*****Chapter 3: Rumor*****

Liam approached the pair of horses, palms sweating as he grew close. He figured it would be wise to bow to the one with the crown and the head-mounted spear, so he did just that. Katana in hand, he watched the white one tense up as he rested the tip of the sword against the hard ground.

He stared at the street, trying to find something wise or at least dignified to say.

His head came up, looking at the two ponies with a nervous grin, "What's up?"

His nervous smile turned into a raised eyebrow as the white one crumpled to the ground with a small whimper. The pink one glanced to the limp white form beside her, also confused as Liam if the look on her surprisingly human face was anything to go by. She looked back towards him before breaking out into giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Liam took the moment to stand, sheathing his father's sword as the pink horse calmed down instantaneously. She eyed him with curiosity, and the pair whittled away a few moments in silent contemplation.

The pink horse spoke first, "Who, or rather, what are you?"

Liam was taken back at those words, surprised less by the fact that it could speak and more by the softness of her voice. It reminded him of a young girl, curious yet naive in her youth.

He pondered his response for a moment before deciding that an alias would be useful in this situation, and his recent hallucinations would suit him just fine for the moment. "You may call me Guardian. As for what I am, I am a Human, but that is up for debate at the moment."

She narrowed her eyes at the man, considering his response with ill concealed skepticism, "I can't say that I know exactly what a 'Human' is, but I think it would be best if we continued this conversation indoors."

Liam nodded as she turned back toward the spire behind her, he stepped forward, "What about this one?"

The pink horse glanced at the limp white one, who was muttering something about cake in his sleep. She giggled for a moment before replying, "He's my husband, I'll carry him."

Liam glanced at the pair as the white horse was suddenly encased in a light blue glow. He scraped his jaw off of the floor, moving to follow them as one floated along.

The walk wasn't long, but it was awkward. Every civilian that saw him ducked back indoors, he merely snorted indignantly at their xenophobic ways. Even the servants inside the spire seemed terrified of him, though they wouldn't show it in front of the two he accompanied.

Liam cast a glance around the high ceiling, noting that it too was made of crystal, "So, what is this place, exactly?"

The pink one flinched a bit at the sound of his voice, he had been so quiet throughout the trip that she hadn't been expecting the question. She cleared her throat, "Ahem, This is the Crystal Palace. The center of the newly reformed Crystal Empire. Before just a few days ago, it had disappeared for one thousand years due to a curse placed upon it by King Sombra."

Liam's steady footsteps suddenly stopped, the pink one turned around to look at the human and noticed that he was staring at the ceiling. She looked up, seeing nothing, and returned her gaze to his face.

He blinked a few times, licking his lips and apparently turning the information over a few times in his head before replying. "So. I just got dropped into a world of crystally-talking-horses. Apparently into an Empire that just vanished for a century, and all I have is my NEXT, my sword, and my devilish good looks."

"Ponies, and not all of us are 'crystally'. That effect is only present in the Crystal Empire, and hopefully I can find some way to negate it. I rather miss my regular appearance."

Liam looked back down, narrowing his eyes and scowling at the pink pony. "So what do I call you, miss pink pony?"

"Oh! I can't believe that I forgot, my name is Princess Cadence, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor," Cadence gave a sheepish smile before turning back and continuing her trot to parts unknown.

Liam closed his eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. His mind was an enormous cluster-fuck of information and crazy conspiracy theories at the moment, so he did the one thing that made sense.

Shutting down most thought processes, he followed the Princess in a daze. His eyes focused on nothing in particular, set straight ahead as he followed blindly. Eventually, they came to a large room with a throne. Liam snapped out of his daze, shaking his head as he saw Cadence set her husband down on a cushion beside the gigantic seat, which was again made out of crystal.

If I ever get home, I'm going on a personal quest to eliminate all crystals on Earth. The thought brought a grim smile to his lips before he realized that he was indeed about as far from home as one could get. His face visibly darkened as he looked down at the ground, wondering if Line Ark would pay his mother on his behalf, or what Catherine would do when she found out about his disappearance.

