The Final Element: The Guardian of Equestria

The Sixth Chapter

The next morning, Eli opened his eyes to the sounds of quiet talking. He felt a sharp pain in his head, and knew instantly that it was the result of drinking too much.

"See I told you I saw him in your apple cart."

Rubbing his eyes to bring them more into focus, Eli roused up a little and saw a yellow pony standing with Applejack outside.

His first reaction, was one of shock. But quickly realized that he was still in Ponyville, and still in the Ethereal Earth. Though the revelation did nothing to soothe his throbbing temples.

"Why of all the things that knot-headed brother of mine could do." said Applejack stomping a hoof into the ground, before turning to storm off. "MACINTOSH!"

The volume of her yell made Eli's head hurt worse and he winced at the pain, as he squeezed his eyes closed.

It is no surprise—to most that know him—that despite his ability to perform feats of heroism in combat, to tackle the most complicated illustrations with drafting, and even on occasion, prepare a fried egg without breaking the yoke; Eli, is incapable of holding his liquor.

While he has tried for years to move himself up the social drinking ladder, his body's inability to properly process chemical alcohol in his system, has ensured that he remain firmly in the light to middle-weight class as a recreational drinker.

Granted, he usually maintains more self-control when in the company of his peers, or subordinates, Eli has on occasion, more than once mind you, given in to the siren song of drink, and made more than the fool of himself. The thoughts of which have strikingly come home to his memory now, as he fumbled to gain his bearings.

Looking around a little, Eli realized that he was in the apple cart, and had been left there all night; though someone had at least brought him a blanket.

The yellow pony just stood there nervously shifting her weight from one side to the other, as Eli lifted his head to peek over the side of the apple cart only exposing the top of his head and eyes.

"I'm uh," she started, but trailed off and stopped.

Eli felt the world spin slightly as he jogged his addled memory, realizing that he was still in the pony world of Equestria, and that there were still actual horses, no... make that ponies, that talked and behaved unlike normal ponies from his own world.

"I'm... Flutter... Fluttershy," she said looking down at the ground, then finally cowering a little.

Eli was sure he had heard the name before, but the pain throbbing in steady rhythm behind his forehead made it difficult to concentrate on anything but the discomfort.

"I'm... not feeling so well," he said lifting himself out of the cart, and gingerly placing his feet on the ground. Fluttershy still shyly cowered in front of him, as he looked around to gather his wits and location.

“Is... is that your name?” He heard Fluttershy whisper.

“Uh, no. My name is Eli,” he said holding a hand to his stomach, and then to his head. “Was that Applejack that was here a minute before?”

“Oh yes, she left to go yell at her brother in their house over there.” Eli could see that Fluttershy was trembling as she held a hoof out and pointed toward the big red painted barn shaped house.

“Are you always this scared?” asked Eli tucking in the hem of his shirt.

“N..no. It's just that you're a big scary human that might do horrible things to me, and go on a rampage before the authorities have a chance to stop you.” She was almost laying on the ground at this point, with her front legs over her head.

Eli couldn't dispute her logic. From her point of view, and given the strangeness of the situation, she did have every reason to be afraid of him.

“Well... I'm not in much of a condition for rampaging,” he said turning to the house. “I lost my rampager a long time ago.”

~   ~   ~

After a few minutes Eli made his way to the Barn House and lightly knocked on the door. He was only going to ask for a drink of water, but Applejack opened the door and hustled him in, while still yelling at her brother.

"I mean honestly Big Mack, of all the things you could've done with the Guardian of Equestria, you go and leave him in my apple cart outside for the night!"

Eli winced at every word she shouted. "I'm a little..." Eli tried to interrupt, but was talked over.

"Well, what else was I gonna do with em?" asked Big Mack, "He was passed smooth out, and I didn't figure he'd want to bed down with any of us, or the cows in the barn."

Fluttershy just lingered in the doorway, as Applejack shoved/directed Eli towards the kitchen table, and pushed him into a chair, causing Eli to flop back into the chair with a thud, as his head bobbed back and forth.

