Everfree Guardian

by Delta0mega

Rating: mature
Tags: Violence, Human, Anthro, Applejack, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Death, Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Rarity, Profanity, Fluttershy, Adventure
Length: 53974

Taking a more realistic turn of events for his past, Nate Schmidt returns to play a normal Human In Equestria role, fitted with the weapons he used to fight through demented oppression and a twisted fate.

But in this new world, even his weapons and will to survive can't fill the hole in his heart. With no family left, no friends, and nothing to protect, the human of Equestria remains empty, stained with a blackened heart.

That is, until he was shown kindness by the first Pony he met.

Any and all images, videos, references, and ideas that are not my own belong to their respective creators. My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro.

Published 2021-03-25 17:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-01 21:31:34 UTC

First Bond

Author's Note

As the story is coming to its end, I've decided to come back and do a bit of visual editing on this story and it's dialogue. I realize that I'm not the best at depicting who's speaking in a conversation, and that some sentences can get mixed up between speakers, so while I try to improve myself and finish off this story, I will be giving the characters tagged on the story their respective colors for their dialogue.

Other side characters listed in "Other" will also get their own color schemes, as they are important to the story in one way or another.

Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Pinkie Pie
Applejack
Rarity
Fluttershy
Celestia
Discord

Nathan Schmidt

First Bond

"The night is really beautiful this time of year, isn't it?"

The human turned his eyes upwards upon mention of the glimmering little lights in the darkened skies. The words of his companion on this little stroll through the safer side of the Everfree Forest were correct. Whoever is said to raise the moon does a good job lighting the darkness with these beautiful spectacles. It's of no wonder that people stargaze every now and again. If you sit back, and leave your worries and focus to wane away, the sky becomes all there is, and you can truly appreciate what lies above you.

A nod of the human's head made Fluttershy smile as she awaited an answer.

"It is. Reminds me of the ever-changing night sky back on Earth. Not as coordinated and laid out like this, but looking up always takes your breath away."

This was Nathan Rea Schmidt, the first and only human to ever walk upon Equestria's soil. Being a species not native to the country, or the world, it was assumed that he was alien to the planet, and rightfully so. Back where Nathan came from, there was only one race that was sentient on Earth, and that was his own.

Now, he's spent three weeks in Equestria and found more sentient life here than he'd ever expected. Most of which come from mythology and fables written in books. Pegasi, Unicorns, Dragons, Griffons; the whole nine yards.

Of course, that didn't mean he was getting friendly. Coming from a... peculiar and rough situation before winding up in the unpredictable and highly-dangerous forest known as the Everfree, Nate was armed with the weapons of his people. Four of them, in fact, as well as the knowledge to gather the materials and assemble the ammunition needed to keep them going.

See, when Nate first arrived in Equestria, he was hurt, badly. Two bullet wounds were present on his arm, and a large gash ran down his chest, running deep into the muscle and even cutting a rib. Awakening in the Everfree wasn't pleasant, especially when a pack of wooden wolves came barreling at him in a ferocious pack. His shotgun was the only thing that stood between him and death, and when he had escaped them before they reconstructed, he met Fluttershy at the treeline of the forest. The first Pony who offered his hand, and the only one he wanted to give the time of day to trust and know.

He wasn't an expert on winding up on alien planets, but if this place was anything like Earth, then they'd do what humans would do if an alien ever appeared.

Capture, dissect, study...

Not what he wanted, and not ever going to happen so long as he had something to say and do about it.

Anyways, for the last three weeks, Nathan has been here, in Equestria, living as a sort-of neighbor to Fluttershy. Being foreign and not enthused by the idea of meeting the Ponies of Ponyville, Fluttershy understood his recluse, offering to, instead, start a bit of trading deal to help each other get by. Since Nathan decided to live back in the Everfree a bit, he would get her the herbs, plants, and spices needed within the forest, and in return, she would trade him those herbs for the various meats she has, which were primarily used to feed her carnivorous animal friends before the human came along.

It seemed to work. Nathan built his own little house about a mile into the forest, set up the old furniture Fluttershy no longer needed in her house within it, and has been sitting pretty with the anthropomorphic mare for a while now. It's gotten so easy for the two of them that they've had the time to hang out on occasion, often bonding over a cup of tea at Fluttershy's (or in Nate's case, a mug of Apple Cider), or having a picnic near Nathan's house.

It was quite a thing to see, a human and a Pony getting along so well. Normally, in either's case, the opposing species would find the other a freak, or a godly abomination of life itself, and while Nate's guard was normally up most of the time, he lessened his principles of hatred whenever Fluttershy was around. Her kindness is a mediator for his animosity.

But, for once, Nathan didn't oppose friendship. Where he was from, a friend was the death of you. No one was your friend for no reason. There was always something in it for them. Selfishness reigned over a caring gesture. Here, though, Fluttershy has proved time and time again that her motives were pure. She proclaimed herself the Element of Kindness, and she proved it. Slowly, and surely, Nathan's walls fell and welcomed her into proximity of his blackened heart while those walls remained up for all others he would meet in due time.

A gentle giggle from his left pulled Nathan out of his inner monologue and reminiscing. Glancing over, he eyed up the humanized Pegasus. Aside from the obvious equine features, Fluttershy, and those like her, represented humans in more ways than one. She stood around his height, if not a little shorter, and had all the curves and assets that made her a woman. She was definitely gifted with her well-endowed figure, and her kindness only amplified the attraction stallions here would have for her.

Nathan wasn't among them. While he does have his basic human desires every now and again, he had the sense to not act on them. Fluttershy had only ever valued him as per their friendship, and never once stepped over her boundaries. Hell, the only times where she got bold was when she planted sweet kisses on his cheek for either in gratitude for his help around her home, or whenever he showed genuine kindness back.

Nevertheless, he wasn't crossing the interspecies line just yet.

"I remember how beautiful the night was way back when the girls and I went to our first Grand Galloping Gala?"

"The Triple-G? Didn't you mention that night being a bust or something during our last hangout at your place?"

"Oh, yes. It wasn't the loveliest of evenings, but it didn't make the aesthetics any less beautiful. Princess Luna always works hard on making the night sky so wonderful."

The two turned a corner down the path as Nate held the shotgun by the stock, the actual weapon itself slung over his shoulder while his other hand was shoved into his hoodie's pocket.

"I wasn't sure about a lot of things when going to that party. I wanted to meet all the new and exotic animals that lived upon castle grounds, but I'm not a big fan of crowds, and I didn't really have any confidence in the dress I was wearing. It was a little... revealing, and plain."

Fluttershy's ears folded back as she gave a sheepish smile, the two approaching the edge of the Whitetail Woods and heading back towards the southwest entrance to Ponyville. Not wanting to go directly through town, Fluttershy had been leading the two around the town to reach her cottage, the excursion in Whitetail Woods drawing from mid-evening to late at night.

"I should have known better than to doubt Rarity's craftsmanship by now."

"You showed me that dress, didn't you? The green one?"

Fluttershy nodded as they found themselves on the path that narrowed between the Everfree and Ponyville.

"I don't think it was that bad. Your fashionista friend does have a good sense of style when it comes to each person's personality. The green in that dress brought out your affiliation and content with nature rather than the standard or industrial city life. It was a good look for you."

"Oh! Thank you! I-If you want, I can always put it on and show you how I looked in it."

Nate patted Fluttershy's shoulder as they came up the adjacent path to the latter's home.

"Flutters, you don't need to go out of your way to do that. If Rarity made it to make you look "dazzling", then I'll believe it."

He ushered her forward as he stopped at the bridge going over the small river.

"You'd best head on inside. Here's the stuff we collected out there."

Nate handed the bucket full of different materials gathered at Whitetail Woods to Fluttershy, letting her take it and sift through it to ensure they had everything.

"Excellent. This will help me with Harry's back troubles wonderfully. Thank you for helping me scavenge for all of this, Nate. Even with one of my animal friends, and maybe even Angel, I would still have too much baggage to carry home alone, especially since it's so late already."

"No problem, Fluttershy. You've scratched my back a lot these past couple weeks. Aside from the few batches of herbs, it's high time I paid you back for your troubles."

"Nate, helping you has never been a burden on me. If anything, I believed making you go get those plants and special spices for my medicines troubled you."

She trailed the toe of her shoe on the old tile of the bridge as she gave a shy look down at the railing behind her.

"I don't like going into the Everfree. Even in the day, it's so dark and scary in there. So many unpredictable creatures and monsters live in there, and it's a wonder that Princess Celestia hasn't destroyed it."

"She may very well have tried, if the threat is THAT real. In all honesty, aside from the supernatural aspect of the forest, those woods are exactly like the jungles and forests back on my planet, so it's less of a hassle for me to learn to survive and adapt in there."

Fluttershy gave a narrowed stare at her human friend as he walked up to the side of the bridge beside her.

"I wish you could have, at least, tried to come live in Ponyville. I know I live on the outskirts of town, but I still go in every now and again for my friends and household needs."

"... You know how I feel about that, Fluttershy... Not yet... One day, but not yet."

A sigh was all Nate got in response as she shuffled in place.

"I know. I won't push you, but it would make me so happy if you could give one of my other friends a chance."

"You DO realize I work at Sweet Apple Acres, right? The Apple Family doesn't really see me as a friend, but we all respect each other enough to keep my existence a secret."

"I know... Again, I won't force you to do it, but seeing you all alone just makes me sad. It's your choice, but if you want my opinion, please give it a chance. I promise you, it's not like where you're from. Everypony's really nice once you get to know them."

Nate glanced at her, seeing her mildly-pleading expression. Grunting in defeat, he waved her off as he turned and walked down the way they came.

"I'll think about it... For now, let's leave it at that. I have to get up in the morning and head over to Applejack's to help with the apple-bucking."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Are we still up for that picnic for lunch?"

He stopped at the intersection, looking back at her.

"You still got that bottle of Stalliongrad Bourbon?"

"Um... Yes."

"Then count on it. We'll toast to another day of boring, or wacky, events."

Fluttershy smiled as he turned and walked down the path to the Everfree.

"Catch you later, Fluttershy."

"Bye-bye, Nate. I'll see you at the picnic."

Giving one last wave, both disappeared into their respective homes. With Fluttershy, she meshed into the darkness of her home as soon as she opened the door, closing it behind her as Nate blurred out of sight through the shadows of the trees. Going through the Everfree Forest was, indeed, dangerous, as mentioned before. It was one of the few reasons why Nate always kept, at least, ONE gun on him at all times.

Timberwolves, Manticores, those damn chicken things that turn you to stone if you look them in the eye. Seriously, FUCK this forest Nate calls home.

Making his way down to the dead-end of the path, Nate did an immediate right, circling through a few marked trees and finding the stakes he set up that led to his home. His house wasn't that big. In fact, he could compare it to Fluttershy's cottage. The differences are the fact that it's one-story only, and everything was essentially one big room. The kitchen, the living room, the bedroom; only the bathroom was separated from everything.

Opening up the door to his house, Nate finally took the shotgun off his shoulder, setting it aside within a special cabinet he turned into a safe he's locked down with one of those Runes he found in some castle ruins. Apparently, it only ever reacts to his touch, so unless he physically touches the cabinet, it stays locked tight. Inside the cabinet itself were his other three guns.

One was a bolt-action rifle. A Remington Model 700, to be exact, and one fit with some very powerful FMJ rounds and homemade 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition.

Another was a revolver. A Ruger Blackhawk that packed a serious punch with its .44 Magnum rounds. Unfortunately, Nate had used up all of this ammunition, and knew only how to make homemade .357 Magnum rounds. Not as powerful, but still bucks and puts large holes in its targets.

It was quite a bitch for Nate to have to continuously scour the Everfree for the materials needed to craft these bullets, and quite frankly, he was surprised that he was able to find the correct minerals and gunpowder buried just a couple inches above rich, undisturbed dirt, but his Tracking Rune always pointed out these locations picture perfect.

These separate Runes seemed to become increasingly handy, even though he doesn't have one that can simply duplicate the original ammunition for his guns. It sucked, but that's why he learned to make his own bullets, even if they could never be as great as the original made by professionals trained to do this.

The third was a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield model pistol, his first and most dearly treasured handgun. Reliable, concealable, and was the easiest to handle and craft 9mm bullets for. He ALWAYS had it on him, even when he was going to sleep.

Lastly, there was the aforementioned shotgun in his hands, a Mossberg 590. It was, arguably, the most lethal out of all of them at certain ranges. It was the gun to save him from those Timberwolves, after all, and making the 12-gauge shells for it was as easy as the pistol cartridges, as shotgun shells were the first of many cartridges he learned to make by his father.

That isn't to say making the ammunition was easy at all. Sure, forty-three million hunters and sport shooters make their own bullets and shells, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was still a strenuous and delicate process making all these bullets in great amounts. Without them, his guns were useless, and without his guns, he wouldn't last long out here or in the towns beyond the forest.

His involvement with bad people in a bad family gave him that edge to survive, and now that he's here in Equestria, he couldn't be any more thankful for it.

Stepping away from his safe, Nate wandered over to his kitchen, grabbing some leftovers out of the fridge and plopping down on his couch. Opening up the most recent newspaper on the block in Ponyville (don't ask how he got it), he flipped through the various articles broadcasting what was going on throughout the Kingdom. Didn't seem to be anything interesting. The monarchy meets with new diplomats, the stock prices are going up again thanks to some asshole in the nobility, there were sightings of some ape creature near the Everfree Forest, and there was a discounted holiday at some cake shop in Las Pegasus.

...

Wait, what was that third one?

Nate flipped the paper back to the previous article, seeing a bit on the sighting of an ape creature wandering about the Everfree. There weren't any clear pictures, but there was a description by a mare giving a testimony.

The creature was described to be about five-foot eleven, and wearing clothes like a Pony does. It walked and talked like them, and was seen fighting it out with a Manticore using some sort of projectile weapon. Literally, the testimony said it was a "monkey with a boomstick".

Yeah, that was cause for concern, because now, his carelessness just exposed him to the news before he could come to Ponyville on his own terms, and as he read the big bold words on the front of the article, he couldn't help but scowl to himself.

New monster spotted near the Everfree Forest.

"Goddamn it..."

Apples on the Prowl

"Well, there he is!"

Nate looked up from the path as he was coming up onto Sweet Apple Acres. It was early in the morning, near crack of dawn, in fact. All of the Apple Family were buzzing about to get the day started, prepping wagons and baskets while Applebloom, the youngest of the bunch, was getting ready for school. Applejack, her elder sister, and main farmhand of the ranch, was wearing her usual checker-patterned crop top and denim shorts, her cowboy boots fitted with dried-up mud and grime from the work she did yesterday and of the few minutes she's been awake this morning.

Like Fluttershy, Applejack was a looker. Not as much as Fluttershy in terms of femininity, but the cowgirl was still gifted with both womanly aspects and a strong body. It had a charm that would woo those who look for hard-working women. Tipping her stetson hat back, the cowgirl mare offered a smile down at Nate as she stood about a head taller than him.

"Didn't figure y'all be comin' so early. What's gotcha up and about this mornin', sugarcube?"

Nate didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Holding out their newspaper that he retrieved from their mailbox before coming up the path, he offered it to Applejack.

"Page three, article five..."

Applejack blinked before taking the paper and reading through the section she was told to look for. Finding it only made her grimace, then frown.

"Aww, shucks. Ah thought that's what this was all about."

"You know about this?"

Applejack nodded as she rolled the paper up, tossing it to her brother, Big Macintosh as she put on a pair of working gloves.

"We heard some commotion yesterday and went to go see what's going on. When we found out some mare saw ya near the edge of the Everfree fightin' a Manticore, we tried to disprove the mare before it got outta hand. Turns out, even the honest word of the Apples don't sway the Ponies out of their little gossipin' fun."

She shook her head as Nate growled, keeping his hood up and hands in his pockets to negate anyone from seeing his human traits.

"Damn stupid... Just as annoying as people..."

"Oh, don't get yer panties in a bunch, sugarcube. It'll all pass once the next big thing comes around."

"I guess you're right..."

Nate walked with Applejack as he picked up a thinner pair of gloves.

"So, what's on the agenda today, boss?"

"Well, Granny Smith had an issue with her hip, so she's gonna be bedridden for a good while. Big Mac and Ah gotta start on the apple-buckin', so can y'all do me a big favor and take Applebloom to school?"

"Take her to school?"

The orange mare nodded as she loaded up a few more baskets.

"We got a few less trees to worry about today, so taking an hour tops isn't gonna hurt the progress none. That, and Ah don't have anyone else to bring her. Would ya, please?"

Nate looked up at her, then towards Applebloom as she struggled slightly to get her backpack on. Pursing his lips, Nate bypassed AJ and grabbed her sister by the bag. Lifting it up, he straightened it out and let go, allowing it to thump onto Applebloom's back as she shook off the struggle fit she was just in. Looking up at him, Nate nodded for her to lead the way as he looked back at Applejack.

"I'll be back after I drop her off."

"Thank ya kindly, Nate. We'll have a few baskets ready for ya to take to the barn when ya get back."

He nodded as he ushered Applebloom along, following her down the road as he kept himself shadowed by the hood. He didn't want anyone to find out he wasn't a Pony, especially now that the news caught wind of him. Being extra careful as he made his way into the less-populated side of Ponyville, he looked down at Applebloom.

"So, how's school going, kid? You getting along fine?"

"Uhm... It's goin' okay..."

Nate rose an eyebrow, then remembered something that's been going on for a while now since he's been working for the Apple Family.

So, there's this family in town. They call themselves the Rich Family, which is a household run by two wealthy Ponies named Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich. According to Big Mac, they're entitled pieces of shit who influenced their daughter: Diamond Tiara, to be as painful to others as they are with the community.

Now, the Apple Family has issues with them because Diamond Tiara and her friend have been harassing Applebloom and her two close companions for god-only knows how long. They've called them Blank Flanks, ostracized them from the others in class who are nice, but have Cutie Marks, and recently, it's beginning to become physical, which crossed the line for Applejack. She was going to file not only some complaints to Town Hall, but also get the family arrested and in court for harassment. Nate bet a few bits that Granny Smith would get a restraining order on them, and even refuse to sell them any of their Apple Cider or other merchandise.

Oddly enough, it was him to persuade them to wait on it, and give it time. He was sure that a few other solutions would arise, but now he's starting to see the mental toll it's having on Applebloom herself. He was afraid that his involvement, and making them wait, may have made the problems at school escalate.

Truth be told, he was just a worker. He had no business getting involved with the Apple Family drama...

But... still... Applejack is his... friend... One of the few real ones he's ever had aside from Fluttershy. Seeing as friendships like that are rare, he's willing to commit mass homicide and drench this town in red if it meant keeping Applejack and her family safe, and the same went with Fluttershy and her animals.

Be that as it may, he only had one task right now, and that was to get Applebloom to school and head back to the farm.

Upon coming closer to the school, however, he already figured that there was going to be a bit of a holdup. The Rich Family was there, father and mother both, and they were none too pleased with the mare who taught the students under her. What they were saying was incoherent since Nate and Applebloom were outside and the parents and teacher were inside, but he was still able to make out enough through their lips that the issue was with the Apples.

Sighing, Nate ushered Applebloom to go play with the other kids, and cautioned her to stay clear of her bullies till this exchange inside blows over. Nodding and walking off in another direction, Nate did something both really bold, and really stupid.

*knock-knock-knock*

He got involved, again. Stepping back from the front door to the building, which was just a giant classroom with an outdoor bench for lunchtime, Nate waited as the door began to open.

Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich stormed past him, yelling back at the teacher about how she won't be hearing the last of them. Judging from their attitudes, they didn't seem to get what they wanted. Looking back at the pair, then turning forward, he waved to the teacher as she came out, looking him up and down. Seeing Applebloom come up to his side and grasp his hand, ignoring his gesture for her to go be with her friends, the teacher put two and two together.

"Hey there. I'm sorry to come knocking like this. I just wanted to let you know that I was dropping off Applebloom from Sweet Apple Acres. I'm an employee of the family, and I've been seeing a lot of turmoil that's effecting our work. I know it's none of my business, but I wanted to know if everything was okay."

The teacher held out a hand.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for coming. Quite frankly, I don't care who among the Apples come to settle this, I just need it solved. My name is Miss Cheerilee. I'm the one who teaches at this building for the young fillies and colts of Ponyville."

Nate shook her hand before holding up the other.

"As much as I want to help with this, I'm only a worker. I have no relations with the Apple Family other than that. Perhaps it's better if you talked with someone like Big Mac, or Applejack herself."

Cheerilee gave a forlorn frown, a sign of extreme disappointment as she wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. The Rich Family was breathing down her neck with threats and bribes, wanting this all to go away and have the Cutie Mark Crusaders expelled for "putting so much on their daughter". It was bullshit, and Cheerilee saw it from a mile away.

"Yes, yes, I know I should. I just... This shouldn't have become so much of an issue. Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich are becoming increasingly agitated, and Diamond Tiara's bullying isn't making the situation any better. If you get the chance, can you let Applejack and Big Macintosh know that I want to have a conference here at the school?"

Nate nodded, giving a thumbs up as he stepped off the porch of the school's entrance.

"I'll do so as soon as I get back. I'm supposed to be out in the fields with Applejack anyways, so I need to get moving."

He looked out towards the schoolyard, seeing Applebloom with her friends.

"If... you want my opinion on the next best step before nipping this in the bud, try and keep them separated till the parents can sort this out. If Diamond Tiara has the guts to keep picking on those three, even with this going on, she'll cause more of an uproar with the Apples. Believe me. That's not something I want to see."

Cheerilee wholeheartedly agreed, looking out into the schoolyard herself as Nate stepped off and began walking back down the path. Stealing a glance at Applebloom, he could see her doing... fairly decent right now. She was enjoying herself, and her two friends were good company, it seems. At least, now, Nate can leave and head back to the farm in good conscience. Anything that comes up, Cheerilee can deal with it.

He's overstayed his welcome in Ponyville, and he wasn't willing to risk his existence in a town already suspicious of him.

Making his way back through the less populated side of Ponyville, Nate managed to reenter Sweet Apple Acres without running into anyone. Opening up the gate, he strolled on in, rolling his shoulders as he popped a few bones in his fingers. Looking around as he got to the house, he eyed the landscape for anything orange and moving. Sure enough, he spotted something that fit half that description standing atop the first hill of the orchard.

Stepping away from the house, Nate climbed the hillside as he could hear his boss sighing out in relief after a morning's hard work.

"Phew-wee! Boy howdy, Big Mac. That there had tah be the smallest bunch we had ta harvest all season."

"Eey-yup... Almost too small for two Ponies to have done it."

Applejack smacked her brother's arm as Nate finally reached them, approaching from behind.

"Aww, don't be like that, Big Mac. No matter how small it is, a mornin' spent apple-buckin' is a mornin' well spent."

Big Mac hummed as he crossed his arms. Applejack, hearing Nate coming, smiled as he walked up beside her.

"Howdy, sugarcube. Ya back from the school, I take it?"

"Wouldn't be anywhere else, boss."

A gentle snicker came from the farm mare as she looked out into the empty apple trees, the three standing there for a while before Applejack glanced down at Nate.

"Y'all... get along okay...?"

"..."

Nate turned his head away, pursing his lips as Big Mac sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. Turning and walking away from them, Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose as she could see what Nate was implying.

"Lemme guess... The Rich Family...?"

Nate nodded, which incited a growl from the orange Earth Pony.

"Goddamn it..."

Nate glanced back at Applejack as she held a barely-ripe green apple in her hand, her fingers digging into it as she stormed away.

"Ah'm gettin' sick and tired of this shit."

Nate rose an eyebrow at Applejack, seeing that she took up more from him that he realized. The Apples were an honest bunch, and that also meant with their feelings and their words. If she was swearing like he would, he knew she was pissed, and was better left alone.

Turning back to the path leading into the apple trees, he could spot the baskets down below, filled to the brim with apples. Heading back to the barn, he grabbed the wagon used to haul them and began making his way down. When he reached the first basket, he picked it up by its hem and sat it inside near the corner of the wagon. Moving onto the next, he placed it down to the left of the first one. Again and again, he'd repeat this cycle for the rest of the morning and well into early afternoon.

Move the wagon, pick up the apple baskets, and place them in the wagon. Rinse and repeat.

When the sun was almost directly above him, Nate could feel the ground tremor. Looking down at one of the few apple baskets left in the orchard, he saw how they began to vibrate, then violently shake as the tremors worsened.

'What the hell...?'

He looked up through the trees as he could feel the center of the tremors coming from the plains beyond Sweet Apple Acres. Pushing through the foliage and stepping out, he skidded to a halt when he saw a bunch of... rather "large" women almost trampling over one another as they made a beeline towards Ponyville.

Nate sighed as he recognized this scenario. It was his fourth day of work all over again.

'Damn cows are riled up again...'

As the giant females were closing in on the town, a Pegasus in the air called out the stampede, urging everyone to get inside while the herd was still far enough away.

What was spooking them this time? It's not like there were many dangers out this way. Usually, the loud noises and dangerous predators hail from the Everfree Forest. Of course, what he should have known was that those very dangers can pool out of the forest and bleed into the Kingdom as well.

He knew this, and was reminded of it when he saw one of the cows in the back go down, and began to get dog-piled onto by a bunch of quadrupedal... creatures.

Looking towards the orchard, Nate could see Applejack and her dog racing for the cows. Her aim was to stop the cows from bulldozing the town, and with her occupied there, her lack of attention to the creatures could cost her life.

Nate, pressing his lips together, jogged out into the plain and pulled out his pistol. Aiming it forward, he fired as several targets moving in the tall grass. With every shot hitting its mark, he could hear the familiar cries of the most iconic, and common predators the Everfree has to offer.

'Timberwolves...'

Nate immediately reloaded and slipped the pistol back into its holster. These wooden creatures were the weakest of all monstrosities in that damned jungle of nightmares. They may be ferocious, but they're not smart, and the wood that makes them up is not very strong, either. They're just mean, and have a thing with coordination and ganging up on their prey or challengers.

With Nate being the latter, the predators no longer focused on the cow caucus. Instead, the pack of five were now solely locked onto his figure. With better game, there was a better prize. All hunters knew this, and now both sides were going to be fighting for the prize of survival.

Applejack, in the meantime, shoved herself up against the herd of rampaging, yet frightened herbivores, attempting to turn them away from the town entrance. Looking to her dog, she nodded to the other end of the herd.

"Other side, Winona! Hurry!"

"Bark! Bark!!"

The dog slowed herself, turning and rounding the back of the herd. Squeezing them together in a thin line, both Applejack and her dog were able to slow them enough for the former to bring out a lasso and wring the leading cow. Pulling back and forcing her path to shift to the right, the rest of the cows followed the frantic leader as Applejack used all her might to get her to slow to a halt. When she finally was able to stop the herd, it seemed being stationary calmed them, as they were breathing much slower than when they were running.

Taking the lasso off of the lead cow, Applejack brushed the sweat off her brow as she walked over to her.

"Phew... Now, WHAT was THAT all about?"

At first, the cow only mooed back at her, but at the sight of Applejack's risen eyebrow, she cleared her throat.

"A-Ahem...! Oh, beggin' yer pardon, Applejack, but we were all jumped when we were herdin' near the Ghastly Gorge."

"Jumped? By what?"

The cow opened her mouth to speak, but both were cut off by a yell in the distance. Turning towards the sound, the cows began to grow frightened and panicky when they spotted the Timberwolves attacking something else that got in the way of the herd's rampage. Applejack herself was stuck in place when she realized the said "something" was her employee.

Stepping up on a rock to see better, she held her stetson hat firmly against her head as she watched the two forces go at each other.

Nate, being caught in the middle of the pack, ripped his arm away from the jaws of the Timberwolf that leaped onto him. Taking it by the body, he turned and threw it into another, smashing them both to pieces on the impact as he turned to the third one. Clutching its jaws together while lifting it up into the air, he barreled it down into the ground, full-force, shattering its snout as he kicked his left foot backwards. His hardened boot clobbered a fourth Timberwolf trying to sneak up on him while his free hand grappled the fifth and final, presumably the Alpha of the group. Holding the latter in a choke hold, he grabbed the third member of the pack and slammed it down on top of the other. With the one beneath it snapped in two, he rose up his foot again and smashed the head of the second-to-last threat to splinters.

Glaring at the Timberwolf struggling against him, he kept it in his choke hold as he held down its torso with his knee. Twisting and pulling, he yanked off the head of the beast and tossed it away, dropping the body as it thumped against the dirt. Staggering back from the broken animals, Nate let out a few hoarse breaths as he situated his hood, ensuring that his face was still concealed. Looking around at the wooden carnage around him, he turned to his arm, seeing a nasty bite wound on the forearm near his hand. Frowning, he pulled out some duct tape he nabbed from the barn in case the wagon broke, and began wrapping up the bite to keep it from bleeding any further. Last thing he needed was an infection, and this tape was the only suitable substitute for bandages at the moment.

Flicking his arm as he got the last of the tape secured, he looked out towards where the cows ran off towards. Seeing that Ponyville was their destination, he was quick to retreat, but not after glancing at Applejack's relieved self one last time. Reentering Sweet Apple Acres, he got back to work.

As for Applejack herself, she only sighed and tipped her hat down, her relief washing away as she turned back to the town of Ponyville. Hearing the townsfolk cheer for her, she smiled as she shooed the cows away, letting them go on their merry way without having to fret over the Timberwolves that were previously hunting them.

Rolling her shoulder, she began to make her way back to the farm as well. She left quite a mess behind when those cows came raging through, and Granny Smith will be on her in a heartbeat, heroism be damned, if she ignores it. Coming back onto her lot, she found herself at the barn in no time, but stopped when she realized that her employee wasn't in the fields like she thought he would be. If there was one thing that Nate Schmidt was, it was a semi-workaholic.

Or rather, he had a bit of OCD when it came to getting things done. if there was a task, he'd see it through, even with a gaping wound on his arm.

So... where was he?

"Y'all need ta take better care of yerself, ye hear?"

Applejack blinked when she heard her granny's voice speaking from her house. Looking over, she saw that the human was sitting on the porch next to the elderly farm mare, the latter having his arm in her firm grip as she was pulling splinters from the holes that were left by the Timberwolf's bite. Applejack could practically feel Nate cringe every time the bark and scraps of wood were pulled from his bloodied appendage. Walking over towards them, she could hear Granny Smith scolding her worker as she got the last bit of wood out.

"You were smart to bandage it up like you did, but y'all forgot that Timberwolves leave behind these splinters to cause infections to spurt in their prey. It weakens them, ya see."

Granny Smith pulled out a wad of gauze, wrapping it around the human's arm as Applejack stopped at the bottom of the porch, stepping on the second stair up the flight.

