Near Human

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20

Chapter 1

Darkness, cold, unforgiving darkness. Felt like home, or as close to home as he could ever be. Just like every morning for God knows how long, it started in that same darkness, awaiting the next test, experiment, or assignment with the scientists. He didn't move, instead choosing to lie in wait on a simple bed with the little free time he had.

One of the walls in the blackness of the room moved, opening like a garage door and bathing the small room in light. Rising up to stand, he slowly stepped out into the white barren room like he had done hundreds of times, the door closing behind him.

When he was first put here, the first thing he noticed was that the main room was like the typical "white box" kind of room you find in a movie or something. It was bizarre at first, but over the... months?... years?... he wasn't too sure anymore... the room became almost normal, even if it got to him sometimes.

Now that he was in the white light of the room, he unconsciously looked at himself. Before all this, he would have been considered pretty muscular. Now, there were subtle differences. Not all were bad though. Both arms, once a slightly tan white, were a dark gray, almost black, color of metal. The material was definitely metal, though it had a softness to them like skin, but extremely hard to break like, well, metal. Otherwise they looked almost exactly like real arms, powerful machinery hidden beneath metallic skin. The same thing went for his legs, which were covered in a pair of plain, close to skin tight pair of workout pants.

Though these parts were artificial, they were still fitted with nerve sensors so he could feel, but the odd thing was that the pain felt was dull in most circumstances, like if he flicked the surface, he would feel it, even a bit of pain, but not the normal amount. This is probably because he was not really feeling, but rather a simulation of feeling.

He glanced at the rest of his body, he had metal which covered his main body, like his abdomen, back, chest, and neck. His head had the same metallic skin, fitted to remain aesthetically human. His eyes, however, overshadowed the simplicity of his face. Within his advanced eyes, the color of his irises were a pool of ever changing colors, like glowing paint swirling in a puddle. These eyes could see better than a normal human's ever could, while relaying information about his surroundings when he wanted.

While changed on the outside, his insides were also improved. The assho.... "scientists" that upgraded him wanted to keep the layout and workings of a normal human organ function, though slightly improved. His heart, stomach, liver, intestines, lungs, and even brain, were all augmented, made to keep him going better than anyone, while things like his bones and muscles were torn out and replaced with the strength of machinery.

He looked up, sighed, then said "Unit E - 30 ready for operations". He said this every single day, in the most monotone voice possible. He wasn't allowed to say his name, only his identification. He could have made a wise crack or even yelled. He could have beat at the walls or threatened them.

But he wouldn't, and they knew he wouldn't. They knew that the rebellious behavior was long gone, forced out of him.

Finally, the scientists spoke from the speakers lining the ceiling.

"Welcome back, let us begin the biomechanical pre-assessment"

Or you could just say move around and show us you work.

"Lets begin with your arm and hand movement."

So, like he practiced over and over, he lifted one hand on the air, made a fist, then lowered it and did the same with the other.

"Good, now check your leg and foot movement."

Now, he ran in place, while making surprisingly little noise given his feet were made of the same metal as his arms.

"Perfect. Now let's move on to the main test in experiment B - 74, the teleportation device. Please step forward and grab the device from off of the table."

This was it. He had been dreading this for a couple of weeks now. This test in teleportation was extremely risky, given all the possibilities. He could go to the intended place, or end up halfway in a wall of some restaurant, his glorious butt on display for all who eat there.

But, it also gave him a twinge of hope. Hope, that after all this time, he could have a chance to go somewhere else, to run and escape.

"I am only warning you once, you are connected to the remote shocker. if you use the device, then run from the mission, you will be sedated then captured. The shockers range goes to any part of the world, no matter where you are. Behave."

Oh well.

He walked over to the lone white table, where a device was laid out. It was spherical, with 4 holes on each side. They must have been to put his fingers in, like a bowling ball. There was an array of buttons where his exposed thumbs would be.

"Put your fingers and hands in the indicated spots on the device"

Carefully grabbing it, he inserted his fingers into the device, the inside was cool, like his fingers were inside ice. Done

"Now, we will count to 3. At 2, press the left-most button, then at 3, the right-most. When you are transported, wait until we have a connection to you, then press the buttons in the reverse order to come back. Don't try anything else."

"1"

Fingers tensed.

"2"

Left button. This was it.

"3"

He pressed the right button, making the device let out a repetitive beeping sound. The device instantly heated up, letting out a powerful hum. Then, a wave of energy exploded outwards, passing over everything without moving anything. Then, it came back and grouped back into a single point, this time pulling him forward. It shrank smaller, then became nothing, taking both the device, and E - 30 with it.

................................................................................................................................

After regathering and setting up different equipment, the team of scientists spoke into the radio. "Come in E - 30, was the test successful? You should be in another testing facility."

Static.

"You have 5 seconds to reply before we use the sedative."

Static.

They pressed the buttons on the panel, trying to send powerful amount of electricity through E - 30's body, but something happened.

The computer said "Subject out of range."

"That's... not possible!" Dr. Jovan, the lead scientist was shaking his head, his hands clenched in a fist. "The satellites, they cover the whole world, it should be in range!" He whipped around to yell at the nearest subordinate.

"I want all the officers searching for E - 30. Check every facility, every GODDAMN country! Both him and the machine are important property!" He growled between his teeth.

"It had to work..."

Author's Note

Oh, I'd like to thank my fans for their undying support, and the people of Gotham, who I will be seeing very, very soon.- J

Chapter 2

"Subject out of range."

"I want all the officers searching for E - 30. Check every facility, every GODDAMN country! Both him and the machine are important property!" He growled between his teeth.

"It had to work..."

................................................................................................................................

Water. That's what it was. As he was teleported, he tried to figure out exactly what it felt like. It felt like being turned into water, then shooting across a void. He couldn't actually see anything, but he could vaguely feel his existence being stretched and pulled in multiple directions.

He had thought it would be instantaneous, appearing somewhere else in a snap, but that wasn't the case. He was aware that it had lasted for a second or two, much longer than an instant.

After a second of liquefied body, he and the device regained their solid state. Ripping back into reality, he fell down, onto something soft. Looking down, he realized he was in a bed.

Bed? I guess they didn't want me to fall to my death or something.

He then looked around, taking in the odd decor or the room he found himself in. The room seemed to be large, like an expensive hotel room, but with gold decorating almost everything. He got up, taking in the rich atmosphere.

Maybe I didn't end up in the right place...

He took a closer look at room, noticing all different things. He looked up and saw the ceiling decorated with a sky, with a magnificent painting of a sun shining down on it. On a desk across the room, he saw a photo in a frame, also lined with gold. Curious, he got up off the bed, and made his way to the desk to investigate.

In the photo, there were two horses. One was pure white while the other was a dark blue. On their heads, they had weirdly colored manes, waving in the wind. For some reason, they both had something on their heads, like crowns.

So, these people really like horses... I guess those are some beautiful horses.

Then, he noticed something. They each had a foot long horn protruding from their forehead. Unicorns. The photo looked real, not drawn. Even worse, the two unicorns had unusually large eyes, and expressive faces, which looked like they were happy and smiling for the camera.

That's not right, it's fake., he thought finally.

Walking away, he thought about his mission. He was supposed to immediately return, but he didn't want to. He decided that he wanted to test the shocker they had, so he laid on the bed. He waited for the eventual crippling bolt of electricity that would run through his body.

Wow... never felt a bed this soft.

After 5 minutes, nothing happened.

That's weird. they should have paralyzed me by now...

Then, from somewhere behind the double doors that lead outside the room, he heard footsteps, two sets of them.

Those must be the soldiers coming to collect me.

He decided to surprise them by laying under the covers.

The footsteps got closer to the door, stopping right in front of the door. The handle turned, and in stepped one golden shoe on a.... hoof! Then, in stepped another, followed be the rest of the body. The horse look just like the one in the picture, horn, hair, and all. He stayed absolutely still. Said unicorn looked around for a second, then locked eyes with him. It stayed like that for a second, until he opened his mouth.

"Uhh..."

The unicorns eyes widened in shock, then, the horn on it's forehead glowed a yellow aura, until his entire body was also encompassed with the light. He couldn't move when he tried to struggle. The unicorn brought him closer, yanking him out of the bed and right into its face. As he stared into its large eyes, it spoke.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my room!"

It, or rather she, had a surprisingly feminine voice. Unfortunately, that voice came with a fierce glare.

Oh wow, it talks... he proceed to faint.

Before he could though, she dropped him on the ground, still glaring.

I have to get out.

He jerked his head to look at the corner of the room, using the oldest trick in the book, distraction. Unsurprisingly, she looked, giving him the chance to get up, and fast as lightning, ran towards the window closest to him. Her head snapped back, eyes wide, then tried to run after him. Without looking, he jumped, smashing the glass and rustling the frilly curtains. Unfortunately, he was high up, like really high up. So, this wasn't just a house.

Oh well, might as well test these legs before I go splat.

He righted himself, tensed his legs, and landed. He hardly felt a thing, though the stone ground beneath him had a spiderweb of cracks spread across it.

Well, that worked...

He took a quick look, and saw that he was near the entrance of a large castle, overlooking town. Then he looked up, and though he was dreaming, lying on the ground with brain damage. He saw the same unicorn from the room spreading it's wings and soaring down from a balcony.

"She has WINGS! That's fucking cheating!"

He got his balance, turned, and ran to town.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" she boomed.

Nope.

He pumped his legs, running far faster than any other human could. He suddenly saw a crowd of small horses in golden armor had started chasing after him, armor clanking through the ranks.

This is bad, he thought.

He came up the the edge of town, and one look showed that the town was filled with horses too. So, deciding to go a better route, he jumped, easily landing on the fancy rounded roof of a building. He broke into a sprint, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Looking back, he noticed they were still following him on the streets, while there were some that had taken to the air.

More wings.

Fortunately, he had his augmented legs, otherwise they would have easily caught him. Soon, he got to the end of the town. Leaping down from a building, he quickly noticed that the edge of town was actually a cliff. Before him, a green landscape sprawled to the horizon.

"The city is on a mountain... what?". He doubted he would survive a fall down a mountain. If he wanted to escape, he should have gone to the main entrance, but now...

The horses chasing him all came to a stop in front of him, officially cutting off his escape. Then, in a pop, the large unicorn/pegasus appeared in front.

"Surrender creature, you are surrounded.", she said.

He looked back, staring over the edge, scooting closer to it.

Maybe I can make it...

She must have caught this, because she then said "No!" and her horn flared again. But this time, he was prepared. Rolling out of the way, he got out of her crosshairs momentarily, before looking back, and jumping off the edge.

Wind ripped past his face as he plummeted toward the slope of the mountain. There was nothing he could do but hope that he was strong enough to survive the initial landing. As the rocks got closer and closer, he readied himself.

His feet hit the rocks, and shattered them. Rocks turned to shards and shards to dust as they flew into the air, and soon enough, he was sliding. Going down the mountain, he was just barely able to maneuver himself to avoid larger rocks and crevices that he came across.

Taking a second to look back at the way he came, he saw the creatures he left behind. Most stayed on the edge of the mountain city, while the pegasi flew down after him. At the rate they were going, he could tell they would catch up to him.

Then, he heard a roaring sound. To the far left on the mountain, a waterfall was cascading down the rocks, creating a mist of water around it.

It's the perfect cover.

While sliding down, he also started running to the left, his hands ripping through earth to keep from losing balance. The falling water got closer, as did the following guards. The flying rocks in the air became mixed with misty water, and then, the fall was right in front of him.

Looking back one final time, he pushed off the rocks, throwing himself into the water. He was immediately yanked down by the strong current, pulled faster and farther away from the pegasi, who couldn't see him through the white, falling water.

The waterfall moved closer to the end, splashing into a small lake, which flowed into a river. E - 30 came crashing down, plunging into the deep water. His heavy body settled at the murky bottom. Momentarily dazed, he gathered himself, and started going to the edge of the lake to breach. But, before he did, he stopped.

Wait, they'll see me if I surface. I have to swim farther down the river if I don't want to be caught.

Making up his mind, he went toward the mouth of the river, letting the current pull him while he ran along the river bottom. His feet dug into the mud and rock while he ran as fast as he could run on land. In moments, he was far from the waterfall, and in a forest. Erupting from the water for the little amount of air he needed, he made his way to the riverbank and out of the water, cold droplets dripping to the ground.

Not wanting to somehow be caught, he started trekking away from the river, stomping his way through the forest.

In a tree, a small bird watched him. Chirping a bit, it ruffled its feathers before taking off, flying out of the forest.

Author's Note

Eight is the magic number! You and me, we're gonna land a Big Chief! A bona fide bad boy, 429 cubic inches, 460 horses holy rollin'! Nobody could touch you on the blacktop, day or night! You'd be evergreen, eternal, road-trippin' with the Gods! - CB.

Chapter 3

Celestia strolled down the hall at a slow pace, in very deep thought. The recent events involving the escaped creature had her on edge. It had jumped from the castle window, and survived. It outran the royal guards. It had jumped down the mountain, and survived. It purposely fell down a waterfall, and survived. Now, it was somewhere in the forest. An unknown possible danger, in the position to potentially make its way to a town. That much she knew, without any further evidence.

Coming up to her room, she passed the numerous guards standing at attention all around the entrance to her bedroom. They didn't know that Celestia had overheard their talks amongst themselves earlier. Both blaming themselves and blaming each other for the creature found in the room they were guarding.

The normally silent doors creaked open as she went in. The rooms atmosphere was completely different, the tension still in the air. The large bed across the room was perfectly made, and the window was repaired; the staff had come in to tidy up.

There were no signs of the creature that had once been occupying her room. Except, one thing. When Celestia walked in, she faintly picked up the scent of the creature, getting stronger in different areas of the room. No matter how odd and random the situation was, it was real.

Slumping to the ground, Celestia laid there, contemplating her choices. The obvious idea was that the Elements of Harmony should be informed. They would be needed to investigate the creature, and protect other ponies if it came to that. Perhaps they were the next target of the creature. At the same time, that could put them into danger that they weren't currently in.

At this, she came to an obvious discovery. "I rely on them for too much, more than they should be handling..."

Often things that could be out of their control, they are still the ones who go to fix the issue. "Perhaps I should keep them in the dark, so they're safe..." Celestia spoke to herself. After thinking, she stood up and said. "No, they must at least be informed of what happened, and to stay alert."

In fact, they had been incredible saviors to all of Equestria. With their help, they had defeated an untold number of creatures the past few years, giving them more proof than they needed to know they could handle almost any problem. It was simply an issue of morality; sending a group of friends to help, or risk other ponies. How many other casualties could be avoided if only the Elements were sent?

She raised a hoof to her face. "Maybe I could inform Luna... but she's on that trip to Yakyakistan." She didn't want to ruin Luna's day about something that could be fixed before she got back.

Celestia walked over to the balcony, across the room from the window, the one that had previously been smashed in the successful escape. Taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh, her horn glowed, tugging the bright sun down to the horizon. It had only been a day, and in this time, the creature could possibly have done much damage.

................................................................................................................................

It has been two months on Earth since the experiment failure with E - 30. Both the subject and the device were unable to be found, seemingly destroyed.

Dr. Jovan thought otherwise.

For two months, he has had a multitude of tests conducted, all in the effort of recreating and discovering what had happened on that day. About a week after it had happened, they had another device built, identical to the original. A volunteer was sent in, an attempt to see what would happen.

When the volunteer started the machine in his hands, the same shockwave went out, before converging into a point, taking the volunteer with it. Except, the event didn't happen the same way as before. With the volunteer, he was pulled to the point, then promptly shredded and crushed, disrupting the device and leaving both it and the bloody mush in a pile on the floor.

Similarly, they tried the same test with a programmed robot. The same procedure, except when the wave was pulled inward, the robot wasn't pulled with it. The device disappeared, leaving behind the robot, and the frustrated Jovan watching from a distance.

While the rest his subordinates were confused at the turn of events, Dr. Jovan did not appear to be feeling too keen on having such issues. He was already asked by his superiors about the results of the original test, and just like him, they weren't too happy. Later, when asked why he was still pursuing this goal, he responded with agitation.

"We are still in the process of finding the cause of the observed anomaly," he explained. "If this were just some random fluke then this whole experiment would just be a waste of time, but there are some different possible explanations for the different effects. We will go down the list of possibilities here, and we will not leave anything out."

One scientist spoke up. "Until we get to the bottom of what is going on, we cannot be certain of all the possible causes of the anomaly, it would take forever, i-it would be impossible." Whipping around, Jovan stared at him, his teeth gritted.

"Then let's keep going."

................................................................................................................................

E- 30 silently made his way through the forest, careful not to attract the attention of any predators. He had already walked past a giant skull earlier. It was a wolf skull made completely out of wood, with green eyes and green moss growing on it. He didn't want to meet the animal that the wooden statue represented.

Beams of sunlight broke through the canopy of leaves, giving the darkening forest light. Every once in a while, a bird or two would fly through one, creating a flicker on the forest floor. The breeze would gently rustle the leaves and branches of the trees, creating a sound of peaceful white noise.

After a few hours of wandering, the beams suddenly lurched, slanting and disappearing. E - 30 looked up, seeing part of the sun through the trees. It was almost rushing toward the horizon, moving out of sight, while quickly being replaced by an equally fast moving moon.

"That's... odd. I'll have to figure that out later." He puzzled.

The forest, now covered in darkness, seemed much more dangerous. The darkness made it seem as though there were some kind of creatures lurking behind the trees and waiting for a chance to strike. More than once, he saw glowing orbs, deeper in the forest.

Altogether, it made for an eerie situation, but manageable. At least, until a roar rose in the distance, making the ground shake ever so slightly.

He threw his hands up. "That's it, I'm going to bed." Moving to a large tree, he dug his hands into the bark, and climbed. Near the top, below the final canopy, there was a section where the main trunk split in multiple directions, creating the perfect place to sleep. He laid down, not too bothered by the rough texture of the tree bark. Closing his eyes, he said, "I'll travel in the morning."

Blanking out, he entered darkness. Same as always, he had no dreams. It never made sense to him. His brain was still organic, with the exception of multiple implants, but yet he always found himself unable to dream. He simply blacked out, then woke up a few seconds later, finding that hours have passed.

Although he didn't see it, he felt something was different. Looking at the blackness, trying to see through it, he wandered in the direction of the feeling, tugging at his mind. He walked for a while, wanting to just quit and wake up, but his consciousness kept being pulled, feeling himself think about nothing except following it.

As he continued to walk, the pulling sensation grew more and more. He couldn't stop himself, as he moved faster and faster, faster than his legs were actually moving. His feet were sliding now, finding no traction as he got faster. He slid even more rapidly with every step backward he tried to take.

At the end of his vision, a silvery object, a speck at this distance, made itself known. But at the rate that he was now moving, it was right in front of him in less than a millisecond. It was his own body. Closing his eyes in anticipation, he smashed into it at the insane speed, unable to comprehend the action.

But, instead of a smash, he passed right into it, where he abruptly stopped moving. Squinting his eyes open, E - 30 saw light. Blues and greens, in the form of numbers, moved in every direction. Mixed into this, little squares zoomed around too, each showing a millisecond of something before getting to far away.

"They're, memories. My memories." He came to a startling realization. "I'm in my own mind, more than dreaming."

Taking a careful step forward, his foot met uneven ground. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped off of a metal floor, and was now standing on pink flesh. All around, patches of metal and flesh were mixed, fused together to create an interconnected floor.

"Machine and flesh." He studied. "My brain..."

