AΣ ∆ Alpha Sigma Bladeby KukriRyuTsukinoChaptersIn The Far Flung Future...Unforeseen DiscoveriesGreetings and AnnoyancesRising DawnSpirit of The MusicHungers and PassionsA New Destiny Pt I of IIShocks and Surprises of his New Destiny {II of II}Now, the First Lesson Is...Tremors and EncountersReunions and BattlesDiscoveries and Seismic StoppageReturns and PreparationsFinal Brawl and Hunter's DepartureCan I Figure Out What Is Going On?Meeting RoyaltyIn The Far Flung Future...Author's Note In response to >>9213560, when I say 'trolling or flaming comments' I mean specifically comments that are unhelpful or outright insulting. Comments such as yours, my friend, are precisely the kind of comments I would prefer to see. Even if it's as simple as great potential or good story, that is enough. In The Far Flung Future... 54XXNorth-Central Unicorn Range A male unicorn pony with dark persian blue eyes and a pale golden gamboge coat with two treasure keys behind a treasure chest exhaled, his gaze scanning the rocky terrain before a minor tremor kicked up from the unicorn and earth pony mining ponies that were assisting with his official search; it was suspected that there were other laboratories than what had been found, though few of those laboratories had been searched by other than search drones. He glanced at the worker ponies, whose right forelegs were covered by gauntlets that doubled as either drills or low powered jackhammers as they did not wish to damage anything discovered. Gallant True grimaced as a rocky surface slid free, dropping to the rocky ground and splintering; he knew several of the dozen or so drones he had with their group were also guard-sentry drones. However, there were also a trio of Equestrian Guard ponies for Princess Celestia herself; he knew that most ponies were unaware that Celestia sought out technological advances not only for ponykind’s gain, but also to keep it from those who might modify said technology found on Equestrian land for potential war efforts. His eyes widened slightly as a dull reflection flared from the sunlight as the clouds shifted. He noticed a dark red and brighter crimson streak beneath something a deep coppery gold, though he couldn’t tell precisely what it was. Most anthropologists did know that technology, and by extension, those who may have created it, such as the mythological human, existed, as it wasn’t that odd to find said technology around though most ponies preferred to stick to crystal charged magitech that, for the most part, converted solar energy into magical energy which was then used to power various things such as refrigerators, lights, heating water, cooking meals, and for some of the more… common small vehicles such as gliding hoverboards or drift scooters. What caught his attention, however, was a small dark gray attached case to the top of the capsule, though what was within it, he had no idea. He exhaled as the guardsponies arrived, very aware that they would start working to extract whatever had been discovered. He exhaled softly, thinking how his niece, who was a fledgling archaeologist and treasure seeker like himself, would be very interested in this. He noticed a flicker of light as the unicorns employed magic to slide the dust and debris free, revealing the broad, almost seven and a half foot tall capsule around three feet wide; he wasn’t sure what metal it was made of, but he did notice that the magic seemed to both slide off and absorb into the metal somehow, which didn’t make much sense at all to him, anyway, as most of the time either metal tended to absorb magic and, by extension, channel it, or deflect and block magical energies. A gust of steam caught his attention as one of the horizontal lines forming the top of the combined Z and mingled, smaller X flared a bright golden color over the dully reflective cover that looked like a rounded oval at the top and somewhat of a rounded rectangle near the bottom. The rounded elliptical lens over the opening of the capsule slid open, the X splitting on one side before it slid apart, steam and smoke pouring forth. He blinked as he saw a bright bluish-green glow in the form of two eyes flare to life along with a triangular blue gemstone shimmering above it. His eyes widened fractionally, cocking his head as an armored humanoid form stumbled out, its golden edged white boots clattering on the rocks before the armored black shorts showed through the steam and smoke. The bluish-green glow faded to show dark aquamarine-teal eyes that were obviously dazed and extremely confused. He focused his magic through his horn as the armored young woman staggered before falling, almost sprawling amongst the rocks, some being quite sharp, he had noticed, as they had slid free. She groaned, gagging as she seemed disoriented, though he noticed the case falling free as a rock hit the top of the capsule. <<<<<<<< Reboot in Progress >>>>>>>> 2%.... 14%... 36%... 55%.... 74%... 88%... Error…. Memory Cells damaged --- Must Find Onyx Armor to restore Armor Uplink Detected -- can seal Armored Reploid Form into NanoCore to blend into populace Kenshō Armor Detected -- Wind Manipulation and Air Thrusters Tōshō Armor Detected -- Fire Manipulation and Enhanced Close Combat capabilities Yōshō Armor Detected -- Water Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, and Enhanced Water Combat capabilities Inshō Armor Detected -- Shadow Manipulation, Purification, and Enhanced Stealth Capabilities Astral Armor Detected -- Copy Technique, Enhanced Ranged Combat capabilities and Dual Plasma Pistols active Johnny’s eyes flickered open, his gaze flickering along the semi-transparent screens that flickered in front of his eyes for several seconds before he felt the odd paralysis that had overcome him fading as he felt tingling rush over his body before a blinding glare flared in his face, unaware yet that he was no longer male… but female. He grimaced, staggering out of the capsule, which to him, as he glanced momentarily around, reminded him oddly of a cross between the Capsule only vaguely shown in Megaman X4 and the Kryptonian Capsule shown in CW’s Supergirl, but on a larger, if at the same time tighter scale. He heard the metallic footfalls as he felt his weight shift, noticing his armor felt… unbalanced… as if it wasn’t quite on right. He felt something catch him before he spotted the odd small horse with its horn glowing. When did equines have horns? he wondered uncertainly. She blinked for a moment, the HUD displaying instinctively. Species --- Unicorn Capabilities -- Magic Use, Enhanced Reflexes Name -- Unknown, Inquiry Advised Skills -- Unknown Johnny winced as he felt something slap hard into the back of his head with a metallic clunk before he blinked a few times, managing to get his feet beneath him before he turned a bit, spotting the case with the Biometals. He opened the case, noticing the Biometal Z model flaring almost immediately with crimson light before it shot up and hit her full in the chest before he felt an odd heated tingling surging through his body before he was launched backwards several yards as her Reploid Form was replaced by her new human form… sprawled flat on her face with her messy wild auburn-gold hair. Gallant Truth, alongside one of the guard ponies, noticed the case clicking shut as the girl slammed hard into the ground after a nasty, uncontrolled somersault; she obviously didn’t expect such a thing, he noted. He grimaced as the odd form twitched a few times before going still, though he didn’t miss the guard pony casting a diagnostic spell to check the health of the young woman. “We will transport the capsule, case, and the unsub to Canterlot for processing. No doubt they will be useful,” one of the guards ponies muttered gruffly. Unlike the others, he had a distinct militaristic bearing. Unforeseen DiscoveriesAuthor's Note Unfortunately at the time of this being published, we lack electricity due to Tropical Storm Matthew. Pray for those whom have been battered by the storm in Florida and Georgia. Unforeseen Discoveries In Transit to Canterlot City - AirshipEternalSkies Johnny Alexis groaned, her dark amethyst eyes fluttering as she sat up, disoriented in the bunk. She found herself wearing a pale cyan blouse over baggy dark tan pants; she was barefoot. She swung her legs over the side of the bunk, dizzy as she coughed before clearing her throat. Her gaze slid around the rather plain bunk room, seeing only a small writing desk and the bunk which hung from dark olive green and copper ropes. Her eyes widened slightly at the polished silver of a mirror reflecting her form. “What in the fuck?!?!” she barked, startled. She cocked her head in confusion before sighing, looking away out of the window. “It would be just my luck to end up as a genderbent Zero…. though they never really specified in the series whether Zero was originally male or female. It is just generally assumed he was male,” she muttered, grimacing. She groaned as she tilted her head, soft pops of tense tendons the only sign of anything really bothering her. She ran her hands through messy dark golden auburn hair. She suspected that the case holding the Biometals was somewhere else, though that would require her exploring this place. From the hum, she assumed it was a plane, which would be simple to explore if it was a cargo plane. Unless it wasn’t, in which case it might be a bit harder. She shot a look outside, trying to see what sort of transport it was. The rolling land and trees were pleasant and appeared quite free, though her eyes spotted something interesting…. an airship much like that of the Hindenburg. She exhaled softly, as that gave her a hint of what sort of transport she was in, though she had never ridden in an airship, therefore she had little knowledge of how the interior was designed. She did know one very critical fact: never light a match within the balloon of one nor puncture it as from what she recalled, hydrogen was highly explosive. However, there was one thing she wasn’t certain of in this particular case: was it actually hydrogen within the balloon for this particular airship? It could have been helium, which fortunately was an inert gas when it came to explosions. She giggled at that thought if a leak happened in here whilst the balloon was filled with helium. “That would be funny… hearing everyone speaking with squeaky voices,” she snickered. She paused at a thought. “Wait a second… unicorns… airships… I can’t shake the feeling there’s something I’m missing,” she muttered, tapping her chin in thought. There was something nagging at the former male’s thoughts, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. “Apparently, at least part of my mind has some cyber enhancements, which if corrupted, would explain why my memories are fragmented. The question is, what sorts of enhancements do I have?” she murmured, unaware of the ability she could already access. She exhaled softly, her eyes half closed as she concentrated, not noticing silvery scales much like those of a snake or dragon forming over her skin as the nanites reacted within her body, forming a shell of armor over her hands, forearms, and wrists. She could feel her skin tingling as she opened her eyes, blinking as she saw the change. A smirk crossed her face at the change. “Could be useful in hand to hand combat, I suppose, though…. huh,” she said softly, noticing what appeared to be a small rounded trigger underneath her wrist. She tilted her wrist in a snapping motion, a streamer of pale golden slime hardening into thin tendrils not unlike arachnid webbing that clung to the wall. “I have a feeling this will be fun,” she murmured with a smirk. She tilted her head as the silvery scales smoothed out into a bodysuit before it spread over her arms and upper torso, failing to notice that it effectively shredded the likely used outfit in the process. She felt the mild tingling sensation over her back and sides before it enclosed her upper body before sliding down her hips and down over her legs. A smirk crossed her face as she knew this would be useful. “Hmmm, what to call me like this… maybe Therapho? I mean, these nanites seem to allow me to manipulate them freely, so a secondary form could be quite useful,” she murmured. She looked closely, noticing that there were miniscule barbs, likely no more than a few millimeters, upon the tips and pads of her fingers. She tilted her head, her gaze scanning down the bodysuit, noticing the light hood over her shoulders before she rolled her shoulders. A small smirk crossed her face as she noticed the amber-gold tone to her sight, unaware her gaze was shielded by a dull nonreflective amber-silver covering her face and temples with pale golden amber eyes. The mask melded with the mask covering her face forming slightly curving upper fangs while most of the suit was a dull gray with amber undertones. She tilted her head, noticing that the mask seemed to have scanning capabilities, noting that the window slid down before she did just that, sliding the window down, a gust of air almost pushing her back for a few seconds before she grinned, rolling her shoulders before she pushed off, vaulting through the window in a fluid motion, tilting her head slightly so she could see before she flicked her wrists, the webbing firing out before clinging to the edges of the window as she tugged herself to the side of the airship, clinging to the wood and metal easily. “This is fun!!! I can see why a certain Spider enjoys moving around with it!!” she giggled as she tilted her head, hearing a barely audible click before a gasp followed. She guessed someone had come to check on her, so she crawled military style upward before she slid into a vent, fortunately cutting off the worst of the winds. She smirked as she crawled stealthily, noticing that few in the hallways of the airship thought to look upward; she suspected her suit had dampening properties to make it more difficult for unicorns to sense her. She did notice one that was armored lightly with a light gray coat and a moderate sapphire blue mane streaked with dark pthalo blue and moderate cerulean. He looked nervous and unsure. Name - Unknown, Inquiry Advised Race - Unicorn Skills - Barrier Glyphs and Defensive Magicks She hummed softly, thinking about what the readout had said. “Curious that the scanners cannot identify them, though it does make sense… they aren’t Human nor are they Reploids. That isn’t to say that some, potentially dangerous…. Mavericks… don’t exist, however,” she thought. She blinked, noticing a city that seemed unstable to her, clinging to the side of a mountain, however, there were many other airships that seemed to fly and land there. Location Detected City Name - Unknown Patriarchal or Matriarchal - Unknown Number of Civilians - Unknown That data had her cautious as she wasn’t sure how to react. She quickly made her way along the ceiling, noticing a wheel she recognized as a ship’s wheel, guessing it signaled the bridge, which was the most likely location of the case holding the Biometals. She slipped quietly and carefully along the ceiling before noticing the case in question on a desk near the ship’s wheel, which made her grin. “Just what we’re looking for,” she thought as she crawled close to the case before snagging it with a web before reeling it in and touching it to the small of her back where it attached itself as if glued. “Where’s the case at? Who took it?” a gruff militaristic pony snapped. “Hmmm, I don’t know where it could be… maybe with the only one who can most likely use it?” she quipped nonchalantly, amused as everyone abruptly panicked, obviously startled by the unexpected voice. She did notice that several of the unicorns aimed barely visible tendrils of light she deduced were almost like laser pointers at her, however, obviously wary. “Thought you could take what doesn’t belong to you? I mean, really. If they don’t react to you, you ain’t gonna be able to use them,” she deadpanned, crouching nonchalantly on the ceiling as if it were the floor. Almost the same moment, the pony she’d caught a glimpse of skidded in, panting hard before staring at her with confusion. “Wh-what is that?” he stuttered. “What’s what? I mean, I wake up here… nobody asks me how I feel, nobody checks on me… though I’m kinda starving, frankly,” came her dry, amused reply. The mask retracted, revealing the deep emerald-aquamarine irises and lightly tanned skin as well as the messy dark auburn hair falling in wild, untamed waves. “Ugh… still getting used to that. It was why I always held my hair back…. though I can’t quite remember why,” she sighed, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. She shifted her weight, somersaulting to land in a crouch as her hair fell down to the middle of her back. She didn’t miss that they had slowed and was slowly drifting lower. