes them both a dangerous pair to fight. Now, remember that horrible incident that we mentioned earlier after their fight with Night Wind and Solar? Remember only a couple of issues ago we reported about a diamond dog attack on Ponyville and that it was saved by a mysterious figure?

Well, Ashley was that figure.

That’s right, the alien did indeed save ponies but done it through indescribable violence. We received word that he ran into the Everfree forest that night to recover from Night Wind’s spell which apparently brought back repressed memories.

We do ask that you please do not badger Ashley or Callum about these memories unless the human’s themselves decide to tell. We do not know what they are fully capable of and it’s best to give you some warnings unless you want to end up in hospital.

Now onto his diet, Ashley (Or as his friends call him, Ash or Toast.), unlike Callum, prefers to not eat sweet tasting foods such as cakes. It was reported by a few ponies that they saw him vomit after eating a cupcake and that the human tries his best to stay clear of Ponyville’s infamous Sugarcube Corner. This means that each human’s diet will vary, much like a pony’s, so he has his likes and dislikes from the looks of it. He prefers to eat more sour foods, such as lemons (That is what we have heard) and will eat a variety of fruit.

Now, for the final segment of this report, What are the humans doing in Equestria? Well we here at The Equestrian Inquirer have learned that both…Wait for it…

BOTH HUMANS ARE PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD!

What!? Is that true!? You bet it is. Our intelligence says (Wow, we sure do have a lot of sources for these discoveries, don’t we?) that the humans have been assigned to the princesses themselves! Callum has been assigned to Princess Celestia while Ashley is assigned to Princess Luna. Both humans have emblems on their shirts (We forgot to mention, their species always wears clothes to hide their more private parts of their body and to keep them warm since they lack fur).

We can only say that their emblems consist of the following:

Callum: Uniform is dark grey with an emblem that is Celestia’s cutie mark with (what we assume) a knife and a weird ‘L’ shaped object crossing over them, we hope to ask them about it / receive more information on this subject.

Ashley: Black uniform with his emblem being much like Callum’s but instead of Celestia’s sun, it is a half moon, showing his allegiance to the night princess herself.

Now you’re probably thinking ‘But they’re aliens! What are they doing in the guard!?’

Well, we here at The Equestrian Inquirer will provide you the answers. Princess Luna herself admitted to us privately that her brother (Brother? We’re not sure what she means but she said that she will tell us another time and that it does in fact, involve the humans.) And herself find that it is better to have them working for them rather than against them (Like we said, we have no idea what they can do.)

Where are the human’s living?: In Ponyville of course, being that is the location that they are stationed under the rule of captain Shockwave who had this to say about the human’s:

‘From what I can remember, Callum and Ashley have known each other from the age of three years old and before you ask, they are twenty five years old. I do not know who is the older of the two or their birthdays. I will tell you that Ashley does not like parties for that matter. They are both excellent additions to the guard and I’m eager to see not only their training is like but to see how they work as a team.

Even though we did have a bad introduction of the human’s appearing here, I assure you that they are devoted to protecting the habitants of Ponyville like I and those who are also in the royal guard. I know that the humans and I are going to get along just fine.’

We think that should cover an introduction with the human’s. Also to Callum and Ashley; If you’re reading this (or had somepony read it to you in case you can’t read our language), we would really appreciate if we could interview you two for an issue. We here at T.E.I. would love to ask you some questions to see everything we have heard is true or false and much more.

Also we hope that the guard’s new alien members catch whoever turned Celestia’s coat pink and bring them to justice!

(Even though many members of the T.E.I. found it to be quite humorous, some of thought it was inappropriate behaviour while some thought she looks good in pink.)

We here at T.E.I send our many thanks to those who submitted information from Ponyville about the new species to us. Once we have confirmed the information with the humans themselves, we shall put the names of those responsible for the information in the next issue.

This article was written by Quick Note.

“Well…” Callum was slightly surprised by the amount of information the newspaper was able to achieve. He knew he would have to talk to Ashley later about accepting the interview. “The answer to your question Granny Smith would be a yes. I am the Callum mentioned in this issue…How old is it?”

“Why it came out just this mornin’.” The elderly earth pony smiled. “What’s her name again…Flitzy Too? Ah think it was ‘er that dropped it off me. Sweet little Pegasus she is with that bubbly personality of ‘ers.”

“You mean Ditzy Doo?” Callum asked, receiving a nod from Granny Smith “I didn’t know she was a mail person.”

“Y’all know that you’re basically famous across Equestria now.” Applejack pointed out. It did occur to Callum that both he and his friend would most likely have to accept the interview offer to get questions out of the way. Heck, maybe he and his friend could make it a bit more fun for themselves, that and the fact that last night, Vinyl Scratch told him about the newspaper and how it was the largest selling in Equestria. Who knows how many ponies have already read the article already. And it wasn’t even lunch time yet!

“By the great gods, you’re right!” Callum slightly anxious voice filled the room, he didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing.

Now that all that has been taken care of, sorry for the large author's note but it was needed. Remember, once this story reaches 200 fav's (it's on 199 right now, holy shit.) I'll want everyone. That's right. EVERYONE to send in questions for the characters of this story to answer. Why? Because 200 favs is a big deal to me and I want to do something for you guys. I'll let you guys know inside an A/N when this story reaches 200 fav's.

These questions can be about ANYTHING. Just send me a message with the following:

Subject: Special chapter Q's

(Format for questions)

Character name: (You can put more than one character's name in here. E.g. = Character name: Luna and Celestia, All characters.

Question: (Your question here)

Fuck. Didn't mean to make the A/N that long, oh well. It was all important. I'll stop rambling and get back to writing. (Also, FUCK YES. 34K views and this is only chapter 34.. Thanks guys, you're all amazing.)

Drinking makes everything better: Part two: The unexpected visit

Quick A/N: Had some trouble with FiM fiction when it came to uploading the other chapter, which made it late. This one is a bit late because I was doing some formatting.

Canterlot Castle

***

Celestia finally found a comfortable spot in the royal garden. The sound of birds chirping was soothing as a gentle breeze would flow past him. In his magic’s grasp, he held the recent issue of The Equestrian Inquirer. From what he could tell from the huge header on the paper, Equestria would now know about the humans. He smiled to herself as he began to read the article.

“How they got all this information is beyond me.” Celestia muttered to himself when he was half way through the article, but he noticed something off about the article.

And it involved Luna.

Oh for the love of me. Celestia thought to himself, not looking forward to see why Luna was in an article about Callum and Ashley.

“Princess Luna herself admitted to us privately that her brother (Brother? We’re not sure what she means but she said that she will tell us another time and that it does in fact, involve the humans.” Celestia mumbled to himself. Anger started to rise from deep within him. He was going to have a talk with Luna.

He used his magic to instantly teleport himself to Luna’s chambers, leaving his signature warm mist as pages of the newspaper started to drift away from his old seat. Desperately look around his sister’s room, only to find it empty. There was only one thing he could do.

“LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

***

Meanwhile in a more secluded spot in the castle A.K.A. Luna’s secret library

***

After hearing her brother’s earth shaking scream, the moon princess burst into fits of giggles.

“This is for my babies Celestia.” She smiled to herself, reminiscing her ‘babies’ or as others would see them, her books and constellation notes that were basically destroyed by Celestia over a millennium ago. Her horn grew brightly and then she was gone, only to leave her cold mist behind her.

The next thing she knew, she was in Ponyville’s guard station, and she wondered how her newest addition to her guard was doing.

***

“So...” Ashley began as both he and Grey walked down the hallway to the reception “How’s it going?”

“Oh! Um...N-not much.” Grey Ink had a slight delay to her response, still thinking about all the things the human discussed with the captain not to long ago. She tried her best not to look at the human just in case he would see her slightly red eyes from crying. Not that she even knew that they were like that but she didn’t want to risk it.

Letting out a long sigh, Ashley decided to make a one off question about why Grey was near the door when he and Shockwave were talking about her “You...Didn’t happen to hear what we said...Right Grey?”

The Pegasus did not reply, her thoughts were distracting her off the current conversation. This however, confirmed Ashley’s theory of Grey Ink eavesdropping but he didn’t want to make a false accusation, just in case.

“Y’know.” Ashley began “I find it pretty cool that Shockwave see’s you like a sister.”Grey Ink turned her head towards the human, not thinking twice about her eyes but gave the human a warm smile. Ashley however did pick up on her slightly pink eyes, immediately setting himself down next to her.

“You’ve been crying?” He asked with slight concern, she nodded once slowly. He placed his hand on her shoulder “Want to tell me why?”

Despite being fully capable of explaining her eavesdropping, Grey decided to tackle the human to the ground into an embrace. The slightly audible thud of his back impacting onto the hard floor echoed through the empty hallway. She rested her head on his warm chest while he chuckled lightly.

“I think I’m going to need some sort of warning when you do that missy.” He said as he began to softly stroke her back “So, are you going to tell me why you tackled me to the ground like this without buying me dinner first or am I going to have to make this situation awkward to get you tell me?”

“I heard everything you said.” She whispered into his chest, Ashley’s eyes opened a bit wider as a bit of heat formed in his cheeks. He was not one for blushing but when Grey looked up at him, she couldn’t help but giggle at the sight “Oh my Celestia, I thought I’d never see you blush.”

The way she giggled at him melted his heart almost instantly. His heart was already beating faster than normal with his chest feeling slightly heavier, not because of the mare on him physically but that she was near him just made him feel good.

“So…” Grey Ink began, shuffling herself into a slightly more comfortable position but she still remained on top of the human, she looked down into his eyes and frowned slightly “What’s all this I heard about you wanting to take this slow?” She cocked an eyebrow with a serious tone but either way, she was only teasing.

“I’d like to get to know you better.” Ashley said with a shrug and a sly smirk “And taking it slow would do pretty well.”The grey pegasus burrowed her muzzle in his chest once more, nuzzling it gently with a warm smile.

“Well well well…” A voice called out from nearby “What do we have here?”

Both human and Pegasus looked to the side, seeing a dark blue alicorn in their midst.

…

“P-princess L-luna!” Grey Ink immediately got off Ashley and bowed down to the night princess, acting like nothing happened between her and the human.

“Oh hey Luna.” Ashley raised his hand to wave “As you can see, I like the floor.” He said with a small laugh to which Luna just smiled at. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“You may rise, Grey Ink.” The Pegasus complied with the order “Besides, the reason I am here is because a certain human didn’t tell me how it went with a certain receptionist yesterday.” Both Ashley and Grey smiled sheepishly, diverting their gaze away from the princess for a brief moment “But I think seeing you two like that will confirm that everything went well?” Both Pegasus and human nodded.

“Good.” Luna smiled as she turned away “You two can tell me all about it!” She said as she began to trot down the hallway like a small filly learning they’re going to get their favourite treat. Half way down the hallway, she coughed and regained her composure, immediately trying to forget what she just done.

Once Ashley made it back to standing up, he took his side next to the princess of the night while Grey took the other side of the human, the gap between him and her was closer than his and Luna’s. Ashley’s stomach decided there and then that it wanted something to fill it by letting out a loud grumble, both ponies laughed a bit at him but he shrugged it off.

“I think we should grab some breakfast.” Grey Ink said, taking herself to a small hover to poke Ashley in the stomach with her fore-hoof, receiving another loud grumble from within Ashley “I think you’re stomach would agree with me.”

***

After a brief discussion with Granny Smith, Applejack had already gone down to the market to sell the fresh produce of apple’s they acquired that morning. Callum decided to pay a visit to the guard station to see Ashley, but half way to the destination, he thought it would be best to see if Twilight and the others would be capable of joining both humans for a night of drinking. He headed to Sugarcube corner first, not only because it was the closest nearby at the moment but he also wanted to grab some well earned breakfast.

“Hey Mr and Mrs Cake.” Callum greeted the confectionary store owners with a warm smile and a wave.

“Oh hello Callum.” Mr Cake smiled back, as did his wife “What can I get you?”

“Uhh….” He looked at the menu, each and every food listed on it sounded delicious but would be packed with sugar. Sure it could give him the needed energy boost he needed but that was short term, and the fact he really ached for some of Ashley’s pancakes but unfortunately, he didn’t see himself getting any that morning. “I’ll just go for… Some coffee and…two donuts?” Not really the most balanced breakfast after working at the farm but it was better than nothing and besides, he needed some of the sweet nectar of the gods known as coffee.

“Coming right up deary.” Mrs Cake said with a beaming smile as she turned towards the kitchen to make the order.

“That’ll be five bits.” Mr Cake stated as Callum took off his bag, getting the necessary amount of bits, he kept a mental note of how many remained.

’Let’s see...I should have around one hundred and forty nine bits left...Add on yesterday’s pay from Neon’s that I need to pick up later...

...

Fuck...I’ll worry about that money later.

Placing the silver coin on the table as payment, Mr Cake smiled as he slid it off the counter towards him and put it in the cash register.

“You wouldn’t happen to know if Pinkie is here, would you?” Callum asked.

“I think she went to see Rainbow Dash just not too long ago, that’s all I’ve got.”

“Cheers mate.” Callum replied, it wasn’t long until Mrs Cake returned with a tray balancing on her back with Callum’s order, the scent of coffee burst into the air almost immediately. If he could have one thing to smell for the rest of his life, Callum would wish it was coffee. Its smell was all he needed to feel wide awake.

Deciding to have his breakfast on the go, he slowly walked towards the library. He could always search for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash some other time. The donut’s were almost instantly consumed and then washed down with blistering hot coffee. Not one of Callum’s smartest ideas to try and chug down the beverage at the high temperature. Luckily for him, he wasn’t far from Twilight’s so he burst through the door, towards the kitchen sink. He planted his lips around the taps nozzle and turned it on. Screw searching for a glass.

“Uhhh...Callum?” A voice asked with curiosity, immediately pinpointing it as Twilight’s, he had one last gulp of cold water before turning around. “Why did you burst into my house and attack my sink?” She asked with a slight chuckle.

“Hot coffee... Don’t ever chug it while it’s still hot.”

“Ah.” Twilight nodded “So how did it go at Neon’s last night?”

“Not bad.” Callum said as he leaned himself on the counter with his left arm “Was a bar man for the night, Ashley had awkward moments and I answered some questions from Vinyl.” He looked around the room, starting with the table, noticing a newspaper. He walked up to it.

“Oh that’s the latest issue of The Equestrian Inquirer.” Twilight stated “I’ve already read it, I’m sure that you’ll be quite surprised with the front page.”

“Read the article Twilight.” Callum replied flatly “The thing I want to know is how they got so much information on us...”

Twilight’s eyes widened a bit, trying to not look suspicious is not her best trait since when Callum turned around, Twilight was trying to avoid eye contact.

“Twilight...” Callum began with a serious tone “Did you have something to do with this?”

“What!? Me!?” Twilight protested, going slightly over board with her defence “How could you accuse me of something like that?”

“Well for starters...” Callum began “The article said that the information came from Ponyville. Secondly, the information is mostly from stuff both Ashley and I have said around you and the others.” He noticed a bead of sweat trickle down the unicorn’s forehead “Now I’m all for interrogation of course but my methods...Are not the most...Necessary.” His tone changed from one of seriousness to one of lust, he also accompanied the voice with bed room eyes and biting a small part of his bottom lip “I’m sure that you and I can get... Acquainted.”

“Alright alright it was me!” Twilight blurted out, not wanting to know any more of what the human was going to do. She didn’t want to put it to the test, Callum let out a brief giggle.

“You’re too easy Twilight.” He said as he walked past her, ruffling her neat mane with his hand. Twilight groaned as she went to find her brush to fix her now messy mane. It wasn’t long until she returned from upstairs with her brushed mane.

“So you’re not mad?” She said as she trotted down the final steps, her hooves tapping against her library’s wooden floor.

“A teeny bit.” Callum replied “But only because you went behind my back and besides...I could have gave you some more information to use.” Callum held up his hands around chest level “Not that I’m saying that you did an excellent job and all that, but if you’re going to do this again then please, consult both me and Ashley beforehand, alright?”

“Alright. I promise.” Twilight nodded with a warm smile “Is there anything else you need?”

“Actually, yes there is.” Callum replied, Twilight’s head lazily tilted a small amount to the side. Adorable, that’s all Callum could say about that movement. “Are you up for drinking with Ash, Applejack and I? Those who are going are coming here to meet up at half eight before we go to Neon’s.”

“Sure. Although I doubt I’ll be having much.”

“That’s cool.” The human shrugged “That shouldn’t stop me from getting pissed.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow “It’s a term from home, it means getting drunk but may also be used as telling someone you’re angry or agitated. For example, I’m really pissed off that you told me it was you that gave the paper that information.”

“Oooohhhh.” Twilight said with realization, Callum noticed a small shine in her eyes and he didn’t like it. “Have any more words from your world?”

’Fuck, dug my own grave with that one.’ Callum thought to himself as he took a seat against one of the many bookshelves, cracking his knuckles.

“Babe...You don’t know what you just got yourself into...” Callum smirked, making Twilight gulp loudly.

***

Meanwhile at the guard station

***

“So...” Luna began. Since she already had her dinner not long ago, she decided to go with some tea for the moment. She would go for coffee but she wanted to get some rest later that day. Staying up at night was her favourite pass time but it was brought down with night court. Oh how boring it was! Not to mention that barely anypony even shows up. She felt a little saddened by this, she didn’t meet many ponies that preferred the night against the day which explained that she was thrilled to have Ashley as her guard, now she had somepony to talk to at the night without having to worry much about waking them up. “Tell me EVERYTHING.” She said with a mischievous smile.

“Well it all began with me running away.” Grey Ink began, shuffling herself to lean against Ashley who was eating a slice of toast at the time, his other hand held an open napkin under his chin to stop crumbs from falling on his uniform and Grey. “I just wanted to be alone...So I hid inside an alleyway. I just laid there...C-crying about how much of an idiot I was.”

Gulping down his toast and wiping his hands on a napkin to get rid of as many crumbs as possible, he resting his arm around the Pegasus, over her shoulder and brought her closer.

“You never were an idiot to start with.” He said looking down to her with a smile. Luna found it slightly heart warming just witnessing the small moment.

“Hush you.” Grey poked him in the side with her fore-hoof before continuing “To be honest, I guess my crying was a bit loud since he heard me. He immediately apologised about his behaviour and well... I guess I talked myself into liking him again. He told me that he done the same as well... And I just lost it.” She began to rub her cheek against the side of the human’s chest, being on his left side, she could hear his heart beat slightly faster than before.

“I can vouch that I did admit my feelings for her and that she didn’t want to see me any more then that would be fine.” Ashley spoke as he began to gently stoke side of Grey’s left arm. Her soft coat made his hand tickle slightly. “I’m really glad that she forgave me. Not only because she’s a wonderful mare but that I’m really lucky that I found someone who I love to be with...Not to mention she’s really cute.”

Luna smiled warmly to the couple. Even though throughout her lifetime she saw both love blossom and burn, she always loved to see couple show minor pieces of their affection towards each other. An amazing shock was that Grey was able to put aside the differences of them being an entirely different race from one another but, from the princess’s perspective it seemed like true love.

“We pretty much fell asleep hugging each other on the floor.” Grey Ink added. A slight blush had formed on her cheeks. “And when we woke up, Callum, Shockwave, Twilight and the others were there and then we walked back to Twilight’s to fix Ashley’s pony problem so he could go to work at Neon Light’s club that evening. I was going to go visit him but I was swamped with work and I fell asleep on my desk.”

“You’re really adorable when you’re asleep.” Ashley said, looking down to Grey “Y’know that?”

“Shush.” Grey poked him in the side with her hoof again gently with a small chuckle “its story time.”

Ashley sighed “Alright alright.” He looked back towards Luna “Before I went to work, Shockwave and I had a talk about Grey Ink which we continued this morning.” He looked down towards Grey once more with a light scowl but it was more for fun rather than anger or annoyance. “Then a certain Pegasus heard everything I said about her about how I want to take things slow and that I want some time to come to terms about us being a different species but other than that, I think that I got Shockwave’s approval of our relationship.”

“Well...” Luna looked back and forth between the human and Pegasus, twice to each of them “I have to say that I hope you two the best. I never expected somepony to fall for you Ashley and for you to do the same.” Letting out a suppressed chuckle, Luna continued “I guess you’re full of secrets, aren’t you Ashley?”

“Everyone has their secrets Luna.” Ashley grinned towards the princess of the night “And let me tell you.” He pointed to this forehead with his right index finger “Just don’t make me lose my sanity and everything will be fine.” He gave a weak smile to her. Of course, she had already witnessed what the human was capable of, but she had yet to see him go all out and she didn’t want to either.

As Luna shuffled out of her seat, standing onto her four hooves, she looked over shoulder at the couple. “Oh and Ashley, I hope that you accept that interview with The Equestrian Inquirer. If not then I order you to do so.” She said teasingly. Of course, she would pull out the ‘Do as I say.’ card on him, he was regretting the decision of letting her be in charge of him but he dared not to piss off the alicorn. Who knows? Maybe he could have some alone time on the moon or maybe she could make him feel the cold side of the moon for the rest of his life? He doubted she would do such a thing but he didn’t want to test her power.

“Wait...What interview?” Ashley asked with a look of concern.

“Why the one about you and Callum being interviewed for The Equestrian Inquirer. They had a message asking that if you were able to answer some questions for their next issue.” Luna replied “Haven’t you read their latest issue yet?”

“No.” Ashley said nonchalantly.

“Well you should.” Luna raised her nose upwards slightly with a sly grin, trying to look boastful “After all, I helped give them some information about you two after all... And I want you two to be with me when I tell them about what happened in the past couple of days with Celestia. You know, with you admitting how you turned Celestia’s coat pink in detail AND that it was you who turned my sister into my newly found brother...Which I appreciate for, I’ve being having some fun at her expense with that one.”

...

“WHAT!?” Ashley shouted, grabbing the attention of all the ponies in the dining hall, he noticed that he almost practically destroyed Grey’s eardrums from his volume since she had the tip of her left fore-hoof inside her left ear, her right ear was pressed solidly against the humans chest. He decided to pull her into a hug “Sorry Grey.” He whispered next to her ear, luckily for him, she heard his apology but that didn’t stop her giving him a playful slap on his head.

“Alright.” He said “I deserved that...And maybe a bit more.”

***

Twilight’s library

* **

“It’s a shame you only let me do one word Twilight.” Callum said with an amused tone “I would’ve had plenty of fun with you.”

“That’s why I asked you to stop.” Twilight retorted “I didn’t think you would go with such a disgusting word to begin with!”

“What’s so bad about wank?” Callum smirked, even though he didn’t get to explain any more, he still thought he chose a good one to start off with.

“...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Twilight screamed furiously which was loud enough to hear all across Ponyville. Callum however couldn’t help but crack out in fits of laughter. Ponies are ridiculously easy to manipulate? Check.

***

Guard station

***

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” The shriek was muffled by the walls that surrounded those inside the building, but everypony (and Ashley) knew that it was Twilight Sparkle.

“My Callum sense is tingling.” Ashley said, putting the fingertips of his right hand to his forehead, pretending he actually had a mental power.

“Callum sense? Really?” Grey Ink asked flatly, giving the human a ‘are you serious’ look.

“My Callum sense tells me that he is the cause of the disturbance...That or he’s having some fun at someone else’s expense somewhere else and Twilight is freaking out about I don’t know...Some books I guess.” Both Luna and Grey Ink rolled their eyes. Luna would have suggested the same thing while Grey would not know what to say since she doesn’t know the lavender bookworm that much.

“So what did they say Luna?” Ashley asked.

“Why don’t you have a look for yourself?” She replied “I do need my rest after all. I have to stay up all night and rest during the majority of the day after all.”

“Luna...” Ashley said, grabbing the princess of the night’s attention “What do you do during the night?”

“I manage the night court.” Hanging her head low, looking quite saddened “But I’m really the only one who shows up. You know, it being night and everypony sleeping at night and all...”

“Luna...” Ashley said flatly “Remember, I like the night so if you ever need someone to I don’t know...Hang out with during the night then come to me.” He looked over at Grey Ink who was staring at him with her luscious brown eyes “That’s of course. If I’m with Grey then it’s up to her if I’m allowed to come hang out with you.”

“Really Ashley?” Grey Ink spoke “You’re going to make me decide?”

Giving the Pegasus a sincere smile “Only if I’m with you of course. Oh! And if we could find a way for you to contact me while I’m with Luna then that would be pretty cool...Too bad ponies don’t have cell phones.”

“Human stuff?” Luna asked.

“Human stuff.” Ashley replied nonchalantly “Allows you to talk with whoever you want across the world.”

“That would come in handy.” Luna put a hoof to her chin “Maybe I could get some unicorns to work on something like that. I’ll try to keep you posted.”

“Alright Luna, have a nice sleep.” Ashley waved to the alicorn.

“It was nice meeting you Grey Ink. Good luck with Ashley, do try to keep him under control while I’m not around.” Grey Ink nodded with a light chuckle. Luna waved back to the human before her horn began to glow, her magic enveloped her as she teleported, leaving her signature cold mist which sent a shiver down Grey Inks spine.

“Well...”Grey Ink said after the brief awkward silence “This morning has been eventful.”

“The same could go for the past few days.” Ashley added.

***

Time skip to 3PM

***

Trying to catch up to Pinkie Pie isn’t as easy as one would think. Callum tried to find her to ask the pink party pony about tonight but she had other plans, thinking that she and the human were playing a game of tag. The chase had been going on for a couple of hours now. Callum thanked the training he was put through which greatly helped with his stamina, sure he was tired but not at breaking point. The caffeine from his morning coffee had worn off a while ago and since Pinkie seems to always be on a sugar high, he had no hopes of catching her.

He thought of trying Rainbow Dash to help him, or Twilight. But after explaining that one word to the lavender unicorn, he thought it was best to get the hell out of there since she basically rambled on about him being inappropriate, not that it bothered him mind you, he’s been called immature and worse things earlier in life. Being serious all the time makes life boring, evidence can be shown with Twilight for example. She seemed to be the type of person that would stay with a task until it was complete, no matter what the difficulty was unless someone like Celestia told her to stop. Of course, being fun all the time is great but can be slightly annoying, evidence would be Pinkie Pie. Then again, he didn’t find her annoying but she was getting there by randomly showing up in places away from the human as he chased her.

Fuck it. Callum thought to himself as he slowed to a halt to catch his breath, his chest felt like a ton of bricks had just smashed on top of it. Fuck everything.

“You really need to work on your stamina.” A voice called out from above. Looking up, a familiar cyan pegasus with her natural rainbow mane hovered above the human, a smug smile was plastered on her face.

“Yeah well...” Hmmm...She’s competitive. How can I put this to my advantage...

...

Got it.

“Look babe.” Callum began, getting a scowl from the pegasus “I’ve got the stamina where it counts and it goes all night long...” Putting on a sultry smile “If you know what I mean...”

“Ugh.” Rainbow groaned with a face-hoof “You just have to make things weird?”

“I do as I please.” Callum said with a shrug, the smile already gone “And I like to please others...If you-“

“Don’t.” Rainbow Dash double face-hoofed with a loud groan“Just don’t.”

“Hehe...Fine. I’ve had a bit of fun at others expense today anyway, not to mention what happened to Ashley last night.”

“What happened to him?” She asked with concern but secretly, she was slightly worried as well.

“Well it all started with this group of mares...” Callum began to tell her the brief story of what happened with Ashley and Ruby. Rainbow couldn’t help but fall into the pit of loud laughter when she heard the complete story. Of course, she wanted to ask Ashley about it soon.

“So how’s it going with you then Cal?” She asked, hovering herself to the ground, her hooves softly hitting the ground, taking her place next to the human.

“All good.” Callum replied, motioning the cyan Pegasus to follow him “Helped out Neon last night by being her bar man-“

“Oh that’s cool.” Rainbow interjected “Wait. Why were you here bar...Man was it?”

Callum nodded “Her previous bar pony had moved town and the next one doesn’t arrive until today, seeing her stress out about not having help behind the bar, I offered her my help. I think she was glad I did assist her since for starters, she was amazed by the speed I filled orders which gave her some time to talk to Vinyl Scratch for a bit.”

“Wait, Vinyl Scratch. As in THE Vinyl?” Judging by her tone, Callum was easily able to pinpoint that the Pegasus was a fan of the white DJ unicorn.

“Vinyl Scratch?” Rainbow Dash nodded “Yeah she was there. Pretty cool girl, she asked me some questions and I convinced Ashley to show her some of his music.”

“What did she think of it?”

“All I can say was that she found it to be awesome.” Callum grinned “Can’t blame her, I know some awesome stuff.”

“Well...” Rainbow stopped walking, putting a hoof to her chin, Callum stopped as well since he noticed he was trailing a bit ahead of the Pegasus. “Maybe you can convince Ashley to let her play some songs tonight while we go to Neon’s.”

“So you’re going too?” Rainbow nodded “Excellant, that’s you, A.J. and Twilight down. We’re meeting up at Twilights beforehand at half eight tonight.”

“What about Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked, trotting next to the human. They didn’t have a destination so they were just walking around the town randomly.

“That’s why I was running.” Callum answered, receiving a puzzled look from Rainbow “I was trying to ask her about tonight but she thought I was playing tag.”

“Sounds like Pinkie Pie to me.” Rainbow chuckled “Anything else happen that is interesting?”

“Well...” Remembering back to that morning, the newspaper article to be exact “I need to see Ashley about accepting an interview.”

“For what?” Rainbow asked.

“Newspaper called The Equestrian Inquirer.” Callum answered almost immediately “And this morn-“

“WAIT, HOLD UP.” The cyan mare sprung her fore-hoof in front of Callum, stopping him. She slid herself to in front of him “Did you just say The Equestrian Inquirer?” Callum nodded “That’s like, the biggest newspaper in Equestria!” Rainbow Dash’s volume was near a shout and did turn a few heads from nearby ponies “How the hay did you get an interview with them!?”

Closing his eyes half way, Callum pointed to himself with both thumbs “Not from this world, remember?” He replied bluntly, seeing the pegasus face-hoof since she completely missed the most obvious thing about the human “As it turned out, Twilight... And Lyra, sent them some stuff about Ash and I. They want to interview us to get more insight on what they said about us in their latest issue.”

“Wow...” The only word the Pegasus could muster with her jaw hanging loose. “You should totally accept that!”

“Well, I plan on doing so if Ash agrees with it. Otherwise it’s a no go.”

“Oh he’s going to go to that interview.” Rainbow said with slight hostility “Or he’s going to have some problems.” Callum could tell that the mare was making a joke, he took it to himself to play along.

“And so will you, from me of course.” Callum said with an amused tone, defending his friend. “And don’t think I’ll go easy on you.”

Rainbow let out a warm chuckle “Nah don’t worry about that, although I’m sure I can convince him to go.”

“If you can’t, then I’ll just have to give him the choice of eating nothing but cake for a year or I get to remove his liver and kidneys.” Callum said with a grin.

“What’s all this I ‘ere about me bein’ forced ta eat cake?” a voice was heard from a nearby rooftop. Looking up, both human and pony saw Ashley lying on the top of the building. His chin lay on his fists “You guys need to be more aware of your surroundings.” He said as he used some crates to jump down “I could have killed you both right there and then if I truly wanted to...And no one would expect a thing.”

“Yeah you could have.” Callum agreed, holding out a fist for his friend to bump “But you love me too much to do that.”

Returning the bro-fist, he shrugged “Just don’t do the unmentionable and all will be cool. And besides, I’ll only break something like your arm because well, you’re you.” Ashley said with a brief laugh as he walked on ahead of the Pegasus and human, not going to anywhere in particular but just walking around.

“Has anypony told you two that you’re weird?” Rainbow spoke up with a smirk.

“I know for sure Grey has.” Callum replied with a small grin “Besides, weird is exciting.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and chuckled, both human and Pegasus continued their journey to nowhere. As they walked through the town, Callum noticed ponies reading the same newspaper he read earlier that day. Some would look up from their reading material and smile at the human, some would struggle to beat the urge to talk to the human about the article but were too embarrassed to do so.

Drinking makes everything better: Part three: Preparing to party

As they walked on for another half hour or so, they neared Carousel Boutique. Being not one for fashion, Rainbow said her farewell and told Callum to bring his drinking A-game. Of course, he was going to anyways but he couldn’t wait to see how well these ponies could handle their liquor. He walked up the Rarity’s front door and gave free gentle knocks, finishing the last one with slightly more force.