He sighed. "Well, my body, but I can't use my body without my brain." He glanced up, at the ceiling, and saw what could have been a face. A machine's. And his own. Half and half, creating one face, looking down on everything. Just like his own eyes, the face's irises were a pool of changing color.

"That's disturbing. Extremely disturbing."

Author's Note

When gravity falls and earth becomes sky, fear the beast with just one eye - △

Chapter 4

"Machine and flesh." He studied. "My brain..."

................................................................................................................................

E - 30 wandered his own brain, watching as information and memories rushed around and mixed together. Though, at the same time, he made sure to keep his head relatively low, avoiding the act of looking at the face in the ceiling. He instead focused on tracking the speeding parts of his mind.

After what felt like hours, he finally noticed a pattern. At first it seemed like all the memories and numbers were moving completely at random, but with closer investigation, he could see that both types originated and ended up in the ceiling.

"Great." he groaned. Steeling himself, he forced himself to look up, the terrifying face still up there. It's eyes seemed to glow a bit more when he did. Now, he could see that the memories were all flying in and out of the right eye of the beast, while the numbers were flying in and out of the left.

"Ok. Memories right, Data left. I'll go to the left for now." He reasoned. As he said this, the eyes on the face flashed, and he started to float. Flailing his arms did little to change his direction. He was pulled closer and closer to the face, merging with the flowing stream of green data. The face let out a horrifying rumble before its left eye glowed brighter.

A moment later, he found himself falling upwards to the center of the eye, where the flow of data entered with him. As he passed through, gravity was reset, sending him down and he landed with a thud.

Getting to his feet, he could see that the floor had changed. It was now completely metal, smooth and reflective across the dark expanse. In the air, the green data that he followed could be seen flying around the air, not a memory in sight. They would all pass through a small pillar in the center of the room, before flying back out.

The pillar was shiny black, about as tall as his abdomen. He moved forward to it, feeling a hum of power radiating from it. He stopped right in front of it, and waited for it to do something. It simply sat there, unchanged. It seemed to ripple slightly, like a liquid. Hesitantly, he put his hand on it, feeling it to be solid metal, and the pillar sprung to life. A beam shot out the top, almost like a projector beam. All the data flying around was pulled in, arranging themselves into neat rows that formed a cylinder around him.

He turned in a slow circle. "It's a database." He turned back to the pillar. "The information in the implants, it's all right here." Touching the pillar again, the data moved a bit. He swiped his hand, and the data spun in a circle, before coming to a slow stop.

"Ok, let's see." Swiping to the first in a row, he tapped the pillar. The "file" opened and expanded, showing a diagram of his body.

His thumb slid over the edge of the file, and a series of images appeared.There were many of them, displaying different angles to highlight different parts of his system. "The more detailed the better," he tapped the file again.

Now, he could see the multitude of features he had inside of him. Things like mechanical muscle tissues and brain implants were already known, and therefore less important. Mixed in were little tidbits of interesting and useful information, that he didn't even know about himself. Like how his eyes could also act as projectors and scanners.

One of the biggest finds was the apparent nanotech. While he wasn't made of them, there were some in his body. They would fix any damaged parts of his body, if given a material. Any type of metal would work, with which they would break it down, refine it as best as they could, and use it to fix him. The nanos could even rearrange his hands and feet to recreate useful things like tools, weapons, and faster ways of moving.

"Well, that's surprisingly convenient. I don't have to worry about possible fights. But, I will need to get a stable metal source." At this, for the first time, he really thought about the creatures he met in that castle he appeared in. Even without the brain enhancements, he was smart enough to figure out that the talking horses that were chasing him, while wearing armor, were at least somewhat sapient. This would most likely mean that this was their world. Eventually, he would have to cross paths with them, whether it be for supplies, or by mere chance.

He went through hundreds of files; some many about himself, some about the research division that created him, a couple about previous creations like him, and a few on future tests.

E - 30 was fairly certain that he had enough information to survive for now, so he back away, leaving a few files untouched. As he moved away, the pillar stopped projecting, letting the data flow freely again.

"Ok, now to wake up..." When he said this, metallic clanking occurred behind him. He turned around, and saw another pillar that had come up from the floor. He made his way over, and when he was right in front of it, he could see a green square button, labeled "Wake up".

"Oh. Okay. Perfect." He pressed it, and the world around him pulsed with light before vanishing.

Barely a second later, his eyes opened. Light was pouring in through the leaves above him. Sitting up, he could see that he was still comfortably in the tree. So, armed with new knowledge, he jumped out of the tree, landing with a grassy thud. Small mice scurried away from him, running out of sight.

He turned and continued in the direction he was originally going, except this time, he was prepared for anything. He just had to make sure he kept an eye out for a metal source, and just in case, an area where the creatures lived.

................................................................................................................................

Twilight Sparkle; Princess, prodigy, and pragmatic thinker, was sitting in her room, reading one of the latest shipments of books. Lately, she has tried to tone down the obsessive reading, but she just had to enjoy these.

She moved them to her room, grabbed some snacks and drinks, and relaxed while digging in to her newest arrivals. About half an hour in, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" The door creaked open, and Spike ran in.

"Twilight! Put the book down!" Twilight smiled and shook her head. "Spike, I know I'm trying to cut down, but I am still allowed to read. It is good for your mind after a-"

She was cut off by Spike. "Yes, I know, but you have a letter from Princess Celestia. It says urgent on the outside!"

She frowned at Spike nervously, but didn't argue. She simply let Spike walk into her room. When he gave her the letter, she closed the book she was reading, and picked up the letter with her magic. Unfurling it, she read aloud:

Dear Princess Twilight
I'm afraid this letter is not one of our usual light hearted talks. There was an unusual occurrence in the castle, and a creature of unknown origins was found. It ran and escaped from the castle, then headed into the woods.

Because of Canterlot's proximity to Ponyville, and the unknown intentions of the creature, I found it necessary to contact you and inform you of this, so that you and the rest of the Elements are aware and on a careful watch. Should you come across it, try not to aggravate it. Send me a message and try to keep an eye on it.

Your Friend,
Princess Celestia

Twilight finished reading, letting the letter fall. "What is this? I need to tell the others." Spike walked out of her room, leaving her alone with it. She sat down, and sighed. There was always something happening, but this seemed like a serious state of emergency.

'I have full faith that we can overcome this, but... what if it is more than we can understand? More than we can handle?' She solemnly thought to herself.

Getting up, she decided to tell Fluttershy first. If there really was a creature loose in the forest, Fluttershy and her animals would know. Concentrating, she teleported away with a pop.

Author's Note

She wants me to do this. I have to show her how devoted I am. She wants us all to show her our love. You don't wanna disappoint her, now do ya? We can't do that. - J.B.

Chapter 5

Getting up, she decided to tell Fluttershy first. If there really was a creature loose in the forest, Fluttershy and her animals would know. Concentrating, she teleported away with a pop.

................................................................................................................................

When Twilight arrived, she knocked softly on the door. She didn't want to frighten Fluttershy. While she waited for the door to open up, she looked around the outside of the house. She hadn't noticed it before, but now she could see that there were no animals out there. There were usually plenty of critters, in the houses, eating from feeders, but at the moment it was completely barren.

Twilight looked to the forest, wondering. 'Are they scared of the creature? Is it closer than we thought?

The door clicked and opened, revealing the pegasus Twilight was waiting for.

"Great! Fluttershy, there's something I need to tell you." She frantically stated. Fluttershy simply nodded.

"Of course, you can come in if you want." Twilight rushed in, already opening the letter she received from Celestia. She stopped short though, because now she saw the answer to her earlier question. All around Fluttershy's house, critters were flying, running, and resting in every place imaginable. The usual animals of her cottage were either having fun in the chaos, or cowering in a corner because if it. Shaking her head, she went back to the current issue.

"Princess Celestia just wrote to me about something that happened in Canterlot, something about a creature. Here, read it." She floated the letter over to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy read the letter, her eyes going back and forth across the lines. When she finished, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, that's scary... and it's in the woods. Many of my little animal friends told me they saw a weird creature in the woods." At this, Twilight jumped up. "They did?! Can they tell us where it is? Can they follow it?"

Fluttershy looked at the birds for a second. "I'm sorry Twilight, but all the poor little things were scared of the creature. I don't think they feel safe outside. They said the creature doesn't feel natural."

Twilight was frustrated at the lack of progress, but she took a deep breath and continued calmly. "Well, there has to be one animal willing to keep an eye on it." At this, a small blue bird flew over and landed on Fluttershy's head. It looked down, and tweeted to Fluttershy.

Looking at the bird, Fluttershy softly said, "You will? That's very brave of you." The bird tweeted in response.

"This little one said she's willing to keep an eye on it." Fluttershy told Twilight. "YES! Thank you!" Twilight celebrated. Fluttershy just smiled. "You should be thanking her", nodding to the little bird. Twilight smiled back. "Thanks!" Running for door she shouted, "I have to tell Princess Celestia!" and she ran off to town.

Fluttershy looked back at the bird. "Well, you can start now, if you want." The bird tweeted in agreement, before ruffling her feathers and taking off to the forest. Fluttershy sighed in worry before closing the door.

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E - 30 had been walking through the forest for the better part of 4 hours, and he still had not found anything of use. He had been using his scanner to search for any hidden metals deep in the ground. It was incredibly useful, even though he found nothing. All around, there had been nothing but trees and bushes.

At this point, it was getting annoying. He was looking for supplies, but deep down he knew he was looking for a town. Somewhere the creatures lived. They were the ones with the resources. In the end, they were the key to his survival. And if he couldn't interact with them, then their possessions would have to do.

After a couple more hours, he was about to break. There was still no sign of the end of the forest, or even a clearing in the trees. And, to add to the frustration, there was an annoying blue bird that kept following him through the trees, obnoxiously tweeting. It seemed like it was trying to annoy him on purpose. It never actually went lower than the branches of the trees, yet he could always hear it.

He looked up. "Maybe I could spot something from the top of a tree. Why didn't I think of this before?" He jogged a bit, looking for a taller tree. He found one, standing a good 15 feet taller than the surrounding trees, but didn't have any lower branches for him to climb. Walking up, he put his hands on it, small hooks emerging from his palms and fingers.

Digging his hands into the bark, he climbed. The bird that had been following him flew higher in the trees to avoid him, but he didn't care. He kept climbing, until he got to the part of the tree that split into branches too small to scale. Turning his head, he looked around the treetops, searching for anything of interest.

To his surprise, he did find something. There was a clearing about half a mile to the west.

"Well how about that. It's not much, but at least it's something." He descended from the tree, letting himself fall down at certain intervals to go faster. When he hit the ground, he took off running in the direction of the clearing. Trees blurred past as he leaped over bushes and fallen logs, never losing speed.

After a few minutes, the clearing appeared. He slowed to a stop and hid behind a tree just in case. He could hear things speaking to each other. E - 30 peeked around the trees, and saw a bunch of dog creatures, going in and out of a cave opening. They looked like upright dogs, except with large arms and small back legs, many with a posture like a gorilla. Most of them seemed to be wearing vests and collars.

He decided to take a risk, and moved away from the tree, into the clearing. The bird that had been following him tweeted rapidly.

As he got closer, more and more began to notice him. The situation was becoming more and more dangerous as they did. He stopped moving, as did they. One dog in the front spoke up.

"Why you here? You no can steal!" He angrily shouted in a broken speech. Others got the same idea and began shouting over each other, the same broken speech ringing throughout the ranks. At this point, the situation was quickly becoming volatile, so he began to back up slowly.

Before he could start running for cover, the crowd quieted. He looked around, confused at the sudden silence. Then, the dogs in front of him began to part, letting a larger than normal dog through. The apparent leader looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Why are you here?" He spoke in a deep, rumbly voice. Unlike the others, his speech pattern wasn't broken.

E - 30 could tell that the dog was a lot more rational than the others. 'Maybe he's willing to help me.'

He cleared his throat. "I was just passing by, looking for anyone nearby. I just happened to notice this clearing."

The leader's eyes narrowed. "Yes, but why are you here? And still here?"

The leader looked like he was quickly becoming irritated. This was his chance to get what he needed.

"Right. I wanted to know if you are willing to make a deal of sorts. I need metal, any kind you have." He quickly asked. The leader scratched his furry head in thought. The whole time, the crowd of dogs stared at their boss, waiting for his verdict.

Finally, the dog spoke. "We have plenty of metal. We are Diamond Dogs, so naturally we mine for gems. Of course, as we mine, we often come across pockets of unrefined metals, embedded in the rocks. We have no need for this, so we can give you as much as you need. However, we will need something from you. What is it that you can offer?"

The dogs around him started whispering among themselves, but E - 30 ignored them. He tried to think of a service he could offer. 'Wait, they like gems...'

"Well, you told me that you guys mine for gems. So, I have a way of scanning for certain materials. I could help you search, and you provide me with the metal you have.

The top Diamond Dog stood there, thinking. Then he nodded. "Deal. My name's Onyx. Like the gem." E - 30 spoke up. "I'm called E - 30." At this, Onyx shrugged. "Follow me."

He turned around, walking back through the crowd of dogs. The crowd stayed parted, waiting for him to follow their leader. E - 30 hesitated, then followed. The crowd joined together again, before following behind him.

They went into the cave, which turned out to actually be the entrance to a mine. The group followed a winding path through dirt and rock, lit by torches mounted on the walls. As they got deeper into the mine, the walls would occasionally have large sprouts of crystal like gems, already being harvested by a couple of Diamond Dogs.

"Hey!" E - 30 heard a shout from the front, from the leader. "Since you have more than likely heard about us Diamond Dogs, I wanted you to know that me and my pack don't employ slaves."

'Oh. That's...good to know.'

Pretty soon, they all stopped at a pretty barren space in the mine. The crowd moved off to the side to let Onyx speak. "In this area we haven't been finding anything. This is where you come in. Tell us where to dig."

E - 30 nodded, before setting off his scanners. Directly below them, 15 meters down, there was a large deposit diamonds, surprisingly.

"I got something." He told the leader. "Below us. 15 meters down." The Diamond Dog turned to his pack, who quickly began digging a sloped tunnel down. E - 30 moved out of the way to give them space to work. Dirt and rocks flew out of the new hole, as the dogs dug with incredible speed.

They found the diamond, and had started a line to pass up the diamond chunks. Those were then dumped into a cart that was taken away to be emptied.

Apparently satisfied, Onyx turned back to E - 30. "Thank you. The reward is yours. Go back to the cave opening, there will be a pile of metals off to the side. Take as much as you want; you can even take a cart. Feel free to have some gems of your choice too. The rarer ones can fetch a decent amount of bits."

The dog extended his paw, so E - 30 did too, and they shook appendages. "Pleasure doing business with you." He walked off headed back up to the surface. He could hear Onyx yelling after him.

"You can come back anytime, we could always use your services, and we have plenty of metal!"

E - 30 finally found his way up to the cave, so he searched for his reward. Over in the corner, he saw a pile of dirt and rock covered metals. Obviously, they didn't particularly care what happened to it. He grabbed a cart and started loading it up to the brim. He could have had his nanos break it down and store it inside him, but he read that a certain amount would make him considerably heavy.

"I'll just absorb some later, but first I should grab some gems, just in case." He pulled the cart over to a pile of gems, which were being sorted, cut, and polished. When he got there, the dogs knew he was allowed, so they let him through. He took a few handfuls, putting it in the cart with the rest of his loot. One diamond dog looked at his loot with envy, but let him take it.

Thanking them, he left the cave, pulling the cart behind him.

Author's Note

Congratulations, survivor: you have exceeded your weekly exercise quotient by 500%. Data indicates that swimming was your favorite activity. - P.D.A.

Chapter 6

Thanking them, he left the cave, pulling the cart behind him.

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E - 30 walked across the clearing, encountering less and less Diamond Dogs. A few watched him leave, but the majority ignored him as they worked. One of them licked his hand as he passed. It would have almost been cute if they weren't built like gorillas. And could speak.

While it had been a nice distraction, the real prize was that he now had all the metal he needed, as well as a source for the uncertain future. The metal, he knew, would prove to be his salvation.

"With this, I won't even need to find the horse creatures. I can stay safe in the woods. Or, well, as safe as you can be in the woods." The edge of the clearing came up, and the little blue bird was still there. It looked like it hadn't moved from its spot on the branch since he left It, staring at him as he pulled his bounty behind him. As soon as E - 30 got close though, the bird flew off, disappearing through the tall trees.

The man had no time to think about it, as he had to keep moving. He couldn't keep living in trees, especially with his newly gained items. Another problem he faced concerned his "great escape" from the castle.

'It's only been a day and a half,' he thought, 'So they could still be chasing and searching for me. I have to keep moving. But, where?'

The only thing he was familiar with was that little bird that had been following him. Unfortunately, it had flown off in a hurry. 'Maybe it's going somewhere important... or it's just a bird.' At that point, it was his only option, though a bit shaky. He hauled his cart, following the direction the blue bird had gone. 'At least this way, I'm not just wandering.'

He stomped through more shrubbery, this time with his cart behind him. The whole time, it continued to be a nuisance, and got caught on everything it could find. A tree root. A rock. A mudhole. Another rock. It was almost impressive.

"I swear I'm going to smash this thing." He muttered to himself as it caught on another root. He yanked the cart forward, dislodging it. At that point, he was paying more attention to the annoying cart rather than searching for some form of sanctuary the bird might have. "That bird is the only lead I've got."

Thirty minutes later, he was still moving forward with a struggle. It was almost like things got in his way on purpose, just to stop him. On top of that, the sun once again set, letting moonlight shine through the forest. With the newfound darkness, all the little traps that slowed him down, were practically invisible. And bigger somehow.

Apparently, they were deeper too. The stain on his life that he was dragging sank into a pit of mud. It was much deeper than the others, the mud pushing past the wheels and almost spilling into the box of the cart, and yet, it was still sinking. Acting fast, he pulled the cart back onto solid ground. "Great. The whole thing's caked in mud." Shortly after he said this, he heard a snap.

Even though he was new to this forest, it was obvious that the sound could be very bad. Leaving his crusty cart, he searched all around with his eyes, letting them search for any signs of heat or motion. For a few minutes, he didn't find anything, like it vanished. Just as he was about to give up, he heard another snap. He was ready this time, and caught some motion close by. The suspect didn't give off any heat though, so when it stopped moving, he lost sight of it.

'What... is it?' He took a step forward. He needed to check to see what exactly it was. Before he could take another step, he heard a low growling. In front of him, the creature appeared to his eyes again, giving off vibrations from its growl. The situation was quickly becoming dangerous. This time, the creature came forward, still growling. First, its eyes appeared, glowing green orbs in the dark. More of its body left the darkness, and the moonlight revealed the shape of a wolf.

The animal approaching him looked just like the statue he saw earlier in the forest. The fur of a normal wolf was instead replaced with wood, twisted and rotting in some places. In other places, moss grew over the wood, creating a false image of fur. Its paws carried extended wooden claws, sharp and jagged hooks. Just below its unnatural eyes, its mouth was filled with equally sharp teeth.

The abomination stalked closer, gaining more and more courage. With each step it took, E - 30 moved backward, unnerved by the creature's appearance. He moved back more, and his back touched the rough bark of a tree.

Seeing this, the wolf growled deeper, before rushing forward. "NO!" E - 30 shouted, before kicking the beast. It went flying, going about 15 feet before smashing into a tree and falling to the ground. It got up shakily, careful about the new cracks in its body.

E - 30 moved forward, fists raised. "Alright, let's go." He ran forward, before being rammed into the ground by an unseen force. Lifting his head, he saw another wolf, in a ready stance next to the damaged wolf. "Okay, two on one." He got to his knees, then heard another growl. This one didn't come from the two, but from the sides of him.

