Somewhere I Belongby SilentpegasusChaptersChapter 2: New SurroundingsChapter 3: Job HuntingChapter 4: A Prank Too FarChapter 5: RecoveryChapter 7: TrustChapter 8: Party TimeChapter 9: The EncounterChapter 10: Apple Picking and The DoctorChapter 11: OutcastChapter 12: House ShoppingChapter 13: RewardChapter 14: ArtChapter 15: Have I Been Here Before?Chapter 16: Raves and HoodsChapter 17: ConfrontationChapter 18: CampingChapter 19: Marco PoloChapter 21: The Most Dangerous Game (Re Edited)Chapter 22: Threesome?Chapter 23: The WagerChapter 24: False Past and Broken PromisesChapter 25: Fight!Chapter 26: To Dungeons DeepChapter 27: Caverns OldChapter 29: Repairs (Edited)Chapter 30: Learning and RematchWhere All the Stories EndChapter 1: ArrivalChapter 6: Truth or Dare?Chapter 20: Handguns and Other WeaponsChapter 28: Fall of a ChampionChapter 2: New SurroundingsChapter 2 New Surroundings Isaac sat alone at a window seat, away from the group of mares that were sitting a few rows behind him. They huddled together and began to discuss their plan. “Okay so what should we do about our ‘guest?’” Rarity asked. “He doesn’t seem that scary or mean.” Pinkie said with a smile. “I don’t know Pinks. He seems kind of....weird.” Rainbow said. “Well, imagine how he feels. Thrown into a world he has no connection to, surrounded by strange creatures and the only one of his kind.” Twilight added. The other ponies adverted their eyes. “All I’m saying is we should at least give him a chance before we outcast him.” “You sure Twilight?” “Think about it! We’ve finally reached another form of intelligent life, there’s so much to learn!” she said in a happy voice. “Yeah....who knows, he could have some really interesting stories.” Pinkie added. “Well, we ain’t gonna find anything out sitting on our flanks now are we?” Applejack interjected. “Okay....so who’s going first?” Rarity asked. The ponies adverted their gaze. Rainbow then stood up. “I volunteer.....Twilight.” “Ah second that.” Applejack said. “What? Why me?” “You’re the smartest one here and you’ve held a conversation lasting more than five minutes with him.” Rarity said. “Fine.” She said reluctantly. She got to her feet and walked over to his seat, she quickly hurried back to her friends. “He’s asleep. I’m sure that there will be plenty of time to talk to him once we reach Ponyville.” she said as she breathed a sigh as the others shrugged and sat back down. “Last Stop Ponyville!” the conductor announced over the loud speaker. Twilight hung her head as she and the others got to their feet. When they reached his seat they found that he had already left the train and was waiting for them outside. The six of them hurried up to him. He put his hood on and looked at them with a blank stare. “So this is Ponyville?” he said as he looked at the small town. “Yeah. I guess we’ll show you around then.” Twilight said as she took the lead. Isaac noticed that the mare’s were only about an inch or so shorter than him, he didn’t dwell on it as he walked through the small town. They stopped in front of a massive tree that looked hollowed out into a house. “This is the library, you’ll be staying with me for the time being.” Twilight said in a nervous tone. He nodded and the ponies continued through the town keeping silent as they stopped in front of a pink building that had the smell of baked goods secreting from it. “Oh! Oh! This is Sugar Cube Corner! The local bakery where I work!” Pinkie said with a smile. As they began to walk inside Isaac was bombarded by a light green blur. He got to his feet he noticed that it was a mint green unicorn that had a lyre tattoo on her shoulder. “I’m terribly sorry, I was so lost in thought that I didn’t see where I was going.” She said as she rubbed the back of her head. Isaac offered to help her up, the mare took his hand and got to her feet. “No, it was my fault, just goes to show what happens when you stop moving in front of a building.” “Thanks, my names Lyra Heart-” she stopped as a gust of wind blew his hood off the top of his head to reveal his complexion. Lyra’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Okay this is going to sound completely crazy but...you look like a human.” “Well, I should. Considering I am one.” He said as he brushed the dirt off his pants. Lyra’s face contorted and she began to hyperventilate. “You all right there miss?” she then collapsed on the ground. Isaac knelt down and tried to nudge her awake. Twilight and the others soon came out to see where he was. “What happened?” she asked as she looked at him. “I don’t know. One minute I’m talking to her and then the next she’s