The kid's callsign was Shockwave, so we called her that. How a kid, barely over twenty if even so, got a military, custom callsign and a tally tattoo on her forearms, I'd never know. I have three, but that's different. I'm a government sanctioned assassin and 'anarchist'. That's what they call us regime destroying badasses... or at least used to. Regardless, I dismissed the pony researchers after the pods opened up and Shockwave finally let go of Lyra, and then invited the griffin soldiers for a drink later. Alcohol was prohibited on military installations, but I'm sure Muse would make an exception. However, there was one more thing that needed to be done, for all of us people. We needed to get to know each other, so, for dinner, everyone was going to dress up in whatever clothing they had and come to a little dinner party, hosted by the Princess, courtesy of Lyra.

Needless to say, not a single one of us had a set of formal clothes. Muse told me that she could probably make a generically sized one, but I chose to find an alternate method. Apparently, there was this pony seamstress and 'fashonista', a certain 'Lady Rarity', who was both in town and highly adept at adapting to new scenarios. So after a quick call to the Princess, she requested the pony to come down to our little big mountain base. As much as she wanted to come to us, she was apparently unable to, so we were supposed to visit her in this quaint little town called Ponyville. Huh, figures. Lyra volunteered to take me there. Phoenix was going to come along with us, but the rest had found something else to do. Icarus had said something about 'preparing samples', God knows he's dedicated at least, and Cole was just going to get a pair of suits for him and Icarus from Muse. Shockwave, surprisingly enough, had clothing to wear. Young people nowadays, stuffing formal wear into their pods. Shame.

v^V^v

It wasn't a long trip to Ponyville, especially by Roadrunner. Besides, the mountain we lived in was about halfway between Canterlot and Ponyville. As we drove, Phoenix began working on something on her datapad, probably a pet project of some sort. Regardless, the town soon came into view over a hill. I had to circumvent a large plot of land, covered in what looked like apple trees, to finally make my way into the town proper. Strangely enough, not a single pony seemed to be outside their homes. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, I wouldn't miss the chance to enjoy a day like this under ANY circumstance. Regardless, we passed by a few buildings and what looked like the Town Hall before arriving in front of a quite flashy building with an even flashier facade. A sign hanging from the door read 'Carousal Boutique'. After a second look, it did look a little like the Merry-Go-Rounds in fairs and circuses. An apt name for the building, I guess.

I knocked thrice on the door, and after a moment, a melodious "Comiiiiing!" sounded through the closed door. Another moment passed, and the door was surrounded by a pale blue glow. I tensed up for a moment, then relaxed. I still hadn't gotten used to the whole 'magic' thing. The door opened smoothly on well-maintained hinges, and a pure white unicorn with ridiculous purple curls stood behind it with a smile on her face. This must be -

"Welcome to Carousal Boutique..." She trailed off as her gaze turned up to my face. I gave a little wave and put on my best, most un-intimidating smile.

"You must be Lady Rarity, it's a pleasure to meet you." She moved slightly and beckoned us inside. "I'm Virus, and this is Phoenix. Princess Celestia said that you could help us in the department of formal clothing." I explained, pointing to myself and Phoenix.

Lady Rarity's eyes widened for a moment, then the smile on her face became some sort of fusion of relieved and excited. "Well, then, there's no time to waste. I must ask you, however, to wipe your boots on the mat before you come in. It'd be a shame to dirty the floors." We did as she asked and entered the boutique. She started walking farther in and a pair of red glasses floated to her face. "Now, what sort of style do you prefer for your clothing? Do you want a fancy suit that bleeds richness or just a conservative, more professional suit? You strike me as the latter, honestly." Spot on.

"I'd prefer the conservative type, honestly. I'm not, however, sure about Phoenix here. I think it'd be best for her to decide." I turned to Phoenix, who looked at me for a moment, then spoke. "How about you get yours done first, I think what I have in mind just might take a little longer to make." I nodded.

Lady Rarity watched us for a moment, then looked at Phoenix. "Alright darling, I don't suppose you could come back in a few minutes, I won't take long for your friend here. If you want, there's a good bakery and coffee shop down the road, it's called 'Sugarcube Corner' and it's spectacular." Phoenix nodded and then headed for the door.

Lady Rarity focused on me, directing me to the podium-like stand in the center of the room. "Lady Rarity,-"

"Now, Virus, there's no need for that. Please, just call me 'Rarity'."

"Alright, Rarity, how should I stand for this, I'm not actually very used to having my own personally tailored suits." I spoke with a tinge of red on my face. Rarely was it that I didn't know what to do, given my varied background.

"Just stand with your arms by your side, limp. Please excuse me if I move parts of you around, it's for easier measurements. Also, if you could remove any clothing you feel comfortable removing, it would make my life easier."

I hesitated slightly before lifting my shirt off of my head, exposing my torso and chest. I heard a slight gasp from behind me as the shirt came off, my well-toned body baring itself to the cool air inside. At least I know I can still impress the girls, human or not. Or maybe it was my ink. Probably the latter.

I have three tattoo's. One on each of my shoulder blades and one on my right shoulder. The one on my shoulder is an invisible ink tattoo of an ink that reflects a classified wavelength of light, used to identify agents in the field if incapacitated. The other tattoos are personal ones. On my left shoulder blade, I have a cross-hair, my custom cross-hair, to be exact, inked. On my other shoulder, there's a typical Virus cell and a small biohazard symbol overlain on top of it. This is my callsign, and so I have it inked. I'd be willing to bet that Phoenix has a tat somewhere of a Phoenix. Regardless, Rarity quickly recovered and began taking my measurements, making small talk all the while. Soon enough, she was finished, and told me to go get Phoenix so she could make a dress for her. I complied and made my way to the corner bakery shop known, quite fittingly I might add, as Sugarcube Corner.

For God's sake, the thing was a gingerbread house. Well, it looked like one, I would know, I tried to eat a little. But regardless, when I entered the building, I saw Phoenix nursing a cup of dark black coffee listening to a pony, shockingly pink, ramble on about something related to 'dust bunnies', 'cardboard', and 'drying paint'.

"Phoenix." She seemed to tense, for a moment, then relaxed again as she looked up.

"Hey Virus. You're here to inform me that Rarity's ready for me, correct?" I nodded. "Alright. See you at extract." She stood up, excusing herself from the pink pony, and walked past me. I nodded as she passed, and turned my attention to the-

SHIT! I jerked backwards, a bright pink face encompassing my vision. How the hell did she move so fast? Her wide smile widened, and I internally cringed. What in God's name have I gotten myself into?

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, short update, and non0communication in general. Between school, AP classes, Warframe, Smite, reliving days of Lost Planet 2 on Steam, and work, I'm sorry I haven't had the time to write.

Also, I told Dark_Brotherhood that I'd give a big chapter. Well, here's the first half of it. XD sorry!