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye as ropes were cast downward. She glanced at the unicorn pony with the light gray coat and moderate sapphire blue mane streaked with dark pthalo blue and moderate cerulean. She cocked her head with a small smile, amused as he blushed. She tilted her head, noticing the dark sapphire blue shield with a magenta starburst topped by a trio of small cerulean stars on his flank beneath what seemed to be copper or bronze armor. She hummed in thought, thinking. “If that’s either bronze or copper, the former would be better defensively, but I see many gaps that would leave him incapacitated, underneath his legs, just beneath the rib cage and what would pass for his lower back, I suppose. Not to mention his abdomen which is completely exposed,” she mused. “Could layer it with fabric and a layer of ceramic to increase defense, maybe fine mesh,” she thought. Her father had been military while her mother had been a seamstress. It meant more than a little of what knowledge she had been passed from them to her. Greetings and AnnoyancesAuthor's Note Greetings and Annoyances CanterlotCity, Equestria #2651914 Johnny Alexis Carmichael sighed softly as they landed, though she was cautious at the military pony’s glare; he likely assumed that the case was his by right of discovery, despite the fact she’d found it first. She mingled amongst the crowd, feeling a dull tingling along her skin, unaware that the body armor she was wearing was pulsing with a dull red aura before it flared brightly, blinding her as well as more than a few nearby ponies. “Shit,” he muttered before blinking. “Hmmm, that bears curiosity. Apparently, I can shift between male and female forms, though I’m still somewhat creeped out by miniature ponies. Meh… I… eh?” he muttered, pausing as he could ‘see’ a tendril of bright golden light radiating skyward and, surprisingly, growing closer.The lens over his right eye retracted, telling him that it was only visible through the lenses he was seeing through. “Hmm,” he murmured. “How did you do that? Change forms like that?” he heard the pony he’d observed before murmur softly. “No idea, honestly. Memories are fragmented. I remember waking up, apparently in the side of a mountain… before that… other than my name… it’s blanker than a field after a heavy snowfall before any footprints,” he said dryly. “Hoofprints, you mean,” the pony corrected. “Hoofprints, footprints… what does it matter what you walk on?” he deadpanned, shrugging nonchalantly. “Name’s Lieutenant Shining Armor,” the pony said, introducing himself as he chuckled, supposing the odd creature had a point. “Johnathan Alexis Carmichael, as far as I know, civilian,” he said dryly, shrugging. Johnny let his gaze scan around before his eyes landed on the source of the golden beam of light. The mask retracted to merely glasses around his eyes, the dark amethyst edging around the golden amber lenses. “I believe that belongs to me,” he said quietly. The pony with the spring greenish gray coat and dark gray mane snorted, glaring at them. “Nonsense. Upper Crust and I purchased this…. trinket…. fairly. There is nothing special about it,” the unicorn pony scoffed, the white sweater rustling slightly in the breeze over his green and white jersey. “Truly, Jet Set, what are these ruffians accosting us for?” the female of the pair snorted, her cream-colored shirt and pale pink sweater almost identical to her husband’s. “That pair of weapons is known as the Bashou Fan,” Johnny said dryly, cocking an eyebrow. “Prove it, you hairless…. midget minotaur,” Upper Crust scoffed. Her eyes widened when he picked up the dagger “trinkets” before pressing a small trigger on the hilt and flicking it, the blade extending into a razor-sharp fan as energy flared over the blades of the fan in a glowing golden orange aura almost like flames. She was mildly startled when she saw his irises flare a pale green as he vaulted back sharply a good twenty-five hoofpaces, landing in a low crouch. Her eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted with almost predatory fluidity, the movements hypnotic. She frowned slightly as she cocked her head, noticing tints of a beautiful deep amethyst light flickering over the fans before her husband fired a stunning spell at the creature. To her surprise the creature twisted the fans, the aura catching and bouncing it between both fans several times before launching it back at her husband, hitting the ground a few hoofbeats in front of him in a blast of dust as he folded the fans in smoothly in a fluid, practiced motion. Jet Set gagged at the dust, his hoof swiping at the dust before he blinked, confused at the creature’s empty hands. Upper Crust blinked as she hadn’t taken her eyes off the creature, yet the dagger-fans had apparently vanished; he wore a feminine blouse whose sleeves were far too short to hide anything up, barely brushing his biceps. “As to what I am…. It isn’t a midget minotaur. I’m human,” his tone was dry and sarcastic, mildly irritated. “Everyone knows humans are myths,” Jet Set sneered. “Where I came from, pegasi and unicorns were myths. For example, one myth is that a woman cursed by a god whom could petrify with her gaze and killed by a hero birthed a winged horse from her blood… called Pegasus,” Alexander said dryly. “Supposedly, unicorns are meant to be pure creatures…. Though in your case… I’d say a pure arsehole,” he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. He did notice Shining Armor snickering, obviously catching his muttered comment through the unicorns clearly didn’t pay attention. He turned away, unaware that the fans had merged with the nanites composing his bodysuit of ‘clothing’. He allowed the group of military pegasi to lead the way towards the somewhat imposing palace, though he didn’t miss the opportunity to let his gaze scan around with mild interest, though he didn’t fail to notice that most of the other ponies stared at him with confusion and mild disgust. He exhaled softly as he walked fairly quickly, moving fluidly with loping strides, not surprised that the ponies, despite being smaller and having shorter legs, were fairly easily able to keep up with him. He glanced at Shining Armor who smirked slightly, obviously liking the challenge. “Nobles?” he deadpanned. Shining shrugged. “We’re kinda stuck with them,” he sighed. “They’re idiots,” Alexander quipped, drawing a snort of laughter from several of the ponies, including Shining Armor. “There are some decent ones, though, granted, not that many, unfortunately,” Shining amended. “Though I do agree that most of them are idiots. I just don’t say so…. to their faces,” he said with amusement. Alexander snickered before sliding to a stop, his eyes widening slightly. He saw, at the top of a sweeping, if shallowly angled staircase, at least four palaces, or so he guessed. One had at least six towers that he could see, another had two, and a third had a single. “Damn. Never saw a palace before… well… not this style of the palace. It looks somewhat vaguely Arabian to me, though the only other palace I saw was…. a decidedly different style to this,” he commented wryly. He did notice the hedge maze as well as a very strange statue near the opening to it. It seemed to be a mishmash of body parts sloppily thrown together. However, what did catch his eye, strangely, was what was beneath it: a thick capsule with three slowly rotating spheres; he recognized it as a ‘full health’ capsule, though he couldn’t remember why it seemed familiar. He did notice that it was well hidden beneath a layer of smoky quartz and marble, however. He didn’t comment on it, though, rather, focusing more on the broad palace before he cocked his head, thinking. “Who would need this place?” he said thoughtfully. “The Princess, Her Majesty Celestia, you trash,” one guard snapped. “If I’m such ‘trash’ as you put it, why was I escorted here rather than left wherever I was? Hmmm? Seems your ego is about as big as your balls… and if you keep pushing me, I’ll be more than happy to shrink them quite painfully,” came Alexis’ sharp reply, a shimmering luminous golden red aura flickering around him as he shifted to his female form, a sadistic grin growing on her face. Shining snickered, seeing the guard shrink back with a nervous look. “Though…. what you should wonder is what I would use to do it… maybe a salad fork? Or a sewing needle? Or… maybe something chilled to the point where it burns on contact? Or better…. something that might explode on contact? Hmmm, I wonder what sort of reaction sodium metal would have with blood. I know it explodes quite violently with water… of course, going by human knowledge, the blood is roughly eighty percent water… for ponies… with large balls and small brains… I’d worry that I wouldn’t just take their balls…. but more… vital things with them,” the young woman continued, her tone thoughtful before turning innocent as she tilted her head with a shy look as Shining cringed slightly as the look in her eyes held a hint of the dangerous sadist for those whom she really disliked or outright hated. She cocked her head, a small smirk crossing her face as she let out a giggle. “Maybe you should consider that before opening your big mouth,” she said with amusement. She stepped closer to the palace, the doors opening unbidden as it was clear they were expected. She wasn’t sure if the stiffness in her back and shoulders was from nervousness from this ‘Princess Celestia’ or something else but dismissed it as nerves. Rising DawnAuthor's Note Rising Dawn Canterlot City, Equestria #2651914 Johnny Alex Carmichael cocked his head as he took two quick strides as he noticed the railing before he smirked slightly. “Ever seen someone defy gravity?” he quipped. “Huh?” Shining Armor said in confusion. “Nobody can defy gravity,” he said with confusion. “Really? Then I shouldn’t be able to get up that railing…. without using the steps,” he said with amusement as he rolled his shoulders before he pushed off, unaware that his body was passively absorbing Equestrian Magic, hence, he could strengthen his body and manipulate his aura in a stronger state than that of even Master Shaolin monks. The bodysuit he wore enhanced these talents. Barely visible nickel sized gaps in his palms appeared to be repulsor sensors. They widened into small sapphire openings before a deep silvery blue aura flared, reacting almost like jets and shoving him at high speed up the railing though he shot almost twenty yards further on before he tumbled with the landing, feeling dizzy from the abrupt acceleration. “How’d you do that?” Shining Armor said with confusion as he galloped up to him. “Do what?” Johnny said with confusion, not understanding. He didn’t realize that his armor had thickened in response to his impact before thinning again. “Fly without wings!! I mean, it’s obvious you don’t have wings,” Shining commented. “Actually, if you think about it scientifically, if you have the right shape of something and enough thrust behind it, it’s entirely possible anything could fly… though I wouldn’t advise flying into space without any sort of protection… it would make the fluids like blood and such in the body react rather… violently,” he said wryly, shrugging. Shining laughed at that. “You sound like Twily, talking like that,” he said fondly, his gaze flicking towards the castle for a moment. “Personally, I know about science… a fair bit, but I was always more interested in the terrestrial sciences than the astronomical kind… admittedly, I love admiring a good night sky. It’s rather relaxing. Although admittedly… there are always chemicals that react violently with water. Hell, even something as simple as table salt can if given the proper… preparation. My personal favorite… is dry ice… frozen carbon dioxide,” Johnny said with a grin. “What’s so fun about it?” he said in confusion as the other ponies caught up. “It can be summed up in four words: sealed bottle, water, boom,” Johnny said with a chuckle, smirking. “Eh?” Shining muttered, confused further. “Dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide…. essentially the primary gas you exhale, is one of the few elements that sublimate straight from a solid to a gas. Water accelerates said process. Stick it in a sealed bottle… it will eventually blow the bottle apart,” he clarified. Shining shrugged. “I never paid that much attention in science,” he admitted. “It takes a particular kind to enjoy Chemistry. Personally, I preferred a more…. explosive approach. For example, chlorine by itself is a lethal gas, while sodium alone is a metal that reacts highly explosively with water. Take a guess on what the are combined as sodium chloride,” Johnny said with a snicker. He grunted slightly as one of the military ponies shoved him from behind. “Baka,” he said dryly, cocking an eyebrow as he snorted as he walked towards the palace, cautious as he didn’t know what to expect. “I have no clue,” Shining said wryly. Alexis smirked, almost seeing question marks floating above the stallion's head. “Table salt, the very kind you put on eggs, fries, and in a variety of other things, like cakes,” Alexis said nonchalantly. He snickered at the multiple thuds he heard, glancing over his shoulder as quite a few of the military ponies, as well as the self-proclaimed 'nobles', were rising to their hooves. He hummed softly, looking around as he exhaled softly, simply enjoying the breeze for a few minutes. He glanced up at the towers, tempted to see what kind of view was visible from the top. He glanced at his hands before he noticed the rounded circles before they irised open, exposing what made him vaguely think of a single word, though he couldn't remember why it seemed familiar or where he'd heard the term. "Extremis," he muttered under his breath. Spirit of The MusicSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Hungers and PassionsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.A New Destiny Pt I of IISomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Shocks and Surprises of his New Destiny {II of II}Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Now, the First Lesson Is...Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Tremors and EncountersSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Reunions and BattlesSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Discoveries and Seismic StoppageSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Returns and PreparationsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Final Brawl and Hunter's DepartureSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Can I Figure Out What Is Going On?Author's Note I will only release the next chapter after this has gotten a minimum of ten reviews. Troll or flaming comments, however, will not count!! Can I Figure Out What Is Going On? Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Earth Johnny Carmichael grimaced, his deep auburn hair streaked with gold and copper as it fell into his wild, untamed dark aquamarine eyes. He glanced down at the dark red and white helmet, its back able to close to form the well-known ponytail of the Maverick Hunter known as Zero. His skin was naturally a pale bronze rather than Zero’s usual paler skin tone, which he much preferred over Zero’s natural tone. He exhaled, the white gloves rasping over the dense plastic he’d used 3D printing to create the helm of the costume. The bracers on his forearm were molded plastic, though the attachments that could slide out to form the Z-Buster were layered metal, specifically 10-65 carbon steel commonly used for swords, though he’d worked it so it could slide into place from slits within the bracer, forming the end and barrel of the energy cannon for the Buster. He exhaled as he tugged on the leather thong he’d looped into a half hitch knot with part over and underneath his hair as he looped it through the molded gorget, or throat guard, as he lifted the helmet before sliding it over his head, the back sliding down in segments before clicking into place. He had managed to find a very skilled technician that could work metal and plastic into an armor that acted almost like Batman’s Arkham suit in that it fits smoothly into one connected piece. He exhaled as the suit wasn’t all that light, though he was only a few days away from his seventeenth birthday and knew what he could handle. The bronzed accents on the armor contrasted well against the white and darker tone of candy red which had been layered over the deep Show Stopper red he’d chosen from Sherwin-Williams. He stepped out of the changing room, his weighted boots clicking softly, almost like the metallic footfalls most connected a Reploid with. His gaze slid around the roughly four thousand various people, most in varied costumes for this Comic-con, though he, personally, was more interested in some of the fan gear or potentially a few games. Johnny, beneath the costume, wore a deep auburn, almost crimson, tee shirt underneath a dark copper vest and black pants with red sandals and pale gray tabi socks. He smirked ever so slightly, twisting the trigger on the right hand so the Z-Buster protracted into position, the coiled LED lights glowing a pale golden color as it clicked into place before he retracted it into its concealed position. He knew some might claim he possessed a ‘concealed weapon’, though all it was was a hardened plastic tube with dark gray spray paint on the end while a string of coiled LEDs provided the glow; the hardest part, at least for him,was making sure it didn’t get stuck. He moved, walking with softly clanking footfalls, the bronzed lead weights in the heels and outside of his feet clicking in their sheaths. The hardest part about making them had been heating the lead enough to bronze it with a flywheel yet not melt it to the point of being molten. His gaze slid along various stands before pausing momentarily at the sight of a Resident Evil 4 shop cosplayer. He had heard vague rumors of people vanishing after buying things from a similar cosplayer, but he saw little that interested him at that particular stand. “Unfortunate that there aren’t any Mavericks to fight, eh, Zero?” “Hn… I’m not interested in banter. If you have anything remotely interesting, show it. From what I see… your things aren’t interesting in the least,” Johnny said in a disinterested tone, sounding eerily like the actual Maverick Hunter. “From what I see, you are missing your Saber, amongst a few other small trinkets that I may have,” the cosplayer wheedled. Johnny’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Doubtful that you would have anything resembling it. And I have no desire to carry around a cheap lightsaber knockoff,” he said with a dry tone as he crossed his arms. “How can you be so sure? Perhaps a closer look might peak your interest?”the man said with amusement, smirking. Johnny snorted, rolling his eyes as he took a couple of steps closer before his eyebrow rose a bit, noticing models of the Biometal Models Z, X, H, F, L, P, and A all hovering over what he suspected were electromagnets. He hummed slightly, though he didn’t pause beyond a cursory glance. “What about this Z-Saber you claim to have?” he said dryly, glancing at the man, who smirked, his eyes twinkling slightly. The cosplayer pulled out a case roughly two feet and three inches in length. Johnny’s eyebrow twitched as the man opened it, revealing… a pale gray hilt with a dark copper ring around the base of the hilt and rounded off butt; it appeared the salesman had the hilt right, though he saw no blade. The salesman lifted the hilt before twisting it as a segmented yellow topaz blade slid out, igniting a warm golden color. He tilted his head, his gaze scanning the blade, which he gauged to be slightly under eighteen inches. The man spun it skillfully before offering the hilt. “It’s up to you if you want it,” the man said with a faint smirk. “Hmmm,” Johnny hummed, taking the hilt; it was surprisingly balanced, he noted, as he held it loosely before holding it with two fingers slightly under where the blade extended from, finding it would balance very easily. “Layered a yellow topaz and clear quartz crystal?” he said thoughtfully. “True, with a three-millimeter-thick layer of mineral oil between so it would not slide and crack against itself,” the salesman said with a small smirk. “Not many would notice the subtle clarity beneath the slight cloudiness of the topaz,” he complimented. “The clarity of the LED in the hilt gives away the layering effect, though it’s well hidden, admittedly,” Johnny said wryly, amused. “$320?” the salesman offered. “$225,” Johnny replied with a straight face. “$300,” the salesman deadpanned. $240,” Johnny said dryly. “$270,” the salesman countered. “$245,” Johnny deadpanned. “$265, and I’ll throw in the Biometals, plus the Durga Glaive, Vega Hanger, Bashou Fan, and Kaiser Knuckle,” the salesman deadpanned. “Hmmm, fine. Leaves me enough for lunch, anyway,” Johnny said dryly, rolling his shoulders as he took the proffered case with the Biometals in it. “What lunch?” the salesman quipped as he smirked a bit as he saw the young man’s eyes glaze over as swirling light flickered, then consumed him in a matter of seconds, the reddish gold dust glittering as it scattered over the ground, quickly scattered by the various people walking around. Next Chapter, Johnny ‘Zero’ Carmichael awakens in Equestria extremely confused, Disoriented, and hungry. Meeting RoyaltyAuthor's Note Meeting Royalty CanterlotCity, TheCelestialPalace - Equestria #2651915 Johnny’s jaw dropped, startled as he spotted the palace before he saw the broad, golden and bronzed doors open to reveal a tall, slightly under seven-foot tall winged unicorn with a mane that made him offhandedly think of the aurora borealis. He felt the slight tingling as the repulsor apertures closed, absently noticing the sensation in the back of his mind. He felt a tingling warmth push his jaw shut as he saw the winged unicorn smile warmly, noticing a swirling golden yellow aura around her horn before he glanced down, noticing a slight golden sheen as the aura of magical energy she’d manipulated to close his mouth faded away. He cocked an eyebrow, not noticing the ruby aura growing around his right forearm and wrist before it became Zero’s armored form. Almost immediately, a holographic screen shimmered to life. Name of City - Unknown Matriarchal or Patriarchal - Matriarchal Number of Civilians - Unknown was what came up upon the screen. “Well, that doesn’t help much, does it?” he muttered dryly, shaking his head as he noticed the screen dismiss before the armored gauntlet also dismissed, reverting to the silvery white of the bodysuit which he noticed receded into a shorter bodysuit much like that of a surfer’s wetsuit in summer, shorts that stopped at his knees, and a short vest; it was only then that he noticed that he had a black bodysuit on beneath it. “So, what precisely are you? You are not a pony, clearly,” the winged unicorn said. “Human, though where I came from, equines aren’t able to speak, nor are they half as attractive as you are,” Johnny said wryly, smirking slightly. One of the guards swatted him hard across the back, which hurt, but more annoyed him. As he turned his head, he noticed the spear shaft dropping lower towards his knees before he lifted and stomped suddenly, not only catching, but breaking the shaft. “Flattering, though I do not like that my guards seem to feel you are being disrespectful. It is quite refreshing for somepony to act as I am merely another pony rather than royalty,” the winged unicorn remarked. “I wouldn’t know about being royalty, but I could see how that would be exhausting… and annoying… asshole nobles with their heads up their arses,” Johnny said bluntly, rolling his eyes. The winged unicorn, or more precisely, an Alicorn, laughed warmly. “I have thought the same more than once, but there are things that they can do that I cannot without it demanding too much of my attention and time,” she said wryly. Johnny sighed softly. He looked skyward, covering his gaze with one hand to keep the excessive sun from his eyes. “I have a Celebration to plan, though it is not for another month,” the Alicorn said wryly. “You’re this… Princess Celestia... the dumbass referred to?” Johnny said dryly, blocking the swipe of the dark golden yellow spear blade at his face with one hand before shooting a glare at the guard, keenly aware of the guard’s dislike, nay… borderline hatred... of him. “Guilty as charged. Who are you, may I ask?” Celestia said with a small smirk, chuckling. “Johnny Alexis Carmichael,” Johnny said wryly. “Johnny, I assume, is short for Jonathan,” she commented. Johnny nodded. “Though… ever since waking up… wherever here is… not only are my memories fragmented… something really strange happened to me earlier,” he commented wryly. “Such as?” Celestia said with curiosity. “Namely the fact that I awoke on that airship as a woman…. which obviously I’m not at the moment,” he said wryly. He sighed softly, shaking his head in mild confusion. “We will find that out in due time, I suspect, Jonathan. Until then, follow me with Lieutenant Shining Armor,” Celestia commanded in a gentle, warm tone. Johnny exhaled as he shivered, more keenly aware, with the fact that his bodysuit had retracted into shorts and a vest, that he had quite a lot of dirt and mud on his body. “You might want a bath, to get rid of that,” Shining Armor muttered wryly, smirking. “I will have one prepared for both of you, as you both need one, though I could use one as well,” Celestia remarked with amusement, looking back at them. She found it rather amusing that the ‘human’ blushed deeply at that. ‘Hmmm, he’s intelligent. Seems willing to learn, though…. he seems to be in discomfort, for some reason. I can feel magic gathering around him,’ she noted. Johnny winced, feeling the aching pain in his back and shoulders increasing before he heard a dull ripping sound as pain erupted through his body, unaware a hot bluish white aura flared around him before fading as two broad six foot wings of prismatic copper upon the lower outer feathers whilst the feathers on the undersides of the wings were a beautiful opalescent cream color. The tops of his wings were a rich reddish golden tone like a strawberry dipped in honey. Unfortunately, the wings also dripped in a all too familiar crimson liquid critical to life. Celestia frowned slightly, spotting the blood. She cast a cleansing spell upon the floor as well as a barrier spell to catch any additional blood; perhaps her scientists would be able to look over the blood to see if there were any magical aspects to it. Fortunately, it was only a very slight drain upon her very formidable magical reserves. She sighed softly, calling upon a maid to escort Lieutenant Shining Armor to one of the many bathrooms and to wait upon him; they would be escorted to the throne room afterwards. She personally escorted the human to a bathroom, not quite as extravagant as her own personal bath chamber, but likely far more extravagant than he was likely familiar with, from how his eyes went wide and he stared, looking around the room. “From your reaction, you are not used to such… extravagance,” Celestia remarked in amusement as she slid her hoofcaps off to leave her pale golden hooves only a shade or two darker than her alabaster fur bared. “Nope. Seen pictures of similar. Never thought I’d actively see such things, but then… winged unicorns…” he sighed. “Alicorn, actually. That is the term for me,” Celestia corrected gently, noticing him swaying slightly. “Your wings are throwing off your balance, yes? I do not mind helping you get used to them,” she said gently, a small smile crossing her muzzle. “You’re royalty. Why would you help an utter stranger?” Johnny said with a grimace as he felt her hoof, soft, yet firm, against