down on the ground,” the ponies looked at the mare and let out a synchronized ‘oh.' Lyra’s eyes snapped open to see that the human was looking down ant her with a raised eyebrow. “You all right?” the mare suddenly jumped to her feet and began to cheer. “I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT! I KNEW HUMANS EXISTED!” she yelled. “Um yeah. I’m surprised you know about-” he was cut off as the mare put her hands on his face. “It’s all there, the furless skin, the small patch of hair on the head. Everything I’ve described in my writings! I WAS RIGHT!” “Please let go of my face.” He said in an annoyed tone. “Oh sorry.” She said as she let go. Isaac rubbed his face that was now red from the mare’s grip. “Thank you. Now who are you?” “Oh my gosh! A human want’s to know my name! It’s Lyra, Lyra Heart Strings.” She said as she outstretched a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Isaac.” He said as he shook it. The mare squeed in delight. “That’s it? No last name?” “Well, my last name is unpronounceable to most people.” “Try me.” As he told her his last name someone had dropped a dish inside the restaurant. Lyra looked back at him in surprised. “Wow, you’re right. Weird name.” “Yup, don’t sweat it.” “I still can’t believe that I’m talking to a human. I have so many questions!” Twilight then jumped into the conversation. “Easy there Lyra. He just got into town.” Twilight said. “You’ll have plenty of time to interrogate him after he gets settled.” “Totally fine. Do you have a phone?” she said as she turned back to him. “Yeah, but I’m not sure if it’ll work here.” He said as he lifted the device up. Lyra took it from him and her horn began to glow, the phone began to shine and move in her palm. She handed it back to him. “Try it.” He scrolled down to Lyra’s entry and pressed the talk button. He heard her phone ring in her pocket. “Sweet! I’ll call you later.” She said as she ran off in the other direction. He stood there with a confused look on his face. “What just happened?” “Lyra just gave you her phone number.” Twilight said. “How did that work?....Oh right, magic.” He tried to call Mason’s or Allie’s number but got nothing but static. “Well, I gotta go to work.” Rainbow said as she took flight. “Ah’d best get back to Big Mac, he’ll need a hand with the apples.” “I’d better go as well. I still have that order to fill for that pony in Manehattan.” “I...had better go and check on Angel.” “I’d love to stay but the Cakes need me to work the counter.” The ponies all left except for Twilight who let out a heavy sigh at her abandonment. “Well, that was quick.” He commented. “C’mon, I’ll show you the library.” She said in a grumble. Isaac pulled his hood over his head and followed the lavender mare back to the tree. “Spike? Spike?” she called out as they entered the library. Suddenly a teenage sized purple lizard came running down the stairs. “What’s up Twi-AH! ZOMBIE!” he yelled as he looked at the human. “Spike, how many times have I told you? There’s no such things as ZOMBIES!” she yelled. “He’s just a human.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Twilight, do NOT joke about zombies around me, okay?” Twilight and Spike looked at him in shock. “You believe in zombies too?” the tiny purple lizard asked. “Oh yeah.” “Good grief, you two are unbelievable.” Twilight said as she face-palmed. “Look Twilight. There are two kinds of people in the world, those who have a plan when zombies take over the world and those who don’t. I call the last people; meat shields.” He said as he walked over to the couch. “Who is he anyway?” he said as he pointed to the scaled one. “I’m Spike. Twilight’s number one assistant.” “So you’re....a lizard I’m guessing?” “NO! I’m a dragon!” “Really?.....I guess it makes as much sense as everything else in this crazy world.” He breathed out. “Names Isaac by the way.” “Nice to meet you.” “He’s going to be staying with us for a while, I need you to get the guest room ready.” She said as she looked at Spike who nodded and quickly hurried up the stairs. Twilight then turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “Sorry just still getting used to the fact that theres another creature living with me.” She said in a low tone. “I can kinda see that. Can I ask something?” “Sure.” “You and you’re friends are all girls right?” “Yeah, why?” she said as she glared at him. “Just making sure so I don’t say anything offensive, plus I haven’t seen to many guys around. I’m assuming you call them stallions.” “Yes, and there are stallions around, most of them are just at work.” “All right then,.....I’m gonna go walk around