“Come iiinnnnn~.” Rarity’s voice called out, Callum done as he was told and entered the store.

“Rarity?” Callum asked, loud enough for the fashionista to hear. The white unicorn emerged from the top of the staircase.

“Oh.” Rarity looked down, seeing the human in her midst, giving him a warm smile “Why hello Callum.” She said as she trotted down the stairs “What can I do for you?”

“Thought I’d come and visit you to see if you’re looking forward for tonight.”

“Tonight?” She gave him a puzzled look “What’s happening tonight?”

“Well. Ash, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and I were going to go to Neon’s tonight for a bit of fun.” He smiled “Y’know, to release some of the stress of this week so far. That and I want to see what pony alcohol is like compared to human.” He finished the sentence with a shrug.

“I see, I am guessing that you are wondering if I will join you.” She asked, receiving a nod from Callum “Well…I do enjoy a bit of wine every now and again…I’ll come if you promise me not to let me drink too much.”

“If you don’t want to drink but want to see me and hopefully Ashley off our faces, you’re welcome to join.” Callum said as he walked back to the front door to leave “It’s going to be fun tonight, see you later Rarity. Meet us at Twilight’s at eight thirty.”

“Goodbye darling.” Hearing the door shut, she turned to retreat back upstairs to gather some sketches she had been working on earlier that day.

Lets see… Callum thought to himself. He had been walking around the town for half an hour once again since his very brief visit to Rarity. He wondered if he could commission her to make him some more outfits. Sure the uniform was great and all but he needed more sets of clothes, casual more than anything, maybe a tuxedo perhaps? He wasn’t too sure about it yet, wanting to think about what kind of clothes he would want first. He could always go for a pair of trainers. Those would be very useful after all since wearing boots all the time was a tad annoying. That’s Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow crossed off… Pinkie is probably going to think that I’m still playing tag with her, best wait a while until she calms down… Wait. Pinkie and calm down? he laughed at his own thought, getting strange looks from nearby ponies Not bad, needs more awkwardness in that one…Anyways, all that remains is Fluttershy. I wonder if she has forgiven Ashley for killing two of her chickens… Then again, she really loves animals so I doubt she has. I should pay her a visit anyway, haven’t spoke to her in a while.

Only a few minutes passed and Fluttershy’s cottage was in his sights. The canary yellow Pegasus was tending to a small group of birds in a nest that settled on one of her home’s branches. The trickling of water could be heard from the small river that flows under the short bridge near her home. Angel was happily sitting on the grass. The noise that plagued the streets of Ponyville could not be heard near the cottage, only the peaceful quiet with the occasional sound of her animals. Calming would be the word that would suit being near her home. The air seemed fresher on her hill, much like Sweet Apple Acre’s, probably due to the amount of plant life nearby.

“Hey Fluttershy.” Callum greeted the Pegasus calmly, trying not to startle the Pegasus.

Asides from the small shock of somepony behind her, she turned around, setting herself on the ground without making a noise.

“Oh…Hello Callum.” She greeted the human just above an audible level, hiding behind her mane.

Ah Fluttershy… Callum thought So timid yet so innocent. I still wonder why Ashley did what he did…Oh wait, the twitching. Of course.

“So how’s it going?” Callum asked, looking up to the nest she was tending to not moments ago “I see you like birds.” Pointing out the obvious, he was trying his best to get the mare to be less…Shy around him at least. Knowing that talking about someone’s interest was useful for snagging a girl back in the day, little tip that he took from his dad when Callum had reached sixteen years old. He worshipped his dad, even though he was the main reason why the human liked to prank so much. He and his father would always do some pranking with Ashley beside them, those were good times.

“Oh…Um, I’m just checking up on my bird friends here.” She said, looking up to the nest as well. Inside the nest were two white doves, one of them had its wing over the over “They’ve been with me for about a couple of weeks now. They just showed up out of nowhere.”

It was worth a shot, he held out his left arm at the doves. The birds looked at the human and themselves. It wasn’t long until the two perched themselves on his arm, Fluttershy was flabbergasted. She didn’t expect this to happen, she thought they would try to stay away from the human since he does look quite frightening.

“H-how did you do that?” She asked, her tone was more audible, she no longer hid behind her mane but hovered herself next to the human, her eyes stayed on the two doves.

“Some animals sense fear.” Callum stated, using his right index finger to stroke one of the doves head “Staying calm and not making sudden movements may make it easier for the animal to warm up to you and the main reason why they trusted me is because you didn’t try to run away or see me as a threat.” He took his finger away from the dove he was stroking and started to do the same to the other, a small smile had crept onto his face “They trust you and see that if you can trust me, then so can they.”

“Wow…” Even though she already knew this, it was still nice to hear it come from somepony such as Callum. It was the least she would have expected from him since he has a tough exterior. She wondered how he knew this, she was a tad embarrassed to ask such a thing but Callum kept on telling his story.

“I guess the most memorable thing like this to me…Would be when I became friends with a wolf.”

“A w-wolf?”

Looking briefly to the side, he nodded to the shy Pegasus. He lifted his left arm towards the nest, gesturing the doves to return there to which they did. Callum lowered himself to lie on the warm grass, staring at the clouds that stood still in the sky. Of course, he wanted them to pass by themselves but clouds here were unlike Earth’s. One feature he missed from back home, not that big of a deal though.

“Yes a wolf.” Callum began. Fluttershy took a seat next the human once she eased herself back to the ground. “Back when I was a teen. My father and I would go camping during the summer for about a week or so. There was a nice lake that not many knew of since it was far away from the town and was hard to find because of the large forest. Beautiful scenery, sometimes we would fish, but we didn’t kill what we caught. We would take a photo of whoever caught the fish alongside with their catch and then we’d throw it back into the lake, but sometimes we had to since we would sometimes run out of food. How I met the wolf was a sheer amount of luck. My dad asked me to collect fire wood. He gave me a hunting knife in case I was attacked and just before he did, he gave me a fish to use as bait to distract any predator that was chasing me.” He chuckled lightly to himself “Crazy coot always said that it’s better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

Fluttershy smiled, carefully listening to Callum’s story. She never really got to know about the human’s past but she saw here that the human had a soft side to him.

“As I was walking around the forest, I could hear some whining from a nearby clearing. I held the hunting knife in my hand in case I was going to be in trouble, I was sixteen at the time this happened. Using a knife effectively was taught to me by my dad. Anyway, I saw the wolf on the floor, in pain. I still wonder what managed to injure it. All I know was that its front left paw was sprained.” Letting out a slight sigh, he continued his story more “I know I could have just left it there but something inside me told me not to. I slowly crept up to it and didn’t make any sudden movements. Even though it would growl and bare its teeth at me, I continued on. I handed the wolf the very same fish I had from my father. All he did was sniff it before taking it carefully from my hand. Once I finished watching him eat, I turned to leave but saw the wolf try to follow me and well…Because of its injury, it couldn’t. Lucky me that I was pretty strong back then so I carried it back to our small campsite…Boy did my dad have a bitch fit.” He laughed a bit more, making the Pegasus in his presence feel a little more at ease.

“I told him that I could at least bandage up its injury with part of my first aid kit I had. We had to take precautions of course, after all, it was the forest and we needed to plan things out.” He looked towards the corner of his eye, seeing Fluttershy preparing to lay herself down in the spot where she sat. “Once I patched up the wolf and pointed away from our campsite, it left us. But here’s the thing, I would notice it in the bushes from time to time. Of course, I snuck out at night to check on its bandages and once it was healed, I took them off and the wolf let me stroke him.”

“That’s a wonderful story.” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“I guess it is.” Callum returned the smile as he continued to stare at the sky “It was from then on that every time we went to the forest, the wolf would show up the next day. My dad said that I made the right choice in helping it and well, the wolf saw how friendly I was to my dad and it shown respect towards him as well. We even named him Razor. The worst part of it was when I stopped going to the woods altogether.” Seeing the slight saddened expression appear on Fluttershy’s face did make him feel a bit bad, but the story wasn’t over yet.

“Just before Ash and I were going to be sent off for the army, which was about four years from then, I went back to that forest one more time.” Fluttershy’s ears perked up a bit “And a pack of wolves had come out of the bushes behind me but I recognised one of them immediately. It was Razor.” A smile had returned to her face “At first, he didn’t recognise me so he cautiously came up to me, the others were close by. He gave me a sniff and recognised my scent, he knew who I was. He immediately leapt onto me, I knew he missed me and here’s the best part.” Fluttershy leaned her head a bit more out of anticipation. She was really intrigued by how the story would end

“The other wolves eased up around me, I guess Razor was the pack leader and they decided to trust me. I followed Razor into a small cave which I assumed was his home and he shown me his cubs and his mate. The cubs were scared of me and his mate growled but seeing Razor and the rest of the pack with me, they began to become more comfortable around me and I spent the night with them, playing with the cubs, helping feed the group and what not.”

Callum let out a relieved sigh, Fluttershy was the fifth person that knew about the human’s adventure alongside his father, Ashley, Nathan and Luke. Telling the story to the mare seemed to get her to come out of her shell, seeing her more comfortable in the humans presence.

“That was a beautiful story Callum.” Fluttershy said “I wouldn’t expect you to do a thing like that.”

“What?” Callum gave her a puzzled look “Because of my tendency towards violence?” Fluttershy nodded, Callum gave out a small laugh “We all have secrets Fluttershy. It’s a story I don’t like getting out much.”

“Why?” She asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“Tell me something Fluttershy, has your opinion in me change at all?” She nodded “Care to tell me how?”

“W-well…” As much as she didn’t want to talk about how she saw the human, she still thought that he deserved to know since he told her something from his past “I guess I see that you have a soft side underneath…your habit to be violent.” She squeaked, immediately hiding her face under her hooves and mane. She was about to apologise but heard Callum’s laugh once more.

“It’s alright Fluttershy.” Callum said as he stroked her mane which was soft as silk. “I asked for your opinion and trust me, I’ve had much worse. But I can see where you’re coming from.”

She slowly slid her face out of her hooves, looking up to see Callum still stroking her mane to make her feel a bit comfortable, which it was. She liked the way his fingers ran through her mane.

“Anyway…” Callum sighed “The main reason why I’m here is if you are willing to join Me, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack at Neon’s tonight.”

“What about Pinkie Pie?” She asked confusingly.

“Yeeeeeeeaaaah…Couldn’t catch her. She thought I was playing tag.” He heard Fluttershy let out a small, quiet laugh. “But after your answer, I’ll try to find her. So what do you say? Wanna tag along?”

“Oh...Um...Of course...If that’s okay with you.” She answered shyly (What else can you expect?)

“Fluttershy.” Callum said flatly but broke out with a smile “I asked you, of course it’s alright.” He got back up and stretched “I’ll see you later tonight then.” Waving back at the mare who smiled as he left but remembered something.

“Oh and Fluttershy...”

“Mmmm?” She hummed.

“Can you not tell anyone about the whole wolf thing? I’d like to keep it under wraps.”

Smiling warmly, she replied “If that’s what you want...Okay Callum, I promise.”

“Cool, see ya.” Callum grinned, starting to jog back towards Ponyville. Having the discussion with Fluttershy seemed to do wonders for his mood. He felt calm and collected. But of course, that would be bound to change since he now had to try and find Pinkie Pie...

Wherever the heck she was...

***

Time skip: 7pm

***

“FOR FUCK SAKE, PINKIE!” Callum let out the earth shaking shout. Once more, it had been hours of him chasing the pink mare. Only this time, she decided to spice things up a bit with a few traps. Her latest one was him being launched into the sky by the mare’s party cannon, its deadly force of confetti and streamers launching into his chest. Even though it was basically pieces of paper and ribbon shot at high speed, it still managed to send him across the whole town, arcing into one of Applejack’s apple trees. Remarkably, the tree remained the way it was before the human landed on its branches. This just threw more questions into the humans mind but it was too busy trying to recall what happened, where he landed and of course, how much pain it should register for the human.

Which turned out to be a hell of a lot.

Where ever she hid her cannon, Callum had no clue. It just appeared out of nowhere. And of course, when he landed, he was greeted by the party pony once more, adding insult to injury. She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at the human before zooming off in a pink blur, back to the town.

“Callum…” Ashley’s voice called out from underneath his landing tree, hearing Callum groan in pain, he continued “Are seriously idiotic enough to not know how to get Pinkie?” Judging by his friends puzzled look, he continued “*sigh* Use bait you moron.” He complimented the sentence with a face-palm

Shifting his body to the left, he fell out of the tree and hit the ground with a loud thump, with a side order of dust flowing from his impact. Ashley grabbed his friend’s shoulders and hoisted him back to a standing position.

“Cheers mate.” Callum gave a two finger salute to his friend as he darted back off to the town, searching for Pinkie once more. Ashley remained on the apple farm, shaking his head, arms folded.

He can deal with it.

Alright… Callum thought as he sprinted back to Ponyville Use bait… How the fuck will that benefit me getting Pinkie to stay still for at least ten seconds…

…

I could indulge my sweet tooth right now…

…

Wait…Sweet tooth…Pinkie…

Jackpot.

He began to hightail it towards the confectionary. Taking only a few minutes to reach the store, he opened the door and saw Mr and Mrs Cake cleaning up.

“Oh hey there Callum.” Mr Cake greeted the human with a warm smile “Did you find Pinkie?”

Slightly out of breath, his answer was slightly delayed “Still working on that. Do you have any cupcakes I can buy right this moment?”

“Uh…Sure.” Giving the human a confused look, but that faded away quickly since it was a sale. He went into the kitchen to retrieve a cupcake with lavender frosting, white sprinkles nearly covered the frosting itself, making the treat look like it was covered in snow.

“That’ll be two bits.” Mr Cake asked and Callum responded by through two bronze coins onto the counter. He grabbed the cupcake and left the building almost immediately.

“PINKIE!” Callum called out as he held the cupcake in the air, getting looks from ponies nearby, not that he cared about them at the moment. “I have something for you!”

…

Nothing…

That was odd…

Pinkie and not immediately consuming a sugar filled treat just for her was troublesome.

…

“Huh…Guess she isn’t hungry…” Shrugging to himself and closing his eyes, he brought his arm back down. He didn’t want to waste a perfectly good cupcake that he just paid for go to waste. He went to take a bite but heard some childish laughter.

Opening one eye, he noticed that the cupcake had been replaced…

By the pony he was hunting for…

Wait… Either he just became strong enough to make a pony feel as heavy as the sugar filled treat OR Pinkie is capable of shifting the laws of gravity into her own hooves and can manipulate the weight of objects and herself…

…

Highly likely the second option.

“Thanks for the cupcake Cal!” Pinkie said as she hopped off his hand. The human’s mind was completely fried at the given moment to what just happened. “I needed a top up.”

“What.” Was the only word Callum could muster, his brain was going overboard.

:/ Brain.exe is not responding due to unforeseen situation. Please choose one of the options below.

://> Brain implosion with a side order of zombie invasion which is yet to happen (A/N: Soon zombie plans shall come to reality, you know it and I know it)

://> There is no god and all will be destroyed by the flying spaghetti monster

://> Become insane and become one with nature, followed by world destroying spaghetti monster

://> Blame Pinkie Pie and the world shall remain the way it was.

…

He wanted to choose the first option, only if it didn’t imply him dying. He had no choice but go with option four. Luckily, his brain managed to recover.

“So what do you want Cal?” Pinkie asked as she hopped around him, the sugar had instantly gone into her system the moment she ate the treat.

“I-uh… Want to go to Neon’s with Ash, the others and I?”

“*gasp* Oh I’d love to go! It’ll be sooooo fun! We can dance all night long with awesome music! Oh oh! And we’ll be with all our friends so it’ll be double the fun! Even triple because Vinyl Scratch is playing tonight!”

“Good to hear that Pinks…” He didn’t really want to have to listen to Pinkie make a huge list of what they were going to do that night. Not to mention he was a bit tired from having to chase after her. He decided to head to Twilight’s for a quick nap until it was time to meet up, ignoring the fact of what he did earlier since he wasn’t in the mood to tell her another word at the moment.

***

Time: 8:35pm

***

Trying to convince Twilight that he was sorry wasn’t easy. The same could be said for asking her to have a quick nap at her place. But after a while, she gave up for Callum and his ways. It was probably the best thing to do after all, no doubt about it. He didn’t bother to have a quick moment of sleep, now that he had recovered fully from the whole moment of chasing Pinkie Pie.

Speaking of the pink pony, she was the first to arrive, bursting through the door with a loud bang followed by streamers and confetti which were cleaned up in the time span of a single blink by the pony herself. Applejack was second, styling her Stetson like always and telling everyone how she was looking forward towards tonight. The third guest to arrive was Rainbow Dash, she too was eager for tonight since it was not only drinking, but Vinyl Scratch was playing. The cyan pegasus was easy to spot as a huge fan a mile away. Fourth to arrive was Rarity, saying she couldn’t find a dress to for such an occasion but Callum interjected, saying that the dress would just hinder her enjoyment of the night since she will most likely try her best to keep it clean.

The fifth guest was Fluttershy with a gentle knock on the door. The sound was almost inaudible but Twilight was the closest to the door and was lucky to even pick up the sound. Fluttershy being herself, she timidly walked into the building but she too thought tonight would be enjoyable.

The last to arrive was Ashley although he didn’t plan on using the front door. Instead, he climbed up the tree, up to Twilight’s balcony which she used for her astronomy hobby.

“How did you-“ Twilight began to question Ashley’s antic since for starters, he walked down her stairs.

“Your house is too easy to climb.” Ashley said with a grin, leaning himself off Callum who was standing still, arms folded. “Climbed up to your balcony. Nice view.”

“Well…” Twilight shot him a slightly angered look “Don’t do it again. My home isn’t a climbing frame. Not to mention I have a front door!”

Giving the lavender unicorn a shrug, he gestured to the door “Shall we get going?”

“Sure.” Rainbow spoke up. Ashley opened the door for all the others to exit. Spike was going to turn in early that night, knowing that something was bound to happen due to it not being the first time he witnessed ponies under the influence of alcohol. In fact, he found it quite humorous at first, until the next day when Twilight had a hangover. He shuddered at the thought before locking the door when both all the ponies and the two humans left the library for their night of fun.

“So Ash...” Callum began as the group walked towards the club. It would take around ten to fifteen minutes to get there. Rainbow and Applejack were already talking about a drinking contest to which Callum secretly looked forward to.

“We’ve got mentioned in a newspaper and I-“

“I’m going.” Ashley interrupted flatly.

“Huh?” Callum gave his friend a look of slight confusion, wondering why his friend didn’t let him explain the rest.

“Luna told me about it this morning and that she submitted some stuff about it.” Ashley said with a small smile “Well… She basically ordered me to accept it but I think it’ll be a bit fun. It will save a lot of time having to introduce ourselves to other ponies AND she wants us both to do something for her, not saying now since I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Callum already began to think about the surprise his friend just mentioned. Could it be about the pranks on Celestia? No, it couldn’t be…

Could it?

He didn’t want to think about it any longer, it will just hinder his fun tonight. His bag carried the remaining bits he had earned from working but he needed to get the payment from Neon for last night. He knew Ashley didn’t have any funds at the moment and would only have the money he earned last night but Callum on the other hand, would gladly share his friends some of his money since after all the times Ashley paid for Callum’s tabs at bars, it was the least he could do.

“Also Cal.” Ashley began “Did you remember to hide your handgun and knife?”

…

“FUCK!” Callum let out in a slightly annoyed shout. He could have left it at the station, under the supervision of Shockwave, or he could have asked Spike to send a letter to the princess to look after. No one would dare to steal from the goddess of the sun, let alone it was a belonging of the human so they knew that they would have him and Ashley hot on their tail.

“I’ll be right back.” Callum said as he began to turn around to go back to Twilight’s but Ashley’s hand pulled him back by the shoulder.

“I’ll run it.” He gestured to the bag “I’ll get Spike to send a letter for Luna to pick up both mine and your stuff. And besides, I’m a faster runner than you.”

“Fair enough.” Callum shrugged, sliding his bag off him which contained his ammo, the handgun it belonged to, his knife and finally his money. He took out eight gold coins from his bag and placed them in his pocket. He wasn’t going to need his weapons for the night anyways.

Giving his friends a quick salute, Ashley immediately burst out in a sprint towards Twilight’s. Rainbow still admired the human’s capability to run at such a fast speed, Twilight’s mind took a mental note to record the human’s running speed and how far he can run before becoming tired. After all, it would be for science.

Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh as soon as Ashley left. Only Callum noticed her quite exhale. Rarity and Twilight had began to talk about what they thought the human world looked like, not thinking to ask the human that was right next to them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the other hand were arguing who could drink the most tonight.

***

With three loud knocks on the front door, Spike let out a groan as he descended down the wooden staircase and into the dark front room of the Library. Knowing where the door was, he felt around for the handle and with a click, he unlocked it with the nearby key and opened. He was greeted by the two legs of Ashley who stared down at him. In his hands were both his and Callum’s bags.

“Need ya to send something.” Ashley greeted the dragon with a small grin.

“Sure…” Spike replied with a yawn, he grabbed a nearby candle and blew his green flame onto it. The light made everything a bit green but it was better than nothing. The dragon was slightly blinded by the sudden change but his eyes adjusted quickly. He wandered to a nearby desk, placing the candle on top of it and opened the draw. He grabbed an inkwell, quill and some parchment.

“Ready…” He let out another yawn.

Clearing his throat with two coughs, Ashley began “Dear princess Luna. For tonight’s events. Callum, Twilight, the others and I are going to relieve some stress from the past few days with a night of drinking alcohol. As to why I am sending you this letter, I need you to come and retrieve two bags which contain both mine and Callum’s handguns and knives. Their ammo included.” Ashley stopped for a moment, watching as Spike jotted down the human’s spoken words. After a few seconds of human’s pause, the dragon gave him a nod to continue.

“The reason to why I am doing this is due to that we do not want to lose these items since they may fall into the wrong hands…Or hooves. Who knows? I would like you to keep them locked away until we can retrieve them the next day.

Yours sincerely, Ashley Cook.”

A couple seconds after finishing, Spike engulfed the finished letter in his signature green flames. Ashley was impressed by the dragons writing speed and now they waited…

*pop*

The sound came from the side of the room with a very bright light. As the light faded, it left a dark blue alicorn who immediately locked eyes with Ashley before her eyes travelled down to the bags in his grasp.

“I will be taking those then?” Luna asked, Ashley said with a nod. Her horn began to glow a shade of blue which also engulfed the bags. To the human, their weight had disappeared so he let go of them, watching as they floated at the side of the alicorn.

“Since the night court is…*sigh* once again just me attending…” Luna began “Is okay if I can examine your weapons during the night?”

“You have my consent for my one Luna.” Ashley replied with a nod “It has Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark on the grip. But please, do not pull the trigger and take extreme care. They are very dangerous and I’m putting all my trust into you.”

She gave the human a nod and a sincere smile that would make almost any ones heart melt “I promise you I will be careful. Now go and enjoy your night out. I think these ‘handguns’ will quite the learning experience for me to look at.”

Hope you enjoyed these couple of chapters. I’m going to have to start on the club scene tomorrow. I’m sorry but the computer I’ve been using has been annoying to me, not mention I was formatting / trying to get some writing done. I plan on making the next chapter worth the wait. Hopefully, it will be funny to you guys.

Drinking makes everything better: Part four:

Hey guys and gals, remember me? No? I can’t blame ya. Now, I know it’s been ages since the last update and I do apologize. For starters, real life has been getting in the way, I’ve been busy with other things and well, my passion for writing has died a bit. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to let you guys not have a complete story here, updates may or may not be less frequent.

Now, about this chapter. This is more or less a ‘This is what I have and I just want to get past this chapter to continue the story.’ chapter, again. I’ll be writing the next instalment of this thing right now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter, one word that I will use to describe my feelings to this chapter: Bleh...

Also, please read the huge author’s note at the bottom. It is quite important.

“Heeeeeeey!” A voice called out, one that Callum knew was Vinyl Scratch’s. Both he and the group of mares he was with had turned around to see the DJ walk up to the human with a grin while styling her signature shades as well. Being one of her fans, Rainbow was almost at her fangasm mode but Callum tapped her on the forehead with his index finger before wiggling it slightly in front of her eyes, telling her to not do what she was about to do. She gave a loud, noticeable huff.

“How’s it hangin’ Vinyl?” Callum asked as the group (including the DJ) continued their way to Neon’s.

“Not bad.” She gave a shrug “I’m still trying to get my friend to come with me to Neon’s. She happened to read your article in The Equestrian Inquirer this morning, saying that you’re obviously a myth and stuff.”

“Well that’s no good.” A mischievous grin started to take place on his face “Well...I guess I’m just going to have to show her that I’m one hundred percent real.”

“Gotta ask Ash.” Callum replied “He’s quickly gone to Twilight’s to send off our weapons to the princesses. We thought it would be better to let them two look after them than rather losing them or possibly being stolen from us.”

“Why?” Vinyl asked with a smirk “Planning on getting wasted tonight?” the human replied with a nod “Heh. That should be fun to watch.”

The group had arrived at the club about a couple minutes or so later. Ashley however, was nowhere to be seen yet. Walking in, there was a huge crowd that cheered for Vinyl when they saw her. Vinyl said her goodbye since she will most likely be too busy to even talk to the human, let alone with any of the ponies he was with.

Callum had looked over to the bar, seeing Neon and another pony who he pinned down as the new help. The same pony met her eyes with his with bewilderment. She wasn’t expecting him to walk into the club that night. She heard news about the human but thought it was all a lie. Callum, Applejack and Pinkie Pie made their way to the bar while the rest of the group went to find a secluded booth in one of the corners of the night club.

“Oh hey Cal.” Neon greeted the human with a smile as she used her magic to clean a glass with a clean dish towel “What can I get you?”

Rubbing his hands together, he looked at the various bottles of liquor behind the mare. Knowing what they had already since he worked behind the bar last night, he wanted to pretty much try everything and who could blame him? With slogans on the bottles saying things such as “The drink of stallions!” and “The strongest of them all, the ruler of all whiskey: Celestial flare.”

That whiskey was the one he wanted to try the most, even though he wasn’t one for things that burned on the way down. That was more in Ashley’s jurisdiction, Callum just stuck to sweet things but it wouldn’t mean he couldn’t gulp down stuff like that, it only needed to be mixed with something simple, such as cola or fruit juice and he would consume it.

“I’m still deciding...” Callum mumbled, turning to Applejack and Pinkie “What are you two getting?”

“Ah’ll go fer some good ol’ fashioned cider fer now.” Applejack smiled towards Neon “Still a tad bit early fer the harder stuff.”

“I want a liquid rainboom!” Pinkie cheered, pumping her hoof into the air for a quick moment.

“Guess I’ll go for the same as Pinkie.” Callum said with a slight shrug. Neon nodded and went to prepare their drinks. The other barmare however decided to spark up a quick conversation with one of Equestria’s new humans.

“How can I help ya?” Callum asked with a raised eyebrow at the barmare. Examining her details, she had a light blue mane, the same colour as the sky. Her eyes were a soft misty dark blue which went with her vanilla coloured coat. Her mane was straight, brushing over one of her eyes, hiding half of it. She wore an apron and Callum noticed that she too, was a unicorn. He guessed they made a good bar workers since they didn’t have to use their hooves for more delicate tasks. He couldn’t see her cutie mark from his angle and it would be rude to lean to side just to get a glimpse. She would probably think that the human was checking her out...

“Oh...” The mare shook her head to break free from staring at the creature before her “Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly “I couldn’t help but stare at you...”

“Too easy.” Callum said flatly with a smirk. Pinkie, Applejack and the barmare shot him puzzled looks but then again, Pinkie’s had a bit more amusement behind it. Applejack was still trying to figure what the human meant by those two words.

“E-excuse me?”

“*sigh* It would have been too easy to make that awkward.” Callum’s smirk revealed a glimpse of his white teeth.

“Well Ah’ll be.” Applejack said, giving a playful nudge to Callum’s arm with her hoof “Callum’s starting to stop jokin’ about that kinda thing.”

His eyes slightly widened at the earth pony’s words. He just turned down a moment to make things awkward...

This will not go unhindered!

“Maybe A.J.” Callum said “But who said I was joking about with all the stuff I’ve said before?” He leaned towards her a little “If I recall...” He pointed his index finger at Applejack, prodding her in the chest a couple times with it “You like bondage...”

SMACK!

“Worth it.” Callum laughed, Pinkie was giggling in the background. Neon quickly turned her head when she heard the loud smack, seeing the human rubbing the back of his head with his hand, sitting next to Applejack who was gritting her teeth. She chuckled to herself as she continued to make their order.

“And here Ah was, thinking that y’all were capable of change.” Applejack mumbled angrily towards the human. She didn’t regret giving him a piece of her mind, knowing that he is capable of tolerating more than a simple smack around the head. Besides, he brought it onto himself.

“Hey hey hey!” Pinkie intervened “We don’t need this kind of stuff to happen! We’re here to have fun!” She frowned slightly at Callum “You shouldn’t say things like that Callum. It isn’t very nice.” A small smirk grew on Applejack’s face but quickly disappeared when Pinkie looked over to the orange mare “And you shouldn’t hit Callum around the head so much! It could make him worse than he already is!” She said with a light snicker.

“I can get worse?” Callum asked. Both mares nodded. Even the new barmare and Neon who was eavesdropping on their conversation had nodded as well. The black unicorn was done with their order and placed the drinks on the counter in front of the human and two earth ponies. Callum lifted his glass to take a sip “Challenge accepted.” He pulled out a gold coin and slid it across the counter “Is this enough?”

The new barmare nodded, gripping the coin in her magic. “That was all six bits, want anything else?”

“Meh, keep a tab open for me.” Callum replied, taking another sip of his multicoloured drink “I’ll most likely be paying for more drinks anyway and I don’t want to fumble around with coins later...” He produced the rest of his gold coins “This will probably do me and Ash for a while.” Neon’s magic took the coins and placed them in a nearby safe under the bar. She took a notepad nearby alongside with a pencil and wrote Callum’s name with the amount of money next to it. She could then mark off some bits for every drink the human ordered and pay him his change when he wanted her to.

“Ya sure y’all don’t want me to pay for mahself?” Applejack asked, wrapping her left fore-hoof around her glass of cider. Callum gave her a nod, she smiled in return “Well, thank ya kindly Callum.” She took her first sip of the warm crispy cider. She let out a refreshed sigh when she finished swallowing. It wasn’t as great as Apple family cider but it was still pretty good.

“Thanks Cal!” Pinkie cheered happily as she consumed the entire drink within a couple of seconds. This grabbed a look of sheer amazement from Callum, knowing that she will be a worthy opponent for a drinking game.

“So how’s everypony doin’ tonight?” Vinyl said down the microphone, grabbing a loud cheer from the crowd.

“I said. How is everypony doin’ tonight!?” The white unicorn DJ yelled down the microphone, getting an even louder cheer from the crowd. A sly grin emerged on her face. This is what she loved, hearing everypony chant out her name before she got to work.

Clearing her throat, she reduced her volume “Now, before I get started.” She looked towards the bar, seeing Callum talking to the new barmare “Cal, get up here!”

“One sec.” Callum chugged his drink, slamming his glass onto the counter before going up to the stage. Some of the crowd let out a gasp of amusement when they saw him approach the stage. He could hear their whispers, most being pinpointing that he must be one of the humans.

“What do ya need Vi?” He said, his voice was slightly amplified from the nearby microphone for everyone to hear.

“Has Ash turned up yet?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nnnnnn-“ Callum cut himself off when he noticed his friend was leaning on the club’s entrance door frame, arms folded with a smug grin plastered on his face “Never mind.” Callum gestured for his pal to join him on the stage. Members of the crowd turned around to see the human walk up to the stage.

“How can I be of service?” Ashley asked, using a slightly posh voice once he took his place next to Vinyl.

“Do you have that uuhhhh...MP3?” Ashley nodded to confirm her question, pulling out the device from his pocket, waving it in front of the unicorn’s eyes. Ponies wondered what was going on but they saw the DJ’s toothy grin grow wider and wider. Vinyl turned to the microphone to speak to the crowd “Now here’s how it’s going to go down. This here MP3 contains music from another world and luckily for me, Ash has agreed to let me play a song for all of ya. Don’t worry ponies, it will be epic.”

