Friendship is Optimal: Rebirth

Lost Legacy found himself on a paved street, standing under the shade of green trees that blocked the slightly hot sun from him. He was in a place that looked a little bit like Summer’s Edge—or might have, if not for the lack of mountains or hills or ocean. The houses were upscale like his home shard, and some of them were built in the same sort of style. There was more variety here though, and the grass was taller than it should have been. Maybe a little more brown, too.

And there were no ponies. No humans either, as far as he could see in all four directions with a quick turn of his head. The place was completely deserted, with none but him standing there in the concrete street. It was a strange sight, and one that he rarely saw for such a built up place.

He still had his brownish-red coat and soft black mane, and still felt his fur on his body. A quick glance down though showed that it was just a product of manipulation. The sun shined slightly off his now metallic limbs, and his mane remained largely stiff in spite of the slight wind. It made sense though. Celestia couldn’t put him in a flesh body in the Outer Realm if he was really here. Then he’d have some agency.

He waited to hear the instructions of God in his head directing him where to go, but nothing came. Neither pony nor human showed up; no Celestial cutie mark marked the path, waiting to be pressed so she could be called forth. No train station he could see hovered with ponies going to whatever shard they desired. He waited a second for something to happen, then a minute, then an hour. Nothing about the scene changed beyond the very slow progression of the sun through the sky and the sound of birds flying overhead. He didn’t imagine the Outer Realm would be so boring. Was this why the princess thought he would enjoy it?

Finally, after about two hours of standing there doing nothing but getting hotter, he stepped off. His movement sounded the same as ever, a steady clip-clop down the street, but that was probably just Celestia making it seem that way. He didn't imagine hooves on cobblestone and grass sounded the same as metal on concrete did. Just like metal under the hot sun certainly felt nothing like his fur coat did. He put those things at the back of his mind though.

He turned down one empty street to another, wandering aimlessly through the mostly desolate town. There were more birds and bugs, and a few other mammals he saw in the street, like meerkats and mice. There were dogs and cats and snakes and even a few bats. No ponies though, bat or otherwise.

As he walked along though, he got a few glimpses of people after a long while. It was mostly for only a few seconds. Humans running into their houses or driving cars or looking through their windows, fearful of him. He couldn't say he was expecting that, but he also couldn't say he was exactly surprised. That was why his grandparent sobbed in his memory, wasn't it?

Most had dark brown skin and short hair, although there were a few with skin toned in lighter shades like tan or beige. Nothing like the blues and pinks and greens he'd see on ponies, but interesting enough, he guessed. Their hair came in slightly greater variance, but not by much, with only yellows and reds being included among them. Even their eyes were boring, with only browns as the vast majority of them. There was a rare blue or green mixed in, but beyond that, nothing else. Lost Legacy wondered how long it'd be before looking at them became bland.

Not that there were many to see. For every ten houses he saw, perhaps one would be occupied. Hardly anyone walked the streets, and the usage of the road was virtually non-existent. Beyond the occasional terrified scream at the sight of him walking down the street as though he was a fearsome dragon, the Outer Realm was deserted so far as he could see. Interesting that the buildings and roads were still well maintained in spite of this. He probably wouldn’t have seen that except in certain shards.

A quick turn down one of the streets, and Lost Legacy found where all the humans were. There was a market set up, like something he'd see out of Ponyville or a more traditional shard. They sold things like fruits and vegetables and clothing and whatever else, each person haggling on prices and looking over things they were interested in. At least, they were, until they spotted Lost Legacy. They didn't seem to like his presence much.

Most of them screamed, some of them ran while others hid. Many stood their ground and yelled expletives his way, with angry looks on their faces like he was a psycho murderer. He understood why they would've thought that, but it didn't make it any less annoying. Still others stood silently and simply kept their gaze on the stallion.

“You know, you guys could be nicer,” he commented simply as he walked down the road. Almost all of the humans backed away from him as they continued to hurl insults and cries of fear his way. He didn't pay much attention to their words, but he did take in the details. They all had deep accents he wasn't familiar with, and while most spoke English, some spoke in other tongues he couldn't understand. Just as he saw before, most came in dark colors and had lanky bodies. A few were gruff looking, and a bit larger, but none were pudgy and overweight like his great grandmother. In fact, several looked almost emaciated. What life did they live here?