town for a bit.” He said as he got to his feet. “WHAT?” “Since I’m gonna be staying here for a while I figured I should familiarize myself with the town.” She looked at him with a concerned look on her face. “I promise I won’t cause any trouble. Scouts honor.” He said as he raised his right hand. “Fine, just be back here in an hour, okay.” “Deal.” As he walked out the door, he let out a small snicker. “Like I’m a scout.” He said in a sarcastic tone. He flipped his hood over his head and began to walk into town. “Let me go!” Isaac looked over to see a grey Pegasus mare with blonde hair being harassed by two stallions. “Why should we?” the red stallion said as he ripped her messenger bag out of her hands and threw it to the ground and spilling what looked like letters? “Just leave me alone!” she pleaded. “Shut up!” the blue stallion said as he slapped her across her face. “HEY!” Isaac bellowed as he walked over to the group. “There a problem here?” he said as he glared at the pegasi. “None of your business!” the red one yelled as he raised his hand. Isaac caught it and stepped in between the stallions and the mare. “You got some nerve!” “How about picking on some on your own size!” he said as he said as he flipped the stallion over his back, he slammed him against the ground and delivered a quick jab to his face. The blue stallion aimed for his head, Isaac dodged it and delivered a quick upper cut to the Pegasus, sending him to the ground. The two stallions got to their feet and backed away from the hooded stranger. “Beat it!” he barked. The stallions complied and walked away from the two. Isaac turned around and saw that the mare’s eyes were off center, her golden eyes looked at him in amazement. Isaac crouched down and began to help her put the letter back in her bag. “You okay?” “Y-yeah.” “Why were those guys giving you trouble?” “Oh.....because my eyes are different.” She said as few tears escaped her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being different.” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “How would you know?” she said in a low tone. Isaac removed his hood, the mare let out a gasp at his appearance. “Oh trust me, I know.” He said as he helped her to her feet. “My names Isaac, what’s yours?” “It’s Ditzy Do, but some call me Derpy.” “Well, it’s nice to meet you Ditzy.” he said as he shook the mare’s hand. “Hey do you have a phone?” Isaac nodded and gave her the devise. She pressed a few buttons and handed it back to him. “Here’s my number, call me if you want to hang out sometime.” “Thanks. See you round.” He said with a smile on his face. Ditzy took flight and continued on her way. He looked around to see a few ponies staring at him, Isaac quickly put his hood over his head and continued walking. He pulled out his I-pod and turned it on, the screen started to flicker and freeze. “Son of a-” he cut himself off when he heard a steady electric beat coming from a nearby shop. He made his way inside and saw odd shaped devices that looked similar to I-pods. He started to look around. “Need help with anything?” a calm voice said over at the register. He turned around to see a white unicorn mare with an electric blue hair and vibrant red eyes. He pulled his hood down over his head and approached the counter and pulled out the I-pod. “Yeah, I’m not sure if you have this model but-” the mare grabbed the device and started to examine it. “WHOA! Never seen a P-pod like this before.” She said in excitement. “Well....It’s not, it’s an I-pod.” “Never heard of a-” she then noticed his hands. Isaac let out a breath and pulled his hood back. She looked at him in amazement and tiled her head. “You must be the human Lyra was going on about.” “Yep.” “Honesty I thought she was busting, looks like I lost a bet. So what can I do for you.....what’s your name?” “Isaac.” “Odd name, I’m Vinyl by the way.” She said as she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, I don’t suppose you know how to fix this?” “Sorry, never seen this type before.” She said with a weak grin. “There goes my music.” He said in a defeated tone. “I can’t fix it, but I can transfer the music to a P-pod.” She grabbed a black P-pod from the shelf and set the two devises next to each other, a small magical cable connected the two devices and the two pieces started to glow. Within ten-seconds the connection disappeared. “There you go.” Isaac turned on the P-pod and skimmed the screen. “Sweet, it’s all there.” He withdrew the bit bag the Princess gave him. “How much do I owe you?” “Free of charge. So long as you agree to let me hear some of your music from time to time.” She