"Ya may be strong, sonny, but ye ain't made of steel. Had y'all made one bad mistake, and ya wouldn't be walkin' away with just this here bite."

"You can say that again, Granny."

Nate looked over at Applejack as she took off her hat, wiping her brow with her forearm as she placed her other hand on her hip.

"Still, though. You handled yerself mighty fine out there. Them Timberwolves ain't even reassembling themselves after the fight."

"Of course they aren't. I aimed for the cores in their bodies. Beat them down enough, and you'll be able to trace the source of their smell. Smash that to bits, you can kill those things before they regenerate their lost bark."

Applejack nodded, knowing his knowledge of these creatures came from his time in the Everfree. She still didn't like him living out there, but he was built to survive. She saw that in how he handles himself out on her family's orchard. They may not be as prominent as her's or Big Mac's, but he's got quite the muscle hidden under his hoodie, and with his experience in surviving the dangers of those wicked woods, there was no better creature in Equestria fit to live in those harsh conditions.

Nevertheless, Applejack cared for her employee, viewing him as just as important as her family and friends. So, when she saw the blood quickly soak the gauze, she was ready to give him slack. However, as soon as he arm was bandaged with a fresh role of gauze, Nate was standing up, and heading out back to work.

"Hey, hold on, now, partner."

Applejack grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from moving on.

"Big Mac and Ah can handle the load. Why don'tcha take the rest of the day off? Ah'm sure Fluttershy would appreciate the company after that stampede earlier scared the wits out of her."

Nate looked up at her, then out to the baskets he'd yet to pick up. He didn't feel comfortable leaving a task incomplete. He wasn't built, nor did he raise himself to be lazy. Applejack seemed adamant he'd take it easy, though, and judging from the light squeeze he felt on his shoulder, he knew she was only concerned about him, and wanted him to be safe, and healthy, all things considered.

Taking a breath, he nodded.

"Alright. I don't normally leave a mess laying about, but I know we'd only argue if I decided to stay. You Apples are a stubborn bunch, after all."

Applejack only laughed.

"Y'all know us so well, sugarcube.~"

She patted him along by his back.

"Get along, and go get some rest, Nate. Y'all earned it after that fight. Just be here tomorrow bright and early. We'll have plenty for you to do, then."

"Yes, boss. I'll be there."

He waved to them as he passed by Big Mac, heading for the ranch's exit.

"Have a good one."

Applejack tipped her hat at him as she placed her hand on her hip.

"You, too, partner. Y'all get home safe, y'hear?"

Nate held up a thumbs up as he moved along, leaving the family to themselves as he made his way out. Watching him go, Granny let a smile creep onto her lips. With her and Applejack sharing a look, the two went back to their respective duties.

"Come along, Big Mac."

Applejack fanned herself with her hat before putting it back on, heading down into the orchard's acres to see what Nate missed.

"Let's get back to work."

Party Foul

*skkrt-...*

*ccchhh-...*

The sound of dirt being ruptured by a shovel clapped through the small yard as Nate drove a spade into the ground, taking up a bit of dirt and tossing it aside. Using his foot, he scooted some vegetable seeds under the hole, placing the dirt he dug up back over it as he moved onto the next spot.

A few days have passed since that incident with the Timberwolves and the cows. Nate's arm has healed, but the bite had left a small scar. Nothing that Nate cared about, but Granny Smith was insistent on checking it over multiple times for any severe damage. Thankfully, the bite missed any nerves and neglected to dislocate or break any of his bones. All it really did was take a small chunk out of him, which was something he was naturally able to heal from easily.

Coming back to work this morning after a weekend's rest, the Apple Family put him to work. Applejack herself had him doing what he usually does in the morning, then Big Mac had him pulling the plow over the fields beyond what he was working on now. Coming the early evening, Nate was instructed by Granny Smith to sort out and replant some vegetables near the back of their gardens.

With the last hole dug and the remaining seeds slid in, he covered it up and patted down the dirt. Stabbing the spade into the dirt, he reached over and grabbed the hose, turning the stream of water towards the freshly-planted crops. After giving them a healthy drink, he rung the hose back to the barn's left outer wall, and turned the water off. Turning back to the garden, he nodded to himself in satisfaction as he held the shovel at his side.

"That's some mighty fine work there, Mr. Schmidt."

Nate turned to his left, seeing Big Mac walking up to him.

"Some pretty efficient work, too, if I might add. Y'all were able to pick up apple baskets, plow the fields, and plant some new seeds in our garden; all before supper time."

The uncharacteristically-chatty stallion gave Nate a nod as he patted his shoulder.

"You've certainly proven your use as a Rancher, Mr. Schmidt."

Nate nodded back as the two turned to the gardens, feeling the cooling breeze of dusk blow by as the orange hue of sunset began to settle in the horizon. Looking up at it, Nate found this to be a perfect time to call it for today. He's gotten a lot done, and if Big Mac, of all Ponies, was voicing this himself, then that damn well means something.

Walking into the side entrance to the barn, Nate moved to the corner that had all the racks and equipment lockers. Lifting the spade up, he clipped it onto its hook, tugging on the shovel lightly before letting it sway on the hook gently. Stepping away and making his way out, he exited the barn through its main door and stared out towards the afternoon sun.

This really was a beautiful orchard. With miles upon miles of greenery and the fresh riches of nature such as apples, Nate was almost thankful that technology hadn't advanced to an industrial level yet. It sucks he can't use a fucking phone, but at the same time, there's no clouds of smoke polluting the atmosphere like humans did in the past... and in the present.

'We really are a shitty species, aren't we...?'

He shook his head of those thoughts, sighing as he began to work his way back to Sweet Apple Acres' entrance. With all his work done, he was able to leave early, and he wasn't keen on sticking around for supper again. There's only so many times he can eat with the Apple Family before he starts thinking he's mooching off of them, employment or otherwise.

Nate Schmidt was NOT a dependent person. He had survived things that no Pony or creature on this harmonic planet would even DREAM to experience. Hell, he's done things that...

...

No...

No. What happened in the past can't be undone. His shame remains as a constant reminder of his sins, of his mistakes, and the so-called "family" he burned along with the rest. There's no point in thinking about it.

'Heh... Easier said than done, Schmidt...'

He shook his head as he opened the gate to the orchard, walking out after locking it shut. Aimlessly wandering down the path towards the Everfree Forest, Nate was planning on stopping by Fluttershy's to see what she's up to. It's been a few days since they last spoke, mainly because Fluttershy has had a bit more on her plate than usual, so he was hoping to catch up with one of his only friends here on Equus.

As he moved to the intersection leading to Fluttershy's cottage and the Everfree, he saw from there that the door was shut, and the lights were out. Fluttershy wasn't home, and judging from the lack of animals wandering about, she hadn't been home for quite some time.

'She must've gotten up earlier than usual for something...'

Nate shrugged it off, still making his way towards the shy mare's home. Instead of going inside, he went over to the chicken coop, leaning on the small house as he watched the flightless birds do their thing. Fluttershy really does a good job keeping them together and happy. Just the mere fact that these animals show and feel more emotion than their instinctual counterparts on Earth baffles Nate, but at the same time, it's endearing. Everything has a personality, even that big motherfucking bear that he was initially frightening and defensive towards had a soft side. Most of it was reserved for Fluttershy, but after spending so much time here, all the animals grew used to him being around.

Nate let a grin etch onto his face as the chickens approached him, one brushing up against him before tending to her eggs. With them all returning to their young, the human looked out towards Ponyville.

What was Fluttershy doing that was taking up most of her days? He'd almost never seen her this busy before. Then again, he's only been in Equestria for a little under five weeks. He doesn't know the ins and outs of this world like a Pony does. Still, though, that doesn't keep the twenty-one year old from trying.

His eyes trailed over Ponyville, his teeth gentle grazing over his bottom lip. Fluttershy had wanted him to come to Ponyville at least once while he stayed here. While he didn't fancy the town very much, and the fact that he wanted to keep himself concealed in the case that they don't take kindly to "aliens", he wasn't one to turn down those he cared about. Fluttershy had done right by him a lot more than he had her. He owed her a favor or two at least, and besides, he said he'd consider a visit into town not too long ago. He might as well make due with his promises and make her happy.

Pulling out his work gloves, Nate hid his hands with them, ensuring that he wouldn't expose his bare skin to the populace. There may be tan Ponies roaming in Ponyville, but one look at his tan skin and black hairs on his arm, and they'll know immediately that Nate is different from them. He hopes that the media with his sighting has also died away as well. The notoriety he had in those days was staggering. Every now and again, one brave and stupid fool would come into the forest looking for him. If he hadn't swept their path up of Timberwolves and other deadly traps, they would have never been alive long enough to be scared back into Ponyville.

But with all that fading, and the rumor now just believed to be another Pony just wandering near the treeline of the forest, the resident human was somewhat in the clear. He can never be too careful.

Ensuring the gloves were snug, and that he still had his Smith & Wesson holstered at his side, he pushed off the chicken coop and took the other way of the intersection for the first time of his new life here. The walk itself was quiet. The calm breeze of nature seemed to soothe his anxiety, though the latter only continued to rise, regardless, as he came closer and closer to town. When he found the sign welcoming people to Ponyville, he stopped. Eyeing the sign intently, he glanced back the way he came, then turned forward. There was no going back now that he's come this far from home. I mean, it wasn't FAR far, but it would look odd if he just walked away with Ponies looking his way. Taking his first steps into town, he paced himself in order to get a look at everything. The houses around Ponyville were as simple as expected. Given that this place was more a large village with a central Town Hall than any form of small city or open-bordered state town, it made sense for the houses to be simple.

It was homey, and inviting for newcomers.

Walking down one street, then turning off onto another, Nate pressed on more and more, earning glances from stallions and mares every now and again. He did find a few familiar faces. That teacher, Cheerilee, was by one of the stores he passed by. She gave him a smile and a wave, to which he returned with a curt nod and a wave of his own. Other than that, all the faces around here were roughly new to him, and vice versa for the Ponies. The rumors of the "Monkey with a Boomstick" came up again, causing Nate's nerves to tense, but they quickly faded as some other Ponies cast off those beliefs as they accused Nate of being a Pony, just like them.

On and on, this village went. If it weren't for the fact that it was sizable from the hills of the Everfree, Nate would assume Ponyville was much bigger than it was, but after ten minutes or so, he found himself in the shopping district near Town Hall. Walking up to one of the empty tables set off to the side for Ponies to rest at, he leaned against the edge with his arm resting on the corner. He watched as the Ponies went about their day, the bustling village being a stark contrast the serene and quiet Sweet Apple Acres.

His moment of peace was severed as he heard laughter from above. Turning his head upwards, he eyed through his hood at two individuals flying by. One of them was a cyan Pegasus while the other was some odd hybrid between a cat and an eagle. She, like every other female he's known, had a body girls back home would KILL for.

'Are all creatures on this planet this unrealistic...?'

He shook his head as the two swerved around the houses, landing nearby.

"Haha! That was sweet! Anyways, I gotta go take care of few weather jobs around here. It shouldn't take long. Just, uh, hang around in town and I'll come find ya!"

"That's cool, I guess. I'm gonna go chow down!"

"Later!~"

The blue Pegasus flew off, leaving the hybrid behind as Nate got a better look at her. Upon closer inspection, he'd be hardpressed to NOT know what this new creature was. Anyone worth their salt in mythology would identify her as a Griffon; head of an eagle and the body of a lion, and boy fucking howdy, this weird land of anthropomorphics definitely blessed her with good looks. She was one of those kinds of girls who would call you "tiger" as a flirt. Think Mary Jane Watson, but with a personality that... "puts out" more.

You get what I mean.

Anyways, Nate stayed at his table, watching the Griffon with interest, and the more he observed her, the more he began to see just how different Griffons are to Ponies.

Having spotted a vegetable stand nearby, the Griffon made her way over, sneaking by the vendor and sticking her tail out the front through the products. Nate didn't see it before, but Granny Smith was in town as well, most likely to pick up something she wasn't growing at the farm. When she saw the Griffon's tail, she shrieked and backpedaled.

"EEEK!!! A RADDLER!!! IT'S A RADDLER!!! RUN FER THE HILLS!!! EVERYPONY FER THEMSELVES!!!"

Nate watched as Granny Smith "sprinted for the hills" back down the street she came from. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned off the table, keeping his hand on it as the Griffon lingered at the cart, that same tail drawing a potato from the stand. She ate away at it as she moved on, making it clear she wasn't intending on paying for what she just snagged. Nate flexed his fingers, drumming the table as he turned his head away. It's hard enough to keep his head down with the rumors of his sightings. The last thing he needs is to get involved with this woman.

"Alright, little ones. This way, now..."

Nate recognized the voice of Fluttershy almost immediately. Turning back to the street, he could see that she was returning from a trip, but had also decided to spare the time to help some ducklings get through the crowded paths of Ponyville. A grin etched onto the incognito human's face, but it quickly faded when he saw Fluttershy backing towards that Griffon's path.

'Oh, shit...'

Nate stepped away from the table, walking forward to go intercept Fluttershy, but even if he was as fast as his bullets, he wouldn't have made it in time before Fluttershy bumped into the Griffon.

"Hey!"

The yellow Pegasus looked up at the feathered hybrid, blinking as she stepped back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking-"

"I'm walking here, pal! What's your problem?!"

Fluttershy, intimidated by the larger figure, especially with her wings flared out, backed away from the Griffon.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just leading the little ones along and-"

"I don't give a flying FUCK what you were doing! Why don't you just watch where the hell you're going, you tan-furred whore?!"

Nate's hand twitched as his eyes immediately glinted with hate and anger, a rush that he was very much familiar with. The one-sided shouting match continued between the two as he walked towards them, his steeled nature surfacing as he knew the only response people like this Griffon would understand...

was violence.

Plus, there's a bit of an unspoken rule here in Ponyville.

*CRACK*

*SMASH*

Nobody yells at, or makes Fluttershy cry.

The Griffon staggered as Nate's fist had connected with her beaked jaw, the lanky, yet sexy figure smashing into another vendor stand and sending all the merchandise onto the ground. Fluttershy, no longer on the verge of tears, was wide-eyed in surprise as she found her human here, smack dab in the middle of the town he's avoided for weeks on end.

Everypony else was stunned silent, nopony doing anything as the Griffon recuperated from that hit. Once the pain went away, she was only met with a hand wrapping around her throat. Pushed past the stand, she was forced up against the wall by the faceless human, clutching his arm with her talons.

It surprised everypony to see what they presumed to be another Pony handling the Griffon as he was, but to Nate, this wasn't nearly so. He knew the physiology of the creatures here in Equestria. The common ones, anyway. He knew who were strong, who were smart, who were cunning, and who were aces in the air or on the ground.

Nate never got into a fight he couldn't win when concerning a Pony. Hell, they're HORSES, for Christ's sake! Different world or not, they still had two-thousand pounds of force per square inch packed in a single kick, and Earth Ponies like Applejack can hit with TWICE that. Ponies were tough fighters, but Griffons?

They're not even close.

"G-Get your fu-fucking hands off me!"

The Griffon looked down at the human, seeing through the shadows of his hood and finding pure white eyes glaring back at her.

Nate said nothing as he looked up at her, the defiant stare she gave returned with his own. Glancing to the side, he let the Griffon down-

*SHATTER*

-only to shatter a window shutter upside her head. Splinters and small fragments of wood sprayed everywhere as Nate swung the shutter out from its hinge, a small portion being the only thing that remained after it hit the Griffon. Grabbing the feathered fiend by her head, Nate turned and shoved her to the ground, head first. Before she could react and respond to his aggressiveness, her head was curb stomped into the mud she was laying in. Bubbles and small splashes of murky dirt displaced as she delved deeper into the puddle, gurgling and gasping for air.

Stepping away from the Griffon, Nate glared down at her as she hacked and coughed, unable to fling another insult towards the human as she was spitting wet dirt and grass out of her broken beak.

A moment of still silence passed throughout the whole district before Nate turned and walked away, flicking the blood off his gloved hands. Looking around after leaving the Griffon alone, he couldn't spot Fluttershy. She must've gone home when the commotion got heated. Looking down at the ducks she left behind, he knelt down to them, reaching out his hand to mama and papa. With slight hesitation, they leered their heads forward, pecking at his fingers lightly before the ducklings approached thereafter. Nate lowered the same hand to them, watching at one of them climbed into his palm. The antics of the babies would bring a smile to anyone.

"Better bring you guys to Fluttershy's cottage..."

He placed the duckling down next to its parents and stood back up. The feathered creatures looked up at him, as if expecting him to lead the way. Sighing, he turned and began making his way back down the path he took into the shopping district. Glancing over his shoulder every now and again, he found the little ones tailing him, the parents following suit. He rolled his eyes as he put his hands in his pockets.

"I am not ready for kids..."

To say Fluttershy was in a bad mood was an understatement. She had just returned home from a trip out to Las Pegasus for an animal shelter that required her attention and nursery, only to be given the worst welcome home she's ever had.

Helping out those ducklings and their parents make their way through Ponyville wasn't a hassle or a bore at all. Fluttershy always loved hanging out with animals, and helping them when they need it. It's her talent, it's her style, and it's what she does for a living. She enjoys it, and would trade everything she could to keep doing it.

No, her day got bad as soon as she actually got into Ponyville. She didn't know why, but Ponies just seemed nastier today. Pinkie Pie had been hard at work setting up parties, and she assumed that she was setting up so many at the same time, and the town hadn't had any fun for a good while. Hopefully, that changes soon, because Fluttershy was put into a bad mood the second something unnecessary was said to her by another mare.

Then, to top that off, some Griffon began yelling at her for a mistake, an accident. Had it not have been for her human friend, things would have escalated to a point where she couldn't get away from. The taller, well-built creature would have wiped the dirt with her face, and shamed her to the whole town. She was grateful to Nathan Schmidt, though shocked to find him in town. It was a welcome change to see him, but Fluttershy wagered this was his introduction to the town.

The first time there, and most likely his last...

Now, the yellow Pegasus is back at home, on the verge of crying once again. In her haste to get away, she left behind the ducks she was escorting, leaving them at the mercy of whatever would come across them. She was a horrible caretaker for leaving them behind, and was trying to get the resolve and courage to go back.

As soon as she stood up from her couch, however, a noise at her door snapped her from her stupor.

*knock-knock-knock*

The three knocks, a triple pattern that she recognized. Rushing to the door, she swiftly unlocked and opened it. There, at her front door, was the Everfree human himself. Cradled in his arms were about a dozen ducklings with the mother and father standing on his shoulders.

"N-Nate?"

"Are these ones yours?"

The little ones began honking away with their tiny voices as the mother bit at the side of Nate's hood. Giggling softly, and brought up in slightly better spirits, Fluttershy let Nate in, ushering him to let the family of ducks down in the living room. Depositing them onto the carpet, they crowded towards their parents as they jumped off Nate's shoulders. Standing back up, the human watched as other birds and animals came from different parts of Fluttershy's cottage, greeting them with curiosity and intrigue. Nate huffed at the interaction, then turned to Fluttershy as she seemed to be covering her face slightly with her mane. He knew exactly why.

"Flutters... You alright?"

"..."

Nate's frown deepened as he was only greeted with silence by the mare. He didn't blame her. With what just happened in Ponyville, that was likely the first time she, or any other Pony in the town witnessed violence of that level of ferocity. The human wasn't stupid. He knew this land of harmony has its occasional discordance. Fights break out, and even war was a thing a few times here, if the history books were correct.

But for civil disputes, he wagered nopony would expect it to escalate to the point where blood was drawn.

Taking another glance at Fluttershy, his already prevalent shame intensified as he turned and made for the door. That is, until Fluttershy stopped him, taking his hand into hers.

Turning around to her, he found her staring at the floor, a look of conflict on her face as her eyes shifted slightly every now and again. Looking up at her human friend, she saw only the darkness of the shadows cast by his hood staring back at her. After another long silence, Nate gave her hand a squeeze.

"Sorry you had to see all that... That was... Well, that WAS me. It's what I'm used to, especially in situations like that with the kind of people that could compare to that Griffon."

He faced her as he softened his grip on her hand.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-I know, and it's okay. I know I really shouldn't be saying this, but... she did kind of deserve it."

Nate rose an eyebrow as he eyed the shy and good-natured Pegasus.

"Huh... You? Of all Ponies, YOU thought she deserved it?"

"She was mean and foul-mouthed, Nate. Not only that, but if you hadn't shown up, she would have hurt me, and probably others, too. Even Ponies have limits..."

The human gave her that. Even the friendliest and quietest have fuses, and with Fluttershy, he didn't want to imagine what she'd look like if her fuse had lit, and she exploded.

God forbid if that ever happened.

He watched her as she let him go, turning and taking off her coat. Hanging it up on the coat rack, she looked back at Nate as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you stay safe, Fluttershy. I should probably stick to the Everfree for a while. No doubt this'll get Ponies talking again..."

He backed up towards the door.

"If you need anything, lemme know. I'll be close by."

Fluttershy looked towards him as she slipped on her trademark green sweater. Perking up as he was at the door, she raced after him.

"W-Wait, Nate...!"

He turned back to her as she caught up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"C-Can I ask you for a favor? I know you were just in town, but I don't want you to think what happened represented our town. Not for a first-timer like you."

She reached into her pocket and handed an invitation to him.

"There's a party going on later tonight. Will you please come? I promise, it will be a much more pleasant experience than what you and I have been through already."

Nate stared at her for a good minute before shifting his attention down to the invite. Pursing his lips as he flipped it over, he fought with his brain and his heart, arguing back and forth with either side of his subconscious to make a decision. On one side, he didn't want to expose himself further, even if it is something festive like a party. He doesn't trust Ponies, or any species, on this planet, save for Fluttershy and the Apples. This part of him wanted to return to the solitude of his home in the forest and stay there for the next few weeks.

However, the part of him that fought back with equal strength in his mind was a part motioning him to take the invitation and go. It was the optimism in him that's slowly returned in the prior weeks he's been in Equestria. Slowly, he's been warming up to the idea of meeting others again, though even this side of him wanted to keep his guns and weapons close by, even in a situation like that.

Stuck at a crossroad, he did a mental coin flip, and sighed as he gradually nodded.

"Yeah... Yeah, sure..."

Fluttershy was taken aback, fully expecting some sort of resistance from him.

"A-Are you sure? I don't want you to do anything you're completely uncomfortable with. It was just a question. There's no pressure."

Nate shook his head as he pocketed the invitation.

"Fluttershy, I've been living on the outside of Ponyville for God knows how long, and I don't know how much longer things will stay that way. I'll have to come out of the Everfree sooner or later. Be it a party, or another fight..."

He turned away, putting his hands back into his pockets.

"Might as well rip the bandage off quick than slowly peel it away..."

Fluttershy smiled for what felt like the first time today. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her isolated friend was finally warming up to the idea of making friends! There was still hope for him after all! She made a silent "squee" to herself as Nate began to walk off her steps and onto the dirt. Watching him go, Fluttershy wrung her hands together, twiddling her thumbs as she bit her lip. After thinking to herself intently, she went after Nate a second time.

"W-Wait a second! One more thing, Nate!"

The human turned to her again as she stopped in front of him, grabbing him by both shoulders as he faced her.

"T-Thank you. I really do mean that."

"You're welcome, Fluttersh- MMPH!!?!?"

Nate was caught off-guard as the yellow Pegasus got really bold all of a sudden. Her lips had connected with his, locking them together as Fluttershy engaged them in a surprisingly passionate kiss. This wasn't like a lip on lip sweet kiss. Fluttershy was showing gratitude in one of the most sensual experiences Nate has ever felt, and with her tongue ravaging all the nerves in his mouth, he could barely feel his body, much less stop her. What felt like an hour-long make-out was actually just a few seconds. As soon as Fluttershy was satisfied, she parted her lips with a small "pop", leaving Nate with his mouth agape.

Giggling, the Pegasus turned back to her door, walking inside and waving to him as she leaned on her door.

"Bye-bye, Mr. Schmidt!~ I'll see you at the party!"

She closed the door before Nate could respond or react, leaving him to process all that had happened in the span of a few seconds. Honest to god, his face could become a meme from how long he stood there like that, but he soon snapped himself out of it, and slowly drifted towards the road leading back to his home.

Still holding the invitation, he brought his hand up to his lips. Despite being a Pony, Fluttershy's lips, the way she kissed; she was, indeed, human in the more intimate aspects of affection. That was for DAMN sure, but he still didn't know how to feel about it. Fluttershy was a kind and sweet woman, a caring individual that has a hard time with crowds. He respected her for going above and beyond, even conquering her fears, for the lives of others. Those lives were often animals, but what difference did that make? He knew she'd do the same if he was in peril.

Yet, when looking at it from the eyes of a human, and JUST a human, wasn't this bestiality? She had the figure and personality of a person, but she was still a horse, an animal where he came from. He didn't know what laws to abide by, and to top it all off, he was... confused. There was a warmth in his chest he hadn't felt for a long time. A warmth he wanted to keep. It faded the further and further he got from Fluttershy's cottage. He didn't know why, but it felt like... home. Before it all went to hell, that's what the cottage represented.

Home...

Stopping by the treeline of the forest, Nate looked back at Fluttershy's property, seeing the ducklings chasing Angel bunny as he hopped along. Giving a small grin, he pressed his lips together in thought before retreating into the Everfree, disappearing for another few hours.

"Welcome!~"

A cheerful voice echoed throughout the sugary diner as a pink Earth Pony mare was ushering in guests from all over town. There wasn't a single morsel in town who didn't know that the infamous Party Pony: Pinkie Pie was housing another party.

Seriously, you live in this town, and the second the idea pops in her head, you already have a letter on your doorstep.

Anyways, Ponies of various colors, races, and genders mingled in the main area, occasionally wandering over for another sweet at the counter near the kitchen. Among those who attended was Fluttershy, Applejack, and their closest friends. This party was in celebration of a new face, which so happened to be the Griffon that Rainbow Dash, another friend of Fluttershy's, mentioned was arriving hours earlier.

Now that Fluttershy had seen Gilda the Griffon up close, she didn't know if the creature deserved a welcome, especially with what she was about to do when she had the yellow Pegasus at her mercy. Who knows what could have happened if...

No. Things are better, and Fluttershy has a lingering feeling of hope in her chest. She's pleading, begging for the mother of Celestia to please send her human friend this way. Fluttershy may be timid, but she wasn't a fool, and she knew that Nate's shell was breaking. All he needed was a small push to interact with others around town. The trouble earlier today had certainly got Ponies talking, so striking while the iron was dangerously hot was the final stretch.

That is, if he was coming to the party.

A little ways away from her, Applejack was conversing with a white-furred Unicorn, a fashionista that ran a Boutique in town. Confusion laced the farm girl's expression, and by the look of her friend: Rarity, it seemed she wasn't the only one who was uninformed about Rainbow Dash's old pal.

"Who's this Gilda Ah've heard nothin' about?"

Rarity shrugged, fanning herself lightly before walking with her polar opposite of a friend to a nearby table.

"I hear she's an old friend of Rainbow Dash, and that she's something as rare as a Griffon."

Fluttershy fidgeted upon overhearing their talk, glancing to her side when she noticed the resident bookworm coming to speak with her. After a short greeting, Twilight Sparkle was quick to the point with her questions.

"You've met Gilda, right? What's she like?"

Fluttershy could only respond with shy stuttering. She didn't want to give anything away that would effectively make her or Gilda a bad Pony. The Griffon may be nasty, and Ponies have lines that they don't cross, but Fluttershy was a kind-hearted individual. She would see the most twisted of individuals and grant them the pity and kindness they needed to turn their lives around.

I mean, if she's able to simmer down a mentally-unstable psychotic with weapons of mass murder, she could find good in just about anyone.

"I'll... tell you later, Twilight..."

She turned back forward to avoid the topic, her ears shooting up as she noticed a familiar hooded figure in the audience, sitting near the back. With a smile, the caretaker approached the "Monkey with a Boomstick".

"Nate! You actually came...!"

The hooded human nodded, shrugging as he took a sip of the punch being offered here.

"I figured it was time. You did your part in opening me up a bit. If there are more like you around this town, then I wouldn't mind meeting them."

Fluttershy blushed at the flattery, but didn't hide herself like she normally would. Instead, she stayed by the table, chatting and having fun with her human as the evening progressed. Applejack, seeing Nate was here as well, didn't find the surprise of his appearance unwelcome. If anything, the farm mare gave him a bone-crushing hug that she squeezed his face into her cleavage a bit TOO much out of pride.

Applejack's hugs are the most dangerous...

After calming down, the three enjoyed themselves, sharing stories about their day after they parted from one another. Some of which didn't have anything interesting. Fluttershy was the opposite, having returned from her trip before the whole fight in Ponyville broke out. Nate listened and learned more about this world's creatures simply by Fluttershy's depictions of her trip, and Applejack, being humble and honest, didn't stop her shy friend from opening up herself, and enjoying herself the same way everypony else was.

That all quickly changed when the guest of honor arrived.

"Gilda!~ Welcome! I'm so honored to throw you one of my signature Pinkie Pie parties, and I really, truly, sincerely hope you feel welcome among us here Pony folk."

Gilda rose an eyebrow at Pinkie Pie, whom Nate had a better look at now. She kept herself simple, but favored bright colors in her appearance. She was as every bit of a model as Applejack and Fluttershy were, but... he swore her ass was bigger. It was hard to tell from this angle, but the simple clothing she wore hugged her body like a snug blanket.

'Good to see the realism's still shot in this damn reality. Fucking Ponies...'

He shook his head as Gilda got zapped with a buzzer wrapped around Pinkie's hand. A little practical joke to set them on good terms. Pinkie believed it to have worked, but Nate, after observing the ticks and subtle nature of the Griffon, thought otherwise. Despite this, Pinkie Pie introduced Gilda, allowing Nate to finally put a name to a face. Crossing his arms as he sat there, he observed with a steady stream of animosity and heated ire pointed straight at the Griffon. it was a silent promise for her to tread lightly, or else.

On and on, the party went. Various games were played, Gilda got pranked a few more times (some of which Nate actually chuckled at), and the music kept beating to the theme of the party. It was a nice change of pace to the silent bliss Nate was accustomed to, and it seemed Fluttershy was enjoying his positivism as well.

After a while, however, Nate had found himself drinking too much, and he was in need of a restroom. Excusing himself, he made his way through the crowd of dancing Ponies, pushing open the door to the male restroom. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes watched him as he entered, and followed him towards it.

Upon entering the bathroom, Nate could definitely see whoever runs this place keeps it clean with passion. There was no smell, no sights, or any sounds that were undesirable. In fact, it smells like someone took scented candles of all types and laid them everywhere.