"Why look at him Big Mack, I bet he's near dead from exposure," Applejack said a few inches from her brother, who just averted her deathly stare.

"Well, I did give him a blanket."

Going to the stove and preparing a plate of biscuits and gravy and three hard fried eggs, Applejack set the plate down in front of Eli. "He gets served first!" snorted Applejack at her brother.

Turning to Fluttershy, "Now don't y'all go mentioning to anyone that the Guardian of Equestria was found in my apple cart, or else folks'll think bad of us out here, and I'll lose my hard earned reputation around these parts cause of my brother's ignorance."

Hunkering down in the doorway, Fluttershy meeped once, then looked past Applejack at Eli sitting at the table, still bobbing his head back and forth while staring at the plate in front of him.

"Oh, don't worry Applejack, I won't breathe a word."

Sitting across the table, Apple Bloom took a huge sip of her orange juice while eying Eli sidelong as she swallowed loudly. "You know Sis, he don't look so good."

"You alright sugar?" said Applejack, suddenly aware of Eli, and walking over to check on him. "You look greener than the spring grass on the back forty."

"Can I have some water?" Eli said.

"Why sure, why didn't you just say something?"

Bringing him a glass of cool water, Eli gulped it down hurriedly, and felt the pressure in his head relax. Then the fragrance of the breakfast plate in front of him hit his nostrils, and he bolted from the table and ran out the door past Fluttershy, looking for a bush to barf in.

"Too much hard cider," said Apple Bloom, biting on her biscuit.

"Too much hard cider," said Macintosh in agreement.

Finally sitting down to eat, Eli was forced to use a coffee-spoon to eat with since most of the ponies never required a fork.

Eli still felt like crap, if the truth be told, though puking works wonders on a hangover, at least better once the souring alcohol on the stomach is purged.

"Feeling better?" asked Applejack.

"Yeah, thanks," Eli said as he once again regarded the plate of food in front of him, as his stomach betrayed its desire for food regardless of its present delicate condition.

"I wasn't sure what sort of food you humans ate, so I figured no pony could go wrong with biscuits and eggs," Applejack said, rubbing at her head with her hoof. "You did look mighty famished."

"I'm sorry about all this," said Eli, as he shoved a generous amount of eggs in his mouth.

"Huh? What'cha sorry for? You was jes hungry"

"I mean, I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble, to you and yours," said Eli pushing his empty plate away, and slowly looking up to meet the gaze of the Apple family.

Apple Bloom wasn't sure she understood, and just frowned; while Big Macintosh pretended to read the morning paper, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Aw, now there t'wern't nothing to be sorry for hon, it weren't no trouble at all, and besides; how many folk can claim to have the honest to goodness Guardian of Equestria sleep in their apple cart?” Applejack was grinning and waiving her hoof around as she spoke, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, having a stranger passed out in their yard.

“Yeah, some guardian,” mumbled Eli, glancing past the table at the spacious living area of the house. “You really have a wonderful home, and a wonderful town. If my father were here, he'd be all over this like a fan-boy at a Comi-con merch booth. Me, what do I do? I just get drunk and pass out in an apple cart.”

“Oh now it ain't that bad.” Applejack frowned at him, as she adjusted her orange juice glass around her place setting.

“I doubt really if I'm even all that fit to be your guardian.”

"Does that mean, you don't wanna help us ponies?" asked Apple Bloom.

“That's not it,” said Eli, taking his glass and holding it at an angle on the table top, absently toying with it. “It's just that after spending years trying to be better than my father, I finally realize, that I am nothing... not even a mere shadow of him, and the things that he actually really did here.”

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Big Mack cut her short.

"I think that whether you want to admit it or not," he said looking over the table at Eli, "you are the Guardian. Maybe not the same as yer pa, but you are the Guardian whether you like it er not."