said with a smile. “Deal.....hey what the-” he said as he felt his phone being levitated out of his pocket the mare put it in her palm and entered her number. She handed the device and gave him a smile. “Here’s my number, give me a call sometime.” She said with a wink. Isaacs face blushed a little. “Sure. I’ll see you later Vinyl.” He said as he left the shop. He plugged in his head phones and selected a song to play. He walked into the park and saw some birds flying. Isaac climbed a nearby tree and began to doze off. His mind drifted back to his friends and family. “HEY!”a voice shouted. Isaacs eyes snapped open, he almost fell out of the tree as he stared into a pair of magenta eyes. It was the cyan Pegasus from before. “Yeah, what?” he retorted. “Easy, I just came to say hi.” She said as she sat on the branch. “Rainbow right?” “Yep, best flyer in Equestria.” she said in a cocky voice. Isaac hopped down to the ground, a small cloud of dust was kicked up as he landed. “So....you’re a guy right?” “Yeah. Why?” he said as she landed next to him. “Just making sure. You are the first human I’ve met so I have no idea what you’re girls are supposed to look like.” Isaac pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photo’s until he came across one of him Allie and Mason. “Who’re those guys?” “That’s Allie and Mason.” “Your siblings?” “Nah, my friends. Wonder if I’ll see them again.” He said as he hung his head. “Hey relax, Celestia’s looking into it she’ll find a way to send you back.” She said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. Every vote of confidence helps.” He said with a smile. “So what’s your job?” “I’m the weather manager for Ponyville.” “So you predict the weather?” “No, I control the weather.” She said with a smile. “Control it? How do you do that?” “Watch.” She took flight and began to move the clouds around in the sky. Isaac looked in amazement as she zipped through the sky. “Awesome huh?” Isaac nodded. “So how do humans control the weather?” “We don’t. All we can do is predict it and even then we suck at it.” “So how does the weather work?” “The clouds move on their own.” “So what do the humans with wings do?” Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Humans don’t have wings.” She let out an audible gasp. “What about-” “Nope, no horns either. Just our hands and feet.” “That’s gotta suck!” “It’s not perfect but we make due.” He said with a shrug. “So...humans don’t fly.” “No humans can fly, only with the help of machines.” “What machines?” “They’re called airplanes. Big metal tubes with a stiff wing on each side. A person sit’s inside and can control the speed and height it flies.” “Awesome! How big are the planes.” “They can vary from small one person planes, to massive military craft’s that can hold easily two hundred people.” “How fast can they go?” “Fastest one I think can go Mach 10.” “That’s breaking the sound barrier!” she said with a smile. “Yeah many planes do that.” He said in a relaxed tone. “Have you ever been in one?” “A plane? Yeah lot’s of times.” “When?” “Well, when I went on vacation and when I was-. Never mind.” “What tell me?” “Ancient history. Not important.” He said in a low grumble. “Fine.” She said in a defeated tone. Suddenly he saw a familiar grey Pegasus fly over head. “Hey Ditzy.” Rainbow said with a wave. “Hey Rainbow Dash, what’s.....Oh it’s you!” she said as she waved to the man. “You know him?” Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah he totally saved me earlier!” Rainbow looked at him in shock. “WHAT?” “Some assholes were giving her trouble and I took them down a couple notches.” He said as he shrugged. “Who was it?” “I don’t know, two Pegasus stallions. One was red and the other was blue.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Oh THOSE two.” She said in a grumble. “You know them?” “Just two punks who think they’re better than ever-pony else.” “Did you just say ever-pony?” he said with a chuckle. “Yeah? Why?” “Oh nothing.” He said as he adverted his eyes. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “I’d better get back to the library before Twilight gives me an earful. See you two later.” The two mares waved goodbye. Isaac scrolled through his phone and looked at the contact lists. Hm..day one and I’ve already got three girls numbers. Mason would be proud. DUDE! They’re mutated horse...things. So? They seem cool. Just don’t get to comfortable. I know I have to go back, I have no intention on staying. Good. Isaac walked into the library and let out a yawn. “Twilight? Spike? I’m back.” He walked around the library and sat down on the couch. “Just a second.” Twilight said as she came down the stairs. “Hey, good timing. I was just about to head to Sugar Cube Corner. Wanna come?” “Uh...sure.” he said as he got to his feet. The two walked out of the library and ventured out into the town. “So how was you’re walk around town?” “Interesting. I got a P-pod, talked with Rainbow and I beat the living crap out of some guys. The usual.” Twilight looked back at him in surprise. “WHAT! You said you wouldn’t cause any trouble.” “Look, some stallions were picking on Ditzy and I put them in their place, that’s it.” “You met Ditzy?” “Yeah along with Vinyl. They seem nice.” “You still said you wouldn’t cause trouble!” she said in an annoyed tone. “You said scout’s honor.'” “I wan’t gonna sit idly by and let some jerks push Ditzy around.” He said in a stern tone. “Sounds like a personal obligation.” “Trust me I’ve been pushed around enough to recognize it. I was just trying to be nice.” He said as they got in front of the bakery. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked inside, the interior was dark when Isaac stepped in, suddenly the lights turned on to reveal a large amount of ponies with grins on their faces. “SURPRISE!” Isaac stood there stunned. Suddenly Pinkie came running up to him. “Well, what do ya think?” “What is this?” “Your ‘Welcome to Ponyville party!’ Do you like it?” “Y-yeah. Looks great.” He said with a weak smile. “YAY!” she said in excitement. “Let’s PARTY!” she yelled. Isaac sat down next to Twilight and the others and watched as the party went into full swing. The ponies danced and gossiped about current events. Isaac remained quiet and out of sight, trying not to draw attention to himself. A familiar mint green unicorn then walked up to him. “Hey!” “Hey Lyra, what’s up?” “Just wanted to introduce to some-pony.” She said as a cream colored mare with pink and purple hair joined them. “Bonbon this is Isaac. Isaac this is my roommate Bonbon.” “H-hi.” She said in a nervous tone. “Hi.” “Lyra can I talk to you for a quick second?” Bonbon said as she pulled her aside. “What are you doing?” “What? This proves that I’m right!” “I still doubt that he’s genuine!” “What could be more genuine?” Lyra said in an annoyed tone. “I’m just saying....don’t get your hopes up Lyra. I know how you get.” “Bonbon. For the past few years ever-pony said I was crazy for believing in humans and now that I finally have some proof you’re telling me NOT to use it!” she said as she crossed her arms. “We don’t know anything about that.....thing. He could be dangerous!” “I’m willing to take that risk! He is going to accelerate my research ten fold!” “I suggest you do one thing before you start your questions.” “What?” “Find him.” Lyra looked behind her to see that the seat he was sitting in was empty. Note to self. Humans are sneaky. She thought as she made her way through the party. Isaac had made his way away from the mares and found a booth to relax in. Soon a familiar white mare came over to him. “Sup?” she asked. “Not much, you?” “Enjoying the party?” “I guess.....I’m not much for the party scene.” “Why?” “To be honest...this is my first one.” He said in a defeated tone. “WHAT?” “Yeah.” He then noticed that two familiar pegasi were making there way through the crowd and over to his table. “Oh great, the welcoming committee.” He said as he got to his feet. “Can I help you two with something?” “Yeah. Time for some payback.” the red stallion said as he cracked his knuckles. “I’m sorry have we met?” “You don’t remember this afternoon?” the blue Pegasus interjected. “Nope, I’ve got a weird medical condition. I can’t remember those who are weaker than me.” Vinyl chuckled at the statement. “Oh that’s a riot!” the red stallion said as he closed the gab between the two. “You’re invading my personal space.” He said in a calm tone. “Look sorry about earlier. C’mon, this is a party let’s bury the hatchet eh?” he said as he offered them a drink. The stallions knocked the cups out of his hands, causing the ponies to look and stare at the group. “That was rather rude.” The blue stallion then punched him in the side of the cheek. Isaac looked back at the two pegasi with a blank stare. “You see, when you do something like that it’s gonna get your asses kicked.” He said as he quickly kicked the two into the middle of the room. He took out his P-pod and handed it to Vinyl. “Vinyl be a sport and play track number six.” Vinyl took the device and plugged it into the speakers and a song began to play. He quickly took off his jacket and walked forward where the stallions had gotten back on their feet, he noticed that a dark brown Pegasus