If this kind of dedication is also provided in their food, then Nate is definitely coming back here more often if this all works out.

Relieving himself at one of the urinals, Nate couldn't help but feel this odd tingling sensation in the back of his mind. An old thought, a sense, that was raising red flags, and all for the sole reason that had been the only thing that bothered him about this bathroom.

It's too quiet. Usually, you'd hear the sounds of partying for chatting diners outside the bathroom, but there wasn't a single sound to be heard here. It was... creepy, in a sense.

When Nate had approached the mirror in the bathroom, things began to seem over more off. His instincts were screaming that something was wrong, and with only his pistol, he was left unprepared to deal with the close quarters of the bathroom stalls and tight spaces beyond the urinals.

Washing his hands as he pretended to not notice, it seemed his would-be attacker had no intentions of hiding themselves well.

*SLAM-SLAM-SLAM-SLAM*

All of the stalls slammed shut behind him via a gust of wind, and a figure flew past him with elegance and speed he didn't know one could possess. Looking back at the stalls, Nate's eyes narrowed as he tossed the paper towels in the sink with a huff. Approaching the stalls one after another, he kicked them open, slamming them against the walls of the inside while trying to find the one messing with him.

It wasn't long before the trap was sprung.

*BASH*

Upon kicking open the last stall, Nate let in a sharp breath as a figure came down from above, slamming both of their feet into his chest. Flying back to the wall, Nate grimaced as he looked up, seeing the one person he didn't want to encounter standing in front of him.

"Hey there, punk. I think you owe me a few bones for what you did to my beak..."

With the party still going on outside, a few Ponies were confused by the sudden disappearance of the guest of honor. Just a few moments ago, Gilda was right there beside Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, having what they assumed to be the time of her life, but as they turned away for one second, she was gone the next. Rainbow assumed she headed off towards the restrooms, as she saw one of the doors closing when she peeked over the crowd, but now that she thought about it...

Didn't she go into the male bathroom?

As for Fluttershy, she, too, grew worried. Her human wasn't back yet, and it certainly had been too long since he left to use the facilities. What was taking him so long?

Ponies began to ask questions about Gilda as they were awaiting her return, and as time ticked away, the Ponies closest to both patrons grew more and more concerned. Then, finally, one of them appeared.

Nathan Schmidt exited the bathroom, panting and huffing as his clothing was torn asunder. Claw marks and scuffs on his legs were the extent of his wounds, but what patrons didn't bother to notice during their fun was the amount of red that was blotched all over him. Sprayed across the lower half of his abdomen and completely coating his left leg, Nate was practically dripping with fresh blood, both his and someone else's. Closing the door to the bathrooms behind him gently, he let out a strained wheeze as he stood there, leaning against the door. Glancing at the Ponies, his opinion of these creatures in their entirely went down by a hell of a lot. If creatures like Gilda, who were selfish enough to try what she did, then who's to say these Ponies are any different.

In some way, they're all humans, and Gilda had done what any human with "carnal desires" would do when having "prey" cornered.

Trudging through the crowd slowly, no one seemed to care or recognize Nate's wounds, or the state he was in. They just kept dancing and laughing like all was well with the world.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, had her worries wash away when she spotted Nate heading for the door. Tailing after him, she sped up her pace as she approached him, but stopped when she took him in. Horror set on her muzzle as she shoved aside Rainbow Dash and Rarity, the former growing defensive immediately.

"Hey! Watch it, pa-..."

Rainbow Dash's words were slowly rendered mute as she got a good look at his back, which had one giant gash running down the back, which exposed enough flesh to let his spine poke out into the open. Rainbow's eyes widened as Rarity cringed in the same horror as Fluttershy did moments prior.

"W-Whoa... Buddy? You okay...?"

"Goodness gracious, darling! What happened to you?!"

The entirety of the party silenced in seconds when they heard those voices show anything but joy and positivity. With all eyes on Nate, he didn't even bother to stop or slow himself. He kept trudging, not bothering to answer anypony as he shoved the doors to Sugarcube Corner open, and walked out. Fluttershy trotted to the door after him, looking outside as he kept moving, still dripping and drying with dark crimson fluids.

Rainbow hovered up next to her, looking after him before turning to the direction he came from. Flying towards the bathrooms, she approached the male door she assumed Gilda walked into. Opening up the restroom door, she was greeted to a horrific sight.

Gilda was on the floor, her head crushed up against the urinal. Blood was pooled and splattered around her, cracks and holes in the walls along with a damaged mirror above the sink. It looked as if there was a struggle, and Gilda lost, badly. Yet, even so, she was still alive, choking and gagging as she tried to breathe through her shattered jaw as it hung over the edge of the urinal.

Seeing her old friend like this, Rainbow Dash could only do what anypony else would do when seeing their friend like this...

She screamed.

Misunderstood

December has finally rolled around. With the threat of the Dragons coming and going with some hiccups here and there, Nate was finally ready to integrate himself back into his normal, everyday routine, much to the delight of the Apple Family, and the tearful joy of Fluttershy.

His reunion with the two didn't come without consequences for leaving them forgotten for the two weeks he's been away. Fluttershy had practically smacked him into saying that he'll stay, making him promise to never leave like he did again. Applejack, equally upset, put him to work much harder for the same amount of time he's been gone, giving him the bare minimum time to relax and unwind after a hard day before he got back to it. Once the punishment was over, things settled and the trio were once again satisfied.

Nate had been privy to the knowledge of what happened to the Griffon. After she recovered in the hospital and was stable enough to move, she was quickly taken back to Griffonstone, her homeland. With the damage Nate caused and the way her beak was cracked and chipped, there was some irreversible damage that would affect the Griffon's life tremendously. Applejack and Fluttershy inquired why Nate was more violent than usual. In most cases, he would beat the threat down, but leave them intact, or in the other extreme, he would make a killing blow quick and painless. Why did that change, now?

They didn't like their answer.

The first thing Nate could react to was the lashing talons that reached for him as the Griffon closed in, scratching him up as she forced him around and pressed him against the sink, all the while he was struggling and fighting ferociously. A kick to the shins made Gilda wince, the feathered feminine creature hissing as she held him down by his neck, her beak drooling with lust and a thirst for payback.

"Rrrgh, stop fighting me!!"

She leaned over him as she got in between his legs, keeping him from kicking at her as she purred hotly into his ear.

"Just let this happen.~"

She licked the side of his face passionately, tasting skin and little ticks of hair in his sideburns. Growling, Nate threw his other arm up, elbowing her in the side and shoving himself upwards. This threw the Griffon off, allowing him to turn and begin struggling with her as she grabbed him again, slamming him up against the wall multiple times in an attempt to daze him. Her outstretched arms gave Nate a wide opening to throw his fists, beating them across her face and jaw violently before grappling onto her and pushing back. The more this dragged on, the bloodier the two got. Gilda had already had a black eye and a bit of her feathers torn to shit, and Nate had received a gash down his face, which barely missed his eye, and a deep cut in his left arm. Blood drizzled from the wound as Gilda gained the upper hand, shoving the human to the wall and grabbing him by his hoodie. Throwing him through one of the stalls, he collided with the plumbing behind the toilet, a sharp end cutting into his lower back and grinding up past his spine.

He roared in the agony that followed the slice, then pushed against Gilda as she followed him in and pressed him against the spike. She licked and nibbled at him as she tore off various parts of his jeans, shredding them as he continued to fight her.

"Ghhrrgh! Stop teasing me already, you little shit! This is happening whether you like it or not!"

Nate continued to push and kick at Gilda, losing his standing as the spike made moving difficult. The more he fought, the more he found himself losing, and a lingering feeling of emptiness and helplessness hollowed his heart. His conscious flashed various images through his vision as he fought against the mythical creature.

Being held down, forced to take it, forced to watch; it was something Nate knew very well, and it broke him just to see those images ALONE resurface.

Losing his shit almost instantly, the world around Nate cracked and broke away as he let out a slow howl that turned into a shrill cry of ballistic rage. Lifting his legs back, uncaring of the pain as his pupils irises shrunk with the sudden lack of sanity, he kicked Gilda out of the stall, and rushed after her in a fit.

That was the extent of what he could remember before he screamed like he never screamed before, and everything went white. Fluttershy didn't know what to make of it, but Applejack knew almost instantly what Nate had gone through. Being in a large family, there were bound to be... problems. Namely, with Post Traumatic Stress. She has plenty of relatives who come and go, either out of the Kingdom, or into someplace dangerous. They don't EVER come back the same, and sometimes experience episodes like what Nate did, though never quite as violent and... messy.

She wasn't a doctor, but her knowledge of the disorder was on par with one. She'd know if anypony had Post Traumatic Stress the second she saw them go through the trigger. In Nate's case, it appears to be extreme stress.

But where did that PTSD come from? Did something happen on his planet that caused him to be like he is now? These were thoughts Applejack knew wouldn't be answered for some time. So, she let it go for now, and opted to keep an eye on him, especially if others aggravated his temper.

What had both Fluttershy and Applejack angry, however, was the fact that Gilda attacked him, not just in a physical sense, but in a sexual way as well. It made what she faced in the aftermath almost deserving, had it not have been for their good natures as Ponies telling them that the extensive violence wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, the motherly Fluttershy and the "big sis" Applejack weren't going to let that Griffon go without a few new welts and missing teeth the next time they saw her, which they hoped wasn't anytime soon.

Nate, on the other hand, fell back into normalcy almost immediately. He found himself enjoying being in the company of his two friends and one's family after being away for so long.

However, he was not ready to go back into Ponyville. Even if some people knew of his existence now, he wasn't going to risk interaction this time around. Not after what happened last time. Luckily, his image in the public eye had brightened. Apparently, that pop singer he saved from the Dragons was a popular figure among the musicians of Equestria. Her name was Songbird Serenade, and she was making her newest hit at the time of her kidnapping.

With her return, she had curbed the lyrics and changed some of the tempo to fit a more tribute-based song dedicated to the hero she, and many others, owe their lives to. Needless to say, it was a huge hit, and earned Nate a title in the newspapers.

Everfree Guardian destroys Dragon breeding ground and rescues over thirty victims!

Songbird Serenade pays tribute by releasing her newest album "Rainbow", which is dedicated to the heroism of this mysterious stallion!

Nate wasn't sure what to feel when it came to the new name, nor the positive attention he was receiving whenever his name or his title was brought up, but when he'd finally decide to come out and meet the Ponies for real, it'll nice to have friendly faces than scowling ones. Hell, the quotes recorded in the newspapers showed that his work in the Everfree Forest and Everfree Mountain had a major impact on what the bulk of Equestria thought of him. He just hoped he wouldn't have to do a meet-and-greet with the Princess anytime soon.

That's a disaster waiting to happen...

All of this happened in the span of a week or so. Now, Nate's just relaxing. He's gone back to work, visited Fluttershy, and has been doing relatively good ever since he's healed from his endeavors in and out of Ponyville.

But something is wrong today. Everything was quiet. Nopony was around. Not at Sweet Apple Acres, not at Ponyville, not even at Fluttershy's. Nate rose an eyebrow as he walked up the dirt path to Fluttershy's bridge, glancing around as he found his friend's animal pals running about, but no sign of their caretaker. Stepping up to her yard, his presence caught the attention of the little critters, who all chittered and yelped happily at him. Kneeling down as a few chipmunks, ducks, and even Angel came running up to him, Nate smiled through his hood as he petted the latter and held his hand out to the others.

"Hey there, you little bastards. What'cha doing out here all on your own?"

A few chirps and shrill squees were all he got in response, not really clarifying the situation, as Nate can't communicate with these creatures the same way Fluttershy can. However, Angel seemed to be aware of this, hopping in place to get his attention. Looking over at him, he pointed to Ponyville.

"She's in town...? Huh... Why would she go to Ponyville and leave you all out on your own...? Doesn't seem like her."

He looked back down at the critters as the largest of the bunch, Harry the Grizzly Bear, brushed his snout against the human.

Nate could tell something was up. Aside from being happy he was here, all the animals were anxious, afraid of something. This was all wrong. The animals never exhibited this kind of behavior when around the cottage, nor has Fluttershy left them alone like this. Standing up, Nate looked towards Ponyville. He wasn't keen on reentering the town, and had even made it his mission to avoid going anywhere near that place for a good while, but this was important. Fluttershy, for all he knew, was missing, and it affected her critter friends greatly.

Angel hopped up in his pant leg, crawling up to the hem of his jeans and popping out onto his shirt. Climbing up to his shoulder, the bunny was insistent on coming along, pointing ahead to the town Nate was intending on avoiding. Taking a breath, he patted Harry's head away as he moved to leave.

"Stay here, little guys. I'll see where your caretaker's gone."

A few cries, and even a groan from Harry, acknowledged Nate's demand, the lot of them going back to what they were doing as Nate left. Turning on the path, he walked away from the forest his home was in, strolling down to the southern entrance to Ponyville with Angel riding on his shoulder. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he could see things were already off in the town as well. Not only was there a lack of the usual bustling noise he'd always catch whenever passing...

But there was also a lack of anyone. The presence of Ponies was nil. No one was around, and Ponyville was a ghost town. Buildings and homes were boarded up with wooden planks on the windows and bolted shut doors. It looked as if the town was facing it's own Walking Dead episode, but the question was... why?

As Nate walked through the town, his mind cycled through the various threats that could cause a village like this to shut down. Could the Dragons have come back? No, that couldn't be right. If they were here, Ponyville would be in shambles, and wooden planks and iron bolts can't keep them out. Everything was still stable here, so maybe there was a creature from the Everfree terrorizing the town?

It's possible. Nate's been in those woods for a good while now, and he's had his fair share of encounters with the more dangerous horrors that lurk within. Turning the corner, the human found himself back in the shopping district. Like everywhere else, the place was abandoned. Stalls were left unattended with the merchandise still there, fresh and ripe. Whatever was going on in Ponyville is recent if the vegetables and fruits were still good to eat.

*pat-pat*

Nate looked up at Angel as he drew his attention away from the corn on one of the stalls, following the stubby arm he was pointing to a figure in the middle of Town Square. It was, to his knowledge, a Pony. She was cloaked in a brown hood, which obscured most of her body, though Nate could make out a few defining features whenever her arms or legs were exposed. The black and white stripes made him narrow his eyes. This was no Pony, but a Zebra.

And to him, it was a familiar one.

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and even the greenery of nature seemed healthier this time around. All around, you could see the Kingdom's harmonic aesthetic on full display.

However, nopony was out to enjoy it. Despite the Pegasi clearing the sky of all clouds, most shroud themselves in the shadows of their own homes, or in other cases, the darkness of business buildings and restaurants.

But why? Why are they hiding themselves away on day like today? This was the first thought Twilight Sparkle had when she came upon her friends in the ghost town her new home had become. Pinkie Pie and the rest of her close pals were hold up in Sugarcube Corner, all hiding away from some strange mare that arrived in town today. Twilight, confused by this behavior, questioned her friends on why they were concealing themselves like they were, and when Applejack pointed out the reason, all Twilight could see was that very same mare mentioned digging at the ground near Ponyville's Town Hall. She blinked at the mare, wondering just what she was doing...

"Did ya see 'er, Twilight?"

The purple Unicorn turned to Applebloom as she walked up next to her, Spike standing at her other side.

"Did ya see... Zecora...?"

"Applebloom!"

The young Apple flinched at the harsh call of her older sibling, looking up as Applejack scolded her.

"Ah told ya never ta say that name!"

Twilight glanced between the two before looking out the window again.

"Well, I did definitely see her. She doesn't seem to be doing anything other than digging at the ground..."

Pinkie glared over her shoulder at the mare, squinting her eyes as she hissed out.

"Digging EVILLY..."

Twilight gently shoved Pinkie off as she eyed the others with bewilderment.

"And then the lot of you recoil at this. Why?"

Applejack gawked at the star pupil.

"Why? Why?! Is protectin' yer kin a good enough reason fer ya, Twilight? That there Zecora's been comin' and goin' fer ages, popping up every month to do Celestia-knows what. As soon as we saw her, Ah had to carry mah little sister all the way here."

Applebloom stared forward blankly, deadpanning at her sister's blatant lie.

"No ya didn't. Ah walked here."

"Fer safe keepin', Applebloom!"

The little sister of the farm mare yanked herself from AJ's grip, glaring at her with a pout.

"Applejack! Ah'm not a baby! Ah can take care of myself!"

"Not against that creepy Zecora, ya can't."

Everypony else nodded in agreement, pitching in by listing the qualities Zecora exhibited.

"She's mysterious..."

"She's sinister..."

"And spoooo-oookyyyyy!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as she looked back out the window, the others following suit. As they eyed Zecora, it seemed something had caught her attention. Turning to the side revealed some of the mare's features to Twilight, which immediately bashed the assumption that she was a Pony.

But what was she looking at?

A sharp gasp from her friends when seeing Zecora's stripes had Twilight groan at their ridiculousness.

"Will you cut that out?"

They ignored her, mostly, as Rarity cringed at the "Pony's" colors.

"Just look at those stripes! So garish!"

"Hahhh, Rarity, she's a Zebra."

Applejack peeked over at Twilight from her spot at the window.

"She's a what-now, Twilight?"

"A Zebra, and those stripes aren't a fashion sense, Rarity. They're what she was born with."

Applejack turned back to the window, eyeing those stripes and golden rings on her arm.

"Born WHERE, though? Ah've never seen a Pony like her around these parts, save for her, anyways."

"Well, she's probably not FROM here, Applejack, and she's not a Pony. My books say that Zebras come from a far away land. Judging from her attire, she must have migrated here from outside the Kingdom, or lived someplace quieter. Speaking of which, I've never seen her around until now. Where does she live?"

"That's just it, Twilight. She lives in the Everfree Forest!"

The others shivered as Twilight's eyes narrowed, her understanding of their fear now becoming much more clear. Applejack illuminated the said fears even further with her own voiced thoughts.

"The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow, animals are takin' care of themselves in there, and the clouds move all on their lonesome. Nopony ever dares step inside them parts, let alone live in there."

Applejack knew she was contradicting the obvious. Despite what she said, she is well-aware that Nate lives out in the Everfree himself. She didn't like it, but the major difference between the human and Zecora is their nature. While Zecora is an oddity, Applejack had long since known Nate to be violent by nature. Any threat he came across, he either put a bullet in its face with those fancy "guns" of his, or threw his fist at its face, no matter what it was. It was his calling, he own special talent. He was a survivor, something Applejack respected.

Zecora, on the other hand, was a red herring. An outlier than never truly fit well with the populous of Ponyville. Not to mention all those rumors about Zecora cursing and placing hexes on Ponies that come across her.

Twilight wasn't buying it, either. She's lived with her elder twin siblings long enough to know when a heaping helping of bullshit was sitting before her. This was all just a bunch of gossip and rumors. She doubted anypony actually SAW her doing anything evil. If anything, Zecora may just be coming to Ponyville to search for something. Maybe even shop, though the digging is a bit off-putting.

She hummed as she was ready to rebuke another wave of these accusations from her friends, but was stopped when Rainbow pointed outside.

"Hey, look! It's that Everfree guy!"

What?

Twilight turned and walked back to the window, Applejack and Fluttershy beating her there and nearly having a meltdown when Nathan Schmidt was standing a few yards away from Zecora. Fluttershy was especially freaking out because not only was her newest close friend confronting such an evil entity, but he had Angel with him. From the look of his stance, Nate seemed like he was readying himself to fight Zecora. The latter, whom was facing him the whole time the others were arguing, had pulled out a wooden staff, wielding it in her left hand while the other was flexing its fingers.

It seemed as though the two were talking to one another, Angel hiding back in the hood of the Everfree Guardian's sweater. Twirling the stick once, Zecora bound forward, spinning with the swing she made to hit the human with. Jumping over the swipe towards his legs, he ducked and slid past the next swipe of the staff, leaping back to the left as the swift strikes bound by the Zebra was of equal speed to his perception. Dive-rolling past Zecora, the Guardian stood up and shot his foot forward, aiming it for Zecora's head. When it missed, he used the momentum to coming back around and go for a leg sweep. Zecora leaped over him, backflipping onto a stall and jumping off with her leg sticking up in the air. Coming down for an axe-kick, the Guardian blocked it with his arms crossed over his head. Shoving her off and backpedaling, the Guardian ducked, weaved, and dodged Zecora's staff as it came at him, only momentarily blocking and parrying her other hand when it came for him in a fist or an open palm.

Twilight was rather surprised at the Zebra's skill. She fought with much more elegance than any Royal Guard at Canterlot Castle. In fact, the only Pony her skills could compare to was General Gleaming Shield, her elder sister. Such grace in her movements as well as the ferocity in her attacks, she couldn't imagine how the Everfree Guardian was reacting and dodging like he was.

She watched with awe as three more blows were stopped, two by his arms, and the last by his fist. Clashing together on the fourth assault, the two didn't even appear winded. Zecora used the opening left by the clash to stab her staff forward. Sidestepping it, the Guardian turned as he grabbed her face, throwing her over him and tearing off her cloak as she went flying towards one of the abandoned stalls. A loud crash, along with splinters of wood raining everywhere, was all that was left of Zecora as she disappeared into the small bits of rubble. The Guardian stood there, staring into the pile with a suspicious posture, as if he knew this wasn't over yet. Clenching his fists together, he turned up just in time to see Zecora come from above, swinging her staff down on top of him. Twilight flinched as a dust cloud was kicked up, the two falling deeper into the soil with the Zebra on top of the Guardian.

Standing over him, Zecora was now without her hood, and was revealed to the populous of Ponyville in its entirety. She was, indeed, a Zebra, and one who barely wore anything at all. Made from the natural leaves and vines of the Everfree, Zecora had on a grass mini skirt, a pair of handmade sandals, a top that concealed only her chest, and the various golden rings on her arm and her neck. A golden hoop was also present, pierced through her ear. She stayed over the human, knelt down and smirking at him. The staff was at the left side of the Guardian's head, stabbed into the dirt with cracks formed all around it. Fluttershy and Applejack panicked, believing this to be the end of their beloved human pal, but this wasn't the case.

With a hearty laugh from Zecora, the Zebra helped the Guardian to his feet, much to the surprise of those within Sugarcube Corner. Holding the staff at her side, it appeared as though Zecora was... praising the Guardian?

Seeing this made Twilight second guess the judgement of her friends even more, and a part of her wanted to go out and actually MEET these two. After all, what better chance does she have to meet two enigmas that are living out in the most dangerous forest in Equestria?

So, that's what she did.

"You have been taking my lessons to heart. Your endeavors within the mountains have certainly played a part."

Nate dusted off his hoodie as he straightened himself out, putting his hands back in his pockets while Angel staggered out from behind the hood, dazed and dizzy from the brief spar.

"Ah, so you saw that, huh? Not exactly my finest hours..."

"On the contrary, you were quite exemplary. It is not often one handles conflict with actions of peremptory. The silver Dragon that terrorized your home is no more, and the mares you have rescued now live the lives of before."

She tapped him playfully with her staff as she picked up her cloak, slinging it back over her shoulders.

"I have taught you well."

Nate nodded as he walked with her back to the hole she was digging, watching from over Zecora's shoulder as she went back to it.

"Yeah. Your lessons on hand-to-hand combat have helped me refine my own skills. Had it not have been for you, or my instincts for fight or flight, I might not have made it out of those caves alive."

He peered down at the hole Zecora was digging, his eyes showing curiosity through the shadows covering his face.

"What are you doing here in Ponyville, Zecora? You digging for some rare ingredient again?"

"In a sense, yes. I am here with aim to siphon nutrients from an Everfree weed, as its contents will cure many with unlimited success."

"An Everfree weed? Why would one of the forest's plants be all the way in Ponyville?"

Zecora brushed away a bit more dirt, uncovering a strange root that was growing a few feet under the soil. Its appearance was primarily black with cyan blue thorns covering the broadside of the vine-like appendage. It also appeared to be moving as if it were alive, or growing at a rate unprecedented.

"What the hell is THAT?"

"This is one of many roots that escape the confinements of the forest's borders. Left unchecked, the roots sprout their own tree life and bring many places disorders. By siphoning the nutrients, the root retreats back to the Everfree along with its variants."

Nate watched as she plunged a syringe into the tip of the root, drawing some sort of serum from it. Taking out the needle, the root was left dried and empty, forcing it to draw back to wherever it came from. Nate could feel more roots underneath him follow suit, true to Zecora's word.

Packing the syringe away, Zecora stood up.

"Alas, I have come for what I needed this time. Do come by my hut for another exchange, for more ingredients from herbs would be sublime."

Nate nodded as he waved to her.

"I'll see what I can do. I haven't been out much, so I doubt I have anything new this time around."

"Anything at all is welcome, so do not be afraid to share your wares when you come."

She gave a curt, polite bow as she turned heel and paced down the road, leaving Ponyville's central district behind as she made way for the Everfree Forest. Rolling and popping his shoulder, he looked around the area to try and find anypony else. He figured they all must still be hiding, or collectively away from the town. Seems stupid to just leave it silent like this, but now, he had to go back to what he was doing.

'Now then... Where could Fluttershy be--'

*SMACK*

The first thing Nate registered before the pain was a big ball of fluffiness. It's not often you're hit with a cannonball that's furry, but in this instance, he was tackled to the ground by one with two cannonballs on their chest.

And while it's sexually appealing, it's not physically so if they're used as weapons.

Nate went skidding across the ground, groaning as Fluttershy had come out of nowhere. With her on top of him, she quickly scooped up Angel.

"Oh my goodness! My little Angel! You're okay!!"

The animal lover hugged the bunny close to her cheek, getting the fuzzy pet to do the same while the human merely groaned beneath them.

"Fluttershy... Please, get off..."

The mare blinked her eyes open, seeing she was straddling her friend. Yipping in surprise and embarrassment, she fluttered up into the air, giving Nate the space he needed to arise from the dirt. Brushing himself off again, he looked up at Fluttershy as she apologized for tackling him.

"No worries, Flutters. So long as you and your "assets" don't break me, there's no foul. Speaking of which..."

He looked around again as Ponies were coming out of their homes.

"What are you all doing, hiding away in your homes?"

Applejack came up next to him, fuming at her worker as she pressed her hands against her hips.

"What were we doin'? What were y'all THINKIN', sugarcube?! Do ya know what kind of nasty things that Zecora could have done to ya!?"

Nate blinked beyond his hood, not understanding Applejack's concern. Looking back at Fluttershy, he could see the same scolding glare on her as well.

"What... are you talking about, boss? Zecora's one of the first people I met when I got here. Knew her ever since I started living in the Everfree."

Both mares gawked at him as he shrugged.

"Don't really see what the big deal is about her. If you were all hiding from her, there was really no point. Aside from the spars she and I have for my training, she's a nice girl. I even have a trading system set up with her the same way I do with Fluttershy."

"I-I... Nate, do you TRULY know who Zecora is?"

The human turned back to Fluttershy, shrugging again as he answered.

"She seems to be just some foreign chemist looking for a new place to settle down. Granted, I wouldn't have chose THAT side of the Everfree as my first choice, but to each their own."

He eyed the two as Ponyville's residence began to emerge from their homes.

"Why? Is there something I should know?"

"Sugarcube, that Zebra is pure evil! She curses and places hexes on Ponies on a whim. She's so mysterious and sadistic that the populous of Ponyville hides whenever she comes into town."

The human rose another eyebrow as he listened to Fluttershy explain another detail this town supposedly knew about the Zebra. Yet another thing that contradicted what Nate knew himself from his personal experiences with Zecora.

"I... hate to burst your bubble, girls, but Zecora's nothing like that. She's a shut-in and prefers seclusion, sure, but she's pretty open to new guests and friends. In fact, she's the one who's been teaching me various hand-to-hand techniques to aid in my survival in the Everfree Forest. Not to mention, the brews she whips up give incredible buffs."

He pulled one out from his pocket, looking over the small vial of bluish-pink liquid before pocketing it. Looking back up at the two, he shook his head.

"Speaking of which, what exactly have you seen Zecora done that was so evil? This rumor had to have come from somewhere, after all."

"W-Well... Once a month, she comes into Ponyville..."

"... Okay... And...?"

Applejack and Fluttershy alternated as they listed off the things Zecora's been doing when emerging from the forest from time to time. Judging from what he's hearing, this is just a sad, sad case of bigotry, something Nate wished was NEVER a thing here.

But then again, he did demolish a Dragon's nest... and committed lizard genocide, so he didn't really have room to talk.

Shaking his head, he tuned back to the things the two mares were saying about his forest friend.

"Then, she goes lurkin' by them stalls out in Town Square."

"Oooookay...?"

"And then, she digs at the ground."

Nate opened his mouth to rebut that, but paused a for a moment.

"... Y'know, if it wasn't for the fact that I already knew why she was doing that, I would label that off as aberrant behavior."

He shook his head again.

"Agh, nevertheless, you two, this isn't any reason to label her as pure evil. Don't you think you're jumping the gun with this whole bandwagon thing? You ARE the Elements of Kindness and Honesty, right? Why get involved and absorbed into gossip when you can just meet her and find out what she's really like?"

He pointed his thumb towards the reopened stalls.

"I mean, for shit's sake, she could actually be SHOPPING at these stalls rather than lurking. You ever think of that?"

He sighed as the two shared a glance with each other.

"Look, I get that differences and something out of the normality here may cause issues here and there, but you shouldn't be afraid just because she's different. That's... actually pretty low of you. After all, I'm not a Pony, and I live out in the Everfree. What's the difference between Zecora and I?"

Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped when he held up a hand.

"My point is, you should give that Zebra a chance the next time you see her. That's all I'm saying. Do this one favor for me and get to know her as you should."

He turned his eye past them, seeing others approaching them in the distance. Fluttershy and Applejack turned when they were called, Twilight approaching with the others still talking about Zecora. When they turned back...

Nate was gone.

Fluttershy looked around for her human friend, swiveling several times as the others were preoccupied with their debate about the Zebra. Applejack, knowing the human had disappeared and retreated back to the forest, sighed as she placed a hand on the cream-colored Pegasus' shoulder.

"Give him time, sugarcube. He'll come back around eventually. Today just ain't that day..."

"Oh, I hope so. I can't imagine what it's like having only a few friends, or no friends at all. It just seems so lonely."

"We don't know how his kind operates, Fluttershy. Maybe they fancy deeper connections forged with fewer Ponies. It lets them grow close, just like we have with him."

She shook her head as she fixed her stetson hat.

"Ah reckon that mess with Gilda didn't exactly paint Pony or Griffon kind in a good light, either. All we can do is wait at this point..."

The Pegasus' ears fell as she rubbed her arm, half of her face hidden by her mane. Sighing and turning to the others, Twilight inquired where the Everfree Guardian went, only to be disappointed when she was told that he went back to the Everfree Forest.