"I know," said Eli, looking down at his hands as he folded them and unfolded them. "I know I'm not the same as my father; and that's okay. I don't have to be him in order to do what I know is right."

"I think..." said Eli.

"Maybe you done too much thinkin' and not enough doing," said Big Mack. "Now why don't you finish up here, and get out there and find that key, and stop tryin' to measure up to yer pa, and jes work on bein' Elijah Montgomery."

Eli glanced around the table, and saw them all looking at him earnestly. He couldn't help but smile at their overwhelming confidence in him.

"Yeah, I think I can do that," he said, and finished off his glass of orange juice.

"Yer name is Elyjuh!" said Apple Bloom rubbing her head with her hoof. "That's bad. I'd sure go with Eli as my name too, if my name was that terrible."

"Apple Bloom!" yelled A.J. frowning at her little sister, then looking over at Eli and rolling her eyes.

~   ~   ~

"Okay every-pony, here is a map of the town, and the surrounding areas that the geological society has provided for us," said Twilight Sparkle as she stood outside the Town Hall, as more than a dozen ponies gathered around her.

Though the town of Ponyville did indeed have a geological society, it wasn't so high-brow as to be easily recognized, and the few ponies that actually knew of its existence payed the four members little attention as they made their way around the countryside, poking and prodding at the soil and the rocks.

As it happened, the near unrecognized society now gathered front and center as the best resource for the town, when their detailed and meticulous data was called upon to aid the town in its time of need.

"Most of the areas marked on the map in dark blue are the areas with the most mineral and sediment deposits,” she said, as she used her magic to levitate the map high so the crowd could see. “Which means that these are the most likely places the key could have become buried over the past two thousand years of change in the region."

“We've done our best to reconstruct the exact layout of where Lake Luck Shoe once rested, and using our analysis of the present data, we believe the center of the location to be here,” said Chrysalis, one of the members of the society. “The most efficient means of excavation should be to divide up into small groups and begin the digging at the focal point, then proceed outward away from the center of the ancient lake. This will prevent us from indirectly overlooking an area.”

There were a few nods of either comprehension or confusion, but for the most part, everyone there understood what they were to do. Though a lot of them were too busy searching for the tall human Guardian, that seemed deliberately absent from the local gathering.

As it was, the Guardian of Equestria was absent from the gathering for fashion reasons, as he was at that very moment under the diabolical clutches of the town's premiere fashionista, Rarity.

"Is this going to take much longer?" asked Eli, as he squirmed under the length of cloth laid over his shoulders and draped down his back.

"Tuss, tuss. You do want to at least look the part of the Guardian of Equestria don't you?" said Rarity, pulling the fabric tighter around Eli's shoulder, as she used her magic to pin together a folded area. "Now hold still, please."

After the breakfast at the Apple family's estate, Eli was cornered at the edge of town by Rarity, and hustled into her boutique. Of course it was under the pretense of outfitting him with new better attire, and while she was at it, cashing in on the opportunity to put her own brand on the local legend.

It didn't take Eli long to realize that the process was going to be a long and grueling one, and that by the time two hours had passed, he would have already explained away damned near everything about fashion for both male and female humans, as well as demonstrate the correct procedure for wearing most of them, as she drew frantically in an attempt to pattern out what he described, and take as many notes as her glowing horn could make a pencil fly across the paper.

Rarity was of course in heaven at the thought of being the only garment maker in the whole realm to have such knowledge, and as the morning wore on, the more Eli became impatient.

"I think they're starting without me," he whined.

"My dear, there is such a thing as fashionably late, and who best to make you fashionable than yours truly?"

As if on queue, Rainbow Dash bounded through the door of Rarity's boutique and hovered over near Eli. "Ooh, nice get-up," she said with a giggle. "You'll be guaranteed to have everypony in Ponyville staring at you in that."

Instantly Eli felt a flush of heat gather around his neck, as he found himself thinking of the pending humiliation, and frustration.