had joined the group. “Ladies first.” He said as the red stallion threw a few quick jabs which he blocked. He grabbed the stallions hand and threw him into a nearby table. The blue stallion ran forward, Isaac grabbed a nearby plate and threw it, the plate hit the stallions leg causing him to drop to one knee, the man quickly ran forward and launched himself off of the stallions knee and delivered a kick to the stallions face. As he landed he felt him self being grabbed by the brown Pegasus and being thrown into a corner. He quickly got to his feet and put a finger to his lip to feel himself bleeding. He smiled and wiped the blood from his face. “Okay. Enough warm up.” He up to the large stallion who grabbed a nearby plastic tray and held it in front of him trying to protect himself. The human placed the tips of his fingers on the tray and gave it a quick jab causing it to crack and break in half. “Nice try.” He then delivered a quick kick to the stallions gut and finished with a quick punch to the back of the stallions head, knocking him out. Isaac looked at the other two pegasi and grabbed them by the arms. He made his way towards the door and threw them out into the street. The two pegasi began to stir just in time for the large Pegasus to be thrown on top of them. They let out a cry of discomfort, Isaac crouched down next to them with a flat expression on his face. “Next time be sure to mind your manners. I’ll be here in case you need a reminder.” He said as he patted the red stallion on the head. As he made his way back inside the ponies looked at him in amazement. “Sorry about that.” He looked over to Mr. & Mrs. Cake and handed them the bag of bit’s he’d gotten from the Princess. “That should be enough to cover the damage and...keep the rest.” He said with a smile. Isaac walked over to th speakers and removed his P-pod, he looked back to the ponies who’s jaws were hitting the floor. He grabbed his coat and began to walk back towards the library. Once he was there he made his way up to the guest room, he opened the door to see a medium sized bed with fresh sheets. “Not bad.” He hung his coat up and laid back in the bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep. Chapter 3: Job HuntingChapter 3 Job Hunting Isaac had woken up later than usual, he put his shirt back on and looked outside to see that the sun was shinning brightly. He made his way down stairs to see Twilight at the front desk stamping some books. “Morning.” He said as he yawned. “Good morning. Sleep well?” She asked in a cheery tone. “Yeah.” He said as he got to the ground floor. “How are you feeling? Y’know since the fight.” “Fine. Why?” “I’m just surprised how you can just walk away from that.” She said in amazement. “I’ve had closer calls.” He said as he made his way into the kitchen. “Hey you wouldn’t happen to know anyone who’s hiring would you?” Isaac asked as he walked into the kitchen. “Why?” “Well, since I gave all my bit’s to the owners of the bakery, I need a source of income.” He said as he sat down with an apple in his hand. “Hmmm.....Oh! You could probably help AJ on the farm.” “She’s the orange one right?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah well....She doesn’t exactly like me.” “Why?” He shrugged at the question. “Well, just tell her I sent you, she’ll understand.” “Fine. Where’s the farm?” he said as he walked towards the door with a groan in his voice. “Just keep going up the road, you can’t miss it.” She said as he left the library. Isaac plugged in his P-pod and walked by the bakery, he poked his head in to see the Cakes. “Hey.” He said. “Oh...it’s you.” The mare said in surprise. “Yeah...sorry about last night, were the bit’s I gave you enough to cover the damage?” “Oh yes. Thank you.” The woman said with a smile. She tossed him the bit bag. “There’s you change.” “No, you keep it I-” “We just don’t feel right taking money that you don’t owe us.” The mustard yellow stallion said. “Well,...Okay. If it’s not enough then just tell me.” He said as he put the bag in his pocket. “Of course. What’s your name?” “Isaac. Glad to meet you two.” He said as he shook their hands. Isaac soon left the shop and continued on his way towards the farm. As he approached the settlement his eyes fell upon hundreds of rows filled with apple trees, the morning sun was just peeking over the mountain in the distance making the light reflect on the red delicious fruit. He continued down the path until he felt something hard hit the back of his head. Isaac instantly hit the ground and cried out in pain. “What the hell was that for?” He looked up to see a frowning red