Turns out he wasn't the only one.

"Hey! Where's Applebloom?!"

The next day after Zecora came to town was... interesting to say the least. It started out roughly the same as the last. The sun was shining, and the birds were out, singing their happy tune.

So what went wrong this time?

"PFFFFFT--!! HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!"

Well, for starters, one human was laughing himself into a hernia.

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!"

Hanging onto the sill of Fluttershy's window, Nate was nearly wheezing and hacking from the state of hilarity he was in. Standing before him were his two friends, both of which having called upon him to visit after he came out of the Everfree Forest this morning. When he got inside, he was NOT prepared for what he found.

Applejack was tiny, like fucking M&M tiny, and Fluttershy's voice was the exact opposite of what he would affiliate her character with. If anything, she sounded like goddamn BIG MACINTOSH now!

And he was loving every second of it.

"WHHHHHEEEEEEE-- HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"Celestia dang it, Nathan Schmidt, this ain't no time fer laughin'!"

"YES IT IIIIIISSS!!!"

He nearly toppled over as the little Applejack was fuming at him. Fluttershy had never said a single word after she demonstrated what she sounded like. Never before had the two seen the human like this, and granted, it had been a long time since Nate had a good laugh like this. For the longest of years, Nate had always been the hardened, cold-blooded survivor, killing on necessity and vengeance in one world, and killing in another just to survive.

But, even so, he was still human, and he wasn't exempt from the other basic human traits. So, when he was laughing his ass off over the fate of his two friends, this found the two looking as surprised as his thoughts. Smacking the sill twice, he took a few breaths to calm himself down, panting as he got a grip on himself.

"Oh... Oh my god... That's too much..."

He wiped a few tears away as he saw Fluttershy deadpanning at him.

"Wh- Hey! Screw you! This is funny!"

He chuckled a few more times before turning down to Applejack.

"What the HELL even happened to you two, anyways?"

Feeling as though Applejack wouldn't be as descriptive with what occurred after he left yesterday, Fluttershy stepped forward.

"We went after Applebloom when we realized she was heading into the Everfree Forest after Zecora. When we found her, we were in a batch of strange blue flowers."

Nate snickered at Fluttershy's voice, but shook it off as he hummed in thought.

"Blue flowers... Were they glowing?"

"Erm, a bit..."

"Hmm... Sounds like you two got infected with something."

"Not just us!"

AppleJack pointed towards the towering window.

"That damn Zebra cursed us all! Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Rarity; ALL of us."

Nate rolled his eyes as he walked up next to the table AJ was standing on.

"I doubt it, Applejack. Zecora isn't a witch. She's a chemist, sure, so doing some experimental potion brewing to procure these effects is a viable conclusion, but an unlikely one. Zecora's brews are often nothing more than just simple inhibitors or potions."

He rolled his wrist as he leaned against the wall.

"You two probably had some sort of reaction from that plant you were talking about, Flutters. You have to remember how unpredictable and unstable the Everfree Forest is."

"I... suppose that's true."

"And if that's the case, Zecora may be your only saving grace here. Her potions can probably revert these effects if she whips up the correct blend."

"Now hold on just a minute! Yer sayin' that we should get HELP from 'er! Are ya out of yer mind?"

Nate glared down at her, the shadows lessening and allowing Applejack to see his face from below. His stare was cold, dead, and irritated. A mix that startled the bite-sized mare.

"I lost myself a long time ago, Applejack, but it seems I'm the only one around here who's seeing the situation as it is, not as what I want it to be."

He snapped his fingers in front of her, her tiny figure staggering back from the loud clap in her ears. She covered them as she looked up at him.

"Open your eyes and wake up from your delusions, boss. Given the situation and your purple friend's magic not working right now, you're out of options. Zecora's your best bet in getting back to normal, so if I were you, I'd bite my tongue and deal with it."

Applejack scowled at Nate, her frown deeply ingrained in her face as she disliked being scolded, or berated, by her own worker. Clenching her fists, she took a breath and let out a low groan.

"Fine... So where are we heading...?"

He picked up Applejack, placing her on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"You two are staying here. I need you to make sure none of your friends go rushing into the Everfree blind. I'll have enough on my plate without having to worry about any of you trying to get yourselves killed. That, and Zecora will react a lot better to a friendly face than a bunch of bigots trying to bust down her door."

That last comment stung Fluttershy, as she could hear the disappointment and disgust in his voice. Shifting in place, she muttered to him as he turned to leave.

"T-Thank you..."

He glared back from the doorway as he reached it.

"Don't thank me for this, Fluttershy. By the end of it all, it will be Zecora you owe your thanks, and an apology, to."

With that, he left, taking the journey into the dangerous woods once again. He didn't get far before he could hear the predators of the forest snarling in warning to his entry. Returning to his silent, untrusting and ruthless self that he was without the presence of Ponies like the Apples, Fluttershy, or even Zecora, the stoic human ignored all that told him to turn away. In fact, the snarling was a welcome to him. His crazed half of his subconscious festered with a ceaseless bloodlust, a targeted frenzy gauged to the wicked and evil, and this forest was an amalgamation of both in its entirety.

Taking out his shotgun, he racked the chamber as he progressed forward, disappearing into the shadows of the canopy.

In the time that Applejack and Fluttershy called upon Nate for help, Twilight had been facing issues of her own.

Affected just the same as the farm mare and shy Pegasus, the bookworm was sporting a bit of an oddity in her horn. That is, her horn was loose and soft as opposed to its natural bone structure. She was still able to use magic, to a degree, but it wasn't nearly as much as before. Gathering up all her friends after a few had come to her house, she saw the ill effects of their experience in the Everfree Forest on the others as well, starting with Pinkie, and her unnaturally-swelled tongue.

"A p--urff!!"

Both Spike and Twilight stared at the normally-chatty pink Pony as her means of communication was effectively silenced like this. It seems whatever happened, it affected each of the Mane Six in ironic ways, tapping into what made them who they were and playing off that, almost like... a joke.

Spike tried to guess what Pinkie was attempting to say, only for Rainbow Dash to come crashing through the window and kamikaze into the bookshelves behind Twilight. Covering her head as the Pegasus knocked down an assortment of books, she looked down at the speedster as she struggled to get her untangled from the mess.

"Urgh-! She's trying to say that Zecora slapped us all with a curse!!"

Twilight cringed as Rainbow Dash ripped herself from the ladder steps, breaking it as she rubbed the back of her neck. Rarity came in next, agreeing wholeheartedly as her mane, fur, and overall hair was just... wild. It was legitimately all over the place, covering her head to toe and obscuring her eyes, and clothes.

Fluttershy came in after the puffed-up Rarity, looking as normal as can be with a tiny Applejack riding on her shoulder. Applejack was noticeably quiet, considering her... "perspective". She still wanted to believe she was right, but her worker's words rang inside her head. She DID go charging into the Everfree without protection, which is something she rarely does. Then again, her little sister had gone in there as well, her intentions on chasing after Zecora for whatever reasons. She didn't have time to pack any gear, so when she went through with a lowered guard, it's possible that what the human claimed was true.

Maybe the Everfree itself did this, and not Zecora. A small part of her denied this, but the honest Apple listened to the rational side of her brain and forged her words as she opened her mouth.

"Gotta say, we definitely did get into somethin' out in them woods, Twilight. Be it a curse, or some sort of weird voodoo from the Everfree Forest itself, we're all infected."

Twilight looked from the tiny Applejack to Fluttershy, seeing she was relatively unharmed by the nature of the Everfree, or a curse from Zecora.

"W-Wait, Fluttershy seems alright..."

"Y'all ever seen the sweetest, gentlest voice in Equestria turn into mah big brother, sugarcube...?"

Twilight turned back to the deadpanning Applejack, gawking as she finally realized what she was implying. Applejack only pursed her lips as she patted the side of Fluttershy's head.

"It'll be a hot minute before she'll feel comfortable speakin'..."

Rainbow shook her head as the daze finally faded, flapping her wings to try and steady herself, only to fall flat agan.

"Ugh! Forget a hot minute! We have to get this curse fixed now, and the only way to do it is by going to Zecora's!"

Twilight glared up at her as she tugged on her tail, taking Rainbow Dash back to the ground so she wouldn't crash into anything again.

"It's not a curse, Rainbow."

Applejack rolled her eyes at the two before sighing.

"Normally, Ah'd be agreein' with Dash, but we don't have to do anythin'. Mah employee's already gone in that treacherous forest to find the Everfree Guardian. He knows Zecora, and he can get 'er to make an antidote for this hex."

Twilight threw up her arms before placing them on her hips.

"Oh for crying- It's not a hex, either! Look, if the Guardian's being sent, then there's no reason for us to endanger ourselves. Let's wait this out. At least, for another day."

"Forget that! I'm not flying like this for another day! If nopony else is gonna buck up and see this through, I'll do it myself!!"

Before anypony could deter her, Rainbow Dash had collided with the ground after attempting to fly, deciding it best to just hoof it to the Everfree and keep her boots on the ground. With Dash gone, Pinkie was next to go, chasing after her Pegasus friend whilst spouting gibberish through her swollen tongue. Rarity followed suit, not wanting to withstand the amount of hair she had to deal with for longer than she needed to. All that was left in the library was Fluttershy, Twilight, and the shrunken Applejack.

Twilight bit her lip in frustration and worry before picking up the miniature farm mare, placing her on her shoulder as she ran out of her home with Fluttershy. She didn't want to do this, especially when a "professional" was already looking for their cure, but if her friends were going to recklessly charge into that damned forest of horrors, she would, at least, be there to help them if they ever attracted any danger. Catching up with the eager mares that charged ahead of her, the sextet were now on their way to Zecora's. Twilight glanced at Applejack as she ran.

"This... Everfree Guardian your worker is friends with... Do you really think he'll be willing to help us? Didn't Fluttershy say he was responsible for Gilda's condition?"

Applejack's eyes narrowed as she held onto Twilight's ear, growling as the Unicorn turned a corner after her friends.

"That no-good featherbrain got wut was comin' to her. The Guardian was just defendin' himself. if it hadn't have been fer Gilda, he..."

She sighed as she tipped her hat over her eyes.

"Ah'm sure he would'a come outta his shell by now..."

Twilight kept her gaze on Applejack for a brief moment before turning back forward to avoid a branch.

"Well, I hope to meet him soon. You make it sound like he's much less of a menace than what was seen with Gilda."

"He ain't no villain, Twilight. He's just... troubled, and not even Ah nor Fluttershy know why, and we've seen 'im around fer quite a few weeks now, and mah worker knew him well for around the same time."

"Hmm... I hope he gets better, then."

Twilight hopped over a downed log, the path thickening as the fog of the forest was waning. Soon enough, the group was coming upon a clearing, where one of the enlarged trees was repurposed into a hut of some sort. If the path taken to rescue Applebloom was any indication, Twilight would assume they had arrived.

They were at Zecora's home.

*BANG*

*CHCK-CHK*

With the concussive blast of a shotgun shell, the last beast in his way went down, dissipating into nothing as the forest consumed its corpse. Standing amidst the rubble of an old castle, Nate had finally arrived to his destination, where what he sought lied just beyond an old carpet.

What was supposed to be a simple visit turned into yet another adventure. Zecora was able to make the cure the Ponies sought to obtain, but to do so, she required another ingredient. Without it, the effects would remain temporary, and the girls would retain their odd appearances and voices. Zecora had pointed Nate in the right direction, leading the human to a familiar ruins.

This... castle that sits in the Everfree Forest. Nate had been here before, always tip-toeing around the perimeter and only rarely entering the courtyard, but never actually going inside. The reason for that is the fact that the place was heavily booby trapped, and littered with monsters that settled in as age crumbled the castle to nothing but an olden structure infested with overgrowth. But, now, Nate had no choice but to enter, and put his attentive skills to the test. From Timberwolves to Manticores, the human used everything in his present arsenal to lay them all to waste, and by the end, he had arrived in the room where his treasured ingredient resided.

A pinkish illumination meshed with the flower's residue. This thing looked exactly like Poison Joke, except it was a strain that released pheromones that would expedite the timeline of heat seasons for most animals. God knows if this works on Ponies, and Nate wasn't going to find out.

Clipping off a leaf from the plant, he pocketed it inside a small plastic bag, which he used a line of string to tie off. Last thing he needed was another creature coming after him for a... different reason.

Putting the ingredient in one of his backpack pockets, he turned to leave, but stopped when he noticed that the pinkish glow wasn't the only light shining in this one of many halls. Within a nearby room, he could see a blue glow emitting into the hallway. Raising an eyebrow, he decided to investigate, following the source of the light into a small room off to the side of a bedchamber that was decorated with a nighttime theme.

From the looks of the bookshelf in his way, this room was a secret chamber activated by a false book lever. With the case already destroyed by natural causes, Nate was able to step through, walking into the small room and finding it bare of any furniture or materials. That is, save for what he found on a single stand.

It was a flask. A single, glowing flask that was radiating some kind of hue like the flower, though not as potent. It seemed to be filled with some kind of liquid essence, and looking towards his left allowed him to see through a small hole in the small room to another identical one. The very same flask sat upon another pedestal, except this one was glowing a sunny yellow-orange color. Confusion ebbed its way into his mind. The human had no idea what the purpose of these two flasks were, nor what they really contained, but something compelled him to take them. Whether it'd be his own curiosity, or some other force edging him to take them, he grabbed the blue flask, then reached over and nabbed the yellow one right off of their stands. Placing them in his bag, he zipped up the pocket and made his way back out of the castle. Lucky for him, the place was relatively empty. After dealing with so many of those things, he had nearly cleaned the entire property of any ghoulish creatures that spawned from this area of the Kingdom.

Getting back outside and crossing over the bridge, Nate retraced his steps back to Zecora's hut, though he didn't expect to find it as it was.

Zecora's front yard was a mess, the clearing destroyed and her masks riddled everywhere. A large hole was in the tree the Zebra repurposed as a hut, and the windows were broken. Nate would assume the forest had done something had it not have been for the commotion still going on inside.

"What have you done with Applebloom?! What have you done to us?!"

Applebloom? Was she out here? Why would she dare to trek through the Everfree alone, let alone to Zecora's? Didn't she know this section was more dangerous than the one Nate set his house up in? Not to mention, it was roughly unguarded and left above ground. Not at all strategic in the ways of deterring the oddities that roam here.

"Ponies! What is this you--"

*CRA-- SPLATTER--!!!*

"No! You know not what you do! You've spilled my precious brew!"

Goddamn it...

Nate picked up the pace to the hut, approaching the door inside as the crashing inside subsided.

"We're onto you, Zecora! I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous!"

"You made me SOUND ridiculous!"

Nate paused at the sound of Fluttershy's masculine voice, groaning to himself as he stepped up to the porch.

"How dare you! You destroy my home, destroy my work, then rudely accuse ME of being a jerk?!"

"You put this curse on us! Now you're going to--"

*SLAM*

Everypony in the room flinched as the door was kicked open by the human, the battered frame being ripped off in the process and causing the entire thing to collapse. Staring in, Nate saw Applejack and Fluttershy among their friends, his request for them to stay uninvolved with their curation ignored, obviously, and now they were causing more problems than necessary. Hell, he looked around and saw exactly what Zecora stated.

They destroyed her home!

Narrowing his eyes, the human stormed into the hut, his footsteps heavy with the weight in his backpack and the material of his boots. One by one, the mares got out of his way, intimidated by his weapon alone, and even more so by his entrance. Nate stopped briefly to glare at Fluttershy, making her back away and shy behind her mane in fear, then proceeded to Zecora, who was looking down at the spilled brew that was soaking up into the wood.

Great. Now, they had to start all over. Grabbing the cauldron, Nate hefted it back upright, seeing that some of the contents inside were still there. If they added more water and a touch more of what Zecora had on standby, they can probably replicate what was lost with ease, but now, they only had enough for one last chance at curing these idiotic mares behind the human.

Glancing to Zecora, he gave a worried look to her, silently addressing her with the concern of her health. Feeling his worry, she waved him off.

"Do not fret. I am but merely upset. These Ponies have charged into my home, and believe me to be the same as the monsters that roam."

Nate turned and looked back at the Ponies, his glare intensifying once more before he drew his bag around, sifting through the pockets and bringing out the ingredient. Despite the mess, Zecora's attitude was still as relaxed and welcoming as ever. Taking the flower petal, she beamed as she added more ingredients and liquid to the mixture.

"Ah, yes! The Poison Lust's petal! With this, I can make a new brew that will make the suffering effects settle."

She quickly danced around the new setup, placing things back to where they were as she took out a few books and vials, as well as the tools to crunch and grind the materials into powder. As she began working, the Ponies were quick to interject, but one rack of Nate's shotgun made them think twice. He wasn't letting them fuck this up again, and he was NOT happy with any of them right now, anyways.

Twilight, feeling her own curiosity override her fear, looked up at the Guardian she was told very little about.

"U-Uhm... Who...?"

Nate turned his head away from her, watching as Zecora placed the new ingredients in the cauldron. Twilight pouted a bit at the notion of being ignored, but let it go as she turned back to Zecora.

"You Ponies found me guilty of cursing you, but you knew not what you walked into."

She pointed to a book towards the side of the room, one that was thrown about in the ensuing chaos moments prior to Nate's arrival.

"If you remember back, you will find that my words were quite exact."

Many of the Ponies were bewildered by Zecora's rhyming language, but with the aid of the book Zecora pointed to, Twilight caught on to what she was eluding to.

"Beware! Beware, you Pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

In the book she read, she found this blue plant documented in one of its various sections. It was an infectious weed that was called "Poison Joke".

"So... Those things you said were a warning about the plants were running through?"

Zecora nodded.

"That plant is much like Poison Oak, but its results are like a joke."

"What in tarnation is that supposed to mean?"

Zecora looked up at Applejack, who was on top of Twilight's head.

"It means that this plant does not breed wrath, but instead wants a laugh."

"... Will somepony please talk normal...?"

Nate shook his head with a small sigh as Twilight put the pieces together.

"I... I think I get it, now. That plant we were running through. The one with the blue leaves. It's called Poison Joke, and we ran through it trying to get to Applebloom yesterday. This isn't any curse! It's just a small infection that played jokes on who we are."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at this revelation, huffing before turning back to Zecora.

"Okay, fine, but what about the cauldron, and the chanting? Or even the spooky masks?"

Zecora only laughed as she motioned to a few of the masks that survived the bombardment the rainbow-maned Pegasus put her hut through. While everything else was nearly destroyed, the masks remained intact.

"Treasures of the native land where I am from. This one speaks "Hello", and this one gestures "Welcome"."

She turned her hand to the cauldron as the same brew was brimming towards the rim of the large bowl.

"The words I chant were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme."

Twilight looked to the cauldron.

"And... that liquid is...?"

"The cure."

She turned her head to the Guardian when he spoke, hostilities lowered for the brief moment as he finished her thought for her.

"Zecora had sent me to retrieve some herbal ingredients for the mixture. One of which was the petal you saw me hand to her. With these mixed together just right, the brew needs to be absorbed into bath water, and all you'd need to do is just... well, take a bath. Plain and simple."

"B-But, I tried to find a cure in all the books I had in my library, but couldn't find anything. What book is this?"

Twilight turned back to the pages, bringing the cover over and perking up in surprise when she found it to be a book she disregarded from the title alone. Having dealt with supernatural entities and topics, she found it to be nothing but junk compared to real life situations.

Even though magic in itself was supernatural.

Twilight's ears folded when she realized and registered the name, almost berating herself for assuming the book to be fake garbage, when in actuality, it held the answers to their problem.

Nate stood off to the side, watching as the others began to come around as well, their guilt for their racist attitudes towards Zecora showing as they all began apologizing for their false pretenses about her. Seeing there was no need for the gun anymore, he slung it over his shoulder, letting the strap keep it bound to his back just right of the backpack. Just as he thought to leave, he then remembered the flasks he found. Glancing at his bag, he knelt down and rummaged through the pockets again. Only this time, he brought the flasks out for everyone in the room to see. Zecora was the first to notice.

"My, my. What is this you have obtained? Two flasks that have pure magic sustained?"

Everypony followed Zecora's attention to the two square bottles as the Zebra took them, examining both as she eyed the rich, thick nectar that could literally be melded into anything. Pure magic synthesized and stored in flasks like these were almost nonexistent. The mere fact that Nate Schmidt was able to find not one, but two, in his endeavor to cure the Poison Joke was nothing short of luck.

But something was wrong with these two flasks. Wherever this magic came from, it was not of an amorphous shape. In fact, there was no way one could meld anything from it, so why was it stored this way? Another purpose by the users? The colors of the two did seem familiar. Perhaps they were related to the Royal Sisters of Canterlot, who rule over Equestria through the cycles of day and night.

Whatever the case, these flasks were important; special in their own way. Discarding them, or even opening them, was heavily discouraged, as the magic would be wasted in either scenario. So, she gave them back.

"A very interesting find you have come across. However, I recommend you not use this right now, or all of it will be lost."

Nate looked down at the two glowing flasks, eyeing them as Zecora walked back to her cauldron, mixing up the new potion to aid the Mane Six.

Was that it? No explanation as to why he shouldn't use these, or do anything with them? She had described them as magic in its purest form, right? Why can't he experiment and try to finally acquire magic of his own to better defend himself here in Equestria?

He trusted Zecora's judgement, but it wasn't often she left him on such a blatant cliffhanger of information. Guess this must be important one way or another.

Anyways, with the flasks momentarily dealt with, the Mane Six were ready to head back to Ponyville with Zecora in tow. Nate, on the other hand, just wanted to go back home and sleep this shithole of a day off. Lord knows he needed it after all the crap he had to go through to help these Ponies, even with their bigotry active most of the time.

Goddamn Ponies...

Sighing, he turned and managed to slip away before anyone was the wiser. Making his way back towards the more docile section of the Everfree, Nate descended down into his various tunnels, clearing it of the occasional pest here and there as he went. When he finally got back to his hub, he was quick to enter his home once again and take a load off. Dumping the backpack by the door and putting his guns away, Nate placed the two flasks on the kitchen table, leaving them be as he went to take off the clothing he's worn all day. Matted and sweaty himself, he felt dirty with gunpowder, ashes, and bits of wood and flesh from the Everfree Forest creatures. Shaking off a piece of skin, he went into the only extension in his building, turning on the faucet to the shower and stepping in when it was ready.

As he cleaned himself down, he failed to notice the pulsating hue of light just outside of his curtain. The glow of the flasks intensified for a brief moment, then receded back its dimmer glow. In the time the light was brighter, the orange flask seemed to have more than just a bit of unknown magic swirling through it.

After all, pure magic doesn't have a face, or sunset-orange eyes.

Diamond Genocide

"You want me to do what...?"

Applejack and Nathan Schmidt stood outside of a new building, one the latter has rarely ever seen inside Ponyville. It took the shape of a carousel of some sort, the dome at the top reminding him of the rides he used to take at the fairgrounds on Earth when he was little. The building itself was the most stunning of any structure he's seen in Ponyville. Unlike the usual housing, which was made of wood and steel, this carousel building looked to be made of marble and various stylistic minerals. It was honestly impressive, and also baffling, that Nate had never seen this building before, considering it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Then again, Nate's never been to this side of Ponyville. The building they were at was on the east side of town. All of the pathways and roads he took drifted south towards the Everfree Forest. It was his comfort zone, so to speak. A set of channels he wander down without getting into much trouble.

Speaking of trouble, the debacle with Zecora has been cleared up, and Ponyville welcomed the Zebra after apologizing profusely for their bigoted behavior and reactions to her entering town. With the stalls and stores now open to her, Zecora had no more need for Nate to continue gathering herbs for her. Now, she can put her stockpile of bits to better use than just storing it and letting it collect dust, and Nate's source of potions and ingredients now came at a different cost every now and again.

With the trade now changed, Nate found himself in a predicament. While he was nowhere near depleted of ammunition, he was running out of material to scrounge up from the forest. All the gunpowder substitutes, all the minerals, the metals and plastics; they were all becoming more and more scarce with each scavenge hunt for them. This worried Nate, as without his guns, he felt as if he was almost completely defenseless. Sure, he can fight with swords, clubs, and just about anything he can swing or punch with, but getting up close to something that withholds magic at its fingertips isn't easy, and often times, more dangerous than keeping them at range.

He needed another spot to find the materials he needed to continue making homemade ammunition. As shitty as it is compared to the professionally-made cartridges he had arriving in this place, something was better than nothing, and he'd be hard-pressed to be caught with his pants down and clips empty out in the Everfree.

Nate had also been carrying those flasks he found around quite often. Always found in his backpack, he keeps them at the bottom of his main pocket. For some reason, he's... compelled to keep the two sources of pure magic close. He couldn't tell what it was, but it felt as if the two sources called to him, urged him to take them with him on his hikes through the forest, but he knows not why...

Anyways, that all led to now. Applejack had a special assignment for Nate to help with, and in exchange for assisting, she'd pay him triple for three weeks.

How can you pass THAT up?

Well...

"Ah need y'all ta help out another friend of mine. One of the gals ya saw back in Zecora's hut. Her name is Rarity."

Nate gazed towards the farm mare, his distaste for her favor evident, even though she couldn't see his face.

"Now, don't gimme that look, sugarcube. Rarity's a bit dramatic, but she's trustworthy. Ah wouldn't have asked ya to come all this way if Ah thought it would put you or your lifestyle in jeopardy."

"..."

He shook his head as they approached the door.

"Jesus Christ, Applejack. You could have, at least, said something the day before so I could have prepared better."

"That's the thing. Ah just got a letter from her this mornin'. Considering how... frantic she was in her writing, Ah assumed this was important. Unfortunately, though, Ah can't stay. Big Mac spotted a heap of trees out in the orchard that've gone bad, and we need to get rid of them as fast as possible before their rotten magic spreads to the other trees around 'em."

Nate blinked when that description graced his ears. Trees can get infected by the rot that consumed its neighboring brethren? That... doesn't make much sense.

Then again, he's seen oddities worse in the Everfree, so it's not like this was anything new. This fairytale land of techno-colored horses has its own rules, and he's yet to know it all. Shrugging off the strangeness of it all, he glanced at Applejack as she knocked on Rarity's door.

"And I take it you want me to sit in for you like I did when taking Applebloom to school that one time?'

"If y'all can spare the time, sugarcube. Plus, Ah am payin' ya triple for the next few weeks. Can't really say no to that, can ya?"

He hummed, figuring he really couldn't, considering his material situation was now feeding off of whatever currency he's accumulated since working with Applejack in the last month or so.

"Fine, but this is the last friend of yours I'm meeting until I'm more content with leaving the Everfree again. I don't want to walk out and find another Gilda among the crowd, AJ."

She rose up her hands in defense as they entered the boutique.

"Fair enough, Nate. After this, Ah'll leave ya to it and let'cha get back out there on your own pace."

The human nodded as they examined the interior, finding it to be as classy and stylistic as the outside. Running back and forth was a white mare, a familiar one that wore clothing much fancier and proper than Applejack or Fluttershy. Her figure was to kill for. Seriously, if Fluttershy could give erections off of her adorable nature and lustful body, then Rarity could make some sorry bastard cum in his pants by batting her eyelashes at them.

However, the mare was too panicked to flaunt her sexual attraction and beauty onto others. She was frantically going back and forth with several items and gems levitated at her side as she zipped to and fro. The speed she was going could give the Pegasi a run for their money, and Applejack winced as she took off her hat.

"Aww, shucks... She's at it again."

"Again?"

Applejack motioned to the Unicorn as she skidded up next to her sowing machine.

"Every time Rarity has some big order, she gets like this, especially if the due date is pitted closer than she'd anticipated to work around. Believe me, sugarcube, this is tame compared to a deadline runnin' the next day."

Nate cringed, knowing just what Applejack meant by that. If this is how active this otherwise regal mare is when presented with a bit of stress, how bad would she get when the shit REALLY hits the fan? That was not a question he needed answered, lest the whole village would implode...

Be that as it may, Applejack took a step forward into the boutique, finally getting Rarity's attention.

"Oh! Applejack! You're right on time! Is your helper here today? I could REALLY use some help right now!"

"Why? What's got yer panties in a bunch, Rarity?"

The white-coated mare fanned herself before going back to the sowing machine, working diligently and quickly, but not fast enough to overload the machine.

"S-Sapphire Shores came by earlier today."

Applejack blinked at the name.

"Sapphire Shores? Ain't that the mare who sings them popular pop songs everypony's been gettin' into?"

"Yes! Yes! She just recently made a huge boost in her name! Her face is practically all across Manehattan. She came by my shop looking for a new sensational uniform to wear on her tour."

Rarity pointed towards the curtains to her right, which barely concealed her latest creation. Inside was a white suit designed for the female demographic of Pony kind, and with it came the diamond, rubies, emeralds; literally all of the gems you could find in common Equestria grounds as accessories. Seriously, this dress practically glistened in the dimmed light. Applejack got a good look at it before turning to her friend.

"So... did she hate it?"

"My heavens, no! She absolutely ADORED it!"

"Okay... So what's with all the fussin'-"

"I HAVE TO MAKE FIVE MORE IN A WEEK, ALL OF THEM DONE UP IN DIFFERENT JEWELS!!!"

Applejack cringed as she finally understood what Rarity needed help with. Gems were very easy to find if you're just looking for them at random, but finding a huge stockpile of the same ones is not as easy. In fact, culminating a small pile of the same gems can take a week if you don't find a spot with richer soil. You'd only ever know if you'd paid attention to how the ground mists over with the gems' dazzling glimmer.

Applejack herself knew no such place. There weren't even any spots around the orchard that had rich soil ripe for gems to grow in.

But she knew someone who did.

"Well, Rarity, Ah don't know where y'all can find a sweet spot for gems, but Ah have someone here who does."

Rarity's ear perked at the chance and swiftly turned to find her saving grace.

Imagine her surprise when she found the very same "monkey" standing before a line of her male products, sifting through and looking at some of her wares.

"U-Um... Isn't that...?"

Applejack nodded.

"He is, and Ah have a bit of a confession to make."

She motioned to Nate as his attention settled back on them.

"This here is mah employee: Nathan Schmidt. Colt's been workin' at mah farm fer about a month now. He ain't native to Equestria, so you can say he's a lot like Zecora."

"I... see..."

Applejack could see some measure of apprehension in her eyes as Rarity looked Nate up and down, her caution warranted as she could spot one of his weapons clasped to his belt. Applejack ignored this, facing her employee as Rarity eyed his clothing specifically.

"Y'all got any good spots that Rarity can find gems, sugarcube?"