"I don't have time for your distractions Rainbow Dash," said Rarity hastily placing an unfinished jacket on her sewing machine. "I must make Eli shine as the Guardian of Equestria, and this is my one and only opportunity to let the world know that his unique attire was created by me!"

"Yeah well, they've already started digging," she said, hovering over to Eli while lounging on her back in the air. "If I were you, I'd have run the minute she said 'try this on'."

Eli just frowned as Rainbow Dash playfully flicked his chin with her back hoof. "Sucker!"

“It's strange you know?” said Rarity as she sewed on the new garment, at her sewing table. “Before all this, the thought of a human would have been a terrifying notion. The very idea that your kind even existed outside of foal's stories and myths was unbelievable.”

Eli considered what she had said, and watched as Rainbow Dash continued to hover around the inside of the shop. “What, don't I look terrifying?”

Rarity stopped sewing for a moment, and looked back over at him, to see that Eli was standing in the middle of the room, with layers of cloth and streamers, and ribbons hanging from him. Clearly, not the image of terror.

“Oh yeah, he's horrific,” stated Dash bursting into laughter.

~   ~   ~

Thirty minutes after Rainbow Dash came into the shop, she and Eli were with Twilight near the edge of one of the digs in town. Eli felt bad that so many areas were having to be dug up to search for the other key, but he was fairly optimistic that with such a show of pony power, they would find it in no time. Or at least he kept telling himself that.

Eli still wasn't convinced that he could manage the monumental feat of facing off against an enemy of legendary proportions equal to his own legendary proportions, but he was sure that if two opposing legendary forces of equal proportion were met together, one of them would break, or either both legendary forces would self-annihilate.

"So now that they have this underway, I guess we get to locate portal thing... er, Other World gate," said Eli as he tugged on the new black and silver jacket he was wearing; courtesy of Rarity and her skills.

He was glad she opted to just make a copy of his T-shirt in a different color, instead of something too elaborate. Though he wasn't entirely certain that a sequin pattern of the sun symbol of Princess Celestia was in proper form, he let it go for the sake of time, and urgency.

It did take some convincing to keep her from designing him a hat to complete the ensemble, and now he only felt partially foolish at being seen in this, as opposed to completely stupid, when Rainbow Dash playfully laughed at him, and then nodded her approval.

"That reminds me, here take this," said Twilight as she placed a basket down in front of Eli, and using her magic unicorn powers, pulled out a pale blue stone medallion on a small chain.

"What is it?" Eli said taking it and flipping it over, "some kind of good luck charm?"

"Not really," said Twilight, giving one to Rainbow Dash. "Why don't you fly over to that tree over there Rainbow."

"What for?" she said looking at the stone skeptically dangling from around her neck.

"Just do it."

Once Rainbow Dash had flown to the tree and stopped, Twilight instructed Eli to speak into the stone, and to be certain that he said Rainbow Dash's name before talking or it wouldn't work.

Eli held the stone up to his face and said, "Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?"

"Whoa! That's freaky!" came the reply from the stone.

"I used a spell on these stones to turn them into sound-stones. They can be used anywhere, as long as one of us has one, and the whomever wanting to talk specifies the pony or person to talk to, we can communicate with you while in the forest."

"This is without a doubt the most bizarre and freaky shit I have ever seen in my life!" said Eli, with a look of sheer awe on his face, as he turned the stone over in his hands inspecting it. "It's totally cool!"

"It's like eighty percent cooler than that!" said Rainbow Dash flying back.

“You really think so?” asked Twilight, aglow with enthusiasm at the praise. “It's nothing really, I just had this old book of enchantments sitting around collecting dust, and I remembered that there was this old enchantment that could make stones into two-way communication devices, and so I figured since we wouldn't be able to talk for a while...”

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof at Twilight's explanation. “It's okay, we get it. You're a nerd and you like books, let's just leave it at that.”

Twilight frowned visibly at Rainbow's rudeness, and tossed her head the other way away from her in annoyance, while making a humph sound.