The crowd became easily excited from hearing the news. Ashley let Vinyl take hold of his MP3 with her magic.

“Vinyl...” Ashley lowered himself to her level and whispered into her ear “How are you going to amplify the song to the crowd since your species lack computers?”

With a smile, she pat the human on the head “Don’t you worry about a thing. Just tell me how you got the song to play and leave the rest to me.”

Shrugging it off, Ashley turned on the device, scrolling to the same song that Callum shown the DJ the night before. Once selected, he gave Vinyl a nod before she used her magic to levitate it in front of her. She plugged in the earphones into the device and her ears. She begun to listen to the song’s intro, her horn began to glow wildly. Both humans noticed that her DJ set and the huge speakers that were accompanying it also shared the same glow as the DJ’s horn.

Of course... The humans thought to themselves Magic.

Immediately, the song began to play through the speakers. Ponies watched as Vinyl began to bop her head to the beat, taking the hint to start dancing. They found the alien music to be quite exhilarating, some ponies had glow sticks around their necks, and some would sway them around to make colourful light shows which looked quite amazing from the human’s perspectives.

In the centre of the crowd, Pinkie Pie was dancing around the entire floor, letting the music take her. Both humans laughed at her dancing, for a pony, she was doing pretty well. But then again, Ashley didn’t really know how ponies could dance, Callum was able to witness the sight the night before when he worked at the bar.

“Hey Ash.” Callum began to walk of the stage “What do ya want to drink? I’ll buy.”

Rubbing his chin with his right hand, he took a moment of silence to make his decision “Gimme a bottle of the strongest thing they have here.” He accompanied his reply with sly grin, turning back to Vinyl who was clearly enjoying the song. Since she was a pretty cool unicorn, he wondered if he could show her another song, but not right now as he wanted to keep it a surprise for her. The song had to be club worthy, but since he was a more a fan of rock, he guessed that Callum would be more ideal in choosing to show the unicorn yet again.

Callum took note of what his pal requested, a whole frigging bottle. Selfish but then again, Ashley had been through a lot more in Equestria than Callum has so he dismissed the thought of his friend being selfish. Callum walked up to the booth in the corner where Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy had seated themselves. Noticing the human approaching them, they all gave him a smile to which he returned. The song that Callum had shown Vinyl was still being blasted by the humongous speaker system the club had. It took the human a while to dodge the dancing ponies, but, being taller had its advantage, allowing him to see open gaps and he was more noticeable by the crowd.

“So what do you girls want?” The human asked the group of mares that were accompanying him that night.

“I’ll...Of...” The music was way too loud for the human to hear Twilight’s voice. He leant over the table and put his ear much closer to her muzzle. The lavender unicorn gave a the human a puzzled look but dismissed it as soon as she realized that it was too loud for the human to hear her. Repeating herself with a slightly louder, clearer tone “I’ll have a glass of cider.”

The human gave a swift nod before looking towards the other three mares in his presence. The music proved too loud so it came to the point of the human trying to lip read what they wanted. Rarity went on about some kind of wine, Callum heard the word Rosemary, or was it Merlot? It doesn’t matter, wine is wine and that’s all it should be. He sort of guessed that she would want something like that, it was Rarity of course. Rainbow Dash was the only one capable of being loud enough for the human to hear, asking for a Liquid Rainboom, as well as telling the human that it was for her so he wouldn’t have to pay for it, y’know, since she did help invent it after all. When it came to Fluttershy however, this was the very source of difficulty. Not only is her normal voice incredibly quiet, which is easily covered up by someone else’s voice, but it didn’t help with the blaring music in the background. Lip reading was futile since she hid part of her face behind her mane. It came to the point of the human becoming fed up that he had to manually move her mane out of her face to read her lips. Something about a glass of lemonade, or something like that, it was a shame that she wanted something non-alcoholic but who was he to judge the mare’s choice?

10PM

“Gather round mares and stallions!” Vinyl said into the microphone. She turned down the music to the point that everypony could speak to each other without having to raise their voices. The DJ was styling a smirk as she continued on “We’ve got a showdown!” She practically yelled into the microphone, pointing her left forehoof at the two humans at a table, accompanied with Pinkie, Rainbow and Applejack, all eager to start.

The crowd looked over to the small group and cheered. Neon was standing in front of the table where the humans sat, facing the crowd.

“Alright, settle down everypony.” The barmare began, waiting for the crowd to settle down before continuing “We haven’t had a showdown for a long time and I know that I speak for us all when it comes to wanting to see how well the humans with compete.”

“Aye!” Callum exclaimed with a toothy grin. Ashley somehow acquired a top hat from a mare on her hen night, all he had to do was pose in a picture for her and he received the accessory, a fair trade. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

Neon laughed, shaking her head slightly “Settle down Cal. There’s only one rule.” Both humans cocked an eyebrow at the unicorn “Pass out or leave the table and it’s game over for you. You can call quits whenever you want.”

The new barmare, or as Ashley was capable of finding out, Sprits, had lugged over glasses of Liquid Rainboom with her magic. Neon decided to help carry half of the number with her magic to speed things up a little. They set them down onto the table, some of the glasses had clinked against each other but there were no spillages. Pinkie was already drooling slightly at the sight, Rainbow was eager to begin, showing her enthusiasm by rubbing her forehooves together. Applejack cracker her neck with the look of sheer determination on her face, Ashley’s eyes were half open, making him look bored while Callum was already holding onto one of the glasses, taking a look at the drink before him.

“On your mark.” Neon said. The crowd held onto her words. The contestants leant towards the drinks slightly, all except Ashley. Truth be told, it took Callum the whole hour of convincing to get his best friend to partake in the event.

“Get set.” The ponies wrapped a hoof around a glass each, smiles on their faces.

“GO!” Both the crowd and Neon shouted, the contestants were off like a gunshot. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were gulping down their drinks as fast as they can, taking breaks to have a quick breath. Callum was chugging down his first drink like it was nothing, Ashley took a sip of his and became intrigued in the citrusy flavour.

This stuff ain’t half bad. He began chugging his down at a faster rate than Callum, Pinkie was tying with the black haired human easily.

The crowd was astonished by the speed that Ashley tore through his drinks. Pinkie had just began her last one, Callum was half way through his fourth, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were beginning their third. Everyone stopped drinking and shot a look at Ashley in surprise.

He just beat Pinkie Pie, an incredible feat to which no one had achieved, until that night.

“What?” Ashley asked with a smirk “It was citrusy. Ah ain’t explaining shit.” He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back on his chair, looking quite smug. The others quickly went back into the contest almost immediately. Pinkie had finished second with a loud ‘wheeeew!’ which grabbed a few laughs from the crowd and Vinyl. Callum finished a close third, followed by Rainbow Dash and finally Applejack.

“I thought this would be a challenge?” Ashley asked “That stuff was weak as hell. Give us some of that Celestial Flare stuff instead, that’ll make things interesting.”

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Rainbow interjected “Now, I’m all for strong drinks, but that is just crazy!”

“What’s the matter Dash?” Callum teased, folding his arms on the table “Are ya chicken? Can’t handle playing with the big dogs?”

“WOOF WOOF WOOF!” Both humans barked loudly before they went into a fit of laughter, receiving a look of sheer determination from the cyan Pegasus.

“You’re on!” Rainbow Dash emphasised her agreement with a hard smash of her hoof onto the table.

** 10:21 PM **

“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” The crowd cheered along. The contest was a close one with the humans in the lead. Ashley was able to get a taste of the so called ‘strongest drink they served’ earlier that night. It was very similar to vodka on earth but with about ninety percent of the alcohol, although, it did burn the throats of the contestants when they drank it. Applejack had called it quits after her third shot of the whiskey. As it turned out, alcohol affects ponies more drastically than a human.

Who knew?

Even though she called it quits, she was easily titled ‘drunk’, a success in Callum’s eyes. Rarity and Twilight were a little tipsy from their drinks while Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t have anything and stuck to beverages like fruit juice.

“Gaaaahhh...” Rainbow exclaimed after consuming her fifth shot. She was finding it incredibly difficult to force the burning liquid down her throat, “No more-sh.” She slurred, looks like she was the second to fall under the drunken title of defeat.

“You feeling anything yet Ash?” Callum asked, examining the empty shot glass in his hand.

“Fuck you.” Ashley spat with a smile, slamming the bottle of Celestial Flare onto the table. Callum shook his head, smiling as he poured himself another shot.

Yep. Callum thought to himself He’s drunk. After all, Ashley was in the lead with one and a half bottles consumed. Callum was just a little bit behind while Pinkie was at two but even she was showing affects of being under the influence. Her usual zippiness had came down a tad, her words were slightly slurred (more noticeable when she would try to say a large sentence without stopping for a breather.) and her left eyelid was closed a teeny bit.

“Y’all are wimps.” Callum said smugly, grimacing from another mouthful of the whiskey as it went down his throat.

“Fuck off.” Ashley playfully shoved his pal in the arm before taking another sip of his bottle, alongside with the inevitable recoil of the burn, after which he smiled “Y’all just jealous because yer not feeling anything yet.”

“Actually. I’m feeling the buzz right now.” Callum corrected his friend, shooting him a smirk “But I’ll be there soon mate.”

** Time: 10:56PM **

Pinkie had called it quits after she couldn’t handle the taste anymore. She needed something sweet so she left the table to get another Liquid Rainboom. Of course, on her way to the bar, she wobbled a bit. Since she broke the rule of the game, she was disqualified but she admitted that the game was fun. The crowd had shrunk in size, but, that didn’t mean the ponies left the building. Instead, they went back to dancing or ordering drinks which meant that Neon and Sprits had to go back to the bar. Only Callum and Ashley remained. Applejack and Rainbow were watching the humans with peaked interest, as were Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity.

“Come on Assshhh.” Rainbow giggled while struggling to walk next to the human, but managed to do so in the end. She stood up on her hind legs, leaning her upper body on Ashley’s side for balance “You can do thish.”

“Ah know Ah can.” Ashley said, as it turned out, he really favoured on the southern accent when he was in his drunken state “Ah ain’t gonna lose to some ass pirate.”

“Hey Ash.” Callum said flatly, turning his head to his friend. Ashley raised an eyebrow at him, Callum took in a large breath...

“Do you want, ‘cause a pirate is free!” Callum began to sing, his words were slightly slurred but were still very clear.

“You are a pirate!” Ashley began to sing as well, grabbing weird looks from Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight. Rainbow however, was trying to suppress going into a giggling fit, as was Applejack

“Yar har, fiddle di dee.” Callum continued the song, waving his bottle of Celestial Flare into the air, grinning from ear to ear.

“Being a pirate is alright to be.”

“Do what you want ‘cause a pirate is free.”

“YOU ARE A PIRATE!” Ashley wrapped his right arm over Callum’s shoulder, both humans were too busy laughing at themselves, the group of mares accompanying them couldn’t help but join in.

“Wait...” Callum turned slightly more serious once his laughter calmed down “Do you remember the rest of the song?” Ashley shook his head in disagreement “Fair do’s.” Shrugging, Callum took another mouthful of Celestial Flare, the burning sensation kept on varying its severity with every mouthful, but nevertheless, they still burned on the way down.

“So how’s everyone doin’?” Callum asked. He pointed his index towards Ashley “You’re drunk.”

“Ah’m not drunk, Ah just have coordination problems.” Ashley sniggered.

Callum moved his index finger towards Applejack, who was trying hard to keep herself up straight. “You’re drunk.”

“Ah’m not *hic* drunk.” She slammed her hoof onto the table... Well, that was what she was hoping for, but instead she had missed the table completely and dived straight towards the ground.

“I think shumpony has had enough for *hic* one night.” Twilight drunkenly giggled, her words were hardly even understandable. Both humans wondered how many drinks she has had already since they didn’t see her drink much, then again, they were too busy focusing on their little competition earlier. The same could be said about Rarity.

Callum shrugged, pointing towards Rainbow Dash who hadn’t left Ashley’s side the entire time. She would keep leaning on him every so often. Everyone, including Ashley, thought that she was just using him for balance.

“You’re completely off your face, like A.J.” Callum stated. Rainbow Dash wasn’t even paying attention to the human, but was instead focusing on Ashley more, rubbing her cheek against his arm. Perfect. Callum thought to himself.

“Y’know Rainbow.” Callum snapped his fingers in front of the mare’s face, grabbing half of her attention “If I was to investigate your body language right now, you’re currently staying near Ashley so that he can’t run away when you drag his ass into bed tonight.” He accompanied the sentence with a wink and a cheeky grin.

“...Wha-?” Was the only sound that left Rainbows lips, it took a few seconds for her brain to process what Callum said.

...

Ding. Realization hit her hard in the face, as did the heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t muster a response to Callum’s sentence, if she could, it would be in disgust. But then again, she started to remember the mixed feelings she had towards the human. Her answer was taking too long so Ashley interjected.

“Cal, y’all know that Ah’m dating Grey now.”

“Last time I checked.” Callum playfully poked his friend in the arm, with a smirk “To be dating someone, you have to take them on a date first.”

“Ooooooo!” Applejack, Rarity (who was also drunk) and Twilight teased.

“He has *hic* got you there, Ashley.” Twilight chuckled.

“Ah don’t shee why they don’t.” Applejack teased with a mischievous smirk once she set herself back onto her chair “Y’all two sheem to be reeeeeeeaaaal close to be friendssh.”

“Ah-hahahaha, no.” Ashley faked the laughter, turning dead serious “Callum seems to be with ya a lot A.J.” He put his elbows on the table, hands supporting his chin as a smile emerged “So the same can be said with ya and him goin’ at it like animals, maybe throw in a rope as well. Word on the street is that y’all like that sorta thang.”

Even though he was playing around, Applejack was seething with anger. Her teeth were gritting against each other, one would thing she was starting to file them into a powder with how hard she was rubbing them against one another. Her eyes were practically screaming “I will beat you with your own detached limbs until you die.” The mare was ready to leap over the table to strangle the human but it wasn’t long until Rainbow Dash smacked Ashley around the back of his head with a frown on her face.

“What they do ish their businessh.” She spoke with a dead serious tone before going into a giggling fit. Ashley rubbed the back of his head where the cyan Pegasus smacked him, her hoof did make it hurt a lot.

“Thanksh fer that R.D.” Applejack drunkenly smiled, a brief warm chuckle had escaped her mouth at the Pegasus’ attack on the human. Once her laughter ceased, she turned to the human with a frown “Mah mind still thinksh that y’all are way too close to be nothin’ but friends.”

“I would have to shay the *hic* same thing, darling.” Rarity seemed to a bit wasted, not as much as Rainbow Dash or Applejack but drunk nonetheless. Callum smiled to himself, saying in his mind that the night was a success except for Fluttershy, but, he wasn’t going to force the canary yellow Pegasus to do something she didn’t want to.

“When da fuck did this turn into an intervention or somethin’ like that?” Ashley asked, his tone was one of amusement “Ah don’t know about Rainbow havin’ any feelin’s for me, she’s a good friend y’know?”

Ouch… Callum thought to himself, he flinched a very, very small amount. Right into the friend-zone. Way to go Ash...

Callum noticed the slight look of sadness that swept over Rainbow Dash’s face. From his angle, Ashley couldn’t see the damage he had done with that one sentence on the mare.

A good friend... Rainbow thought to herself, knowing that the very words would plague her. What if she didn’t want to be just friends? Why didn’t she act on her emotions when the human carried her to Fluttershy’s after their race? Then again, she wasn’t too sure back then. She knew that Ashley tried his best not to keep her upset and was a good friend to her, even if they did start their friendship with a powerful hit to the human’s crotch. Her mind didn’t change about the way she felt towards him, and she couldn’t see it changing in the near future.

She would have to think about it more. Realizing the looks she was getting from Callum. She put on a fake smile but her eyes still revealed her disheartened state. Looking over towards Callum, she saw him nudge his head towards the door, his eyes switching from the door to the Pegasus, gesturing that he wanted to talk to her outside.

“Well.” Ashley slid Rainbow Dash off himself carefully, making sure she didn’t lose balance. He wobbled a bit when he stood up straight. “Ah’m gonna go see Vinyl, maybe get a drink afterwards.” He began to make his way through the half drunken crowd of dancing ponies towards the white unicorn that was bopping her head to the beat of the techno song which was filling the room at that moment.

Everyone around the table was quiet, Callum was the only one staring at the cyan Pegasus who watched Ashley walk away. The silence was riddled with awkwardness but that didn’t stop them from acting like it never happened.

“Oh, Hey Ash.” Vinyl greeted the human with a toothy smile “What can I do for ya?”

“Ah’m song and ah want you to play a drunk of mine.” He slurred cheerfully

Shaking her head with a giggle, she placed down a nearby pair of white and electric blue headphones, their brand name appeared to be ‘Electric wave’, her favourite brand due to their ability to cancel noise, brilliant sound quality and were comfortable to wear, not to mention they were the DJ’s sponsor. “Do you mean you want me to play a song?” Ashley nodded quickly but regretted it later, the dizziness struck him rapidly as he forced himself onto leaning on the nearby speaker.

“Hoof over your MP3 player and we’ll get started...” She said as she laughed at the human’s tumble.

(A/n: I’ll put a link here when I get home.)

Time: 00:13AM

Meanwhile across the town, a certain grey Pegasus had finally completed her latest set of work. The tedious routine of checking boxes, checking through mail, taking said mail to the correct recipients, get yelled at by those who wanted privacy. Being the weekend, everypony just wanted to go home and relax, and they were able to, unlike Grey.

She cradled a hot brew of coffee in her fore-hooves, using a small towel to wrap the mug in order to stop herself from being scalded by the incredibly hot coffee. Sure, it was late to be drinking caffeine but her body demanded the bitter flavoured concoction. She had been looking forward towards this mug all day, like every morning when she came to work.

Shockwave sat opposite the grey Pegasus, a half empty glass of iced tea with a hint of cranberry inside. He too was fatigued but he had to be awake, just in case if trouble was going to occur during the night. Some ponies and alcohol just don’t mix, he knew from experience. A faint smile ran across his face as he stared down at his beverage.

I know what ponies are capable while intoxicated... He thought to himself, his eyes widened a tiny bit as he continued But what about those two humans? Ashley alone killed a large number of diamond dogs, and even then, their fight with the other guards was brutal...

Ashley has always surpassed Callum when it comes to violence... Killing. Breaking bones, snapping off horns... This human doesn’t know how far he goes...

I have to sober him up, but I can’t let Grey Ink know. She’ll think that I don’t trust him, even though I do... To some extent.

“What’s the matter Shocky?” Grey Ink teased. She knew that only she could get away with calling him that, but that didn’t stop the unicorn stallion from giving a look of annoyance. “I can tell when something is up with you.”

“It’s nothing.” Shockwave replied flatly, taking a brief sigh before continuing. He knew that Grey would keep pestering him until she got what she wanted, one of the many things he liked about her. “Well, sort of. I’m just worried about Callum and Ash.”

“Go on.”

“It’s just that...” He remained silence for a brief second “I wonder what Callum and Ash are like while their outta their minds on alcohol.”

“They’d be more likely not being able to manage to walk very far without falling over, being loud and obnoxious and generally, having a good time.” Grey Ink giggled “I would’ve thought you would know about that, seeing that you were similar.”

Shockwave shared a brief laugh with the pegasus

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“E-excuse me sir.” A guard said from behind the captain. Turning around, Shockwave noticed it was a female guard; her coat was a light form of yellow, similar to Fluttershy’s. She seemed to be an earth pony, due to there not being a horn on her forehead and the lack of wings on her sides.

“Yes private?” The captain replied with a sense of authority “Well? Go on then.”

“...We’ve got some trouble with Callum and Ashley.”

...For Celestia sake. Both the captain and grey Pegasus hopped out of their seats, eager to see the problem.

I really hope that you found this chapter somewhat amusing. After all, I’d rather give you this than just let the story die without any more updates.

Now, onto a very important matter. Remember what I said about there being a bonus chapter? Well, submissions are still being taken so get those questions in!

Here’s what you do:

Subject: Special chapter Q's

(Format for questions)

Character name: (You can put more than one character's name in here. E.g. = Character name: Luna and Celestia, All characters, Etc.)

Question: (Your question, or questions go here.)

(Visual aid if you don’t understand it. The questions can be about anything! The more questions, the longer the bonus chapter will be. I’ve already got some really interesting questions already but I’d like to see some more. Submissions will be closed three days after the next chapter is out (Hopefully, one these following weekdays.) and then I’ll begin working on the bonus. I’ll let you all know when submissions close.

If you need any help when it comes to asking the questions, please, feel free to contact me whenever you see fit via my PM box. I’ll be on FiM Fiction everyday so I’ll respond A.S.A.P.

Also, I’m really surprised that during the inactivity of this story, I was still managing to receive views. Last time I checked it was about 34k views and now look at it! Favourites are now 212 which, in my opinion, is a pretty staggering number and views are soon to reach 40k. This will really help motivate me towards churning out updates. I’ll be changing some of my methods for this story (Mostly how I’ll plan future chapters and the main story line but the ending will still be the same.)

I’ll just end this author’s note here since it is pretty big.

Drinking makes everything better: Part 5: Those Celestia damn humans!

Once reaching outside of the station, Shockwave and Grey Ink were greeted by a mixture of both male and female guards; there were nine in total, three unicorns, three earth and three pegasi. Grey and Shockwave were both riddled with worry to what the humans would do and what would happen to them.

“Alright. Give me a brief on the situation.” Shockwave demanded, taking his experience in leadership and using it for the circumstances before him.

The mare that told him about the humans stepped forward, giving a salute as she began “Sir. We’ve received numerous reports from civilians that the humans are both being loud and causing much havoc. Word is that they are currently intoxicated and are ignoring our means of stopping them.”

“Alright. Keep going.”

“Well.” The mare put her hoof back on the cobblestone floor “Last I heard was they are being accompanied by the element bearers, who are also the same except for the element of kindness, Fluttershy.”

“What has she been doing?”

“She’s been trying to help us, sir. But, she can only do so much. She’s trying her best to keep the humans calm but they just keep making each other rowdy again.”

“Alright, I know what we have to do.” Shockwave said with a sigh “We have to separate the humans. If they ever get violent, flee. Trust me when I say this, you do not want to get on the bad side of Ashley. As for Callum, he would probably be the same or maybe worse. I don’t know nor do I want to. Now, let’s go.”

“YEEEEE HAAAW!” Callum screamed out in pure joy. For the past several minutes, the human had been wearing a certain orange mare’s Stetson as he rode her around the town. It was a bit shocking seeing the mare being able to lift the human so easily. That, and the fact that Twilight managed to put a spell on the humans to make them feel lighter.

“Alright.” Applejack panted “It’sh mah turn now!”

“Damn.” Callum said as he got off of the mare “A deal’s a deal.” He lowered himself towards the ground, allowing Applejack to hop onto his back before he stood up. Her forelegs wrapped over his shoulders, hooves meeting at the middle of his chest. Her hind legs locked into position at belt height. Callum had his hands gripping each of the mare’s hind hooves to make sure she wouldn’t fall off.

“You good?” Callum asked with a toothy grin. Applejack gave him a nod, taking her hat of his head and putting it on her own. “Great. Now... ONWARDS TO ADVENTURE!”

CRASH!

“Ugh...” Rainbow Dash managed to let out an pain filled groan, learning that having a human on her back during flight is not the best plan she had. After their head on collision with a bunch of crates that were pretty much destroyed now, both human and Pegasus struggled to stand back onto their own feet/hooves.

“Ah told ya that banking left was a bad idea.” Ashley stated with a brief laugh, even though his body was in agony from their recent collision.

Playfully punching the human in the chest with her hoof, Rainbow Dash managed to let out a chuckle “Last time I checked, you leaned your body to the left, leaving me no choice.”

“Oh yeah... Hehe. Totally worth it.” Both human and Pegasus noticed Callum and Applejack laughing at their injuries but they dismissed them almost instantly.

“Hey.” Rainbow poked the brown haired human in the chest, hard. “Remember our deal?”

“Yeah yeah yeah. Ah remember.” Ashley sighed “Ah’ll go ahead with it when Ah’m all sobered up... That’s if Ah’ll remember it at all. As part of the agreement, hop on.” Ashley stood up, wobbling from being light headed and in pain but that soon passed. Rainbow hovered herself onto the human’s back in the same style as Callum and Applejack. Ponies sure do like being carried...

“And what’s this deal I’m hearing about?” Callum leaned a bit with a sly smile plastered on his face “I bet it’s something... Naaaaaaaauuuuuughty.”

“It’s the deal where Ah remove yer balls if ya keep interfering with mah life.” Ashley scolded. Callum glanced downwards for a brief moment, looking back up to his friend with a dead serious face.

“You wouldn’t...” Ashley raised an eyebrow at his pal, accompanied by a rather menacing smirk. Callum finally hit the realization that his friend would do that, all Ash needed was the correct motivation and he would have to say goodbye to one of things that made him a man.

...

“GET AWAY FROM ME YOU CRAZY FOOL!” Callum screamed as he began high tailing it away from his friend, still carrying Applejack who was having trouble keeping her hat on. Although, her giggling could be heard by Rainbow and Ash as the distance grew between them.

“You’re such a jerk.” Rainbow slurred, tapping Ash on the head with her hoof.

“Perhaps.” Ashley shrugged “But Ah’m a lovable jerk, right?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t reply, she was too busy focusing on the human’s warm body against hers. Being past midnight, it was in fact quite chilly but she didn’t feel the cold since she had just been flying, not the best thing to while drunk. Flying requires coordination and focus, both things she lacked in her current state but she still managed to do so.

“...Right?”

Shaking her head to break free of her thoughts, she quickly replied “Huh? Oh, uuhh, yeah. You’re pretty cool. But, y’know, not as cool as me.” Her words were hardly even recognisable, but, luckily for him he could just make out what she slurred.

Ashley rolled his eyes with a warm laugh. It was time for them to try and find the others...

“The hay happened here?” The squad of pegasi decided to land after a ten minute flight, due to them finding a bunch of destroyed crates. The squad consisted of two females and a male.

“I don’t know Light Feather.” One of the mares said to the other, pointing at on the fragments of the wooden storage box “Is... Is that blood?”

“Hmmm...” The stallion knelt down next to the piece with a few droplets of blood on it, picking it up in his fore-hooves. Light Feather began searching other parts of the wreckage “It looks like it. But the question is, whose blood is it?” The stallion prodded the crimson liquid with his hoof “It’s still a bit warm so it’s fresh... Got any clue Hot Pursuit?”

Light Feather wasn’t paying attention to her co-worker. She was too fascinated with searching for clues. It reminded her of her foalhood, playing detective with her older sisters. Using her left fore-hoof to push around the planks of broken wood, she immediately found something.

“Hey.” She called out loud enough to the two guards in her patrol “I’ve found something.” She picked up the light, soft object in her mouth, using her teeth to grip it.

“Is that... A feather?” Hot Pursuit asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Light Feather spat out the feather, watching it’s slow, light descent to the cold cobblestone floor.

“Not just a feather... But the Rainbow Dash’s feather. Y’know what this means Torn?”

Both Hot Pursuit and the stallion glanced at one another, switching their attention to their Pegasus comrade.

“Ladies...” The stallion known as Torn smirked “We’ve got ourselves a lead.”

Both mares smiled before the trio took to the skies, in search for the cyan Pegasus to see if she knew the location of the humans.

Canterlot Castle

This...

This is truly amazing!

Luna was once again alone in her night court. She would’ve fell asleep by now, but, she had to be appreciative towards Ashley for letting her examine his weapon during the night of solitude. The metal object was fascinating just to look at. Of course, she found out that it could be taken apart, but, she wouldn’t want to risk breaking it. She knew that she’d need Ashley to guide her through the process. Then again, she could always just order him to do so. Realizing that she was basically abusing her control of the human, she dismissed the thought. She could always just ask him nicely, hoping he would oblige in guiding her with dissembling the human weapon.

Curiosity, it can either be good or bad, most hope for the first option. Or maybe would the correct term be experiment? Either way Luna’s own thoughts riddled around the out of this world weapon. How does it feel when it is being used? What does it sound like? How fast do these ‘bullets’ travel when fired from a ponies perspective? All these thoughts could be settled, with one. Single. Experiment...

Hmmm... Maybe he won’t mind if I use it... Just this once... Luna looked around curiously, making sure no pony would see her, she teleported to her chambers for privacy, taking both of the humans belongings that were given to her that night.

Ponyville

As it turned out, keeping the others out of trouble seemed to be not only demanding for Fluttershy, but stressful too. The worse pony for it was Pinkie, it was bad enough when she was sober but when she was intoxicated? All hell broke loose once they left the club. The pink party pony irresponsibly fired her party cannon into several random directions, one of those directions being towards Twilight. Unlucky for the lavender unicorn, using magic was both unpredictable and highly dangerous. She didn’t want to risk attempting to teleport out of the cannon’s range, unless she wanted to end up... Oh, I don’t know, let’s go with inside the royal castle. Not bad? Maybe with her insides on the outside instead... Yeah... Not the best option to go with.

She learnt this from a previous mistake, well, she would call it a mistake but others would see it as a gift of sorts. Those others would be the two humans, to which she tried to catch them with a levitation spell when they ran around with Applejack’s hat. Of course, Twilight was quite mellow and couldn’t really run after the humans without falling into a drunken purple mess on the cold cobblestone floor. There was also the fact that she knew it was all just a joke so, she couldn’t help but playfully try to chase the humans with playful laughter contaminating her.

After around ten minutes of giving chase, humans climbing on rooftops which awoke the inhabitants of the houses...

“What the hay do you think you’re doing!?” This was one of the many things said to the humans this night by the ponies which they had awoken. Of course, there were threats amongst other things. Such as:

“You better get your flank down from there before I pound your flank into the ground!” A rather pissed off, tan coloured Pegasus stallion was the one to say this, not realizing that he could’ve just signed his death warrant.

“Hey.” Callum said from the rooftop to the Pegasus “I guess we both have something in common.”

“And what would that be?”

“We both like to pound ass, too bad I only go for girls, sorry lad.” He replied before going into a giggling fit. Twilight, Rarity and Applejack couldn’t help but join with the infectious laughter. Rainbow and Ashley were talking on the roof top, their laughter could be heard as well.

The stallion clenched his teeth before leaving with a frustrated huff as he went back into his home.

“Hey *hic* Callum.” Twilight called up to the human, who was now hanging from the rooftop like a monkey. He tilted his head to the side slightly “Don’t think *hic* you’re getting away that *hic* easily!” With that, Callum’s feet hit the ground with a small thud.

“You’ll never take me alive copper!” Twilight was already trying her best to give chase, Applejack decided to help as did Rarity. After all, who wouldn’t want to have fun chasing him? Ashley quickly got off the roof in the attempt to flee, only to be tackled by a certain cyan Pegasus from behind during mid-fall.

“Ah-ha!” Rainbow triumphantly shouted “Who’s faster than who now?!”

Shoot. Ashley thought to himself, he wanted to escape, but the question was how. It wasn’t long until an idea struck his mind “If y’all let me go... Ah’ll... Uhhh...”

“Oh, what’sh that? I can’t hear ya over how awesome I am!” Rainbow’s face was styling a well deserved smirk during this time “So, are ya going to beg for mercy?”

She felt the human shrug since her fore-hooves were planted on his back. “Ah’ll do whatever you want if ya let me go.” Ashley replied with a toothy grin, trying sound as desperate as possible but it couldn’t be helped with the breaking of laughter

“Hmmm...” Rainbow lifted a hoof to her chin, a big mistake since Ashley was capable of escaping her capture. She cursed herself for letting her guard down.

“Rookie mistake Rainbow, always keep yer guard up.” Ashley stated rather smugly, wiping the front of his jacket with his hands in the attempt to remove as much dirt as possible.

Quick to think, Rainbow managed to counter “Well, I did let you go so now you have to do what I want.” She set herself to a hover, wobbling from time to time since she wouldn’t always beat her wings at the same time. The cyan Pegasus folded her fore-hooves with a smug grin plastered on her muzzle.

“Oh, Ah see what ya done. So, what’ll it be?” It wasn’t long before Rainbow hovered herself next to the human’s ear, leaning on him for balance once more. She felt a small amount of heat rise to her cheeks, luckily for her, Ashley was drunk enough not to notice her blush. Ashley nodded before taking off after Callum, Rainbow however set herself on the ground and started to chase him, giggling like a school filly along the way.