All around him, wooden wolves emerged from the darkness, each one jagged, angry, and sporting glowing green eyes. Growls emanated from each of them, claws scraping along the ground.

"I... might need some help." Cornered, he quickly tried to remember what his capabilities were. The wolves kept creeping closer. Getting an idea, he strained, trying to tell his body to do what he wanted. Finally, it worked. Looking down, he heard a series of clicking, and saw his hand transform into a very sharp machete. He raised his sword arm. "Okay, now lets to this."

The wolves responded by leaping at him, all at once. Their claws were aimed all over his body, preparing to tear him apart. The world slowed down to him, as he slashed his blade at the beasts. It passed through limbs and bodies like butter. Time sped back up as the affected wolves fell to the ground in pieces. The remaining wolves that he missed hit their target, latching onto him.

They proceeded to claw and bite at his body, tearing some of his clothes and scratching his metallic body. Every time he would rip one off of his body, another would take it's place. 'I can't do this!' He was quickly being overpowered. The wolves were now starting to do some serious damage, as the previous scratches dug deeper.

His blade was doing nothing to them at close range, making it ultimately useless. As he struggled to stay standing, he desperately tried to think of something that would be a better weapon against the deadly logs.

His eyes widened. 'Wood...' His machete retracted back into his damaged arm, before changing into a nozzle. Activating it, he blasted a wave of fire to the attacking animals. Many of them were directly hit, catching fire. They ran back, yelping at the flames burning away their bodies. Seeing their weakness, all of the wolves backed up, wary of his flammenwerfer. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Burn."

He let loose another torrent of fire, making the wolves scatter. Those that weren't on fire glared at him, trying to find an angle on him. All around them, other wolves fell apart, killed from the fire that ate away at them. He fired a continuous stream, aiming to kill the rest. At this point, the wolves knew they couldn't touch him anymore. Any of the wolves that were alive ran away, merging with the distance shadows of the forest.

Surprisingly, the trees and foliage around his didn't catch fire. 'Good, I don't want to start a forest fire.' The fire on the dead wolves died down, only leaving embers. He breathed a sigh of relief. Retracting his weapon, he noticed just how much the wolves damaged him. His torso was illuminated by the moonlight, revealing gouges in the metal on his body. His arms weren't spared either, where rows of metal were ripped apart, revealing machinery beneath them.

'It doesn't make any sense. Were they really that sharp, sharp enough to go through metal? A few days ago I jumped down a freaking mountain!' He puzzled. He thought it would take more to damage him, but it seemed like he was wrong. "There's definitely something abnormal about those wolves. I need to stay away from them, if I want to live."

Then, his head jerked to the side. "The metal!" He rushed over to the mud caked cart, stepping over piles of burned wood wolves. He leaned over the side, grabbing one of the chunks of his bounty. It still had a bit of rock in it, but it was fairly pure.

"So, what do I..." as soon as he said it, he felt a tingle across his body. Emerging from the tears in his body, thousands of tiny specks crawled up to his hand. They surrounded the material, coating it. Then, the metal started to get smaller. Once it was completely gone, they went back to the damaged parts of his body. Some grouped together and merged, making them bigger and more detailed. He could see that they were spider-like drones, getting to work on repairing him. Once they arrived at the damaged parts, they started welding the material into it, slowly spreading it until the holes closed up. This happened all over his body, rips and tears slowly closing up. Once there was only one hole, they all swarmed to it, crawling inside before repairing it behind them.

E - 30 stood their, completely surprised at what he just experienced. "Well, at least I'm fixed." While it was weird, he could appreciate how fast they got it done. Now, he was back in good condition. He grabbed the handles of his precious cart, and pulled it forward.

In the sky, he could see the sun emerging from the horizon, still fast. "Great, I didn't get to sleep." He groaned. Now that it was daylight, he continued to trek forward, trying to ignore the fact that the cart was still getting caught on things, and that he could feel some of the drones moving around in his body.

Author's Note

"We must pray now, brothers. Pray that he is watching. For it is HE that they fear. Not man. Or his armies. They fear the mark of the Beast."

Chapter 7

A critter burst forth from the treeline, making a beeline for the cottage of Fluttershy. The little blue bird flapped its wings, occasionally gliding on the wind. It was feeling tired from its journey, but continued on, determined to make it. Its destination grew in the distance, becoming more detailed.

Unfortunately, the door was closed when it got there, so it flew around the house a few times, looking for a different way in. There was an open window, so it took the opportunity and flew through. The house was still crowded with more animals than usual, but they had all calmed down considerably as they got comfortable. The bird flew past them, searching for Fluttershy. Once it saw her, it landed on her head, eager to relay the information.

Fluttershy smiled up at the bird. "Oh, you're back! Did you see anything?". The bird let out a few chirps, eager to explain. After a few seconds, Fluttershy had a worried look on her face. "It was with a pack of Diamond dogs? That could be bad! I should tell Twilight right away!" She looked back at the bird. "Thank you. Could you keep watching it please?" With a happy chirp and a nod, the little blue bird flew off, back into the forest. Fluttershy, however, galloped out the door to see Twilight.

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E-30 continued his trek through the twisting trees, dragging his cart behind him. Every once in a while he would see an animal scurrying here and there. There were mice, birds, badgers, raccoons. 'They're all identical to animals on Earth..' he thought as he watched a squirrel climb a tree. He looked around at the trees as well. 'The trees seem a bit more, curvy though, and more of a reddish brown.'

As he looked at the trees, a familiar sight entered his vision. "It's that blue bird." He smiled at it, waiting for it to do something, but it just sat there on a branch. He held his hand out for the bird, whistling. "Hey, come on, come here!" After a few moments, the bird flew down and sat on his hand. He looked at the bird in awe, while it just looked at his face. 'The horses and dogs could talk, so maybe...' He tried his luck and said, "Hey, can you talk?"

The bird just looked at him, and tweeted.

"...Ok, I'll take that as a maybe." E-30 continued forward, pulling the cart with one hand, and holding his new companion in the other.

In about 2 hours, E-30 felt like he hadn't made any progress. It seemed like the forest just went on forever, with very little difference in his surroundings. "There might not be anything in this direction anyway." He still for a second to think. The blue bird, now on his shoulder, watched him intently.

He snapped out of his thinking phase. "Alright, this might take longer than I thought. Maybe I should make a base or something?" Putting down the cart, he walked over to one of the foreign trees. It loomed over him, but he could already see his plans. Thinking for a moment, his hand turned into a chainsaw. "Cool."

He revved the machine, and the roar of the tool burst out. The little bird on his shoulder, however, didn't like that. It panicked, and flew off to a tree behind him. E-30 lifted his machine and edged it against the tree, chunks and shaving flying to the side as the cut got deeper. Once he was about halfway through, the tree began to fall forward. He quickly moved out of the way as the tree fell to the forest floor.

Next, he was able to cut most of the tree into about 20 planks, with excess branches and bark off to the side. "I guess I have to clear this whole area." He did the same thing to the rest of the trees in the vicinity, reducing them into a large pile of planks and beams. He tried changing his hand into a circular saw, and it worked. He used this to make the materials smoother.

Finally, he stood in a small clearing, a pile of wood stacked in the center. "Alright, I'll use the metal for screws and nails." Running out wasn't a problem, since he could easily get more. Picking up metal, he allowed the creepy nanos to swarm out of his hand, coating the material. Once they receded, a pile of nails, screws, and bolts was left in his palm.

"Okay, how am I going to do this?" He stared at his materials, before getting to work. He leveled the ground, put up frames, used a screw from his hand to put the walls up, nailed down a roof, and made a door.

Once it was done, he stepped back to check out his work. "It's actually not that bad!" He looked around for the blue bird for a second, and couldn't find him. "I guess it left." As he turned to walk into his makeshift house, he kicked a rock. Looking down he realized: it was in the shape of a bird. The same bird that was following him. Carefully picking it up, he inspected the object. Every small detail of the bird was there, each individual feather.

"I think... it was petrified." It couldn't have been a coincidence, and it definitely wasn't the first strange thing he had seen so far. He carried it into his house, and put it on a wall shelf he made. He stared at it, until he felt his stomach rumble. 'Of course.' Even though he was mostly mechanical, he still had to eat. As sucky as it was, it was understandable.

He walked out of the clearing, in search of any food. In the distance, a creature slithered in the brush, clucking as it went.

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In her castle, Twilight made preparations. Even though Celestia had told her not to aggravate it, she wanted to be prepared for the worst. She set up a cage in a room of it's own, with a teleportation spell drawn inside. That way, she could quickly trap the creature if she needed to.

Satisfied with her work, she left the room and locked the door. Twilight made her way through the halls, headed for the library. "I should find a book about rare creatures. I want to be able to identify it if we do catch it." Before she got there, she heard a knock on the door. Twilight teleported to the door and opened it, revealing Fluttershy.

"Oh, Fluttershy! Are you okay? Did you find out anything?" Twilight let Fluttershy in, asking question after question. Fluttershy put a hoof up to Twilight's mouth. "I'm fine Twilight. But my bird friend came back. He said that the creature was at a Diamond Dog camp."

Twilight looked in confusion. "But, why would it be there? Did your bird tell you what it looked like?"

Fluttershy nodded. At this, Twilight teleported away, and reappeared with a book floating in the air. "Do you think you could look through these records to find a match?" Fluttershy nodded. "I'll try." With that, she put the book between her wings and walked out the door.

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E-30 trekked through the brush, never going to far from his house. The ambient sounds of the forest rang in his ears. Every once in a while, a bush would shake, but nothing would leave. Since he was doubtful about his chances of finding edible fruit or berries, he was on the lookout for any animals to kill. "Let's just hope they aren't like the horses. It'll be harder to find food if everything is sapient."

He moved slowly, searching for any signs of movement. However, besides the sound of bugs and distant birds, there was no sign of any creatures. "Why did they decide to hide now?" A few hours ago, he saw animals all over the place. As he crept forward, his eyes landed on a rock on the ground. He crouched, and saw it was in the shape of a squirrel. "What? Is there some kind of Medusa here?"

Before he could inspect it further, he heard a cluck in the bushes a few meters away. "A chicken? I guess that works." He slowly went to the bush, holding his hands out to catch his prey. The bush rustled a bit, and he tensed in preparation to dive. In the blink of an eye, the creature jumped out at him, wrapping him in its, tail?

E-30 batted at it, grasping the end of it as he tried to pull it off, but the thing wouldn't budge. Eventually, he managed to toss it off, and it landed on a nearby stump, allowing him to see his attacker.

Its tail that had been holding him was like a snake, but its midsection was like a dragon's, with a scaly chest and leathery wings. It's head, however, was just like a chicken's, except it had sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes.

As he looked at its eyes, he felt a stabbing pain in his head. He fell to his knees, clutching his head, but he still couldn't look away from the monster's eyes. 'I can't... look... away!' He screamed in his head as he groaned in pain. With a struggle to focus, he changed his hand into a blade, and swung at the beast's neck.

This was enough to make it dodge, breaking eye contact and relieving him of the pain. He kept his eyes on the thing's chest, not daring to look higher. The two faced off, E-30 looking for an opening to attack, and the creature looking for his eyes. In the corner of his eyes, he saw another squirrel running past only to look at the beast and freeze, encased in stone. "It is like Medusa..."

Since the animal petrifying meant that the monster wasn't looking at him, he burst toward the creature, stabbing forward with his blade.

20 minutes later:

E-30 sat outside his house on a log next to a fire. As he was thinking, he took a bit of his food. 'This is pretty good.' His bird friend sat nearby, eating some berries he actually managed to find. Apparently, killing the animal freed its victims, so that was good. He put his food down. "Wooden wolves and petrifying chickens. If that exists, there could be much worse." He looked back at his house. "I should make some defenses." He took another bite of his food.

Author's Note

"The Hands Of Death Could Not Defeat Me, The Sisters Of Fate Could Not Hold Me. And You Will Not Live To See The End Of This Day" -K

Chapter 8

Thunk. The last nail was hammered into place, holding the wooden defenses together. E-30 stood back to check his handiwork. A large wall surrounded his meager house, reaching to a height of 8 feet. On the inside, support beams were angled against the wall, and metal nails were thrown in to keep it from falling apart.

He didn't want to use metal for anything else, however, since he would need it to fix himself. 'Besides, this is just to keep me out of sight of anything. Animals won't bother me if they don't see me from the tree line.' At least, that was what he was hoping. For now, he would have to risk it. It was mostly to keep things like the Medusa chicken out. If there was anything larger in the forest, the wooden wall wouldn't offer any real protection.

E-30 walked back to his little shack, passing the birdhouse he made. His bird friend chirped at him, seemingly content to stay. "I'm glad you like it." he said, as he headed through the doorway to his makeshift bed. Even though it wasn't night, he wanted to try to sleep. "I've got to try to get into my head again. There's definitely more information for me to find, and you never know what might happen in the future."

He laid down in his bed of leaves, getting into a comfortable position on his very uncomfortable bedding. He laid there, waiting to fall asleep.

'When I'm in, I have to find out if I can force myself to sleep...' It took almost an hour, but he eventually drifted off. Once again, E-30 found himself in a dark, empty space. This time, he knew what to do. He took off, speeding faster and faster in a single direction, aided by the pulling sensation he felt last time, coming from a small light in the distance. In much less time, he broke through the light, and into his mindscape. He made his way through the rushing cloud of data and memories, over to the face in the ceiling. He still felt unnerved by its presence, but he confidently said "Data." He floated through the left side's eye and stood before the access pillar.

Once he activated it, he searched through the information, eager to learn something. While E-30 learned a few useful things, like instant sleep and heat sensing, he kept seeing blueprints for random machines. "Why would they add all this?", he said as he swiped past chips, motors, and heavy duty tools. As he swiped, he came across something that made his mind race. "Drones.... this is perfect!" He looked through the files, eager to see how to build it. While he tried to understand it, he noticed something in the bottom corner of the file. It was a symbol that resembled a bug. "Or the robot bugs."

He touched the symbol, and the symbol changed to show the word "Deployed". Satisfied in his findings, E-30 touched the wake up button, rushing back to reality. He got up off of his bed, and saw millions of tiny metal bugs pouring from his body, scuttling through the door. He followed them out, while the machines made sure to not to get crushed by his feet. He watched as some of them climbed up the defensive wall, and into the forest. The others made their way to his cart full of metals. The one's in the cart ate away at the metal, taking about a fifth of its contents. "At least there's still some left." he said as he watched the bugs hurry away.

Soon after, the bugs that went over the wall came back, supposedly having gotten what they were looking for. E-30 stood back as they all came together, crawling over each other to add materials to the machine that was slowly being built. The blue bird hopped out of it's house, curious about the scene before it. It swooped down, trying to peck at a passing bug. Others around surged toward the bird, frightening it and sending it flying over to E-30, landing on his shoulder. He looked at the bird. "It's okay, just let them work."

It didn't take long as the machine in the center of the bug pile grew in size and complexity. Sparks flew here and there as parts were joined and welded. Finally, the bugs dispersed from the build, receding back into his body. Left behind on the ground, was a sleek black machine that resembled the bugs that had built it. E-30 crouched down, observing the machine as it came to life, its eyes blinking and legs twitching into motion. Suddenly, a semi-transparent menu appeared in E-30's eyes. It was prompting him to command the drone.

He thought for a second. Then said, "Ok, search for any signs of civilization." He stood there and waited for it to respond. 'Maybe it doesn't understand that..' Then, the bug turned around and spread out a set of insect wings, before taking off into the forest.

"Hopefully, it doesn't get destroyed. I'll actually start to find out the lay of this land I'm in." The bird on his shoulder chirped, though E-30 wasn't sure if it was in agreement or not. Then, the bird flew off, into the forest. "It'll be back." he assured himself as he watched it go. He looked back at the cart of metal. 'There's still plenty left.'

"I'll make two more. That'll help the discovery process go quicker." As soon as he said that, the metal bugs emerged once more, eager to get started.

Soon enough, there were two more drones, flying out to search the landscape. One of them passed the end of the forest, flying to the town in the distance. Once it made it to the town, it flew down to the corner of a building, staying in the shadow it casted on the ground.

The second drone escaped the confines of the forest as well. This once headed to a house near the edge, surrounded by plants and animals. Seeing the high activity, it watched from a distance.

The third drone stayed within the forest, coming across a house built into a tree, light pouring out of a window. From a nearby tree, it sat and watched.

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Fluttershy made her way back to her house, the book safely tucked under her wing. Once she sat on the couch, she looked through the book, looking for a match to the creature her bird friend described. Page after page, she found nothing that resembled it. 'Then again, I haven't actually seen it...' "If my bird friend was here, he could point the creature out." She said. Fluttershy looked out the window hoping to see the little blue bird. At that same moment, the bird flew from the tree line, and right through the window.

"Oh, there you are! I was worried!" she said softly as the bird landed in her hair. "I need your help with this." She brought the bird over to the book, hoping to look through it together. Out of the corner off her eye, she thought she saw something shine at the edge of the forest, but when she looked back, she saw nothing. Ignoring it, she and the little blue bird looked through the book together.

Author's Note

“Rose took my nose, I suppose. And it really blows.”

Chapter 9

E-30 stepped out of the tree line, making his way to his makeshift base in the center of the clearing. In his arms was another load of wood, recently cut from nearby trees. Once he was inside his fortifications, he dumped the wood into a dry stockpile. He had been keeping himself busy, collecting supplies while he waited for his drones to come back. When they did, he would better understand where he was, and be able to devise a plan of action.

He sat on the ground, searching the sky for his mechanical bugs, but he saw none. Then, he realized something. "I didn't actually tell them to come back, did I?" He shook his head, regretting his mistake. "Maybe I can connect to them from here..."

Not knowing what to do, he tried using his scanners to seek out his robotic minions. Eventually, the three shapes were revealed to him far off in the distance. "Now, I can talk to them?" He picked the closest drone, focusing on its presence. Suddenly, his vision pixelated before focusing again. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a completely different place. He was in a tree, looking at some kind of home build into a different tree, with decorations hanging from the branches. When he looked down, he saw the metallic shell of his drone. 'So, I can look through their eyes, like cameras. Interesting...'

He left the eyes of his drone, with his surrounding returning to normal. He got up and got ready to leave, grabbing a few chunks of metal for his tiny bots to store inside his body. "That meeting with those Diamond Dogs was extremely helpful. I should definitely check this place out, see if there's anyone that could help me. If nobody's there, I could just grab some stuff."

He ran off into the woods, locked onto his target drone. He made sure not to stop, since he didn't want to encounter any other weird, potentially dangerous creatures at the moment. By the time he reached his robot, about an hour had passed. Since the sun didn't actually move from it's position in the sky, E-30 couldn't tell how close nightfall was.

He glanced at his drone in the tree, before slowly sneaking toward the house. 'The drone will keep watch.' He silently reached the house, crouching under the window. Peaking over the edge, he searched the inside for anything living. Both this and a scan told him that there wasn't anything inside at the moment. Checking behind him, he went to the door and entered the tree.

The door creaked slightly as he closed it behind him, inspecting the contents of the area. The main eye-catcher was the large cauldron in the center of the room with shelves on the walls lined with various colored bottles. 'Is this a witch's house? If they aren't here, I should take some bottles. It could be useful.'

E-30 picked up a random bottle from the shelves. The glass was white, and a label said "Blind". Carefully holding it, he picked up a different container. This one wasn't glass, and was heavier. Turning it in his hand, he found a label and read it. The text just said "Acid".