"So have you decided on who gets to go with you into Everfree Forest?" asked Spike, standing next to Twilight as he reached inside the basket to examine a stone, and nibble at it just in the off chance it was edible.

"Rainbow Dash is going,” Eli said, “so she can give us a higher view of the forest where needed, and we needed a strong fast pony that could get us out of there in a pinch if things get ugly."

"That would of course be me," said Applejack trotting up with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom close behind them.

"When I heard that Eli and Rainbow Dash were going into Everfree Forest, I knew I couldn't just sit back and let them wonder off in there without the best protection Ponyville had to offer." Applejack made a flexing motion with her front hooves as she did a few push-ups off the ground.

Taking a pack off of his back, Big Mack passed it to Eli. "Here this is in case you find yerself wanting more than Sis's apples."

Eli opened the pack to see it loaded with biscuits and some canned beans, a compass and a box of matches. More than what he had often been left with while doing survival training at Camp McCall in North Carolina.

"Thanks a lot Big Mack, these will come in really handy," said Eli reaching over to pat him on the shoulder.

"We have everything under control here," said Twilight, as she regarded the three of them. "When we find the key, we'll be sure and let you know," she said as she motioned at the stone.

"Well, I guess we better get going," said Applejack turning to Apple Bloom. "Now you be good and mind your big brother while I'm away, we won't be gone long so you jes know that if you and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo make trouble, I'll whoop the tar out of each one of you when I get back."

"Yes, Applejack," she said, "we'll be good, I promise."

“See you when you get back,” said Twilight as she regarded Eli with a serious look. “Make sure and be careful, there's no telling what sort of things you'll see, or who you're likely to meet in there.”

Smiling, he reached out and tousled her hair. “Well, If I meet myself, I'll hit myself so hard, I won't know what hit me.”

"Be safe little brother," said Big Mack pushing on Eli's back to get him going.

"We'll see you all in a few days," he said as the three of them set out towards Everfree Forest.

~   ~   ~

As the three of them made their way through Ponyville, Eli reached behind him to check that his pistol was still secure in its spot. It had taken some quick thinking earlier when Rarity noticed the holster; but he merely explained that it was a human took used for protection, and he thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have to go into detail.

Just as Eli, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were about to reach the edge of town, Eli heard Twilight calling from behind him, and turned to see her standing a foot behind him.

“Holy crap! I didn't even hear you come up behind us,” Eli said, taken slightly aback by the purple unicorn's closeness.

“That's because I teleported here,” said Twilight, as she reached in her saddle-bag and produced a rolled map. “The guys at the Geological Society wanted me to give this to you.”

“You can teleport?” Eli asked with amazement.

“Yeah, see.”

Instantly, Twilight was several feet away from Eli, and still holding the rolled map in her mouth. “Tada,” she said

Unimpressed with her display, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash merely shrugged, and looked on. Though they could tell that Eli was most astounded.

“Too bad we can't use that to get us in and out of the forest,” he said as he took the map from her, and put it in the bag of supplies he got from Big Mac.

“Yeah, unfortunately, I can only teleport over short distances. I'm reading up on advanced techniques, but moving more than a hundred or so yards is the most I've ever done.”

Giving her a smile, Eli nodded at her as he took the map. “Take care of yourself pony.”

“You too, Guardian.”

“I'll be right back,” he said, motioning behind him with his thumb. “I just have to go do this thing.”

Twilight watched as they left, and fought back her worries, as her friends went off in the search of uncertainty.

Despite being tougher than she looked, Twilight was prone to fits of worry that would near debilitate her for days on end. But with the promise of the Guardian's assistance, she could for once allow someone else to help her shoulder the worry, and the burden she often placed on herself.

“Be safe my friends,” she said under her breath.

~   ~   ~

It took surprisingly less time than Eli imagined for the three of them to reach the entrance of Everfree forest. Though calling it a forest was something of an understatement, as it more closely resembled a massive jungle instead.