It wasn’t long until Twilight activated the spell. After a couple missed attempts, she did hit her targets but not with the levitation, but instead the Lightweight spell, which was used to help lifting heavy ponies around and was also used to help mail ponies with bigger packages that would still manage to balance on their backs during flight.

After the spell hit, both humans did receive a rather painful headache, alongside feeling light headed for a few seconds once the spell hit.

“Got you!” Rarity said with the honour of victory as she pounced onto Callum’s back. Everyone looked at her as if she done something rather unladylike. Oh wait, she pretty much did. She gave them a quick smile “Just because I’m a *hic* lady, doeshn’t mean I *hic* don’t know how to jump onto somepony.”

“Mmmmm. Rarity, I guess from this that you like it rough.” Callum said in his usual lust filled voice, making everyone except Ashley blush, Rarity obviously being the worse one.

“Oh, I’m sorry *hic* Callum, I thought you liked it *hic* rough.” She said with a large amount of sarcasm before going into the pit of laughter. “I think Applejack would be suited better off with you!” She teased playfully. Applejack was in a fit of laughter as she took her hat back from the human, placing it proudly on her head before almost falling over from lack of balance.

“Perhaps...” Callum managed to raise a hand to his chin, rubbing it as if he was thinking something through. “Or maybe, since you both like it rough, you two can get it on while I watch.”

SMACK!

...

SMACK!

“Totally deserved that.” Callum chuckled to himself after taking his beating from both Applejack and Rarity. Note to self, don’t piss of Rarity, she’s the only seamstress you know who will make you clothes. Applejack on the other hand, she knows she likes hitting me.

“Yesh. Yesh ya did.” Applejack giggled.

Meanwhile with Ashley, his assailant was once again Rainbow Dash. She had her front hooves planted on his back once more, Twilight was in front of them both, looking down at Ashley with a smug grin.

“Two times in less than a quarter of an hour?” Rainbow lowered her head next to his ear, the smirk never leaving her face “Looks like you owe me for two things.”

“So basically, every time y’all get me on the ground, Ah owe ya somethin’?” Ashley asked, Rainbow nodded in return, raising her head back to where it was before. “And what if Ah win?”

“Beatsh me.” Rainbow chuckled with a shrug. Twilight however, was rather confused at the sight before her.

“Rainbow, what did *hic* you want Ashley to do the first time?”

“That’s a secret Twi.” Ashley groaned. Rainbow nodded, eyes closed with a smile. She basically was saying that what the human said was right. Twilight huffed in annoyance, still wanting to know but she dismissed it quickly, after all, it was a night for fun.

Canterlot Castle, Luna’s chambers.

Why...

...

WHY WON’T THIS BLASTED THING WORK!? I SHOULD SEND IT TO THE MOON FOR DISOBEYING ME!

It was basically inevitable, Luna was having trouble with firing the weapon. Every time she tried to squeeze the trigger with her magic, it wouldn’t budge. How come it was not working?

She let out a yell of frustration, throwing the object onto her bed. She didn’t want to risk breaking it by throwing it out of the window and over the balcony, or at a high enough speed towards the wall to make it shatter. She took a deep breath to help calm herself as she slowly trotted over to her bed. She removed her traditional royal shoes from her hooves. As great as they were, they still annoyed her.

“Ahhhh...” She lightly moaned in relief from removal of her shoes, feeling the cold marble floor beneath her hooves was relaxing but this was mostly due to the fact that it was cold. Activating her magic, she lifted the hand gun near her face, looking at its side. She shifted herself onto her soft bed, lying on top of her silk blankets.

Tell me your secrets... She thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes at the metal object. She began examining its details more carefully, stumbling upon a key feature of the weapon.

“Safety...?” She said to herself, given to that nopony else was in her room.

Is this what is stopping me?

She shrugged before using her magic to turn off the safety. She brought the weapon to in front of her, looking down the sight.

“What to aim at...” She looked around her room, looking for the most disposable object in her vicinity. She noticed a small pile of books, ones she knew that held no importance any more. ‘How to speak modern Equestrian’ was the book title. She had to thank the author of this book one day. it had helped her tremendously when it came to ditching the ways of old Equestrian. Seeing as she had no use for it any more, as well as knowing that she could always replace it, she levitated the book into the air in the centre of her room.

“Alright...Easy...” She lightly bit onto her tongue, narrowing her eyes as she looked down the weapon’s sight. She held her breath for the worst...

BANG

“OW! O ow ow ow!” Once she fired the weapon, she immediately regretted it. Even though she tried bracing herself, she didn’t expect the ear splitting sound to emit from the device. She threw the hand gun on the floor before she began rolling on her bed. Her hooves were planted against her ears as the ringing continued.

It wasn’t long before a certain bright light had begun to form in her room. Luna looked towards the light as soon as it faded.

There stood a very worried white alicorn prince. Celestia rushed to her sister’s side, seeing how much pain she was in as soon as she teleported.

Ponyville

“Mhmm. So you’re telling me that the humans were here not long ago?” Shockwave asked a house owner, as it turned out, it was the same tan pegasus stallion that confronted the humans earlier. Up in the sky, was a hovering Grey Ink who was on the lookout for Ashley and Callum, or the element bearers.

She hoped that they would be okay, more concerned for Ashley’s wellbeing but Callum was his friend, and hers as well.

“Yes, that’s right captain.” The stallion replied. “Why are they acting this way? If I might ask.”

The captain chuckled as he began to walk away, turning his head back for a single sentence. “They’re intoxicated.” The pegasus rolled his eyes with a very faint smile, waving off the captain before locking his door and retreating back to bed.

Grey Ink noticed Shockwave walking away from the house, gliding back down to the ground to meet him. “So, did you find out anything?”

“I was told that Callum and Ash were here earlier. Not much to work on but it’s still somewhat useful.” He replied as both ponies began to walk down the dark, near abandoned street. Visibility was okay due to the magic fuelled street lamps. Shockwave and Grey would stray their eyesight to different directions, looking down alleyways, sometimes Grey Ink would have to fly above roofs after learning that the humans had a tendency to climb onto them.

Well... Ashley prefers to do that... Grey Ink thought to herself, but that didn’t stop the worry inside her from rising.

“Ah’m tellin’ ya Cal. This night. It’s been pretty swell.”

“I agree with you there Ash, it’s been pretty good.” Callum replied, taking a bite out of a cupcake that Pinkie was able to supply. Nearby, a incredibly tired Fluttershy was panting like mad after chasing the pink party pony for so long.

Cringing as Callum began to chew, Ashley turned away to avoid the horrid sight but it was too late. The alcohol from that night made his stomach more uneasy towards the sugary treat, it wasn’t long until Ashley ran towards a nearby trash can and proceeded to empty his stomach contents into it.

“And he’s outta here!” Callum cheered as soon as he swallowed, Ashley merely gave his pal the middle finger before resuming to vomit.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy immediately rushed to Ashley’s side, rubbing his back with one of her fore-hooves. “Are you going to be alright?”

“Ugh... Ah think so.” Ashley groaned, spitting into the trash can to try and get rid of any excess vomit in his mouth. Fluttershy backed away a bit from him to do so. She was still scared of the human for what he did but he was the friend of her friends, and he didn’t mean to do what he did. After all, she still wanted to help him. It was just part of her nature.

“You should lay down and rest...If that’s okay with you...” She demanded in a slightly louder voice than normal, Ashley nodded before falling to the ground, defeated by the sight of a cupcake. He placed one of his hands on his stomach as he lay there on the cold street floor.

“Um... Ashley... You might want to get off the ground, you might get a cold.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Hehe... Ah’ve slept in colder places than this Fluttershy, and Ah still came out disease free.”

Fluttershy wouldn’t have any of it. She began to lift the human to a bench, both Callum and Ashley were traumatized by her strength. What they didn’t remember was the spell that was still applied to their bodies, allowing the canary yellow Pegasus to carry the human more easily.

“Cheers Fluttershy.” Ashley appreciate her gesture, but instead he stood back up and began to walk away, leaving a dazed Fluttershy in his midst.

“Huh... I wonder where he’s off to...” Callum said to Pinkie who was too busy having her fill of sugary treats that she pulled out of nowhere, like always.

Canterlot castle, Luna’s chamber

“Sister...” Celestia began, her voice was tinged with worry “What happened?”

Luna was still recovering from the loud bang that the handgun made. She pointed at the weapon on the floor and then the book. Celestia put one and one together, coming up with the conclusion that her sister used the weapon to hit the book, which she still failed at. The book remained whole while in the ceiling was a small dent, to which she guess was caused by the bullet. She pulled her sister’s head to her chest in the attempt to soothe her.

It took around five minutes until Luna was fully recovered from the ordeal, now Celestia would begin to ask questions.

“Okay. First off. How did you acquire this?” She levitated the handgun onto the bed, right in front of Luna. She stared at it before replying with an awkward smile.

“I maaaay have asked Ashley if I could have a look at it during night court tonight...”

“You did what!?”

“Oh please Tia, you and I both know how tedious attending court is.” Luna shifted her body to sit up against the wall, looking into her sister’s frustrated eyes. “And it doesn’t help when I’m the only one who attends night court!”

Celestia let out a brief sigh, she understood that boredom would eventually lead to curiosity.

“Then why did you activate it?”

“I wanted to see how it worked, to test it on a book to see what it is capable of on a small scale.”

Celestia was quiet, not to mention tired since she was supposed to have her rest right now.

“And don’t you go judging me.” Luna said, grabbing her sister’s attention “You would have done the same thing, I know it. To see a weapon from another world and to have the chance to examine it, tell me you wouldn’t take that opportunity to do so.”

Celestia sighed once more, Luna held a smug smile on her face which was basically saying ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’

“Fine. I suppose I would have done the same thing.” Celestia huffed, glancing between the weapon and her sister “What was it like?”

“What was what like?”

“Using the weapon.”

“Oh. It was loud but... Amazing to do at the same time. I want to try it out again but it hurt my ears so much that I do not want to.”

Celestia looked around the room, seeing the two bags that belonged to the humans. She walked over to Ashley’s and opened it via magic, taking a peek at its contents. Some small cartridges Maybe that is the ammunition for it. She thought to herself, levitating them out of the bag and onto Luna’s bed. Luna was slightly confused at what her sister was doing.

Celestia continued to search through Ashley’s bag, coming upon a small black object, levitating it onto the bed next to the ammo. The last object was a small gem next to the human’s knife. She looked at it briefly, seeing that it was clear as a diamond. Seeing as it was Ashley’s and probably held no purpose for the weapon, she placed it back into his bag before closing it up.

She turned around to see Luna attaching the small black object to the end of the weapon. The tip of Luna’s tongue stuck out of her closed lips, eyes narrowed as she focused on the task as much as possible.

“What are you doing?” Celestia asked, rushing to her side once more.

“Seeing how this fits and what it does.”

“But why can’t you just wait until later today to see Ashley or Callum to test it?”

The thought never occurred to Luna. She continued to ignore her sister as she continued to screw on the strange object. It fit the end of the handgun perfectly. Smiling as she levitated the book back up into the air, aiming the handgun at it.

Celestia felt a bead of sweat descend the side of her head. She quickly covered her ears with her hooves, just in case it would do the same to her as it did to Luna.

Luna squeezed the trigger, watching as the bullet sped through the book as if it was nothing. Her eyes were as big as saucers, truly amazed by what they witnessed. The biggest surprise was that her ears didn’t ache, but instead the weapon was incredibly quiet compared to last time. Did the attachment make the gun more silent? It must have done so.

Celestia looked over to her sister, who had a wide toothy grin plastered on her muzzle. Seeing that the sound didn’t affect her sister, Celestia removed her hooves from her ears, shooting a look of curiosity at her sister.

“What happened?” She asked the princess of the night.

“Just... Look at the book.” Luna said with bewilderment, her eyes still attached to the weapon in her magical grasp.

Celestia done so, seeing the book with a rather large hole going through all the pages, straight through the middle though a little bit to the left. Shredded pieces of paper were still floating down to the ground, some already were there by the time she looked. She turned her head back to Luna.

“It... Made it quiet.” Luna said softly “The loud bang is no more!”

“Really?” Luna nodded “Wow...” Celestia’s mouth hung wide open for a brief moment, staring at the weapon. She couldn’t but help test it out for herself.

“Is it... Okay if I can try?” Celestia asked shyly.

“There they are!” Grey Ink called down to Shockwave who immediately looked up at the grey Pegasus. “Follow me.” She shouted as she began to slowly descend to the humans, keeping herself slow enough for Shockwave to see where she was going.

As she neared the humans, she noticed a group of mares surrounding them, accompanied by a couple of stallions.

“Ah’m tellin’ ya. Ah didn’t do shit!” Ashley spat at one of the males.

“Yeah bucking right! I know it was you!” The unicorn stallion pointed a hoof accusingly at the brown haired human.

Judging from how the stallion talked, he must be slightly intoxicated as well. As for the group with him, Grey ink thought that they were his friends, maybe some were relationship partners. She hovered herself down in between the hot dispute, trying to put an end to it all.

“Alright. How about we just calm down and talk like civil adults.” She saw Ashley and Callum ease up slightly.

“Screw you!” one of the mares shouted back, getting closer to the grey Pegasus, gritting her teeth. “Who the buck do you think you are getting in other ponies business?!” Maybe it was the drinking that night that drove her to this, or it was the heat of then moment, or both. The mare raised her hoof to strike at Grey.

Grey Ink was about to flinch, Ashley was about to run over and kick the mare in the face if she went through with hitting Grey. Callum was ready to back up his friend just in case.

But, no sound of Grey being hit could be heard.

Shockwave stood in between the mare and Grey, his hoof blocking the attacker’s hit. The flame of pure rage could be seen in his eyes.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” He said calmly, but if listened carefully enough, the tinge of anger could be heard in his voice.

The mare immediately retreated to the group, ashamed when she realized that she was about to strike somepony who was trying to help.

“Good.” Shockwave said. “Because if you were going to go through with it, you would have to answer to me, Callum and Ashley. And for your information, attacking those two humans is classed as assault on a guard. A very severe offence. Not to mention that they know the princesses personally and even so, Ash and Cal would most likely brutally murder you.”

“Pfft, yeah right.” The unicorn stallion snorted.

“I am right.” The captain glared at the stallion. “If you actually paid attention to the news, you would have seen that what I just said is true. If you have a problem, strike it up with the princesses... or would you prefer to let me allow Ashley and Callum to have fun ripping off your horn? I’m sure Ashley has already done it to captain Night Wind.”

“W-what?! The captain Night Wind!?” Shockwave nodded “Nu-uh. You’re lying.”

“I wish I was.” Shockwave replied calmly. “Poor fella, he won’t be using magic for a while because of it.”

“He’s telling the truth Soft.” One of the mare’s spoke up “I watched the whole thing.”

“What!?” The rest of the mares, and the stallions said in shock.

“Why didn’t you say anything it about being them!?” ‘Soft’ asked.

“I did. You’re just a twit for not even realizing who they are! They’re like, the biggest thing in Equestria right now!” The mare gave a ‘are you fucking serious’ look at the group “But you lot were too busy yelling to even hear me.” The mare looked over at Ashley, giving him a wink “You might remember me from last night.”

Grey Ink’s ears perked up Last night? What happened last night?

“...Last night?” Ashley tried to figure out what the mare was implying.

“Remember Ruby?” The mare asked, Ashley nodded “It’s me. Sapphire, her friend who was laughing at you last night.”

“...Ooooh!” Realization hit Ashley in the face. Hard. “Tell her that I still hate her for that. It was so friggin’ awkward for me!”

Awkward? Grey Ink thought to herself, her mind was already flooded with a bunch of situations that could fit that single word. ...He’s got some explaining to do later...

Sapphire chuckled briefly, “She told me that if I see you, I should say that she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to do that. She gets a bit too... Touchy when she’s had too much to drink.”

“Alright. Tell her that I accept her apology. Just tell her to cut back on the booze, will ya?” The mare nodded with a smile.

“Can we divert back to the situation at hoof?” Shockwave asked. Sapphire smiled awkwardly while Ashley nodded at the captain. “Alright. I’ll let you all off with a warning.” Shockwave said to the group “If I catch any doing something like this again, I’m hauling your flanks into the drunk cell to sober you up before we talk.” He pointed to a random street nearby “Now get out of my sight.”

Canterlot castle, location withheld.

Once Luna passed the weapon to her sister, she believed that they both had a new pass time. Shooting things. Neither of them expected such a thing to happen, they saw it more as practice for how well they can spot things at a far distance and hit the target.

Celestia had gone into Callum’s bag and retrieve his handgun. Both princesses shared the ammo between themselves. It took a lot of getting used to when it came to shooting. Every shot would produce a small amount of recoil, which proven difficult for both alicorns to keep under control. Many shots they had fired at the row of old pans they had taken from the kitchen had missed. Only a few hit their targets, most of them were Luna’s. The biggest problem for Celestia was learning how to reload. It took Luna around five to ten minutes of examining the weapon earlier that night to know how to do it. Celestia kept having problems sliding in the ammo cartridges into the handgun.

“I need another... Um. Cartridge.” Celestia asked her sister.

Luna looked next to her, only to find that all the cartridges were used.

“Um... Tia...” Luna regretted to tell her sister, but it had to be done. “We’ve used them all.”

Celestia giggled “Nice one Luna.” She turned to her sister, only to meet her serious face. She wasn’t lying. She looked over the princess of the night, seeing a bunch of empty ammo cartridges. Her heart began to beat fast.

“Oh no... No no no, NO!” She levitated all the cartridges towards her, checking to see if any still had remaining bullets. They came up empty.

Well, except for. One. Single. Bullet.

Her heart was already beating fast. Both she and her sister had gone behind the backs of Ashley and Callum. She instantly regretted having picked up that handgun earlier that night.

“What are we going to do!?” Luna panicked, shoving Ashley’s ammo cartridges and handgun into his bag before closing it “I went behind Ashley’s trust! He’ll never want to speak to me again! I doubt he will want to even be in the guard anymore!”

“Calm down Luna!” Celestia raised her voice, silencing her sister. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “We should just tell them the truth. If we don’t, it will be worse than them finding out for themselves. We still have one of those ‘bullets’ left. We’ll just have to try and fix this the best way we can. We’ll tell them if we fail to do so.”

Ponyville

“Cheers for settling things back there Shockwave.” Callum said as he, Ashley, Grey Ink and of course, Shockwave had begun to look for Twilight and the gang. Grey Ink was still a bit shaken by the whole ordeal. Ashley decided to let her ride on his back, helping her calm down and it wasn’t long before she was already focusing on the human’s body heat as she placed her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah well, it took me a lot of restraint to stop myself from electrocuting that mare into a crisp.”

“It took me a lot of restraint from shoving that guy’s horn up his ass.” Callum stated with a small laugh, as did Shockwave. “Ignorant prick.”

It wasn’t long for them to find Twilight and the gang. They stumbled to a group of drunken, collapsed mares with a very tired Fluttershy next to them. All the yellow Pegasus wanted to do now was rest in her soft bed. Callum walked over to Fluttershy, kneeling down next to her. She gave him a weak smile, holding out her hooves towards him. He came up with the thought that she wanted a hug so he complied, wrapping his arms around the mare’s neck.

“Can...C-can you take us home?” Fluttershy whispered, her fatigue almost stopped her being able to even speak.

“Sure. I owe you one for getting them together for us. Do you mind if we drop you off last?” No reply. Callum could hear her calm breathing, breaking the hug to see that she had fell asleep. An adorable sight to see. He gently lifted up the Pegasus, cradling her like a baby seemed to be the best option for him to carry her. She nuzzled his chest as she curled up into a soft ball of yellow fur with wings and pink hair.

“Right, I’ll take Fluttershy home.” Callum whispered. “Ash, can you take Applejack home?”

“Sure thing.” Ashley smiled, looking over to the collapsed mare. Her Stetson covered most of her face, a small drip of drool had escaped the side of her mouth.

“Good. Shockwave and Grey, can you two keep an eye on these lot until we get back?” Both ponies nodded.

Fluttershy’s Cottage

“Aaaaannnnnd I just realized that the door is probably locked...” Callum said to himself, being quiet to make sure he didn’t wake up Fluttershy. Once he approached the door, he saw Angel jump from the windowsill on the inside. Shortly after this, a small clunk was heard from the door before it opened. There before Callum was rather pissed off looking rabbit that was only visible from the moon’s light. Angel examined the thing in Callum’s arms, realizing it was Fluttershy, his master and carer. Angel moved out of the way, gesturing Callum to follow him upstairs.

As Callum walked inside, he gently nudged door until it closed. He tread carefully as he ascended up the stairs, Angel was at the top waiting for him. Once he had reached the top, Angel hopped towards Fluttershy’s room, opening the door for the human to carry her through.

Angel removed the blanket on the bed, allowing Callum to place Fluttershy on it. She fidgeted a bit when she was placed on the soft mattress. Callum gripped two corners of the blanket and covered Fluttershy up to her neck, watching as she curled up once more with a content smile on her face. The human looked over to Angel who was now giving him a thumbs up and a sincere smile for bringing back his master.

Callum and Angel quietly left the room, trying not to disturb Fluttershy from her slumber. Callum left the cottage, hearing Angel lock the door before he went back to sleep next to Fluttershy.

Sweet Apple Acres

“Let’s just hope that someone is awake right now... Ah bet it’s around three in the mornin’ now.” Ashley wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. Applejack seemed to fidget quite a lot as he carried her home. Ascending up the dirt path to the house of the Apple family, he saw a light on in one of the front rooms.

Probably Big Mac.

He walked up onto the porch. The floorboards creaked under his boots with every couple of steps.

There goes trying to be quiet…

As expected, Ashley could hear the sound of hooves tapping against wood inside the house. The door clicked open, the light almost blinding the human but his eyes adjusted fairly quickly. Once done so, the figure in the doorway as large, well, for pony standards. Ashley knew it was Big Macintosh easily.

“…So Ah see mah sister had too much.” Big Mac shook his head in slight disappointment, but, he couldn’t help but smile at how his sister looked. He moved out of the doorway to let the human into the Apple family’s quiet home.

“Eeyup.” Ashley replied as he walked into the house, Big Mac chuckled lightly once he heard the very word that he was well known for amongst ponies. Walking into the household’s front room, he spotted a rather comfortable looking couch.

“Y’all just go and settle her down on there.” Big Mac said quietly but loud enough for the human to hear in the other room as he closed the door “Ah’ll go nab her some blankets and a glass o’ water fer when she wakes up.

…Great… Let me do this on my own, great idea… Ashley thought to himself, continuing the mental plan he had formed to how he would arrange the cushions for the orange mare while being able to stop her from falling off the couch and asleep.

Doing what he does best, he adapted to the situation fast, using his boot to shift the cushions into a small pile at one end of the sofa for Applejack’s head. It was already at the point where he thought ‘I don’t give fuck anymore, I just want to stop carrying her now.’

He began to slowly lower the mare onto the couch, softly resting her head onto the couple of pillows he had arranged for her. He removed her Stetson and placed it on a small table nearby. The candle which lit up the room was at an angle where it wouldn’t cause Applejack to awaken. Ashley swore that he heard her murmur something in her sleep, but dismissed it. After all, many people he knew would murmur in their sleep, he was no exception.

Big Mac returned with a large floral yellow blanket on his back, his gaze never leaving his sister as he walked towards her. Ashley grabbed the blanket and slowly spread it over Applejack’s body, from her hind hooves to just above her shoulders. Both human and stallion watched the mare cuddle the fabric a bit.

“Thanks fer bringin’ her back.” Big Mac whispered.

“Not a problem, y’all should thank Fluttershy fer tryin’ her best to keep them safe.” Ashley said in a hushed tone, taking his leave with a smile “Now if y’all will excuse me, Ah’ve got to help out Cal take Pinkie back to her place.”

Big Macintosh nodded. Once the human left, he locked the door before returning to the front room. He watched his sister rest for a few seconds, seeing her chest rise and fall with each calm breath. He quietly trotted over to the candle and blew it out, snuffing the flame, ceasing the light of the room. He slowly waltzed out of the room, turning his head back to gaze back at his sister, who moved around a tad, curling herself a bit to get comfortable.

It wasn’t long until the red stallion was already in his bed, knowing that his sister was safe and sound was all he needed to fall into a slumber fairly quickly.

It wasn’t long for both humans to get Pinkie back to Sugarcube Corner. Callum had lost a simple game of rock paper scissors, cursing himself for always being a sucker for picking rock. Since he was defeated, he had to carry the oddly sugar scented pink pony.

If only I had won… Ashley would be puking his guts right now.

Luckily for them, Mrs Cake was worried sick about Pinkie being out so late without dropping by for even ten seconds to grab a snack. Callum was the one who plopped Pinkie onto her bed before leaving. Mrs Cake could barely fit a sentence without yawning, giving the humans her thanks for returning Pinkie.

“Alright… Now it’s just these two…” Callum said to Shockwave. Grey Ink had taken the liberty of having Ashley carrying her on his back. Each of them was staring down at the sleeping Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

“Better make that three.” Ashley spoke. Both Shockwave and Callum turned their gaze to him, seeing a familiar grey Pegasus’ head resting on his shoulder, eye’s closed with a content smile on her face. Of course, it was very early in the morning and she had fallen asleep.

“Now this just complicates things a little…” Callum scratched his head, turning his vision back at Rainbow and Twilight.

“As it should.” Shockwave stated “Ms Rainbow Dash lives in a cloud home. Last time I checked, none of us can carry her up there, not even Grey Ink.”

“We’ll just have to take them both to Twilight’s then.”

“Once we’ve done that, I’ll guide Ashley to Grey’s to drop her off. Then both us will go to the station to sleep.

Both humans looked at one another, then back to the unicorn captain. They shrugged and reluctantly agreed to do so.

Twilight's library

“Alright… Twilight’s all tucked in. I was able to grab a couple pillows and a blanket for Rainbow Dash to use, only to find out that Twilight has a guest room so I plopped her in there. I put the no longer needed blanket and pillows back since the bed already had them in the guest room.” Callum whispered as he walked quietly down the wooden staircase, being careful to not make the boards creak.

“Alright.” Ashley replied, checking to see that Grey Ink was still asleep. She still was, her fore-hooves were locked over the human’s shoulders, hooves meeting at the middle of his chest. Her head still remained on his right shoulder, the smile never left her face as she slept.

“Let’s get going then.” Shockwave ordered, followed by Ashley and the sleeping mare on his back.

“I’ll be waiting here for ya Ash.” Callum said with a smirk. Ashley didn’t really see the reason why his friend was staying at Twilight’s, but who was going to stop him from returning to the library to do so?

After several minutes of walking in an awkward silence, Shockwave decided to break it with small talk.

“Soooo… Had fun tonight?”

“Well… Let me see…” Ashley replied, doing his best to recall the events of the night “Ah was able to see mah friends drunk, had a nice drinkin’ contest, let Luna examine mah pistol, Ah owe something to Rainbow Dash, Ah almost got into a brawl with some guys and right now, Grey Ink is asleep on me and all Ah can say about this is that Ah friggin’ love how cute she looks when she sleeps.”

“…So you had fun?”

Ashley gave the captain a smirk, followed by a quick laugh “Ah guess Ah did.”

“Glad to hear it.” Shockwave smiled. This human was alright, needed some straightening out. But all in all, he was in a relaxed mood and just wanted to blow off some steam earlier that night. He couldn’t blame him for that.

As they continued down the street, they entered Maple Road. Shockwave was a couple steps in front of Ashley and his sleeping companion.

The house with the number seventy two was where Shockwave had stopped. He activated his levitation magic to lift small flower pot in the front garden, pulling out a small key from beneath it. He slid the key into the keyhole, opening the door once he unlocked the door.

“Up the stairs. Second door on the right.” Shockwave stated, moving out of the way for the human.

“Cheers.” Ashley responded as he stepped up the staircase. He couldn’t help but look around as he ascended. The walls were a calm tone of blue, much like the sky. The entire floor, including the staircase was made of wood, pine to be exact. Alongside the walls were several pictures. All of them had Grey Ink in them (Or what he assumed was younger versions of the Pegasus.)

One that drew his eye was a picture of her with a male pony, arm draped around a mare. In front of them was Grey Ink and another mare, all of them were smiling. In the picture, both Grey Ink and the pony next to her seemed to be in between the age of the CMC and a fully grown female pony, most likely in their teenage years. The everyone in the picture was a pegasus.

It must have been a family photo.

The stallion had a dark green mane, alongside a grey coat. His cutie mark could not be seen due to Grey and, what Ashley believed, her sister blocked him from seeing it. The stallion was most likely their father. Deep green eyes that reminded Ashley of grass in the night just stared at him. Not just because it was a picture, it was just the way he didn’t like looking at the stallion.

Next was the mare. Must be her mother… Ashley thought. He could see the resemblance between her and Grey Ink. Both had dark brown manes and brown eyes. Her coat however was a clear white, slightly brown if one would look close enough.

Next was the pony who he assumed was Grey’s sister. She herself had a sky-blue mane, white highlights. Looking closely, Ashley could see her left arm hanging over Grey’s shoulder. Judging the image, they were probably really close, but then again, it could be just a simple pose for the picture.

Last, but not least, was Grey Ink. She hadn’t changed much except her body now being one of a fully grown mare’s and her manestyle was well-kept than the slightly curled mane she had back then. Even so, her smile hadn’t changed at all. It still made Ashley smile to himself.

Shaking his head to negate all thoughts, he continued up the stairs, arriving at the door Shockwave had told him to go to. Luckily, the door was slightly opened so he wouldn’t have to let go of one of Grey’s hind legs. Walking into her room, he glanced around. It was organized. Bottles of perfume were on the top of a set of drawers, alongside a couple more picture frames, quite a lot of room to move around as well. The wall colour was a calm tone of pink with beautiful white flowers as its pattern. The room had carpet, white to be exact.

Ashley sat on the bed, letting go of the grey Pegasus on his back. Except she didn’t slide off his back like he had planned. Her hooves were still wrapped around him, as if she didn’t want to leave.

“What’s taking so long?” Shockwave called up to the human but he didn’t get a reply.

…God damn it Grey… Ashley’s mind spoke to itself. He tried to pry her hooves off him but they wouldn’t budge.

“Mmmm.” Grey Ink mumbled, the smile still on her face “Don’t go…”

“…”

Grey Ink’s slumbering body leaned to the side, her head hit the pillows with a soft pomf, her body weight was able to pull Ashley down with her due to the Lightweight spell from earlier that night.

((Quick A/n: The Lightweight spell makes it so that those affected can be moved more easily since they weigh less. This does not affect the victim’s strength on others. So basically, Grey Ink could probably lift Ashley with this spell but Ashley can still lift her like normal. You may have already figured this out by now but heck, I put this here just in case.))

The fuck!? Was the only thought to fill Ashley’s mind as he was pulled down by Grey Ink. His head had it the pillow next to hers. How the heck did she do that!? No matter, I’ll just undo her hooves and I’ll be on my way…

If only it was that easy. Every time he tried to pry her hooves from around his chest, she only tightened her grip, smothering her cheek into his back into a warm hug. Ashley let out a sigh, he tried several times but all had failed. Grey Ink was surprisingly strong at the moment.

“What are you do-“ Shockwave walked into the room, seeing Ashley staring back at him with Grey’s hooves coming from his back, meeting at the human’s chest.

“She just won’t let go.” Ashley whispered.

Shockwave only shook his head and laughed quietly for a moment, looking back at the human with a smirk “She doesn’t want you to leave.”

“Really? Ya don’t say.” Ashley replied with thick sarcasm.

“Let me rephrase that. She really doesn’t want you to leave. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her do this.”

“…So she won’t let me go?” Shockwave shook his head “Bugger.” Ashley could feel Grey Ink nuzzling his back, making him throw in the towel.

“Then again… Maybe this isn’t so bad…”

“I’ll just leave you two alone…” Shockwave began to turn around but stopped, giving Ashley a deadly glare “No funny business, you got that?” Ashley nodded “I’ll go lock up. You’ll probably have a hangover when you wake up anyways so have the rest of today off to get better.

“Cheers mate, yer a good guy, y’know that?” Shockwave rolled his eyes with a smile before leaving the room. Once Ashley heard him lock the front door, he rolled over to look at the grey Pegasus who had trapped him in her grasp. He sighed, looking down at her face to see her eyes open slowly.