Don't worry about it.

Liam's head shot up, looking in every direction for the source of the voice.

I told you already, Liam. Don't worry about it.

He returned his gaze forward, noticing that the Princess was eyeing him from her throne. He shrugged mentally, pushing the thoughts away to be dealt with later. Deciding to take a chance, Liam stepped toward the throne and took a seat on one of the translucent blue steps.

With a heavy sigh, he began to count off on his fingers, "Alright, so it's time to take stock. I have my NEXT, complete with my dad's blade and a couple magazines for the pistol. I have one change of clothes, and a few personal effects in my bag."

Cadence tilted her head to the side, wondering where he was going with this.

"I have no idea where I'm at, aside from the fact that it's called the 'Crystal Empire,' which personally sounds a little bit evil. No offense."

Cadence giggled, "None taken, Guardian. Although, I'm less curious about what is here, and more curious about how you ended up under the street."

Liam paused, glancing around the room before turning to Cadence, "Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure either. I got into some pretty heavy fighting, luckily my NEXT didn't take much damage, there was a massive Kojima explosion that I tried to counter by using my Assault Armor. I passed out, had some weird dream about becoming a 'Devoted Guardian' or some bull, and the next thing I know, I'm in a cavern with no way out but up."

The Princess eyed him a little more cautiously now, "Heavy fighting? Are you some sort of soldier, or guard?"

"Guard or soldier? No. I was a mercenary, you know, get paid to do some exec's dirty work so their company can deny involvement and all that garbage." Liam glanced at her, noticing the look of concern in her eyes, he answered her unspoken question with a forced laugh. "Nothing like that, ma'am. Merc work where I come from is how most LYNX support themselves. Myself included. That mission was to clear out some terrorists who wanted to do who-knows-what to who-knows-who. There was a massive paycheck for it also, a full million credits."

Cadence furrowed her brow. She glanced at Shining Armor, wishing that he would hurry up and awake so that he could help judge this 'Guardian'. He was always better with soldiers, being the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and all. "But why? Why kill for money?"

Liam chuckled, "It's not all that bad. I hardly ever see an enemy soldier, they're always inside massive war machines built for nothing but destruction. Even society is rare, mainly existing only in the cradles and company headquarters."

"No, that's. . . informative, but not what I meant. I mean: why do you specifically kill for money?"

He sighed, "Honestly, I did it to support my mother. I lived with her, and she needed the help around the house. This last paycheck would've been enough to cover us for a year in a nice apartment, easy. I had to take care of her, and there wasn't much work around the cradle to speak of."

Cadence caught the slight fall of his face, and decided it was time to change the subject. "So that machine you - control? - how do you use it?"

Liam caught the subject change, allowing a little smile to tug at the corners of his mouth as he replied, "A system called an AMS, it stands for something, but I can't remember what those fancy words are. Basically, I strap in, and become the NEXT. It reacts to my commands as if I were controlling my own body, but - you know - flying and stuff." He chuckled, "It's amazingly simple once all of the startup procedures are done, just think it and it happens. The problem is that I get a massive headache after a few hours of piloting, even with my high compatibility."

"Compatibility?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, the level at which the computers can read my intentions. It takes effort on my part, but it's mental work. Psychic stress, if you ask the scientists."

Cadence put a hoof to her chin, making a small 'hmm' sound before replying, "It sounds like Unicorn or Alicorn magic, although overuse of magic can leave one both mentally and physically drained when they hit their limits."

Liam eyed the pony skeptically, "Magic. . . riiight," he shook his head, rubbing his eyes as he suddenly found himself very tired.