"...I really shouldn't hold these in my hands." He looked around until he found a small basket, and started to put the items inside. At one point, the glass bottle clacked hard against the other bottle, and he immediately stopped what he was doing. 'If I put them in here like this, they will absolutely break when I run.' Getting an idea, he went outside, and filled the basket with leaves, providing a protection for the bottles. E-30 went back inside, grabbing a few more bottles that he found. "Repel, Grow, and Heal. I don't know how far the healing could go, but I don't want anything happening to the only fleshy parts of me."

As he carried his basket of loot, he noticed a book on the self next to him. Opening it, he saw words and drawing scrawled across the pages. At the end of a line of drawings was a picture of a bottle. "It's like a guide, I definitely need this." Right before he could grab it, his vision pixelated, disorienting him. Once it went back to normal, he saw that he was once again seeing through his drone. It had warned him about something in its vision, something that looked like a zebra headed for the house.

He didn't have time to inspect them, though. The creature making their way to the house he had invaded was likely to be the owner. 'I would try to greet them, but I broke in and stole their things.' With that bridge burned, he sneaked to the opposite window, silently opening it and pushing his body through it. Once he was through, he grabbed the basket, closed the window, and zoomed off. The sun had gone down while he was inside, and the moon was shining through the trees.

The return trip to his base was longer than the original, but he didn't want to trip up and break the valuable bottles he was carrying. He made it back inside his walls, eager to store his haul. He lined them up on the floor, taking a look at what he had. The acid caught his attention first. Carefully opening the special bottle, his peeked inside, trying to scan it to find out what it was. His scans said that it was "Fluoroantimonic acid", a super acid. "Uhhh... okay.." He closed the bottle and placed it away from himself.

He realized that he needed something to hold them, if he was going to carry them with him anywhere. A quick command sent his army of tiny robots out into the forest, gathering material to construct a backpack. Once the bots pieced the bag together, they returned to his body.

E-30 walked away from the bottles and the backpack, looking back into the forest. "There are still two more drones for me to check out. Let's see where they planted themselves." He scanned for the drones, once again seeing their outlined forms. Focusing one the next closest one, he entered its vision and looked around.

This robot had also hidden inside a tree, and was watching another house. The observed house was on the very edge of the forest, and it was covered and surrounded by plant and animal shelters. There didn't seem to be much activity outside, but movement could be seen through some of the windows.

'I should get closer.' Before he could do so, he saw a purple flash. In front of the house, a purple horse popped into existence, just like the large white one had done when she was chasing him. Teleportation. As the horse walked into the house, E-30 remembered something. 'Wait, I teleported into this world... where's the machine?'

It felt like a pit opened in his augmented stomach. All this time, he hadn't thought about the machine that brought him here. He hadn't even looked for it when he first appeared in that castle. 'I have no idea where it is...'

Panicking, he left the vision of his robot. He paced around the room, trying to figure out what to do next. "I have to go back and get it. I don't know if I want to go back to Earth, but I definitely won't let those horses have it." With the dilemma resolved, he started getting ready once more. He went to his bottles, and took the one labeled "Blind". After a bit of deciding, he grabbed the acid as well. He placed both bottles in special pockets inside his new backpack. He looked at the remaining metal in his cart, and remembered the metal he had stored inside his body. "I don't think I have enough to stay safe. I need to go get more from Onyx." After securing the bag to his back, he grabbed his cart and rushed out in the direction of Onyx and his pack.

Author's Note

"Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!"

Chapter 10

By the time E-30 made it to Onyx's mine, it was around the middle of the night. He had been extremely wary of his surroundings while he ran through the forest, since he didn't want to encounter any wooden wolves, or some other monstrosity. His empty cart was kept on his shoulder, to make sure that it wouldn't get caught on anything.

He ran up to the clearing, coming to a stop at the edge. Around the center of the clearing, where the entrance to the mine was located, there weren't any Diamond Dogs in sight. 'Maybe they're sleeping inside.' he mused.

He quietly made his way to the mine, feeling like something was wrong. Halfway there, he noticed a flame coming from the clearing edge to his right. It was a Diamond Dog, waving a torch frantically. E-30 quickly crept to them, moving away from the mine. Once he got there, he saw that it wasn't just one Dog. It looked like the entire pack was there, in a large camp setup.

The Diamond Dog with the torch grabbed his hand and pulled him into camp. "No go mine, not safe!" He was led deeper into the encampment, up to a small wooden tower. "Onyx up there" the Dog said, before scampering off. E-30 put down his cart before climbing the surprisingly sturdy ladder up to the top.

Once he made it to the top, he had a much better view of the clearing before him. Sitting at the top of the tower were two Diamond Dogs, a normal one and Onyx himself, surveying the clearing. Onyx got up and approached him. "You came at a bad time. That's unfortunate for you, but maybe it's fortunate for us. We could use your help."

"What's the problem? Why are you guys hiding in the woods?" E-30 asked. Onyx waved toward the moonlit clearing. "We cannot return to the mines, because we will all die. Something else inhabits the depths. We broke through into a cavern, possibly connected to a different series of caves leading to the surface. It had only been minutes until the creature revealed itself, tearing through the hole and into the mine. It looked very similar to a dragon, except it only had two back legs. Its front legs were joined with its wings, like a bat. I have never heard of a dragon breed like that, but it was just as destructive as a normal dragon could be."

'That sounds like a wyvern... why are their so many monsters here?' E-30 thought to himself. He turned to Onyx and said "I'm not sure if I could fight something like a dragon, I almost got torn apart by the wooden wolves in the forest." Onyx raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Timberwolves? They can be very deadly, no matter who you are."

'Timberwolves...okay...'

E-30 nervously looked at the mine entrance. The dark entrance stared back menacingly. 'There's no way around this. I need their metal, and I don't know if I'll be able to get it elsewhere, or by myself.'

He turned back to Onyx. "Are... there any important things to know about dragons?" Onyx shrugged. "Not much that everybody already knows. Fire-breath, heat resistance, tough scales. Obviously, there are small openings between the scales, but it's not easy to do enough damage using the openings. Also, certain breeds of dragons can have something like snake fangs, venom included."

The more Onyx talked, the worse E-30 felt about his current mission. It just seemed to keep getting more and more impossible. Onyx must have noticed his growing despair, since he patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, some of my pack will be going with you, myself included. Maybe we can distract it while you try to do something to kill it."

E-30 looked up at the Diamond Dog leader. "Thanks, I'll try to think of something before we go in." Onyx nodded, before looking back at the clearing. E-30 climbed down the ladder, sitting at the base of the tower to think. He took off his backpack and emptied its contents; the two bottles he brought. One labeled "Blind" and the other "Acid"

"I'll definitely need to use these, but it would be all too easy to miss my shot and lose any chance of winning. I need to get it inside of the wyvern, but I don't want to be eaten to do it." He thought back to Onyx's list of dragon facts. One stood out to him. 'Snake fangs...'

Miraculously, he got an idea. He tried to visualize it as best as he could, giving his little robots an overview of what he wanted. They came swarming out of his body, coating the bottle of acid he had and dragging it over to his arm. They began opening his arm up, and he was thankful they seemed to turn off his artificial nerves somehow. His arm looked like a mangled mess as they rearranged metal, making sparks fly while they cut and re-welded. Eventually, they finished their job, returning to his body.

He flexed his arm, searching for a difference. He found it, something that felt different in is arm and on the back of his hand. When he activated it, a segmented 14 inch blade unsheathed from his hand. It looked too thin to be used like a sword or knife, but it was perfect for his intended purpose.

"Snake fang..."

E-30 sent the blade back into his arm, disappearing with a series of clicks. He thought about the acid that was being contained in his arm, ready to be injected. "That was a small bottle, compared to what I'm facing. I wonder if I could make any more?" Testing the limits of his robots, he gave them the command. This time they didn't emerge. They seemed to churn inside him, but they didn't attempt to leave. "I guess chemistry like that is outside their functions." He would need to go back to that hut if he needed more.

He put the "Blind" bottle into his backpack, and climbed back up the tower. At the top, he tapped Onyx to get his attention. Onyx turned around, alert. "Are you ready to go?" E-30 nodded. Onyx walked over to the ladder. "Then so are we. Let's go."

The both of them left the tower, and Onyx led him to a large tent near the center of the camp. Inside, there were multiple racks filled with spears, swords, and shields. "We don't usually need weapons for most things, but we do occasionally use some metal make some, to be prepared for the worst." There was a group of 10 Diamond Dogs, grabbing weapons and shields. "I don't want too many of us to die if this goes wrong, so I won't be bringing many of my pack. Only enough to be a distraction or cause some injuries, so I hope you have a way to kill it." Onyx grabbed a spear and shield as well, specially built for his larger stature. They all left the tent, following their alpha.

E-30 and the group got closer and closer to the dark mine, leaving behind the lights in the camp. Soon enough, they passed into the mouth of the entrance, swallowing them in darkness, except for the glow that a few of their torches emitted. He listened to the air, trying to notice any identifiable noises. Very faintly, he heard the shuffling of something large.

They crept down, deeper into the winding mine, ready to attack. He glanced at the Diamond Dogs, and noticed that they didn't seem scared, just cautious. 'I guess they were picked by Onyx for a reason.' Onyx walked with them, the torch light partially illuminating his body. Despite his bigger size, he made almost no sound at all.

After a few more tense minutes, Onyx stopped everyone. E-30 followed his lead, looking at where he was pointing. Onyx's paw was pointing toward a big hole in the wall, with shattered rocks all over the ground in front of it. 'This is my moment now...'

He went through the hole, the space before him becoming an enormous cavern. The Diamond Dogs followed him inside, on guard at all times. E-30 kept moving, and suddenly froze. The faint shuffling he heard at the entrance to the mine started up again, except it was much louder. They all huddled together and watched as the scaled body of the wyvern emerged from the shadows. In the dim light, its scales looked stone grey. It huge back legs boomed as they came down on the ground. Its front legs were much lighter, and similar to a bat's like they expected. Spikes protruded from its head, just as sharp as the teeth filling its mouth. E-30 had assumed that its eyes would glow, but they didn't. They were wrapped in darkness, the torchlight not being bright enough to illuminate its stare. Suddenly, it crouched lower to the ground. "SCATTER!" Onyx barked, as they all ran in different directions.

The wyvern launched forward, crashing down where the group had once been. They were all sprayed with crush rocks as they scrambled to stay away from the looming threat. As E-30 watched, the Diamond Dogs quickly regrouped and swarmed the beast's back legs, moving away whenever it stepped near them. The wyvern took swipes at them with its wing-claws, but they were able to dodge and keep attacking. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do any real damage either.

E-30 looked down at his hand, activating his fang. He steeled himself with determination before retracting it and running into the action. From his bag, he grabbed the "Blind" bottle and aimed for the wyvern's head. The head was low to the ground, as it tried to rip into the Diamond Dogs, who evaded it. Once he was sure of its trajectory, he threw it. It sailed through the air, before shattering against the wyvern's shadow-hidden eyes. The liquid started shining with a bright white light, like a star on earth. It stuck to the beast's face and eyes, preventing it from seeing anything other than white. The beast's roar shook the cavern as it thrashed about, desperate to hit anything. The Diamond Dogs had retreated from it, since it was now much less predictable..

'Now's my chance!'

He ran under the wyvern, avoiding being stepped on by its massive claws. He grabbed onto its tail, trying to climb onto its back. The wyvern whipped its tail, sending him upwards to the ceiling of the cavern. He barely missed being impaled by a stalactite before coming back down, and crashing into the dragon's back. It left big scrapes and dents on his body, but nothing seemed too broken. He gripped the spikes on the wyvern's back as he got closer to its upper back, and then its neck. At this point, the wyvern must have felt him on its back, because it suddenly roared: "GET. OFF. NOW!"

This stunned E-30 for a moment, enough time for the wyvern to slam its back to the Cavern wall. Rock crushed around him as he was trapped between a rock and a scaly place, parts of him getting more and more damaged. The wyvern pulled away from the wall, getting ready to do it again. E-30 quickly hauled his damaged body onto the other side of the wyvern's back, narrowly avoiding being crushed again. He made climbing spikes on his hands and feet as he scrambled the rest of the way to the head. At the edge of its head, right next to its forehead, he prepared what he hoped would be the final strike. He unsheathed his fang, and brought the blade down into the flesh, between the scales.

Acid poured in from its container in his arm, immediately working to dissolve the flesh of the wyvern. His blade had only gone halfway through the tough skull, but it was enough for the acid to work through until it started eating through the front of its brain. The wyvern screeched in pain as it shook its head side to side, its movements becoming jerky. It brought one of its clawed wing-arms up to its head, quickly finding E-30. It grabbed onto his leg, crushing it as he was flung into the wall.

It wasn't long until the wyvern began to slow. It didn't try to find E-30, since its thoughts were scrambled as its body shut down. Its legs bent, and the beast crumpled to the ground, pushing up a dust cloud.

E-30 was sprawled on the ground, processing the moment. His body was in bad shape, the Diamond Dogs were rushing toward him, and across the cavern was the corpse of the wyvern. Its forehead leaked blood and black, dissolved brain matter from the puncture wound, made by the snake fang. He let his head hit the ground. "Fuck."

Author's Note

"Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole. So, don't keep the Devil waiting, old friend."

Chapter 11

Cherry Wings hovered down the hall, held aloft by the red feathered appendages she was named for. In her hooves she held a large bucket with various cleaning supplies. She was happy with her job as a maid, despite the stigma attached to it. Keeping the rooms clean was satisfying, and the decent amount of bits she was paid certainly helped. Celestia seemed to see keeping the castle clean as a very important job, and made sure the cleaning crew didn't have money problems.

Her job was usually very relaxing, humming as she made a quick round through the halls. There wasn't usually much to clean besides dust, and the many guest rooms that littered the castle were rarely used. That meant that the last task on her list was cleaning Celestia's room. Ponies didn't clean Luna's room though, not because they were afraid to, but because Luna didn't trust ponies not to snoop around or break something.

Cherry dropped to the floor in front of the door to the Princess's room. Grabbing the bucket's handle with her mouth, she went in, looking around for something to clean. The room was spotless, as always, but she remembered what had happened a few days ago. Everyone in the castle had heard about the creature that had escaped the guard after being found in Princess Celestia's room by the Princess herself. They had all been instructed to not let it become public, but that didn't stop ponies from gossiping to other castle workers.

She was about to turn around and leave, but she felt something off about the room. Since most things in the castle were always clean, the staff seemed to always sense when something was amiss, even noticing things other ponies in the castle don't see. Cherry could smell something different in the room, so she followed the direction of the smell. It grew stronger until she stopped in front of a bookshelf. Tucked between the shelf and a dresser was a strange metal sphere.

"Who cleaned this room? How could they miss this thing?!" She was shocked at the rare oversight displayed by the cleaning staff. She shuffled through her bucket and grabbed two latex hoof coverings, hovering in the air as she put them on. Cherry grabbed the object, pulling it into the air with her. It was heavy, but nothing she couldn't handle. The maid transferred the object into a special bag and secured it inside her bucket. When cleaning the Princess's room, it was protocol to report anything unusual directly to the Princess, just to make sure it was supposed to be there.

Cherry quickly gathered her supplies and flew down the halls, of course, not fast enough to be inappropriate within the castle. There were many turns and long stretches before she arrived at her destination. In front of the throne room doors, she placed her bucket down next to one of the guard ponies and grabbed the bag. She looked at the one on the left and said "Protocol 86." The guard nodded and opened the door, letting her fly through.

Celestia was sitting in her throne as usual, reading a scroll held up by her magic. Cherry landed at the bottom of the stairs, quickly bowing before her ruler. Celestia noticed her and put down the scroll. "Is there a problem?"

Cherry promptly stated "Protocol 86" before opening her bag and revealing the round object. A gold aura enveloped the sphere as it was brought up to the Princess. She inspected in as Cherry continued. "I found it between bookshelf and dresser on the right side of your room."

Celestia put the object to the side. "Thank you for notifying me." That was a clear sign of dismissal, but Cherry wanted to know more.

"If I may ask, your Highness, what is it?" Celestia looked at the object before speaking.

"I would keep it secret, but I'm sure everypony in the castle would know anyway. Information tends to pass rather quickly here." She said with a smirk. Her expression darkened as she said "I believe it has something to do with the incident from a few days ago. I cannot think of any other explanation at the moment. I am very glad that you brought this to my attention."

Cherry's eyes widened at the discovery. "Of course, your Highness." She bowed once again before leaving the throne room. Outside the doors, she picked up her bucket, making her way back to her own room. That's why she liked her job. Despite making a huge discovery for the Princess, she didn't need to get involved with it beyond reporting it. She continued her humming as she slowly hovered down the hall.

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It was surprising how long it had evaded them. The solution was so simple. The entire reason they had used E-30 for the test was because he could potentially survive any unknown variables. This made Dr. Jovan clearly see what they had to do.

The team of researchers quickly prepared a different test subject they had in storage. This one wasn't nearly as advanced as E-30, but he was still durable. The cyborg was strapped to a table, while certain systems were forced to be nonfunctional. The man tried to talk, but no sound came out. Dr. Jovan loomed over him, his eyes glittering with malevolence. "You may not be able to speak, but you can hear, so listen to me. You are going to be sent away. You will report what you see, and come back immediately."

The man looked at his captor in confusion, but Dr. Jovan refused to elaborate on the instructions further. "Of course, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice." He looked at the cyborgs legs. "You won't be needing those for this task. Can't have you running, now can we?" He turned and walked away as a group of mechanical apparatuses descended upon the helpless cyborg, buzz saws whirring while they began cutting into his metal waist as his augmented legs were torn off. He screamed into the void, soundless in his agony.

An hour later, the teleport room was ready. In the center, the upper half of the cyborg was propped up, holding a new spherical replica of the teleport device. His face was unmoving as everything was prepared around him. Finally, Dr. Jovan entered the control room, standing in front of the glass looking into the room. He bent down to speak into a microphone. "I trust that you remember your instructions." The broken man slowly nodded. "Good. Begin."

The man looked down at the device in his grasp, and activated it. The space rippled as he and the device was pulled into a point, and disappeared. The scientists had to wait 5 minutes before the cyborg came back, undamaged by the trip. He was promptly dragged back to a table to be strapped down, while wires were connected to his head. Dr. Jovan once again stood over him, while he stared up at the ceiling. "You were supposed to come back much earlier. Why did you defy me?" The cyborg's eyes widened as he shook his head.

Before Dr. Jovan could speak, a screen activated on the wall. It had downloaded the recorded memories of the currently helpless cyborg, so they could see where they had been sending things. The recording started when the device activated, and the screen showed nothing but bright light and static after the subject and the device disappeared. It cleared up moments later, revealing the new location to be a small, dark room. A broom closet. The recording followed the cyborgs gaze as he looked at his surroundings. Then, slowly, he pushed open the door a crack, peeing through the small opening. Dr. Jovan squinted at the screen as he saw two small, oddly colored horses walking down the hallway. They seemed to be talking to each other, waving hooves and moving their heads in ways commonly associated with speech.

10 seconds after the cyborg had arrived, he activated the object in his hands, sending himself back to his captors. At that moment, the screen turned off. Dr. Jovan turned to think to himself. 'He had only been in that place for 10 seconds, and yet 5 minutes had passed for us. That means there is a 30 second time dilation between here and there, with us moving faster. E-30 has only been there for a few days, while months passed for us...'