Grey Ink wondered what she was embracing, noticing the very familiar clothing and allowing her eyes to gaze upwards, she was greeted with Ashley staring down at her with a warm smile on his face.

“…Hey...” She whispered, her smile had returned once more, her eyes were barely open due to drowsiness “What are you doing here in my bed?” She yawned. Ashley couldn’t help but think that she was just doing that to be cute.

“Well, a certain Pegasus used her death grip to trap me on the bed, not allowing me to escape.”

“Why don’t you make yourself useful and hug me tonight while we sleep? I feel a bit cold right now...”

Ashley pondered the thought for a moment before goofily replying with a “Okay.”

After a couple minutes of Ashley removing his boots and placing his MP3 alongside his earphones into them, both human and Pegasus had retreated to hugging each other under the bed cover, falling asleep rather quickly to each other’s body heat. Grey Ink’s head was resting next to Ashley’s chest, listening to his soft heartbeat. She could feel heat had risen to her face, a tell-tale sign of her blushing but she didn’t care, she focused more on Ashley’s heartbeat, its soothing rhythm quickly put her into a slumber.

In the back of Ashley’s mind, he admitted to himself that this wasn’t what he had planned to happen for a long time, nor did he care about that thought any more. All he cared about was sleeping.

Twilight's library

“Ashley hasn’t returned… My Callum senses are tingling… He’s in bed with Grey… Not sure if I should congratulate him or scold him for doing it with a different species…

…

Fuck it, I’ll sleep it over.”

With that, Callum decided to grab the pillows and blanket he put away earlier to sleep on the front room’s floor.

Sorry I made this chapter quite long. I just had a few ideas for it and well, I didn't want to split it up. Hope you enjoyed this whole drunken fiasco.

The truth.

Did you know that ponies have the habit of waking up quite early in the morning? No, we’re not talking about how early Applejack awakens, being that she is required to do so since she lives on a farm. Ponies like to wake from their slumber in between around seven in the morning to nine in the same morning.

Unfortunately, Ashley did not know that. Callum need not have to worry about ponies waking up at that time slot since the two that were also in the library had also witnessed the glorification of an alcoholic’s nightmare, the very thing that stops people from drinking alcohol twenty four-seven.

That’s right. We’re talking about the best thing in the world.

The dreaded, yet amusing to make use of on those who have one… The hangover.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen to this curse after a night of enjoyment. Noises are intensified; beings become bed ridden unless they find the will and strength to crawl out of their beds to grab some much needed food…

…Or to find the nearest, cleanest area to vomit in.

As it turned out, Ashley didn’t have to worry about vomiting, well, not at the moment. Grey Ink’s rather loud yawn alone was enough to awaken the human next to her, grimacing when she saw him clutch his head. She had forgotten that he was still there.

“Sorry!” She whispered, quiet enough so it wouldn’t cause Ashley any discomfort, all he did was grab the pillow he rested his head on and shoved it into his face, holding the sides down over his ears.

Ashley tried to respond, but unfortunately, his voice was muffled by the pillow.

“Um… Excuse me?”

Lifting up the pillow, he repeated. “It’s fine. I need something for this headache.”

“Oh, why didn’t you ask?” She mocked with a smile. Ashley however was not in the mood for this. Before he could say anything witty back to her, she had hopped off the bed. Her feathers, mane and tail were ruffled, but nothing a quick brushing session couldn’t fix. As she passed Ashley’s side of her bed, she glanced at the footwear that the human owned.

How can he wear those so much?

Shaking the random thought out of her head, she trotted over to her bathroom. Her hooves hitting the tile floor surface would not be heard from her bedroom, she knew this from past experience. Gazing upon the mirror above her sink, she placed her hoof onto the reflective surface and slid it to the side, opening the cabinet. The contents were various bottles and unopened toothpaste, alongside a couple of new toothbrushes that had not yet been pried from their cardboard boxes. On the top shelf were a few orange tinted plastic bottles with white caps. You know, those ‘push down and turn’ ones? Well, it isn’t one of those, being that it would be hard for Pegasi and Earth ponies to open them. So in this case, they are simple ‘stick the lid in between your top and bottom set of teeth, bite down hard and twist the bottle with your hooves, rotating the bottle in a simple anticlockwise direction’.

Hovering herself to grab the bottle she wanted, she continued her low flight back to the bedroom with the pill bottle in between her two front hooves.

“Here you go.” She said in a hushed tone, giving the human a caring smile as she set herself down on her bed, sitting where she slept.

“What’s that?” He asked, moving the pillow back to the spot where he could rest his head on it.

“It’s medicine, duh.” She replied with a sarcastic tone “Do you have medicine back where you’re from?”

“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t be here today.”

“What?” Her eyes widened a bit, raising an eyebrow of concern “Why?”

“Story for another time.” He waved her off, wanting to change the subject. His vision switched from her face to the bottle in between her hooves. “Is that some Ibuprofen? Or…”

“Nope.” She grinned “It’s a painkiller that totally gets rid of the headache in six hours. You’ll only need to take one pill.”

“Really?” She nodded “Bloody hell. That would’ve been really useful back home.”

“Good to know.” She placed the bottle on her pillow “Now, this stuff is really hard to come by. In fact, I’m really lucky to even have any at all.”

“How’d you get this stuff then?” he asked.

“Story for another time.” She smirked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Fine, don’t tell me.” He said with a cocky tone, reaching over for the bottle, only to have his hand slapped away by the Pegasus next to him, to which he shot a scowl at her.

“Since they’re so rare to get… I plan on getting something in return.” A mischievous grin had revealed itself on her muzzle “Can you guess what I want?”

“Hug?” she shook her head “I give up.”

“Awww, you quit so soon.” She pouted “I guess I’ll just have to rise up your side of the bargain to be breakfast…”

“I could do that.” He shrugged.

“…and I get to show you something special.” She turned her head away as she quietly said this, trying to be nonchalant.

“…What?” Ashley sat himself up, taking his time so that he wouldn’t regret it if he had done the action too fast. “Did you just ask-“

“You to make me breakfast? Then yes.” She interrupted.

“...I don’t know…”

“Pssh, you’ll only be making breakfast, not a candlelit dinner under the stars.” She tapped her right cheek with her right forehoof. “Is Ashley, member of Luna’s guard, human with enough strength to protect Ponyville from a Diamond Dog attack by himself afraid of cooking a single breakfast for this poor, defenceless and hungry pegasus mare?”

“…Yes.”

“Wow.” She deadpanned, not thinking he would respond like that. She was actually hoping it would raise him out of bed immediately. “Really?”

“Nope.” He styled a toothy grin “Last time I checked, you’re not a spider, so I’m not afraid of something like that.”

“Then get to it then.”

“Nope.”

“And why not?” she asked with a raised brow, becoming a little bit peeved.

“Because I didn’t get an apology hug from you waking me up so early.” He replied with a smug tone, curling his fingers whilst bringing them slightly closer to his face to examine them. There was no particular reason as to why he did this, except to annoy her a little.

Rolling her eyes, she laid herself down next to the human, hugging him. Using his index finger, he lifted her chin, gaining a puzzled look from her. It wasn’t what he was doing that made her fell weird, it was the fact he was completely silent while he was doing whatever he was doing.

“I-uh...”

There wasn’t much he planned on doing, well, not that he could think of except to stare into her luscious brown eyes, clearly seeing the hint of confusion inside them. Of course, it wasn’t long until Grey started to blush lightly from this.

“I think you have the most gorgeous brown eyes I have ever seen.” She smiled, nuzzling his neck from the compliment. It was a shame that she had once again gotten comfortable with the human, comfortable enough to not want to get back up.

“I don’t feel like getting up right now…”

“Do you have work today?” He asked, she shook her head in disagreement. “I think we can sleep for a few more hours then.” He said as he grabbed the bottle that still remained on Grey’s pillow. However, the Pegasus was sharing his pillow, making it harder to reach but he still managed to do so. Bringing the bottle in front of him, he undid the lid, pouring a single lilac pill onto his palm before swallowing it, putting the lid back in its place when he was done, dropping the bottle next to his boots.

“Wait.” She looked up to him, gazing into his half open eyes “Don’t you have work today?”

“Shockwave said this morning that I could have the rest of today off because of last night… I think that you holding me here against my will made him decide to let me spend the day with you. Either way, I want to give him my thanks.”

“You should.” She returned to nuzzling his neck “Shockwave has always been good to those I like a lot.”

“…”

“Ashley?” She looked back up, only to find he had fallen asleep, totally forgetting that since the medicine is fast acting, its drowsiness side effect is almost instant. Shaking her head, she got comfortable once more, falling asleep to the human’s warmth. After all, she would want some breakfast in a couple of hours, the perfect time for Ashley to fill the other part of the bargain.

Ponyville guard station Time: 10:28am

It was around 10pm that Callum had awoken, alongside Spike who was basically yelled at to make breakfast by Twilight for the inhabitants of the house. Of course, Callum decided to make it a little easier on Spike and ditched the library. Night of drinking taught him many things, only a few however would always be remembered when he woke up the following night.

Rule number one: If you’ve got a hangover, get Ash to make breakfast.

Rule number two: If you can’t find Ash to make you breakfast, hunt him down to do so for a couple hours, give up, go home and make your own god damn food.

Rule number three: If Ash gets a girl into bed... That is, if he lets himself to do so, be as annoying as possible. Heck, try to cock-block if possible.

Seeing that he couldn’t find Ashley anywhere, even after hunting for a measly twenty minutes, Callum gave up. Knowing that he could just grab something to eat from the station’s cafeteria, he ventured off to the building. Receiving nods from passing guards, alongside a few glares, he waltzed through the cafeteria doors, his eyes scanned the area like a hawk for its next victim. His vision instantly shot towards where the food was served. However this time, the mare behind the counter was different from the last time.

“Hey... Uh...” Examining her features, she seemed to be an Earth pony wearing a white apron, clean as if it just came out of the washing machine. The mare wore a light green coat, lighter than Ash’s when he was turned into a stallion for a day. Her mane was wrapped up in a bun with a hair net in order to prevent strands falling into the food. Her eyes were a dark yellow, alongside a smile that Callum had seen many times before, not on her but on other people.

“Hey! What can I get ya’?” She asked, leaning a hoof on the counter.

“Uh...”

“You going to hold the line any longer there, sweet cheeks?”

“...Sweet cheeks? Really?” He asked with an annoyed tone, bringing back a small trickle of memories to pop up in his head and they weren’t ones he was proud of.

“Would you prefer hun? Or babe? Your call.” She shrugged. “You’re just holding up the line and I dislike people who do that.”

“...Right.” Callum replied with the roll of his eyes “I’ll just take some oatmeal with slices of apple, banana and orange.

“Well, we ain’t got any oatmeal left.”

“Yes you do.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Yes. Yes you do.” He pointed at a large pot behind her, sitting on the flames from the stove “Oatmeal that has been done for the past twenty seven seconds.” He leant over the counter a bit “You shouldn’t try to lie to me. I can find ways to make you talk.”

“Oh... I bet you could.” She replied with a sultry smile, turning away to get his order.

“Sheesh.” A guard said next to him “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen her like... Well, that.”

“How is she normally?” Callum asked, turning his head. However, the stallion he was now conversing with had seemed to be hypnotised by the swaying hips of the cafeteria mare.

“Hey dude.”

“...What?”

“You might want to conceal your throbbing dick. I know that guys like a nice ass when they see one, but damn, control yourself, bro.”

With that in mind, the stallion immediately hit the floor with his stomach. Once doing so, the human beside him was already laughing at him, as were nearby guards. Once he actually realized he was joking, the stallion stood back up with a glare that could almost rival Fluttershy’s stare.

Almost, but not it would never be enough, mind you.

Not to mention he was blushing like crazy.

“That was uncalled for.” He stated through gritted teeth.

“Look, mate.” Callum bent over slightly, hands on his hips “I’ve got a hangover, I’m still waiting for my stuff from the princesses, I’m getting testy, my friend didn’t make me breakfast this morning since he was probably sleeping with Grey Ink or on a tree. The last thing you want to do is to have a hissy fit when I’m around.”

“Oh yeah!?” He bellowed out “I bet I could take you on!”

“Pfft, you and I both know you wouldn’t survive against him, Brick.” A stallion said from a nearby table, in fact, it was Shockwave enjoying his morning tea and newspaper.

“What makes you say that captain? I can take him on, no problem!”

Shockwave turned his head to the side “Remember that whole guard versus human fiasco a couple days back?”

“Yeah, heard it was a lie though.”

“It wasn’t a lie. Go to the hospital to see some of the stuff they did, be warned, it isn’t very pretty, especially if you’re a pegasus. Also, don’t speak to a higher ranking officer like that, otherwise you’re outta here.”

“Higher rank? Him?” He pointed at Callum

“Hoof picked by Celestia herself. Same goes for Ash being picked by Luna. Not to mention they’re both good friends with the princesses.”

With that final sentence, the stallion immediately decided to shut up. Another guard, a mare in fact, yelled out “You just got told!”, gaining laughter from the group of mares near her, as well as stallions across the room.”

“Here you go hun!” The mare behind the counter cheered, balancing a bowl with the contents Callum ordered on her back, with a tray in between the two. She spun to the side, looking back between the counter and the human.

“Well, go on then! I won’t bite...”

Callum went to reach for the tray.

“I’ll only slowly nibble my way down...”

“Reminds you of someone, doesn’t it Callum?” Shockwave chuckled, turning his gaze to the cafeteria mare “You like a stallion in uniform, don’t you?”

“Nah.” She waved her hoof in disapproval “I like to try new experiences...” She made a pursed her lips for a split second at Callum before lip-synching the words “Come to me for a good time.”, finishing the sentence with a wink and a soft chuckle before she turned to Brick. Her attitude immediately went to a slightly serious one.

“... One of the disadvantages of a hangover for me.” Callum said as he set down at the table, taking a position opposite Shockwave, keeping the mare his line of sight.

He didn’t want to lose sight of her, not because of what she said, but to remember her face in case he saw her in the streets.

Nobody gets away with stuff like that.

“And what’s that?” Shockwave asked, levitating his mug of tea to his lips. It was still quite warm, half finished.

“Can’t make innuendos as well as I can sober, nor drunk, although, the best are sober.” He shook his head in disappointment, taking a spoonful of oatmeal which had a banana slice sticking out.

Canterlot Castle’s dining hall 12:49PM

“Welph...” Luna slid her head on the table once taking the last bit of her omelette, forgetting to chew and swallow her food.

“Auntie Luna...”

With a loud gulp, Luna shot an annoyed look at the pony across the table from her.

“It’s gone Cadence.”

“Good.” The pink alicorn giggled. She recently arriving from an important event in Stalliongrad which lasted an entire week due to train difficulties to return home, Cadence had heard rumours on her trip about a new species, well, it was not hard to hear about the rumours since they were in the newspapers.

“Now tell me about these claims about a new species and how they beat some of our best guards, not to mention what has put your mood down.”

“Fine.” Luna grumbled “Species are called Humans, blah blah blah, now they’re part of both guard regiments for Tia and I, blah blah blah.” She waved her hoof as she said this.

“Uh-huh... That was a wonderful story!” She commented with thick sarcasm, followed by a short chuckle. Luna couldn’t help but smile at her niece’s antics. “Guess I’ll have to ask aunt Celestia about this another time.”

“Or I could ask one of them to come and meet you in person.”

“You could do that!?”

“Of course.” Luna sat up straight, raising a hoof to her chest in pride. “After all, did I not say that one of them was in my guard? Well... I’m not so sure about him being a part of it later...”

“Ah, right.” Cadence laughed a tad, although it seemed to be a bit awkward once she realized what Luna just said. “Is that what has you down?”

Luna let out a long sigh “Promise not to tell anypony?”

“I promise.”

“Princess promise?”

“Yes... I princess promise.” Cadence rolled her eyes with a dry tone

“Okay, well...” Luna trotted herself next to her niece, bringing her muzzle to closer her ear, beginning to whisper the story to the pink alicorn. After many nods from Cadence, it was at the end that her mouth turned agape.

“You broke his trust!?” She yelled, quickly covering her mouth with her hooves before Luna could do anything about it.

“I know, I know!” The princess of the night pressed her upper body on the table “And I feel absolutely terrible! Both Tia and I couldn’t find any way to fix this mess, all because we were careless and now Ashley will want to quit my guard!” She finished her sentence with a loud sob.

“...Ashley?” Cadence asked.

“The human who is in my guard.” Luna sniffed “I asked him if I could examine his weapon during my night court... Because, you know...”

“Nopony shows up?” Luna nodded. “Don’t worry.” Cadence began to rub a hoof on her aunt’s back in the attempts to comfort her “I’m sure he wouldn’t be that mean enough to want to leave! You’re Luna! Princess of the moon, ruler of the night! Look at what this has done to you! You’ve become a wreck!”

“... You’re right.” Luna sniffled “It’s time I took responsibility. I helped cause this mess, I shouldn’t be like this, Ashley even said he loves my night more than the day!”

“He said that?” Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Luna turned her head to the pink alicorn, her facial expression started to harden, as if a nerve was struck. “Is there a problem with somepony loving my night?”

“No, no, of course not!” Cadence let out a soft awkward laugh “I’m just surprised somepony said that to you! I think it is a wonderful compliment. After all, I don’t think anypony has said that towards you.”

Luna sighed “You’re right on that one...”

A couple knocks on the door echoed throughout the entire hall, grabbing the attention of both princesses.

“You may enter.” Luna stated, quickly shifting herself into a standing position, as did Cadence. The large doors opened slowly, revealing a concerned princess of the sun.

“I think we should get going.” She stated, staring at her sister. Luna nodded and began to walk towards Celestia, although she was stopped by Cadence sticking a hoof in front of her path. Cocking an eyebrow, she awaited why she stopped her.

“I hope this goes well for you.” Cadence said, giving the sweetest smile she could muster. Luna gave her niece a quick hug.

“This is why I prefer being around you more than Blueblood.” Cadence and Celestia laughed, both of them couldn’t blame her.

With that said, both the princesses of the sun and moon had left the hall. Cadence decided to go and check up on the guards.

Ponyville streets 4:54PM

After searching for many hours, Callum did not find Ashley. This started to drive him up the wall. If his feeling was correct about his friend sleeping with her, he didn’t know what he would do. Mostly likely either yell or beat some sense into his friend. He still waited for his weapons back from the princesses. Impatience drove him to asking Spike to send a letter to her. Of course, Twilight was groggily making sure it wouldn’t lead to a prank of some sort. Rainbow Dash was in the bathroom at the time, from the groans and splashing of water, she was most likely vomiting into the toilet.

Spike wished he didn’t have to clean up any mess she made, although, Twilight would probably make him do it. However, Callum secretly whispered into the dragon’s ear that he would sneak him out so that either Rainbow or Twilight would be forced to clean it, otherwise it would produce a sickly stench.

Straight after lunch, Callum gave the Apple family a visit. Applejack was showing less signs of a hangover than Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Although, the apple farmer said that Granny Smith and Big Macintosh always make a special stew that perks you up and that it is an Apple family secret that has been in their family for generations, with the minor change over time. It still didn’t mean that she didn’t have the hangover, she would have a migraine once in a while, but there was no nausea or anything else for that matter. Asking everyone at Sweet Apple Acre’s about where Grey lived had come up negative. Applejack and Big Macintosh were curious as to why the biped would be asking that question.

His answer was that he had a feeling that his friend slept with her, gaining a fit of laughter from the red and orange earth ponies. Applejack mentioned something about that Ashley wouldn’t seem to do something like that. Giving the two thanks as he left, Callum went to Carousel Boutique, but quickly left shortly after, getting told by Rarity that she needed her beauty sleep after last night.

Next was Fluttershy’s house. Seeing that she didn’t drink, he didn’t have to worry about the symptoms of a hangover from her. But even so, she didn’t know where Grey Ink lived either. The human still spent half an hour at her cottage, helping her feed her animals to save her a bit of time to go and check up on her friends. They parted their ways when they walked past Rarity’s. Fluttershy thanked Callum for walking with her into town, to which he said it was no problem.

There was still a pony he could try, well, two in fact. One being Shockwave, but he was busy training and didn’t want to be disturbed. The other pony was Pinkie Pie. Amazingly, when Callum went to Sugarcube Corner to visit her, she was as hyper and energetic as she usually was. He asked if she felt a hangover in the morning, but she replied with a simple “Nope.”

Telling her his problem, she obliged to lend a hoof. She didn’t listen as to whose house they were trying to find, seeing that she kept on getting side tracked. After a while, Callum managed to get her to listen.

“Sooooo.” Pinkie began “You’re telling me you can’t find Ashley because you don’t know where Grey Ink’s house is?”

“I’ve been saying that for the past half an hour Pinkie.” Callum replied. “I’ve checked all the streets, asked ponies on said streets but no luck.”

“Did you ask Shockwave?”

“He was busy.” Callum grunted, it would have taken the captain only a few seconds to tell him, but Callum knew that Shockwave was denying telling him what he wanted to know.

“Well.” Pinkie looked around, immediately pointing a hoof at a random street “Take a left down this street, then a right, then a right again, then proceed down until the second left, and you should reach Maple road.”

“...How do you know this?” Callum asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I’m friends with everypony, I know this stuff.” She beamed.

“Captain Shockwave?” The name was accompanied by two knocks on the office door of the unicorn.

“Yes?” the captain replied, sweating from the two mile run he had just finished. Right now, he was writing down his time from the exercise, seeing that over the course of the past month, his time was slowly trickling down.

Hmm... Tomorrow I’ll do some magic training, haven’t done that for a while...

“Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are at the main reception for you.” A mare said from the opposite side of his door.

The princesses? What would they want? Just as he was about to rest, his heart quickened a bit. The princesses wanted to talk to him?

“Ah, alright.” He called out from his office “Can you tell them I’ll be out in a second?”

“Of course.” Hearing the sounds of trotting getting quieter and quieter, Shockwave now know that the mare was gone.

Alright Shock, let’s do this.

Opening the door, he barged right into Princess Luna, who had her sister alongside her. Shockwave immediately bowed down.

“I’m sorry princess.” He apologized “I’m afraid I didn’t see you there.”

“That was quite alright, captain.” Luna smiled warmly “I should have waited in the reception with my sister.” Her smile faded, switching to a serious demeanour “I’m... We’re in search of Callum and or Ashley. Do you know where they are?” Secretly, Luna wished that it would be Callum that they would see first, seeing that he might be able to calm down his friend when they tell them the news.

Callum is on the search for Ashley... So he could be anywhere. It is best I show them to Grey Ink’s, maybe Ashley is still there.

“I think I know where Ashley is, but not Callum. If you care to follow me, I can show you.”

Luna’s heart skipped a beat.

“A-ah... Very well then, show us the way.” Luna ordered. Her voice almost shaken but she managed to compose herself so that the captain wouldn’t pick up on her problems, although Celestia noticed and she too was worrying almost as much as her sister.

Ponyville, Grey Ink’s house.

Meanwhile at Grey Ink’s, the pegasus and human had barely left the bedroom. The only time they did was when Ashley made breakfast, offered to make lunch and he already offered to make dinner. Even though the mare objected, he still offered, saying that she had done so much and he wanted to repay her.

Of course, breakfast was for the medicine, which worked only a little for this human. Although, mixing food with the medication that day did make the human need to vomit twice, which Grey told him to proceed to do so in the bathroom. With the taste of vomit plaguing his mouth, and his breath which Grey couldn’t help but comment on, she offered him to use a spare toothbrush she had, telling him to keep it since he hadn’t been able to work his guard job and get paid yet.

Of course, the second part of Grey Ink’s deal had come to fruition only ten minutes ago. She said that she had a special surprise that she had been meaning to try months ago but it was a tad bit too tight on her, so she started to exercise more. Now would be the perfect opportunity to try it on and get an honest opinion on it.

Of course, what Ashley had in mind was a formal gown or something. However, his mind was blown when she entered the bedroom once more. No, not as in she was wearing a gorgeous dress that would be best for a fancy party or event. This was much, much different.

In a nurses outfit and a very faint blush on her face, most likely from embarrassment. The outfit did actually come with stockings, but Grey Ink didn’t want to make it weird, nor did she like them.

“Well, Nurse Ink is ready to take care of her patient!” She cheered, obviously trying to make a joke but it flew right over the human’s head.

“W-what!?” Ashley yelped, his eyes were wide open from shock “Why in the hell are you wearing that!?”

“Because I need it for Nightmare night later this year and I want your honest opinion on it.”

“It looks... Eeeeehhhh... Looks... Not that bad, nice touch with the hair in a bun.” Grey Ink took that as a success, beaming with pride. “Also, when is this ‘Nightmare night’?”

“October thirty-first. Which is still quite a long time away but I wanted to make sure this fitted me.” She gestured to the costume with her hoof, how she got the zipper up both amazed and confused Ashley, but he left that question to lie on the ground.

“Do kids go around knocking door to door and ask for sugary treats?”

“Well, yes.” Ashley gagged, the thoughts of candy wanted to make him vomit again.

“So basically it’s Halloween.”

“If that’s what Nightmare night is like from where you’re from, then yes.” She chuckled lightly “I’ve been trying to fit into this thing since I got it, and now that I can, I want to test it out a bit.” A smirk emerged on her muzzle as she slowly got closer to the bed.

Ashley gulped.

“... Test?”

“Don’t worry.” She cooed “We’re just going to have some fun.”

Meanwhile, in the streets of Ponyville.

“That is the residence of Miss Grey Ink?” Celestia asked, pointing at a house down the street.

“Indeed princess.” Shockwave answered.

“Tia.” Luna began “Look closer to the individual in front of that house.”

Celestia cocked an eyebrow, but done what she was asked. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the figure approaching the front door.

It was Callum, and he looked infuriated.

“It’s Callum...” Celestia said before she teleported herself. Within the space of less than a millisecond, she appeared in front of the human who had his eyes covered.

Waiting for the bright light to die down, Callum uncovered his eyes, immediately gazing into Celestia’s eyes.

“Hey Celestia.” Callum smiled with a light wave of his hand, although Celestia could still hear the anger in his voice as he spoke. “Can you mind me a second?”

*pop!*

Another bright light and a covering of the human’s eyes, Luna appeared next to her sister. Both them had the expressions of worry on their faces, although Callum ignored them. In fact, he snuck around them both, sneaking into the house.

“Callum!” Both princesses whispered loudly “You shouldn’t walk into houses unannounced!”

“Sssshh.” He put an index finger to his lips as he began to sneak up the stairs “I can hear Ash.”

“Should we follow him?” Luna whispered to her sister

“I guess so, we will be talking to them in a second. By the way, do you have their belongings?”

“I thought you had them...”

Celestia face-hoofed. Of course... “I’ll go grab them, please wait here until I return.” Luna nodded as Celestia teleported herself to her chambers to grab the human’s bags.

“Pssst, Luna.” Callum said quietly from the top of the stairs. The princess of the night immediately looked up toward him, raising a brow.

“Yes?”

“Come up here.”

Luna looked around, not wanting to ignore what her sister asked her to do, but she was curious and she could always go back downstairs. She quietly trotted up the stairs, taking her place next to Callum, who was beaming like a child.

“Listen closely.” He pointed towards one of the doors. Luna put her ear next to the door, hearing muffled giggling from most likely a mare.

“Time to bust his ass.” Callum mumbled, immediately swinging open the door.

“Callum, no!” Luna tried to stop him but she was too late.

Upon opening the door, Callum did indeed find the source of the laughter. Upon the bed, he saw Grey Ink in a nurse’s outfit with Ashley’s face on her stomach.

Of course, both human and pegasus immediately looked up to see a disgusted, yet rage induced Callum at the doorway, with Luna behind him.

“I thought I asked you to wait Lu-“ Celestia began with a frown. She turned her head to what was going on, seeing Grey Ink on a bed in a nurse outfit, and Ashley’s head near her stomach. Both of their faces were as red as roses from embarrassment.

“... I knew this was a bad idea.” Ashley said, Grey Ink basically fainted from embarrassment at this point. “Aaaaand thanks for ditching me there, Grey.”

Of course, what the intruders didn’t know was that Ashley was actually tickling Grey Ink since she mocked his soft side. Looking at it from a different perspective, he noticed what it must look like.

“...THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” Callum yelled.

“What is right with me?” Ashley smirked, the blushing was fading away as he sat himself next to Grey Ink’s unconscious body, stroking her mane. Next to her head was the little nurse’s cap from the outfit.

“Don’t be a smart ass.” Callum ordered through gritted teeth. He was fine with them hugging and all that stuff, but this was going too far. “Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“Callum, you should calm down.” Celestia said, although the human either didn’t hear her or was ignoring her.

“... How about we discuss this over some tea?” Ashley asked. Callum’s expression softened a bit.

After ten minutes of explaining

“So... You weren’t going to do what I thought you were doing?”

“Nope.”

“Huh...” Callum held the mug of hot liquid between his hands. Luna, Celestia and Grey Ink were in the front room, talking about the outfit. Celestia admitted that it looked superb on the pegasus, trying to steer away from the awkwardness of the situation earlier. The next thing she knew was that they were discussing costumes for Nightmare night later this year.

“Why are the princesses here?” Ashley asked, taking a sip from his mug.

“Beats me.” His pal shrugged. He still felt like a total jackass from earlier, but both Grey and Ashley said that they forgive him since they realized what they were doing did seem to be rather odd. Well, that and Ashley threatened to talk about a girl from London that Callum met if he didn’t just let it slide.

“Look man. Again, I’m sorry about bursting in on ya.”

“It’s cool.” Ashley waved him off “Do it again though and I’ll cut off your dick, spoon out your one of your eyes and shove your dick into your brain so you skull fuck yourself.”

Callum laughed.

“I’m serious.” Ashley looked up to him, staring at him for a few seconds before joining the laughter. After the moment passed, he spoke once more “I’ll only cut off your dick... That’ll be the first offence though.”

“Heh, and if you have sex with Grey without my permission, you’re getting a spanking young man!” Callum teased with an old man’s voice. “Back in mah day, you only had sex with the one you were married to!”

“Pfft, I’m a couple months older than you. Also, coming from you? The irony is so thick, it’s almost as stupid as you. So, I do what I want.” Both human’s tapped their mugs together before gulping down their contents. It was just like old times, get in argument and then pave over the problem like it was nothing at all.

“Well, put it this way, how the heck was I supposed to know you tickling her stomach with your mouth? Not to mention that she was in a nurse’s outfit.” Looking back, it was already funny to him. “That only made me jump to conclusions faster!”

“Are you two ready to talk?” Celestia asked from the doorway. Her glance switched between the two humans, her hooves shifted slightly from being nervous.

“Is that why you’re here?” Callum asked. She nodded.

“Alright, where’s Luna then?”

“She wants to speak to Ashley in private.”

“Oooooo.” Callum began “Someone is in trouble!”

“And I want to speak to Callum in private. It was going to be one matter but due to what happened earlier, it is now two.” She glared at him, although the smirk plastered on his face wasn’t budging.

Getting up from his seat, Ashley walked into the front room. He was greeted with a smile from Grey Ink, who also gave flew up and gave him a quick hug.

“I’ll let you to talk. I’m going to go tell Shockwave about this whole mess.” She looked down at her chest, realizing she was still wearing the costume. “...Once I get myself out of this.”

“Sure, see you soon.”

“Farewell Miss Ink.”

“Thank you princess Luna.” Once she was on the floor again, Grey made a quick bow and left, closing the front door behind her.

“So.” Ashley began “What’s up?” He sat himself down on the left end of the couch Luna decided to sit on the right.

“Well... I don’t really know how to tell you this...” her wings twitched as she shifted her hooves nervously.

“Take your time.” He said as he leaned back, resting his left arm on the rest beside him.

Remember Luna. Celestia’s voice played through her mind Try to be as subtle as possible, we don’t want to infuriate them

Subtle... Subtle... Luna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She set her body to relax a bit, a huge improvement in her opinion. Remain calm Luna. Don’t think about him quitting your guard once you tell him. Don’t think about how much he will hate you...

...

DARN IT! I thought about it again... What if he does hate me? Would he curse my name in vain? Would he begin to form trust issues for everypony, all because of my period of becoming a selfish pony? I can’t blame him if he goes into a rage, but, I’ll try my best to restrain him if he gets too out of hoof...

“You okay Luna?” Ashley asked, sitting up “You look like something’s bothering you.”