Nate glanced down at the floor, raking through his mind for any locations he's spotted or encountered during his explorations and hunts in the Everfree. Unfortunately, there were no spots that were actually INSIDE the forest, but Nate had exited the forest from the south before, and if he's recalled the geography of Equestria correctly, he remembered seeing some fragments of glistening dirt.

"There's a spot just south of the Everfree Forest. If we go now and take the path around, we would be there by mid-afternoon."

Applejack smiled, ushering a hand out to Nate as she glanced at Rarity. The Unicorn was still put off by the human. Even though she can't see what he really is, he had this aura of mystery that put her on edge. Being a Pony of gossip, she hated having secrets kept from her, but she was also smart enough to not push anypony to reveal them on her terms. Doing so would be unladylike, after all.

Taking a breath, the fashionista nodded.

"Alright, then. I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I am still a little... uneasy around him. No offense, darling."

Nate narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything as Rarity snapped her fingers, activating her magic. With a puff of light, she replaced her fancy clothing with that of a set fit for exploration, especially if one was to get their hands dirty. Beside her was also a wagon for the gems she needed. Given that they were going to be at this location by mid-afternoon, Rarity assumed they wouldn't find much, even in a patch of land rich with gems.

"But I am not a choosy mare right now. I need these gems, so I will take whatever help I can get."

She gave Applejack a side eye.

"Although, I do want an explanation later, Applejack, as well as the names of those who know about him as well."

"Ah'll do mah best..."

Applejack tipped her hat to them as she made for the door.

"You two have fun, now, ya hear?"

Nate deadpanned after his boss as she shut the door after herself, leaving him alone with the fashionista. Turning back to Rarity, he could still see she was uncomfortable. Knowing his task for today, however, he couldn't care less how she felt.

"You have a shovel?"

She looked up at him as he took up the wagon's handle and began pulling it towards the door. Following suit after snapping herself from her stupor, she conjured up a simple shovel with the use of her magic, tailing after the human as they made their way towards the Everfree Forest.

"Sapphire Shores?"

Nate followed behind Rarity as he finally spoke up in the one-sided conversations he and Rarity have been having. Despite showing discontent when being near him, Rarity was not one to stay silent for very long. A good conversation is all one needs to ease the tension between two potential friends, and seeing a good opportunity to finally break the ice, Rarity nodded as she waved her hand about over the glistening dirt beyond the south exit of the Everfree, hoping to find gems in a few quick minutes to start them off.

"Sapphire Shores is one of the most popular pop singers in modern Pony history. She had just recently made her resurgence after a five month absence, which I heard was a vacation period for her."

"Another singer, huh? Here I thought Songbird was the name most would be familiar with as of late."

"Oh, quite so, darling. After her latest hit "Rainbows", she has been on the front of magazines and newspapers from here to Vanhoover. Speaking of which..."

Rarity glanced back at Nate as she found some gems, marking them for him to dig.

"That song was inspired by you, wasn't it? I had heard mention of you when Fluttershy and Applejack were following us up Everfree Mountain."

Nate grunted as he hit the gems about a foot into his digging, scuffing away the excess dirt and picking out the gems they'd located.

"Yeah. The Dragons attacked me when I was headed back home, and in the middle of the fight, I was... Well, kind of shoved through a portal to the middle of the Everfree Mountain."

He dumped the gems into the wagon as they moved along.

"I had to fight my way down. All those bodies you and your friends saw? That was me."

Rarity cringed and leaned away from Nate.

"M-My word! All of that was YOU? There is no way a stallion could take the lives of so many Dragons, especially when their kind is physically superior to ours!"

"Yeah, well... I'm not what you'd call normal compared to other "stallions", Ms. Rarity."

The fashionista prolonged a short stare to the back of Nate's head before she eventually let it go. She had to focus, and they had a very limited window to get all the jewels Rarity needed for these suits. If they don't find a jewel mine by tomorrow, Rarity would need to get creative with her work, and that would risk Sapphire Shores disapproving her changes in the design.

On and on, the day went. Rarity would locate the gems, and Nate would dig them up. A few times, they'd struck up a conversation based around small talk, often gravitating towards topics the two of them were familiar with.

By day's end, they had enough to fulfill their first day's worth of goodies. The wagon was beyond full. So much so that both Rarity and Nate had to carry some of the gems in their arms while the latter pulled the wagon along. Considering how heavy gems were when collected into a mound, this put a bit of stress on him, and he hated not having a hand free to reach for his gun.

Keeping a close eye on the Everfree Forest's treeline as they circled around it, Nate couldn't help but have a foreboding sense of impending danger when looking at it. He's felt this before. That lingering sense of something stalking you. A dreaded terror of someone following you. Nate knew it all too well.

*rustle-...*

Nate stopped the second he heard something move within the brush. Pressing a hand on Rarity, she was forced to a halt when she walked into his grasp, standing just slightly behind him as he narrowed his eyes. The rustling he was hearing was too deliberate, too coordinated. These were not Timberwolves, or any other creature that was native to the wildlife of the forest. Nothing had this level of intelligence to work with one another in full synchronization.

Keeping his eyes going to and fro, he watched as more of the shrubbery was being disturbed. He counted off at least four spots where the quivering masses was most violent. Taking a step back, he kept Rarity behind him as one of the figures emerged.

What appeared to be a bipedal canine came stamping out of the forest, hissing and growling as its ears were folded back. A menacing smile-turned scowl was present on its face, and its matted fur gave it all that much more of an intimidating presence. The amount of dirt and grime on it suggested it lived underground, or used tunnel systems like the one centered around Nate's home frequently. Rarity, scrunching her nose at the creature, backed away.

"O-Oh! Hello there. Good day to you, uh... gentle-- fellow. I am Rarity and this is my friend, Nate."

The human glared back at the white Unicorn as the canine stalked forward.

"Me Diamond Dog...~"

Nate ushered Rarity to keep retreating as they left the jewels behind, Nate's hand slipping to his sidearm attached to his belt. Rarity, still attempting to be charming, giggled anxiously.

"O-Oh, really? Well, that explains your fine taste in jewelry. I-I mean, I know that diamonds are a girl's best friend, and now I know they're a dog's best friend, too. Ahaha..."

More dogs appeared behind this red-vested one, some shorting and some taller. The danger began to get real as their sights were primarily set on Rarity.

'Shit... I can see where this is going...'

Rarity smiled as the two stopped, the presence of the dogs now behind them as well.

"So! You're out hunting for gems as well?"

"Yes! We hunt!"

"Uh... We?"

"We hunt for gems, but you are a better hunter, so now we hunt... for you."

Rarity's eyes widened as Nate tugged her down by the arm, forcing her to crouch as one of the dogs from behind lunged at them. Catching the predator by his arm, Nate pressed his other hand on his underbelly and sent him flying through the air, the momentum of his lunge used against the Diamond Dog as he went crashing into two others by the trees. Hearing a snarl to his left, Nate swung his fist back, cracking the mutt out of the air just it jumped for him. Turning and punching another in the stomach as it raced for his right, he grabbed it by his neck and twisted it over his shoulder, snapping the bones as it hit the dirt with a powerful slam.

Spinning back around, Nate snagged another dog by his throat as it reached out for Rarity. Stepping past the fashionista, Nate shoved it to the ground and grabbed it by its tail. Using the creature as a weapon, he managed to clobber two of its brethren before he tossed the breathing tool away, sending it far into the trees of the Everfree.

Keeping himself over Rarity, Nate lowered himself slightly as the entirety of the Diamond Dog force was now coming at them. Stopping one left him open for another to clamper onto his back, biting him in the neck. Forcing its jaws away from him when they opened, he kicked another dog back as he whiplashed the first one into a nearby small boulder. His various small victories over the dogs were shortlived. Where one was discarded from the attack, another took its place. Nate was practically being mauled, yet still fought off the onslaught of sharp teeth and ragged claws, all to keep the crouched figure below him untouched. Throwing the last of those on him away, he felt a set of teeth graze his lower calf.

*CRUNCH-!!!*

"GRRGH-!!!"

One of the Diamond Dogs had bit him in his heel, forcing him to drop as another tackled him to the ground. Kicking and shoving at them, he was dragged away from Rarity, forced to watch in combination with fending off the rabid creatures as they grabbed her and began dragging her away. Snarling, Nate held one of them back as he drew out his pistol.

*BANG*

With that single gunshot, the Diamond Dog that was upon him was dead, a hole now present in its face as he rolled it over off of him. Standing back up, he cringed as his leg was damaged greatly, forced to give him a limp. Looking towards the Diamond Dogs, he saw the last of them retreat down one of their burrows, Rarity struggling the whole way. Gritting his teeth, Nate ignored the pain enough to tear off after them, only getting as far as the hole before he tripped. With his arms overlooking the whole, he dropped his pistol, his only lethal defense against the creatures of Equestria, into the hole.

"NO!!!"

He punched the side of the hole as the throbbing pain of his leg made his scowl twitch. Pulling himself up, he looked down at the bite mark on his heel, seeing that the dog had, indeed punctured his skin and sunk deep into the top of his foot, but not enough to do any lasting damage if he got medical attention for it.

Something he can do without for a few more hours.

Reaching down his belt, he drew out an old 11.25 inch hunting knife that he always kept on him in the event that he had to get personal with something that can be downed with a slice of their throat or a jab in the abdomen.

Looking down into the tunnel Rarity was pulled down after his fall, Nate took a step forward, then leaped in, trailing down with his arms before he was able to begin sliding the rest of the way. As he descended lower and lower, his eyes narrowed upon seeing the end of the slide, which would then spit him out into an old mine.

"Motherfuckers..."

*THUMP-!!!*

"Ow!!"

Rarity was harshly thrown to the floor after being dragged level to level in this cave system. Having reached, undoubtedly, the bottom, the dogs that had nabbed her under the human's eye was now held hostage by them. For what purpose, she didn't know, and it didn't seem like they were intending on having a tea party.

"W-What are you going to do to me?"

The leading dog nodded to her, signalling two of the side dogs in the crowd to pull out... a breeding stock?

Oh no...

Rarity yelped as she was hefted into the air, brought to the stock and locked in before she could even make a move. The leading Diamond Dog came around to the front, the chains on the stock pulling upwards as it, and the Unicorn, were pulled onto a cart.

"W-What is this?! Let me go!"

"No! You our precious Pony, now! Forever!"

"W-Why?! What did I ever do to you?"

The leader chuckled as he smacked the minions he had attached to the front of the wagon into gear. They began walking as several dogs crowded around the wagon, sniffing at her.

"It is not what you have done, Pony, but what you will do. We hunt for gems. Pony also hunt for gems. You help find gems hidden in the Earth, and you remain unharmed. Cease to cooperate...~"

Rarity yipped as she felt several slimy tongues run up the back of her legs, reaching calves as they lapped away at her fur.

"And you will be useful in another manner.~"

Rarity only shuddered as the dogs removed themselves from her, her quivering gaze focusing up on the leader.

"I-If the gems is all you needed, you could have just asked. I would have helped had you done so."

Her horn ignited in a pale blue aura as she scanned the room, showcasing several spots in the area where small stockpiles were present. Marking them, the dogs split up around her, digging out the jewels as the leader blinked. If all they had to do was request her aid, then...

Bah, no. It would never be that simple. They will hold her here... They will KEEP her here. Eventually, they will find all the gems in this cave, and she will be useful thereafter still.

Licking his lips, the dog's eyes wandered across Rarity's body. Those massive breasts. Those luscious birthing hips. Yes... She will do nicely...

Turning the corner with the cart, he crossed his arms as he stood on the end of it just behind Rarity, waiting for the moment she could not find any gems, and thus forfeit herself to him.

In another part of the cave, several armored Diamond Dogs were patrolling the tunnels, going up and down on lifts attached to pulley devices to reach the various floors and levels of the numerous caves that were strewn about many central points.

Nathan Schmidt had managed to fall into the layer of tunnels closest to the surface, sliding through the vertical entrance till he reached the mineshafts that lied below. Looking around and venturing further, he didn't start coming across the beings that took Rarity till he had reached the fourth level down.

Peering around the corner, he found one of the armored dogs facing away from him. Sneaking up on him, Nate rose the hunting knife to his neck and plunged it straight through, piercing the bone and slicing through the flesh with ease. Tearing it out to the side, he watched as the body collapsed into a crevice, remaining unseen unless intentionally sought out by other dogs. moving on, Nate took his spear as he found himself at another corner leading down into the fifth level of the system. Peeking around the corner, he leaned back to avoid detection, prepping the spear in his hand. Jumping out from behind it, he launched the spear at the next armored dog, jamming it through his chestplate and into his lungs. Nate let him fester and die, suffocating on his own blood, as he moved on, taking one of the pulleys down to the fifth floor of the cave.

Seeing two more dogs up ahead, he took cover behind some of the rock formation on the side, waiting for them to come closer. When one was on the pulley, he stepped out and stabbed his blade into the second dog's face, killing him instantly as he then strode forward and slit the throat of the other. Both went down without a fight, though did spray the young man with their fluids.

'Ugh... Gonna have to dry clean this again... Maybe need more lemon to get the blood out...'

He shrugged to himself as he stopped in front of the pulley, looking down over the edges it sat upon. This strand of caves seemed to go on for a few miles down. At least twelve floors from this perspective alone.

Getting to Rarity will take forever, and he may not even make it before something horrible happens to her.

Still, though, he's gotta keep moving.

Rarity gave out a hoarse breath as her magic diminished. The last hour and a half was spent casting the same spell over and over again, exhausting her reserves bit by bit. Granted, the Gem-Finding Spell didn't take much to cast, nor did it drain a Pony all that much. However, using this one single magic's purpose endlessly wore her down. Her ragged breathing caught the ear of the leading Diamond Dog, who grinned when seeing her in such a tired state.

"Oh? What's wrong, Pony? Are you wearing out your use to us?"

The white Unicorn looked up from the stock, gulping as she cast the magic spell once more. The Diamond Dog crossed his arms, humming as he was denied his chance to indulge himself. Stupid Ponies and their resilience. Even the softest of them are difficult to break.

The group rounded another tunnel, digging out all gems in the area and making their way towards the central chamber that connects all these tunnels. When they entered, Rarity was impressed by the size of the place, how intricate and complicated it seemed. From every level, there was about six or seven tunnels running out in separate directions, all single and none connected together. She wondered how the dogs could navigate such a place, but didn't have any time to ask, as she was forced to cast the spell again, this time with difficulty. With the Diamond Dogs preoccupied, she attempted to break the lock using a simpler spell. With her aura surrounding the lock, she jiggled at it, sliding a few strands of that hue into the inner mechanism. Fidgeting with it, she could feel one of the pins pull back.

*SMACK*

But she didn't get much further than that before the leader slammed his paw against her ass, her Cutie Mark now having a paw print over it.

"What do you think you're doing, little Pony?"

"I-I...! I was just-"

Rarity panicked as she watched him go behind her, not wasting any time with tormenting or foreplay. It was clear what his intentions were, and she began to writhe and struggle when feeling his paws roam her thighs.

"Attempting to escape, you are. Just the kind of excuse I needed.~"

'No! No, no, no, NO!!!'

The leader drooled as he prepared himself, getting behind Rarity directly and readying her for a little... Pony ride. Smirking, he lined himself up and-

*SPLAT-!!!*

The Diamond Dog's ear flicked as he turned to the side, seeing... seeing...

"W-What...?"

The group turned their eyes upwards as another corpse was thrown from an upper level, crashing down onto the rocks and smashing into the ground in a wet pile of meat. Running across the side of the upper floor that body came from, a non-Pony figure was rushing the armored elites of the Diamond Dogs, using tactics and maneuvers unfamiliar to them to either beat them to death, or run them through with an enlarged knife. Rarity gasped when seeing it, recognizing the hoodie immediately.

"Nate! NATE!!! Darling, down here! Help me!!"

The leader spun his attention back to the mare in his hold, then looked back up at the figure. No longer fighting or running, the unnatural shape of the creature was now looming over the edge, staring directly at the group that had Rarity captured and escorted around the caverns. The leader didn't really know what instilled fear into him. Nothing about this creature appeared more frightening or threatening than the dogs themselves posed to others, but something about him, the way he moved, the way he was looking down onto them.

Even the air around him smelled... evil.

Nate dashed around the side of the path in the central chamber the second he found Rarity at the bottom. His feet ground against the dirt as he pedaled to another pulley, jumping into the lift and lowering himself down with haste. Passing by each level had a few dogs come jumping onto the lift with him, but with his mind set on getting to Rarity, he wasn't keen on being delayed. If they got away, Rarity was lost, forever, and who knows what they'll do to her both in and OUT of that breeding stock.

'Why do so many creatures want to molest these Ponies?!'

He paused for a second after ramming his knife into an armored dog's face, thinking back and remembering what their bodies looked like. Their voluptuous curves, their huge assets, their limitless potential and strength...

'Okay, actually, I can see why they're made a target...'

Shaking his head, Nate jumped off onto the level above the ground floor, tackling one of the lesser Diamond Dogs off the side and using him as a means to break his fall. Crushing his neck against a cart hauling gems, Nate turned his irate gaze towards the group of dogs retreating into another tunnel with Rarity. Chasing after them with a pace rivaling their own on all-fours, he managed to stay on them throughout the chase, using rocks sticking out from the ground to quickly turn corners when they tried to bait-and-switch him. Coming to a decline, he slid down the rest of the way, and had a clear shot to Rarity. Raising his knife, he prepared himself to lunge at the first dog he can get his hands on.

*CK-CK-CK-CK*

Hearing the sounds of chains being ruptured from above, he stopped, jumping back as a large wooden gate came down between him and the group of Diamond Dogs. The latter of which stopped, the leader turning back and laughing when seeing that he had managed to get away.

"Haha! Slowpoke! Too bad for you! If it is Pony you want, you should have come sooner, or run faster!"

He laughed again as he pointed to the wooden bars that separated them.

"That gate is made out of the wood from the Growing Bark trees of the Everfree! No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to get through them!"

Nate looked at the gate as the dog continued to laugh, turning Rarity around to look at him. Clasping her by her cheeks, the leader gave a firm, sloppy lick up the side of her face.

"Say bye-bye to Pony, creature. It will be the last time you'll ever-"

*SMASH*

The leader jumped as a piece of wood went flying past his face, his eyes widened as Nate's hand was now on the other side of the obstruction in his way. Taking his hand out, he reeled it back and violently smashed his way through another bar. The Diamond Dogs were all growing near-pale with fear, the leader especially.

"I-Impossible! That wood is made from Growing Bark! It is said to be strong enough to survive the spears of the Canterlot Royal Guard!! No one is that strong! NO ONE!!!"

*SMASH*

Nate's fist went through another, blood oozing through his glove as he grasped the piece of the gate he was smashing through. With a stressful jerk, he tore the flimsy board away, throwing it backwards as he ran in and at the leader.

"N-No! Stay back! Don't come any clo-"

Rarity closed her eyes as Nate was upon the Diamond Dog in an instant. She could not see what was happening, but she could hear it, clear as day, and what she DID hear made her ears fold back.

Nate was practically beating the alpha of these mutts without remorse or mercy. Every fist swung at the anthropomorphic dog was followed by another. The moment you were hit by one fist, the next was already connecting.

First, Nate had punched him in the temple to confuse him, then followed with a sequence a varied punches in this order:

An lead uppercut, a haymaker, a two-three-two, a cross, a jab, a rear hook, a rear uppercut, a lead hook, an elbow, a back fist, an overhand, a hammer fist, and finally a superman punch.

All this adding up to fifteen hits that alpha Diamond Dog took to the face. With the strength to bash through Growing Bark, Nate's arms were now covered in the leader's blood as that fifteenth punch delivered the final blow. Left without a face, the body fell to the ground, twitching and festering as the other Diamond Dogs were shrinking away in fear of this... this... monster of a man. They've seen Ponies who can fight back withhold and exert a surprising amount of strength, but never before had they used it to do what this creature had done. It went to show that Nathan Schmidt may not be as strong as Earth Pony, or as intelligent as a Unicorn, but if there was one thing he was that nopony in Equestria could be...

It's V̷̥́̚Í̶̖̭͠O̵͙̗̖̔̈́͝L̶̡̦̘̈́̉̅E̷͎͉̎N̶̖͆̓T̷͎̍͛.

Turning his head to the other mutts, they all attempted to get past him, hoping to escape the wrath of this demon.

The caves were only filled with their screams as they were all horrifically murdered, just as their boss was.

"M-Mmph..."

"Darling, please stop fidgeting."

Rarity glanced up at the human as the two were back in the Carousel Boutique. Having ruthlessly dispatched all the Diamond Dogs in that cave, Nate had managed to free Rarity and escape the tunnels with her. They had quickly made their way back to the perimeter of Ponyville, the safety of its population warding any stragglers from attacking them further. Neither were injured by the dogs, but they also didn't want to go through any more funny business with them.

Nate was already disgusted with the amount of grime that coated his arms before, and Rarity was still shaken up from being very-nearly raped by one of them. Getting back to the Boutique was a priority, and to Rarity, patching up Nate's fist was a close second and getting him new clothes was a definite third.

Now, here they were, back to square one. They had no gems, no progress, their only known source was teeming with dangers they didn't even know was there...

And what pissed Nate off the worst about the situation was the fact that he lost one of his guns. His favorite pistol was somewhere buried in those tunnels. He wanted to get it back, but thought it foolish to return there. If anything, the only reason he'd ever go back to those tunnels would be to plug them so no other Pony would stumble across the massacre, or get captured the same way Rarity did. God forbid they didn't have the fashionista's talents if that ever did happen.

Oddly enough, Rarity didn't seem bothered that they didn't have her gems. The whole walk home was her mainly getting over the peril she was in before Nate came to her rescue, and not once did she complain or whine about not having what she needed. Instead, she sat him down and practically forced him to take off the glove as she went and got a First-Aid kit from her bathroom. While surprised at his lack of fur, she didn't say anything about it. She sat him down and took a seat next to him, pulling out the splinters from the Growing Bark with her tweasers piece by piece. A few times, he jerked away in pain, resulting in the disapproval and annoyance of the fashionista.

With this being the fourth time, Nate sighed as he gave her back his hand.

"Sorry..."

"It's alright, Darling. The quicker we get this out, the better you'll feel in just a few moments. Now, hold still..."

Nate looked away as she went back to work, her fingers holding his palm as her thumb brushed against the back of his hand. He had to admit, despite them looking as if their colors were mere skin, he still couldn't fathom feeling their soft fur. It was short, but... luscious in a sense. It was comforting to touch, and in some situations with Fluttershy, it was nice to cuddle with. They were like living, breathing blankets.

Still, thoughts aside, he was sure Rarity had some apprehension of being around him. Nate had demonstrated just how unforgiving he can be to others if pushed. Hell, he completely mauled an entire squad of Diamond Dogs right in front of her, and with such ferocity that would scar Fluttershy and actually FRIGHTEN the iron-willed Applejack.

How was she so calm?

"Are you not going to say anything...?"

Rarity glanced up at him as his hood was facing forward, his eyes not focused on her.

"About what happened back in that cave, you mean?"

Nate nodded. Hearing her sigh, he turned his head further from her.

"I will be frank with you, Darling. That... display was, indeed, disturbing. I've never met somepony who could do something like that without hesitation or a lack of self-control."

She prodded out another splinter, taking it with her tweasers as she continued.

"The way you move, the way you fought... The way you killed..."

She shook her head as she got the last of the wood out, putting the tweasers aside and grabbing a roll of gauze.

"It doesn't matter, darling. What matters is that we're safe. You saved the both of us. Even if it was scary and..."

She cringed at the red on his arms.

"M-Messy, it does not mean I am not grateful, and can look past what I saw to see the bigger picture."

She wrapped up his hand as a smile graced her lips.

"Y'know, Fluttershy and Applejack have spoken quite a lot about you. They had both told all of us of an unstable friend who just wants to help the Ponies around them. He was someone who always tried to do the right thing, and sometimes, to do the right thing, words simply won't do. Even a lady such as myself can understand when a Pony, or creature, needs to be taught a lesson."

She turned back up to Nate as she clipped the gauze together.

"Though... I won't sugarcoat this, dear. Murder, and especially homicide to an extreme degree like what happened in those caves, is a heinous crime in Equestria. This Kingdom prides itself as a moniker for peace. Despite the few legends and Ponies in the past that have tried to rule and take over this land, Equestria is meant to be a safe place of Harmony. Crimes like killing is punishable by..."

She fell silent as Nate got the message, looking back at her with a solemn glint in his eyes. Seems like now he has one more reason to stay out of the public eye. He doesn't know any other way to defend something or someone without killing something, and besides, if something threatens your life, don't you have a right to defend yourself? Nate has seen crime back on his world in its sickest and most deplorable form. Murder, here or there, is one of the more tame crimes he's grown accustomed to seeing.

What he saw upon the Everfree Mountain, and what was about to happen to Rarity... That always triggered a reaction from him, and never a good one.

Staying silent, Rarity stood up with the human, the latter taking his glove back as he faced her.

"Well... In any case, I'm sorry we couldn't get anything for your work."

"Think nothing of it, Darling. Getting out of that situation was more important than gathering enough jewels for a project. I'm just lucky to be alive."

She turned and walked towards one of her desks.

"I can always find another spot to search for gems. I may even bring Spike along this time to help dig for them. He's just as good at finding jewels as I am."

She looked over her shoulder at him.

"You... should return home, dear, and... perhaps take a shower."

Nate blinked before looking down at himself. His nose was assaulted by the smell of the oozing blood that trickled down his hoodie. Cringing and brushing off some of it onto his glove, he groaned to himself as he nodded.

"Yeah. I should. Will you be okay here on your own if I leave, though?"

"Of course. I may be a lady, but I can get myself out of... certain circumstances."

She shooed him along.

"Off you go, Darling. Don't you worry about me. It's late, anyways, and everypony will be asleep within the hour. Be careful on your way back home."

Rarity turned back to her desk, no longer paying any attention to Nate as he stood there, watching her for a moment. Slipping the glove over his gauzed hand, he turned and strode for the door, leaving the Boutique and treading out onto the dirt road of Ponyville. Glancing at the shop as he left it behind, he took a breath as he began to make his way back to the Everfree Forest. As he walked along, he occasionally peered out towards the tunnel entrances leading into the caves he fought the Diamond Dogs in. He hated leaving work unfinished, and his pistol was still down there.

With Rarity's work schedule crammed as it was, she couldn't go out on a second day to find gemstones. She needed them, now.

With a grunt, Nate continued forward, figuring he'd return in the morning to scavenge those carts on the bottom floor of the system for the jewels those mutts had stockpiled.

For now, he was tired, and his hand hurt. It's best to leave it be till morning.

Lord knows what tomorrow would bring...

Scars

Five months. From just a single month to five, Nathan Schmidt was now fully integrated and accustomed to his new life in Equestria. With his four friends, three outside the Everfree and one within, he found himself living a lifestyle he never believed he would have had before. After all the action and danger with the first few weeks of his life in this world, things settled down and remained at the peaceful and harmonic level Rarity had mentioned in their talk after escaping the Diamond Dogs. Over that time, he had further cemented his friendship with the fashionista, taking the time and making an effort to visit her boutique to offer an extra hand in her work, or to just hang out and chat. Rarity loved doing the latter, especially if it included gossip.

Speaking of Rarity, the fashionista had been making new clothes for him. After coming back the second time, this time with the gems from the caves the two left behind, Rarity had finally discovered he was not a Pony after undressing him against his will to get measurements. Fluttershy, being there with him, explained the situation, and how he was not a "monkey", but a similar being known as a human. She had done so with her eyes closed, as when Rarity undressed him, she had undressed EVERYTHING, or attempted to. Nate had managed to keep his upper body from being fully unclothed, his hood staying over his head. His lower half, though, showed something different.

Both Rarity and Fluttershy were staring at two legs similar to a Pony's, but with the obvious lack of fur, and a certain "third leg" that hung in front of the fashionista's face. While not as impressive as a stallion's, Nate found it surprising that his natural size had seemingly... doubled. What was once a six-inch was now twelve or thirteen in length, and five centimeters in diameter, and this was all WITHOUT being erect!

What the fuck happened!? WHEN the fuck did this happen!? He looked at himself several days ago and saw normalcy! Now, after everything, he can actually call this thing a "magnum"! What did--...

Wait a minute... That incident with Zecora a while back. His adventures in the Everfree...

Oh shit... The Poison Joke.

The Poison Joke had affected him all along! No wonder he had felt strange after the introduction to Zecora! That damn plant doubled the length of his cock and widened it to a mare's standards! What the hell was the joke in...

...

...

Y'know what, I don't think anyone here or there needs to know what the punchline is.

Anyways, Rarity now understands what Nathan Schmidt really is, and why it was so important to him to stay hidden in the shadows. Having taken measurements, while teasing him, of course, Rarity had a full wardrobe of familiar casual clothing and formal wear custom made the next day. Each and every article of clothing that resembled something that goes over a shirt had a hood to accompany it. Even the formal attire had hoods large enough to hide his face! It was perfect!

That all happened shortly after his job with Rarity. Nowadays, he's gotten into the habit of helping all three mares, plus Zecora. His constant back-and-forth favors allowed him to learn something new every time. Whether it'd be something about Ponies, magic, or the world of Equus itself, it was never unwelcome in the ever-growing mind of the human.

Now, with the five month anniversary of his arrival passing, he was now given something akin to vacation. Applejack had notified him of her trip to Appleloosa, a western country town south of the Everfree, and that, for all of his hard work, she wanted him to take the next month off to prepare and brave through the coming of Winter.

Ugh... Winter. If there was one thing Nate hated in nature more than anything, it was Winter. Not because of the snow, but because of the batshit insane freezing temperatures. Nate had always grudged against the extreme temperatures of Summer and Winter, choosing Fall and Spring over either of them any time of the year. That being said, he still looked forward to the holidays that came with the frozen bastard of the seasons. Christmas and Valentines Day were still a thing here, only now they were bunched closer together, and called Hearth's Warming and Hearts and Hooves Day respectably.

Nate wasn't really expecting to be spending these holidays with anyone, really. I mean, what point is there to a holiday that resembles the gift of family when you have none at all? It depressed him, made him drink some of the Apple Cider his boss provided during the season; it made him think deeply upon times long passed.

Fate seemed to take exception to this, as somehow, someway, his three friends found themselves at his front porch, all wearing Christmas-themed outfits (some more revealing than others), and holding gifts. Seeing them smile and stand there in their Christmas cheer made Nate remember that he technically DID have a family, just not one bound by blood.

Friends are an extension of one's family, after all, and it wasn't like Nate didn't have gifts for them as well.

Inviting them in, he set out his table as the girls got a good look at the inside of his house for the first time ever. Considering the one-room concept, they definitely found it unique amongst the other homes they've come and gone to, but it made it all the more cozy. With no walls bordering each section of the house, they were always together, save for the bathroom, of course. To the quartet, that was enough.