the lower middle part of his back. The wings connected from his shoulder blades to the upper middle part of his back. “Why wouldn’t I? You need the help and you deserve to be treated with hospitality,” Celestia countered with a playful smile. She saw him jump slightly as she ignited her horn, using a telekinesis spell to start the water flowing into the broad tub before adding lemon and citrus scented bubble bath to it as well as a lavender bath bomb to make the water more relaxing for him. Johnny watched the golden yellow aura manipulating things before he glanced at the Alicorn Princess from the corner of his eye. He could feel the air far more keenly at the moment, though he didn’t notice the ever so slight glow coming from the case at the small of his back. The Princess, however, noticed a small tingling itch on her foreleg and hoof where she was supporting the human which made her tilt her head, noticing a slightly green glow coming from the case before his hand covered it and removed it, the case rattling softly at his touch. “Eh? Strange… Why is it vibrating?” he muttered before flicking it open before a greenish comet shot out, hitting him hard in the chest before his eyes flared a deep emerald green. Almost the moment he felt the impact with his chest, he slid back several feet, almost into the vanity behind them though his hands instinctively flashed out, a gust of emerald tinted air stopping him cold. “Kenshō Armor designated ‘Harpuia’ active, merging with Blade Armor designated ‘Zero’,” he murmured, his voice a low, monotonous tone. The glow faded from his eyes as he stumbled forward, looking disoriented, Celestia noted as she shed her hoofcaps, chestplate and crown. He felt gentle hooves catch him before he felt the tingling heat of her magical energy touching him before, unintentionally, the armor retracted leaving him rather…. bared to her gaze. He heard her giggle before he felt heat wash over him as his eyes fluttered open to see her watching him with an amused look. “Would you prefer my assistance, or not?” she queried with a small smirk. “I… don’t know… if I can move… so…. Yes… I would prefer assistance,” he admitted shyly whilst breathing heavily. “All right, Jonathan,” Celestia said with a small motherly smile. “Although, you may wish to… hide that,” she remarked with a teasing tone. He looked down before his blush turned everything from his collarbones up a rich shade of red. “Ah…. I… can’t. It just… kinda hangs there,” he said shyly, blushing deeply. Her eyebrow rose before she shrugged, levitating him over the tub before lowering him down into it. She giggled as he inhaled sharply, his eyes widening before he sighed softly. “You’ve never preened yourself, have you?” she remarked with amusement. “Eh? You… do that? I thought only birds do that,” Johnny replied in confusion. “Oh, no, I do it, as do many, many pegasi… and so will you,” she giggled. “I know nothing about that at all,” he said shyly. “That can wait until after we get good and clean, yes?” she teased. “We?” he echoed in confusion. “You don’t expect me to pass up a nice, hot bubbly bath, do you? Besides, think of it as a way for us to bond, my little human,” Celestia quipped with a giggle. She had heard of a unicorn filly who had great magical potential, Shining Armor’s younger sister, if she recalled correctly. It would be roughly a year before she was old enough to attempt joining her School for Gifted Unicorns. She smirked as he looked nervous as she stepped into the tub before lowering herself into the warm, almost hot water. She noticed with interest that he seemed to enjoy the heat and warmth. “So, you recall nothing before…. awakening?” she said gently. “Not much. I remember my name… that I apparently have… multiple armor forms I can use… and, I’m assuming this… but I think with every armor I gain… I may potentially recall fragments of my past before. As it is… I remember very little, so I’m, pardon the pun, a ‘clean slate’,” he said shyly. He saw the Alicorn Princess giggle. “Not yet, but you will be soon, and you’ll enjoy me cleaning you, I’m certain,” she said playfully, making him blush deeply. He saw the soft fluffy washcloth levitate in a warm golden aura as he noticed a bottle of something a pale golden white pour onto it before the cloth dunked beneath the water before resurfacing and rubbing itself together as a white lather formed within seconds. He was struck by the scents of spices and a scent that made him think of sunflowers for some reason. He blinked as he heard the water shift as he saw the Princess approaching with a playful look on her face. He jumped slightly as the washcloth massaged gently over his shoulder as he felt a gentle pressure on it before he glanced down, seeing the Princess’ foreleg supporting the washcloth. He shivered as she manipulated it, massaging it against his skin as he felt the muscles that had been tense with nervousness and caution relaxing as he felt her washing his chest and shoulders before he felt it slide down his arms which he had his biceps and elbows resting against the side of the tub before he shivered as he noticed how close she was to him as she ran the washcloth over the other arm before he felt it slide over his throat and behind his ears. “Have to be thorough and wash behind the little foal’s ears,” he heard her murmur in amusement. He inhaled sharply as he felt her brush her cheek against his, noticing how soft her fur was, almost like silk. He felt her hooves brush through his hair before she wrapped her fetlock and cannon around his shoulders in what he realized was a hug. He hugged her tentatively back, shivering slightly as he felt her lightly tugging him away from the side of the tub before he let her turn him so his back was to her, his wings folded awkwardly against his shoulders as he felt them open as her hoof brushed down his spine, sending chills rushing through his body at high speed. Most embarrassingly, a very particular part of his body ‘below the belt’ grew very visibly stiff and hard. He felt her nuzzling his wings, kinda surprised how he could feel the water brushing along each and every feather as he felt the feathers shifting gently before she retreated, hearing a soft hum of thoughtfulness. “What is it?” he said with uncertainty. “You have interesting color tones with your wings. They are a rich golden red, which is unique and rare. Though I have to admit that the undersides are an interesting color as well. Do you know if they will shift color with these… armors?” Celestia said, nuzzling one of his wings which made him inhale sharply as he shivered. “No idea. For all I know, it could just be the ‘default’ color, as Zero’s armor is red,” he said softly. “Hmmm. I suppose. I have not seen these… armors, so I do not know. For now, however, I’m going to wash your hair and back. I think you’ll like me washing your wings, as I’m quite gentle with those,” she said with a small playful smile. He shivered as he heard the soft pop of a shampoo bottle, turning his head to blink in surprise at what appeared to be a surprisingly modern shampoo bottle. He cocked his head, but paused, his eyes drifting half shut as he felt the cool liquid of the shampoo before he felt Celestia’s hooves lightly running through his hair and massaging his scalp. He inhaled softly as he smelled the fragrances of fresh peaches, the slightly acrid scent of lemons, and the fresh scent of apples along with the scent of lavender and cream. Admittedly, he had no memories of things similar to this, but it was immensely relaxing. “You do not find this awkward, do you?” he heard her murmur. “Not really. It is…. unique, I will admit as I don’t have any memories of anything like this, as I doubt anyone could say they’ve bathed with an Alicorn Princess,” he replied shyly as he shivered slightly, feeling the lather running down his back as he heard the soft trickle of water as Celestia rinsed his hair before he took a slow breath. He knew the areas where the wings had come from his back was sore and itchy, like the skin had thickened. “Hmmmm, it seems like your wings, when they came out, tore through the muscle, though I notice they regenerated quickly and thicker and stronger, likely to make flight easier. They are sore, however, yes?” he heard her voice murmur gently. “Aye. Feels like a dull toothache all over my upper back and shoulders,” he said softly. She giggled a bit before he felt her hooves brush his wings closer to his back before he inhaled sharply in surprise as the dull aching faded as she lightly pressed a few points on his shoulders and back. “Pressure points?” he said softly. “You know about them? I wasn’t sure humans knew about them,” Celestia said with interest. “Humans know about pressure points and nerve clusters that can either be used to dull pain or create it. Some nerve clusters, if struck in certain ways, can render somepony unconscious immediately,” he said softly, turning his head as he saw her picking up the washcloth again before adding more soap to it, rubbing it between her hooves. He noticed that her tail and hair was drooping slightly, most likely from the heat and steam from the bath, but their color was only a few shades darker from their pale pastel tones. He jolted slightly as he felt the cloth brush over his shoulders before gliding between his wings before he inhaled sharply, shivering as he felt his cock harden almost immediately as her hoof brushed the cloth in small circles over his skin before he felt the cloth glide back up on the skin just beneath his wings before he exhaled slowly. His eyes slid almost closed before he inhaled sharply as he felt a very strange, relaxing sensation. He turned his head to see bubbles trickling between the feathers before he felt the intense tingling sensations as she used what he was almost sure was a sprayer to rinse away the lather from the soap. “Damn, that feels so strange…. like pins and needles but stronger,” he murmured wryly, hearing her giggle in response. “Think of what it’ll be like when you fly,” she teased, amused. She nudged him to stand a bit, noticing with mild interest that he was around six to seven inches shorter than herself as she saw his lower body exposed to mid thigh. She let the cloth glide down over his hips and thighs before feeling him shiver as she stepped closer to him before she let the cloth slide around his thighs to the back before he took a deep breath as she washed the back of his thighs and ass, giggling as he jumped slightly. She smirked slightly, the corners of her mouth curling upward. He shivered as he felt the cloth brush between his thighs as he felt Celestia push her head beneath his arm as she grinned before he saw her glance downward, seeing him aroused. She giggled a bit as she manipulated the washcloth to wash his manhood as well, noticing with amusement as it twitched. “Have you ever been with a mare?” she quipped. She laughed at the fact as his face went red, almost as red as the feathers of his wings. “N-no, and it won’t be simply for…. pleasure. I’d prefer to fall in love with somepony…. Ugh…. still feels weird saying ‘somepony’ instead of ‘someone’,” he said with embarrassment. Celestia hummed as she nuzzled his chest and side before the cloth slid into the water with a splash as she helped him turn to face her. “I won’t make you sleep with anypony, even myself. Admittedly, it will take time to get used to these, though I can help you get used to them over time,” she said warmly. “I’m sure it would take time to adjust for obvious reasons. For example, where I came from, there were Princesses… but none with…. well… magic like you have,” Alexis remarked, frowning slightly; he knew this fact, yet…. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it. “Hmmm, so it seems you do remember some fragments of your world, am I getting that right? Oh well, with time, I’m sure, you’ll remember more. If not, you are more than welcome to make a new life here, with us,” Celestia said warmly as he sat down in the water, rinsing himself off. “I guess so. I can’t shake the feeling I’m here for a reason. That something from the past… this past…. is still around. What it is, I couldn’t say… even if I tried… but the Biometals…. are imparting this… sense to me,” he said slowly, meeting her gaze, though he noticed she was washing herself, humming softly. He hummed softly, thinking as he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Celestia watching him. “Bit for your thoughts?” she commented. He blinked, distracted. “Just thinking. I always had a memory for music… and martial arts. Though I couldn’t read sheet music worth a damn. It was more…. a blend of muscle memory and instinct, though the eidetic memory helped with that,” he said wryly, his tone soft as he saw her crouching down in the water so the water washed over her back and sides. “If I had to say my personal top three musicians would have been Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and George Thorogood. Bands, though…. I can think of quite a few. Top, though…. would likely be Lynyrd Skynyrd, Metallica, Journey, and Foreigner,” he said wryly. He noticed Celestia’s eyebrow rising as he got the sense he didn’t know whom he was referring to. “Stevie Ray and George Thorogood have somewhat similar sounds as both of them have heavy blues-based riffs, but some of the others are more… fun,” he said with a slight smirk. “Maybe we’ll be able to visit a recording studio, as there is one here in Canterlot as well as Manehattan,” she commented with interest. “If you have an acoustic guitar, I can do one after we get out,” Alexis replied with a smirk. That made the Solar Diarch’s eyebrow rise with interest. “And it will not be by one of these… bands you have mentioned?” she said with a thoughtful tone. “Admittedly, there are some songs by similar bands that use acoustics, known as ‘unplugged’ songs or more often as ‘ballads’. The one I’m thinking of, though…. is neither. It’s a country song with a slower feel to it, but does tell a story behind it,” he said wryly. She hummed thoughtfully. “You have piqued my interest, Alexis… though why do you not go by Jonathan?” she said thoughtfully. Alexis blinked, shrugging after a moment. “Alexis…. could be used either as a male name or female name. So… if I’m able to shift between forms, why not use the same name for both?” he said thoughtfully as he sighed softly. Shortly afterward, they got out of the bath, Celestia draining it, though he did notice she levitated a sphere of it and dropped it out of one of the windows with a small playful smirk. An outraged yell soon followed as she snickered. “I get the feeling you like a practical joke every now and then, right?” he commented. Celestia shrugged as she watched him dry himself off before wrapping the towel around his hips. “You never know when a good prank livens things up,” she quipped. He snickered in return. “True,” he acknowledged.