stallion with blue overalls on glaring down at him. “Who and what the heck are ya?” He said as he cracked his knuckles. “Whatcha doing over here Mac?” a familiar voice said. “Oh it’s you.” She said in a less than pleased tone. “Nice to see you too AJ.” he said in a sarcastic tone. Isaac looked up to see the orange colored mare sporting cowboy boot’s, short denim shorts, a light orange flannel top and a brown Stetson hat. He got to his feet he noticed that the red stallion spoke in the same accent as the orange mare.. “You know him sis?” “Yeah, he’s the guy that clobbered those three pegasi last night.” The red stallion looked back at Isaac in confusion. “Ah don’t know why he’s here through.” “Twilight sent me over to give you a hand.” He said as he brushed the dirt off his pants. “Oh..ah see.” She said as she bit her lip. “Look I know that you’re not to fond of me, so let’s try to keep things civilized for the time being.” He said as he looked at the two. “Fine. Follow me.” She said as she turned around and started to walk down the path. She stopped in front of a row of apple trees. “So what are we doing AJ-” she instantly grabbed him and forced him against the tree. He stared back into her rage filled emerald green eyes. “Listen here! Only mah family and friends can call me AJ. Since you ain’t neither ah suggest you don’t call me that!” “Fine. Let me rephrase that, what are we doing here Applejack?” She released her grip and took a step backwards. “We’re apple picking.” “Easy enough.” He said as he started to climb the tree and pick the apples off the branches. “Ah think you got the hang of it, when yer done the row come and see me for the next job.” “Roger.” He said as he climbed the next tree. Applejack left him to it and walked down the road. Isaac continued with his task. As noon slowly crept around he finished off the last tree. He started to walk up the road when he saw the red stallion walking up to him. Isaac got into a defensive position as the red stallion raised his right hand. “Ah don’t want any trouble, just here to apologize for earlier. Ah thought you were an apple thief.” “It’s fine.” He said as he relaxed his stance. “What’s your name?” “Macintosh, some call me Big Mac.” “Nice to meet you Mac. My name is Isaac.” He said as he shook the stallions hand. “Lunch is being served at the farm house.” Isaac nodded and walked down the dirt road until he reached the farm house, he made his way inside to see an elderly green mare in the kitchen. Applejack came down stairs and looked at him. “You finish with the trees?” “Yeah.” He said in a less than enthusiastic tone. “Good.” She said as she walked in front of him. He took a few steps inside until he was stopped by an orange hand on his chest. “Where do ya think you’re going?” “I WAS about to get some lunch.” He said as he narrowed his eyes. “Not in here yer not.” “Okay now your just being unreasonable!” He said in a stern tone. Applejack took his hand and pulled him outside. “Look it’s not that ah want to, it’s just that-” “It’s just what?” “You see that old woman in there?” she said as she pointed into the kitchen. Isaac gave her a nod. “That’s Granny Smith, she’s getting along in her years and the last thing she needs is to be scared by some human.” “How am I scary?” “You clobbered three stallions last night!” she exclaimed. “Ugh! Still with this? It was self-defense. They hit me and I hit them back.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “Ah still don’t see why-” “Who’re you talking to honeybun?” and elder green woman said as she looked at the two. Applejack’s eyes shrank at the mare. “Who’s this then?” she said as she looked at the stranger. “Hello ma’am. My names Isaac, I was helping out Applejack and Macintosh in the field today.” He said with a weak smile. The green mare looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow. “Why didn’t you tell me we had company?” she yelled at the cowgirl. “Well, um.....” “It was really lat minute.” He interjected. “Sorry for not telling you earlier.” “Oh don’t fret there boy, c’mon inside and get yer self some food. Y’all can call me Granny smith.” She said as she walked back inside. Applejack looked back at him in shock. “Looks like your grandma doesn’t scare so easily.” He said with a smirk. Before she could retaliate he quickly stepped inside and sat down at the table. Applejack sat next to Mac and glared at the human. “So sonny, Ah’ve never seen any-pony like you before.” “That’s because.... I’m from out of town.” “Really?” “Yeah, Twilight’s an old friend of mine and she’s letting me crash at the library while I’m staying here.” He said