Nate was initially worried that the three weren't going to spend their holidays with their actual families, but they all explained that they planned their festivities early for this specific reason. It's the whole reason they've made themselves scarce in the last month of their growing friendship. That touched Nate's heart in a way he was unfamiliar with. It was a gracious feeling he's long-since forgotten, but was happy to feel again.

On and on, the night went, the four spending time playing games, talking to each other, joking around, and eventually eating a dinner spread worthy of Hearth's Warming.

During dinner, the discussions varied in topics, mostly ranging from standard life to obscure gossips fresh on Ponyville's block.

However, one subject made Nate... pause.

Fluttershy finally asked why Nate still had the hood on, why he was so persistent in hiding himself away from the world, and from them. They loved him, saw him as one of their few closest friends. Did he not feel the same way?

His answer said otherwise.

"It's... not so easy or simple for me, Fluttershy. I've been living in isolation for more than seven years, and just recently, that turned to eight before I met all of you."

Nate sat down his fork as he stared at the food that lay in front of him, his preference in meat leaving him with a slice of ham with the common vegetables off to the side.

"I've got a LOT to regret. A lot of things I wish could have happened differently, but there's very few things I've done here that I think could have been done different."

He ushered to Rarity as all three of them were now listening, their attention solely on the Everfree Guardian as his heart began to bleed for them.

"The only thing I have regrets for is Rarity seeing me like... well, me. The true me. The brute made from bad experiences and blood. The one I try to hide behind a mask..."

He drifted that same hand up to the ring of his hood, tugging on it as he shuddered to himself.

"This hood... You guys often ask me why I still uphold the whole "secret identity" thing. Truth is, it was never like that. I don't have anything to hide from anyone, despite the obvious secrets I keep from you. Right now, that drive to hurt, to maim and kill; I know I would do what I did to the Diamond Dogs to anyone else who would take the freedom and innocence from people who don't deserve it. I would cause that bloodbath right now if I had the chance. That's just how things are for me, but... after doing it, after tearing people apart without remorse or second thoughts, and in front of those I hold close in this Kingdom now more than ever... After knowing what I've become in the past, I couldn't ever catch myself looking at the face that started it all. I don't want to chance it."

Bringing his hand away, he turned and stood up, walking to his fridge to get another bottle of Apple Cider. Figured if he was going to tell this story, he might as well be two percent drunker.

"When it all started out for me, the hood was meant to hide my fears, to keep my little sister from seeing that I was scared. If she ever saw me as anything other than the big and strong brother that can stand up to anything... Well, you get the picture. The hood now represents something different. I... don't want to relive the more horrifying details, but the hood is there to keep me from seeing the monster that I am. Seeing my own face would force me to confront the fact that, no matter how hard I try to bury it, it was still me that did those things in my youth. I'm using it to hide myself FROM me. I'm tricking my mind into thinking I'm still okay."

Popping off the cap, he took a swig as he leaned against the counter. Sighing as he let it down, he placed the Cider on the same counter as he took a breath.

"If I dwell on the things I've done, the hundreds of people I've killed, all when I was a fucking kid, no less, I worry I'll just turn into some soulless mockery of my former self."

Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all saddened their expressions as he pressed his hands against the corner of the island between the kitchen and dining room, rubbing his fingers against the smooth stone.

"I've changed. I know I've changed. We all do in time, but even if I still do these things, know that I can't stop myself when the triggers are pulled, I still try my hardest to keep in mind that what I'm doing is wrong, even if it's for the right reasons. If I lose sight of my morals, then I'm no better than the evil I fought before coming to Equestria."

"B-But... You aren't..."

Nate shook his head, stopping Fluttershy from speaking as he continued.

"I will never justify what I do, Fluttershy. I can't ever look back and guess what would change if I did things differently. I have to live with what I do, and what I continue to be. I am not a human, or a Pony. Just a monster trying to do right by others... in the most gruesome way possible."

He ushered to them all, now, his eyes barely visible with the light outside and inside. They could faintly make out an uncertain expression, a look laced with fear for the uncertain and the unknown. A face they're all familiar with.

"Which is why... I don't know how to react to you, to the idea of US... Just thinking about it makes me scared..."

Fluttershy was almost in tears when he finished, both incredibly disheartened and gleeful. She was happy that her human friend was opening up to her. Sure, Nate had eluded to things about himself here and there, his insecurities and strengths, but never before had he been this thorough. He was practically pouring his very soul out in response to her one single question. This holiday was just what she needed to get him to open up and talk to her.

But at the same time, she felt so incredibly guilty for pushing him to do so. She knew that Nate's trauma came from past experiences. Those frenzies of anger and rage came from immense sadness, both mentally and emotionally. He was so unstable, and now here she was learning that he hides himself away to keep HIMSELF from seeing his face. It was a mark of great shame that lingered and stained his heart.

Applejack was appalled to hear about this, ANY of this, now. She wasn't the Element of Honesty for no reason. She knew Nate was always hiding something from her, but back then, she was so unfamiliar with him that it wasn't any of her business, but after growing close to her new favorite worker for the months that rolled by, after bonding through hard work, she'd expected him to be more honest with himself, too. Apples are nothing if not honest.

Rarity had no outwards reaction to Nate's monologue. Becoming who she was took a lot of sacrifice, a lot of things she felt ashamed for. Fashion was a gruelling business if you were not prepared for the blood, sweat, and mistakes that would lie ahead. Shame was forever welded into Rarity's own heart. However, she had plenty of things to bounce her back to shape. Many things, and one very huge safety net that Nate didn't have:

Parents, or siblings.

Standing up, Rarity was the first to approach Nate, bringing him into a silent hug as she leaned into him. There were no words, no hushed whispers. She just remained, coaxing him into embracing her back while Fluttershy floated over and joined the hug from above. Applejack grinned before doing the same, squeezing them all together firmly against her before softening her grip.

With his arms still around Rarity, he felt their warmth sink into his body, relaxing and melting him into their embrace. Eventually, Fluttershy pulled back and smiled down at him, her face saying everything there is for him to hear.

He has a family. After all this time, he does. It's small, but it's wholesome, and it's finally one he can accept and be a part of. Hugging all of the girls again, he was unaware of Fluttershy's smile turning wry. When he finally did notice, he rose an eyebrow. All she did was point up, and reveal a mistletoe just above them.

Needless to say, the fashionista and farm mare held him down while Fluttershy had her way with him. She showed a surprising amount of boldness that night, despite never actually getting sexual with the intimacy. The rest of the night was spent together, now more relaxed and slowly turning in for the night. Nate had slept on the floor, leaned up against his own bed while the girls took it for the night.

That night... That day, it was one of the most emotional and "magical" days of Nate's life. One with more purpose than flesh-tearing and life-saving.

All that, plus some uneventful days to come, led to today, where the Winter had passed, and Spring was coming in.

Nate had only wished he had graced Spring under better circumstances, especially now that he stood with Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity at the latter's favorite spa. The girls had finally managed to convince their human into coming here as a "friends' night out", whatever that meant. He knew what a trip here would come to. He'd have to reveal a bit of himself to those three, as well as the staff. Hopefully, he didn't have to undress in front of the latter.

God help them if they figured out he wasn't a Pony.

Oddly enough, Nate didn't have as big of an issue in revealing more of himself to the girls. After the night he confessed his fears, he was willing to expose more skin around them. He hadn't seen his own face for as long as he can remember. He had washed it, kept it as spic and span as he could, but he knew it was just as damaged as the rest of his body.

So long as he kept his face hidden from view, he was alright joining the girls in the bath, strange as that may be due to his customs clashing with Equestria's.

But that's neither here nor there.

Coming into the spa with the three, he was introduced to Lotus and Aloe, two Earth Pony twins that were definite sweethearts, but loved to tease and flirt when the air was light between them and their customers and known guests. Thankfully, they didn't try anything on Nate that would require them getting too close, and soon enough, he found himself before a jacuzzi with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack all getting undressed beyond a curtain.

He didn't feel entirely uncomfortable revealing more skin to the girls. He trusted them, knew they wouldn't just run when seeing him in his full nude glory. If anything, they wouldn't even be paying attention to anything "inviting". No, he knew right from the moment they got into that jacuzzi with him several seconds later that they would be focused on something else.

Oh, dear lord...

Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity had finally, after several minutes of undoing and tossing clothing to the side, made it back to the spa's main bathhouse to join their human. They weren't expecting him to join them. With how guarded he is about showing anything underneath his clothes, they thought he'd be sitting off to the side, basking in the heat rolled over by the steam, relaxing in his own grace.

They found him inside the jacuzzi they rented out when they entered, finding it surprising that he was going so far. It warmed their hearts to know how much he trusted them, to let them see HIM, and not the darkness he hides himself in. With the exception of the towel wrapped around his head, his entire body was exposed to them.

Upon seeing it, though, that warmth was met with a chill when they saw his back, as he was facing away from them and resting his chin and arms on the edge of the tub. Fluttershy, out of all of them, knew they'd see a lot of damage on Nate's body. Given all he's went through, and the amount of injuries he's sustained, how could his body be smooth and clean?

She could, at least, say it was healthy. Despite its state of disrepair, the human had been taking extreme care to nurture what remains after those battles and trials in the Everfree Forest. What haunted her the most was the giant gash on his back. It had not healed as it should have. Whereas all other scars on his back shown as ugly grey and pink lines, the one he sustained from Gilda's assault stayed open. The flesh was no longer bleeding and appeared to be as healthy as the skin that once laid over it, but it was still out in the open, hardened by exposure to outside elements. What made the shy Pegasus sick the most was the little bit of spine still visible from the wound.

Applejack and Rarity saw the same thing, stopping in their tracks to see what Nate's own carnage wrought onto his mortal flesh.

"You all gonna stand there all day?"

The three blinked out of their funk when they heard him speak, seeing him tilting his head slightly to the side to glance back at them. Fluttershy was the first to dip in, sitting off towards Nate's left on the other side of the jacuzzi. Rarity and Applejack came in to his right and straight across from him respectable, all still having their eyes on him.

"I assume you all see my scars... and the wounds."

Fluttershy reached out, caressing one of the lesser scratches below his ribs.

"My goodness, Nate... Was... all of this... from Equestria?"

He rubbed a few with his right hand, which shared many of the scars and cuts up his forearm and bicep.

"No. Most of my scars came from before, back when I was on Earth. Lots of bad business, that was..."

He gently grabbed Fluttershy's hand, turning it so he was holding her fingers tenderly.

"I wanted you to see the back, first. To ease you into what you'll see. When I turn around, you'll know my other reason for keeping myself sealed away. Why I rarely let other people look at me. Are you ready for that? Will you... judge me if you see it?"

Fluttershy could feel his hand shake slightly at that last question, getting her heart to forget the fear for him and instead embrace kindness. She took his hand with both of her's, pressing it gently at the top of her breasts.

"Nate, we've known each other for five months. That may not seem like long for most Ponies, but we've grown so close to each other. I know you. No matter what you look like, I cherish you, and so does some of Ponyville."

Applejack nodded, setting her stetson hat off to the side.

"Ah'll second that, sugarcube. Y'all have been the biggest bunch of help with manpower on mah farm since ya showed up in our quiet little town. Ah can't think of ya any less if you look like somethin' that BELONGS in the Everfree."

Rarity smiled, chuckling as she fanned herself.

"Darling, I've seen parts of you no mare has ever seen before, and I think we both know what I mean."

Nate snorted as she softened her gaze.

"Be that as it may, you had risked yourself time and time again for all of us, dear. It doesn't matter what you look like to us, or even what you are. Here, in Ponyville, you are as every bit a stallion as the rest. Perhaps even one of the best I've known myself, and that's saying quite a lot."

The human shook his head at that comment, knowing from all of Rarity's stories and gossips that she fancies a lot of popular figures. One of which being this royal Prince known as Blueblood. Apparently, he is supposed to be this world's iteration of Prince Charming. Supposedly, Rarity has a lead on where she can meet him, and plans to court him. More power to her. They'll celebrate with drinks if she succeeds.

But, back to the present, Nate gives a slow breath as he leans up.

"Alright... If you're absolutely sure, then... Okay..."

He rises in the tub, standing so that the water is at his knees. Already, they can feel and see something wrong. Bits and pieces of him were hanging off his lower body's front. Nothing was in the actual water itself, but it was enough to make the mares' hearts sink. Turning towards them slowly, they now understood why he wore those clothes all the time.

Nate's body was a damn horror autopsy. To start, his body had retained the enormous gash and the two bullet wounds from when he first arrived in the Kingdom, but that was old news to them. What was new was everything else.

Nate's left forearm down was completely skinless, looking as if someone violently ripped off a few layers of it like scratchy duct tape. His fingernails remained, and some of that skin was loose, dangling from where it bordered at his elbow. His right bicep had a large indent in the side, likely from a bladed object, that was just as light-crimson as the slice on his back. The rest of his right arm was better than the left, but that wasn't saying much. It still retained all of its skin, but was no less scarred than the rest of him.

His calves held the same treatment as his right bicep, having parts of it removed and stabbed into, bullet wounds present here and there as well.

His chest and belly faced even worse treatment than his limbs. Several places were open, revealing protected organs and ribs. If they looked hard enough, they could see a very small glance of his beating heart.

But what freaked them out the most was his neck.

His neck had a ring of red going around it, as if he had worn an iron collar for years on end and it tore away at it before finally being taken off. It was stained with black blood that dried years ago, remaining as a smudge upon his natural tan.

Was this a result of some sort of slavery? Torture? The answers remained unclear, as the scar was too broad to give an accurate assumption.

Fluttershy was the first to respond, bringing her hands up to her mouth as Applejack's face had gone stone cold, paling to a brighter shade as she gazed upon his body in utter disbelief. She couldn't believe he's endured so much to become this. Hell, she couldn't believe he was even ALIVE.

Rarity was the only one to voice her thoughts, at first crying out in shock before spouting stuttering concerns for the human, reaching out and touching around his scars and dried up injuries. Nate only stood there, flexing his fingers gently before gruffly replying to their shock.

"Well... Here I am... This is what remains after everything I've been through..."

His head tilted downward, giving the impression of submission as his shoulders seemed to shiver.

"Are... Are you going to run...? Are you scared of me now that you see the real me underneath the clothes?"

Fluttershy lowered her hands from her mouth, realizing that her nature had made her reel back from the human. Coming to her senses quickly, she stood up to Nate's height, quickly giving his whitened cheek a reassuring kiss. The tormented Guardian blinked, surprised and completely thrown off that Fluttershy would still touch him after what she'd seen. Turning his head to look at her, Fluttershy smiled as she gazed into Nate's shadowed face

"Never. We meant what we said. It doesn't matter what you are. You still made life better for all of us."

She giggled as she pulled away, placing a hand on her heart.

"Why, I can't even think of the last time my own home had been so lively since you came along."

Rarity and Applejack agreed as Nate looked to them, feeling the presence of a familial warmth he'd long forgotten. Smiling, he could feel a wetness trickle down his face, drizzling onto the towel that obscured his face.

"Thank you... All of you... I... I can't remember the last time..."

He shook his head, hugging the shy Pegasus earnestly.

"Thank you..."

Fluttershy unfurled her wings, bringing them around her human as Rarity and Applejack joined the hug, the awkwardness forgotten in the wake of their bond as friends growing ever so closer. Releasing each other from their grasps, they stood apart, smiling and actually enjoying themselves for a change. They began to rest back into the water, Nate coming in last. As he found himself back in his spot, Applejack decided to lighten the mood with a bit of... humor.

"Ya know, yer bigger than most feller's 'round here.~"

"Shut up..."

Later that night, Nate had departed after his evening was spent in the company of his friends. After the hour-long rent of the spa, the four had left feeling more refreshed and clean than they'd ever felt before, the human especially. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so... fresh, so alive. With the many scars and holes on his body, he had always felt some semblance of pain or aches, but that spa not only flushed him out of the fluids that seeped from his pores and exposed inners, but relaxed the muscles he normally had guarded. He felt... peaceful.

After leaving the spa, the quartet went out for dinner, choosing a nice homey diner to continue relaxing in as they enjoyed a hot meal. In the time they were in that diner, Nate began to learn more about each of his three friends. Specifically, how they got their Cutie Marks, which apparently designates one's special talent and appears on their ass cheeks.

Kind of a weird place to put it, but whatever.

Applejack's Cutie Mark appeared via a journey to find herself. In her youth, she had no interest in being a farm pony, so she had tried to move in with her relatives in Manehattan and make it in the big city. After seeing how restrictive and polished the city life was like, especially one that resembled Earth's New York, Applejack realized where her place in life is meant to be. Upon returning to the farm, her Cutie Mark appeared, and her special talent was not only taking care of her farm, but readying it for the next Pony who was going to take care of it. It seemed the Apples were a family that prided themselves on successors and strong children. No wonder all of them were Earth Ponies.

Rarity's was a bit more comical. See, she was a fashionista her whole life. It was her aspiration, her dream. When most found her work to be average, and only just, she was distraught and fresh out of ideas on how to spruce up her dresses and costumes to make them really flair. Well, her horn had an idea, and dragged her halfway across the damn country just to present to her a rock. Sure enough, within that rock was layers upon layers of gemstones. Using them, her work improved, and her special talent in the fashionista business was unveiled to the world.

Fluttershy's was one that put two stallions on his shit list. While no names were dropped, it appeared Fluttershy's time in her home city, Cloudsdale wasn't a happy one. Her lack of speed and usual Pegasus grandeur came from a tough upbringing. Her shy nature and lack of confidence did little to help her pass Flight School, and after a subsequent fight engaged a race between her best friend, Rainbow Dash and the bullies, she was thrown off of Cloudsdale and plummeted right into the outskirts of Ponyville, which just so happened to be where she set up shop for her cottage. Ever since then, she remained as a caretaker for the critters, her Cutie Mark appearing several days after she uncovered her unique ability to communicate with them on levels other Ponies, and even Nate, can't attain.

Nate had shared a bit of his own past as well. Not anything sensitive, mind you. Rather, he shared details on Earth, and the particular region he was from.

He grew up in Manchester, England, and was born from an English mother and an American father. Later on, he had a sister right around when he turned five, and his bond with her grew more and more as the years passed. Sadly, that was the extent of the information he could give. Going further would plunge them into the darker veils of his past, how he'd gotten so many scars, and why he acts and suffers the way he does. He didn't want to ruin the mood they had going, and figured straying to the technological advancements Earth and humanity had made would be a better topic than personal tales. It seemed to work, as the more he told about computers and the internet, and even how humanity went to the moon, it captivated the girls entirely. Sometimes, the topic of humanity would stray to animals or fashion, to which Nate answered as best he could in those fields, but all in all, his world wasn't so different compared to Equestria aside from the obvious.

After they were done eating, they went their separate ways, bidding each other farewell and a good night. Nate returned to his hideout with little trouble. Nothing in the Everfree was stirring, nor were there any predators hunting for game. The night was old, and undoubtedly, the time was late as well.

Some well-earned sleep would do a great justice for the Guardian, especially after he'd unwound himself in the company of his friends.

Brunch Time

Manchester, England -- 2007

Silence. Among the brisk Spring night in Manchester, England, a dull silence accompanied the occasional nocturnal cooing of an owl or the chirping of crickets. Such peace lulled the notion of sleep to all of the suburban inhabitants of the neighborhood citizens. Rows upon rows of buildings were blacked out, lights flicked off as late-night workers turned in after a hard day at their jobs. To them, it was just another night, another day, coming and going.

Further along the trail of houses lies a path leading into the forest. A single driveway that stretched a quarter of mile inward until it landed upon a house, lonely and old, atop a low hill. A family of one mother and two children, a boy and a girl, lived within this house. The boy, Nathan Schmidt, had just breached the peak of his teenage years in the sweet sixteen mark of age. The girl, Maya Schmidt, was only an adolescent, a child of nine years. As with every house on the block, it, too, was blackened and without light, but unlike the other homes within the suburbs, this one was not quiet or peaceful.

"Oh, little Nathan...~ Where are you...? WHERE ARE YOU?!?!"

A loud crash came from the first story as the teenage boy jerked up from his seated position on the floor. Both he and his sister were in his room, the elder sibling watching Maya doodle and color on the notepads she had splayed out in front of her. Hearing the obvious sound of something being kicked over, the fear of a wrathful parent made him clinch up. Looking back at Maya as the footsteps drew near the staircase leading up to the second story hallway, Nathan scooped her up, covering her mouth as she began to protest. Opening his closet, he knelt down besides the dresser inside and gently stuffed his sister behind it. Before Maya made a noise, her brother put a finger to his lips.

"Mom's angry, Maya. Count to one-hundred, QUIETLY, and don't come out of this closet no matter what you hear."

"B-But-"

*CRASH*

Both children turned to the door as it rattled on its hinges. Something was thrown towards it from outside the room. Turning back to his sister, Nathan placed one of the caps hanging on the dresser on her head.

"You know how mom is when she's like this. You know what to do, sis. Close your eyes and cover your ears. I'll deal with her and come get you, okay...?"

The soft voice of his little sister came out in a slight whimper as another bang shook the door, this time coming from the rasping knocks of the bulldozing mother looking for them.

"Open this door! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!!! NATHAN!!!"

Nathan turned back to Maya, tucking her into the corner and leaning back out of the closet. Grabbing the doors, he gave her a small smile as he gently closed them.

"Trust me..."

Maya sniffled as the closet was left in the pitch blackness, the doors only opened by a crack when they were drawn closed. Nathan, turning away from it, noticed his door was about to come down. One of the hinges was giving away, and it won't be long before his mother broke the door down. Taking a breath, he reached under his bed and grabbed a wiffleball bat. He didn't want to hurt his mother, deranged as she may be, but at the same time, he had to defend himself. The only thing this cushioned bat was capable of was knocking out the older woman if he got a good swing in, but that was difficult when she was always right on top of him. Rubbing his neck, his thumb passed over a few marks, making his cough and clear his throat when touched. Gripping the bat by its handle, he steeled himself as the door finally caved, and his mother, Elizabeth Schmidt, stormed in.

"C'mere, you little scum!!"

Elizabeth was on him immediately, grabbing at his shoulders as he fought against her, shoving her back as she hollered at him.

"You think you can hide from me?! Not only did you lock the door, but you try to HIDE from me?! You're not allowed to do that to your mother! WHERE DID YOU HIDE MY PILLS!?!?!"

Nathan swung for the fences as she dove for him again, cracking her at the ribs and side-stepping her as she collapsed. Backing away from her, she hissed at him as she rose to her feet.

"You! How DARE you hurt your mother!"

"I don't have your pills, mom. You come here every time they go missing and you end up finding them someplace else, usually where YOU left them."

"LIAR!!! I KNOW YOU HAVE MY PILLS!!! WHERE ARE THEY!?!!? WHERE ARE THEY?!!? I NEED MY PILLS!!! WHERE ARE THEY?!?!?"

Nathan cringed as his mother's shrill screech nearly burst his eardrums, swinging once more as she raced towards him. She caught the bat as it neared her chest, striking her son across the cheek and drilling the handle of the bat into this stomach. Beating him down to the floor, Nathan covered up his vitals and his head as Elizabeth continued to pummel him for minutes on end. Soon, the elder woman tired out, so much so that she began to calm herself. Dropping the bat, she spat on her son's side as she stormed past him, leaving the room to search for her medication in the lower floors. Groaning, Nathan pushed himself up, bringing himself to a sit and rubbing his side. His mother really thrashed him hard this time. The bat was cracked to the side and he was sure to get some bruising from those swings. Shaking off the pain, he kicked the bat back underneath his bed and walked towards the closet. Opening it up, he uncovered Maya from her hiding spot, her eyes opening when he did so. She took one look at him and dove for his abdomen, snuggling into his belly as she began to sob lightly. Nathan took a labored breath as he wrapped an arm around her, petting her head as he glanced out the window.

Elizabeth was getting more aggressive. Ever since his father, Michael, walked out on them, she'd all but given up on life. Like any other broken woman, she resorted to medication and drugs to dull the ache of a shattered heart, but it only led her to change and morph into the violent and delusional woman she was tonight. As such, her drug-ridden state wasn't fit to keep the house in shape. She paid the bills, sure, but Nathan was doing most of the chores and housework while she wasted away. He was also the one to teach his sister about the many lessons he's learned, good and bad. She needed to be prepared for the road ahead in life. One day, they would leave this place behind, and Maya needs every lesson she could learn to be ready.

Sighing, Nathan rested himself up against the wall, closing his eyes as he would feel sleep come to him easy, considering some of those blows may have connected with his head. He'd hoped he didn't have a concussion. Right now, the last thing Maya needs is for him to be in a coma. She'd be all alone with their mother. That was something he'll never let happen. He'd sooner run Elizabeth through with something sharp than let her even graze Maya.

With that thought lost in his mind, Nathan felt himself go limp, a hand still on his sister's head as they both fell into the warmth of slumber.

Everfree Forest, Equestria - 2011

Nathan awoke in his bed with a startling jolt to his psyche. Being thrust from his dream after a slow ascension from it back to the waking world put his body in near panic mode. Sitting up quickly, he glanced around, finding himself not in the home he once knew, but the one he built in a whole new world, he drooped over the side of his bed slightly, clearing his throat as a cold sweat drizzled down his cheeks.

Slinging his legs over the side of his bed, Nathan stood up, staggering a bit before lazily walking towards his kitchen. Turning the tap for cold water, he doused his face in a shivering splash of it, waking himself up and fully registering where he was, and what he had seen.

What he had... experienced...

No... No, his mind was... His dreams were never that vivid before. It never felt real like that before. The tension, the fear... the beating...

Nathan could feel the phantom pain of the areas on his body where he had been struck. Elizabeth... his mother... How long had it been since he'd even remembered her name? Maya, too. His little sister...

Leaning over the sink for a moment, he glanced up at a mirror, seeing only a partial image of his face. Just like his body, it, too, was riddled with mangled tissue and skin, a tone of color that was slightly greyed from the natural tan the rest of his body had. Spitting out a bit into the sink, Nathan turned his head the other way, looking up at his calendar.

Sunday... He had work off today, which means he didn't need to go stumbling into Sweet Apple Acres as he was. Rubbing the side of his head, he pushed off his sink and began gathering up the usual supplies he usually took when going out into the Everfree towards Ponyville. He grabbed his guns and what sparing ammunition he had left. A little while ago, he had dug up one of the caves leading to the Diamond Dog tunnels. The stench of rotting corpses didn't deter him as he had burrowed in and found his broken pistol. Now, it sits and rests next the two magical flasks, never to be used again, but not forgotten. With just three ranged weapons and a knife, he knew he didn't have to be worried about the dangers that lurk within the forest. He's learned enough about the monsters that tread these grounds that a few well-placed shots can dismantle and kill them all for good.

Nevertheless, he felt he needed something else. Something he was about to handle and swing at those who get too close.

Turning to the corner of his house, just behind his couch, Nathan walked over and picked up something that was tossed behind it. A steel-made multi-tool the side of a baseball bat. One end had a hammer's face on one side and the blade of an axe on the other. The other end of the tool had a broken wrench on it, the thinner end cleaved off and sharpened into a fine stabbing and slicing weapon. How he didn't try using this thing before, much less notice it, was beyond Nathan, but with it added to his inventory of things to defend himself with, he felt safer engaging close quarters with a Timberwolf, or god forbid, a Manticore.

Weighing it in his hand, Nathan slung it over his shoulder as he walked out of his house, and towards the exit to his cavern.

"There you go, little mousey."

Fluttershy smiled as she placed the tiny rodent in her palm on the floor, the creature limping slightly on its hind leg before turning and making its way towards its hole in the corner of the room. Two other mice, one noticeably smaller than it, were waiting for their companion to return to them. Having injured its leg, Fluttershy had taken it to cater to it, to bandage and splint its leg as best she could for something ten times less her size. Keeping her smile as the mouse reached the two awaiting it, she leaned forward, rubbing the rodent over its back lovingly.

"Now, you stay off that leg and do everything like I told you, and you'll be back on your feet in no time."

She watched as the family of mice retreated back into the hole. Just as they did, Fluttershy's closest companion, Angel, came scampering up to her, a letter stamped and sealed with a star-shaped insignia tucked in his mouth. Taking it from him, Fluttershy curiously opened it. The star shape had an almost identical color to Twilight Sparkle's Cutie Mark, but... what was odd was the fact that she sent a letter to Fluttershy through the mail. She almost never does that. She usually teleports messages to her or comes and tells her anything she needs of Fluttershy in person. Opening the letter, she slowly widens her eyes at the frantic scribbles of her Unicorn friend. Twilight was obviously panicked. Either things didn't go as planned for something she was expecting to happen, or it didn't happen fast enough. There were some legible writing here and there. Key fragments that told the message all on its own.

-- Four o'clock.
-- Princesses.
-- Sugarcube Corner.
-- Bring the Everfree Guardian.

Reading those tangible sentences over and over again, Fluttershy slowly lowered the note, blinking to herself as she glanced up at the clock, seeing it was three fifty-five. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against her couch, taking a page from Applejack's book... and swearing.

"Oh, buck..."

"Agh...!"

Nathan pressed himself against a tree as he had finally reached the end of the Everfree Forest. Just as he did, his vision began pulsate and waver, flickers of orange and blue flashes discoloring everything as his head pounded with pain. Some of it lessened enough for him to look up, and sitting on the bench ahead of him was... another human.

"Wha- Rrgh--!!"

He groaned in pain as another wave of painful flashes came, and it all stopped. Taking a breath, Nathan stood upright, looking ahead at the bench. No one was there, now. What was once sitting there was now gone, leaving him alone with the occasional gust of wind blowing by.

"What the hell...? Am I losing it...?"

He rubbed his eye as an odd glow was coming from his backpack. A soft blue and orange hue, separated but meshing as their light shined through the seams of his bag. Unaware of it, he ventured on towards Fluttershy's cottage, hoping to visit her before heading into Ponyville. Just as he reached the bridge to cross over to her house, the door to her house flung open and a splotch of yellow came speeding out at him. Having only a split second to react, Nathan wasn't able to defend himself before he was tackled to the ground. Groaning as his face was buried in Fluttershy's stomach, the Pegasus mare whined at the recoil of the collision, rubbing her head as she got off him.

"O-Ow, uh... I'm sorry, Nate... wait..."

She paused, staring at him for a moment. After a few seconds passed, she gasped as he got to his knees, clasping her hands at his cheeks and squeezing them together.

"NATE!!! Thank goodness! I was just about to come and find you! Quickly! We have no time to lose!"

She hovered into the air, pointing towards Ponyville.