In The Far Flung Future...Author's Note In response to >>9213560, when I say 'trolling or flaming comments' I mean specifically comments that are unhelpful or outright insulting. Comments such as yours, my friend, are precisely the kind of comments I would prefer to see. Even if it's as simple as great potential or good story, that is enough. In The Far Flung Future... 54XXNorth-Central Unicorn Range A male unicorn pony with dark persian blue eyes and a pale golden gamboge coat with two treasure keys behind a treasure chest exhaled, his gaze scanning the rocky terrain before a minor tremor kicked up from the unicorn and earth pony mining ponies that were assisting with his official search; it was suspected that there were other laboratories than what had been found, though few of those laboratories had been searched by other than search drones. He glanced at the worker ponies, whose right forelegs were covered by gauntlets that doubled as either drills or low powered jackhammers as they did not wish to damage anything discovered. Gallant True grimaced as a rocky surface slid free, dropping to the rocky ground and splintering; he knew several of the dozen or so drones he had with their group were also guard-sentry drones. However, there were also a trio of Equestrian Guard ponies for Princess Celestia herself; he knew that most ponies were unaware that Celestia sought out technological advances not only for ponykind’s gain, but also to keep it from those who might modify said technology found on Equestrian land for potential war efforts. His eyes widened slightly as a dull reflection flared from the sunlight as the clouds shifted. He noticed a dark red and brighter crimson streak beneath something a deep coppery gold, though he couldn’t tell precisely what it was. Most anthropologists did know that technology, and by extension, those who may have created it, such as the mythological human, existed, as it wasn’t that odd to find said technology around though most ponies preferred to stick to crystal charged magitech that, for the most part, converted solar energy into magical energy which was then used to power various things such as refrigerators, lights, heating water, cooking meals, and for some of the more… common small vehicles such as gliding hoverboards or drift scooters. What caught his attention, however, was a small dark gray attached case to the top of the capsule, though what was within it, he had no idea. He exhaled as the guardsponies arrived, very aware that they would start working to extract whatever had been discovered. He exhaled softly, thinking how his niece, who was a fledgling archaeologist and treasure seeker like himself, would be very interested in this. He noticed a flicker of light as the unicorns employed magic to slide the dust and debris free, revealing the broad, almost seven and a half foot tall capsule around three feet wide; he wasn’t sure what metal it was made of, but he did notice that the magic seemed to both slide off and absorb into the metal somehow, which didn’t make much sense at all to him, anyway, as most of the time either metal tended to absorb magic and, by extension, channel it, or deflect and block magical energies. A gust of steam caught his attention as one of the horizontal lines forming the top of the combined Z and mingled, smaller X flared a bright golden color over the dully reflective cover that looked like a rounded oval at the top and somewhat of a rounded rectangle near the bottom. The rounded elliptical lens over the opening of the capsule slid open, the X splitting on one side before it slid apart, steam and smoke pouring forth. He blinked as he saw a bright bluish-green glow in the form of two eyes flare to life along with a triangular blue gemstone shimmering above it. His eyes widened fractionally, cocking his head as an armored humanoid form stumbled out, its golden edged white boots clattering on the rocks before the armored black shorts showed through the steam and smoke. The bluish-green glow faded to show dark aquamarine-teal eyes that were obviously dazed and extremely confused. He focused his magic through his horn as the armored young woman staggered before falling, almost sprawling amongst the rocks, some being quite sharp, he had noticed, as they had slid free. She groaned, gagging as she seemed disoriented, though he noticed the case falling free as a rock hit the top of the capsule. <<<<<<<< Reboot in Progress >>>>>>>> 2%.... 14%... 36%... 55%.... 74%... 88%... Error…. Memory Cells damaged --- Must Find Onyx Armor to restore Armor Uplink Detected -- can seal Armored Reploid Form into NanoCore to blend into populace Kenshō Armor Detected -- Wind Manipulation and Air Thrusters Tōshō Armor Detected -- Fire Manipulation and Enhanced Close Combat capabilities Yōshō Armor Detected -- Water Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, and Enhanced Water Combat capabilities Inshō Armor Detected -- Shadow Manipulation, Purification, and Enhanced Stealth Capabilities Astral Armor Detected -- Copy Technique, Enhanced Ranged Combat capabilities and Dual Plasma Pistols active Johnny’s eyes flickered open, his gaze flickering along the semi-transparent screens that flickered in front of his eyes for several seconds before he felt the odd paralysis that had overcome him fading as he felt tingling rush over his body before a blinding glare flared in his face, unaware yet that he was no longer male… but female. He grimaced, staggering out of the capsule, which to him, as he glanced momentarily around, reminded him oddly of a cross between the Capsule only vaguely shown in Megaman X4 and the Kryptonian Capsule shown in CW’s Supergirl, but on a larger, if at the same time tighter scale. He heard the metallic footfalls as he felt his weight shift, noticing his armor felt… unbalanced… as if it wasn’t quite on right. He felt something catch him before he spotted the odd small horse with its horn glowing. When did equines have horns? he wondered uncertainly. She blinked for a moment, the HUD displaying instinctively. Species --- Unicorn Capabilities -- Magic Use, Enhanced Reflexes Name -- Unknown, Inquiry Advised Skills -- Unknown Johnny winced as he felt something slap hard into the back of his head with a metallic clunk before he blinked a few times, managing to get his feet beneath him before he turned a bit, spotting the case with the Biometals. He opened the case, noticing the Biometal Z model flaring almost immediately with crimson light before it shot up and hit her full in the chest before he felt an odd heated tingling surging through his body before he was launched backwards several yards as her Reploid Form was replaced by her new human form… sprawled flat on her face with her messy wild auburn-gold hair. Gallant Truth, alongside one of the guard ponies, noticed the case clicking shut as the girl slammed hard into the ground after a nasty, uncontrolled somersault; she obviously didn’t expect such a thing, he noted. He grimaced as the odd form twitched a few times before going still, though he didn’t miss the guard pony casting a diagnostic spell to check the health of the young woman. “We will transport the capsule, case, and the unsub to Canterlot for processing. No doubt they will be useful,” one of the guards ponies muttered gruffly. Unlike the others, he had a distinct militaristic bearing.
Unforeseen DiscoveriesAuthor's Note Unfortunately at the time of this being published, we lack electricity due to Tropical Storm Matthew. Pray for those whom have been battered by the storm in Florida and Georgia. Unforeseen Discoveries In Transit to Canterlot City - AirshipEternalSkies Johnny Alexis groaned, her dark amethyst eyes fluttering as she sat up, disoriented in the bunk. She found herself wearing a pale cyan blouse over baggy dark tan pants; she was barefoot. She swung her legs over the side of the bunk, dizzy as she coughed before clearing her throat. Her gaze slid around the rather plain bunk room, seeing only a small writing desk and the bunk which hung from dark olive green and copper ropes. Her eyes widened slightly at the polished silver of a mirror reflecting her form. “What in the fuck?!?!” she barked, startled. She cocked her head in confusion before sighing, looking away out of the window. “It would be just my luck to end up as a genderbent Zero…. though they never really specified in the series whether Zero was originally male or female. It is just generally assumed he was male,” she muttered, grimacing. She groaned as she tilted her head, soft pops of tense tendons the only sign of anything really bothering her. She ran her hands through messy dark golden auburn hair. She suspected that the case holding the Biometals was somewhere else, though that would require her exploring this place. From the hum, she assumed it was a plane, which would be simple to explore if it was a cargo plane. Unless it wasn’t, in which case it might be a bit harder. She shot a look outside, trying to see what sort of transport it was. The rolling land and trees were pleasant and appeared quite free, though her eyes spotted something interesting…. an airship much like that of the Hindenburg. She exhaled softly, as that gave her a hint of what sort of transport she was in, though she had never ridden in an airship, therefore she had little knowledge of how the interior was designed. She did know one very critical fact: never light a match within the balloon of one nor puncture it as from what she recalled, hydrogen was highly explosive. However, there was one thing she wasn’t certain of in this particular case: was it actually hydrogen within the balloon for this particular airship? It could have been helium, which fortunately was an inert gas when it came to explosions. She giggled at that thought if a leak happened in here whilst the balloon was filled with helium. “That would be funny… hearing everyone speaking with squeaky voices,” she snickered. She paused at a thought. “Wait a second… unicorns… airships… I can’t shake the feeling there’s something I’m missing,” she muttered, tapping her chin in thought. There was something nagging at the former male’s thoughts, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. “Apparently, at least part of my mind has some cyber enhancements, which if corrupted, would explain why my memories are fragmented. The question is, what sorts of enhancements do I have?” she murmured, unaware of the ability she could already access. She exhaled softly, her eyes half closed as she concentrated, not noticing silvery scales much like those of a snake or dragon forming over her skin as the nanites reacted within her body, forming a shell of armor over her hands, forearms, and wrists. She could feel her skin tingling as she opened her eyes, blinking as she saw the change. A smirk crossed her face at the change. “Could be useful in hand to hand combat, I suppose, though…. huh,” she said softly, noticing what appeared to be a small rounded trigger underneath her wrist. She tilted her wrist in a snapping motion, a streamer of pale golden slime hardening into thin tendrils not unlike arachnid webbing that clung to the wall. “I have a feeling this will be fun,” she murmured with a smirk. She tilted her head as the silvery scales smoothed out into a bodysuit before it spread over her arms and upper torso, failing to notice that it effectively shredded the likely used outfit in the process. She felt the mild tingling sensation over her back and sides before it enclosed her upper body before sliding down her hips and down over her legs. A smirk crossed her face as she knew this would be useful. “Hmmm, what to call me like this… maybe Therapho? I mean, these nanites seem to allow me to manipulate them freely, so a secondary form could be quite useful,” she murmured. She looked closely, noticing that there were miniscule barbs, likely no more than a few millimeters, upon the tips and pads of her fingers. She tilted her head, her gaze scanning down the bodysuit, noticing the light hood over her shoulders before she rolled her shoulders. A small smirk crossed her face as she noticed the amber-gold tone to her sight, unaware her gaze was shielded by a dull nonreflective amber-silver covering her face and temples with pale golden amber eyes. The mask melded with the mask covering her face forming slightly curving upper fangs while most of the suit was a dull gray with amber undertones. She tilted her head, noticing that the mask seemed to have scanning capabilities, noting that the window slid down before she did just that, sliding the window down, a gust of air almost pushing her back for a few seconds before she grinned, rolling her shoulders before she pushed off, vaulting through the window in a fluid motion, tilting her head slightly so she could see before she flicked her wrists, the webbing firing out before clinging to the edges of the window as she tugged herself to the side of the airship, clinging to the wood and metal easily. “This is fun!!! I can see why a certain Spider enjoys moving around with it!!” she giggled as she tilted her head, hearing a barely audible click before a gasp followed. She guessed someone had come to check on her, so she crawled military style upward before she slid into a vent, fortunately cutting off the worst of the winds. She smirked as she crawled stealthily, noticing that few in the hallways of the airship thought to look upward; she suspected her suit had dampening properties to make it more difficult for unicorns to sense her. She did notice one that was armored lightly with a light gray coat and a moderate sapphire blue mane streaked with dark pthalo blue and moderate cerulean. He looked nervous and unsure. Name - Unknown, Inquiry Advised Race - Unicorn Skills - Barrier Glyphs and Defensive Magicks She hummed softly, thinking about what the readout had said. “Curious that the scanners cannot identify them, though it does make sense… they aren’t Human nor are they Reploids. That isn’t to say that some, potentially dangerous…. Mavericks… don’t exist, however,” she thought. She blinked, noticing a city that seemed unstable to her, clinging to the side of a mountain, however, there were many other airships that seemed to fly and land there. Location Detected City Name - Unknown Patriarchal or Matriarchal - Unknown Number of Civilians - Unknown That data had her cautious as she wasn’t sure how to react. She quickly made her way along the ceiling, noticing a wheel she recognized as a ship’s wheel, guessing it signaled the bridge, which was the most likely location of the case holding the Biometals. She slipped quietly and carefully along the ceiling before noticing the case in question on a desk near the ship’s wheel, which made her grin. “Just what we’re looking for,” she thought as she crawled close to the case before snagging it with a web before reeling it in and touching it to the small of her back where it attached itself as if glued. “Where’s the case at? Who took it?” a gruff militaristic pony snapped. “Hmmm, I don’t know where it could be… maybe with the only one who can most likely use it?” she quipped nonchalantly, amused as everyone abruptly panicked, obviously startled by the unexpected voice. She did notice that several of the unicorns aimed barely visible tendrils of light she deduced were almost like laser pointers at her, however, obviously wary. “Thought you could take what doesn’t belong to you? I mean, really. If they don’t react to you, you ain’t gonna be able to use them,” she deadpanned, crouching nonchalantly on the ceiling as if it were the floor. Almost the same moment, the pony she’d caught a glimpse of skidded in, panting hard before staring at her with confusion. “Wh-what is that?” he stuttered. “What’s what? I mean, I wake up here… nobody asks me how I feel, nobody checks on me… though I’m kinda starving, frankly,” came her dry, amused reply. The mask retracted, revealing the deep emerald-aquamarine irises and lightly tanned skin as well as the messy dark auburn hair falling in wild, untamed waves. “Ugh… still getting used to that. It was why I always held my hair back…. though I can’t quite remember why,” she sighed, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. She shifted her weight, somersaulting to land in a crouch as her hair fell down to the middle of her back. She didn’t miss that they had slowed and was slowly drifting lower. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye as ropes were cast downward. She glanced at the unicorn pony with the light gray coat and moderate sapphire blue mane streaked with dark pthalo blue and moderate cerulean. She cocked her head with a small smile, amused as he blushed. She tilted her head, noticing the dark sapphire blue shield with a magenta starburst topped by a trio of small cerulean stars on his flank beneath what seemed to be copper or bronze armor. She hummed in thought, thinking. “If that’s either bronze or copper, the former would be better defensively, but I see many gaps that would leave him incapacitated, underneath his legs, just beneath the rib cage and what would pass for his lower back, I suppose. Not to mention his abdomen which is completely exposed,” she mused. “Could layer it with fabric and a layer of ceramic to increase defense, maybe fine mesh,” she thought. Her father had been military while her mother had been a seamstress. It meant more than a little of what knowledge she had been passed from them to her.