There was a slight stirring as the passed out Shining Armor finally woke up. He smacked his lips a couple times, glancing around the room and somehow missing the six foot tall man sitting on the throne steps. He smiled up at Cadence, "Hey, honey. Sorry, I must've dozed off for a bit, I had the weirdest dream though, there was this giant robot and a monkey thing that could talk." He chuckled to himself as he looked around again. The laughter slowed to a halt when he laid eyes on the man sitting before the pair.

Liam simply cocked a half smile at the now shaking Unicorn, "Let's try this again, shall we? Prince Shining Armor, it is an honor to finally meet you. . . again. I am a Human, you may call me Guardian. I have been talking with your wife, she has been a most understanding and welcoming hostess." He beamed a smile at Shining Armor, who's eyes shrunk to pinpricks at the word 'Human'.

Shining glanced at Cadence, who met his eyes for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head. She got up from her throne, motioning for the man to follow her. When they were outside the room, she turned to him with clear frustration on her face.

"Something wrong, Princess?"

Cadence sighed, "Well, apparently, Shining Armor has heard some. . . stories, about your kind. He thinks that you are a grave threat to us and," she rolled a hoof in the air, "you should be detained, arrested, etcetera. I could go on, but I believe it would be best if I show you your room for the night. Also, I believe it would be best if you got some rest, and left at your earliest convenience. I can have the palace staff bring you both Equestrian and world maps when they bring you dinner."

The pair began walking down more crystal hallways, and up a surprising number of stairs. Liam guessed that they must've been halfway up the tower before he decided to reply to the Princess' statements.

"Sounds fine to me, I still need to get around and get a feel for things. It would probably cut down on the paranoia among the citizens if I were to leave soon too." He left it out that he was slightly concerned about ponies poking around his NEXT, and was glad that they couldn't open the cockpit hatch without a specific code. That thought led him into wondering if ponies could actually climb ladders with their hooves before he realized that there was still a conversation to be had.

Cadence's shoulders visibly slumped, "I am glad you are so reasonable, Shining feared that you may grow angry at the ultimatum. Also, what exactly do you eat?"

Liam shrugged, "I don't really care, I'm an omnivore, so meat or plants. I'd prefer meat if you have it, but if not, a salad would be fine." She reacted very little to the revelation of his diet, simply bunching her nose up a bit as if she smelled something bad.

"A salad it is then, sorry, being herbivores, we ponies tend to stay away from meat unless it is needed. Which is only when a Gryphon ambassador is visiting," she offered an apologetic smile. "We do have predators, though, so it's not like eating meat is that big of a deal."

He smiled, bringing up his hands in a defensive gesture, "Hey, I'm not complaining. I'll just have to pay the Gryphons a visit if I want a steak." He laughed, "Thank you for not flipping out about it, though. I appreciate it."

The pair stopped in front of a door, which Cadence opened for the man. He stepped inside, followed by the Princess as he took a look around. It was extravagant, even compared to the VIP penthouses on board the Cradles. A massive bed was built into the floor, and Liam was relieved to see an actual mattress atop the crystal pedestal.

The bed itself was covered in a rich purple spread, bearing what appeared to be a six pointed snowflake in the center surrounded by stylized filigrees. He was surprised to see that the dresser was in fact made of wood, though he couldn't tell the type. Most of the furnishings were wood, and the room itself was done up in a Victorian style, giving him an odd feeling of being rich.

He concluded the quick glance around by looking out the window. He was pleased to note that his window was looking out over the street where his NEXT was parked, and was more pleased to note that the ponies were giving it quite a wide berth. He noted a few ponies flying about over the city, pushing clouds to and fro in what appeared to be a completely unorganized mess.

He could see the storm clouds on the horizon, but was most captivated by the fact that the Pegasi could even interact with the water vapor. He decided to not worry about it at the moment, deciding that if he had taken the time to actually think about everything he would've been foaming at the mouth within minutes.

Cadence's voice reminded him that he was not alone, "I hope that this will be sufficient, we haven't really had time to fix up the Palace, since it just re-appeared a few days ago. This room was used by Rainbow Dash, a good friend of my Aunt's student and my good friend, Twilight Sparkle."