"There's something really important that we have be at in Sugarcube Corner! I just got a letter telling me to bring you!"

She bit her lip, hoping he'd buy that there was something wrong. Looking at her, then to Ponyville, Nathan grabbed his multitool and followed her as he ran alongside her. The blaring ceremonial horns made them pick up the pace. Ducking and weaving around Ponies as they came into town, Nathan was quick to have a path open for him. He's been around long enough for Ponies to know when not to step in his way, and if he's running like a bat out of Hell, then there must be something seriously wrong. Stopping only to see where Fluttershy went, he turned to his right to see her stopping before two...

"Oh... Oh no..."

Royal Guards. Shit! How did he not realize?! What would be so important that Fluttershy would bring him here at a time like this?!

The yellow Pegasus sighed as she landed before them, taking a breath and smiling.

"Phew, we finally made it..."

She made to walk forward to the shop, but stopped when she spotted Nathan standing so far back. Flicking her ears, she eyed the guards standing with her, motioning him to come with her. The guards' eyes turned to Nathan as he took a step back, his grip on his weapon tightening as one of them held up a Rune to his mouth.

"Contact. Everfree Guardian is in sight. Do not engage."

Nathan heard buzzing from all around him, little sparks that sounded like crackles of channeled lightning fizzling outwards from location to location. Glancing at the rooftops, he spotted more guards staring down at him, some posted in alleyways and one even back the way he came. Tensing up, his nerves tightening and muscles twisted in alarm, Nathan put the multitool away and drew out his shotgun.

"Goddamn it, Fluttershy! I trusted you!"

He pointed the barrel at the closest guard who was stupid enough to take a step towards him.

"FUCK you, and FUCK your monarchs!!"

"NO!!!"

Fluttershy flew towards him as the guards all around him readied their spears. The two standing at the door to Sugarcube Corner panicked as well, seemingly more informed at the fragility of the situation regarding the Guardian. The first one pulled up his Rune again just as Fluttershy hugged onto Nathan from behind, keeping him from engaging the Royal Guards.

"All units, stand down and retreat! I repeat, stand down and fall back to Canterlot. Extreme numbers and assertion will irritate the Guardian. We do not need blood spilled before the Princesses."

The two looked at the others expectantly, some of them hesitating to move before flying or marching away from the location. A few stubborn ones stayed for a few seconds longer before following that order, leaving Nathan to slowly lower his shotgun. Taking a few breaths to steady himself, he turned around to face Fluttershy.

*slap-!*

The hit was light and the pain was almost nonexistent, but Fluttershy felt all the emotion in that very gently and feeble slap to her cheek.

"What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Nate-"

"You actually thought it was a good idea to bring me HERE? To them? Why? You know what this'll lead to!"

"Nate-!"

"There's a REASON I stayed hidden in the Everfree, and that's because your government wants to skin me alive!"

"Nate!!"

"Half of Canterlot wants me DEAD, and YOU brought me to their RULERS! Are you TRYING to get me killed, or has your time in Ponyville been so goddamn lax with caring for annoying, shitting animals that you've gone fucking BRAINDEAD?!"

*gasp-!*

Nathan paused as his mind calmed and the red in his vision faded. With his heart slowing down, he realized what he had said. Not only had he insulted Fluttershy, but he insulted her animals. A thing that's very personal for her. Staying frozen for a long while, eyes locked on each other, Nathan opened his mouth to mutter an apology.

Only to have a hand grab him by his chin and force him to eye level with the usually shy Pegasus mare.

"What? You want to repeat that?"

Nathan stayed stock still as Fluttershy's "stare" was being used at full strength. Her mane darkened her face, and those giant adorable eyes of hers were glowing and slitted.

You remember back when Gilda was around, and that everyone had a certain rule for picking on Fluttershy? There's another rule pertaining the shy mare that also teeters to the opposite end of that spectrum. You don't make Fluttershy cry, and you sure as shit don't make her genuinely angry.

Because a pissed off Fluttershy is something not even Nathan could take on, and he knows this from experience. It's just as bad as a sexually-frustrated Fluttershy.

All in all, this beast of a woman is a powdered keg just waiting to be blown sky high, and the fuse for that bomb can be cut extremely short if you insult or threaten anything she holds dear.

Her animal friends are extremely high on that list.

Raising his hands up, Nathan gulped as he shook his head.

"Good. Now, you're going to listen to me and you will not talk until I'm done. Understand?"

He nodded as best he could in her grip, almost feeling a wave of relief when Fluttershy's "stare" lessened.

"You've told a lot of vague stories about where you're from. You never described what your life was like, but you always told us about the life around you. Earth, humanity, the many different nations and government. One thing you always mentioned in every story was how they would react to us Ponies. To you, we are alien, and to you, we are an opportunity. You say you crave power, and gain it through knowledge, and that includes through any foreign life your government gets its hands on. I'm not going to lie and tell you Equestria is different. We aren't, but if there's one difference between your kind and mine is that WE don't catch and kill alien life just to throw them on an operating table."

Fluttershy pointed to Sugarcube Corner.

"I brought you here without telling you so I can prove that. There is either one or all of Equestria's current Princesses behind that door. You WILL meet them, Nathan Schmidt, and you will see for yourself that I'm right."

"... And... if I say no?"

Fluttershy's "stare" hardened once more as she pulled his face closer to hers, the full affect her powerful ocular magic having the desired effect. Nathan felt a shiver go down his spine, a very familiar and paralyzing fear seeping into his core. Seeing the message was received, Fluttershy let him go, watching him sternly as she pointed towards Sugarcube Corner. Shuffling past her, he turned and strode to the door, depositing the weapons he had with the guards when instructed to.

Struggling to keep himself in check, Nathan entered Sugarcube Corner at Fluttershy's side, looking around at the familiar setting he had rarely stepped into since that mess with the Griffon.

"Seems like that was only just yesterday..."

"What?"

Nathan glanced at Fluttershy, shaking his head as he walked further into the sweet shop.

"Nothing, nothing. Just... The last party I went to in this place was with that girl you all were welcoming. Hopefully, this one doesn't end like that."

Fluttershy's disdained look softened at the reminder of what happened with Gilda. How broken both of them were when they either came out or were found in the bathroom.

"I remember that. I still can't believe Gilda would do something like that. She's one of Rainbow Dash's closest friends back when she was a filly."

"Rainbow Dash? The blue Pegasus friend of yours?"

"Mm-hmm. When she saw Gilda in the bathroom, she initially blamed you for what happened. She was... Well, you can imagine how angry she was."

"Angry? Fluttershy, I'd expect anyone to be on a warpath after finding your friend like that, no matter what the situation was. Did she ever find out what really happened?"

Fluttershy nodded as they passed by the front counter, heading to the party area where everyone attending the brunch was mingling.

"Yes. Applejack told her not long after you told us. She... took it even worse, but she doesn't blame you anymore for that. She realized you were just defending yourself."

"In hindsight, I probably should have focused on leaving the bathroom and getting back into the crowd rather than fighting Gilda. I know I went overboard with how I dealt with her."

Nathan rubbed his head as a small bout of that strange vision sent a sharp pang through his head.

"Ugh... I don't really know what happened, then. One moment, Gilda was on top of me, then the next... I don't think it's too farfetched to say that Applejack's assessment of me wasn't too far off."

He brought his hand down as the pain waned and his vision returned to normal.

"Post-Traumatic Stress... Can't say that's too surprising..."

He shook his head as they made their way through the crowd of Ponies, eventually stumbling onto a nervous purple Unicorn. Upon seeing them, Fluttershy's attitude brightened.

"Twilight, there you are."

"Fluttershy?"

The Unicorn turned to the duo, exhaling a breath she had been holding in. With a smile creasing onto her face, the two mares shared a short hug.

"Ah, so glad you could make it. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten."

"Well... I was a bit tied up on the way here."

Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder at Nathan, opting Twilight to look towards him as well.

"Oh! You're the guy we met back at Zecora's hut."

"You mean the one you broke into and trashed?"

Fluttershy elbowed him as Twilight's smile turned sheepish.

"Eheh, yeah. We're... sorry about all of that. I didn't really believe any of the gossip up until that point. I took all of what we saw in there as evidence of the stories told around Ponyville, and was primarily focused on getting Applebloom back."

"Applebloom? I sent her back home before she even GOT to Zecora's."

"Wait, what?"

Nathan rolled his wrist as he walked to the side, looking into the party room as he spoke.

"Yeah, she tried to follow me in, but I caught her just before she went into the Poison Joke herself. Luckily, there weren't any monsters left on the path she took to chase me, so I turned her around and sent her back to Sweet Apple Acres before making my way to Zecora's place."

"O-Oh... We were wondering how she got there when she went into the Everfree the last time we saw her that day."

She giggled a bit to herself before holding out a hand to the human.

"Anyway, we didn't formally introduce ourselves when we first met. My name is Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

Nathan took her hand into his own as he faced her.

"Nathan Schmidt. Sorry if I seem a bit on edge right now. Little miss secrets over here decided to lure me here without telling me what the hell was going on and I almost got into a scrap with the guards outside because of it."

Twilight blinked at him, then looked to Fluttershy for answers.

"I'll tell you later, Twilight. Anyways, what's going on here? I thought all of Equestria's Princesses were going to be here."

The three began walking towards the party, meshing in with the crowd as they ventured for a specific table near the back.

"Oh, you mean Princess Luna and Princess Cadence? Some emergency meeting came up back in Canterlot that required their attention, so they couldn't attend this brunch today. Princess Celestia is still here, though, and I'm excited for all of you to meet her."

Fluttershy tilted her head as she eyed Twilight.

"I thought she already met us."

"She has, and she's read about you in my letters, but this is the first time she's spent any real time with you. I want you all to make a good first impression."

"Well, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. I mean, this isn't anything overly formal. It's just a casual get-together, right?"

"It's... not you I'm worried about when it comes to meeting her, Fluttershy."

Twilight nodded towards Nathan as they went along, the two getting slightly ahead of him as he slowed a bit. His mind began pulsing again, his vision flashing orange and blue like a few seconds ago, but more intensely. Rubbing his head, Nathan looked up towards one of the empty tables, that same human figure from before sitting down in one of the chairs.

The figure was female, and had characteristics that were unlike anyone from his prior dreams. Judging by the way she was sitting, she was as tall as him, if not a little shorter. She had long, raven-black hair, a darker skin complexion, and was dressed in a striped tank-top and skin-tight sweats. Her eyes were directed at him, and glowed with that alternating blue and orange light.

"Naaaaathaaaannn..."

The vision flashed away before he could respond, making him stumble slightly as the pain faded once more and his vision returned to normal. Looking around, the figure was gone, and he was left with the Ponies walking around him.

"Was... That was..."

He rubbed his eyes, groaning at the strain they were facing from this small series of hallucinations. Shaking it off, he turned back towards Fluttershy and Twilight, catching up with them as they got to the table they were looking for. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were there, too, addressing the guest of honor for the brunch.

"A-Anything else we can get for you, dearie-- I-I mean, esteemed guest?"

"Everything is fine, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. I must say, this tea is quite delicious. Might I request the recipe for it to serve back in Canterlot Castle?"

"B-But of course! Q-Quick, Carrot, it's on the top shelf near the back counter."

"I'm on it, honey bun."

Carrot Cake sped away from the table, much to the amusement of their guest. Approaching the table, Fluttershy and Twilight took a seat near her while Nathan placed himself in between them. Looking past the purple Unicorn, Nathan caught his first sight of the grand ruler of this land.

Princess Celestia. A mare taller than the rest by a large margin. She easily doubles everyone around her in height, and her "assets" match a mare of her size. Nathan thought that he had grown used to the good looks and nice bodies of every person he came across in this world, but holy shit. If somepony like Rarity can make a stallion swoon with just the bat of an eye, this Princess could do it with a mere glance.

Her coat was a pure white while her mane and tail flowed with some sort of magical power. Shades of pink, purple, blue, and green swirled within the veil of that magic, giving a sort of ethereal appearance to her grace. She had the usual royal ornaments he had been expecting from someone like her, but what caught his eye was the fact that she had BOTH a horn and wings rather than one or the other. Was she some kind of super Pony or something? If she held the traits of all three types of Ponies seen in Equestria, then calling her the "most powerful Pony in Equestria" may not be too far off from the truth.

Her attire consisted of Roman-styled clothing. Namely, it was a ceremonial dress that was as white as her fur, though had demarcations in certain areas like the sleeves and the shoulders. Overall, he had the beauty and authority of a true Goddess, though Nathan hardly believed she was one. Like anypony in this land, if she bled, he CAN kill her. It'll just be really difficult to do so if it ever became necessary.

"Haven't met a person for three seconds before you're trying to figure out a way to end their life?"

Nathan jolted slightly as he turned towards Fluttershy, seeing the figure from earlier was sitting in her place.

"How do you do it? How do you hold it all inside? Your face is covered so it never reveals your pain? No one would know the guilt you feel, never know your darkest and deepest thoughts."

She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"The cracks are forming, Nathan. The sins are seeping in, and the memories that haunt you are returning."

Nathan's vision flashed once more, and the figure was gone, replaced with a worried Fluttershy.

"Are you okay...?"

Nathan turned his head away from her, his arms slumped onto the table as he stared down at his hands.

"I... Yes. I'm fine..."

Fluttershy knew he was lying, but didn't bother to call him out. Not now, not in front of the Princess. Speaking of which, it seemed her attention was now on them, having finished her fun with the Cakes. Eyeing both her and Nathan, she started with her as Nathan was recuperating from... whatever had perturbed him.

"And what about you, dear? Fluttershy is your name, correct? I understand from Twilight's letters about you that you enjoy taking care of small woodland creatures near the Everfree."

"Yes. I love to take care of animals."

"As do I, Miss Fluttershy. As Princess, I care about all creatures, great and small."

She turned her eyes to Nathan, shifting some to address him fully.

"And you must be the one I requested to join us. The Everfree Guardian, I presume?"

Nathan rubbed his head again, glancing towards the monarch of the Kingdom. He looked back down, nodding his head.

"Agh... Yeah, that's me. Nathan Schmidt."

"Well, Nathan Schmidt, I would like to say firsthand that I appreciate your efforts in protecting my little Ponies."

"Erm, sure, though I wouldn't say I did it in the most noble of ways."

"Perhaps not, and would it be any other circumstance, I would have had the guards outside arrest you for crimes against Ponykind. Murder by itself is a capital offense. One of the worst in a land meant for harmony and peace. You should find comfort in knowing that such things do have loopholes. Self defense and acts of heroism can be excusable, given the right situations. Your escapades at the Everfree Mountain and within the tunnels of the Diamond Dogs prove your innocence against such charges."

"I..."

Nathan brought his hand down, doing a double take at the table before turning his seat to face the Princess directly.

"Really?"

"Of course. Despite who we are, Mr. Schmidt, there is no reason to think that crime cannot exist here. From trivial thievery to genocide, it has all happened within the borders of Equestria before. Many Ponies have been found guilty and very few have been pardoned by myself or my sister. Trust and believe that I pardon you as well. Without you, the Element Bearer of Generosity would not have returned to us, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony would have returned with grave injuries from the Everfree Mountain. Your actions in the latter have also freed my Ponies from the greed of the Dragon hatchlings. As much as the Canterlot Council sought otherwise, I found this enough to pardon your actions, and will continue doing so as long as the incidents fall within these circumstances."

Nathan drummed his fingers on the table, humming to himself as he glanced to Twilight.

"Canterlot Council, huh? I've been hearing a few things here and there about them. They really want to get their hands on me, according to the local Press. It's one of the reasons I didn't want to meet you, actually. I thought you fell in with them and wanted to get at me to see what I was."

Princess Celestia took a sip of her tea, shaking her head lightly as her smile fell to a straight frown.

"Heavens, no. I wouldn't dare such a thing. When the Dragons first crossed into Equestria, we did not capture and perform unorthodox procedures on them. Nor did we excite conflict with the Griffons or Yaks. We welcomed those who chose to take our hands instead of closing theirs as fists. Just because you are not native to this Kingdom, or even this planet, does not mean we will not extend the same courtesy to you. Nothing means more to me than the well-being of all my subjects."

Nathan felt a nudge on his back, and he didn't even need to look to see that Fluttershy was grinning triumphantly. He did, however, hear her move and close in on his ear.

"I told you so- EEP!!!"

Fluttershy felt back as his finger jutted her nose, booping her back into her seat and having her blushing like mad as she held her muzzle. Taking a breath, Nathan finally relaxed himself and grabbed a drink from the table.

"I'll be honest, Princess. It's good to hear that. At least, now, I won't have to hide away in the Everfree anymore. I can get out of my old dump of a house and build a new one up on the surface."

"The surface?"

He nodded as he took a sip of his drink.

"I live in a central chamber connected to a series of tunnels that span the entire Everfree Forest. My house sits on a patch of land in the center surrounded by glowing water, and underneath that is a portal going up to the mountain. It's not the best place to live in comfort, but it's been a good hideout for me to survive in."

"I see. Well, if you're not opposed to living outside of the Everfree, perhaps near its treeline, I am more than happy to provide you with the funds needed to buy a house. In fact, there's one just southeast of Ponyville over the abandoned bridge."

"You talking about the bridge that's just six blocks from townhall passed the shopping district?"

"Yes."

"Dude, that house is destroyed."

Celestia choked on her tea for a moment, coughing a few times before spinning to Nathan.

"Excuse me? But that house had been structurally sound for years."

"You ever hear of termites? I put my hand on one support beam and whole thing just fell apart in front of me."

"Oh... Well, I... don't have a place a residence currently open for purchase, then..."

"Eh, don't sweat it. I can always get more lumber and rebar to work with at the shops and build another house out there. It's better than the caverns."

*COUUUGH--!!! HAAACK--!!!*

Everyone paused as the sound of a deathly serious cough came from Celestia's direction. Looking over her side, Nathan spotted a golden cage with a strange and sickly looking bird inside. Every time it coughed, it seemed to be shedding a few more of what little feathers it had.

"What the hell is that...?"

Celestia turned around, smiling as the bird balanced itself on the rail inside the cage.

"Ah, Philomena, my pet. You're awake. Do say hello to our gracious hosts."

*HWWWUUUAAAAKKK--!!!*

"What the fuck is a Philomena?"

Celestia giggled as she took the bird out from the cage, holding it in her palms as it continued to cough and wheeze its life away.

"She is quite a sight, isn't she?"

"It looks like a beaked Grim Reaper shit itself back to life. Are we sure it's healthy, or is it really old?"

"Oh, she's perfectly healthy. Here, hold her for a moment."

Nathan took the sickly Philomena as Celestia offered her. Holding her in front of him, he eyed the bird as it stared back with that dumb, cross-eyed stare.

"She's in mint condition. She's just going through a phase where she must renew herself by shedding all of her feathers and growing them back in a blaze of glory. In fact..."

Celestia pointed to the last feather on the bird, which had steadily began pluck itself from the bird's body. As it fluttered to the ground, the bird collapsed in Nathan's hands, then-

*FWOOOOSSH--!!!!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Everypony except Celestia stood up in a panic as Philomena burst into flames, covering Nathan's hands in the same fire. Racing to and fro, he threw Philomena away as he began patting down the fire licking at his sleeves. Fluttershy and Twilight were quick to help him, grabbing anything to douse the fire as Celestia gave a hearty laugh at the whole thing. Of course, the fire from her pet was harmless. She just enjoyed the prank as it unfolded before her. Soon, Applejack came running over with a barrel of water, dumping it all on Nathan and putting him out while the fireball that is Philomena hovered into the air, coating a sphere of ashes her body was burned into. In a flash of golden-orange light, the bird was reshaped into something that matched the majestic beauty of its owner. Coughing and gagging on the floor, Nathan crumbled onto his side as he took in gasps of air, not noticing the renewed bird fluttered down next to him. Landing on a stool above him, a bright red eagle-like creature peered down at him, chirping a few times before pecking him in the arm.

"Nuuuuoooooh..."

The creature tilted its head to and fro before flying down and landing on his side. Philomena, now standing tall and covered in little ember-like feathers, curiously pecked and tittered against Nathan's hood. Celestia almost fell back from laughing, standing up and walking over to the two. Lowering her arm, Philomena jumped onto it, perching herself with her talons as Celestia looked down at Nathan.

"Eheh... Uh... Are you alright?"

Her response was a raised finger flung her way from up underneath him. She snickered some more as her cheshire grin fell back into a standard smile.

"Yes, yes. Such a process is not uncommon for a Phoenix. This majestic and magical bird that appears healthy and happy with bright burning feathers, every once in a while, she must enter that sickly state you saw a few moments ago, and then burst into flame. It then rises from the ashes, fresh as a daisy. All just part of the normal life cycle of a Phoenix."

Fluttershy awed at Philomena as she preened herself. Meanwhile, Applejack was kneeling down next to Nathan, checking to see if he was wounded. Celestia only shook her head.

"A Phoenix's flame is not harmful to others unless intended. It's how we're able to touch and hold her. The mystic fire is a Phoenix's defense mechanism, but it can also be a source of comfort, and it seems little Philly here decided it was a good time to play a trick on you, Mr. Schmidt."

She lowered her pet to Nathan's side, allowing Philomena to hop onto him again.

"Say you're sorry, young lady."

The Phoenix looked up at her owner, then glowed with a radiant heat that dried the clothing on Nathan's body and evaporated the water around him. Looking back down at him as the glow faded, she pecked the side of his face as he groaned. Princess Celestia took Philomena off of him, a small smile still present on her face as a guard came to her side and whispered something in her ear.

"Oh? Is that so?"

The guard nodded, pointing to the door. Outside, a carriage had arrived for her to take back to Canterlot. Unlike the one she came in, this one was decorated with a darker color scheme and an emblem of the moon along the side. Seeing it, Celestia nodded, dusting off her dress as she folded her hands at her waist.

"Well, if I must. Apologies, everypony. It appears the meeting my sister and niece are attending is requiring my attention, so I have to cut the party short. Royal duties call, but I thank you for a wonderful time. We must do this again."

Most of the Ponies agreed as the guards made their way to the door. With Her Highness following after, the guard standing with her collected what she left behind, tailing after the Princess to the carriage after dumping Nathan's things off with him. As the doors careened shut, and the carriage took off, Twilight closed her eyes and smiled in relief.

"Phew... Thank goodness. I don't know for sure how things went with the Princess today, but at least there were no grand disasters."

A stifled sniffle made her double-take to the Everfree Guardian, who had begun to silently sob as he didn't leave his crumbled fetal position. Applejack gave a worried glance to him, tilting her head to see his shadowed face better.

"Uh, y'alright, sugarcube?"

He let out another sob as he reached out, taking a bottle of Cider that fell onto the floor in the panic and just now rolled into his reach. Popping the cap off, he suckled on the cap, drinking in a hefty portion of alcohol before almost busting out crying.

"I hate this goddamn store...!"

Everfree Mountain

Two weeks. That's how long it's been since Fluttershy, Applejack, or ANYPONY has seen or heard from the local human living in his seclusion within the Everfree Forest.

Gilda, when she was found, was admitted into Ponyville Hospital, treated for her injuries and out through several pointed surgeries just to get her jaw back on straight. In the various times she was seen by those visiting her, she was more and more of a mess every time.

Fluttershy herself had braced the wilderness of the Everfree in an effort to catch up to Nate after the incident. His trail was able to be tracked via the blood left in his wake. Whether his or Gilda's, he practically oozed it, and it covered his tracks in the literal sense. However, when she reached the end, there was nothing. A small open clearing that resulted in a dead end. Fluttershy couldn't understand it, nor could she pick up another trail to follow Nate. Thus, she had no choice but to return home, sulking day in and out as she no longer saw her friend come out of that forest in the mornings.

Applejack wasn't faring much better. With how things went, and the certain hints and clues that illuminated what happened, the farm mare was livid with a lot of Ponies. Her ire was mainly focused on Gilda. She may not have known Nate for that long, but she knew him enough to know that he wouldn't just up and attack someone for no reason. The fiasco with the Timberwolves proved this. Nate was a fighter, but wasn't one to actively search for trouble.

It just so happens that trouble seems to find him.

Now, because of all this, the Apple Family had temporarily lost their newest and most recently treasured employee, and the family moral had fallen quite a bit.

It didn't help the fact that the Royal Guard was involved as well. Several medical units led by one of Twilight's older siblings: Gleaming Shield were called out by the purple Unicorn to help in nursing Gilda back to health. Details on what happened to her were scarce at best, as nopony had the full picture, though Gleaming was just as sharp as Applejack when picking up on the more subtle details of a story. It wasn't long before they came and went, leaving the case as incomplete, but closed until further notice.

With that being said, everything slowly returned to business as usual, aside from the behavioral changes due to Nate's absence.

Speaking of which...

"Listen up, everypony!!"

The residents of Ponyville turned from their respective tasks as Twilight Sparkle stood atop a small bridge that separated a park from Ponyville's main village. Fluttershy, who was among the crowd, looked up at the purple Unicorn as she was ripped away from her sulking.

"Smoke is spreading all over Equestria! But don't worry! I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it not coming from a fire."

Some of the natives sighed in relief after their initial panic when seeing the said streams of dark clouds in the sky above them. Their relief quickly shifted back when Twilight clarified what it really was coming from.

"It's coming from an adult Dragon who leads a small group of adolescents, and their collective presence is swarming the nation with these smoke clouds."

Everypony shared their concerns with one another as Twilight's friends began to arrive one by one. Applejack, hearing Twilight's claim before the others, tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes in concern.

"What in the name of cinnamon swirl is a full-grown Dragon doing in Equestria, let alone bringing younglings with him?"

Twilight shook her head.

"I can't say what the younger Dragons are doing, but the adult is here just to sleep."

At that, confusion spread throughout the crowd, making Twilight clear the air once more.

"According to the Princess, he's taking a nap while the young that follow him do their own thing. His snoring combined with the teenagers' rambunctious antics in the neighboring towns is what's causing the smoke."

Rarity stepped up next to Applejack, the two sharing a glance in greeting before the former spoke up.

"Darling, what do you mean by "rambunctious"?"

"They're raiding nearby villages and towns, asserting their greed and taking what they want while letting the rest burn. This is why the Princess believes this to be a matter of importance. If this continues, it could cause some friction between Equestria and the Dragonlands."

Applejack crossed her arms.

"Well, at least the big fellah ain't causin' no harm. What does the Princess want us to do about it?"

"I'll tell ya what we're meant to do!"

Rainbow flew overhead, hovering above the crowd and looking down at her friends.

"Give him and the scrawny bastards that follow him the boot!"

Twilight frowned at the Pegasus speedster.

"No, Rainbow Dash. Violence isn't going to solve this. While it may be necessary to subdue the teenagers, we need to only encourage the adult to take his nap elsewhere. Princess Celestia's given the Elements of Harmony this specific mission for a reason, and we cannot fail. If we do, the Kingdom is involved with the prelude to another Great War with the Dragons."

Rainbow Dash pouted at her chances being stolen from her, but kept quiet. She may be brash, but she's not stupid. Doing things her way will bring more harm than good to the Kingdom.

"Alright, fine. I'll head up to Cloudsdale and get some supplies for the trip. I'll see if I can also get the Weather Factory to lend some clouds in case we need a bit of lightning to spook the younger Dragons."

Applejack tipped her hat forward as she walked backwards to her farm.

"Ah'll whip up some grub fer us to take as well. No sense in going on empty stomachs."

One by one, the six mares headed in separate directions, all preparing for the trip ahead of them. Fluttershy, on the other hand, stayed in the park, looking towards the mountain where the smoke was coming from. An adult Dragon was there, sleeping the years away while his young were terrorizing the nation. That alone scared her, but what frightened her more was where the mountain was located.

The Everfree Forest.

*BANG-BANG*

A cavern tunnel lit up in a series of flashes as Nate fired two shots down one side, the bullets piercing the scales of another Dragon and throwing him onto his back. With another one of these lizards dead, Nate turned and hauled himself down the tunnel, escaping into an adjacent path with several more of these creatures tailing after him. Grimacing at his luck, and cursing the Dragons' sharp senses, Nate slid down the steep slope into another tunnel's path, which broke up into two roads.

Nate's home was compromised. The tunnel system he knew from front to back was exposed, and the Dragons were pouring in. How the hell did they even find him? He camouflaged his home perfectly. Wooden boards covered in foliage and leaves disguised every entrance and exit to the system, which all led back to the central hub where he built his house.

He had to have made a mistake somewhere. That's the only explanation.

Sliding down another steep decline, the still-healing human landed in the center chamber of the system, a hub that was connected to all of the tunnels. The room itself was vast, and was illuminated by a glowing lake. In the center of the lake was an island, one that Nate built his home upon with a bridge separating the mainland and the island. Standing up, Nate reloaded his Smith & Wesson as he made his way towards his house. Stopping just after taking a few steps, he looked up as a group of those Dragons came dropping from another tunnel, landing between him and his house.

Readying his pistol, the human took a step back as the group advanced on him. Killing two instantly with a pull of the trigger, Nate grunted as one of them latched onto his side. Shoving the draconic being off, he popped several cartridges into his chest as he aimed up and pumped the rest of his clip into the remaining foes in his path.

Moving to continue to his house, he heard the caves crack and break. Looking back as he got to the bridge, he found one of the Dragons, a bigger and nastier one, slamming its head through the cave wall. Judging by the size of the head, this one's at least the size of a house.

"HAAAAAHHHHRRRRR!!!"

More of the body shook through the system, revealing its front as the silver scales of the beast shone with the beams of light coming from the tunnels above.

"MWWWWWRRRRYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHRRRRRR!!!"

For a brief moment, Nate covered his ears when that roar echoed throughout the chamber. With it, several more smaller Dragons were called to engage the human in this fight. Reloading and firing at the beasts, he managed to kill one of them before two the size of a beagle dog clasped onto his head. Struggling to stand, let alone walk properly, he reeled his arms up and swiped them into the dirt with a swing downwards past his face. Their claws tore away some of his hood and scratched up his face, adding to the large gash that crossed his eye thanks to the fight he had with the Griffon a few weeks prior to now.

The human was still injured from that fight, having suffered some pretty gruesome wounds that he had to patch himself up from. It certainly wasn't easy, especially since he had to stitch himself up with an old sowing needle and bits of string. He thanked his lucky stars that the needle didn't give him tetanus, or the cuts and scrapes weren't infected. His biggest concerns was the one on his back, but after hours of trying, he managed to close it and bandage himself up. The rest of his days were spent relaxing and letting his body rest. His home was a one-room concept, and he spent most of that time on some iteration of the Playstation 4 powered by magic. He had a lot of fun, and even friended this one gamer named GamerLuna, who was actually really good at a lot of these games.