Standing at the edge of the forest, Eli and company came to a dead stop, and just stood there eying the dense foliage beyond. It wasn't as if Applejack or Rainbow Dash were really scared of anything inside, it was more the new unknown element of the creepy Other World gate, that gave them each pause.

"So, this is it," said Applejack. "We're going into a dark and creepy place, to find somethin' even more dark and creepy."

"Uh-huh," said Eli as he took the jacket off that Rarity had made for him, and folded it up to stow in his bag. "We don't have a lot of time, we need to find the gate, and then get back here as quickly as we can."

"According to the survey teams that went here last year, they estimate the forest is more than forty miles deep," said Rainbow Dash. "Which means we aren't going to get very far on hoof."

“Yeah, well not all of us have the luxury of being able to fly,” he said pointing at her wings as he tapped the ground with his foot. “Me and Applejack are grounded, so to speak.”

"Well, we have nothing to do, but to do it," he said, taking the first step into the forest. Close behind him Rainbow Dash and Applejack followed, and even though Rainbow Dash hated hoofing it, she stuck close.

"You don't s'pose some of them watcha-thangs have already come through that gate, do you?" asked Applejack.

"I do," said Eli. "But a best case scenario would be, that they haven't; and if not, we'll be seeing something after a few more days."

"So, this is just a thought," said Rainbow Dash. "But how are you going to fight them off if they show up? I mean, if like a lot of them show up."

In all truth, Eli had not considered what would happen were he to face off more than a few of the Dark Legion, his pistol only held a limited number of bullets, and being stuck in Equestria meant once he fired the last shot, he would more or less be left to defend with just his bare fists.

There was of course, unconventional means, he knew he would have to fall back on his training, and methodology as a Special Forces combatant, but despite his adaption and overcoming at a moment's notice, he was left to ponder all possible outcomes.

Eli was not in the business of letting his friends down. Many times in his career, he had taken reprimands for breaking rules he felt not only served to endanger his team, but seemed outright useless in the fight.

If it came to it, Eli would fight to the end, and to his last breath, but he knew that above all, he was the only real trained soldier on the Equestrian side. The only real one that had any inkling at the force that was soon to be upon them.

“I will cross that bridge when I get to it,” he told Rainbow Dash, as she bounded along beside him with a worried look. “I promise, I'll keep you all safe.”

~   ~   ~

Initially, the path that the three of them took would seemingly lead them straight into the heart of Everfree Forest, and it did not escape Eli's observation, that for a forest that was filled with dangers and horrors, and monsters, there sure was a well kept area leading into it.

Looking around at the foliage as it grew denser, and darker with every moment, Eli began to feel a growing apprehension at the fact that he was playing the role of escort. He was used to working alone, or with a team of specialists that knew him well enough, to discern his movements, and derive subtle things like, direction, intent, and action.

Now, Eli was just concerned that he would be able to properly respond to a threat, with all the stomping and noise they were making. Surely as they moved deeper into the forest, the ambient noise of the region would help to quiet their passing.

"Alright, this is boring!" said Rainbow Dash, as she trotted along, "Between you and Applejack, it's like I'm trapped walking between two tombstones."

"Sorry," Eli said, “I forgot to talk.”

“That's not what I mean,” Rainbow Dash said, letting out a snort of annoyance. “It's just a long way, and if I don't have something to do, I'm gonna go crazy, and I'll take the two of you with me.”

"We certainly wouldn't want that," said Applejack, swatting at a bug of some sort with her hoof.

"Why don't you tell us about yourself, Eli," said Rainbow Dash, slowing down to hold a hoof out to stop him. "I mean, we're your friends right? We don't know much about you."

"What do you want to know?" he asked, never having considered that they knew as little about him as he did about them.

"Well, why don't you start with how old you are," said Applejack.

"I'm forty-one," he said. "Well, at least by my own calendar."

"Is that old for a human?" asked Dash.

"Not really, there are humans that live to be well over a hundred. Though for the most part we do good to see seventy or eighty."