Greetings and AnnoyancesAuthor's Note Greetings and Annoyances CanterlotCity, Equestria #2651914 Johnny Alexis Carmichael sighed softly as they landed, though she was cautious at the military pony’s glare; he likely assumed that the case was his by right of discovery, despite the fact she’d found it first. She mingled amongst the crowd, feeling a dull tingling along her skin, unaware that the body armor she was wearing was pulsing with a dull red aura before it flared brightly, blinding her as well as more than a few nearby ponies. “Shit,” he muttered before blinking. “Hmmm, that bears curiosity. Apparently, I can shift between male and female forms, though I’m still somewhat creeped out by miniature ponies. Meh… I… eh?” he muttered, pausing as he could ‘see’ a tendril of bright golden light radiating skyward and, surprisingly, growing closer.The lens over his right eye retracted, telling him that it was only visible through the lenses he was seeing through. “Hmm,” he murmured. “How did you do that? Change forms like that?” he heard the pony he’d observed before murmur softly. “No idea, honestly. Memories are fragmented. I remember waking up, apparently in the side of a mountain… before that… other than my name… it’s blanker than a field after a heavy snowfall before any footprints,” he said dryly. “Hoofprints, you mean,” the pony corrected. “Hoofprints, footprints… what does it matter what you walk on?” he deadpanned, shrugging nonchalantly. “Name’s Lieutenant Shining Armor,” the pony said, introducing himself as he chuckled, supposing the odd creature had a point. “Johnathan Alexis Carmichael, as far as I know, civilian,” he said dryly, shrugging. Johnny let his gaze scan around before his eyes landed on the source of the golden beam of light. The mask retracted to merely glasses around his eyes, the dark amethyst edging around the golden amber lenses. “I believe that belongs to me,” he said quietly. The pony with the spring greenish gray coat and dark gray mane snorted, glaring at them. “Nonsense. Upper Crust and I purchased this…. trinket…. fairly. There is nothing special about it,” the unicorn pony scoffed, the white sweater rustling slightly in the breeze over his green and white jersey. “Truly, Jet Set, what are these ruffians accosting us for?” the female of the pair snorted, her cream-colored shirt and pale pink sweater almost identical to her husband’s. “That pair of weapons is known as the Bashou Fan,” Johnny said dryly, cocking an eyebrow. “Prove it, you hairless…. midget minotaur,” Upper Crust scoffed. Her eyes widened when he picked up the dagger “trinkets” before pressing a small trigger on the hilt and flicking it, the blade extending into a razor-sharp fan as energy flared over the blades of the fan in a glowing golden orange aura almost like flames. She was mildly startled when she saw his irises flare a pale green as he vaulted back sharply a good twenty-five hoofpaces, landing in a low crouch. Her eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted with almost predatory fluidity, the movements hypnotic. She frowned slightly as she cocked her head, noticing tints of a beautiful deep amethyst light flickering over the fans before her husband fired a stunning spell at the creature. To her surprise the creature twisted the fans, the aura catching and bouncing it between both fans several times before launching it back at her husband, hitting the ground a few hoofbeats in front of him in a blast of dust as he folded the fans in smoothly in a fluid, practiced motion. Jet Set gagged at the dust, his hoof swiping at the dust before he blinked, confused at the creature’s empty hands. Upper Crust blinked as she hadn’t taken her eyes off the creature, yet the dagger-fans had apparently vanished; he wore a feminine blouse whose sleeves were far too short to hide anything up, barely brushing his biceps. “As to what I am…. It isn’t a midget minotaur. I’m human,” his tone was dry and sarcastic, mildly irritated. “Everyone knows humans are myths,” Jet Set sneered. “Where I came from, pegasi and unicorns were myths. For example, one myth is that a woman cursed by a god whom could petrify with her gaze and killed by a hero birthed a winged horse from her blood… called Pegasus,” Alexander said dryly. “Supposedly, unicorns are meant to be pure creatures…. Though in your case… I’d say a pure arsehole,” he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. He did notice Shining Armor snickering, obviously catching his muttered comment through the unicorns clearly didn’t pay attention. He turned away, unaware that the fans had merged with the nanites composing his bodysuit of ‘clothing’. He allowed the group of military pegasi to lead the way towards the somewhat imposing palace, though he didn’t miss the opportunity to let his gaze scan around with mild interest, though he didn’t fail to notice that most of the other ponies stared at him with confusion and mild disgust. He exhaled softly as he walked fairly quickly, moving fluidly with loping strides, not surprised that the ponies, despite being smaller and having shorter legs, were fairly easily able to keep up with him. He glanced at Shining Armor who smirked slightly, obviously liking the challenge. “Nobles?” he deadpanned. Shining shrugged. “We’re kinda stuck with them,” he sighed. “They’re idiots,” Alexander quipped, drawing a snort of laughter from several of the ponies, including Shining Armor. “There are some decent ones, though, granted, not that many, unfortunately,” Shining amended. “Though I do agree that most of them are idiots. I just don’t say so…. to their faces,” he said with amusement. Alexander snickered before sliding to a stop, his eyes widening slightly. He saw, at the top of a sweeping, if shallowly angled staircase, at least four palaces, or so he guessed. One had at least six towers that he could see, another had two, and a third had a single. “Damn. Never saw a palace before… well… not this style of the palace. It looks somewhat vaguely Arabian to me, though the only other palace I saw was…. a decidedly different style to this,” he commented wryly. He did notice the hedge maze as well as a very strange statue near the opening to it. It seemed to be a mishmash of body parts sloppily thrown together. However, what did catch his eye, strangely, was what was beneath it: a thick capsule with three slowly rotating spheres; he recognized it as a ‘full health’ capsule, though he couldn’t remember why it seemed familiar. He did notice that it was well hidden beneath a layer of smoky quartz and marble, however. He didn’t comment on it, though, rather, focusing more on the broad palace before he cocked his head, thinking. “Who would need this place?” he said thoughtfully. “The Princess, Her Majesty Celestia, you trash,” one guard snapped. “If I’m such ‘trash’ as you put it, why was I escorted here rather than left wherever I was? Hmmm? Seems your ego is about as big as your balls… and if you keep pushing me, I’ll be more than happy to shrink them quite painfully,” came Alexis’ sharp reply, a shimmering luminous golden red aura flickering around him as he shifted to his female form, a sadistic grin growing on her face. Shining snickered, seeing the guard shrink back with a nervous look. “Though…. what you should wonder is what I would use to do it… maybe a salad fork? Or a sewing needle? Or… maybe something chilled to the point where it burns on contact? Or better…. something that might explode on contact? Hmmm, I wonder what sort of reaction sodium metal would have with blood. I know it explodes quite violently with water… of course, going by human knowledge, the blood is roughly eighty percent water… for ponies… with large balls and small brains… I’d worry that I wouldn’t just take their balls…. but more… vital things with them,” the young woman continued, her tone thoughtful before turning innocent as she tilted her head with a shy look as Shining cringed slightly as the look in her eyes held a hint of the dangerous sadist for those whom she really disliked or outright hated. She cocked her head, a small smirk crossing her face as she let out a giggle. “Maybe you should consider that before opening your big mouth,” she said with amusement. She stepped closer to the palace, the doors opening unbidden as it was clear they were expected. She wasn’t sure if the stiffness in her back and shoulders was from nervousness from this ‘Princess Celestia’ or something else but dismissed it as nerves.
Rising DawnAuthor's Note Rising Dawn Canterlot City, Equestria #2651914 Johnny Alex Carmichael cocked his head as he took two quick strides as he noticed the railing before he smirked slightly. “Ever seen someone defy gravity?” he quipped. “Huh?” Shining Armor said in confusion. “Nobody can defy gravity,” he said with confusion. “Really? Then I shouldn’t be able to get up that railing…. without using the steps,” he said with amusement as he rolled his shoulders before he pushed off, unaware that his body was passively absorbing Equestrian Magic, hence, he could strengthen his body and manipulate his aura in a stronger state than that of even Master Shaolin monks. The bodysuit he wore enhanced these talents. Barely visible nickel sized gaps in his palms appeared to be repulsor sensors. They widened into small sapphire openings before a deep silvery blue aura flared, reacting almost like jets and shoving him at high speed up the railing though he shot almost twenty yards further on before he tumbled with the landing, feeling dizzy from the abrupt acceleration. “How’d you do that?” Shining Armor said with confusion as he galloped up to him. “Do what?” Johnny said with confusion, not understanding. He didn’t realize that his armor had thickened in response to his impact before thinning again. “Fly without wings!! I mean, it’s obvious you don’t have wings,” Shining commented. “Actually, if you think about it scientifically, if you have the right shape of something and enough thrust behind it, it’s entirely possible anything could fly… though I wouldn’t advise flying into space without any sort of protection… it would make the fluids like blood and such in the body react rather… violently,” he said wryly, shrugging. Shining laughed at that. “You sound like Twily, talking like that,” he said fondly, his gaze flicking towards the castle for a moment. “Personally, I know about science… a fair bit, but I was always more interested in the terrestrial sciences than the astronomical kind… admittedly, I love admiring a good night sky. It’s rather relaxing. Although admittedly… there are always chemicals that react violently with water. Hell, even something as simple as table salt can if given the proper… preparation. My personal favorite… is dry ice… frozen carbon dioxide,” Johnny said with a grin. “What’s so fun about it?” he said in confusion as the other ponies caught up. “It can be summed up in four words: sealed bottle, water, boom,” Johnny said with a chuckle, smirking. “Eh?” Shining muttered, confused further. “Dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide…. essentially the primary gas you exhale, is one of the few elements that sublimate straight from a solid to a gas. Water accelerates said process. Stick it in a sealed bottle… it will eventually blow the bottle apart,” he clarified. Shining shrugged. “I never paid that much attention in science,” he admitted. “It takes a particular kind to enjoy Chemistry. Personally, I preferred a more…. explosive approach. For example, chlorine by itself is a lethal gas, while sodium alone is a metal that reacts highly explosively with water. Take a guess on what the are combined as sodium chloride,” Johnny said with a snicker. He grunted slightly as one of the military ponies shoved him from behind. “Baka,” he said dryly, cocking an eyebrow as he snorted as he walked towards the palace, cautious as he didn’t know what to expect. “I have no clue,” Shining said wryly. Alexis smirked, almost seeing question marks floating above the stallion's head. “Table salt, the very kind you put on eggs, fries, and in a variety of other things, like cakes,” Alexis said nonchalantly. He snickered at the multiple thuds he heard, glancing over his shoulder as quite a few of the military ponies, as well as the self-proclaimed 'nobles', were rising to their hooves. He hummed softly, looking around as he exhaled softly, simply enjoying the breeze for a few minutes. He glanced up at the towers, tempted to see what kind of view was visible from the top. He glanced at his hands before he noticed the rounded circles before they irised open, exposing what made him vaguely think of a single word, though he couldn't remember why it seemed familiar or where he'd heard the term. "Extremis," he muttered under his breath.