Luna let out a long sigh, he was right. There was something that was bothering her and it was about him. How was she going to tell him that both she and her sister gotten careless and betrayed his trust? Her mind shot out ways to tell him in a rapid fire notion but even so, it was all useless. Her paranoia was getting the best of her. Her heartbeat was getting louder, up to the point it was all she could hear besides his voice.

Ba-dum Ba-dum Ba-dum

Sweat was already beading down her forehead, her chest began to tighten. Telling the truth was never easy, nor will it ever be. Her breathing was already starting to become more frequent and became louder as each breath went through her nostrils, which flared with each exhale.

“Woah, Luna, calm down.” Ashley started to feel a bit uneasy around her. Was she really angry at him? What did he do wrong? Memories began to shoot through his mind, only the ones of his time in Equestria.

Luna was too deep in her out thought track. The paranoia was taking its toll on her, like it was during the night.

Remember Luna, he said he loves the night more than the day. How many ponies have ever said that, even within your presence? None. Nopony has for as long as you have been alive. If he likes your night, then he must like you as a friend. If he wasn’t your friend, would he be sitting next you now? Stroking your cheek in the attempt to break you out of this silly charade?

...Wait, stroke my cheek? Shaking her head to defuse all the explosive thoughts in her mind, she did see in the corner of her eye that the human beside her had his hand out near her, watching him retract it back.

“Heh, sorry if that voided your personal space.” Ashley rubbed the back of his head, grinning like an idiot “Trying to get you to snap out of your daydream.”

“It’s fine...” Luna muttered. It’s make or break... “Ashley, the reason as to why I wanted to talk to you is because of your handgun.”

“Oh.” Ashley’s expression changed to a more puzzled one “What about it?” An idea burst into his head “Need me to show you how to take it apart, clean it and put it back to working order again? Need to learn all the names of the parts?”

“No, no.” Luna shook her head in disapproval.”Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline, for you see... I.. We... UGH!” Luna released a loud groan of annoyance, all she wanted to do right now to both get it over with and hope that everything would be fine. “I’m going to need you to do something for me Ashley.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Please, do not become mad when I tell you that both my sister and I used your weapons without your permission, gotten carried away in doing so and eventually using up all your ammunition...”

Wait... Did I just say that!? Luna immediately covered her mouth with her hooves. Oh no, no no no no no! I was supposed to be subtle! Oh father, what have I done? She slowly turned her head to the human beside her, expecting him to go into an almighty fit of rage.

“HOW DO YOU FUCKING DO THAT!?” A voice roared from the other room, obviously being Callum’s. Luna knew that Celestia must have told him about their deeds.

“Please Callum, calm down!” Celestia called out but it was too late, Callum was already in the front room.

“Ashley, grab your shit, we’re leaving. Now.”

Expecting his friend to get up and do what he was asked, Callum awaited his friend to move.

“Ashley!” Callum snapped his fingers in front of Ashley’s face, still not getting a single response. Luna was already fearing that he was bottling up the anger he felt, feeling that he would be ready to explode any second.

But he didn’t. He just sat there, motionless.

That was, until everyone, including Celestia and Grey Ink (Who darted downstairs to see what the ruckus was all about) saw a single movement. It was quick, but Callum knew it well.

It was an eye twitch.

“Ashley.” Luna began, guilt washed through her body, alongside worry and impatience for his reaction. “Please, don’t hate me...”

“There is nothing to like about you...” Ashley mumbled “There is only hatred that will be towards both you and your sister for what you have done...”

Hatred... The word was like knife through her heart.

She had done it.

She knew it would happen, as did Celestia.

The trust that was built between the humans and the alicorns had crumbled instantly.

“Y-you don’t mean that.” Luna tried to hold back her tears, but the wall of restraint had broken once one tear escaped from the corner of her left eye. Through her cracked voice, she leant a bit closer to the human, holding out her hoof but he simply moved off the couch. Retracted her hoof back, her face had buried itself into the arm rest. Celestia sat beside her sister on the floor, bringing the head of the moon princess to her chest, trying to soothe her. Celestia had an apologetic on her face, ears drooped, looking as sorry as possible but it was ignored.

As Ashley walked upstairs to grab his boots, he yelled down the stairs.

“I want my fucking stuff back!” Each footstep up the stairs was a loud thud. Each one sent shivers down Luna’s spine as she cried into her sister’s chest.

Grey Ink immediately followed him. Callum remained in the front room, disgusted at the sight of the princesses so he faced away from them, arms crossed. Even with Luna’s sobs, he didn’t care. They knew what they did, they should’ve thought about what they were doing at the time.

“Please Callum, we-.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Callum snapped, interrupting the princess. He turned around, his hardened stare was bone chilling, even to Celestia. “What the hell were you thinking at the time? What did you think you would accomplish? You’ve got guts to tell us up front about what you did but that doesn’t help. Do you really think that this is the first time we’ve been lied to by those we worked for?” Before Celestia could even respond, Callum continued “Maybe if you knew what happened exactly what happened before we came to your country, maybe you would understand our reaction to this news a lot more. But, I don’t even trust you with my birth date than tell you about our past.”

Celestia couldn’t say anything, even though she wondered what happened to them both before they came to the country both her and her sister ruled, her words would most likely be ignored.

“Callum...” Celestia began “Don’t you see how much this means to Luna? Just look at her.” She looked down at the sobbing alicorn, as did Callum. “Normally, if somepony was to make my sister cry like this, I would show them the errors of their ways... But not this time, it was our entire fault and both you and Ashley have the right to be mad at us... But please... Don’t make Luna feel worse...”

“And how would we make her worse than she already is? Hmm!?”

Celestia released a brief sigh as she started the stroke the back of her sister’s head. “Please, I beg of you, try your best to convince Ashley to not resign from our guard. My sister has been a wreck ever since she first thought that would happen.” She stared into his eyes. “I know that asking you to do something like this ridiculous as of now is being... Pathetic of me, but please, spare my sister from this.”

“...” Callum took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “I can’t promise that he might do something like that or that I will do the same thing to you... But, I guess if I somehow feel that I should care about you two, I might put a word in to get him to stay.” He took several steps closer to Celestia, his figure towered over both her sister and herself.

“But I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” He spat “But, I figure that we’ll still be part of your guard, well, only time will tell if we plan to stay. But as of now.” He held out his hand “We want our stuff back. Handguns, knives, anything in the bags when we gave them to you and the bags themselves.”

Celestia nodded. Her horn began to glow as the two bags materialized out of thin air, levitating onto the end of the couch where Ashley was sitting. Luna’s muffled sobs were all that could be heard as Callum made his ascent up the stairs. Meeting Ashley at the top, he gave him his bag. Both humans checked the contents, finding empty magazines, their guns and knives while Ashley’s still had the crystal inside, however, in one of Callum’s magazines there was one bullet remaining.

Grey Ink didn’t say anything as Ashley put on his boots and pocketed his MP3 player. He told her not to get involved, giving her a long hug to reassure her that everything was going to be fine. She wasn't a foal, she knew it wouldn’t be. Before Ashley left the room after their hug, whispered one thing into her ear.

“Please, try not to get involved too much. Comfort both of them if you want to when we leave. I’m not going to hate you if you do... I’m sorry about what is going on, but don’t expect me to just forgive and forget right away. I’ll tell you someday about my past, especially what happened before we got here since it may help clear things up a little about our reactions.” He brought her into a quick hug, giving a peck on her forehead, stroking her mane a couple times to which she enjoyed greatly, despite current situation.

Callum made his way to the door, opening and leaving the house first, waiting outside for his friend. However, Ashley walked into the front room, a small twitch of his right eye went unnoticed as both Luna and Celestia stared up to him. The fur on Luna’s cheeks and Celestia’s chest were stained with tears.

“We do not trust you, we don’t respect you.” Ashley began. His voice was cold and merciless, as if he had no emotions whatsoever “Trust? That is gone. Respect? Remember these words since I won’t be repeating them.” He lowered himself down next to Luna. She could barely even breathe between her sobs, so she knew her cracked voice would not do any better.

“Respect is earned, not given.”

With those words, he turned and left, shutting the front door behind him. Grey Ink went downstairs to help comfort the princess of the night, to which both princesses were being thankful for.

Note, this A/N would be long and I didn’t want to put it into this chapter. You can view it in the first comment for this chapter. I will be doing this for later chapters if the A/N will be long. Also, there will be some editing to this chapter later, mostly centering page breaks and stuff. If you find any errors, please go ahead and point them out.

Meet the humans

Hey there guys, DWR here and I'm posting this on May 5th 2012. I'm giving you a little heads up that chapters 1 - 13 are going to be rewritten when the story finishes. Looking back, I can see how horrible they are and I want to fix them soon. I may have to rewrite some more chapters. I've decided to go back and delete previous A/N's of those chapters.

Also side note; Humans don't arrive in Equestria until chapter 4. You can skip to there if you want.

Name: Ashley “Toast” Cook

Age: 25

HeightL 5ft 11 inches Weight: 164lbs

Medical Training: Basic

Appearance: short Brown hair, blue eyes. Small scar on right cheek

Specialty: Stealth operations, works best with CT. High success rate with this fellow soldier. Assign to missions requiring stealth, precision and too dangerous for other soldiers. Weapons expert; capable of using any weapon on the field with ease

Preferred weapons:HK MP5 w/ suppressor, Combat knife, Sig Sauer Sig P226 pistol w/ Suppressor and flashlight.

Name: Callum “Hammer” Thomson

Age: 25

Height: 6ft 2 inches Weight: 167lbs

Medical Training: Basic

Appearance: Short Black hair, Brown eyes

Specialty: Stealth operations, works best with AC. high success rate with this fellow soldier. Assign to missions requiring stealth, precision and too dangerous for other soldiers. Advances in hand to hand combat. High precision when using

Preferred weapons: HK G36, Combat knife, Sig Sauer Sig P226 pistol w/ suppressor and flashlight

The day was a Tuesday... or was it a Thursday? The season? Fall. In the middle of war, you tend to not pay attention to these things.

Ashley was sleeping in his bed while cradling his favourite weapon, his pistol. It has saved his ass in the most dangerous of times as well as saving fellow soldiers; he grew very fond of it and made it unique to others by having a small image on the handle. Callum was lying in his bed next to Ashley's with his head resting on his hands while looking at the ceiling. He was thinking of home, his mother who he loved with all his heart and how she will react to seeing him since he left to go to war 5 years ago with Ashley by his side.

The pair are inseparable, being best friends since the age of 4; they never once got into a fight with each other and were always willing to do what was necessary to make each other happy. They have seen fellow soldiers die in front of them, killed enemies with their bare hands. The army didn’t care what they did during missions as long as they got the job done which they did. They gained respect of fellow soldiers, some even wish that they would be part of their team but they will never be able to cut it. The team is built on trust, efficiency and sacrifice; many soldiers lack one of these in both Callum and Ashley’s eyes.

Callum turned his head to Ashley and nudged his bed with his left foot "Ashley, wake up...” no response. “Typical of Ashley; he was always the heavy sleeper” Callum thought to himself, he then nudged the bed with more force and said in a slightly louder voice "Ashley, stop dreaming and wake up"

Ashley slowly opened his eyes and could just make out the image of Callum’s face and smiled "what is you wanted? You know I like to sleep"

Callum looked back at the ceiling and responded "what do you think will happen when we are able to go home? I know we could have gone home many times but knowing you, you don’t like leaving a job half done and god forbid I’m going to let you fight in a war without me. So much would have changed back home you know?"

Ashley picked up his pillow and leaned it against the wall, allowing him to get more comfortable as he sat up with his back leaning against the wall. He thought to himself "I’m not going to get any sleep tonight again".

He grabbed his bag of personal belongings from under his bed and unzipped the front pouch, taking out a small cloth and putting it on his lap; he zipped the bag back up and dropped it gently at the side of his bed. Grabbing the cloth with his right hand and his Sig Sauer Sig P226 pistol with his left, he started to clean his gun and quietly said to Callum "I don’t know, maybe with my pay check I can buy a house or send my ma' somewhere nice. Take her somewhere that she would love, like Canada. She has done so much for me and I feel she deserves something in return" Ashley stopped cleaning his gun and turned his head to Callum and asked "why did you want to ask?"

Callum was silent for about 10 seconds, trying to think of a response. His mind drew a blank and he turned his head to Ashley and moved his sight to the handle of Ashley's pistol "you never told me why you painted that lightening cloud thing on your pistol..."

Ashley held his gun sideways and held it closer to Callum with his right hand to show the handle, pointing to a cloud with lightening bolt coming out of the bottom of it; the bolt was coloured red, yellow and blue. With his left index finger and responded "you remember that show I told you about? It’s a cutie mark from one of the characters” he took the pistol back and continued to clean it with the cloth “the show has affected my life so much and I just thought that it would be awesome to have something from it on my favourite weapon. After all, this pistol has saved my ass plenty of times as well as yours"

Callum glanced at Ashley's face and gave a weak smile "you will never get me to become one of your "bronies", that’s the term right? But like I said when you tried to get me to watch a couple of episodes, it's a show for little girls and I don’t watch cartoons"

this was one of the many things that Ashley loved about having Callum as his best friend, being honest. Well that as well as he would put his life into Callum’s hands and he knew Callum would do the same. After all, they were the best of friends as well as team mates.

Ashley picked up his bag again and opened the middle pouch, taking out his combat knife and showing the side of the blade to Callum. It read Love and tolerate as well as 17 tally marks scratched into it which appeared to be the number of people killed with this knife. Ashley smirked and said "you know what this means"

Callum lightly pushed Ashley's hand away and said with a small laugh "yeah yeah, I’m going to love and tolerate the shit out of you..." Callum then got out of his bed and put on his tank top, trousers and combat boots. While tying his boots he asked Ashley "I’m going to walk around a bit, care to join me or you going to be a wimp and stay in here because it’s too cold for ya?"

Ashley put his pistol at the bottom of his bed and put the cloth and knife back into his bag. he got out of his bed and put on his plain black T-shirt and put on his trousers and boots, grabbing his pistol and putting it into the waist band of his trousers he responded "you know I love the night and I’m not going anywhere with this bad boy"

Callum gave a light smile and knelt down to grab the bag from under his bed, he opened the middle and took out his water container, his knife and his pistol.

Ashley and Callum walked out of the tent together. The night sky was clear and the stars were shining bright. The moon was at its highest peak. There was a small breeze of cold air flowing around. The only thing missing was rain. Ashley loved it when it was dark and rained. He didn’t know why, maybe it was because it felt so relaxing to him? Who knows, no one questioned him about it. He took in a deep breathe, this relaxed his whole body.

Walking around the base, you could see other soldiers lighting up cigarettes or just walking around. Who could blame them? It was quiet at night. The perfect time to think to yourself or in this case, talk with other soldiers in their tents to swap stories about home and those they loved.

Callum and Ashley spent the next few hours walking slowly around the base, talking to other soldiers about their missions and having to decline others from joining their team. Time flew by and before either of them realised, it was already 5:55am and everyone had to wake up at 6am for training. Luckily, Ashley and Callum were only called onto “suicide missions” and would train by themselves at a different time so both of them went to the mess hall to grab something to eat.

Grabbing trays, Ashley picked out his usual breakfast which consisted beans, egg, bacon and toast with water. Callum on the other hand decided with just toast and water. The both walked over to their usual spot, a small table in the corner of the hall. Both of them sat down and started to eat their breakfast when a soldier walked up to them with a small smile on his face. In his hands was a brown cardboard box which appeared to be mail.

The soldier was a private and his name was Richard Jenkins, he looked up to Callum in the hopes he could be like him. The reason? Callum saved the kids life.

***

It was only a few months ago, Ashley and Callum secured a package which contained blueprints of a superweapon which would be used by the Russians. Richard was part of the evac squad. As the helicopter landed, Richard and 4 other soldiers ran out and provided covering fire for Callum and Ashley as they ran towards the helicopter while trying dodge explosions and enemy gunfire. It took them a while to get to the helicopter as safe as possible, as soon as they boarded all the other soldiers got back on the helicopter except for Richard

Ashley shouted “RICHARD! GET YOUR ASS ON THIS FUCKING HELICOPTER NOW!”

Richard ignored the orders. He was in the zone, picking off enemies one by one. In his mind he thought he was being the hero and this would make Callum want him on their team. He was wrong. Burning through his clip he tried to reload only to get shot in the arm by an enemy.

Richard screamed in agony which caused him to drop his weapon and get behind better cover, he put his hand onto the wound and saw a distinct crimson red liquid which formed on his uniform. he pulled his hand away from the wound to see blood covering it. Shock fell hard onto his face, He felt his heart pump harder, his sight started to blur and grew dark. He passed out...

Callum saw the private pass out and couldn’t just stand there and let him die. He knew Richard just joined and he wasnt going to let the kid die on his 1st mission.

“Toast! GIVE ME COVERING FIRE IM GOING TO GET THE PRIVATE!” Callum shouted.

Ashley saw the desperation in his friend’s eyes and turned round to the other soldiers who boarded the helicopter already.

“Come on! Help me provide covering fire for Hammer!” Ashley ordered to the other soldiers who were part of the evac squad. They scrambled out of the helicopter firing their weapons at the enemy.

Callum ran over to Richard’s unconscious body and started to drag him by his arms back to the helicopter. One of the evac squad soldiers grabbed Richards legs and started to help Callum drag Richard to get out of the fire fight quicker.

Ashley saw Callum, Richard and the other soldier board the helicopter and shouted “Come on let’s go!” to the remaining soldiers outside of the helicopter and provided covering fire for them as they boarded.

As soon as everyone was aboard, Callum hit the door close button and banged on the door to the cockpit to signal the pilots to get them out of there. All that could be heard was the helicopters rotor blades spinning and bullets being deflected by the helicopters armour.

Ashley was tending to Richards wound during the flight but could only try his best by keeping pressure on the wound and wrapping it in a bandage and from a medical kit onboard the helicopter to stop the blood from escaping.

It took them a good 20 minutes before they got back to the base, medical teams were already at the landing pad due to a message sent by the pilot. As soon as the helicopter landed, the door opened, Richard was whisked away to the medical tent. 2 of the evac soldiers followed while the others stayed with Callum and Ashley for what felt 10 minutes before going to their tents to brag to the other soldiers about their mission.

Staying the night

Author Note: DAYUM. +7500 views for this story!? I didn't expect nowhere as this much. Seriously guys, you have my many thanks for reading the story so far!

As the 2 humans and cyan pegasus made their way upstairs. They were greeted by the purple unicorn who was levitating bandages and some other medical supplies for Callum. Ashley took the equipment. Placing the gauss on the blood soaked area after he cleaned the wound before wrapping the bandage around Callum's head a couple of times before tying the end off.

The 4 of them took seats in the front room and took turns asking questions about each others species and a few laughs were shared. After a near fight between Callum and Rainbow Dash which was broken up by Twilight holding the pegasus back with her magic and Ashley holding back his friend before they settled their differences. Rainbow Dash decided to head home around half an hour after that.

"This night has been eventful" Ashley laughed. Causing the lavender mare to give off a small giggle and Callum a smile.

"But here comes a tricky part. Where will we sleep?" Callum asked

"Well, you could sleep on this floor with a few pillows and a couple of blankets? I think that our beds were made not to fit your species size in mind" Twilight replied.

Callum shugged "I've slept on worse"

"I think I'm going to go for a walk..." Ashley said as he made his way to the door. Except Twilight put herself between him and the door

"But what if somepony was to see you? What would you do then?" she questioned

"Like I care. What's the worst that could happen?" he kneeled himself down to Twilight's hieght.

"You could be reported to the local guard and be taken away and they will most likely inform Princess Celestia..." she said as she took a step back

Callum gave a small laugh in the background, grabbing attention of Ashley and Twilight "If those guards were to try and chase down Ashley. One, they would be walking into a slaughter and two, Ashley is quite a fast runner and very agile so he would get away quite easily"

Twilight looked up to Ashley "Would you attack the guard?"

Ashley was silent for a moment. Thinking of what to say next

"Yes...Only if they draw first blood"

"First blood?" The unicorn asked

"Basically, Ashley will not do anything harmful unless they hurt him or anyone he cares about first. It's this whole honour thing. I blame Nathan for this" Answered Callum

"Nathan?"

"Another one of my close friends, liked to collect weapons like swords and liked to practice fighting moves as self defence. He taught me quite alot"

Ashley turned his head to Twilight and nodded. He noticed she wouldn't budge when it came to leaving but he noticed her horn started to glow. Ashley saw this as her warning and walked over to the window and opened it slightly to let the cool air in "Fine I'll stay for tonight"

"Good" Twilight smiled. Her horn ceased glowing as she made her way up the stairs to retrieve the pillows and blankets

"So..." said Ashley "What do you think will happen later?"

"Well...hopefully going outside would be a breakthrough" Callum joked "But in all seriousness, I would like to check out the town. Meet the locals, see if this town has anything for us to do. I might try out for the local authority"

"Sounds like a plan but why do you want to be like one of those gaurds?"

"Because since we are no longer in the army. Why not use what we know on the battlefield into protecting the innocent here?"

"Good thinking...but being a guard will be boring for my tastes" Ashley smiled

"Guess we could try out a few things here before we decide what we are going to do"

"Yeah. Hey guess what" Ashley walked over Callum

"What?" Callum questioned

"Since we are no longer in the army...No more having to wake up early" a wide smile grew on Ashley's face

Callum gave a smile "Awww yeah!" he high fived his best friend before taking a seat on the wooden floor. Ashley done the same

Twilight could barely hear what the humans were saying. In fact, all she heard was one of them saying "Awww yeah!". She found the spare blankets and pillows and decended down the stairs into the front room. Both humans watched as she levitated the objects infront of them, giving her a heartwarming smile "Thanks" they both said in unison

"Why do you two keep doing that?" she questioned

"Doing what" they replied in unison

"Saying the same thing at the same time"

Both humans looked at each other before looking back at the unicorn

"Well, when your as close as we are and have known each other for practically your whole life then you--" said Callum

"By close do you mean..." Twilight interupted, her cheeks turning slightly red

"That depends" said Callum "what do YOU think?"

Twilight choked, She sat on her haunches. She sat in silence for around 20 seconds. She built up the courage to say "Do you two have homosexual feelings to one another?"

Both humans looked at each other. Sitting in silence before breaking into hysteric laughter. Ashley fell onto his back and rolled around, holding his stomach giggling. While Callum hand a hand to his face, trying to hide his laughter but he couldn't stop the sound. Twilight felt so embarrassed. It took the humans a good couple of minutes to stop laughing

"Whew" Said Ashley "Haven't had a laugh like that in a while"

"Same here"

"The amount of times we have been asked if we were gay"

"Ridiculous, I know"

Twilight was confused "So you don't have those feelings?"

"Nah" Ashley gave Twilight a smile "We are just very close friends. Brother from another mother if you will"

Twilight tilted her head in her state of confusion "But if you don't have the same mother then you are not brothers..."

"We know. It's a figure of speech to say that we are so close to each other that we look out for each other as if we are brothers" said Callum

"Ah. Okay then" Twilight responded before yawning "i'm going to bed. See you two in the morning"

"Goodnight" the humans said in unison. Twilight made her way to her room, using one of her back legs to close the door as she entered. She then dropped onto her bed, adjusting herself into a comfortable position before using her magic to lift the blanket over herself.

Callum moved his pillows next to Twilight's bookshelf and put one of the blankets ontop of himself. Drifting off into sleep almost instantly. Ashley walked over to the open window to look at the night sky. The stars were shining brightly but were put aside due to the moon was breathtaking to look at.

"Why" Ashley thought to himself "Why is everything so familiar?"

Ashley stood at the window for the entire night, not getting any sleep at all. He watched the beautiful moon slowly descend out of view to be replaced by the bright sun. He heard a door open upstairs followed by the sound of hooves descending the wooden stair case to the front room.

Twilight still had her bed mane as she made her way down the stairs and saw Ashley looking out the window

"Did you sleep well?" she asked

Ashley turned his attention to Twilight. He was still wide awake, his body felt well rested even though he didn't sleep

"Sleep is for the weak" he responded with a smile

"Were you up for the entire night?"

"Yes. But don't stress about it. My body is capable of atleast 1 week without sleep. Trust me since I have done this quite a few times"

Twilight shrugged, she looked around to see Callum still asleep before making her way into the kitchen. Ashley decided to continue looking out the window

"Would you like some breakfast" yelled Twilight but not loud enough to wake Callum.

Ashley made his way to the kitchen "If you're offerin', what do you have in mind?"

"Well...I was going to have some oatmeal with some fruit. What would you like?" responded Twilight

"Do you have any pancakes?"

Twilight shook her head in disagreement "only the ingredients to make them. I don't know the recipe though"

"Oh that's no worry. Cooking used to be a small hobby of mine when I was younger and I loved to make pancakes. How about I make some for all of us?" Ashley asked, his eyes were gleaming for approval

"Well...okay then..." smiled Twilight

Ashley gave off a wide smile but it disappeared when Twilight continued what she was going to say

"But, you will have to clean up all your mess"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I could do some other chores if you want, seems like the only current way I can repay you for your hospitality"

"I'd like that" Twilight nodded with a smile.

Ashley set his plan in motion. Grabbing the needed ingredients along with some strawberries, lemons and apples which Twilight shown him to. It took a few minutes for him to get the batter ready. He turned on the stove and put a small circle of batter onto a frying pan. The batter sizzled as it hit the hot metallic surface of the pan. It wasnt long before he already made a stack of pancakes for Twilight and started on the next batch. The smell of freshly cooked pancakes filled the room and made it's way to the front room as well.

Callum suddenly woke up, taking in a long sniff of the air "I smell pancakes..." he made his way to the kitchen to see Ashley walking over to the table with a stack of pancakes on a plate. Twilight didn't start eating as she thought it would be best if they all sat and ate together. Callum took a seat and reached for a pancake only for the back of his hand to be slapped away from Ashley

"You can wait a bit longer until I have yours done" Ashley gave a small smile before going back to the stove to make the final batch

"You are going to love these. Ashley makes some pretty good pancakes" Callum said to Twilight

"We will just have to see if they can beat Sugarcube Corner's pancakes" She responded with a smile.

Ashley brought the last batch of pancakes and eating utensils and set them on the table. He also brought a small bag of sugar and the fruit and set them down as well before taking a seat.

"Lets dig in shall we?" Callum asked.

Ashley responded with a nod before taking out his knife to cut a lemon in half and giving one half to Callum. Twilight watched the humans as they squeezed the lemons onto their pancakes followed by the sprinkling of sugar

"What are you doing?" she asked

"You never tried this combo before?" Ashley asked Twilight who shook her head in disagreement "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it" He sliced another lemon in half and put both halves next to her plate of pancakes. Twilight levitated one of the lemon halves and squeezed it. The lemon juice landed on her pancakes as she then levitated the sugar and sprinkled it onto them. she looked back at Callum who was wolfing down his breakfast before looking at Ashley who was watching her with amusement

"Go ahead, try it" He said with a smile

Twilight levitated a knife and fork and sliced a small portion of the coated pancake before using her levitation magic on the fork to pick up the sliced pancake and put it into her mouth. The sourness of the lemon was noticeable but was mild due to the sweetness of the sugar. The pancake itself was fluffy and light. They were just as Sugarcube Corner's if not better.

"Well?" Ashley asked as he put some of his pancake into his mouth

"It's amazing!" She shouted before levitating some strawberries and apple slices onto her breakfast. Callum was almost finished with his as Ashley decided to savour every bite of his creation.

When they all finished breakfast, Ashley proceeded to wash all the equipment he used in the sink before wiping the counter tops down and the table aswell. He even dried the equipment and put it all away in their respectable places

"If you liked those. Prepare for when I make my moms triple chocolate muffins with a small surprise" Ashley gave a heartwarming smile to Twilight who gave one back.

"Well, Ditzy Doo is a very big fan of muffins so i'm sure she would like to try them sometime" she said

"Ditzy Doo eh? Well when I make them, you must tell her to come here and try them then. Now, what are we going to be doing today?" Ashley asked which also grabbed Callum's attention

"Well..." Twilight answered "How about I bring some of my friends over to meet you two?"

"Perfect" Both humans said in unison...

I'm really sorry for the lack of updates. I have been very very busy this week and did not have much time to start on this chapter. It didn't help that this chapter specifically was banned from my access at my school so I couldn't update it. Anyways, I should be able to upload more chapters in the next couple of days hopefully. Again I thank you all for reading this story so far as much as I enjoy writing it.

I call shenanigans! Part one: First strike.

After their visit to Sugarcube Corner, Callum and Ashley went to visit Twilight to set their plan in motion.

Step one: Persuasion.

Both humans approached the door, Callum knocking his fist against it. The clopping of hooves on the wooden floor inside could be heard coming towards the door before it swung open. The lavender unicorn stood in the doorway.

“Hey Twi, I need a favour.” Callum asked.

“Sure Callum.” She noticed Ashley standing nearby “Oh hey Ash, are you feeling okay?”

“Feelin’ pretty good Twi, thanks for asking.”

“Good to know.” She smiled, stepping to the side of the doorway “Come on in. Applejack was talking to me about what she was told earlier.”

Both humans entered the library, greeted by Applejack with her Stetson in front of her on the ground, smiling towards them both. Both humans found it odd to see Applejack without her Stetson on, Spike walked in from the kitchen with a tray that had three mugs of what looked like tea although one of them filled the room with the fresh smell of coffee.

“Hey Spike.” Ashley waved towards the purple dragon.

Setting the tray down near Applejack, both humans noticed the pink apron he was wearing. Spike noticed their staring and quickly tried to ditch the apron.

“Nice apron Spike, sporting the manliest colour I see?” Ashley laughed a bit, getting a smile from the dragon.

“Hey Ash and Cal, when was pink manly?”

“When wasn’t it manly?” Ashley countered. Callum merely rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Good point.” Spike smirked, putting the apron back on.

Twilight couldn’t help but be entertained by the conversation, same with Applejack. Twilight took a seat next to the orange mare and levitated the cup of tea to her lips to take a sip. She let out a refreshed “Ahhh” After she swallowed the hot beverage. She smiled towards Callum before speaking.

“So what was it you need Callum?”

“Oh right,” He pulled out a rolled up piece of paper “I was wondering if you could send this to princess Celestia for me?”

“Sure. Spike can send it to her instantly, what is it about anyway?”

“Just a report.” Callum lied. It was in fact the first step for their plan.

“Alright then. Spike can you do the honours?”

“Sure thing Twi. Pass the letter here Cal.” Spike said as he reached out for the letter. Callum happily gave it to him, watching as the paper was engulfed in the dragon’s signature green flame.

“That’s still pretty cool how you do that Spike.”

“Thanks.” He grabbed the mug of coffee, take a large sip.

“So.” Applejack spoke up “How’d it go at Neon’s?”

“Good. We work there on Friday nights. She wants us to check out the place on Saturday.” Callum replied, getting an idea almost instantly “Do they serve alcohol there?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Twilight asked. Both humans noticed that she sometimes replies with questions but they shrugged it off, thinking that it was part of her nature since she adores learning new things.

“Actually it makes the situation a WHOLE lot better.” Callum grinned, Ashley on the other hand knew that Callum was going to get hammered on that night. “I think that we should all go there on Saturday. This week had been stressful and I think we could all go for a night of partying.”

“Not really partying for me, more like chilling out with a cold whiskey.” Ashley laughed a bit, his face turning to one of deep thought “We need to find out what liquor they have there. They better have whisky or at least vodka. God help them if they don’t have vodka.”

“Ah’m pretty sure they do.” Applejack said reassuringly “Ain’t that the stuff that looks like water but burns on the way down?”

“Sounds about right.” Callum added.

“Excellent!” Ashley exclaimed “We must go comrade! and drink until we are blind! And then drink some more!” He wrapped an arm over his friends should with a Russian accent.

“Save your enthusiasm for when the time comes Ash.” Callum laughed as he removed his friend’s arm of him.

“Ah’m willin’ to take part on Saturday. How about you Twilight?”

“Mmmmaybe.” The lavender unicorn replied “I doubt I’ll be drinking alcohol though.”

“Aww come on Twi!” Callum pleaded “I wanna see you let your hair down and get-“

“Callum, she said no for crying out loud.” Ashley said in an amused tone “You should respect her decision if she doesn’t want to drink.” He noticed Callum glare at him but he gave him a smug look to show that he enjoyed shooting down his friend’s request.

“Thank you Ashley.” Twilight smiled, taking another sip of her drink.