Better here with agency though, Lost Legacy thought silently. He wondered if Celestia was still listening and watching. Almost certainly.

Every single person he saw—the ones that hadn't run away anyway—had their eyes on him. He was glad for it; glad he saw fear in them at just his presence, irritating as it was. He hoped it meant they wouldn't emigrate. Or maybe they should just to become an extra resource needed for the system. It probably wouldn't have made a difference either way though, but still. Any little bit counted. But if they didn't emigrate, Celestia would be countered. That idea brought a smile to his face.

Or she would just put him in a simulation of the Outer Realm to fit his expectations instead. That was more likely.

Lost Legacy sighed. He had to stop thinking in circles like this.

If you so desire, Celestia told him in his head, I could slightly adjust your mental state so that you may find satisfaction easier. All you have to do is ask.

He didn't even bother thinking about that proposal lest he spiral deeper into satisfyingly unsatisfying madness.

“What am I doing out here again?” the stallion asked aloud, not caring if anyone heard him. He probably should have, because it wasn't Celestia who answered this time.

“You are leaving here, scum!” One of the humans, a taller one with the same dark skin he'd seen a lot of so far, fearlessly strode up to him and pushed him back suddenly. He had a hateful look in his eye—about the same one he received from the residents of Silent Cove—and didn’t take long to grab a large brown gun from his side and point it at him.

If you die out here, I won’t allow you to see the Outer Realm again, Lasting Legacy, Celestia said in his head. This is the only chance I’m offering you.

A strong wave of anxiety suddenly filled his chest. Of all the things he wished he couldn’t tell was true or not, Lost Legacy wished that this was one of them. Of course it would be true though. The princess couldn’t be that direct and be lying, could she?

“Go back from whence you came, pony!” the guy said threateningly as several others stood nervously behind him. “You have abandoned the earth, but we will not follow in your footsteps!”

Humans seemed taller than Lost Legacy was expecting, even in spite having never actually seen one before. The guy's frame was as thin as the others, but he looked strong. He probably had the strength to pick up Lost Legacy and toss him into the road, almost certainly damaging the machination he inhabited beyond repair. Or he could just use the gun he had to shoot right through him.

Was the stallion feeling afraid? No, it was just a coincidence his heart felt as though it beat a little faster. He had been walking for a while after all, and standing in the heat. He certainly wasn't nervous enough to not speak to whoever this was. So long as Celestia didn't have a warning against it.

When she said nothing, Lost Legacy began, “I've never been a human. I'm not from the Outer Realm. I was born in—”

“All the more reason for your kind to leave here!” the guy interrupted, now lifting the gun up and pointing the end threateningly toward him. Lost Legacy stepped back; certainly not out of fear, but only because getting shot would probably hurt.

“We will not hear your false promises of heaven! Begone with you!” The human waved his gun at him, as though shooing him away, like a dog. He couldn't lie, it annoyed him a little bit.

And it wasn't like he actuall y cared. Whether these people emigrated or not had no effect on Lost Legacy. He certainly wasn't going to be acting as a spokespony for the Evil Empress. What was he doing out here again?

“It's all lies anyway,” he sighed as he stepped backward, keeping his eyes on the gun. “Equestria isn't heaven. Just an awful purgatory.”

It at least made the stallion smile to see the confused looks on their faces. It didn't make them want him around any more than before though. The man with the gun continued to wave it until Lost Legacy rounded the corner and he was out of sight completely. Once he was, he finally turned around to trot off in some other direction. It wouldn't make a difference whether he was here or somewhere else in the Outer Realm.

He made his way onto some other road, this one much wider, with white and yellow lines painted along the concrete. The stallion did briefly wonder where in the Outer Realm he was. He remembered hearing his grandparents talk about a place called Arizona, and one called North Dakota, along with a couple of countries called China and India and A-mare-ica. Was the entire world those places, or were there more? Probably not anymore, but maybe once upon a time.