"Spike said you did something called drafting for a job," said Dash. "I thought you said you were a soldier. Is drafting something to do with your army?"

"No, it has nothing to do with the military. It's like architecture, but more along the lines of drawing blue-prints for the builders."

"Why would you go from being a soldier, to being one of them?" asked Applejack.

“It's sort of complicated,” he said, as he glanced at Applejack. “But seeing as how it's a long walk and we have plenty of time, I guess I can fill you in on some of those details.”

Stopping and resting on a fallen tree; Eli ran his hands over his face, and through his hair. He didn't want to bore them with a long and drawn out story, but since they asked, he felt obligated to explain.

"When my father came back from this place, he was a changed man. He didn't live life the same afterward. He pretty much only came back to wrap up his affairs, find me and bring me back with him to Equestria.

"He eventually realized that he wasn't going to come back I guess, and he and I settled down as some sort of family. He did good for a long time, I didn't stop believing him, until about the time I went to college. About the time he had his first breakdown, was when I joined the army."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were listening intently to Eli's narrative, and were so completely caught up in the story of his life, they hadn't realized they were sitting at his feet like school-fillies listening to a harrowing tale of adventure.

"Needless to say, I spent the next several years in the military, and then about the time my father died, I gave up on everything to do with the army and decided I wanted something more relaxing."

There was a certain tension in the air, as Eli found himself explaining his past. In a way he found it more therapeutic than standing before a priest, or spilling his inner life's troubles to a psychiatrist. In this world, and in this place, he found more solace in the eager expectant and sympathetic faces of the ponies than he could have ever hoped to find in the faces of his own fellow man.

“You know the thing that really bothers me the most, is that I spent so many years of my life trying to live up to the expectations of my father, and really wanting to be like him, only to end up like everyone else, and turning my back on everything he taught me to believe.” Eli made a shrugging motion with his hands, “I was no better then any of them. And now I come here, and learn that I was probably the biggest fool of them all.”

Against his better judgment, Eli found himself with watery eyes, and a deep look of sadness across his face.

"Hey!" Dash said, with her bottom lip trembling slightly. "You know it's rude to cry alone, and I don't feel like crying today." Grabbing his face and rubbing at his eyes with the side of her hoof, while her own eyes began to glisten with moisture.

Applejack just stayed close, feeling both pity and compassion for Eli. She wasn't sure exactly why it mattered, but she felt as if she understood him better now, and could also see what it was that Big Mack could see in him from the start.

Eli just smiled at Rainbow Dash, as he wiped his face with all the manliness he could muster, and put his hand out to stroke her rainbow colored mane. "Thank you," he said, as he took his other arm and put it around Applejack and squeezed.

After a few moments, the three of them began once again to head into the forest. When Eli was startled by the touch of a hoof on his back.

“Hey, Eli, what's this thing you've been carrying around with you in your dressings?”

Eli turned to see that it was Dash behind him, giving him a quizzical look as she reached back to touch his gun through his waist band.

Running his hand behind him, Eli brought the gun from its spot, and extended it towards the two ponies, careful to aim it away from them.

“It's a weapon,” he said, as matter of fact as he could, without causing their curiosity to sky-rocket. “It's called a gun.”

“Is that something you human's use on your world?” Applejack asked curiously, but careful to keep her distance.

“Yeah, it's very dangerous, and can kill with one shot if aimed at a vital part of an enemy.”

Rainbow Dash was intrigued, but looked skeptical that such a small device could kill something, or someone with one fire.

“Is it magical?”

“Not really, no,” Eli said, “it's mechanical. It fires small lead pieces at an enemy fast enough to go into their body and wound them; and with any luck, wound them bad enough to kill them.”

“That sounds terrible, Eli,” Applejack said, with mild disgust at such a thought.

“Yeah, it's terrible. War is very terrible, and I'll be the first to admit that I wish it didn't exist, but when it comes to bad people doing unspeakable things to people that I care about, I'll put a hundred of these in someone without a moment's hesitation.”