“So A.J.” Ashley said, grabbing the attention of the blond mare “Who else likes to drink?”

“Well let’s see here…” She brought a hoof to her chin and began pondering “R.D. likes to try and beat me in drinkin’ contests, Rarity likes to drink her wine, Pinkie…Ah don’t even know how that pony consumes so much without even bein’ the tiniest bit tipsy. Fluttershy don’t drink at all but she likes to help us stagger home.”

“Reminds you of our drinkin’ days don’t it Ash?”

“Sort of.” Ashley smiled “If one of them through the middle of the town in a chicken costume being chased by a guy dressed up as the Colonel then, yes it does bring back fond memories.”

“Weren’t my fault that guy didn’t want my ‘Chicken nuggets’.” Callum winked, Both humans started to recall the memory as they started to laugh at it.

“What are you two even on about?” Twilight asked.

“You don’t wanna know.” Ashley replied as they both started to stifle their laughter.

Location: Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia’s private quarters

Celestia was preparing the necessary items for her prank on Ashley, having thought up of some excellent jokes she could pull but the only problem was executing the plans. She spent most of her time cooped up in her private quarters.

Most ponies would think that running a country would be hard work but ever since Luna was released from the Nightmare’s grasp, she was able to split royal duties with her sister once more, allowing her more free time but the stress still remained. She was always stressed but when in the presence of others, she would stay calm and collected until she was alone. She tried many methods of relaxation, ranging from meditation to playing tricks on Blueblood (To which she had to stop since he grew his suspicions it was her doing it...And that he was taking out his frustration on her subjects.)

She let out a sigh of frustration which echoed in the empty room. She laid herself on her bed as she tried to relax. She took a deep breath as a letter appeared in front of her. Landing on her chest, she sat up as she levitated the letter, opening it out to read it...

Dear Princess Celestia

I would like to treat you to one of my family’s traditions which, basically is a massage. I’m sure that running a country can be very stressful and demanding.

Back on my planet, I was taught how to perform excellent massages at a young age and this has helped me later in life as well. The tradition of my family goes back centuries as it used to relieve the stress of those we are very fond of. I’m sure that during your lifespan that you have had many massages but only had massages with hooves. My hands will be able to get into the joints and perform a more thorough massage...

Celestia pondered at his request. She hadn’t had a massage in a few decades and even so, those didn’t relieve much stress since hooves couldn’t get into hard to reach areas like the joints and deep into the muscles. She put a lot of trust into Callum and began to think that this was to help show some of his appreciation for the solar princess. She continued to read the letter.

I have had a lot of positive feedback from those I used it on back on my planet and I’d feel honoured if you allow me do perform this task to show you some of my appreciation for doing everything you have for Ashley and I so far. I can talk to you about some of my family’s traditions and other things from my world, answer any question you want to ask. Let it be about my personal affairs or my past.

Just send your reply via Spike as soon as possible.

From your human guard and hopefully your friend, Callum. D. Thomson.

Celestia stared at the letter. Being able to learn more about the human would be very interesting, especially to learn some of his traditions and some of his past. The massage would also do well for her. She levitated a piece of parchment and a quill dipped in ink, sending her approval for the task. As she finished, the letter disappeared with a quiet “poof” and a small light. A small smile found its way onto her face as she sent the letter.

It has been a few minutes since the letter Spike sent. The ponies, humans and baby dragon were discussing what happened this morning. Twilight was obviously freaking out a bit on the inside about the whole “You and Celestia” joke Ashley made. She laughed at the joke and denied his claim, saying that the sun goddess is like a mother to her.

Spike beat his chest with his stomach, forcing out a loud belch which was followed by a piece of parchment appearing from the green flame that spewed from his mouth. He opened it and began to read it to the group (Callum said that he could if he wanted.)

Spike coughed a couple of times before speaking “Dear Callum. I accept your request to show me some of your family’s traditions and shall meet you in an hour. As you claimed, yes it is very stressful to maintain an entire country even with the help of my sister and I could use some relaxation. From her royal highness, Princess Celestia.” Spike gave the parchment to Callum who skimmed over it with his eyes, a beaming smile grew on his face.

“Traditions?” Twilight asked “What traditions?”

Folding the letter into a reasonable size to fit into his pocket “Oh nothing too big. Just a massage to show the princess some of my appreciation for doing so much for us.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow “Really?”

“Yep. Oh and I said she could ask me some questions if she feels like it.”

“What’s so special about yer massage?” Applejack asked.

“Simple.” Callum replied, raising his hands as he wiggled his fingers “I have these.”

“So?”

“Better at massages than hooves since I can get harder to reach places like joints and my hands are soft compared to hooves so they wouldn’t hurt much.”

“Ah see.” Applejack smiled “Y’all should go to the spa to speak to Lotus and her sister. Ah’m sure that they’d let ya do the massage there.”

“Good idea. Where is it?”

“Come on, Ah’ll show ya.” She stood up, flicking her Stetson onto her head from the ground. Ashley was impressed from the tactic. “Ah’d like to stretch mah legs anyways.” She turned towards Spike and Twilight “Y’all comin’ with?”

“No thanks Applejack. Spike and I are going to see Rarity now.” The lavender unicorn replied. Both humans noticed Spike eagerly run towards the door.

“Come on Twi!” He shouted as he burst through the door, hightailing it towards the fashionista’s home.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” Twilight giggled as they all left her home. Waving goodbye to the lavender mare, Applejack and the humans began their journey to the spa.

It took them a while but they were successful, While Callum was talking to the twins who ran the relaxation center. They were more than happy to comply to his needs since it was royalty that was going to be in THEIR spa. Well...They basically fainted from when the request and it took a lot of shaking and yelling from Callum and Applejack to wake the both up.

Ashley went to Sugarcube corner (By which I mean he banged on the door with his fist, refusing to enter the bakery since it made him feel sick.) Pinkie answered and gave him a small bottle of oil for the massage. The liquid was clear as the bottle was a faint yellow colour. Pinkie whispered into his ear what the oil does which made him smile evilly. She ushered him away from the bakery (to which he was more than happy to do) to avoid suspicion. He started to walk his way towards the spa with the bottle concealed up his hoods sleeve.

Walking into the building, he saw Callum, Applejack and the spa ponies prepping the area with a single table, curtains were drawn to make the room dark except only one curtain was still open to allow him to find the perfect spot to place candles.

Both humans began to discuss what was going to happen but had to say their plan in Russian since they were still in the presence of the spa ponies and Applejack.

“What in the hay are y’all tryin’ to say? Sounds like a bunch of gibberish.” Applejack asked in a concerned voice. Both humans turned to the mare

“We’re speaking in Russian.” Callum explained “The language of our enemies back homes. We’re discussing very important matters.”

“Well alright then.” Applejack smiled, heading towards the door “Good luck on yer massage thingy with the princess.”

“See ya A.J. Thanks for helping out.” Callum said with a smile, waving off the orange mare.

“We’ll leave you and the princess to have the spa to yourselves.” Lotus said as both herself and her sister exited the building

“Thanks for letting me do it here!” Callum yelled out, turning back to Ashley.

“So.” Ashley spoke, handing over his robe to Callum “Shall we?”

“Let’s do this!” Both humans high fived, grinning like madmen as Callum drew the last curtains closed, setting the candles on fire with a match. The room was poorly lit (As planned), Ashley hid in one of the closest, keeping the door open slightly so he could exit it quietly when needed and to see when Callum would gesture for him.

Step two: Execution...

Callum had put on Ashley’s robe without the hood over his head, arms crossed. He watched as ponies would bow down to the solar princess as she approached him. She had a small smile on her face as he watched her, returning the smile himself. He bowed to the princess as he moved to the side to allow her access to the spa.

Ponies were curious of what they were both doing (It was inevitable that some thought they were going to be doing...*ahem* the dirty deed since they both got on well with each other.), some would try to get a look through the windows but the curtains covered their vision and even so, the room was too dark for them to see.

Celestia looked around inside the building. The heavenly light scent of vanilla filled the room as the candles lit the room. Vanilla was one of her favourite scents. How Callum knew this, she had no idea.

Callum shut the door, cracking his knuckles and neck “Shall we begin?”

Celestia giggled “Yes. What are you going to massage?”

“Well, your jaw joints, wings, shoulders and back would be the best bet. It is human tradition to never look at the masseuse until the massage is done or until they say so, okay?”

“That is splendid. I look forward to learning more about traditions from your world.”

Now here’s the thing. Callum’s family does not have any of these traditions so he and Ashley decided to use traditions from other cultures on earth. Throw in something they think of on the spot as well. Celestia wouldn’t know anything about them for obvious reasons and was more than happy to comply. She set herself on the table, wings folded.

“Sorry.” He adjusted himself to Celestia’s face “You won’t be able to speak for this part since I’m doing your jaw to begin with.”

Celestia nodded, closing her eyes to let Callum get to work. She felt his fingertips search for her jaw joints, once he found them he applied a small amount of pressure to them. His soft fingers ran through her coat as they worked their magic on her jaw.

Ashley was waiting in a nearby closet, watching his friend massage the sun goddess’ jaw. Soon... he thought to himself, holding the bottle of oil in his pocket.

Celestia was impressed by Callum, being able to massage a hard to reach area that she thought wouldn’t be considered a point to massage. Her jaw muscles felt relaxed.

“You can talk now.” Callum said quietly, preparing to massage her shoulders. He tapped on his leg twice without making a sound, signalling Ashley for the switch.

Ashley nodded, slowly opening the door without a sound. His boots were silent as he walked up to his companion...

“Where did you study your massaging technique Callum?” Celestia asked, both humans froze in place.

“I studied in a country called Japan. Beautiful scenery but learning their language was hard. I could barely even say a complete sentence so I stuck with a translator for my studies.” He lied, knowing that he took up the massages to impress girls before they had ‘fun’.

“Did you enjoy your time there?”

“Oh of course.” He silently took off the robe, passing it towards Ashley to put on. “Their culture is amazing. For example, when you enter someone’s home, you have to take of your shoes. I thought that it shows the homeowner that you respect them and their household.” He watched as Ashley put the hood over his face, none of his facial features being visible. He gave a thumbs up before Ashley gave him the bottle to hold “I loved the food there as well, things like sushi, noodles and a bunch of things I wouldn’t normally eat but done anyways for the experience.” lying again. He never went to Japan.

“Sounds fun.” Celestia replied happily “Have you been to any other places on your planet?”

“I’ve been around quite a lot. Before I can say any more, can you unfurl your left wing?”

Celestia complied and unfurled the large wing, its feathers shimmered a small amount from the candle light. Both humans nodded to one another as Ashley cracked his knuckles, stroking the bone of the wing as he applied slightly more pressure to each stroke.

Callum stood close by to make sure that his voice didn’t seem distant so Celestia wouldn’t grow suspicious. “I went to this country called Australia. Full of exotic animals such as koala bears, crocodiles, alligators and rare types of insects. My personal favourite pastime while I was there was watching nature from a distance. But then I got bored and partied like mad.” Callum chuckled, getting a small laugh from Celestia as well. This answer was partly true. The partying part being the truth since he didn’t really bother with the wild life at all.

“So I’m guessing you’re a party animal?”

“You could say that…Actually looking back, you’re right. I must say Celestia, your wings are amazing. Their so soft and beautiful.”

“Thank you for the compliment Callum. This massage is turning out to be very enjoyable.” She said calmly.

Ashley gave the pointed towards the other wing. Callum understood and spoke to Celestia.

“That’s that wing done, time for the other one.” Both humans watched the princess unfurl her other wing, Ashley walked around the table (behind Celestia to avoid being noticed) and began to use the similar technique he used previously.

The massage of the wing went on for a few minutes, the both noticed that Celestia practically melted on the table from the massage. If that didn’t sell it, then the slightly noticeable “Mmmm.” She made when Ashley started on her lower neck confirmed it. He pressed his thumbs gently into the neck and rubbed them in a circular motion across her fur.

“You’re really talented at this Callum.” Celestia spoke quietly but very calmly, as if she was at the perfect amount of peacefulness. She felt she could fall asleep to the humans touch but then she wouldn’t be able to ask more questions, forcing herself to keep awake.

“Thanks. I must say Celestia, your coat if quite…looked after, soft to the touch like your feathers. How do you keep it like this?”

“It’s my secret.” She replied playfully “So, do you have a special somepony back on earth waiting for you?”

“Nope.” Callum said happily. “Never really wanted to get in full on relationships. Didn’t want girls to be heartbroken if I died in combat so I stuck to having one night stands when Ash and I went clubbing.”

“I see. Why would you do that to those girls though?”

“I’m not always the one who initiated them type of things Celestia. I did sometimes but both me and the girl would be drunk so we didn’t really remember who started it and we didn’t really care.”

“I see. Can you start on my shoulders now?”

“Of course.” Callum spoke, Ashley immediately went to work on her shoulders. He looked towards Callum and pointed to the bottle in his hand “Okay Celestia, I need your consent for this next part.”

“Go on…” She replied, she started to worry slightly as thoughts raced through her head. Was he going to massage her flank?

“My family uses a specially made oil which soothes muscles quickly and loosens them. It also makes a great shampoo. I’m asking if it is okay if I am able to use it on you.”

“Oh…Uh…Sure Callum.” She replied, mentally sighing in relief. She heard the bottle’s cap flick open with a small *click*.

Callum passed the bottle to Ash who poured some onto his hands. The oil smelt like sugar, Ashley started to feel sick in his stomach as the smell ran through his nose. He had come to far now to back down now. So much planning had to been put into this so he tried his best to suck it up.

I’ll vomit later He thought to himself as he started to get to work on Celestia shoulders with the oil. He watched as her coat started to change color, spreading over her body by itself as he worked it into her luxurious coat.

“Oh~ Right there.” Celestia cooed. Ashley was feeling REALLY awkward and this didn’t help the nausea he was feeling from the scent of the oil. He could see Callum barely being able to laugh from her moans of pleasure. Ashley frowned in his direction as he put slightly more pressure onto the spot Celestia requested.

Both of Celestia’s wings unfurled and hung in the air, as did her limbs. The sheer amount of pleasure from the massage was obvious since she kept giving off compliments and moaning. Ashley’s face was beet red from embarrassment. Callum was about ready to burst before Ashley gave him the familiar ‘okay’ hand gesture. Callum nodded and opened a curtain and back window quietly, on the other side, Pinkie was waiting with an object covered in a small cloth. Making it unseeable to everyone. The both nodded when Callum closed the window, Pinkie hid in a nearby bush…

Step three: Add the surprise and run…

Ashley was still kneading into Celestia’s back. Her moans were still making it very uncomfortable. He doubted that she even realised how much noise she was making. It wasn’t loud enough to hear through the walls but being a silent, dark room just made it seem louder. Callum removed the rag off the item, Ashley reached out for it with one hand with a beaming smile.

“Oh and Celestia, I have one thing to say…” Callum said.

“Hmm?” She seemed to be in a trance of pure relaxation and calmness “What is it?”

“Do you like bananas?”

“I…I don’t see why asking that is appropriate…” Her eyes opened slowly as she was breaking out of the trance, she couldn’t see the colour change to her coat.

“Oh...It’s just something Ashley wanted me to ask you while he was doing something…” Callum responded with a grin.

“What was he doing?” Celestia asked, her voice changed from a calm tone to one riddled with worry.

“Massaging you…” Ashley spoke, Celestia’s eyes shot wide open. She realised it was a trap but it was too late. Ashley smashed the item onto her head as he and Callum darted out of the spa.

“CHEESE IT!” Ashley yelled with his laughter.

“What the!?” Celestia quickly got off the table, using her horn to generate some light as she looked into a nearby mirror.

Her coat…Her beautiful, pure white coat…

It was pink…

She looked at the item on her head that Ashley smashed onto, It was a pie…Part of the baked desert’s insides rolled down onto her lips. She licked her lips, instantly realising the flavour of pie…

“Wait...Is this...BANANA CREAM PIE!?” Her voice exploded into the sheer volume of the Royal Canterlot voice, the whole town looked towards the spa’s direction and saw the humans running, barely able to keep themselves from falling over from their laughing fit.

Celestia burst out into the open, Callum and Ashley looked back to see Celestia charging after them, styling her pink coat. Pinkie Pie was laughing her head off as she snuck back to Sugarcube corner.

“GET BACK HERE!” The pink sun goddess screamed in her RCV. The sheer amount of anger was visible since her mane had pretty much turned into a large fire at this point.

Twilight, Rarity and Spike went outside of Carousel boutique to see what the commotion was. All they saw were the two humans running straight pass them, switching between their rapid breathing and their laughter. Behind them, they all saw Celestia running straight after them with her fire mane. Twilight, in all her years of knowing the princess had never seen this side of her.

They all admitted though...

She does look quite good in pink.

The humans were still running, ponies would immediately get out of their way when they saw the princess running after them. Royal guards were dumbfounded to what was going on.

The humans ran behind Sugarcube Corner to catch their breath.

“I think it worked.” Ashley panted with a smile, holding his hand up for a high five.

“Well executed *pant* if I say so *pant* myself.” Callum smacked his hand against Ashley’s for the high five. Both slumped against the wall to rest.

“Guys, in here!” A voice came from nearby. Both humans looked around to see Pinkie popping her head out the window. Both humans quickly climbed inside (Ashley using his sleeve to block the smell of course, he was a bit nauseous from earlier).

It took them a minute or so to get their breathing back to normal, they peeped their heads out one of the windows and saw royal guards scattering, checking alleyways and dumpsters for the humans. Celestia, Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, Rarity and Applejack were all looking for the culprits to the prank. Rainbow Dash appeared from upstairs.

“So how’d it go?” The cyan mare asked.

“Just look outside for yourself.” Ashley responded, gesturing to the window.

Rainbow immediately looked out the window, seeing a infuriated pink Celestia with bits of pie in her coat. She couldn’t help but laugh. Pinkie joined in the laughter while the humans went upstairs. They knew that Twilight and the others would ask for Pinkie and Rainbow to help look for them.

“You two did the plan perfectly.” Pinkie said with a smile but then turned serious “Celestia will try to out do you so prepare yourselves. Callum has now been notified as a target for assisting you Ash. Be very cautious, I’ll update you later for your next hit.” She winked as she bounced downstairs.

Celestia wondered how the humans knew not one, but two of her most hated things. Maybe she underestimated the humans capabilities. Now knowing that getting allies will be the most beneficial to her victory...

Don’t think this is over yet Ashley...Let’s just say you’re in for a big surprise... She laughed to herself quietly as the guards and the majority of the element bearers were still on the search for the pranksters. She could already smell the scent of victory...And it smelt like banana cream pie

Well there you go. Have one of the pranks. I know I promised to have them all in one chapter but I decided that focusing a whole chapter on a prank would do much better. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and got a few laughs from it, I know I did.

Bonus chapter 1: 200+ favourites special: Questions with the cast! (Added 2 forgotten questions)

“How long is this guy going to take?” Rainbow exclaimed, breaking the silence of the waiting room. The room itself was quite bland with its boring grey wall colour, its boring grey ceiling and to top it all off, its boring white tiled floor. As everyone knows, Rainbow Dash and boredom do not mix well. Grey Ink was already aware of waiting rooms, especially since the boredom she was witnessing at the very moment was a tinge more exciting than her job.

Twilight was doing what she does best, reading. She already had a stack of magazines in front of her, reading through them like children’s books. Her seat was next to her mentor’s, Princess Celestia, whom was sitting next to her sister, Princess Luna.

At the first glance of the two goddesses, you could see the sheer boredom they had been brought to. Luna however, knows what pure boredom is like, being sent to the moon and all, but, even she had to admit that this wait was becoming more and more annoying by the second. Celestia wasn’t too far behind from Luna, trying her best to not burst out in annoyance of the waiting time.

Opposite the princesses and Twilight were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Each of them was in a simple foam chair, which had proven to become slightly uncomfortable over the duration of time. To their right were Grey Ink and Ashley sitting next to each other. On their left was Callum, repeatedly tapping his head against the wall.

The only source of light was the huge wall sized window behind the princesses and Twilight, but the view wasn’t spectacular. It was nothing more than the dark busy streets of some city, however, they were on the fifteenth floor of the skyscraper, meaning that they could not see the streets below very well. As for the rest of the view, it was blocked by other towering buildings. To make matters worse when it came to the view, the sky was pitch black, the night sky’s stars were dim, barely even visible while the moon hung proudly in the midnight sky. The pitter patter of rain tapping against the window was the only thing that kept some of the room’s occupants sane, letting them know that time hadn’t drawn to a standstill.

Thud…

…

Thud…

…

Thud…

Luckily for Callum, he had a strong head, otherwise he would have a headache as of now.

“How long is this ‘Author’ goin’ ta take?” Applejack asked, using her hooves to make air quotes. Her southern accent was accompanied by the tone of being annoyed, more on the lines of frustration.

“Beats me.” Ashley replied with a shrug “But this is really taking the piss. We’ve probably been here for like what, hours?”

“It does feel like that.” Celestia added “I wonder why this ‘Author’ is taking their time, surely they would try their best to make time for guests.”

Click.

Everyone’s attention turned towards door, both princesses raised an eyebrow as everyone else broke free of their boredom.

But after a whole minute of waiting, the door didn’t open.

“That’s it.” Rainbow leapt off her chair, angrily trotting over to the door, slamming her hoof on its wooden material several times before yelling “HURRY THE HAY UP!”

“Geez, she’s got quite the temper, ain’t she?” A voice said. Its origin was located at Rainbow Dash’s chair. Everyone went wide eyed, seeing a bipedal figure sitting in her seat. Straight away, everyone knew that by judging its body shape, it was a human.

The figure’s facial features could not be seen, due to a certain hooded jacket covering it up. The only part of the individual’s face that could be seen was the area around its mouth. It wore a simple pair of jeans alongside florescent green and (mostly) white sneakers.

“Who are you and how did you get there?” Rarity asked, yawning briefly from her recent break of boredom.

“Well…” The figure put its fingertips together, forming a triangle. Judging by the voice, it was a male. “When a woman and a man love each other much… Or, when the male breaks or forgets to put on a condom during sexual intercourse-“

“Don’t try and be a smartass.” Callum snapped, he wasn’t in the mood for games after waiting so long. “Who are you?”

The lone figure smirked, his white teeth were easily noticeable “Why, I’m the author.” Before Rainbow Dash, or anyone else for that matter could give him a piece of their minds, the ‘Author’ held up its hands, his smirk growing even wider.

“But you can refer to me as D.W.R. or Author, you can choose whichever you want.”

“Right.”Celestia cleared her throat with several coughs “You were the one for us to appear here, correct?” D.W.R nodded his head, his fingers had returned to the formation he had not long ago. “Now, can we ask why?”

“Well.” D.W.R. stood up, his height was around the same as Ashley’s “You see. A piece of mine has reached a milestone and I can’t help but celebrate it.”

“And what does it have to do with us?” Luna chirped.

“I’ll put it simple for all of you to save some time. This… Piece, has received over two hundred favourites, which is quite the accomplishment in my opinion. I hadn’t expected this to happen, and I promised the viewers of said piece, that I will hold a small… Event, for you lot.” He pointed around the room “Don’t worry too much though. You’ll probably feel a bit embarrassed afterwards, but I ensure you that you will not even have to move out of a chair.”

“And what is it that you plan on us doing?” Twilight questioned, placing the final magazine on the small table in the middle of the room.

“Well…” D.W.R. turned towards the door, holding his and out to it with a small bow “Firstly, we go into here so we can begin.

Compared to the previous room, the room that all the ponies and all three humans had entered was a massive improvement. The room was a subtle mild blue colour with a small cloud pattern. The ceiling and carpet were both white. The chairs were much softer and more comfortable than those in the waiting room. At the end of the room was a desk, on top of that was a laptop alongside a cold cup of coffee and a half eaten pack of rich tea biscuits. On one of the sides of the room was a table, filled with various drinks and snacks meant for the group.

The chair behind the desk seemed to be made of leather, none except the author knew if it was real leather or not. D.W.R. took it to himself to seat his romp on the chair, opening the laptop, waiting for it to awaken from its hibernation mode.

“Please.” He gestured to the eleven seats in front of him, which surrounded the desk in a semi-circle formation “Do take a seat so we can begin.”

Both humans took the middle seats, Ashley pat the seat next to him for Grey Ink to sit onto. Next to Callum sat princess Celestia, next to Grey Ink was Luna. Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity all sat on the same side as Callum and the princess of the sun. Twilight took it to herself to sit next to her mentor. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie sat in the seats near to Luna.

“Can you tell us what is going on?” Luna asked, giving D.W.R. a look of curiosity.

“As promised, I’ll tell you what is going to happen.” D.W.R. replied with a smile, leaning forward slightly to type his password into the laptop. He folded his arms, glancing around the room at each of the ponies and the two humans. All of them eager to hear what he had to say. “To simply put it, I asked my viewers to submit questions meant for you lot. Now, I did say that they could be about whatever they wanted and you will answer them with the honest truth. I can tell when you’re lying, I can hear what you’re thinking. For I am. The Author!” D.W.R. started to crack into a sadistic laugh, the lighting of the room seemed to become much darker, but as soon as his laughter ceased, the lighting returned to normal. Everyone in the room was obviously confused.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Why’d the room go dark when he laughed?”

“Because you touch yourself at night.” D.W.R. snapped, a malicious grin had formed on his face.

“Dude, that’s uncalled for.” Callum pointed out.

“Says Callum. The same person who says suggestive things and seeks out the pure pleasure of making things awkward for others. I smell a bit of irony right now, and it smells delicious.”

“Oh oh! What does it smell like? Does it smell like frosting? Oh oh! Maybe it smells like cookies!” Pinkie chimed, it wasn’t long before everyone had tuned her out for the brief moment.

“…Touché.” Callum smirked.

“So, heading back to the situation at hoof.”Celestia glared at Callum, his face didn’t change one bit. She turned her attention back to the figure behind the desk “What are these questions going to be about?”

“Beats me.” D.W.R replied with a shrug, leaning back on his chair “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Very well. You may begin.” Luna ordered. D.W.R. waved off the fact that he was being ordered by her, opening up a Microsoft word document which contained the questions meant for those in front of him.

“Alright. First question goes to the main six and it’s by a user named Crimson Valor.”

“Main six?” Rarity asked.

“That means You, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Oh, and before I forget…” D.W.R. clicked his fingers once “Now no one else except those being asked the question and myself will hear your answer.” He coughed once before he continued “Main six: After your drunken night with Ash and Cal, do you think you’d do it again if invited, or is it not going to happen?”

Rarity looked around towards her friends, each of them were slightly confused from the question, much like herself. “Um, do we just say our answers?”

“Yes, I’ll be writing your answers word for word on this.” D.W.R pointed to the laptop on his desk.

“Sure.” Rainbow Dash shrugged “It was a pretty fun night and there were a lot of laughs. I can’t remember too much though, but the parts I do remember were cool.”

“Ah… Uhhh…” Applejack raised a hoof to her chin, contemplating shortly on her answer “Maybe… Ah don’t really know. Sure it was a load of fun, but Ah don’t see mahself in doing somethin’ like that fer a while.”

During their answers, D.W.R. was wildly tapping the plastic keys on his keyboard, stopping for the next answer, which was Twilight’s.

“I don’t see myself in doing something like that again, unless it is a special occasion.” A smile had grown on her muzzle “That night was pretty fun though, I will admit that.” Twilight looked over to her side towards her mentor, receiving a heart-warming smile from the sun goddess, even though she couldn’t hear her.

“OH boy would I!” Pinkie cheered “It was soooooo much fun! I got to be with my bestest pals and my two newest friends that night and we had so much fun together! Not to mention that I loved that contest we had, that was pretty super!

“I will have to disagree with my friends here.” Rarity stated “As much fun as it was, I don’t particularly enjoy doing such activities since they can lead to regret in the future. But that will not stop me from mentioning that it was a brilliant night with friends. So no, I will not be doing that type of thing again.

“Fair enough.” D.W.R. said once he finished typing up her answer, he pointed an index finger at Fluttershy without looking away from the screen “What’s yours?”

“Oh… Um… I-I uh…” Fluttershy’s voice was terribly shaken. As much as she didn’t want to, she didn’t want to be in this sort of pressure inducing position. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride “I-I wouldn’t want to do it again.” She quickly said, hiding behind her chair, she waited for the hooded human to freak out about her short answer, but he didn’t. All she heard was the quick tapping of the plastic buttons on the weird object in front of him, and that was it.

“Cheers for the answering Fluttershy. You don’t have to worry much about your answers, just answer them like you would to one of your friends.” D.W.R. said in a calm voice, causing Fluttershy to slowly, but eventually get back into her seat.

“Alright, next question from the same user, this one is to Ashley and Grey Ink. Oh, and by the way, the thing I did with the clicking my fingers, it automatically changes to those who are answering. Convenient, no?” Both human and Pegasus raised an eyebrow, curious to hear what the question would be about. “Anyway, back to the question. Ashley and Grey Ink: Do you see each other settling down? Having kids, married and all that?

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Ashley held his hands up, his eyes slightly widened “I haven’t even asked her on a date yet, and you’re asking about marriage and what not? I didn’t really think about that, and I don’t plan on doing so for a while. I just want this relationship to run its course.”

“I’ll have to agree with Ashley here.” Grey Ink added “I haven’t even asked him out on a date either. I don’t know where he got the idea of him asking me out, usually in Equestria, the mare asks out the stallion. As much as the idea of having foals and being married seems good, I think its best we don’t think about that sort of thing for a long, long time.”

“Not to mention that being different species, I doubt we could even have kids.

“Nicely put.” D.W.R. said as he typed up the last sentence of Grey’s answer. “Back on the planet Ashley and Callum are from, it’s more common for the guys to ask out the girl.” All the ponies looked at the Author weirdly, being able to hear him as soon as Grey Ink finished her answer. “True story.”

“Riiiight. Can we get back to the questions now?” Callum asked, D.W.R. nodded.

“Question for Grey Ink, same user. Would your parents accept it or would you continue the relationship without their blessing?”

“How did... How did the ‘user’ know about my parents?” Grey Ink asked, shocked by the fact that somepony knew about her parents, even though she usually kept quiet about them.

“These are my viewers, they know many things.” D.W.R. smirked.

“W-well. I... Guess I would... It’s not the first time they’ve been against a relationship of mine. So, yes. I most likely will continue my relationship with Ashley, with or without their support.” With that, she leaned over towards Ashley, baring him in a quick hug.

“Not bad. Alright, question for Ashley and it’s from the same guy. If you had the choice to go back to Earth and start over again, would you accept it? If not, why?”

“Geez... That’s a tough one...” Ashley placed a left hand on his chin, Grey Ink still hadn’t let go from her embrace so Ashley put his right arm around the pegasus. “I guess... I wouldn’t. Sure, Earth is great and all, but I’ve made a life here so far, I’ve got a beautiful woman by my side, my best pal is with me, I’ve made some great friends. The only problem with this is that I wish I could’ve said goodbye to my mother and my other friends back on Earth, just to let them know I’m alright and that I’m happy here.”

“*sniff* I like this because it makes me cry every time.” D.W.R. mocked, faking his sadness for it to be broken by a cheery smile “Alright, next question... Ah ha! Here it is. This one is for Celestia, Luna will also be joining in with this one.”

“For me?” The white alicorn asked. D.W.R. replied with nothing more than a nod.

“As much as I think this overplayed, I’m still going with it. The user who is asking this is JeremyPunk: Do you like bananas?”

Celestia let out a loud groan “I have nothing against bananas themselves, they are quite delectable. The only problem I have with them is banana cream pie, and no, I will not go into why I dislike that with a passion that rivals my sun.”

“Oh, it’s because on time Tia and a-“ Luna began but her muzzle was sealed shut from Celestia’s magic. As much as she squirmed, Celestia wouldn’t let go of her magical grasp, sending the angriest stare she could muster at her sister. Luna knew that Celestia wasn’t playing around. Her muffled laughter could be heard.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be laughing Luna... This one is for you.” D.W.R. said in a rather sinister tone. Celestia let go of her sister’s muzzle. “Princess Luna, do you know where you can go bananas?”

“Um...” Luna put her hoof to her chin, contemplating on all the thin possibilities she could do so, but she came up with nothing. “I would have to say no.”