He turned back to the legless cyborg, who stared at him hopefully. "Perhaps you do know how to listen. You know what, I'm feeling generous. You can have your voice back, for following instructions." His voice was returned remotely, and his voice synthesizer glitched in and out as he said, "W-What about my le-egs?" Dr. Jovan said nothing before leaving. In the distance, the metallic grinding could be heard once again. This time, it was accompanied by the electronic screams of the subject, as his body was torn apart to be recycled for parts.

Dr. Jovan returned to the control room, addressing everyone in the room. He had a plan, and he was determined to see it happen. He explained what had happened on the other side, describing the creatures and making the time dilation issue known. "This project has brought forth unexpected rewards, and I intend to reap every single bit of it. The only way something can go through is for it to be living, but strong enough to survive the journey. I intend to be the forefront of this expedition, so I will augment myself. Prepare me for rapid augmentation. Now."

Everyone in the room scrambled to get up, quickly leading him to the designated room. He was strapped down to a similar table as the now deceased cyborg, before most of the people vacated the area. Menacing tools deployed from the ceiling, and began their work. However, the rapid augmentation process required that the body be conscious, to make sure the artificial nerves were working as intended. His body was kept awake with stimulants as pain erupted all over.

Author's Note

"I am Willard Wyler, master of the macabre."

Chapter 12

"Teleport will begin in 1 minute."

Thudding footsteps could be heard as 3 people made their way to the center of the designated teleport room. The two on the sides were heavily augmented, with no trace of humanity showing. They were practically war machines, with their minds controlled and their memories wiped. In the center of the two was Dr. Jovan, with extensive upgrades of his own. He was taller, with most of his body replaced. His menacing aura had grown as well, since he now had the power to tear others apart himself, and not just psychologically. He smirked, looking at his metal hands as he grabbed the teleport device. "Why didn't I do this sooner?" The two guards next to him hooked their arms into his before the group of three were sucked away across the void.

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Back at the Diamond Dogs' temporary encampment, E-30 once again sat at the base of the watchtower. A stream of metal bugs marched between him and the pile of metal next to him, repairing the damages with a patchwork of welded metal. E-30 watched as the Diamond Dogs got to work in the distance, returning the mine to proper order. Deep below, a team of them were working to move the wyvern body deeper into the cavern he had battled in, while sealing the entrance to avoid the inevitable smell of rot.

He looked down at his body, watching the bugs try their best to fix him. Only now, he could see more and more imperfections than before. His body, which was once a glistening image of mechanical perfection, was now a structural abomination due to the repeated use of the random metals he had been acquiring. Dots and splotches stretched all over, metals forced to fuse with other dissimilar metals. All of his systems were functional, but he could tell the integrity was less than normal.

He let his head hit the tower behind him as he looked up to the morning sky. 'I've only been in this bizarre world for a few days, and I'm already falling apart. Fight after fight after fight...'

As much as he craved his freedom from his former cage, he knew it was only a matter of time before something bigger came along and completely destroyed him. Even with the strength he gained, the world around him seemed to scale up as well. 'I used to be worried about thugs and guns, now I have to worry about fantasy monsters killing me.'

Here, he had no true goals. He had no knowledge of the world outside this little bit of forests. He had no access to technology that wasn't his own body. The negatives of his situation added up, opening his mind to a solution.

E-30 could not stay. "If I stay, I'll die. If I can get back to my world, I would be much more capable of defending myself in the familiar environment. I just need to avoid the Doctor." With his mind made up, his resolve grew stronger. "I was already going to go get the device anyway, I might as well use it to escape this hellhole."

He got to his feet and climbed to the top of the watch tower. It wasn't much taller than the trees, but he was still able to spot the huge mountain in the distance. Despite the distance, he could still see the city and castle attached to the side, defying gravity. He climbed back down the tower and immediately ran off, focusing on the general direction of his destination. 'I won't bring any metal with me. It'll only slow me down, and using it will only weaken me more. Once I'm back on Earth, I can find good metal to use.'

E-30 had only been in the forest for a few days, yet he already moved much faster through the foliage, expertly dodging and climbing the impediments that always seemed to aim for him. Greens and browns blurred while his speed continued to increase. As he got closer to the mountain, its menacing presence seemed to grow larger, dominating a portion of the sky. Eventually, he stopped running when he came across a dirt road. Following it with his eyes, he could see that it lead to the mountain. The other way went over a hill and disappeared. He shrugged "I guess I'll follow the path."

Before he could, he heard the sound of something walking on the path. He quickly hid on the side of the road, which was covered with a thick and dense canopy of leaves, making for some of the best cover. Coming over the hill towards the mountain were two creatures with a familiar form. They were horses, wearing the same gold armor as the ones that had chased him during his first encounter. He listened in, hoping he would hear them reveal something, but they continued marching along in silence. 'Hopefully, they're just on patrol. If they know I'm coming, this is going to be much harder.'

Once the two guards were farther down the road, E-30 emerged from the foliage. 'I can't use this road. Someone else might come along.' He crept to the other side of the road and entered the forest again, breaking into another sprint. He needed a path up the mountain, and he knew what he was looking for. Not too far away, the river that he jumped into was roaring in front of him. It was much closer to the waterfall than the place he had left the river before, so the water was much rougher. Rather than getting in, he went alongside the river, guiding him closer to the rocky slope.

Slowly, the deafening sound of the waterfall replaced the ambient noise, signaling his arrival. He looked up past the flow of water to the structure anchored to the rocks. 'I'll be completely exposed if I climb, but I have to take my chances.' He mentally created an image of what he needed, and his hands were transformed into climbing spikes, like he had used to climb the wyvern. Steadying himself, he leapt up, soaring through the air until his spikes pierced the mountain in a shower of pebbles. With this, he began his journey up the steep incline.

As he climbed, he made sure to drift to the side, toward the castle peeking over the edge. 'I really don't want to try and sneak through the town if I don't have to.' Soon enough, he was right under the edge. He peeked over, scanning the area for any patrols. There were a couple of guards in the distance, but they were facing the toward the main entrance, and the town leading up to it. Much closer to him, the window that he had previously jumped from was high up on the castle walls, but within climbing distance. He pulled over the edge and crept to the wall, quickly beginning his climb before someone noticed. Much faster than his previous climb, he made it to the familiar double casement window. 'I hope it's unlocked...'

He tried pulling the two panels open, but they didn't budge. He could have tried breaking them, but he didn't want to leave signs of forced entry. He climbed sideways, looking for another window to try. The next window he tried wasn't locked and allowed him to enter. He was in the castle once again.

'But not the same room.' He noticed at he glanced around. 'The right room should be nearby though.' E-30 opened the doors to the room just a bit, peeking through the crack for anyone outside. Down the hall, there was a door with a sun on it, along with a pair of unicorn guards walking down the hall in his direction. 'Okay, I'll wait for them to pass by and-'

He was cut off by a flash of light between him and the guards. The light cleared, and a pit opened up in his soul. In front of him was Dr. Jovan.

E-30 could only see his back, but he could immediately see the huge difference. The Doctor was no longer a relatively weak human. He had become just like his creations, just like E-30. Flanking him were two larger cyborgs, who were acting like guards. Luckily, they hadn't been facing in the direction of the doors behind them. E-30 watched as the three beings scanned their new surroundings, only to focus on the two horse guards in front of them. The two gold covered guards stared with wide eyes, before jolting back and lighting up their horns.

Just like the large unicorn being he originally met, their horns glowed as they pointed them at the trio of cyborgs. Right before his eyes, he saw a bubble form around the newcomers, trapping them. The large cyborg on the right lifted an arm to try to punch through, but was stopped by the Doctor. Surprisingly, the three of them got to their knees and surrendered to their captors, while the Doctor still held a spherical device, just like the one he used. E-30 was perplexed as the bubble was lifted off of the ground, while the two horses took them down the hall and out of sight.

He closed the door and leaned up against it. He couldn't believe what was happening. "He made another one... he made it to get here, to find me! He was right in front of me! He's..."

E-30 stopped as he realized what this means. "If he's here, then he can't intercept me on Earth!" He quickly rushed out of the doors, silently sprinting to the door with the sun. He tried opening the door, but it didn't budge. "Fuck it!" He bashed his shoulder into the door, trying to force his way in. Still, the door remained undamaged from his attempts. "They probably removed the teleporter from the room." he reasoned. "I doubt I'll find it, but I can still try to take the one HE has. They'll definitely confiscate it and store it."

He took off in the direction the group had gone, stopping to peek around every corner. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected the castle to be filled with so many connected halls. He quickly became lost, since he had no idea which halls the group had taken. Every once in a while, he ducked into a room to avoid passing guards. Soon, E-30 noticed that the guards were going in the same direction. 'They're probably going because of a situation, and I bet that situation is Jovan.' He continued down the halls in the same direction as the guards. Since it was day, there weren't any shadows for him to try and hide in, so he was uncomfortable at how exposed he was.

Against the odds, he arrived at a large set of doors, where the guards he had been loosely following entered. Of course, he couldn't just go through the doors as well. He followed the wall along the outside of the large chamber, reaching a smaller door. He opened it, revealing that it was a broom closet of sorts. He ducked in, closing it behind him and leaving him in darkness. E-30 pressed his ear against the back wall, and faintly heard voices. 'I need to see.' He extended his thin arm fang and slowly pierced the wall with it. Just as it poked through, he pulled it back, revealing the tiny hole he had created. He crouched down to peer through to the other side.

The room he was looking at was large, with stained glass windows going from the floor all the way to the high roof. Through his limited vision, he could tell that he was near the front of the chamber, before the windows dominated the walls. At the end of the room, sitting on a throne at the top of a staircase, was the large unicorn he had first met. She was clearly in a position of power, and the crown in her billowing hair told him she was their queen.

Down at the base of the staircase, the Doctor and his two guards were sitting on the floor with chains decorating their arms and legs. Around them, multiple horse guards stood and watched them vigilantly.

E-30 once again tried to listen in on the conversation, while the queen was talking. "-your intentions?" He listened as Dr. Jovan began talking.

"I am not the same as the being you may have met previously. We have no intentions of harming you or your people. We are here for the sole purpose of capturing the dangerous criminal that escaped us. Please understand this mission's importance, and help us. We can be allies, rather than enemies."

E-30 immediately recognized the way Jovan was talking. He sounded the same way when he was tempting E-30 with the promise of a new body. He hoped the queen wouldn't be swayed to the Doctor's side, but E-30 hadn't exactly done anything to cause her to doubt the story being told. He listened closer as the Doctor continued.

"If you would like, we can share resources with you, as a show of good faith. Not that I am belittling you, but I'm sure there is something you might want from us." The queen looked on in thought. Then, in a flash of light, the teleporter that the group had used appeared in front of her.

"You claim to have created this device to crudely teleport between worlds." The portion of Dr. Jovan's face that E-30 could see twisted into anger for a moment, before hiding it. "Does it also allow return trips?"

Dr. Jovan nodded. "Yes, it does. However, most fleshy bodies are torn apart in the transition. I can help you by-"

"That won't be necessary." The queen interrupted. "We will have no issue with teleporting like you do. I wanted to be aware of its capabilities, to be sure that you won't steal something and disappear without a trace." With that, she made the device disappear once again. "On the matter of the dangerous individual you are pursuing, I believe that we can work together. You will not do anything that I am not aware of, and hopefully we can build trust to become better allies. Agreed?"

The Doctor smiled. "Agreed." At that moment, the chains on him and his two guards disappeared. Their heavy feet thudded as they stood up.

E-30 backed away from his peep hole and sunk to the floor in despair. Now, both his chasers and his captors were on the same side. There was no doubt in his mind that Dr. Jovan was planning something sinister for the horses, but it didn't matter if their primary objective was capturing E-30. 'He'll probably wait until after he has me to throw them away.'

"I'm so dead..."

Author's Note

"What kinda fucking animal do you take me for? No, I didn't kill him! But I did kidnap his wife!"

Chapter 13

Rushing through the halls was much easier this time, since most of the guards were in the throne room. The lack of opposition meant that E-30 could dwell even deeper on his hopeless situation. His means of escape from this world were taken, and his worst enemy joined forces with his new enemies. Although his body was completely functional, he knew wouldn't have been able to take them out anyway. He could practically feel the decreased structural integrity of his body due to the mixing of various metals, a thoughtless mistake.

'So now, I have to run away. Run away back to my hideout with my tail between my legs, with no real progress gained.' He almost laughed at the situation, despite the heaviness he felt in his soul. But then, something caught his eye.

At that moment, he stopped in his tracks, and looked at the double doors he had almost passed by. The doors were held closed by a large, intricate lock embedded into the wood. While there was no sign that could tell him what was behind the door, it looked too important to pass up. 'For all I know, the teleporter could be in there...'

E-30 looked both ways down the hallway. Seeing the coast was clear, he ran his hand across the lock. He felt a trace of energy emanating from the lock, an energy he couldn't identify. "It must be that magic stuff the unicorn ones were using" he deduced.

He carefully tried scratching the metal, trying to damage it, but no marks were left on the lock. The same happened with the door itself. Each time, a faint shimmer formed where he scratched, proving it was some sort of protection barrier. "Damn." He stood back, staring at the lock. He had no knowledge of how magic worked, since there were no matches to other known energies. He could only make guesses based on his current knowledge.

"Maybe I can try to overload it." Not keen on getting fried somehow, E-30 let his tiny mechanized helpers do the job. They crawled onto the lock as a swarm, and began releasing electrical currents into the surface. Electricity began arcing across the doors, but the barrier began shining brighter in response. When the bots ended their attack, the doors were still unharmed. The barrier seemed to be actively pushing back against the attempted intrusion. 'So I need to do more damage than it's capable of instantly repairing.'

Automatically following his unspoken orders, the bots came together at a small area on the lock, and proceeded to release an electrical current once more. This time, they all concentrated it into a single tiny point on the barrier. After a few moments, there was a tiny plume of smoke, coming from the barrier that now had a equally tiny hole. The hole fought to be regenerated, but the bots kept the hole from closing. A few of the bots used this opportunity to melt a hole into the unprotected lock, entering it in a line. The rest of them stopped, letting the barrier fill in again. From the outside, E-30 saw the lock getting hotter, gaining an orange glow. The barrier began shaking and deteriorating as the lock was melted from the inside.

*Poof*

Finally, the barrier broke, disappearing in a shimmer of sparkles. Reaching out, he pushed on the double doors, spreading the split lock apart with melted metal stretching between the two sides. He peeked into the dark room, and saw shelves filled with boxes and other unknown items. Creeping over, he picked one of them up and held it in the light shining from the hall. It was horse armor, like the ones the guards were wearing, except it was sleeker and greyish blue, with a slit pupil design on the chest. He analyzed the metal, and found no Earth matches.

"This metal... it's strong... it's just what I need!"

Down the hall, a thundering sound began to get louder. The sound of a dozens of armored hooves grew as it got closer to his location. E-30 scrambled around the room, making sure he didn't miss anything. He noticed some of the boxes had the same armor with helmets in it, and had words on the front. "The style is really weird, but I think it's English!" He stared at the words, finally deciphering the bizarre font to say "The Night Crucible".

"A manufacturer. I can go to the source for the metal." He looked below the logo to see more difficult lettering, which seemed to be an address. "9th Ave. Manehatten"

He had no more time to search, since the squadron was almost there. He could now barely hear their voices over their pounding hooves.

"The lock is broken!"

"They're in the Night Guard storage room!"

Seeing no other way out, E-30 grabbed one of the helmets to keep for sample matching, and bolted out the doors. The group noticed him, and immediately switched their focus to him. "It's the creature! Don't let it get away!"

Despite having two less legs than them, he was able to keep a good distance between him and the guards. There was really only one escape route he knew, so he made his way there, hoping they didn't remember his path from last time.

................................................................................................................................

The trio of cyborgs were being guided to a room, where they would stay temporarily while their alliance with the one called "Princess Celestia" was ironed out. The Doctor looked around while he walked, gaining insight on the level of technology that was used by the "ponies". 'They're around the end of pre-industrial times, but they certainly make up for it with their "magic". I'll need a few of them so I can investigate the extent of this power..'

Finally reaching their room, they were let in, before the guards suddenly turned and ran. Noting the odd behavior, Dr. Jovan waited for them to come back. They hadn't but shortly after, something else happened. Someone streaked across the hall in a blur, almost knocking over a maid and quickly running out of sight. But Jovan knew who it was. "So you really are here...E-30."

His two cybernetic guards moved forward to give chase, but he quickly stopped them. A sinister look filled his eye as he watched the maid shakily get to her hooves. 'He's a dangerous criminal...'

................................................................................................................................

The distance between him and the guards was increasing. They were definitely beginning to lose steam, so he was able to gain enough distance to be out of sight. Looking through a window as it passed, he recognized the landscape. His waterfall escape. Looking back, he just barely avoided colliding with a horse maid, who still fell to the ground in shock. Time slowed as he looked at who was farther away. Dr. Jovan stood there looking at him, still flanked by his guards.

Time resumed as he sped up, taking more evasive turns as he hoped the hadn't joined in on the chase. Taking a risky look backwards, he didn't see them in pursuit. 'Let's hope it stays that way.'

With the desire to escape the chase, E-30 leapt through the next window, tumbling through the air before landing on the ground. Barely losing pace, he continued toward the roaring waterfall, before leaping to known safety.

................................................................................................................................

Unknown to him, the guards had ceased their chase. A more important matter had taken their attention.

"Why?"

"That monster..."

They desperately attended to the maid bleeding on the floor, red wings limp. With medics on their way, they tried to keep her alive, but it was no use. Nearby, Dr. Jovan watched in apathy at the tense situation. Stepping forward, he spoke to the distressed ponies. "The criminal. He killed her. Murdered her in your walls. And you let him get away." At this, their eyes widened. A few stomped their hooves. Anger was beginning to flare amongst the ranks, and Jovan watched with hidden mirth. 'E-30... just wait until Celestia hears about what you've done...' he thought as he looked back at his guards, one with a tiny smear of red on his knuckles.

Author's Note

"Saw your ride. Followed it here...we all followed it here. Found your monkey. And that monkey was made to siiiiiing! About you...a woman, a child...a whole little family. You must be the daddy. Well now, daddy's gonna die!"

Chapter 14

So, do you approve of my request, your Highness?

Jovan watched Celestia huff and glare at him, while he remained unfazed. "What makes you think I would allow a bigger teleporter to be made? Directly under the castle, as well!"

He tilted his head inquisitively. "You care for your subjects, yes? Then you must realize the new severity of the situation. A simple search and capture of E-30 would have been sufficient, but now he has shown his willingness to bring harm to others. That means we will need more effective means of fighting him when needed. Don't underestimate his capacity to kill, just because it was only one."

Celestia stepped closer with her rebuttal. "But this still brings a larger advantage for you alone, we have no use for it."

"It brings advantages to both of us." Jovan reasoned. "Relying on the small device is a barrier for me, and losing the device to a thief is a liability for you. A big, permanent teleporter would not be lost or stolen, and can be better guarded while using it. Don't forget that you will also be receiving technology in this partnership."

At this, Celestia backed up. "The cost will no doubt be high, but I will see that your request is completed. However, when it is done, you will be required to bring pony guards with you, so they can verify what lies on the other side."

Jovan lightly bowed. "Of course. Thank you very much." With this, he dismissed himself and left the room.

Celestia watch him walk out, waiting for the door to close before letting out a sigh of anxiety. One of the guards spoke up. "Your Highness, can we really trust him with this project."

This made Celestia think about the countless events that occurred within her lifetime. "I have no doubt that he has some hidden plans. I've met ponies like him before, and I can tell he's a schemer. Some of the recent events seem to be too coincidental, especially the death of that poor maid, Cherry Wings. While I can't confirm whether or not E-30 actually killed her, it seems like the event Jovan needed to justify his request."