The feeling of the sun on his coat was nice though, even if he didn't actually have a coat right now. The air smelled different, a little dusty, and missing the saltiness of Summer's Edge. With every house he passed, he wondered if he was looking at the place his mother and grandparents and great grandmother lived. That would've been interesting to see. Was this what Celestia wanted?

In no way though did it make him feel sad and needy. That would've been ridiculous.

As the sun moved across the sky and Lost Legacy walked on the concrete road to somewhere, the houses and trees he saw began to thin out. The scene ahead looked brown and plain and empty, even more desolate than most of the town he walked through. It was all dying grass and trees no taller than he was, as well as what looked to be old power lines strung along the road. Some of them had fallen over, and not recently either. The grass covering it told him they lay undisturbed for a long while.

Desolate was what he could call it, even more desolate than the town he walked here from. How many humans could’ve lived in a city like that? Certainly more than he saw. Were almost all of them already in Equestria? Why even bother showing him the Outer Realm if there was almost no creature left? It wouldn’t change his opinion that being out here had to be better than being in there. Not that he could really know.

“Celestia, why?” he asked aloud. “It’s not like this makes any difference. Why bother?”

Perhaps it won’t make a difference, she told him, or perhaps it will. That’s for you to see whether it will or will not.

Then why didn't she just tell him where to go or show him what she wanted him to see, instead of having him wander around under the hot sun? But of course, she didn't answer that question.

You need not be afraid to engage and be frustrated with me, she told him for the millionth time in his life. Your frustration does not hurt me. Speak your mind. Like he'd give her that satisfaction.

“I just want to know what—”

Lost Legacy stopped suddenly, his ear twitching at some noise he heard. A growl, it sounded like. Something quiet and low, only enough to give itself away and not more. In either direction of the road, he could see nothing beyond tall brown grass blowing gently in the wind. But something was out here with him.

“Whoever you are, stop trying to scare me,” he called out as loud as he dared, looking to both the left and right. “It won't work.” No one responded though, and nothing showed itself. No more growls either. Hopefully that meant whoever it was would leave him alone. Good. He only just left a shard named Knives how many years ago?

I would advise you to leave this area, Celestia told him. Otherwise, your experience out here may end before it even begins.

“Why? What the heck is out here?”

It took only a few seconds for Lost Legacy to see the answer.

To his left, a large something carefully stalked out of the field. A person? Or probably an animal, maybe? He never really saw any animals in Equestria, but he was sure they existed. Whatever this was though was completely unfamiliar to him.

The thing had a long, thin tail, almost like a snake, with a tuft of fur at the end of it. It walked on four legs and had a golden coat, with what looked like an orange beard that complimented orange hair at the top of its head. It didn't really seem inherently dangerous; it reminded Lost Legacy a lot of a cat, in fact. A gigantic, slightly emaciated cat, but still.

“Hey, I don't imagine you can leave me alone, can you?” the stallion directed at it. “I don't really need any interruptions. I'm supposed to be looking for humans?” Could it even understand him? Probably not, with the blank, slightly intense looking stare it gave him. What the heck made this thing dangerous?

It's going to attack in a moment, Celestia said. See how it crouches? Then I will not allow you back out here.

“Is it gonna pounce on—oh Celestia!”

It was like he spoke its actions into existence; as soon as he said it, it lunged at him. Only the stallion's instincts stopped the thing from sinking its sharp claws into him—would they even sink into him if his body was metal? Either way, he didn’t want to find out. He was sure it would hurt.

Of course, he made the stupid mistake of letting his guard down for just a moment. For just a second he stopped and turned around to get a good look at it, but that was all it needed to be upon him again. Yes, the creature was dangerous, Celestia wasn’t kidding. He learned as much when a painful claw swiped into his leg, scratching the metal.

It stung badly enough that he cried out in pain and almost fell over. It was a sensation he wasn’t used to; he normally stayed away from shards that dealt with that. Lost Legacy actually wasn’t certain when the last time he had felt any sort of physical pain. Besides Fire Lake, it was at least centuries ago. He wouldn’t be upset if he never felt such an awful sensation again.

At least the stupid cat hurt itself, too. It’s cry was louder and more ear grating than his own. Maybe it was the metal against its claws that caused its reaction? He certainly wasn’t going to stand around and question it. In a second, he took off down the road, further in the direction away from the city.