Hungers and PassionsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
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Can I Figure Out What Is Going On?Author's Note I will only release the next chapter after this has gotten a minimum of ten reviews. Troll or flaming comments, however, will not count!! Can I Figure Out What Is Going On? Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Earth Johnny Carmichael grimaced, his deep auburn hair streaked with gold and copper as it fell into his wild, untamed dark aquamarine eyes. He glanced down at the dark red and white helmet, its back able to close to form the well-known ponytail of the Maverick Hunter known as Zero. His skin was naturally a pale bronze rather than Zero’s usual paler skin tone, which he much preferred over Zero’s natural tone. He exhaled, the white gloves rasping over the dense plastic he’d used 3D printing to create the helm of the costume. The bracers on his forearm were molded plastic, though the attachments that could slide out to form the Z-Buster were layered metal, specifically 10-65 carbon steel commonly used for swords, though he’d worked it so it could slide into place from slits within the bracer, forming the end and barrel of the energy cannon for the Buster. He exhaled as he tugged on the leather thong he’d looped into a half hitch knot with part over and underneath his hair as he looped it through the molded gorget, or throat guard, as he lifted the helmet before sliding it over his head, the back sliding down in segments before clicking into place. He had managed to find a very skilled technician that could work metal and plastic into an armor that acted almost like Batman’s Arkham suit in that it fits smoothly into one connected piece. He exhaled as the suit wasn’t all that light, though he was only a few days away from his seventeenth birthday and knew what he could handle. The bronzed accents on the armor contrasted well against the white and darker tone of candy red which had been layered over the deep Show Stopper red he’d chosen from Sherwin-Williams. He stepped out of the changing room, his weighted boots clicking softly, almost like the metallic footfalls most connected a Reploid with. His gaze slid around the roughly four thousand various people, most in varied costumes for this Comic-con, though he, personally, was more interested in some of the fan gear or potentially a few games. Johnny, beneath the costume, wore a deep auburn, almost crimson, tee shirt underneath a dark copper vest and black pants with red sandals and pale gray tabi socks. He smirked ever so slightly, twisting the trigger on the right hand so the Z-Buster protracted into position, the coiled LED lights glowing a pale golden color as it clicked into place before he retracted it into its concealed position. He knew some might claim he possessed a ‘concealed weapon’, though all it was was a hardened plastic tube with dark gray spray paint on the end while a string of coiled LEDs provided the glow; the hardest part, at least for him,was making sure it didn’t get stuck. He moved, walking with softly clanking footfalls, the bronzed lead weights in the heels and outside of his feet clicking in their sheaths. The hardest part about making them had been heating the lead enough to bronze it with a flywheel yet not melt it to the point of being molten. His gaze slid along various stands before pausing momentarily at the sight of a Resident Evil 4 shop cosplayer. He had heard vague rumors of people vanishing after buying things from a similar cosplayer, but he saw little that interested him at that particular stand. “Unfortunate that there aren’t any Mavericks to fight, eh, Zero?” “Hn… I’m not interested in banter. If you have anything remotely interesting, show it. From what I see… your things aren’t interesting in the least,” Johnny said in a disinterested tone, sounding eerily like the actual Maverick Hunter. “From what I see, you are missing your Saber, amongst a few other small trinkets that I may have,” the cosplayer wheedled. Johnny’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Doubtful that you would have anything resembling it. And I have no desire to carry around a cheap lightsaber knockoff,” he said with a dry tone as he crossed his arms. “How can you be so sure? Perhaps a closer look might peak your interest?”the man said with amusement, smirking. Johnny snorted, rolling his eyes as he took a couple of steps closer before his eyebrow rose a bit, noticing models of the Biometal Models Z, X, H, F, L, P, and A all hovering over what he suspected were electromagnets. He hummed slightly, though he didn’t pause beyond a cursory glance. “What about this Z-Saber you claim to have?” he said dryly, glancing at the man, who smirked, his eyes twinkling slightly. The cosplayer pulled out a case roughly two feet and three inches in length. Johnny’s eyebrow twitched as the man opened it, revealing… a pale gray hilt with a dark copper ring around the base of the hilt and rounded off butt; it appeared the salesman had the hilt right, though he saw no blade. The salesman lifted the hilt before twisting it as a segmented yellow topaz blade slid out, igniting a warm golden color. He tilted his head, his gaze scanning the blade, which he gauged to be slightly under eighteen inches. The man spun it skillfully before offering the hilt. “It’s up to you if you want it,” the man said with a faint smirk. “Hmmm,” Johnny hummed, taking the hilt; it was surprisingly balanced, he noted, as he held it loosely before holding it with two fingers slightly under where the blade extended from, finding it would balance very easily. “Layered a yellow topaz and clear quartz crystal?” he said thoughtfully. “True, with a three-millimeter-thick layer of mineral oil between so it would not slide and crack against itself,” the salesman said with a small smirk. “Not many would notice the subtle clarity beneath the slight cloudiness of the topaz,” he complimented. “The clarity of the LED in the hilt gives away the layering effect, though it’s well hidden, admittedly,” Johnny said wryly, amused. “$320?” the salesman offered. “$225,” Johnny replied with a straight face. “$300,” the salesman deadpanned. $240,” Johnny said dryly. “$270,” the salesman countered. “$245,” Johnny deadpanned. “$265, and I’ll throw in the Biometals, plus the Durga Glaive, Vega Hanger, Bashou Fan, and Kaiser Knuckle,” the salesman deadpanned. “Hmmm, fine. Leaves me enough for lunch, anyway,” Johnny said dryly, rolling his shoulders as he took the proffered case with the Biometals in it. “What lunch?” the salesman quipped as he smirked a bit as he saw the young man’s eyes glaze over as swirling light flickered, then consumed him in a matter of seconds, the reddish gold dust glittering as it scattered over the ground, quickly scattered by the various people walking around. Next Chapter, Johnny ‘Zero’ Carmichael awakens in Equestria extremely confused, Disoriented, and hungry.
Meeting RoyaltyAuthor's Note Meeting Royalty CanterlotCity, TheCelestialPalace - Equestria #2651915 Johnny’s jaw dropped, startled as he spotted the palace before he saw the broad, golden and bronzed doors open to reveal a tall, slightly under seven-foot tall winged unicorn with a mane that made him offhandedly think of the aurora borealis. He felt the slight tingling as the repulsor apertures closed, absently noticing the sensation in the back of his mind. He felt a tingling warmth push his jaw shut as he saw the winged unicorn smile warmly, noticing a swirling golden yellow aura around her horn before he glanced down, noticing a slight golden sheen as the aura of magical energy she’d manipulated to close his mouth faded away. He cocked an eyebrow, not noticing the ruby aura growing around his right forearm and wrist before it became Zero’s armored form. Almost immediately, a holographic screen shimmered to life. Name of City - Unknown Matriarchal or Patriarchal - Matriarchal Number of Civilians - Unknown was what came up upon the screen. “Well, that doesn’t help much, does it?” he muttered dryly, shaking his head as he noticed the screen dismiss before the armored gauntlet also dismissed, reverting to the silvery white of the bodysuit which he noticed receded into a shorter bodysuit much like that of a surfer’s wetsuit in summer, shorts that stopped at his knees, and a short vest; it was only then that he noticed that he had a black bodysuit on beneath it. “So, what precisely are you? You are not a pony, clearly,” the winged unicorn said. “Human, though where I came from, equines aren’t able to speak, nor are they half as attractive as you are,” Johnny said wryly, smirking slightly. One of the guards swatted him hard across the back, which hurt, but more annoyed him. As he turned his head, he noticed the spear shaft dropping lower towards his knees before he lifted and stomped suddenly, not only catching, but breaking the shaft. “Flattering, though I do not like that my guards seem to feel you are being disrespectful. It is quite refreshing for somepony to act as I am merely another pony rather than royalty,” the winged unicorn remarked. “I wouldn’t know about being royalty, but I could see how that would be exhausting… and annoying… asshole nobles with their heads up their arses,” Johnny said bluntly, rolling his eyes. The winged unicorn, or more precisely, an Alicorn, laughed warmly. “I have thought the same more than once, but there are things that they can do that I cannot without it demanding too much of my attention and time,” she said wryly. Johnny sighed softly. He looked skyward, covering his gaze with one hand to keep the excessive sun from his eyes. “I have a Celebration to plan, though it is not for another month,” the Alicorn said wryly. “You’re this… Princess Celestia... the dumbass referred to?” Johnny said dryly, blocking the swipe of the dark golden yellow spear blade at his face with one hand before shooting a glare at the guard, keenly aware of the guard’s dislike, nay… borderline hatred... of him. “Guilty as charged. Who are you, may I ask?” Celestia said with a small smirk, chuckling. “Johnny Alexis Carmichael,” Johnny said wryly. “Johnny, I assume, is short for Jonathan,” she commented. Johnny nodded. “Though… ever since waking up… wherever here is… not only are my memories fragmented… something really strange happened to me earlier,” he commented wryly. “Such as?” Celestia said with curiosity. “Namely the fact that I awoke on that airship as a woman…. which obviously I’m not at the moment,” he said wryly. He sighed softly, shaking his head in mild confusion. “We will find that out in due time, I suspect, Jonathan. Until then, follow me with Lieutenant Shining Armor,” Celestia commanded in a gentle, warm tone. Johnny exhaled as he shivered, more keenly aware, with the fact that his bodysuit had retracted into shorts and a vest, that he had quite a lot of dirt and mud on his body. “You might want a bath, to get rid of that,” Shining Armor muttered wryly, smirking. “I will have one prepared for both of you, as you both need one, though I could use one as well,” Celestia remarked with amusement, looking back at them. She found it rather amusing that the ‘human’ blushed deeply at that. ‘Hmmm, he’s intelligent. Seems willing to learn, though…. he seems to be in discomfort, for some reason. I can feel magic gathering around him,’ she noted. Johnny winced, feeling the aching pain in his back and shoulders increasing before he heard a dull ripping sound as pain erupted through his body, unaware a hot bluish white aura flared around him before fading as two broad six foot wings of prismatic copper upon the lower outer feathers whilst the feathers on the undersides of the wings were a beautiful opalescent cream color. The tops of his wings were a rich reddish golden tone like a strawberry dipped in honey. Unfortunately, the wings also dripped in a all too familiar crimson liquid critical to life. Celestia frowned slightly, spotting the blood. She cast a cleansing spell upon the floor as well as a barrier spell to catch any additional blood; perhaps her scientists would be able to look over the blood to see if there were any magical aspects to it. Fortunately, it was only a very slight drain upon her very formidable magical reserves. She sighed softly, calling upon a maid to escort Lieutenant Shining Armor to one of the many bathrooms and to wait upon him; they would be escorted to the throne room afterwards. She personally escorted the human to a bathroom, not quite as extravagant as her own personal bath chamber, but likely far more extravagant than he was likely familiar with, from how his eyes went wide and he stared, looking around the room. “From your reaction, you are not used to such… extravagance,” Celestia remarked in amusement as she slid her hoofcaps off to leave her pale golden hooves only a shade or two darker than her alabaster fur bared. “Nope. Seen pictures of similar. Never thought I’d actively see such things, but then… winged unicorns…” he sighed. “Alicorn, actually. That is the term for me,” Celestia corrected gently, noticing him swaying slightly. “Your wings are throwing off your balance, yes? I do not mind helping you get used to them,” she said gently, a small smile crossing her muzzle. “You’re royalty. Why would you help an utter stranger?” Johnny said with a grimace as he felt her hoof, soft, yet firm, against the lower middle part of his back. The wings connected from his shoulder blades to the upper middle part of his back. “Why wouldn’t I? You need the help and you deserve to be treated with hospitality,” Celestia countered with a playful smile. She saw him jump slightly as she ignited her horn, using a telekinesis spell to start the water flowing into the broad tub before adding lemon and citrus scented bubble bath to it as well as a lavender bath bomb to make the water more relaxing for him. Johnny watched the golden yellow aura manipulating things before he glanced at the Alicorn Princess from the corner of his eye. He could feel the air far more keenly at the moment, though he didn’t notice the ever so slight glow coming from the case at the small of his