The guard's eyes widened. "So the E-30 thing is might be innocent?"

Celestia shrugged. "Perhaps. Either way, he still needs to be captured to be interrogated. And a watchful eye needs to be kept on Jovan. He may be skilled at sneaking now, but he will eventually slip up in a major way. Then, we will put a stop to whatever he is planning." The guard gave a determined nod. Celestia narrowed her eyes as she looked back at the door. 'After all, did you think I didn't notice the missing body of the maid, Jovan?'

................................................................................................................................

"Manehattan...Manehattan...assuming it's supposed to be like Manhattan, it's probably a city. All I've seen are these woods though." E-30 sat in his hut as he thought about how to get to the creators of the helmet in his possession. A birds eye view wouldn't be much help in the middle of the woods, and he would need to know the direction of the city. Thinking back, he didn't remember seeing any maps in the castle. "Like I'd go back there anyway." He chuckled.

He could either try the Diamond Dogs or the zebra hut. "The Diamond Dogs don't seem like the type to have a map to a city. They don't leave the mine unless it's an emergency. I guess I'll go steal from the zebra again."

Later in the night, E-30 waited in the forest near the zebra hut. He was watching for any sign that the inhabitant was home. After seeing no movement, he crept up to the house. Through the window he escaped from before, the familiar scenery was the same, except the zebra was home. Luckily, it was sleeping, so it left him an opportunity to get what he needed.

'Maybe they're a deep sleeper.' He hoped.

He carefully crawled through the window, standing up and looking around the room. He remained in one place to avoid making any noise. Across the room, there was a shelf with multiple rolled up papers. Crouching with his hands on the ground, he crossed the room and looked at the papers without touching it. By looking through the bottom, he could see pieces of what was transcribed on them, without unfurling them.

Most of them were just filled with words, some of which he didn't recognize the language. One at the bottom of the pile had landscape on it, showing it was exactly what he needed. 'Now, for the most dangerous part...'

He grabbed the edge of the scroll and gently began sliding it off the shelf. Other scrolls began moving with it, so he help the rest in place with his hand. He cringed at every little slide and crackle the paper made as he continued his theft.

The map was retrieved from the stack, another scroll filling the void. He crept back and leapt through the window, dashing away with his treasure. With a bit of distance between him and the hut, he looked at the paper under the moonlight. Sure enough, it was a map. He found Manehattan, which was on the eastern coast. "The only way on is that railroad bridge though. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, heh." He furled the map up and ran towards his destination.

................................................................................................................................

When Zecora woke up the next morning, she looked around her house to see if anything was missing. After careful inspection, she saw that her scrolls weren't in the same arrangement. Smiling, she grabbed her bag and headed to town.

In the Castle of Friendship, Zecora stood silently in front of towers of books, separated by oceans of open books on the floor between them. Twilight was on the far side, searching through two at once before adding them to the towers. Only when Zecora cleared her throat did she notice the visitor.

Twilight talked while getting more books. "Oh, I'm sorry! I've been really busy lately, but you could probably tell that. I've been searching for some clues to the identity of the mystery creature that escaped the castle, but I haven't found anything. I have Fluttershy searching at her house, and I also asked Pinkie to help, since she had spare time."

Pinkie Pie popped out from under a pile of books and waved, "Hi!" before diving back under.

Twilight continued. "But none of us have had any luck yet, and not to sound paranoid, but it's been a while since we were given this task and the creature could be anywhere by now!"

Zecora held up her hoof for silence. "I think I encountered the creature you seek, for it has stolen from me twice in a week."

Twilight dropped the books and ran over. "Really?! Do you know where it went!" Zecora opened her saddlebag and took out a bottle.

"Yesterday, this potion had coated the room, so the stolen item leaves a gaseous fume. Use your horn to activate the trail, and find the one that seeks to derail."

Twilight practically leapt in the air. "That's just what we need! I'll go tell the others. I'll need all the help I can get to find the creature!"

"Thank you so much!" Twilight gave Zecora a hug, shocking the zebra, before running out the door. "Come on Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie shot out of the books, crushed Zecora in her own hug, then zoomed out the door.

Zecora smiled, shaking her head and leaving as well.

Once the room was empty, Spike came running from the hall. "You have a letter from Princess Celestia, Twilight! ....Twilight?" Seeing the room was a mess of books, but missing Twilight, he left the scroll on the closest table so it could be easily spotted, then left.

The scroll rolled off the table, unraveling as it went. It read:

Dear Princess Twilight
A few days prior, I tasked you with finding the escaped creature. However, there have been further developments involving it, which may tie it to a murder. For now, I would like for you to refrain from seeking out or following the creature. Please notify me immediately if you happen to come across it.

Your Friend,
Princess Celestia

Author's Note

"Dr. Jones. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away."

Chapter 15

Shortly after leaving the Castle of Friendship, Twilight teleported both her and Pinkie to Fluttershy's home. Amongst the various animals in the room, she was on her couch and reading through the book Twilight had given her. Twilight saw the same blue bird was still on her shoulder, possibly helping her by giving descriptions of the creature they were searching for.

Fluttershy noticed the appearance of the two friends and looked up from the book. "Oh, you're back Twilight. Hi Pinkie. We've been looking through this book like you asked, but we haven't found anything close to the creature."

Twilight shook her head. "That's okay Fluttershy, you don't need to keep reading. I'm here because we have a lead!" Pinkie quickly lifted a hoof. "More like a trail!"

Twilight continued despite the interruption. "Now we have something to follow, and it should lead us right to the creature, or at least close enough to know its general location."

Fluttershy smiled. "That's great news Twilight. Though, I'm sorry I didn't help much." She lowered her head a bit. Twilight lightly stamped her hoof. "That's not true. You and your bird friend are the one's who found out it was in the forest. You helped plenty." Fluttershy lifted her head back at the compliment. "It was nothing really..."

Twilight smiled back. "So, are you going to come with us to find the creature?" Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. "Sure, I'd like to help."

Pinkie Pie quickly spoke up. "But what about all your animal friends?" She said as she hugged a group of them together, who were subtly trying to get away. Fluttershy dismissed the thought. "Don't worry, they're very smart. They can take care of themselves for a bit while I'm away." She turned to the animals around the room. "Until I get back, Harry is in charge." The animals all looked at the bear, who was asleep while some birds sat on top of him. The little bunny known to them as Angel hopped forward, stamping his feet. Fluttershy firmly shook her head. "You can't be in charge this time. Remember what happened last time you were in charge?" At this, Angel's ears wilted as he remembered that disaster.

The three of them grouped up, and Twilight teleported them to gather the rest of their friends.

Luckily, each of them didn't have anything important that required their attention. It wasn't Apple bucking season yet, so Applejack could leave the light chores to Big McIntosh, Rarity didn't have any orders with a tight deadline, so she could go and leave Sweetie Bell with Apple Bloom at the farm. And Rainbow Dash didn't have a Wonderbolt show to practice for, so she joined and left Scootaloo with her friends at the farm.

After informing them of the situation and new development, the 6 teleported to Zecora's hut, where the zebra was waiting outside for them.

Twilight spoke first. "So, where does the trail start?" Zecora motioned for them to follow her, and she lead them around to the back of the hut. "After stealing a map from me, through the window the creature did flee" she told them.
Twilight walked up to the window and began using magic. She tried various magical activation spells before one of them worked, revealing a glowing blue trail of smoke. It flowed from the window and out into the forest to the east.

Twilight looked back at her group. "If it took a map and went east, then it could be headed for Manehattan. Just to be sure, we should stick to the trail. We'll find it in no time!" The group hurried off, following the curling blue smoke.

................................................................................................................................

After running through the night and well into the next day, E-30 exited the woods and saw the large city in the distance. It was remarkably similar to the city he would see back on Earth. It was an island filled with tall skyscrapers covered in windows, one of which had a gold horse head on top, like a knight in chess. Outside the city on an island of its own sat another familiar sight. "Is that the Statue of Liberty?" Indeed, the famous statue he knew from Earth had its own version in this world, except this version depicted a horse, obviously.

Looking at the mainland, he saw the large bridge connecting to the island, with a train track spanning it rather than a road for cars. "Either I find a way onto a train, or try to swim across. Earth's oceans are scary enough, so I'd rather not find out what lives in the sea here."

E-30 decided to take the train, so he headed to the station that was located right before the bridge. When he got to the station, there was already a small group of horses waiting for the train. It was easy enough to get the the tracks without a ticket, since the tickets were inside the building, and there were no fences.

He crawled underneath the wooden waiting platform and waited for the train to arrive. Above him, he heard the hard knocking sound coming from the walking horses, and various conversations that took place between them. He tried to listen in in case there was something important to he heard, but all the conversations were either uninteresting, or he lacked the proper context to understand.

He quietly unraveled his map, looking it over to try and find his destination within the city. Unfortunately, the map seemed to be meant for general directions, rather than directions within the city. "I need a better map."

E-30 heard a giggle above him, so he looked up and saw a horse child looking at him through a space between the planks. He remained silent, hoping the child would go away. For a second, the child did leave, only to return giggling harder than before. Suddenly, he saw the child begin to pour juice from a cup down between the planks. E-30 didn't move away in time to avoid being drenched in the red liquid.

He was tempted to try and scare the child, but at that moment the child's parent appeared to reprimand them. "Don't pour your juice on the ground!" The child looked down at the space between the planks. "But there was..." E-30 had moved away into the darkness, so the child saw nothing.

The two horses above him walked away, leaving him wet and frustrated. His map had been hit by the attack as well, so it was now more useless than before. "I guess I didn't need it anyway." He said, leaving it behind and getting closer to the tracks outside the platform.

The unmistakable rhythm of the train began, becoming louder as it arrived at the station. The numerous train wheels glided past him, slowing to a stop before the train blared its horn.

E-30 poked his head from underneath the platform, looking up at the train for a place he could hide. 'Maybe the caboose? No, someone will probably go back there. It's too exposed anyway. Same with the top.'

As he tried to think of a plan, the train let out another horn before it started slowly accelerating. Panicking, he searched for an idea. Underneath the train, he saw pipes and beams running the length of the car. "...This is a horrible idea..."

He scrambled from under the platform, going through a gap between two cars, and flattened himself against the track. When the next car moved over him, he grabbed on to one of the beams and lifted himself off of the track. There was no space to lay on top of the beam, so he just had to hold on for dear life as the train picked up speed.

The trip became more and more nerve wrecking as the train got faster. While he wouldn't get tired from holding his position, the shaking and vibrations of the train made him think he would slip. He accidentally let his butt get too low without thinking, and the shower of sparks that followed quickly reminded him of the danger he was in. If he got caught on something, he would definitely die. They would be finding tiny pieces of him scattered all the way down the track.

E-30 watched through the spaces between the wheels at the city got closer. Before long, the ocean was gone and the train began its long braking process. The shaking of the train car began to disappear, and the threat of obliteration went with it. The train finished stopping and blared its horn, having arrived the destination. E-30 dropped from the beam and peeked his head out from under the train. The platform wasn't made of wood this time, so he couldn't crawl under it. He decided to follow the tracks backwards, arriving at the end of the platform. He hopped over the protective barrier next to the rails, into the alley next to the platform.

Luckily, there were pamphlets scattered across the ground and jutting from trash cans. He picked on up and opened it, revealing a more detailed map of the city itself. He searched for the street he needed. "There. 9th Avenue. Now I just need to go through a crowded city without being seen." He looked to his right, seeing a sewer cover on the ground. "Great..."

Author's Note

"Join the Serpent King as family. Together, we will devour the very gods."

Chapter 16

With the size of the city shown on the map, he did his best to calculate how far he needed to go. As he trekked through the bowels of the city, he kept a mental track of his general position. Occasionally, he took a peek through the gutters of the streets above, seeing the horses walk by.

The sewers served as the perfect path for E-30. Unseen by the public, he made his way for 9th Avenue, where he could hopefully find his new source of metal. Once or twice, he saw horses down in the sewers, but they were too busy performing maintenance to notice him. In the cover of darkness, he slipped by them and continued on.

Eventually, his journey led him to a door in the darkness. 'Probably a maintenance room.' Slowly, he peeked through the door and entered. The room was dimly lit, cluttered with boxes and trash. It looked more like a camp for some homeless horse. Fortunately, that horse wasn't present. He picked through the various boxes, but only found more trash and other useless items.

He searched deeper into the mess, and found a small clearing with seats, like a campfire. Off to the side, there was a bulging bag leaned against the wall. He opened the bag, and found gold. It was filled with gold coins, all stamped with the image of the queen he had met.

"I don't know how much this is worth, but I could definitely use it." E-30 grabbed the bag, throwing it over his shoulder. At that moment, he heard a voice behind him.

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU?"

Slowly, he turned around with his ill-gotten loot. He saw three horses in the doorway. Each one was a different type of horse, having a horn, wings, and neither. One of them kicked the door, slamming it shut.

"And what are you doing on our turf?" the normal horse said, glaring at him.

'Great, it's a horse gang.' He slowly put the bag on the ground, raising his hands to calm them. "I didn't know. I don't want any trouble."

The unicorn smirked. "It's a bit too late for that. You tried to take our money. Can't let you get away with that, can we?"

E-30 glanced around, looking for a way out. Through the trash, he could only see one way out, and that was the door right behind the horses. Before he could try anything, he was covered in the glow of magic, coming from the glowing horn of the unicorn. He floated in the air, before being flung into a wall.

As he fell to the ground, he saw the pegasus zip towards him, hooves extended. He dodged the attack, making the horse slam into the wall before E-30 tackled him to the ground. He grabbed the pegasus, putting his arm around his neck. They tried to pull his arm off, but he couldn't even make E-30 budge. Behind him, the normal horse reared up, and slammed his hooves into E-30's back. There was a surprising amount of force behind it, and the distraction gave the pegasus a chance to worm his way out of the hold. Once the pegasus escaped, the unicorn used his magic again. Only this time, he cast a bolt of lightning.

E-30's body seized and jerked as the electricity coursed through his systems. He could feel parts of his body melt, causing further damage. As the arcs died down, he slumped to the ground. The horses gathered around him, poking him with their hooves.

"What even is it?" The normal horse asked.

"It's made of metal, so it's probably a golem of some kind. Though I can't sense any animating spells..." The unicorn puzzled.

The pegasus lightly shoved the unicorn. "As if you could tell. Didn't you drop out of that magic school?"

"Shut up!" As the unicorn turned away, E-30 leapt back into action. Despite the damage, he managed to turn his hand into a wicked looking knife. He wrapped his arm around the unicorn's neck, and held his knife under his chin. He made sure to press it against the fur, so any sudden movement would spell doom for his captive.

"Alright, everybody stop!" The two other horses backed up with wide eyes. He could feel his body being repaired, but only slightly. Clearly, even his little robots got decimated, and needed to replicate. He needed to make this quick.

"You can have the money! Just take it! Just take it!" The unicorn said, wisely not trying to move.

'I don't want to kill them, but they might bring the rest of their gang.'

"How do I know you won't get the rest of your gang to hunt me down?" He asked his attackers. The normal horse rapidly shook its head. In his arms, the unicorn openly sobbed.

"This is our entire gang! Look around, we live in a DUMP! We're nothing!" He choked out.

Looking around, E-30 believed him. Nobody would live in this place unless they had to. But he couldn't just let them go, and now he definitely didn't want to kill them. He needed to keep them around for a while.

"If you want to live, you are going to help me with something." He looked at the pegasus. "You. Take some money. Go to The Night Crucible. 9th Avenue. Buy some of this metal." His robots brought the metal from the helmet to the surface, forming a bar. He tossed it to them, quickly bringing his knife back to the unicorn's neck.

The pegasus nodded before taking the bar and quickly flying out.

E-30 scooted over to the circle of seats in the room, sitting down with his captive in tow. The normal horse slowly walked over to his own seat before sitting down as well.

Nobody spoke. E-30 stared at the horse across from him, while the horse looked anywhere but at him. The unicorn's sobs had died down to sniffles. 'I probably look like some kind of monster to them.'

Even though he needed them to be obedient captives, he tried to make conversation. "What are your names?"

The horse across from was silent for a moment before answering. "Brisk." The unicorn quietly said "Comet."

E-30 nodded. "And why do you live down here? Where did you get the money?" He assumed they had stolen it, but he wanted to hear it from them.

Brisk spoke up. "This is our hideout. Despite the garbage, it's a good place. Hidden. And we, uh, we found that money in this room."

E-30 narrowed his eyes. "No you didn't." Comet quietly spoke next. "We stole it. Are you going to turn it in?"

'Hell no. I need that money too.'

"It's probably too late for that." He said. Brisk shuffled his hooves. "So you're going to turn us in."

E-30 sighed. "No. I probably won't be welcomed with open arms, if news about me has spread here. That's why I was going through the sewers."

Brisk's eyes widened. "Wait, are you that creature that escaped from Canterlot!? The one that jumped from Princess Celestia's bedroom!?"

'Really, is that what it's called? Canterlot?'

"Yeah. Though I thought they would keep the details from the public." E-30 said.

Brisk snorted. "As if. If there was anyone to see it, the news probably spread before you could even finish escaping. Speaking of which, why were you escaping the Princess's room? Were you..."

The door opened with the pegasus flying through, saving him from an explanation. They dropped a bag in front of him, making a clanging sound. E-30 nodded to the bag. "Open it."

The pegasus did as instructed, revealing 3 more bars of the dark metal, along with the original one. "This was all i could get." He explained. "They said most of the Moon Steel is reserved for the Night Guard."

'That will have to do for now.'

He looked down at the unicorn. "Alright, I'm going to let you go. I don't want to kill you, so don't do something stupid." Slowly, he brought the knife down, releasing his captive. The unicorn, rather than rushing, moved slowly as well, shuffling over to another seat.

Keeping his eye on them, he grabbed the metals. Immediately, his robots swarmed from his body. There were significantly less than before, but they devoured the metal the same. He felt his systems being brought back to efficiency, reversing the damage done. Based on the parts that were exposed, he could tell this metal was definitely stronger. But he didn't have enough of it.

The horses around him stared at his body, watching the robots repair him. Clearly, they wanted to say something about it, so he changed the subject. "If this is all they will give you, then someone else go get more."

The pegasus shook his head. "That's all they will give out the the public as a whole. They have a limited supply for the public, and I managed to give them enough bits to give it all to me." E-30 looked at the sack of "bits". It definitely looked much lighter than before.

"Do they make this Moon Steel on site?" He asked. The pegasus nodded. A haphazard plan formed in E-30's mind.

"Hey, what's your name?" The pegasus answered, "Blue Wing."

Brisk chuckled, mumbling "Blueberry Wing." Blue Wing glared at his friend before looking back at E-30. "My parents like to name us based on the color of our wings."

E-30 clapped his hands together. "Well, Blueberry Wing. You and I are going to go up there and see if we can, acquire, more Moon Steel. You can sneak, right?"

Blue Wing raised his eyebrows at that. "You're gonna steal it?"

He shrugged. "I've got no choice."

'This metal is too good to pass up.'

"You have an issue with that?"

Blue Wing smirked. "Not really." The two of them made their way to the door. Before they left, Comet called out to him. "Hey, what's your name?"

Not looking back, he said "E-30." before closing the door. Muffled by the door, he heard Comet say "What kind of name is that?"

Together, E-30 and Blue Wing trekked through the sewer to begin their hunt.

................................................................................................................................