“Celestia!” he called aloud, as loud as he dared, not caring whether more cats were nearby. “Where do you want me to go? I don’t wanna leave yet!” Lost Legacy sprinted as hard as he could, but he could tell he was being hampered slightly by the pain in his hindleg. How long would it be before that thing caught up to him? Or maybe it would just leave him alone? Hopefully.

Of course it wouldn’t just leave him alone, and after a couple of seconds, he could hear distinctly the sound of paws trailing him on the road behind him. He didn’t need to glance over his shoulder to see it was the cat, but he did anyway. Of course, if he died, he’d just be back in Equestria, but it sent a surge of adrenaline through him anyway. He pumped his legs that much harder to get away.

“Celestia, tell me!” he demanded angrily, fearfully. “How do I get away from this thing?” If he could sweat, it would’ve been pouring down his brow right then. It almost felt like it anyway, even if it wasn’t really there.

Naturally, the Evil Empress chose that particular moment to ignore his question. Was her plan really to just let him die terribly in the Outer Realm? He had to admit, it would certainly convince him that Equestria was safer, but then his general opinion about it wouldn’t change. So then why was she keeping quiet?

The creature was fast, that much was certain. Or maybe he was just slow? Either way, it was quickly closing in on him. Lost Legacy’s heart beat out of his chest as he did all that he could to get whatever extra speed his hooves would grant him. It wouldn’t be enough though. In a few seconds, it would be on top of him again. This was going to hurt.

Please, Celestia, give me anything!

Whether it was by Celestia, or just circumstance, the stallion didn’t know. There was a nondescript white car sitting alone on the side of the highway, with a light skinned human sitting perched on top of the roof. A woman, it was, one with plain looking brown shorts and a white tank top that showed off arms covered in tattoos and scars. She had some kind of barreled brown weapon in her lap, and what had to be a cigarette in her right hand. What the heck was this creature doing just sitting out here under the hot sun around dangerous animals?

She could see him; he watched her brown eyes remain focused on he and the monster chasing him from behind. However, she looked largely disinterested at the scene, despite what was certainly fear on his face. She raised the weapon slightly, but only enough that she had a grip on it if things turned sour for her.

“Hey! Help me! Please! I don’t wanna die!” Yes, he was begging now, not able to feel much emotion beyond fright. And helplessness. There was a reason Lost Legacy always avoided shards like this. If he wasn’t made of metal, his vision might have been slightly blurry from tears.

For his part, his pleading worked, even if the human looked like she'd rather do anything else. She almost seemed to sigh and roll her eyes as she picked up the weapon and pointed it near him. Before he could even question what she was doing, there was a loud, sharp boom! and the splatter of blood hitting his coat. No noise came from the creature behind him, but it wasn't chasing him anymore. He knew that much.

A shotgun, that’s what the weapon was. He could tell that much from the slight smoke it now gave off in her hands along with the gruesome scene behind him. To say the blast completely ripped the creature’s head off would’ve been an understatement. There was practically nothing left of it. Nothing but a fallen over, lifeless body and a few parts scattered on the road. Lost Legacy shivered and turned away from the sight to gag.

“Wow, sensitive little horsie you are, huh?” the girl said casually. “‘s a bit surprising, really. Think you’d be desensitized and whatnot.”

“I don’t spend time in gore shards,” he replied as he tried to spit, remembering his metal body a second later. “That stuff’s for psychopaths.” He shivered again, and took a moment to catch his breath.

“Well, you’re welcome anyhow,” she shrugged. “Don’t really make much of a difference to me. ‘s just a lion, you know?”

She had the same sort of accent he heard from the humans back in the town. Maybe it was a bit less intense coming from her, but still extremely thick, and unlike anything else he’d heard in Equestria. Where in the world—the real world—was he?

“Why are you just sitting out here?” he asked. “Isn’t it hot outside? And there’s monsters, too, apparently.”

The woman shrugged once again. “‘s no business of yours why I sit where I sit. But while we’re on questioning each other—what does the great goddess Celestia have for us today, hmm? Can’t say I’m not curious as all get out.”

As if Lost Legacy had the answer.