“Have you ever had someone hit you with one of those?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” Eli said.

“Is this what you plan to use against those Dark Legion fellas if'n they come through the gate lookin' to start trouble?” asked Applejack.

“If I have to. But this is only good nine times and then it's empty. So I hope it doesn't come to it.”

“So, have you killed anypony?” Applejack asked as Eli resumed walking.

“Yes.”

“That's terrible,” she said. “Taking a life is jes wrong.”

“That's easy to say when things are going fine and dandy,” Eli said with a sternness to his voice. “But if it was between the person looking to kill someone you love, and doing what you have to do to save them, the line isn't so blurred!”

Suddenly the snapping noise of branches in the forest behind them made Eli instinctively bring his already withdrawn pistol up toward the noise. while straining hard to see into the shadowy woods, to discern the source of the sound.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were on alert as well, both of them had their ears up, and were each ready to take on what ever was about to be thrown at them.

With a fresh series of crashes and twigs breaking, a horrible ghastly growl was heard from up ahead, and a large pink blur erupted from the dense undergrowth and bounded toward the trio.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash shrieked like the girls that they were, and Eli jumped back so far, he tripped over a small root and landed on his butt. The swiftness with which it happened would no doubt become legendary in the retelling, as Pinkie Pie stood before them all with her eyes squeezed shut, and roaring like an angry beast.

Eli, realizing what it was that had bounded out of the woods placed his gun carefully back in his jeans behind him, and was about to say something, when from Pinky's pink unruly hair leapt a small green reptile that proceeded to snap at Eli in every place one could think of.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Eli shouted, dancing around as Pinkie's pet Gummy snapped and bit him all over.

Realizing rather foolishly that Gummy was doing no damage, Eli grabbed him by his head, and merely held him at arms length; staring at Pinkie Pie with a look of utter defeat and confusion.

"Huh! You aren't monsters?" said Pinkie Pie blinking rapidly. "I thought for sure you were a bunch of vicious pony gobbling monsters, and I was gonna have to show you all what for!" she said striking her best attack posture.

"PINKIE PIE!" yelled Applejack and Rainbow Dash in unison.

"I swear Pinkie Pie," Applejack fussed while she stomped the ground, "you scared the living hellfire out of me!"

"Not to mention that I think I just got a dozen white hairs now!" scolded Rainbow Dash as she examined her main and tail.

"Well, duh! This place isn't called the Happy Nice Forest," said Pinkie Pie patronizingly. "It's the creepy dark scary Everfree Forest!"

Throwing her head back. "The fact is; the three of you scared me first!" she said putting her hooves on her flanks.

"Pinkie Pie," said Eli calmly, still standing there with Gummy in his hand. "What in the name of Willy Wonka are you doing almost a day's walk into Everfree Forest?"

"Why do you think?" she said reaching behind her and producing a burlap sack. "Truffles!"

"It figures she'd come wanderin' in here cause of sweets or goodies or somethin'," said Applejack. "I swear, if'n y'all was to crack her noggin' it'd be filled with jelly beans, and corn syrup."

"Now see, that just sounds gross," said Rainbow Dash picking her head up from her tail as she finely parted the hairs looking for any that were white.

Handing Gummy back to Pinkie, Eli sighed heavily. "You really should go back Pinkie Pie. We're headed into the forest to find the gate, and by the time we do, strange things could come from it."

Walking ahead of them, Pinkie Pie just tossed her head at them. "I'm not afraid of the mean old meanie-pants in there," she said with a bounce in her step.

Turning back to Dash and Applejack, Eli suggested that they go. "We might as well just let her go. I doubt seriously there is any reasoning with her."

"Yeah, when that one gets her mind on somethin' it's easier to scrape the fuzz from a peach with a butter-knife than gettin' her to change her mind," said Applejack fussing as she followed Eli after Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash realizing that the rest of them were leaving her called out for them to stop and let her catch up.