Twilight searched around for the trail, but it had disappeared. The six of them had followed it to this train station, confirming her prediction that the creature was headed to Manehattan. Unfortunately, the trail had dissipated, never leaving the station. They all searched around, hoping to find the creature hiding nearby, but nothing was found. That is, until Rarity levitated something to the rest of the group.

"I saw this underneath the platform." She promptly dropped it on the ground. It was a paper soaked in mud and some kind of juice, and crawling with ants. She didn't even want to touch it with her magic more than she had to. Twilight scanned it, revealing it to be the source of the trail.

"They may have left the map behind, but there's no doubt that they went into Manehattan. From here on, we'll have to find them without a trail." Twilight pointed at the city in the distance.

Pinkie zipped over to look at the city. "Oh, this is exciting! Detective Pie is on the case!"

Author's Note

"You know, red, you're a great listener. But I never hear you talk about yourself. Come on, don't be shy, there's no one else around, right? Hahaha, right? Hahaha… hahahahaha…"

Chapter 17

Work was proceeding in a timely fashion. Utilizing the time dilation for the design process, and an army of micro builders on the pony side, Dr. Jovan watched as the next evolution of his project was brought forth. From within the outer shell of the mountain, an enormous cavern was cleared, while also removing much of the existing caves. In the center of it all, a circular platform was brought into existence. It hovered above the ground while rings rotated on varying axis around it, creating a spherical shape.

His creation, the result of his undeniable genius, would be capable of sending not only larger things, but non-living things as well. Of course, non-augmented living things would still be torn apart, but that doesn't matter.

'Luckily, these ponies aren't vulnerable to those forces. It will be easier to study them on the other side.'

Off to the sides, four ponies stood on guard, staring at his creation. Of course, they wouldn't be able to fathom its inner workings, or the things he could do with it.

They were assigned to be his entourage when he goes back to his world. He looked at the one off to the left, the one with the horn.

'I can't wait to see what makes those tick.'

They were merely guards, even looking alike. It would be all too easy to orchestrate a reason for their disappearance. After all, they were "crudely" jumping between worlds. Anything could happen.

Dr. Jovan felt his eye twitch. The Princess of these ponies had called his creations "crude". As if she was capable of understanding half of the forces involved.

'Having the innate ability of teleportation does not mean you are the masters of it. Only those that understand it. And with their help, I will.'

A booming hum brought him out of his thoughts. It was ready.

Smiling, he gestured toward the pony guards. "Follow me."

He and the four pony guards climbed the stairs to the platform, before the stairs retracted behind them. His two cyborg guards were going to stay behind, to ensure nothing was tampered with.

They entered the center of the platform, and his two guards activated the console. The rings enveloping the platform began spinning, each on their own axis. At this, the pony guards seemed skittish.

"Hey, are you sure this thing works?" The unicorn guard said, worried.

Again, Dr. Jovan's eye twitched. 'How dare he assume anything of my creation is faulty. Yes, I'll enjoy studying him,'

"Of course, my friend. There's nothing to worry about."

They didn't seem calmed by this, but the machine continued anyway. The rings moved faster and faster, before a bubble of energy surrounded them. This promptly collapsed toward the center of the platform, taking the group with it and disappearing.

................................................................................................................................

E-30 and Blue Wing jogged through the sewers. Blue Wing was taking the lead, since he knew where to surface. As they traveled, Blue Wing seemed to get comfortable enough to ask his own questions.

"So, what are you? I assume you are that escaped monster some ponies saw, but I've never seen anything like you."

'Ponies, not horses. I guess that makes sense.'

"It's complicated." E-30 explained. "I'm not from around here. I sort of ended up in the castle by mistake."

Blue Wing didn't look back, but continued to talk. "So you aren't some escaped magic experiment?"

'Not entirely wrong...'

"No. I'm a human. Came from a different world, or reality or whatever."

Blue Wing faltered at this, finally looking back. "Really? So I'm being held hostage by an alien?"

E-30 winced slightly. "Not really a hostage situation anymore..."

His pony acquaintance rolled his eyes at this. "Sure. Anyway, here's our stop."

They arrived at a ladder leading to a sewer cover. E-30 climbed the ladder to the top, with Blue Wing flying up next to him. Carefully, he lifted the cover, allowing him to peak through the gap. They were in an alley, leading to a mostly empty street.

E-30 turned to the pegasus. "Where's the building?"

Whispering, Blue Wing said "The building to our right is the shop. Behind the building is their factory."

E-30 shifted the cover to look further down the alley. He couldn't imagine a factory being in the middle of a non-industrious zone of the city, but the factory was much smaller than ones on Earth. There was no sprawling infrastructure or towering smokestacks spewing noxious fumes. It just looked like a warehouse.

"Alright then. Let's go." E-30 moved the sewer cover to the side, returning it once he and Blue Wing crawled out. They quickly moved deeper into the alley, using dumpsters as cover. Soon, they came to a door in the alley leading into the factory. When he touched it, he could see the familiar shimmer of magic, just like the protected door in the castle.

"We should have brought Comet for this. Maybe he could find a way to break that." Blue Wing said.

E-30 shook his head. "I think I already know how to deal with these." He did the same thing as he did in the castle, allowing his creepy crawly bots to surge forth from his body, collecting on the locked handle. Blue Wing watched with unease as a point on the handle glowed brighter and brighter, the barrier glowing in response. Soon, the bots had made a hole, allowing them to enter the lock and melt in from the inside.

As the barrier broke, and molten metal oozed down the door, Blue Wing looked at him and his bots. "What was that!? What are those things!?"

E-30 shushed him. "Not now. Lets get in here." He looked at the destroyed handle.

'If they see this, someone might connect it to the door I broke in the castle.'

He allowed his bots to use some metal to recreate the handle, except without the magic.

The two of them crept in, closing the door behind them. They had clearly entered the storage area of the factory, since there were tall shelves filled with boxes. Farther away, he could see the glow of heat, and hear the clanging of metal.

He opened one of the boxes on the lower shelf. It was filled with stacks of shiny brass. 'Not really what I need. But if each of these boxes is filled like that, then this is a treasure trove of resources.'

Blue Wing nudged him, pointing a hoof at a sign that hung from the high ceiling.

BRASS STOCKS

He looked at the pony and nodded. They needed to look for a sign for the elusive "Moon Steel". They went to the edge of the large shelves, peeking around the corner to the other shelves. Iron, Copper, Silver, many others, but no Moon Steel.

'If they only give a limited supply away, then they must keep the rest somewhere else.'

They went to the very back of the shelves, moving through the lane behind them. Eventually, they saw what they were looking for. At the other end of the factory, a set of double doors had the words "Moon Steel" above it. Unfortunately, between them and their destination, there was the working area of the factory. Ponies bustled at anvils and furnaces, while huge crucibles moved along tracks from the ceiling.

It wasn't particularly crowded, but E-30 still needed a distraction if he wanted to go unseen. He looked at Blue Wing.

"We're gonna push over these shelves. When that happens, run for the door. Stay low, and stay along the wall." He whispered.

Blue Wing nodded and reared up to put his hooves on the shelf. E-30 put his hands on it, and began to push. Given the size of the shelves, and the heavy contents, it was mostly him doing the pushing. Slowly, the shelves leaned forward, and then toppled.

The two of them bolted like rats as the shelves collided with the other lines of shelves. Metal bars fell like rain from the boxes, creating an unbearable cacophony. The other shelves followed like dominoes, each releasing their own storage and adding to the sound.

All around the factory, those that were able to stop halted their work, and rushed over to asses the situation. While that happened, the two intruders reached the double doors, which thankfully didn't have another barrier. Inside, E-30 saw smaller shelves lines with boxes. Opening them, he was greeted with his sought after prize. Stacks of the dark blue metal stared back at him, ready to be taken.

While Blue Wing kept watch, E-30 plunged his hands into the box. His bots eagerly swarmed the contents, breaking it down and taking it into his body. He could feel his body being repaired with the improved metal, the various impurities of other metals being replaced. Once they were done, he looked down at himself.

He looked the same as before, except now his body was dark blue, rather than dark grey. Despite the polished nature, there was no shine reflected from the surface.

E-30 rushed to other boxes, allowing his bots to break down more to store in his body. This would make him heavier, but it was definitely worth it.

Looking at Blue Wing, motioned to follow him. "Let's get out of here."

Through the doors, the commotion continued. They watched as shelves continued to fall, beginning to knock over things other than shelves. Eventually, the combined weight of the entire line of dominoes hit the wall, which was completely destroyed. Light poured into the factory as dust was kicked up.

E-30 looked at the other side of the factory. "Let's go this way." There was bound to be a door leading out.

Before they could, a deep groaning was heard. Above them, bathed in the light from outside, one of the giant crucibles was being forced off of its track by a leaning shelf. Suddenly, the tension snapped. It rushed down toward the ground, ready to turn the ponies below it into paste.

Without a second thought, E-30 rushed forward, to the surprise of Blue Wing. He pushed his legs, gaining immense speed.

................................................................................................................................

The six friends walked the streets of Manehattan, keeping their eyes peeled for the creature of interest. Pinkie was zipping around, looking at every crack and crevice with a magnifying glass. Rainbow Dash flew higher, getting a view of the rooftops.

Their search was interrupted by a loud boom. They all looked at each other before rushing over to the source. Ahead of them, they saw the wall of a large building collapsed outwards, with confused ponies stumbling out.

Twilight looked at her friends. "We've got to help them!" They went over to the scene, helping ponies get away from the rubble. All at once, they heard the deep groan of metal. Then, they saw a big crucible fall from the ceiling, ready to cause inevitable death. "NO!"

Twilight prepared to stop it with her magic, but it moved too fast toward the ground. Before she could stop it, its movement halted. The six of them, along with the ponies around them gasped and watched with wide eyes as the crucible began to move upward. Beneath it, terrified ponies watched as a creature covered in metal lifted the immense crucible, saving them from doom.

Author's Note

"There is no secret ingredient."

Chapter 18

"Beneath it, terrified ponies watched as a creature covered in metal lifted the immense crucible, saving them from doom."

................................................................................................................................

Dr. Jovan emerged on Earth from the teleportation alongside the two guarding ponies. While he landed on his feet, the other two fell to the ground, disoriented. With immense speed, he kicked the unicorn far off to the side, allowing some of his subordinates to grab it and haul it off.

He reached down to help the other off the ground. The pony reoriented himself, looking around the new space. Unsurprisingly, he noticed his missing companion.

"Wait, where did Charger go?" He asked as he searched around. The Doctor gave his insincere condolences.

"It seems he was, to put it simply, lost in transit. I apologize for your loss, we will work on making the machine better in the future."

Jovan turned away, ignoring the stunned pony.

"However, for the most part, the machine does work. This is our world, and this is my laboratory. Take it all in, because you and your people will be enjoying these wonders in no time."

Quickly sending instructions to his subordinates computers, he grabbed the distraught pony and prepared for the return trip.

................................................................................................................................

E-30 towered over the cowering ponies, with the giant metal crucible casting a shadow over him. With some effort, he moved it to the side, letting it fall safely to the ground with a shocking boom.

The ponies at his feet stared at him with wide eyes, before bursting into cheer. They crowded him, thanking him and trying to hug him. As awkward as it was, at least they weren't screaming in fear of him.

"Or asking what I was doing in the factory..."

Blue Wing slowly walked forward, just as confused about the situation. he stood idly by his side, wisely not saying anything. As the praise died down and the workers started fixing the mess, a group of six ponies walked forward. He took note of the pony features each of them had. Two with wings, one with a horn, two with nothing, and one with both. Just like the ruler he had met.

They seemed nervous as they approached. The purple one with a horn and wings, clearly the leader, spoke first.

"Um, Hi? Thank you for saving those ponies, but..." E-30 and his companion could feel the tension in the air.

She continued her thought. "...Are you the creature that ran from the castle?"

E-30 briefly contemplated his next action. "On one hand, they might blast me with magic if I say yes. On the other hand, I did just save those ponies, hopefully that earned me some good will..."

In the afterglow of his heroic actions, he decided to do the "right" thing, hoping he could use it to explain his situation properly.

"Yeah, that's me. I'm E-30, and this is my friend Blue Wing." Blue Wing did the smart thing and kept his mouth shut. He painfully smiled at them, ready for the worst.

"Your, friend?" The leader said, confused. The pink one seemed to beam at that, bouncing in place.

"The creature has a friend?! That means it can't be that bad, Twilight. Especially since it just saved those ponies instead of crushing them to death!" The pink one said, still beaming despite the words she just said.

The purple one looked perplexed. "I guess? Would it be alright if you and your... friend... came with us back to Canterlot? I'm sure you would like to explain yourself."

E-30 nodded, accepting the offer. "Of course. Blue, could you grab our other friends? We're all going to Canterlot."

Obviously seeing the opportunity that was presenting itself, Blue agreed and flew off. At this, the pink one began to bounce even higher. "WOW! It has MORE friends?!"

Within the hour, the six ponies, E-30, and his three former captives were all sitting on the train headed to Canterlot. They all awkwardly stared at each other, except for the pink one, who stared out the window with unwavering attention. E-30 decided to try to break the tension.

"So, what are your names?" They each went around, putting names to faces. The orange one with the ...stetson hat... was Applejack. The white one was Rarity. The blue one with rainbow hair was, fittingly, Rainbow Dash. The yellow one was Fluttershy, the pink one was Pinky Pie, and the leader was Twilight Sparkle. After giving their names, they seemed to loosen up, allowing them to ask questions.

Twilight asked first. "What are you, and why were you at Canterlot." The question sounded more curious than confrontational.

"I'm a human, and I accidentally ended up in the castle. I'm from a different world, probably." As bizarre as his answer was, they didn't seem to surprised by it.

Twilight pressed on. "And you ran into the woods because....?"

"....because I'm stupid, I guess?" He tried not to think about his actions leading up to this. "One foot in front of the other."

"How did you all find me? Were you tracking me?"

Twilight waved her hoof side to side. "Fluttershy heard from her animal friends that you were in the woods, so she had a bird follow you."

E-30 thought back to the blue bird that seemed to follow him through the woods. "Makes sense, sneaky bastard."

"Then, when you took the map from Zecora, we followed the magic trail from the scroll. Unfortunately, once you left it behind we had to search for you without a guide."

Pinkie Pie quickly butted in. "Then that's when we saw you save those ponies, and told us that you have friends, and then came with us onto this train to Canterlot, and then began sharing names with each other, and-" Applejack quickly put a hoof on Pinkies mouth.

"Sorry." She said, a clear countryside accent in her voice. "Rarity, Dash, and I only joined the search when there was a trail ta follow. I'm glad we did though, since this is mighty interestin'."

Rainbow Dash cut in as well, hovering in the air. "Yeah, we heard that you jumped down Canterlot Mountain! Right after jumping from Princess Celestia's room and running through Canterlot from the entire guard!" She moved her hooves to imitate the action packed scene in her head.

"Speaking of which..." Rarity added. "What exactly were you doing in her room? Nothing...scandalous I hope?"

From the look on her face, she clearly desperately hoped it was something "scandalous".

E-30 sighed. "Again, it was a teleportation accident."

Pinkie jumped at that. "Teleportation accident? Hey Rarity, that's just like when you-" This time, it was Rarity's hoof on her mouth.

Rarity continued. "Anyway, when did you and those three become friends?" The three petty thieves jolted at their mentioning. Fortunately, they all understood to just go along with it.

"As you probably guessed, I met them while I was going through the city. I guess we just connected."

"Fists and hooves connected. It also involved a knife and hostage situation." He left out. "You already met Blue Wing, the unicorn is Comet, and the...other one is Brisk."

Twilight nodded. "The term for him would be Earth Pony."

Pinkie cut in once more. "And since we're now friends with E-30 here, you are our friends as well!" The trio didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea, especially as Pinkie ran over to sit uncomfortably close to them.

E-30 smiled at their antics. Looking out the window, he could see the mountain he was very familiar with getting closer. As relaxed as this was, he was nervous about the interrogation that would no doubt come from the Princess that was waiting for him.

................................................................................................................................

"As I have proven, the platform works. The loss of the guard is regrettable, but I have already corrected the error."

Celestia looked to the remaining guard. "Is this true?"

"Despite the ...accident... it did work like he said." The guard reported distantly.

Celestia nodded. In her head, however, she was filled with rage. Clearly, Jovan thought he could continue to lie and she would be completely unaware. The disappearance of the maid's body was suspicious. But now? She had no doubt he did something to the guard. It took all her restraint to keep from blasting the smug look off of his face.

"So, I trust 'accidents' like this won't be happening in the future, correct?" She coldly stated. The Doctor's smirk only grew.

"Of course."

Behind them, the doors to the throne room opened, revealing the original source of trouble known as E-30, followed by Twilight and her friends, and three other ponies she didn't know. As she watched the group approach, she noticed that none of them were afraid of E-30. This reinforced the growing idea that he wasn't what Jovan claimed.

Celestia glanced to the side, taking note of the Doctor's changed demeanor. The smirk died a bit, but never left his face as he stared pointedly at E-30.

When they came to a stop and politely bowed, Celestia spoke. "Thank you for finding him and bringing him here. You have proven your skills once more, though I believe I sent a follow up letter asking you not to pursue anymore."

Twilight's eyes widened as she laughed nervously. "I think I missed that letter..."

Celestia paid no mind and moved on. "I'd like to hear how you found him, and what you believe should be done. You are a Princess after all."

E-30 turned to Twilight, surprised. To the side, Jovan was clearly becoming impatient.

Twilight began retelling the series of events that occurred outside the castle, mainly focusing on the chase to Manehatten. Finally, the story ended with the very surprising heroic actions of E-30. It brought much more light to the ideas in Celestia's mind.

Jovan was no longer smirking.

"E-30, I'd like to hear your side of the story. Starting after your initial...great escape." She prompted. He nodded, telling her about his time in the forest, his encounters with a Diamond Dog group, and his journey to Manehatten. She could tell he was leaving some things out about his time in the city, but that hardly mattered now.

Jovan was visibly irritated.

Celestia continued. "That's quite the story. I won't ask what exactly you were doing near the Night Crucible factory, and why you seem to be made of Moon Steel." She smirked at his nervousness. "However, the last thing I would like to know is what you were doing before appearing in this castle."

E-30 glanced at the Doctor, before giving Celestia a very disturbing tale. Slavery, torture, and the complete reconstruction of his body. That explained the metal. And certainly explained the growing doubts about Jovan. The veil was lifted.

Celestia sat up straighter. "It is clear to me there was a misunderstanding. While you did run, you didn't have any nefarious intentions. You have done nothing but defend yourself. And you, Jovan, have been shown to be a lying and evil murderer. E-30 is not a criminal, the 'loss' of the guard Charger was intentional, and the death of the maid Cherry Wings was done by you." There was a gasp from the group, but she paid it no mind as she watched Jovan.

The Doctor was enraged.

................................................................................................................................

In a split second he leapt forward. Princess Celestia fired a magical blast, but Jovan just barely slipped around it as he slammed into E-30. The two wrestled on the ground, each raining punches on the other. Jovan overpowered him, driving him into a wall and through to the other side.

E-30 quickly recovered, blocking another strike before shoulder checking the Doctor. Jovan slid back, but took advantage of his position to grab E-30's head, ripping his fingers into his neck. In an instant, E-30 began to see glitches in his vision, as his body grew heavier and harder to move. He could hear the Doctor not just in front of him, but inside his head.

"You can't win. I made you. I will have you and this world. OBEY!"

His vision darkened, before he was freed by something slamming into the Doctor from behind. E-30 shakily looked up, seeing an angry Blue Wing, attached to Jovan's back as he slammed his hoof into his head. "You" *smack* "killed" *smack* "my" *smack* "bucking" *smack* "SISTER!?"