But, I digress. Nate stood firm as he fired away at the rest coming to him, ripping off those who grabbed him and curb stomping those he put into the ground. Looking back up at the larger Dragon, he was too slow to avoid the large claw coming at him. Gripped in its enlarged hold, the Dragon roared in his face before smashing him against the ground. Gagging blood as it lifted him back up, the floor broke away, revealing the source of the glowing light underneath the lake.

'Is... Is that a por-'

*SWOOOOOO---!!!*

"Alright, girls. Listen up. I'm mapping out the safest, yet fastest route to the Dragon's cave."

Twilight stood before the Everfree Forest. All of them agreed that going through the forest from Ponyville directly was a bad idea, so they rounded it to find the shortest route to the base of the mountain. Now standing at the edge of the forest itself, they were prepared and ready to go inside, though one cream-coated mare had second thoughts due to the danger they'd face inside.

"The Dragon's cave is located at the top of the mountain itself, just a little ways below the peak. According to the reports, the younglings occupy the lower levels, so we'll have a tough enough time getting through them to get to the adult."

Applejack nodded in agreement.

"The other things we gotta worry about are the height and weather. Judgin' by how high it is, we'll be freezin' our rear ends off once we get three quarters of the way up."

Rarity smiled as she reached into her satchel.

"Good thing I brought a scarf for everyone.~"

She pulled them out all at once, throwing them in the air and using her magic to wrap them around the others. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity while Fluttershy peered up at the mountain, shaking like a leaf as her shy demeanor also came with natural fears. Heights wasn't one of them, but Dragons surely were. Looking to Twilight as she was examining a map, she licked her lips as she tugged on her sleeve.

"U-Um, Twilight...?"

"Hmm?"

"M-Maybe I should just, um... sit this one out? Y'know... stay back in Ponyville?'

Twilight gave a low hum, absentmindedly acknowledging Fluttershy without paying attention. This caused Fluttershy to beam, thinking she could get out of this.

"O-Oh! That's perfect, then. I'll stay back in Ponyville and-"

Twilight's ear flicked as her mind came back to reality. Perking up at Fluttershy's claim, she shook her head.

"Wait, what? You can't stay, Fluttershy. We need you. Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

"B-But, I don't think I--"

Twilight smiled as she rolled up her map, giving her shy friend a kind and gentle look as she deposited the map away in her bag.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Fluttershy. Your animals are being well-cared for. I've got Spike helping a caretaker back at your cottage. Everything is in good hands."

"I-I know. I can count on Spike. It's just that--"

*swooooo--!*

*bang-bang--!*

Fluttershy looked back at the mountain as she heard the familiar crackles of a certain weapon. Applejack, hearing this as well, turned her eyes up to the mountain as well, seeing that more of the cracks came as well as small flashes near mid-way up the mountain. They both knew what this meant.

Nate was up there.

With his presence and desire to see him again fueling a newfound encouragement, Fluttershy silenced all semblances of protest. Shying away behind her mane, she twiddled her fingers as Rainbow Dash took a side glance at her. Hovering over to Twilight, she leaned down to whisper to her.

"Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? We ARE talking about a Pony who's afraid of her shadow..."

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy as she was standing next to Applejack, the two having a conversation of their own. Twilight was surprised to see the Pegasus not backing down from going on this trip. Sure, she suggested staying in hopes that she wouldn't have to deal with any Dragons, but that changed suddenly when they all heard magic being used by the scaly creatures within the carious tunnel systems halfway up the main tower of the mountain. Seeing her resolve, she shook her head at Rainbow.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's just a bit nervous, that's all. Once we get going, she'll pick up the pace with us."

Rainbow Dash eyed Fluttershy, seeing the same thing Twilight did. She wasn't as convinced that her old pal was up for this trip. Fluttershy was never brave, not like she was. She didn't go on extreme adventures or stood up to bullies in their younger days. Rainbow had protected her, gave her strength. She'd hoped that strength would come to fruition as time passed, and to an extent, it did. It was just entirely situational with this girl.

Nevertheless, if Fluttershy wasn't backing out, then Rainbow wasn't going to say anything. Flying off ahead to scout out any danger in their path, the other girls began their steady trek into the Everfree Forest. As they moved down the path towards the mountain, Fluttershy looked back up at the mountain, hearing the same distant commotion as before. Biting her lip, she silently prayed her alien friend was alright.

The only thing that can describe being shoved into a portal is maddening. A series of colors that would give anyone seizures if they looked at it for too long. Coming out of it was just as trippy, as when Nate flew from the portal in the ground, he flopped onto the stone surface of another cavern's floor like a sack of potatoes. Grunting as he pushed himself up, he could feel his two-week old wounds reopening from all the stress he's putting on his body, but right now, that didn't matter. He merely wrapped them with more bandages and pressed on.

Taking up his pistol as he looked around, he found that he was in some unknown location with a light at the end of one of the two ways through the tunnel. Heading for it, he wasn't surprised when more Dragons came to intercept him. Aiming his pistol forward, Nate failed to fire as a female was on him in seconds, attempting to bind his arms as she pushed him back. Headbutting her, he freed his arm and put the barrel to her chin, blasting it apart as he turned to the next. Dodging a swing of a large club, he grabbed the handle and pushed it into the gut of the burlier draconic being, ripping it from his grasp and knocking him back with it. Gunning him down, Nate rushed for the third Dragon standing past him, stabbing the club forward and letting the splinters on the end carve open his chest as the entirety of it was forced through his abdomen.

Taking down the last in his path, he moved on towards the light, exiting the cave and finding his surroundings to be the side of a mountain. This stunned Nate into silence as he looked around, his instincts and reflexes kicking back in when another batch of Dragons began their assault. Dodging a blade forged from the scales of another Dragon, Nate pistolwhipped the Dragon holding it, taking it from his hands and popping two cartridges into his throat. Backing up quickly while holding the blade backwards, the tip rammed right into a cyan female Dragon as Nate emptied his clip into two more coming from his front. Tearing the blade out, he held the reload trigger and whipped his pistol around, launching the magazine into the face of the final Dragon of this small horde.

Reloading his firearm, Nate glanced about, now having the time to examine where he was at. He was still in the Everfree. He can see Ponyville down below. If he had to guess, he was on top of the mountain that sat in this forest. A more treacherous spot to be considering this mountain is just as unpredictable, if not more so, than the forest. Looking upwards now, Nate saw the clouds of smoke in the sky. Had those always been there? He'd been sheltered in his home for two weeks, and a smoke storm is rolling over the Kingdom?

He followed the source of that smoke to the mountain he was on. Just a few levels up was another cave, one that had a heavily snoring creature inside that was breathing smoke out of the mouth of the cave. That smoke will roll over the Kingdom at this rate, and if he's learned anything from Environmental Science Class in high school, then this will spell the end for a fresh and green Kingdom of harmony.

He was already up here. He could go stop whatever's causing this, but what could he do? He wasn't powerful, nor could he use magic. All he had were his guns, which helped him take on grunts and small fry baddies. Full grown deities would wipe the floor with him.

Growling at his inability to do anything to stop this, Nate turned and began making his way down the mountainside, keeping his pistol trained forward as he knew he'd find some opposition along the way.

Fluttershy and company had finally reached the mountain. After a short trek through the Everfree Forest's thin foliage and pathways, they were at the turnabout that led to the slope leading up the mountain. What was once a tourist spot was now overgrown with nature. It's obvious why no one came down this path. Fluttershy can only imagine how many Ponies fell to a twisted fate with what lurks out here.

Having come this far, the shy mare was insisting herself to continue, her mind fighting with her body as it shook and quivered. The others had already gone ahead a bit, ascending while she was mustering up the courage to follow.

"Hey! What are you waiting for, Fluttershy?!"

The cream-coated Pegasus turned her eyes up, seeing her friends were already a level above her. Gulping, she turned to follow.

*SPLAT-!!!*

"EEP-!!!"

Her courage was shattered immediately upon seeing the corpse of a Dragon splatter onto the ground in front of her. The other girls were just as shocked to see it and looked up, hearing the pops of some sort of weapon, perhaps a repurposed firecracker, as well as the screams of a gruesome brawl.

With Fluttershy stuck in place, scared out of her wits from seeing such a bloody mess, Applejack quickly slid down to her, consoling her and calming her nerves so she didn't go into shock from her panic attack. Seeing some rocks and more bodies coming down, Applejack moved Fluttershy away from the carnage tumbling down on top of them, the others sticking to the ledge to avoid what was coming. Seeing no way up that wouldn't get them "messy", Applejack held Fluttershy as she looked up at the other girls.

"Ah'm gonna take her around the mountain ta find another way up! Y'all keep goin'! We'll meet halfway up!"

Rainbow Dash would have groaned at this if it weren't for another body falling past them. She hated that the progress was being delayed to save Equestria once more, but like all Ponies, she found murder and homicide repulsive. Nopony in Equestria would willingly take another's life, not even the big villains that came before her. To see corpses falling from the mountain, it was evident the Dragons did things differently.

Turning Fluttershy and walking away from the scene, Applejack shushed Fluttershy as they kept to the path, wandering the side of the base while the rest of the Mane Six made their way upwards. As they disappeared from sight, Applejack waved to Twilight.

"Don't you worry none, Twilight! We'll be there licketty-split!"

Twilight glanced back at the sky, seeing the clouds beginning to cluster and spread. It won't be long now till they start doing some permanent damage.

Left with no choice, she and her three other friends went on their own, traversing this dangerous venture without their strongest link, and their gentlest.

'I just hope they'll be okay...'

Going down the slope of the mountain was more troubling than Nate wanted to admit. As he suspected, he faced heavy resistance along his escape route, fighting through several more batches of Dragons and whittling their numbers little by little every time. On some occasions, he's had to go through caves to reach another path on the mountainside. Every time he went into one, there was always another horde awaiting him inside.

Not only that, but the Everfree Mountain appeared to be just as unpredictable as the forest that surrounded it. Aside from the Dragons, Nate had encountered a new breed of those nature-made wolves. This time, they were made of the rocks that broke off the mountain itself. Aptly dubbed the "Mountainwolves", these sturdier brethren to the Timberwolves were less ferocious, only attacking when getting too close to what was considered their territory. Considering their strong stone bodies and ferocious attacks, Nate opted to steer clear of Mountainwolves when he could.

Jumping down onto another platform, Nate used the rocky formation of the walls to climb his way down to another level, continuing onwards till he reached another cave. What he found inside gave him pause.

Inside this cave, Nate found various treasures, precious items, and other such things that would fetch a pretty penny on the market. This is normal for Dragons in Equestria. They shelter jewels and all sorts of things that were valuable to forge their nests, but the way they were assembled in this cavern specifically was different. They were hoarded here without pattern, without reason. It was as if all the things they deemed unnecessary were thrown in haphazardly.

But the strangest this is, these aren't just your run-of-the-mill valuables. These were items that were close to those who owned them. Pictures of families, articles of clothing; there was even a pile of panties in the corner. Why would the Dragons have all this? It doesn't make sense.

Looking around, Nate found some sort of decline in the center of the room. Investigating it showed a spiral staircase going downwards.

Strange. Dragons don't usually go for style like this. They're primitive, focusing on efficiency more than brownie points in looks. Their style is a show of strength and will, not how one looks in terms of beauty. Seeing a staircase like this would indicate something important is down there.

Descending the stairs as he reloaded his pistol, he hopped the last step and landed on the next cave's floor. There was a stench in the air, a smell that was familiar to Nate, and gave him horrible flashbacks of his mother. Shuddering at the thoughts that riddled his brain, he glanced around for the source of that smell, but it was too dark to see. The only light source was coming from a small entrance on the other side of the room, and it barely showed anything within. Walking forward towards it, Nate's foot kicked something on the way there.

Seeing a thick stick roll from him, he knelt down and picked it up, thinking he could possibly create a torch. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out extra bandages he had stored just in case he needed to patch himself up again. Along with it, he brought out a lighter. Wrapping the bandages around the broad end of the stick, he lit the bandages ablaze, allowing him to see more around the room.

What he found was horrifying.

Mares ranging from their late teens to middle ages were strewn all around the room, tied and bound by chains and mechanisms that put them in compromising positions. All of them were stark naked, their eyes lacking any light to show signs of life. The only indication that they were alive was a rise and fall of their chests.

Nate wanted to throw up and scream in rage all at the same time. Memories of his life before assaulted his conscious, memories of events he wanted to forget, but also learn from. These Dragons were sick. They were just...

They were just like him.

Shaking his head of the oncoming delusions, Nate walked over to a few of the mares, looking them over and seeing how "used" they were. Most had to have been here for a few days, while a significantly less amount were captured and made into whores for the lizards long before the recent additions.

"I-I am... here... and I-I see your pa-ain...~"

"???"

Nate turned his head towards one side of the room, seeing a mare chained against the walls with her legs reeled up and bound to the same cuffs that held her arms, giving any Dragon nearby a clear shot for her exposed bits. Nate didn't even need to look down to know she'd been done in once already, let alone a bunch of times in the hours or days she's been held captive.

"Th-Through the storms, throu-ugh the clouds, the r-rain...~"

Wait... Was she singing? Nate lowered his arms for a second as he heard the stuttering mare's lullaby, entranced by it for but a moment as he could feel a warmth in his chest swell at the song's lyrics.

"I'm t-telling you, you c-cannot escaaape...~"

She opened her mouth to utter another line, but was silenced as she began coughing violently. Walking over to her, he pressed his hand on her cheek, using the torch to illuminate her figure.

Like Fluttershy, she had a cream-colored coat with pop-star hair that covered her eyes in a mix of black and yellow. A pink bow was tied at the back of her head, and her torn-up clothing appeared to be a black stage-performer jumpsuit.

Speaking of her hair, is was... interesting, to say the least. Nate hadn't figured any prominent figures would emulate what humans look like, but in this case, this mare pulled the look off and came across as cute and attractive. it looked like what you'd see on those popular pop song singers in Hollywood. Not Lady Gaga, of course, because she terrifies the shit out of everyone.

But even with this appearance, it couldn't hide just how ragged she looked, how abused and torn asunder her will was, and she was the most STABLE out of all of them.

'Damn... What the hell did these things do to them...?'

*skkf--!*

Nate swiftly turned to the cave's entrance, pointing his pistol in its direction. Two figures were coming, leaving Nate to grimace at the idea of having a firefight in a room full of naked innocents.

Lowering his pistol, he took up a hiding place next to the doorway. When the first one came through, he let her pass. Seeing the next come through, he sprang.

"YAHH!!!"

Throwing his knee up, Nate managed to stun the Dragon long enough to throw a punch. With his fist scraping across the Dragon's jaw, he lifted up his own arm to block a counter. Wrapping the same around around her neck, he pulled her to the right and punched down at her knee, making her grunt as she stepped back. Unable to see who he was facing, having lost the torch when he realized they were coming, he was unaware of what he was truly dealing with. Hearing a huff from the Dragoness, he lifted his leg up and countered the Dragon's kick, which was much more powerful than Nate expected. Turning and throwing his other leg up, he smacked his boot against her temple, dazing her and allowing him and punch her again. As she staggered back, he rose the pistol, aiming for the Dragon's chest.

"Wait!!"

Nate froze as he recognized the voice that called to him. The sweetness of the tone, the gentle nature that came with it... Looking over to his left, he found Fluttershy holding his torch. Turning forward, the flickering light illuminated enough of the room for him to identify who he was about to kill.

"Boss?"

Applejack blinked as she rubbed her cheek, looking up as she also found her old worker standing in front of her.

"Nate? Y'all really ARE up here?"

Nate lowered his pistol, taking another look at Fluttershy before refocusing on Applejack.

"AJ, what are you two doing up here? It's too dangerous for either of you. There are Dragons everywhere."

"What are we doing? What are Y'ALL doin' up here, sugar-hon?!"

Fluttershy walked up to Nate, still holding the torch high.

"We haven't seen you for two weeks. What happened? A-Are you okay?"

He rose a hand up to the two.

"I'm fine. A little scraped up from that fight two weeks ago, but I lived."

He ushered back the way he came.

"I was on my way back to my house after hunting out in the Everfree Forest. Halfway back, I was ambushed by the Dragons that're living on this mountain. One of them, a large silver one, shoved me through a portal underneath the lake near my house, and it teleported me a few levels up."

He turned back to the girls.

"Do you two know what's happening? Why are the Dragons here?"

"Accordin' ta Twilight, these here vermin followed an adult Dragon to this mountain. They've been causing a mess around these parts while the big fella's sleepin'. His nap is what's causin' the smoke clouds."

"Shit... And you two are up here because...?"

Fluttershy pointed up at the ceiling.

"Twilight and a few other friends of ours went on ahead up to the levels above. We got separated when a bunch of Dragons fell from the mountain."

Nate grimaced, wondering if those Dragons were the bodies he threw over when fighting the creatures back on his escape. He listened as Applejack continued for Fluttershy.

"Twilight's somewhere up there, waitin' fer us. We're headin' up to wake the big guy up and get him ta hightail it somewhere else for his nap. If we don't go..."

Nate glanced at the floor when AJ went silent, the insinuation of what would happen crystal clear to all three of them. Shaking his head, Nate pointed to the stairs.

"Well, I'm not sure what I can do, but that stairwell leads to the cave above. Most of the Dragons have been cleared out already, so you should have no problem making it up to them if you stick close to the path."

"What? Y'all not comin' with us?"

He shrugged in response.

"What more can I do? My bullets can't penetrate a fully-grown Dragon's scales. I've only been able to take on the young ones along the way, thankfully. Aside from covering fire for them, I don't see what I can do to help you on your journey. Besides..."

He looked towards the dark walls.

"I have a feeling I have a mission of my own."

"???" "???"

Fluttershy hovered the torch to the side, letting it light up the wall. A loud gasp came from her as Applejack's jaw dropped, the two of them seeing the Dragon's "prizes" chained and bound to the walls and stakes.

"Sweet Celestia..."

"What in tarnation...?"

Nate walked back over to the tied up Ponies, checking another as Fluttershy drifted the light to all corners of the room. It was horrifying for her to see so many mares, at least thirty in bulk, imprisoned in this room where all they could look forward to was the next Dragon to use them. Applejack was faring no better as her nerves were rattled.

"What in the Sam hell is all THIS?"

She stormed over to one of the girls on the other side while Nate checked the stable one of the Ponies was tied to. After careful consideration, he came to a conclusion.

"This room is a breeding ground."

Fluttershy's ear twitched at that, her terrified look gaining a hint of confusion as she turned to Nate.

"What? B-But, Dragons can't breed with Ponies. It's impossible. Dragons can only come from Dragon eggs laid by the female demographic of their kind."

"Then how do you explain all the signs around the room, Flutters, or the stocks these Ponies are locked in? Either they found a way, or this room is just a place for them to... cut loose."

Applejack clenched her teeth as she seethed, bundling her hands up into fists.

"Goddamn bastards... Ah recognize some of these Ponies from neighboring towns to Ponyville. There's even a few here from Appleloosa."

"Yeah. These Ponies must've been captured when the young ones raided settlements after establishing their territory here. Dunno how long they've been here, but their conditions are deteriorating every hour they stay here."

Nate stood back up, taking a step back and throwing his foot forward. The mare in the stock yipped as the lock was kicked off, the shackles undoing from her neck and letting her drop to the ground. Helping her sit up against the wall, he looked back at Fluttershy and Applejack.

"I'll free these mares and get them down to Ponyville. There's a hospital there, right?"

Applejack nodded.

"Yeah. Just take em to the northwest side of town. The hospital is two blocks from the shopping district."

Fluttershy hovered over to him as she handed him the torch.

"There's a cart outside. It looks to be how the Dragons got the mares here in the first place. Maybe you can use that to get them to town?"

Nate nodded, standing back up as he went to free another.

"Good thinking. I'll round them up into that cart and escort them to the edge of town. From there, I'll get somepony else to take them in. Odds are, the younglings aren't gonna like their prizes being stolen from them, and if you need any supporting fire..."

He drew out his Remington rifle, loading a bullet into the chamber as he racked it.

"I'll be able to snipe anything out of your way if you get into any trouble."

"Thank ya, sugar-hon. We'll do our best up there. Good luck to ya."

Fluttershy flew after Applejack as she raced for the stairs. Looking back at Nate as he freed another mare, she gave him a sideways glare.

"After we're done here, you and I are going to have a very long chat, mister..."

Nate looked up at her, then turned away slightly as he went back to freeing the mares. With Fluttershy leaving him behind, he was about halfway through getting them all out before more commotion came. Some Dragons that followed them up were now at the entrance, enraged that he was taking away their breeding mares.

Setting the Pony he had off to the side, Nate wielded the torch like a club, whirling it in his right hand as he put away the pistol for a moment. The fire itself wasn't what he was betting on when combating these beasts. After all, they breathed it. No, he wanted to make them hurt, to cave in their skulls painfully and watch them slowly hemorrhage on the floor. Swinging upwards with the torch, he cracked one Dragon's jaw to the left. Swinging back down, he cracked down on the skull of the second Dragon, creating a nice dent in the top of his head as he toppled him over with a home-run to his chest.

Turning around as more came in and circled him, he swung wildly, clashing his fiery club with the shield made of another Dragon's scales. Why they would use their own kind's remains to make weapons boggled Nate's mind, but at this point, he didn't really care. Charging the Dragon holding it, he bumped the shield aside and stabbed a splinter into his eye, making him roar in agony as he dropped the shield and clutched his eye. Dropping the torch and taking up the shield, Nate used it to block the oncoming fire breath of another Dragon, falling back from the pressure of the heat. When he had his opening, he struck, punching in the Dragon's muzzle with the shield while another lunged for him. After taking a few hits, the human bucked forward and knocked the fucker out with a curb stomp when he on his back.

Tossing down the shield, Nate finished the job by shooting the Dragon he got in the eye, ensuring none got back up to fight again. When he had the chance of silence, he unshackled the rest of the women, and hoisted them all outside, one by one. Some of them fought, or screamed, when he touched them, but he was left with no other options. Those still coherent enough to understand what was happening around them didn't resist. Seeing him fight off the Dragons that imprisoned them had them figure he was there to rescue them, and that assumption was correct.

Loading the pop singer on last, Nate shut the back of the cart and walked to the front. Looking down the slope, the edge was going to provide a bit of an issue. If he couldn't turn the cart, or direct it in some way, there was no feasible way Nate could use it to extract all these mares from the Everfree Mountain. Going back into the cave, Nate had a lightbulb go off in his head when he picked up one of the loosened shackles. If he couldn't drag the cart along, perhaps it was time he made his own iteration of a car in this universe.

Taking up all the chains he could, he walked back outside and began wrapping them around the front two wheels, attaching them to the bar that turned them. Securing them with the cuffs, Nate climbed aboard after giving the cart a push, taking up the bar and glancing back as they slowly cruised along. As they began their descent and sped up, a thought occurred to Nate.

'... Shit, did I forget about the brakes...?'

Five seconds later gave him his answer.

"FUCK!!!"

With Applejack and Fluttershy reuniting with the rest of the Mane Six, the adventure up the mountain was quieter than they initially suspected. Fluttershy and Applejack, from their previous encounter with the Everfree human, understood why there was a lack of younglings in their way, and furthermore, why most of the ones they came across were dead or dying. Nate must have been warped about halfway up and fought his way down. This was good for the girls. It meant they didn't have to unnecessarily risk their lives on top of dealing with the fully-grown Dragon itself. Shuffling along and overcoming environmental hurdles along the way, they began to see living teenagers the closer they got to their destination. Needless to say, they weren't happy with them intruding, nor were they pleased that the Mane Six got as far as they did.

With their magic and separate talents, the Dragons they came across were dispelled easily enough. The groups they came in were usually no more than five or six of them. Plenty to deal with safely thanks to Rainbow's speed, Applejack's strength, Pinkie's unpredictability, and Twilight's magic.

Although, one time, they did find themselves overwhelmed. A larger group of a dozen had them cornered, backed up against the mountain as they went on about how they were going to break them in the breeding room below. With Applejack and Fluttershy already knowing what goes on there, they didn't want to chance joining the mares Nate rescued, and they didn't have to.

*bang-!!*

The whizzing sound of something cutting through the air was the first and last thing one of the Dragons heard before a bullet went right through his skull. With his body dropping onto the ground, the others turned and looked down towards the forest below.

Applejack and Fluttershy smiled, or the former's case, smirked as they saw Nate riding off through the Everfree Forest with a cart full of the newly-freed Ponies. In his hands was his sniper rifle, the barrel lowering as he dropped it into the cart and turned back around, steering the cargo away from the trees. Hissing, the Dragons tailed after him, giving the Ponies the chance they needed to continue on ahead. Fluttershy spared a look down towards Nate as the other eleven Dragons were flying after him, but followed after Applejack soothed her along, guaranteeing their friend's ability to look out for himself.

After a few more levels, Rainbow Dash stole and glance back at Fluttershy, pursing her lips as she went up to Twilight.

"Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy?"

"We're about to find out, Rainbow..."

The purple Unicorn pointed to the last cave the path led to, easily the largest of the many they traversed through, and the pinpointed source of the smog rolling over the Kingdom.

"We're here."

*BANG-!!!*

Nate looked up from his scope as he fired a sniper shot at the Dragons surrounding his friends. Watching as the bullet traveled, he awaited the two seconds it would take for it to connect and when it did, he smiled.

"Haha! Bullseye! Fuck yea--"

And then he promptly turned that smile upside down when seeing eleven Dragons racing towards him from the sky.

"O-Oh shit..."

Tossing his sniper into the cart, Nate jumped back up to the front and took the bar, steering the cart through the forest's path as the Dragons were catching up to them. Ducking a stream of fire whirled past his head, he pulled out his revolver as three managed to make their way around to the front. Blasting them out of the sky like clay pigeons, he turned his head back to see where the rest of them were. Finding the lot of them still catching up, he let go of the bar and ran to the back, taking out his pistol and firing it in the general direction of the flying lizards while picking them off with the three bullets he had left in his revolver. Reloading both weapons as four went down, two being taken out with one bullet, he saw one of the four remaining Dragons attempting to board from the side. Kicking him in his wing and crunching it over the edge of the cart, he let the drake collapse into the dirt and crush himself into meat on impact with a tree. Open firing at the other three, he spread them out and kept them off of him long enough for him to take up one of the shackles stored on the cart. Wrapping one end around his arm, he twirled it around and threw it up at the Dragoness leading the other two, bringing her down and holding her in a choke hold with his gun's barrel pressed into her chin.

Glaring at the other two Dragons, who backed off when seeing their leading grace at a threat of dying, their hesitance left them open to be killed by a few well-placed shots, and before the Dragoness could fight back, she was thrown to the front of the cart, where she fell over the side and was run over by a nearly a thousand pounds worth of mares and metal.

As she was left in the dirt, Nate resumed steering the cart, sure that the threat had passed. Now, all that's left is to get the mares to Ponyville and let the residence lead them to a doctor or a therapist. They'll be able to take it from there after he's done his part.

"HRRRRRYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Nate widened his eyes when hearing the familiar roaring of a larger, much deadlier beast. Turning his head back, he saw the silver Dragon coming at them in bulk, his speed far superior than the cart.

"Oh, give me a fucking break..."

Nate let the bar go after reaching another decline, turning back and drawing out his Mossberg. Racking it and waiting for the Dragon to get closer, he fired a shell at its face, damaging some of the scales, but otherwise leaving it unharmed. Racking and shooting twice more made it fall back, giving him room to steer and maneuver around the forest. Ponyville was so close, now, but he can't lead this monster there. It will cause unending havoc for the little town if he fails to end it right here.

Loading three shells into the chamber, Nate prepared himself as it was coming around for another sweep. Picking up his rifle, he peered through the scope and sniped it in the joint of its left wing, hoping to deter it by taking out its means to fly. This worked, but not as well as he'd hoped. The silver Dragon lingered back, slowing up as the bullet made contact with his wing, but it was still airborne, and still coming. Cursing under his breath, he fired his shotgun again as it got close, nearly getting crushed in the process as the shell hit its throat. Turns out the underside of the Dragon was weaker than the scaled covering the rest of it, but Nate wasn't betting his survival on that advantage alone. He had to keep the heat up and steer this cart into Ponyville. Trying to wait and hit its weak spot will not work fast enough.

Pushing it back with a few more shotgun shells to the muzzle, he eyed the surroundings ahead, seeing a few trees he could squeeze through. Maneuvering the cart in the desired direction, he prayed that he'd be fast enough before the silver Dragon caught up.

*BASH-!!!* "HAAAAUUUURRRR!!!!"

And with a violently crack of wood and rock, Nate's prayers were answered. The silver Dragon was trapped, his neck locked under two Everfree trees as they grew unnaturally around him. With Nate's destination in sight, he didn't dare look back to see what the forest had in store for the Dragon's fate. Odds are, the forest will consume the beast, and leave behind nothing but a few scales as evidence he was even there. Honestly, with how Nate's been surviving, he's learned to steer clear of the more ragged-looking trees, especially those with faces on them.

Now in the home stretch, Nate pulled the bar back and yanked on the chains, braking the front wheels and slowing the cart to a stop just outside of Ponyville. Taking a breath as the threat was over and done with, he turned to the girls in the cart. There were about thirty or so with him. No doubt the Dragons had more he couldn't get to. He was upset that there would be potential victims on higher levels that he couldn't get to, but for now, he was satisfied with those he's saved already. Jumping down, he marched to the back and pulled the bed down, attracting the attention of those still in their right mind. He motioned them to come out, walking to the left as they followed him. Like puppets, or lost dogs, the broken mares followed after, staying behind them as he pointed into the town.

"Go through the shopping district up ahead, then turn left. The hospital is just a few blocks away."

The coherent girls nodded, looking into the town itself before covering their bodies. Leading the others in, Nate stood by and let them go, watching as they earned the stares of those wandering the streets of Ponyville, but were left undisturbed as they moved along. The pop singer looked back as she was the last to follow, her eyes still obscured by her passionate hairstyle. Her smile was filled with hope, with gratitude. Because of Nate, they won't suffer the same fate as others captured by the Dragons would. While true, he couldn't save them all, she was glad he was able to save them, at least. Thinking on what her next song would be, she peered up at a rainbow while her thoughts drifted to the human, her lyrics twisting to center towards both subjects.

"I know you, you're a special one.~ Some see crazy where I see love.~ You fall so low, but shoot so hiiiigh...~"

She giggled to herself as she caught up with the rest, disappearing into Ponyville while Nate turned and went back towards the Everfree, sticking to the treeline after gathering up his weapons. Sighing in relief, he allowed himself to relax, yawning as he rounded the forest and made his way towards the trail leading to his home, and Fluttershy's cottage.

"Alright... Now, time to deal with a pissed off shy mare... Oooooh, boy..."