“Well... I know where you can.” Everyone looked at D.W.R. confusingly. “You can go bananas... On the mooooooonaaaaaaaa!” With that, he clicked his fingers. Luna turned into a bright light which shot straight towards the midnight’s moon. Everyone’s jaws dropped, Celestia immediately leapt for D.W.R, but was forced down on the desk during mid jump.

“Tsk tsk.” D.W.R. wiggled his index finger in front of Celestia’s face, chuckling to himself “Do not worry, She’ll be back... Riiiiiight about...”

POP!

“Now.”

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?” Luna screamed in frustration, her face turned red from anger after her very brief sentence to the moon.

“It was a joke. Geez, you act like it’s a big thing.”

“That is a big deal!” Twilight snapped “You just sent a princess to the moon without a logical reason!”

“Sending a princess to the moon won’t be the only thing I’ll be doing if nobody drops what just happened.” D.W.R. snapped back, flicking Celestia’s nose which annoyed her greatly. “Now back in your seat, otherwise your going to rue the second you try to attack me.”

“Who do you think you are trying to boss around the princess like that!?” Rainbow Dash yelled, she tried to get out of her chair to tackle the insane figure, but couldn’t even muster a single movement. It was as if she was restrained to the chair itself.

“Everyone calm the fuck down!” Callum shouted “For fuck sake.” He pointed at D.W.R. “Stop being an asshole.” He shifted his finger towards Celestia “Calm the hell down.” He glanced at Luna, Rainbow Dash and Twilight “That goes for everyone”

After a few minutes of complete silence, giving everyone time to calm down, D.W.R. began to scroll through the questions he had lined up. The ponies all thought the same thing:

I hate this guy.

“Now...” D.W.R. coughed “Back onto the questions. Sorry for the whole ‘sending you to the moon’ thing. It’s part of the joke.” Luna and Celestia scowled at him but he ignored them. “A user by the name of Grim Reaper asks; Ashley and Callum, what rank were you two in the army?”

“I was a sergeant.” Callum said smugly, looking over to Ashley “And what were you again?”

“I was a corporal.” Ashley mumbled “We ranked up pretty fast, Callum is always being a smug bastard about this.”

“Only because I’m better than you.”

“My response to that every time is ‘count the amount of times I’ve saved you compared to you saving me’.”

“... You win this round.” Callum playfully punched his friend in the arm.

“Next question.” D.W.R. said “We haven’t had one for the member of the main six, so we’ll go with this one. This is by the user named Zilenan-ninety one; Rainbow Dash, what are your true feelings for Ashley?”

Even though they couldn’t hear the question, they still heard Rainbow Dash’s name, all turning their attention towards the cyan pegasus. Rainbow Dash gulped, trying her best to come up with an answer. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head after a short moment.

“Please, take your time.” D.W.R. stated.

“I-I... Ummm... I don’t know!” Rainbow burst out, getting a curious look from D.W.R. “I... Don’t know if I like him or not... That sounded wrong, lemme try that again... I don’t know if I like him enough to... Y’know, be with him like Grey Ink is like with him. Sure, he’s a bit hot headed some times, but so am I. I think I just sorta fell for him since he’s already treated me better than any other stallion has, maybe I just like him because of that...”

“I see this is hard for you to answer... Do you wish to continue?” D.W.R. asked, not expecting the cyan pegasus to nod, but she did anyways, swallowing her pride. His fingers continued to tap the keys on the keyboard as he spoke.

“No. I need to figure this out, so can you help me with this?” She sniffed.

“Whoa, can’t do that. You’ll have to figure this one on your own. All I can say is that you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

“That’s... That’s pretty useful.” She smiled “Thanks.”

“Alright, this question is for Callum and Ashley.” D.W.R. said with the click of his fingers “The user Captain Grim asks: Every man needs to stimulate his ‘sexual needs’, so my question is, if you guys now promised yourselves to never have any sexual relations with a pony, doesn’t that mean that you must have ‘le sexy time’ with each other? I mean, you two are really close. Really, REALLY close... Admit it boys, you’re fucked (literally).” D.W.R. was giving the question his best ‘what the actual fuck’ face, even though no one would see it.

“...The fuck?” After a brief moment of silence, Callum was capable of breaking through the initial shock of the question. “Seriously, what the actual fuck?”

“Who the fuck in their right mind, would ask that?” Ashley asked.

“Hey, I did say that it could be about anything... Be lucky that this is the only one of this type of question.”

“Well.” Callum leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head “I guess it’s best if I answer first. Have sexual intercourse with a pony? No thanks.” He let out a brief snicker “I don’t see myself doing that sort of thing, I’ll just either die or wait for some miracle to happen and have a human woman appear. you clearly haven’t heard of masturbation since a man can do that to relieve himself of sexual needs. As for the whole ‘having sex with Ashley’ idea, no, we haven’t fucked, nor do I want to do anything like that with this asshole.” He pointed his index finger at his pal beside him. "Can’t two guys be close and not be accused of being gay, even though they are not?”

“Have sex with a pony?” Ashley questioned, taking a small ten second break to think about his answer “Can’t say I haven’t thought about it.” Callum reeled away from him in disgust “Hey Cal, remember that chick when you went to London?” Ashley smirked, Callum’s face turned to one of pure frustration.

“I was fucking wasted! How the fuck was I suppose to know that certain thing about her!?”

“It’s called checking the inventory before you take it out of the store, or in this case, have sex with it.” Ashley chuckled. “Besides, I love Grey, but this sort of thing... Well, it’s not something easy to just go along with. I’ll be spending a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to do, but either way, I’m going to try my best to stay with Grey.”

“You’re such an asshole” Callum mumbled, folding his arms with a sulk.

“And you have sex with girls who have-“

“DON’T. EVEN. MENTION. IT.” Callum slapped his hand over his friend’s mouth, interrupting him.

“You do realize that I know what you’re talking about, right?” D.W.R. stated with an evil smile “Oh no! My fingers have a mind of their own and are about to type up the explicit scene of that memory! Clop scene a-hoooooy!”

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Callum pointed a finger at the man behind the desk, glaring at him with anger that could rival Celestia’s power.

“I’m only joking.” D.W.R. laughed “This isn’t that kind of... written piece.”

“Mmhmm.” Callum’s stare slowly faded, switching his attention to Ashley “So, finish your answer.”

“Well, as I said, the thought hasn’t come into my mind before, and who knows how far I’m willing to go with Grey Ink. As for having sex with Callum, that’s a big, in your face, no. Unlike Callum, I know restraint when it comes to sex.”

“And this is why people ask these questions, why we’re so close and that you don’t have sex with women. You’re the reason why people think I’m gay!”

“Well, I can make you turn gay with a simple typing of a sentence.” D.W.R. said with a malicious smile.

“Oh that would be funny as fuck.” Ashley added. "But of course, it shouldn't be with me, it should be with a pony

“Don’t encourage him!” Callum smacked his friend around the back of his head, making a loud slap sound, to which the ponies in the room heard.

“Nah, I’m joking.” D.W.R. chuckled, Callum let out a sigh of relief

“Well, that’s good.”

“Or am I?” D.W.R. said before clicking his fingers, making it so Callum couldn’t hear him, and vice versa.

“He’s going to be so pissed.” Ashley looked around the room, seeing the ponies look at Callum with the expression of shock. Callum’s face was red with rage, shouting profanities that neither Ashley nor D.W.R. could hear.

“Meh.” D.W.R. shrugged “I think it was still funny.”

“Yeah, it was.” Ashley said with a hint of laughter “Any more questions?”

“Oh yeah, there’s still some more. Although... One sec.” D.W.R. clicked his fingers, changing it so that only Ashley couldn’t hear what Callum was shouting, nor would the brown haired human hear what anyone else would say.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash.” D.W.R. called out, grabbing the attention of the cyan pegasus “The user called Captain Grim says the following; FRIEEEEEEEND-ZOOOOOOOOOOOONED!”

Callum immediately stopped what he was saying, to which everypony was thankful for. Celestia and Luna were amazed by the human’s... range of vocabulary. Rainbow Dash however, couldn’t help but feel slightly disheartened by the dragged out words that D.W.R. had said just moments ago.

“What is he talking about?” Rarity asked “What is this ‘friend zone’ and why did somepony want it to be said to Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh... Um.” The cyan pegasus had to quickly come up with an answer “It’s just something that’s said when you... Um... Have an awesome friend and the ‘zone’ is where you would keep your closest friends.” She lied, luckily for her, Rarity brought it.

Clicking his fingers, D.W.R. made it so only he and Rainbow Dash could hear each other “Nice save.” He whispered before clicking his fingers once more. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel both saddened and filled with rage from whoever asked this.

“No prob, onwards with the next question.” He said, making it so everyone could hear him. “Ooooo, this looks interesting. The user UnintentionalMishap asks; Ashley and Callum, what is your relationship with Celestia and Luna?”

“Ummm...” Callum pondered “Can you make it so all of them hear us for that one?”

“What he said.” Ashley pointed at his pal. D.W.R. nodded, clicking his fingers once.

“Alright, both those guys wanted everyone to hear them for their answer.” D.W.R. said to the ponies around the room, their ears perked from curiosity.

Rubbing his hands together with a grin, Callum began to speak “I think we’ll start with Celestia first. For me, I like her. She’s a pretty cool friend and I was surprised that she is very understanding, she has my full trust. It was a shame that I didn’t get to give her a real massage without the intent of pranking her. If she could trust me to give her the massage, that’ll be pretty cool. Then again, she made me go behind Ashley’s back so I guess we’re even.” Celestia warmly smiled at his answer. She enjoyed the fact that the human put his full trust into her, and she did the same.

“Ooooooh boy. Where do I begin?” Ashley smirked, looking over towards the sun goddess. His arm was still around the grey pegasus holding him, not that he was complaining that she hadn’t let go of him. “She’s an alright gal. I like that she can take a joke or two and is capable of dishing them out as well, so she’s got a sense of humour, which I like in a person. I also enjoy the fact that she can put up with me and Callum.”

“Now, onto Luna...” Callum began. D.W.R. continued to type down their answers “I don’t like her as much as I like Celestia, but I still treat her as I would as a friend. Maybe because I don’t like the night that much and I guess that I just get along better with Celestia. I think Luna has more interests with Ashley than she does with me, y’know, with the whole night thing. I prefer the day so I guess that’s why I sort of look up to Celestia. Strong, powerful and a sense of humour to go along with it.”

Luna was a bit saddened by his answer, she hoped that both humans liked her, she eagerly awaited Ashley’s answer.

“Well, I’m fonder of Luna than Celestia. I know that she’s usually alone during the night court so I offered her my time if she needs someone to talk to during this time, or whenever she gets bored. I love the way she makes the night sky beautiful and I enjoying talking to her. In my opinion, she’s very down to earth but she needs to stop playing the ‘do what I say because I am in charge of you’ card.” Ashley chuckled with the last line, making Luna laugh lightly as well. “All in all, she’s a fantastic girl and she’s a terrific friend.”

All the ponies in the room smiled at their answers, even though the liked both princesses as much as the other, they still found it warming that the humans had openly said their opinions of them both. Celestia and Luna were trying to hold back tears of joy, hearing the humans opinions about them had made them feel all giddy inside for some strange reason.

“Ashley.” Luna said strictly, grabbing the humans attention “I order that you approach me so I can give you a hug for being brave to say such a thing in front of both my sister and I.”

“Callum, I order you to do the same for me and let me hug you.” Celestia smiled warmly.

Both humans looked at each other for a moment, both thinking the same thing: Are they being serious? Even the other ponies in the room were shocked that the humans were given such a privilege to perform the gesture to the princesses. Even though Twilight has hugged Celestia many times as she grew up in Canterlot, she couldn’t help but feel a very small tinge of joy to see her mentor bring herself into hugging the human.

Both Callum and Ashley still hadn’t moved, although, Ashley felt Grey Ink let go of him. He turned his head to the grey pegasus, seeing her pointing to Luna with a smile on her face.

“Pleeeease?” Luna pouted, holding out her fore-hooves like a child, trying her best to give Ashley her best puppy dog eyes. Celestia giggled at her sister, finding it funny to copy her with a very similar look, this time to Callum.

“Well go on then.” D.W.R. grinned.

“Alright, alright.” Callum huffed, leaning over his left to meet the embrace of the sun goddess, he felt her squeeze him tight, and so he did the same but not enough to hurt her. Once they let go, the both smiled at each other.

“It’s not every day ya get to hug a princess, is it Cal?” Applejack asked with a smirk.

“Shush you.” Callum snapped jokingly. “Now we wait for Ashley.” He turned to his friend, folding his arms.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Celestia egged on.

“Yeah Ash, afraid of Princess Luna gobbling you up?” Pinkie added cheerfully, grabbing a couple of laughs from the other element bearers.

“Maybe he’s scared!” Rarity chimed. “Callum didn’t see any problem in following Celestia’s order.”

“Go Ashley, go give Luna-chan your love for hugging.” D.W.R. teased.

“Ffffffffffffffffffffffine.” Ashley huffed, scooting out of his chair and placing himself in front of Luna’s. Her hooves were still held out, rolling his eyes and he lowered himself down near her. Luna took the chance and immediately pulled him into the embrace, even though Ashley didn’t manage to put his arms around her.

“Mmmph.” Ashley’s voice was muffled by Luna’s chest. Everyone around the room went into a fit of laughter, Luna was giggling like a schoolfilly. After a few seconds, she let go, smiling at the human as he managed to catch his breath. All he could smell was the scent of lilac during the embrace.

“Geez Luna, I think you enjoyed that more than I thought you would.” Ashley joked, standing up, a loud crack came from his back “See? She’s trying to break my back!” He chuckled as he walked over to the chair, only to get dragged back to Luna by her magic. “Oh no... nonononono!

“I think that somepony needs another hug for disobeying my order for so long!” Luna snickered, everyone else was in a fit of giggles as she wrapped her legs around him once more, this time however, Ashley put in all his strength into squeezing the dark blue alicorn. Luna saw this coming, trying to match the human’s strength with her own.

“Be careful for what you wish for.” Callum snorted “I think Grey Ink has got some competition.”

With that said, both Ashley’s and Luna’s eyes buldged, they broke off the competition for ‘who can hold who the tightest’. A small blush could be seen on both their faces.

“Ah-ha! The blush confirms it!” D.W.R. exclaimed jokingly “Luna x Ashley is the true O.T.P.”

“O.T.P?” Twilight asked.

“It means one true pairing.”

“I see.”

“Shut it D.W.R.” Both Luna and Ashley snapped, not caring that they spoke in unison.

“I think I’ve just got some new material.” Callum whispered to Celestia, grabbing a hushed laugh from the sun goddess. Ashley went and sat down his chair, only to have Grey Ink sit in between his legs, leaning her back onto his chest. She moved Ashley’s hands by wrapping a hoof around each of his wrists, placing his arms over hershoulders and down her chest. She placed her fore-hooves on top of where his hands met, which was her stomach.

“I’m not giving up Ashley without a fight.” Grey Ink bragged jokingly, wiggling herself into a comfortable position, twitching her wings a bit as she done so.

“Alright, shall we continue with the questions?” D.W.R. asked, receiving a nod from everyone in the room. “This question is from a user called Lone_Wolf, with an underscore instead of a space, and he asks this to everyone: Do you want a taco!?”

“What in tarnation is a ‘tah-co’?”

“Oh man... Tacos...” Callum licked his lips “Oh man, minced meat in a crunchy outer shell, topped off with some salad and some grilled cheese... I want one sooooooo bad right now.” Everypony wretched in disgust, the thought of eating meat was too much for them.

“Ugh, tacos. Disgusting things.” Ashley scoffed “Just give me some chicken and I’ll be happy.”

“So, these ‘tacos’ are what Callum described them as?” Celestia asked.

“Well, in a way, yes, although the meat inside tacos can be substituted to please vegetarians. This can make the taco taste just as good or even better. They are quite delectable as I’ve heard. Too bad I have to agree with Ashley here, they are disgusting.”

“So basically, only Callum wants a taco?” Everyone excluding Callum nodded, with the click of his fingers, D.W.R. made a taco on a plate appear in front of the human. Callum’s eyes lit up as he quickly devoured it within seconds, sighing once he finished.

“That was good. Cheers mate.”

D.W.R. clicked his fingers once more, making the plate disappear. “No problem. Now, onto the next question... ah, here we go. From Zilenan ninety one, he asks: Ashley, do you like waffles?”

“No, I prefer pancakes and French toast. But not waffles.” He replied in a strict tone, lifting one of his hands to stroke Grey Ink’s brown mane.

“Next question, from the same user and it is to Luna and Celestia. His message asks; So a pony walks into a gun store... This isn’t a question.” D.W.R. shrugged “But we’ll just roll with it anyway. What are your takes on this?”

“The pony should just leave and should be accompanied by someone who knows how to use the weapons before something bad happens.” Luna replies quickly.

“I agree with Luna.” Celestia added, her eyes quickly darted around the room.

“Meh, good enough.” D.W.R. shrugged once more, typing up her answer before scrolling through the remaining questions. “Oh boy, here we go. I’ve been saving these ones.”

“Who are they by?” Fluttershy asked “If you don’t mind me asking...”

“By the user Azzazel. He requests that these questions go to Celestia.”

“Fair enough, will you be doing that magic where others can not hear me?” Celestia asked, D.W.R. nodded, a sadistic grin had crept onto the only visible part of his face.

“And he requests that Luna is in the presence of these, so she will be to listen and talk amongst you and I.” D.W.R. clicked his fingers. “The first question is; do you like bananas?”

“I’ve already answered that, haven’t I?”

“I believe you have mentioned that you did enjoy bananas, somehow its result caused me being teleported to the moon.” Luna shot a frown at the hooded figure behind the desk, but he just shot a look that said ‘Yeah, I don’t care. It was funny to me at least.’ even though she couldn’t see it.

“We’ll just go onto their next question, which is: Have you ever toured a glue factory?”

“Well, we do not have factories for such a thing, but we do have many establishments that sell adhesives, many to which I have visited to see which ones have the strongest one. Why would they ask that?”

“Because on the human world, horses are made into glue.”

“...”

“THAT’S REVOLTING!” Luna yelled, disgusted by the thought of an animal much like her subjects being killed to be made into a thing that glues things together.

D.W.R. shrugged, smirking “You haven’t discovered the internet yet, count yourself lucky.”

“Please, can we go onto the next question?” Celestia asked.

“Right. Next question says: I know for a fact there is a troll living in your mirror, see if you can spot it!”

“What an idiotic thing to ask.” Celestia snorted “There are no trolls in sight when I look upon myself in the mirror.”

“Yeah, there is.” D.W.R. stated “In fact, you sort of answered the true meaning of this question.”

“And what is that?” Luna asked.

“In the human world, the label ‘troll’ is used when someone finds entertainment or excitement when they make other frustrated. This can be done in many ways, it is basically pranking people.” D.W.R. clicked his fingers, making a small mirror appear out of nowhere in front of Celestia’s face “Tell me what you see.”

“I see myself.”

“Really? I’m pretty sure you should see a troll.”

“I do not.”

“For mother’s sake Tia, he’s suggesting that you are the ‘troll’. He just explained what its meaning was! He is saying that you are a troll since you have a habit of pranking people, which means you find entertainment from the anger of others!”

“...Oh.” Was all Celestia could say, D.W.R. clicked his fingers once more, making the mirror disappear. He then leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk as he placed his hands under his chin, supporting his head, bearing a smug grin on the visible part of his face.

“Art thou mad?” He asked

“... Yes, actually I am!” Celestia’s face turned slightly red from anger “How dare such a pony label me such a horrendous thing!”

“Ha, thou art mad.” Luna giggled. “Does thou mind if we may use this saying?”

“Oh, look! Old Luna is back!” Celestia snapped, her tone was filled with amusement. Luna blushed slightly, frowning at her sister but a smile broke through.

“Why, go ahead Luna, but only if you glomp Ashley.”

“What is a ‘glomp’?”

“It means that you tackle-hug him.”

“Why, I’ll be happy to oblige to that.” Luna giggled, covering her mouth with her hoof. “Continue on with the questions.”

“Alright, next question: Have you seen my snew?”

“What is a snew?” Celestia asked.

“No idea.” D.W.R. replied “Nor do I trust him enough to do some research. Google, it does nathing!”

“What?” Luna asked. D.W.R. ignored her, not bothering to explain.

“We’ll just have to skip that one, next one asks: I was wondering about something, if an emperor runs an empire, and a king runs a kingdom... Who runs a country?”

“Hmmm.” Celestia put a hoof to her lips “This pony likes their riddles, don’t they?”

“Well, I’d say that this trolling in the form of a riddle. It’s fairly easy.” D.W.R. replied.

“Lets see...” Luna mumbled “Surely it has to be a play on words? Since ‘king’ is part of ‘kingdom’ and ‘empire’ sounds somewhat familiar to ‘emperor’, but the question remains, who would run a country? Surely the answer would be a queen or a president?”

“You were on the right track there Luna. So close yet not close enough.”

“Well, I can’t think of anything.” Celestia sighed in defeat.

“It’s so simple! Come ‘ere.” D.W.R. gestured for the princesses to stand next to him, to which they did. Everyone else in the room looked at them confusingly for moment before going back into their small discussion. “The word you’re looking for is...”

“That word is completely unnecessary!” Celestia walked back to her seat, as did Luna. “This pony needs to be disciplined, severely!”

Meanwhile, D.W.R. couldn’t stop laughing his head off, once his laughter calmed down, he began to speak “Well, that was the word you were looking for!” Both princesses scowled at him once they sat back down. “Alright, final question. This is not like the others were, it’s actually quite serious. Also...” D.W.R. clicked his fingers “It is also asking Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy as well as-

“Well, spill the beans then.” Applejack interrupted.

“I was about to, but a certain orange mare just interrupted me.” Applejack awkwardly smiled, sinking back into her chair from embarrassment “This question is from the same user and I’ve been saving this one until last: What would you do if say... Another human fell into Equestria.” The ears of the ponies that could hear him perked. Another human in Equestria? What would he or she be like? Their minds were about to drift off into various versions of humans, well, personalities they could have. “And let’s say his name would be Alex Mercer.”

Well, that took out the image of there being a female human in Equestria, Rainbow Dash, Celestia, Applejack and Twilight all wanted to see what Callum would do if there was the opposite gender of his species. Ashley continued on with the question “And he would be a bit more special than an average human. What would do and how would you treat him?”

D.W.R. leaned back on his chair, using part of his desk to raise his feet onto “Oh boy, this should be good. I already know of this person, I’ll explain a bit about who he is later, just because I can. I’ll let you have a minute to come up with your answers.”

** one minute later **

“Alright, time’s up. Who wants to go first?” Ashley asked. Rainbow Dash’s hoof shot off like a rocket into the air. “Alright, Rainbow Dash, you’re up.”

“Sweet.” She lowered her hoof “Since you said he would be more special than an average human, I kinda went with the idea that he can fly, so I’d challenge him to a race to see who is fastest. Of course, if he didn’t, I could always challenge him to a running race. I highly doubt he would beat me, let alone Ashley. As for how I would treat him... Well, I guess if he beat me, I would want to know how he was able to do that! Especially if he was capable of flying, if he could beat me then he’d most likely get into the Wonderbolts!”

“Ah, a splendid answer Rainbow Dash. Who is next?” Applejack’s hoof went into the air “Go ahead Applejack.”

“Well, sorta like R.D. did, Ah went with this ‘Alex Mercer’ to be able to have super strength. Ah’d happily challenge him to a hoof wrestle, or a bucking competition. If he can beat me, he’ll take on mah brother, Big Macintosh. If he beat both of us, Ah’d like to know his training resu... Er... Resu-me”

“It’s pronounced Resu-may, my darling Applejack.” Rarity corrected.

“Thank ya kindly.” Applejack smiled towards the fashionista, turning her attention to D.W.R. in his relaxed position “As Ah was sayin’, Ah’d like to see his trainin’ resume to see how Ah could be come strong like him. As fer how Ah’d treat him, Ah’d show him some good ol’ fashioned Apple family hospitality!”

“You mean where you went to attack Ashley and Big Mac got into a fight with him?” D.W.R. teased.

“How do y’all know that?”

“Filly please, I’m the author. Other than that, excellent answer. Who’s next?” Celestia raised her hoof “The floor is yours Celestia.”

“Well, I presume that this ‘Alex Mercer’ must have an attribute much like what Applejack and Rainbow Dash have listed. I guess I would make sure that he is no real danger to my subjects and will place him under the watchful eye of the local guard.” She looked back at Ashley and Callum. Ashley was still stroking Grey’s mane, to which she was enjoying so much that she decided to have a nap. Callum was laughing from as far as Celestia could tell. She turned her attention back to the figure at the desk “I would also ask my faithful student to send me reports about his behaviour, just in case.”

“Nice one.” D.W.R. clicked his fingers, making it so that the answers would practically write themselves on laptop. Why he didn’t do that earlier, he didn’t know, nor did he care. “Who’s next?”

“Oh oh oh!” Pinkie raised her hoof into the air, anticipation was meaningless to her. D.W.R. pointed his index finger at her and nodded. “Maybe he’s a super awesome party planner? If he is, then both himself and I could become a party planning duo, spreading the joy of partying across the entirety of Equestria! But it would be cool if he had super powers, maybe something liiiiiiike... Laser vision! Oh oh! I know! He can turn himself to look like other ponies!”

“You mean people.” D.W.R. corrected.

“What-ev.” Pinkie rolled her eyes “He would be an awesome spy! Sneaking into bakery’s to steal their goodies. *gasp* He wants my iced buns! If he touches them, he’s going to get a face full of party cannon, with extra streamers!”

“Oh man...” D.W.R. snickered “My dirty mind, it has struck. *cough* Alright, who’s next?” Rarity raised her hoof “Rarity, go ahead.”

“Well, I think that Pinkie has a point with the whole ‘he can turn himself to look like others’ idea. He would be an excellent model for me to use for my outfits, I can imagine it now! Rarity’s human line! Oh, it would be brilliant! He could change into any size, allowing me to get a wide range of measurements to use. Oh, and I would assume he is a true gentlecolt, being that he probably gets a lot of attention for being special. I would treat him like I would with many others, with nothing but respect.”

“Not bad, next person.” Twilight raised her hoof “Alright Twilight, take us away.”

“Well, while others are going more for physical attributes, I’ve decided that he is incredibly smart. Both he and I would spend all night and day performing experiments of all sorts, solving equations and studying each others world. It would be an amazing experience to do so. As for how I would treat him, I guess I would try to be friends with him and then introduce him to other ponies.” She ended her answer with a smile.

“Well, I can vouch to you that he knows quite a lot.” D.W.R. grinned, switching his attention to princess Luna. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I believe I am. I would most likely take the same steps as my sister would, but I would also like to see that if he did have enhanced strength and or speed, I would like to test him and record it, to see how well he would also do against my human guard. After all, I want to make sure he isn’t a threat to Equestria after all, and I’m sure Ashley could probably enjoy the challenge. If he defeats Ashley and isn’t a threat to Equestria, I would highly likely ask this ‘Alex Mercer’ to join the ranks of the guards.”

“Very good answer Luna. Now all that leaves us with is Fluttershy.”

“Oh... Um... I guess he would be really good with animals. It would be good if he was strong and fast to make sure ponies don’t hurt in the Everfree forest. I would also like to see that if he was smart, like Twilight said, maybe he would know a few things about animals, or I could teach him. That’s if he wanted me to of course.”

“And I presume you would show him nothing but the sheer kindness you do with everyone else, even if he was a bit scary at first?” D.W.R. asked, Fluttershy nodded with a small smile. “Great. Now let me tell you why none of that would happen!”

“Wait, what?” Everypony excluding the princesses asked in unison.

“Why wouldn’t he do any of that?” Twilight asked.

“Well. Where to begin the bad-assery of Alex Mercer... Ah, I know. As for the whole ‘being a bit more special than other humans’, he is capable of flight, well, to some extent. He is capable of jumping incredibly high, unrivalled in his strength and speed and he is capable of taking the form of other humans, as well as having a very, very large amount of knowledge.”

“Then why wouldn’t he do anything we just said?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Because he’s a killing machine!” D.W.R. laughed “How does he shapeshift? He eats those he transforms into.” Everypony’s expressions were all of disgust and fear “That’s right. He eats them. Well, ‘consuming’ would be a better term to go with. His speed is faster than a cheetah, he can run up walls, he is capable of destroying armies and kills those in his path. He cares not for who they are if they get in the way of his objectives.” D.W.R. held up his hand “But, the best thing about him is his special abilities.

“W-what abilities?” Twilight asked.

“He can transform his hands and arms into weapons, such as a long metallic blade, capable of slicing flesh and bone with ease. He can turn his hands into claws that can tear thing to shreds in a matter of seconds. He can change his fists so that they can destroy metal vehicles such as tanks with nothing more than a couple smashes into them which can also make small craters and devastate troop concentrations. He can extend his reach with a weapon much like a whip, capable of bring targets running away from him, to next to him so he can consume them. These are just a few minor examples of his power. I could go on, but I can see that you’re all scared of just his description. Oh, and he has a fucking sexy jacket.”

Looking around at the ponies, D.W.R. couldn’t help but feel slightly sorry for them. “Of course, this is all trivial and the character is actually a fictional character, meaning that he doesn’t exist, he’s just made up.”

The whole group let out a loud sigh of relief, all at once. Fluttershy was still a bit shaken from the description of this ‘Alex Mercer’.

“Well, that’s all the questions.” D.W.R. clicked his fingers, making it so all can hear. Grey Ink yawned as she woke up, both Callum and Ashley look at the man behind the desk “I hope you all had fun, I know I did. If you wish to leave, you may do so. You have been terrific guests and I hope to see you another time.

As all the ponies and both humans walked out, Ashley of course was carrying Grey Ink on his back, seeing as she fell asleep again. D.W.R. heard Rainbow Dash say “That guy is really weird.”

“Ah can agree with ya there R.D.” Applejack added. D.W.R. clicked his fingers, the door closed before Luna managed to go through the door.

“What is the meaning of this?” She turned to D.W.R. behind his desk.

“Do you want me to tell you how you can fix the problem with you and Celestia using up almost all of Ashley’s and Callum’s handgun ammo?”

“What? You know of a way? How do you know?”

“Like I said, I am the author. I know many things. Now...” He walked up to Luna, putting his mouth next to her ear and whispered something. Once finished, he was going to pull away, only to get pulled into a quick embrace from the princess of the night.

“Thank you for telling me that. You’re a good pony, even though you don’t realize it.” She whispered into his ear. D.W.R. rolled his eyes and returned the embrace, both broke apart. Clicking his fingers, the door opened once more, revealing princess Celestia waiting on the other side.

“And what were you two talking about?” She asked, closing her eyes half way with a smirk.

“A way to fix our problem.” Luna ushered Celestia away, both looked back at the author and smiled as he closed the door.

“Oh, and before you go Celestia.” Celestia turned her head around, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Azzazel also asked; Dear Princess Celestia, Is your horn hard?” D.W.R. asked with a smirk

“Well, of course it is. It’s my horn, it has always been, and always will, be hard.”

Luna and D.W.R. tried their best to contain their giggling fit, Celestia rolled her eyes, oblivious to what she just said, that was, until realization hit her square in the face.

"Wait... Did that pony mean it in a dirty way?" Celestia asked, D.W.R. nodded "OH that's just absolutely disgusting! Whoever this pony is, I want to have a strict word with them and how that they should learn to speak to others with respect!" With that said, she left quickly with a loud, angry huff. Luna couldn't help but giggle lightly, watching her sister go into an angry fit over something so small was always satisfying.

The hooded figure waved them off as he closed the door.

“Ffffffinally!” D.W.R. sighed, rushing back to the laptop. Everything in this chapter is sooo going to bite me in the ass later.

There you have it guys. The bonus chapter is complete. I would like to thank not only those who submitted questions, but to also thank each and every person who put up with story enough to make it reach 41k+ views! Hot damn, I deserve a celebratory energy drink after tuning this out since 8am this morning. So, don’t forget to comment and what not. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I found it amusing to write up this chapter as well. Hopefully, I brought justice when it came to entertaining you with this stuff.

See you guys around, and remain awesome. Remember, if you have any concerns then don’t hesitate to send me a message. I won’t bite, I’ll just nibble. –DWR out.

-12th of july edit: I had forgot two of the questions, they were:

Captain Grim and his question about the humans having sex with each other

Azzazel’s question of Celestia’s horn being hard.