Jovan grabbed the pegasus throwing him to the side. Almost immediately, he was attacked by ponies on all sides. He was partially covered in a purple and yellow glow while the group of six and the two other criminals curb-stomped the Doctor into the marble floor.

E-30 got up collecting himself and standing by. Clearly, Jovan wasn't escaping the grasp of both magical auras. Then, he heard heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. A different wall exploded, revealing Jovan's two huge cyborg bodyguards. One of them punched the surprised Princess Celestia, sending her to the floor, while the other ran right into the group attacking Jovan, plowing through them like a bowling ball.

Freed from his captors, the Doctor was grabbed by his guard and the three of them raced away.

Behind him, Celestia recovered and flew toward the ponies on the floor. "Stay here! E-30, come with me. They'll be heading for the teleport platform!" Without waiting for an answer, she cast her own teleportation on both of them. He and Celestia appeared in a cavern with a pop, as E-30 got his first look at the new and improved teleport system Jovan had created.

He didn't get to appreciate it for very long, as Celestia charged up a spell and fired. Despite the dulled senses of his machine body, he could feel the impressive heat of the blast as it incinerated the machine into molten slag. 'I'm glad she didn't do that while I was next to Jovan...'

The glow around Celestia's horn died. "I apologize for dragging you along. I wasn't sure if I would need you to shut it down, in the event I couldn't destroy it." E-30 just nodded quietly. The two of them left the cavern, searching the halls leading to it for their target. However, they never encountered them.

Celestia looked confused. "Where are they? They would be looking to escape, no?"

E-30 thought back to his own escape. "...except they might not be trying to go back to my world. They might just be escaping the castle! They can make a teleport platform wherever they want!"

Celestia once more teleported away with him, except now they appeared at the edge of the city. Immediately, they could see the cracks in the ground from the heavy cyborgs, and the frightened ponies standing in the streets. Below the mountain, there was no trace of the Doctor.

Author's Note

"Do you think you are alive because you can fight!? You are alive because of me! Because of what I did to save you!"

Chapter 19

Back in the throne room, the group was being looked at by a couple of castle nurses. Everyone was mostly alright, since the Doctor was focused on fighting E-30. One of them walked up to him tilting their head curiously.

"Would you like for me to look at that?" the pony asked.

E-30 slightly shook his head. "I can take care of it on my own." He could feel his tiny helpers crawling along and inside his neck. The nurse stared a little longer before nodding and moving on.

He walked over to his trio of former hostages. Blue Wing was slumped against the wall with his head down, while Comet and Brisk sat beside him quietly. E-30 decided not to say anything, and sat against the wall as well. He watched as a team of ponies reconstructed the destroyed sections of the room at a rapid pace.

He looked back at the trio, seeing Blue Wing looking up at him. Or rather, staring at his repairing neck.

"That's really freaky." He said quietly.

E-30 felt a bit self conscious, suddenly feeling itchy on his neck. "Yeah..."

Blue Wing snorted, smirking slightly before it fell from his face again. "She didn't deserve it. We haven't been close for years, but she was always a good pony. She..."

E-30 tried to speak up. "Blue...I'm s-" but Blue cut him off.

"No, don't even start with that. You didn't do it. HE did. And when I find him, I'm going to melt him down and use him as shoes!" He was visibly shaking with anger.

Before he could go any further, the group of 6 walked over. Twilight stood in front, speaking softly to Blue. "I'm s-"

Pinkie Pie cut her off by zooming past, embracing Blue in a hug. Blue struggled to escape. "Can you get off of me?"

"No."

Blue stared at her. "...ok."

Brisk put a hoof on Blue's shoulder as well, while Comet joined the hug entirely. Before the others could try the same thing, Blue stood up. "Alright, that's enough!" He shook off the ponies. "But...thank you."

He looked at Twilight. "Like I told E-30, don't say sorry. It's not your fault, and I'm going to enjoy getting my hooves on HIM..."

She looked uncomfortable at the anger in his face, but she nodded anyway. Nearby, a pop sounded as Celestia appeared. The powerful ruler looked anxious to him.

"I flew overhead and searched what I could, but it seems they have disappeared into the forest." Her head slumped slightly. "I'll send out search parties, but it's unlikely they'll be found until they poke their heads out." Celestia turned to look at the thrones. "I think Luna might have to cut her trip short as well..."

She looked back to the group. "In the meantime, I think it would be best if you all stayed in the castle for a few days. Go rest, and we'll come up with a plan after." With that, she walked away, going to speak with her guards.

Twilight spoke up first. "Come on, I know where the guest rooms are." She and her group walked away, while E-30 and his three thieves followed. They walked through long hallways, many of which he recognized from his time spend running through them. Nobody spoke, but he could see the six in front of him glancing back at him sometimes. Or, in Pinkie's case, completely turning around to smile at him.

When they reached their destination, they all went to their own rooms. In his room, E-30 stood at the window, looking towards the forest far below the mountain. He tried to use any sensors he could to get a clue about The Doctor's location, but he was either too far or good at hiding his scent, so to speak.

Once more, the shining sun in the sky raced rapidly toward the horizon, replaced by this world's bright moon. 'Out of everything that has happened, that's still the weirdest.'

There was a quiet set of knocks on his door. E-30 carefully opened it, revealing Celestia standing in the hall. "May we talk for a moment?" She looked tired. Her visage was flawless, of course, but he could see it in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure." He let her in, following her to the middle of the room, where she sat right on the floor, legs curled under her. He sat as well.

Celestia spoke first. "Do you wish to go back to your world?" She stared at him, waiting for his response. He felt conflicted.

"I kind of want to go back, but given my status as officially dead..." She raised an eyebrow at this. "...and that psycho running around out there, I guess the best choice would be to stay." E-30 decided.

Celestia continued to stare. Then she looked at the window. "You would be willing to help find Jovan, to stop him from hurting more of my ponies?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She studied his face for a moment. "Very well. In the morning, we will discuss getting you a place to live within Ponyville. That will keep you close to the Elements of Harmony to combine your efforts." With that, she stood up. "See you in the morning."

He stood too. "Yeah. See you... wait. I've got to ask." He pointed out the window. "Why does the sun and moon only move at the end of the day?"

Celestia looked back and smiled. "That's because my sister and I move them to start and end the day, of course." Then, she teleported away.

"...Huh?"

Dealing with the bizarre revelation, he heard another knock at the door. When he opened it this time, he saw Pinkie Pie smiling up at him. "Hi! Can we come in?"

"We?" He opened the door more, and saw all five of her friends in the hall, as well as his three sewer acquaintances.

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yep! We decided to meet in Twilight's room, then we wanted to come here so we could all talk, and YOUR friends were also coming here, so now it's like a big sleepover!"

E-30 looked at Brisk, who just shrugged. He stepped to the side and gestured in. "Sure, I guess." Pinkie Pie bounce past, followed by the group of ponies at his door. He decided to follow Celestia's example and sat on the floor. Blue Wing, Comet, and Brisk all sat next to him, with the rest sitting to finish the circle.

E-30 clapped his hands together. "So, I spoke with Celestia, and she said I will be staying in Ponyville while we try to fix this situation."

Applejack stamped her hoof. "Well that's great to hear! We can show you 'round town and give you a proper welcome."

"A PARTY welcome!" Pinkie rocked back and forth excitedly.

Blue Wing looked over at him. "So... are we going with you?" E-30 shrugged. "I guess you guys can stay with me."

Twilight spoke up next. "I remember Princess Celestia saying your...metal... was Moon Steel, like the Night Guard."

Rarity waved her hoof in his direction. "Yes, I didn't know it was called that, but I always thought the color was a bit too dark." Rainbow Dash slightly hovered off the ground. "I think it looks awesome!"

Twilight smiled, shaking her head. "Right. Well, looks aside, how did you get it? I tried getting some a while back, but they only sell a small amount and are always sold out."

E-30 glanced at his new partners in crime. "I needed more metal to heal, so we kind...sneaked in and took it." His companions all winced at the statement.

Applejack's eyes widened. "You stole it?! Did you tell-"

Twilight interrupted her. "I'm sure he and the Princess will work it out later." She said, diffusing the situation. "By the way, did you know that Moon Steel absorbs and stores magic?"

Comet spoke up. "You mean like Dispersion Rings?"

Twilight looked his way. "Not exactly. Dispersion Rings block magic from activating." Comet looked sheepish. "Right..."

E-30 looked at his hands. He didn't know that when he found it. He just saw it was strong metal. "That sounds good. What does it do once it absorbs the magic?"

Twilight slightly looked up, as if remembering something she read. "Well, you can usually use it to augment your own magical ability temporarily. The Night Guard use it for armor, so a unicorn's spells can be bigger, a pegasus can fly faster, and an earth pony is stronger. Of course, it's limited by the charge the metal can hold."

Rainbow perked up at this, before catching herself. "I wouldn't need that, but it sounds neat."

"I guess I'll have to get more of it. Or find out how to make it myself." E-30 thought aloud.

Twilight shook her head. "Only the Night's Crucible and the Princesses know how to make it. You would have to ask them."

E-30 nodded. "Then I'll do that tomorrow. I guess we should all get to bed."

Rainbow hovered again. "No way! Didn't Pinkie say this was a sleepover?" She looked over, but Pinkie was sprawled out on the ground, sleeping with her face against the floor.

Rarity was the first to get up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather sleep in my bed rather than on the floor."

Applejack scooped Pinkie onto her back. "Alright then. See y'all tomorrow!" She trotted out as Pinkie drooled on her side.

Rainbow dropped to the ground. "Okay, fine. I'm tired anyway."

Twilight left after, with Fluttershy quietly following behind her like a shadow.

That just left the trio and E-30. Blue Wing spoke. "If we're gonna stay with you in Ponyville, what are we gonna do? We're not exactly the most employable."

E-30 looked at them. "Well, my place is gonna have to be a workshop of sorts, so you'll help me with that."

Brisk raised an eyebrow. "That sounds vague, but we don't really have a choice. I assume we're not getting paid?"

E-30 smirked. "Hell no."

................................................................................................................................

The next morning, they all met back in the throne room before Celestia. She looked very regal in her throne, her mane waving for no reason.

She addressed E-30 "You will go with the Elements of Harmony to live in Ponyville. I imagine you would want to build something yourself, so it can be on the edge of town. You'll help them locate and apprehend Jovan while you are there. Should you need it, I can send a team of guards to aid you."

E-30 nodded. "Thank you. I'd also like to ask how to make Moon Steel, if I may?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "That's a highly guarded secret. Hm... no, I don't think so. However, I will send you some to use. If you can manage to make it on your own, then I must ask that you refrain from selling it."

E-30 smiled. "Thank you very much."

Pinkie Pink jumped up. "Ooh, can you make me a Moon Steel hoof band? Or maybe earrings like Zecora's? Or maybe a Moon Steel tooth!" She continued suggestions as they left, beginning their journey back to Ponyville.

................................................................................................................................

They had trekked all through the night. This forest showcased the uniqueness of this world, being the home of so many bizarre creatures. 'When I have time, I'll need to collect each of these fascinating predators.' For now, he would have to make do with slaughtering them as they attacked him.

He needed a place to build his research and development site. Luckily, they saw the perfect place in the distance through the trees.

Author's Note

"Grab your snacks, watch your screens, and see what happens. You are no longer in control. I am."

Chapter 20

"You got the wood, Brisk?" E-30 asked.

"Yeah, right here. We don't have any tools to build with though."

"Don't worry about that." E-30 called on his tiny little helpers, watching as a sea of insect-like metal swarmed the cart filled with wood planks. Comet almost shrieked when they skittered past his hooves. Brisk and Blue Wing stood farther away, and watched as the bots destroyed the planks, and began making a building out it. To them, it was like the house was growing out of the mass of metal bugs.

"I'll replace the material later, but wood works for now." E-30 said as he walked into the still growing house. The trio cautiously followed, making sure they didn't step on any of the builders.

In record time, the construction was complete. E-30 planned on adding to it in the future, but this would do for now. Rooms for each of them, and a basement storage area and workshop. We would need to start stockpiling materials as soon as possible.

Blue Wing stepped forward. "So, if you can build that fast, you don't even need us."

E-30 stopped at that. 'That's right, anything they do I can do faster on my own. Unless...'

He turned to them. "How about I try to make you your own microbot sets? I could make you suits to use them."

Comet's eyes widened as he stepped back. "You're gonna put those inside US?!"

E-30 quickly shook his head. "No, not inside you. Just external armor. Then you can help me build, and help you fight when we need to. You'll definitely need it."

Brisk shrugged. "That sounds good. When do we get it?"

E-30 thought for a second. "We'll wait for the first Moon Steel shipment. I'll want to see how I can get a system to interact with your magic. Right now, I believe we have a party to attend."

The four of them left the house, all of E-30's bots crawling back inside him. Coming from the outskirts and heading into town, normally there would be an increase of ponies, going about their day. That was this morning, however. Now, all the streets were empty, and E-30 had a feeling he knew why. They hadn't been here a full day, and Pinkie had wasted no time in preparing their Welcome Party.

They arrived at the large tree that had apparently been turned into a library. 'This is the second time I've been in a tree building...'

E-30 came forward and knocked. Inside, he heard loud giggling, then a loud shush, followed by "BE QUIET!". All three sounded like they came from Pinkie. The four of them looked at each other, before opening the door.

Unsurprisingly, the group of ponies inside shouted "SURPRISE!!" as the lights came on. It looked like everyone in town was here.

E-30 looked around. "Well, this is-"

"Great, right?" Pinkie interrupted. "We don't have just one new pony, but four! Well, three and one human thing!" She went behind them, pushing them forward. "Now, go say hi!"

E-30 wandered around, meeting the new ponies. The trio decided to stay with him, though they didn't have to say anything since all the attention was focused on him.

A different trio, one made of children, came running up to him. The yellow one with a bow spoke first. "HI! My names Apple Bloom! This is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Welcome to Ponyville! What are you?"

The one named Sweetie Belle elbowed her. He decided to answer. "I'm a human...sort of. I'm new around here." He gestured to the three behind him. "They're new too. Blue Wing, Comet, and Brisk."

The three children didn't seem to care about that last part. The one named Scootaloo came forward. "Do humans get cutie marks?"

E-30 was confused. "Cutie marks? What's that?" At this, the three kids all looked at each other in shock, before loudly talking over one another.

Blue Wing nudged him. "You don't know what a cutie mark is?"

E-30 shook his head. "Obviously not. I'm not from here, remember?"

Blue Wing turned around showing his ass. There was a picture of a pony covered in shadow, crouched low to the ground. "This is mine. Given the circumstances you found us in, I'm sure you can guess what it means. You didn't notice before?"

E-30 huffed. "No, I didn't notice. I wasn't staring at your asses."

Comet smirked. "Didn't you meet Princess Celestia first? I don't see how you could have missed such a huge cutie m-" Comet was cut off when Brisk smacked the back of his head.

At that moment, the three children calmed themselves down, turning back to the group. "A cutie mark tells you what your special talent, or what makes you unique!" Sweetie Belle explained first. Apple Bloom continued "We don't...have ours yet... but we'll get them soon! Because we are..." The three of them took a deep breath.

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!! YAY!!"

All four of them stared with wide eyes at the outburst.

Without missing a beat, they continued as if nothing happened. Scootaloo actually addressed the three ponies next to him. "So, what are YOUR cutie marks?"

The three stallions looked at each other, before showing their marks. Comet's was a picture of fireworks, and Brisk's looked like a wind symbol.

"Cool!" The three fillies said at the same time. Scootaloo imitated Blue Wings cutie mark. "Yours is like a ninja, you must have awesome ninja skills right?"

Blue Wing shrugged. "You could say that."

"So, how did you get your cutie marks? Maybe we could do the same thing!" Apple Bloom asked.

The three stallions looked at each other. "Maybe we can tell you later. We need to go say hi to everyone else."

The four of them walked off as the fillies said "Pleeease?"

E-30 looked at his companions. "So, how did you get them?"

Blue Wing chuckled. "I got mine while sneaking into school after hours. I tried to find the grade book to change my grades. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it, so I had to settle with loosening the screws on my teacher's chair so it fell apart when he sat on it."

Comet went next. "I got mine when I set off a huge fireworks spell in the halls on the last day of one school year."

Brisk finished. "Got caught shoplifting as a kid. I bolted out of there, and they never had a chance at catching up. After that, I joined the track team at school."

E-30 shook his head and laughed. "You guys are a bunch of degenerates, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared, pushing a cart with a small cake on it. "Here you go E-30! I made this one specially for you."

'That sounds ominous.'

It looked like a normal cake. He hesitantly cut a piece, and instantly felt something off. There was something hard inside. He picked the piece up and looked at it. There were metal bolts baked into the cake.

He looked at Pinkie. "....What is this?"

She just smiled wider. "You're made of metal, right? Well, I figured you must also eat metal too! I wanted to try the cake, but the last time I ate metal didn't go so well."

E-30 looked back at the cake. Aside from the bolts, it looked okay. 'Shouldn't be a problem, I guess.' He ate the piece, and he could feel his robots rushing to break down the bolts as they traveled down his throat.

'Okay, I hate that feeling immensely'

The cake was good, however. "Thanks, Pinkie." She bounced up and down. "Your welcome!"

As she bounced away, a familiar form approached. It was different from the rest of the ponies here. It was a zebra.

'The same zebra I stole from. Great.'

She stared at him "I am Zecora, from the home in the woods. I believe you are the one who stole my goods."

E-30 felt embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I can help you get more if you need it."

Zecora continued to stare. Finally, she smiled. "You are a friendly creature, I'm told. Perhaps we can let friendship take hold?"

E-30 relaxed. "That sounds great, thanks."

Zecora nodded. "Farewell then friend, but I must warn you. Evil in the woods begins to brew."

With that, she left the party. The four looked at each other grimly. Twilight walked over to them, looking the same. "Zecora told you right? After the party, we'll need to begin planning our search efforts."

E-30 agreed. "Yeah, the sooner the better. We can't give him any time to prepare. In fact, I'll be getting more Moon Steel soon, so maybe you can help me with it."

Twilight's eyes widened at this. "Of course! Thank you for allowing me! I've always been trying to get some, but it's so hard to get a good quantity of. I'd love to test it magical capacity when-" And just like that, she cheered up talking about all the things she would do with the metal. E-30 hoped she would be able to help him make better use of it.

Applejack came up to him, looking amused. "Pinkie wants you to lift that table. Reenact that thing you did at the factory, y'know?"

E-30 laughed, heading over to the table, where Pinkie was in the middle of pantomiming lifting something over her head. When she saw him, she said "Ooh, there he is! Come on, lift the table!" She jump up, deciding to stand on the table. He laughed, before crouching down and lifting the table off the ground. Compared to the giant crucible, this was nothing.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered, before scrambling up him to get on top of the table too. Seeing this, there was a surge of ponies all finding their way on top of the table. In the back of his mind, he noticed a low power sign. 'Right. Not too dire, but I've got to figure that out.'

"Alright, that's enough. You're gonna break the table." He said as he put it back on the ground. They all laughed, getting off and resuming their conversations.

He turned to his friends. The three were laughing at his antics, but he could tell they were impressed.

The party was beginning to ebb, so he and his crew left. He had to get ready for that first shipment. 'Hopefully, I can recreate it on my own. That stuff is going to be very useful.'

Author's Note

"And for your information, I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners MADE BY MAN! I know its got an aftertaste! I LIKE IT!"