back. The Princess, however, noticed a small tingling itch on her foreleg and hoof where she was supporting the human which made her tilt her head, noticing a slightly green glow coming from the case before his hand covered it and removed it, the case rattling softly at his touch. “Eh? Strange… Why is it vibrating?” he muttered before flicking it open before a greenish comet shot out, hitting him hard in the chest before his eyes flared a deep emerald green. Almost the moment he felt the impact with his chest, he slid back several feet, almost into the vanity behind them though his hands instinctively flashed out, a gust of emerald tinted air stopping him cold. “Kenshō Armor designated ‘Harpuia’ active, merging with Blade Armor designated ‘Zero’,” he murmured, his voice a low, monotonous tone. The glow faded from his eyes as he stumbled forward, looking disoriented, Celestia noted as she shed her hoofcaps, chestplate and crown. He felt gentle hooves catch him before he felt the tingling heat of her magical energy touching him before, unintentionally, the armor retracted leaving him rather…. bared to her gaze. He heard her giggle before he felt heat wash over him as his eyes fluttered open to see her watching him with an amused look. “Would you prefer my assistance, or not?” she queried with a small smirk. “I… don’t know… if I can move… so…. Yes… I would prefer assistance,” he admitted shyly whilst breathing heavily. “All right, Jonathan,” Celestia said with a small motherly smile. “Although, you may wish to… hide that,” she remarked with a teasing tone. He looked down before his blush turned everything from his collarbones up a rich shade of red. “Ah…. I… can’t. It just… kinda hangs there,” he said shyly, blushing deeply. Her eyebrow rose before she shrugged, levitating him over the tub before lowering him down into it. She giggled as he inhaled sharply, his eyes widening before he sighed softly. “You’ve never preened yourself, have you?” she remarked with amusement. “Eh? You… do that? I thought only birds do that,” Johnny replied in confusion. “Oh, no, I do it, as do many, many pegasi… and so will you,” she giggled. “I know nothing about that at all,” he said shyly. “That can wait until after we get good and clean, yes?” she teased. “We?” he echoed in confusion. “You don’t expect me to pass up a nice, hot bubbly bath, do you? Besides, think of it as a way for us to bond, my little human,” Celestia quipped with a giggle. She had heard of a unicorn filly who had great magical potential, Shining Armor’s younger sister, if she recalled correctly. It would be roughly a year before she was old enough to attempt joining her School for Gifted Unicorns. She smirked as he looked nervous as she stepped into the tub before lowering herself into the warm, almost hot water. She noticed with interest that he seemed to enjoy the heat and warmth. “So, you recall nothing before…. awakening?” she said gently. “Not much. I remember my name… that I apparently have… multiple armor forms I can use… and, I’m assuming this… but I think with every armor I gain… I may potentially recall fragments of my past before. As it is… I remember very little, so I’m, pardon the pun, a ‘clean slate’,” he said shyly. He saw the Alicorn Princess giggle. “Not yet, but you will be soon, and you’ll enjoy me cleaning you, I’m certain,” she said playfully, making him blush deeply. He saw the soft fluffy washcloth levitate in a warm golden aura as he noticed a bottle of something a pale golden white pour onto it before the cloth dunked beneath the water before resurfacing and rubbing itself together as a white lather formed within seconds. He was struck by the scents of spices and a scent that made him think of sunflowers for some reason. He blinked as he heard the water shift as he saw the Princess approaching with a playful look on her face. He jumped slightly as the washcloth massaged gently over his shoulder as he felt a gentle pressure on it before he glanced down, seeing the Princess’ foreleg supporting the washcloth. He shivered as she manipulated it, massaging it against his skin as he felt the muscles that had been tense with nervousness and caution relaxing as he felt her washing his chest and shoulders before he felt it slide down his arms which he had his biceps and elbows resting against the side of the tub before he shivered as he noticed how close she was to him as she ran the washcloth over the other arm before he felt it slide over his throat and behind his ears. “Have to be thorough and wash behind the little foal’s ears,” he heard her murmur in amusement. He inhaled sharply as he felt her brush her cheek against his, noticing how soft her fur was, almost like silk. He felt her hooves brush through his hair before she wrapped her fetlock and cannon around his shoulders in what he realized was a hug. He hugged her tentatively back, shivering slightly as he felt her lightly tugging him away from the side of the tub before he let her turn him so his back was to her, his wings folded awkwardly against his shoulders as he felt them open as her hoof brushed down his spine, sending chills rushing through his body at high speed. Most embarrassingly, a very particular part of his body ‘below the belt’ grew very visibly stiff and hard. He felt her nuzzling his wings, kinda surprised how he could feel the water brushing along each and every feather as he felt the feathers shifting gently before she retreated, hearing a soft hum of thoughtfulness. “What is it?” he said with uncertainty. “You have interesting color tones with your wings. They are a rich golden red, which is unique and rare. Though I have to admit that the undersides are an interesting color as well. Do you know if they will shift color with these… armors?” Celestia said, nuzzling one of his wings which made him inhale sharply as he shivered. “No idea. For all I know, it could just be the ‘default’ color, as Zero’s armor is red,” he said softly. “Hmmm. I suppose. I have not seen these… armors, so I do not know. For now, however, I’m going to wash your hair and back. I think you’ll like me washing your wings, as I’m quite gentle with those,” she said with a small playful smile. He shivered as he heard the soft pop of a shampoo bottle, turning his head to blink in surprise at what appeared to be a surprisingly modern shampoo bottle. He cocked his head, but paused, his eyes drifting half shut as he felt the cool liquid of the shampoo before he felt Celestia’s hooves lightly running through his hair and massaging his scalp. He inhaled softly as he smelled the fragrances of fresh peaches, the slightly acrid scent of lemons, and the fresh scent of apples along with the scent of lavender and cream. Admittedly, he had no memories of things similar to this, but it was immensely relaxing. “You do not find this awkward, do you?” he heard her murmur. “Not really. It is…. unique, I will admit as I don’t have any memories of anything like this, as I doubt anyone could say they’ve bathed with an Alicorn Princess,” he replied shyly as he shivered slightly, feeling the lather running down his back as he heard the soft trickle of water as Celestia rinsed his hair before he took a slow breath. He knew the areas where the wings had come from his back was sore and itchy, like the skin had thickened. “Hmmmm, it seems like your wings, when they came out, tore through the muscle, though I notice they regenerated quickly and thicker and stronger, likely to make flight easier. They are sore, however, yes?” he heard her voice murmur gently. “Aye. Feels like a dull toothache all over my upper back and shoulders,” he said softly. She giggled a bit before he felt her hooves brush his wings closer to his back before he inhaled sharply in surprise as the dull aching faded as she lightly pressed a few points on his shoulders and back. “Pressure points?” he said softly. “You know about them? I wasn’t sure humans knew about them,” Celestia said with interest. “Humans know about pressure points and nerve clusters that can either be used to dull pain or create it. Some nerve clusters, if struck in certain ways, can render somepony unconscious immediately,” he said softly, turning his head as he saw her picking up the washcloth again before adding more soap to it, rubbing it between her hooves. He noticed that her tail and hair was drooping slightly, most likely from the heat and steam from the bath, but their color was only a few shades darker from their pale pastel tones. He jolted slightly as he felt the cloth brush over his shoulders before gliding between his wings before he inhaled sharply, shivering as he felt his cock harden almost immediately as her hoof brushed the cloth in small circles over his skin before he felt the cloth glide back up on the skin just beneath his wings before he exhaled slowly. His eyes slid almost closed before he inhaled sharply as he felt a very strange, relaxing sensation. He turned his head to see bubbles trickling between the feathers before he felt the intense tingling sensations as she used what he was almost sure was a sprayer to rinse away the lather from the soap. “Damn, that feels so strange…. like pins and needles but stronger,” he murmured wryly, hearing her giggle in response. “Think of what it’ll be like when you fly,” she teased, amused. She nudged him to stand a bit, noticing with mild interest that he was around six to seven inches shorter than herself as she saw his lower body exposed to mid thigh. She let the cloth glide down over his hips and thighs before feeling him shiver as she stepped closer to him before she let the cloth slide around his thighs to the back before he took a deep breath as she washed the back of his thighs and ass, giggling as he jumped slightly. She smirked slightly, the corners of her mouth curling upward. He shivered as he felt the cloth brush between his thighs as he felt Celestia push her head beneath his arm as she grinned before he saw her glance downward, seeing him aroused. She giggled a bit as she manipulated the washcloth to wash his manhood as well, noticing with amusement as it twitched. “Have you ever been with a mare?” she quipped. She laughed at the fact as his face went red, almost as red as the feathers of his wings. “N-no, and it won’t be simply for…. pleasure. I’d prefer to fall in love with somepony…. Ugh…. still feels weird saying ‘somepony’ instead of ‘someone’,” he said with embarrassment. Celestia hummed as she nuzzled his chest and side before the cloth slid into the water with a splash as she helped him turn to face her. “I won’t make you sleep with anypony, even myself. Admittedly, it will take time to get used to these, though I can help you get used to them over time,” she said warmly. “I’m sure it would take time to adjust for obvious reasons. For example, where I came from, there were Princesses… but none with…. well… magic like you have,” Alexis remarked, frowning slightly; he knew this fact, yet…. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it. “Hmmm, so it seems you do remember some fragments of your world, am I getting that right? Oh well, with time, I’m sure, you’ll remember more. If not, you are more than welcome to make a new life here, with us,” Celestia said warmly as he sat down in the water, rinsing himself off. “I guess so. I can’t shake the feeling I’m here for a reason. That something from the past… this past…. is still around. What it is, I couldn’t say… even if I tried… but the Biometals…. are imparting this… sense to me,” he said slowly, meeting her gaze, though he noticed she was washing herself, humming softly. He hummed softly, thinking as he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Celestia watching him. “Bit for your thoughts?” she commented. He blinked, distracted. “Just thinking. I always had a memory for music… and martial arts. Though I couldn’t read sheet music worth a damn. It was more…. a blend of muscle memory and instinct, though the eidetic memory helped with that,” he said wryly, his tone soft as he saw her crouching down in the water so the water washed over her back and sides. “If I had to say my personal top three musicians would have been Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and George Thorogood. Bands, though…. I can think of quite a few. Top, though…. would likely be Lynyrd Skynyrd, Metallica, Journey, and Foreigner,” he said wryly. He noticed Celestia’s eyebrow rising as he got the sense he didn’t know whom he was referring to. “Stevie Ray and George Thorogood have somewhat similar sounds as both of them have heavy blues-based riffs, but some of the others are more… fun,” he said with a slight smirk. “Maybe we’ll be able to visit a recording studio, as there is one here in Canterlot as well as Manehattan,” she commented with interest. “If you have an acoustic guitar, I can do one after we get out,” Alexis replied with a smirk. That made the Solar Diarch’s eyebrow rise with interest. “And it will not be by one of these… bands you have mentioned?” she said with a thoughtful tone. “Admittedly, there are some songs by similar bands that use acoustics, known as ‘unplugged’ songs or more often as ‘ballads’. The one I’m thinking of, though…. is neither. It’s a country song with a slower feel to it, but does tell a story behind it,” he said wryly. She hummed thoughtfully. “You have piqued my interest, Alexis… though why do you not go by Jonathan?” she said thoughtfully. Alexis blinked, shrugging after a moment. “Alexis…. could be used either as a male name or female name. So… if I’m able to shift between forms, why not use the same name for both?” he said thoughtfully as he sighed softly. Shortly afterward, they got out of the bath, Celestia draining it, though he did notice she levitated a sphere of it and dropped it out of one of the windows with a small playful smirk. An outraged yell soon followed as she snickered. “I get the feeling you like a practical joke every now and then, right?” he commented. Celestia shrugged as she watched him dry himself off before wrapping the towel around his hips. “You never know when a good prank livens things up,” she quipped. He snickered in return. “True,” he acknowledged.