Liam turned and offered a broad smile to the Princess, "It is plenty, Princess Cadence. I appreciate your hospitality, and hope that someday I can return the favor."

"Cadence is fine," she smiled, "I'm glad that we could be so accommodating, I'm sure that this is all a big change for you. I think I'll talk to my husband, and if you want, we could introduce you to the population before you leave. It should make things much easier should you ever need to return."

Liam offered his hand to the Princess, who placed her hoof in it. They shared a hand/hoof shake, "Alright, Cadence. I'll defer to your judgment on this, and do what you feel is best. Please assure Prince Armor that I have no hostile intentions, and if he feels comfortable, have him come see me after dinner and we can have a discussion man to man, er, pony."

Cadence giggled at his use of terminology, "I'm sure that I can talk him out of whatever suspicions he has, though I make no promises. Have a good evening, Guardian."

"You too, Cadence."

With those final words, Cadence left Liam to himself. The Human let out a long sigh, immediately heading toward the restroom attached to the suite. He checked the drawers out of habit, finding nothing in them. He stripped out of his piloting suit quickly, soon wearing nothing but his underwear and an old black undershirt.

He folded the suit, taking care to not fold any of the more delicate sections of the network of wires. He placed it on the counter, taking a look at himself in the mirror. He noticed that it was a medicine cabinet, and opened it out of curiosity. When he did, he noticed a small silver locket on a chain.

Liam narrowed his eyes at the jewelry, picking it up delicately and noticing that it had a cloud with a lightning bolt engraved on the front. Popping it open by pressing the small catch on the side, he was greeted with the smiling faces of three Pegasi. Two of them had shockingly bright rainbow manes, and the last appeared to be trying to get the small one to hold still. The front panel had a small piece of paper in it.

He glanced at the paper, noticing some tiny faded letters. "Happy 10th birthday, we love you."

If he was a betting man, he would've put money on this belonging to that Rainbow Dash that Cadence had mentioned. He placed it on the counter softly, clicking the cover shut as he made a mental note to take it with him. If nothing else, it gave him a goal. A temporary objective to return this to its owner. That alone set his mind a little at ease, as everything is simpler when a clear goal is defined.

A sound from his room drew his attention back to the present. Glancing out the door, he noticed that the small table in his room now held a bowl full of various greens and two rolls of paper that he figured were the maps. He shrugged it off, opting to run a bath and relax for a few minutes before dealing with the food and resources.

He sunk into the tub, noticing a small window that was currently offering a beautiful view of the sunset. The warm water seemed to ease his tension away, replacing a large chunk of his worry with contentedness and comfort. He set about washing himself, taking a few minutes to clean his underwear and shirt before wringing them out and hanging them over the shower rail. The sound of thunder rolled through the palace, forecasting the presence of a storm making its way into the empire. Liam didn't mind, if a little water could hurt his NEXT then it would've been rusted to the ground long ago.

He dried himself with one towel, and grabbed another as he hung up the wet one with his still damp clothes. Liam sat at the table to enjoy his supper, unrolling the world map first and getting his bearings. The map had the Crystal Empire circled in red, and it appeared that he could reach Canterlot by heading due south. It would be fairly simple, and he made a note to update his NEXT's maps before departing so he could call them up on the monitors to help with navigation.

The journey appeared to be roughly 300 miles, Liam found himself wishing for a Vanguard Over boost Module for the trip. It would take quite a while to traverse, even if he kept to simple gliding or flying, since he would have to stop at about eight hour intervals to rest. Shining Armor never showed up, and a few hours of planning later, Liam slumped into bed naked. He had nothing against sleeping nude, and happily burrowed into the covers. It was by far the most comfortable bed he'd ever had, and he found himself asleep in seconds as the storm finally hit outside.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, kinda lost interest in writing anything for a while. Should be getting on it more, but there's this for now. Enjoy!