in a calm tone. “Oh, well where did you grow up?” “New Jersey.” “Ah think he means New Jersneigh, right?” Applejack said quickly. “Oh, well that’s interesting.” Granny Smith said. Isaac was trying to muffle his chuckles. “Yeah.....it has it’s perks.” He said with a smile. “You ever been to Detrot?” she asked. Isaac bit his lip to muffle the laughter. “Nope, never been there.” The group continued to eat in silence until it was time to work again. Applejack led him out tot he barn, he began to laugh hysterically. “What’s so dang amusing?” “New Jersneigh? Detrot? You guys have got to be kidding me!” he said as he tried to calm himself down. “Big deal they’re cities.” “Oh you’re serious? HA!” he said as he calmed himself down. “What ever. C’mon we gotta bail some hay.” She said as she walked over to the massive pile of hay. Applejack looked over to see the humans sheathed knife “Why in the hay do you have something like that?” “Like I said I have to deal with pest’s where I live.” He said as she cut open the bag. After she gave him back his knife the two began to pile the hay. Isaac looked over to her and noticed that her denim shorts clung to her well toned body. “Just what are you staring at?” she said as she narrowed her eyes. “I was wondering how you ponies can deal with having tails.” He said as he pointed to the blonde extension. “Oh, ah guess you just get used to it.” She said as she shrugged. “Does it do anything?” “What are you talking about?” “Like does it serve a purpose, or is it just there because it it’s part of your physique?” “It has some uses.” She said as she moved closer to him. “Like what?” the mare’s tail quickly wrapped itself around his leg and pull it out from under him. Isaac fell onto his back with a loud thud. “Like that.” She smile as she helped him to his feet. Isaac brushed the dirt off of him and continued working. “Listen. Ah want to apologize for mah behavior earlier.” She said as she rubbed her arm. “It’s fine, tell you the truth I’m still wrapping my head around the whole ‘ponies being the dominant species’ thing.” He said as he kept his work ethic. “Ah suppose that’s fair. It’s only your second day and Ah’m surprised that you’ve adjusted to us so well.” She said as she returned to shoveling the hay. “It helps that you guys look somewhat human, apart from the fur and the tail you seem pretty normal by my standards, plus I’m used to being the outcast.” He said as he continued to bail the hay. “What do you mean yer used to it?” “If you must know I’m not the most popular guy around back in my world. In a way, I’ve always been on my own.” Applejack fell silent and searched her mind trying to change the subject. “Why did those two stallions pick a fight with you yesterday?” “Cause I beat them up.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Why?” “They were picking on Ditzy so I defended her.” “Why would they go and pick on Ditzy? I mean she can be a bit goofy sometimes but she would never hurt another pony’s feelings.” She said with a raised eyebrow. “They were making fun of her eyes.” He said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Well, that’s mighty sweet of ya for helping her out.” “I just can’t stand guys like that. They REALLY get under my skin.” “You’ve dealt with guys like that?” “All my life.” “Sorry to hear that sugar cube.” Sugar cube? “Thanks Jackie.” He teased. “Why you!” she pushed him up against the wall again. Isaac looked into the mare’s eyes which were burning a hole through his own. There was also a hint of redness under her cheeks. Is she blushing? She slammed him again to snap him out of his dazed state. “Now listen here you-” she was cut off by a loud cracking noise, Isaac looked up to see that one of the beams had been compromised a large crate was falling towards them, he grabbed the mare and jumped out of the way just in time. The crate smashed on the ground sending splinters and Isaac was on his back with the orange mare lying on his chest. “What are you trying to pull?” he pointed over to the smashed crate. “We would’ve been crushed.” “Oh...thanks.” she said as she looked down at him. “Um..could you please get off-” “OH MY GOSH!” they both looked up to see Rainbow standing in the door way with her cell phone drawn. A light on the cell phone flashed as Rainbow started to walk away. Applejack and the human quickly gave chase, Rainbow looked behind her to see Isaac gaining on her. She quickened her pace and began to fly away, Isaac launched himself at the mare and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to the ground. “Get off of me!” she yelled. As he pulled her back on the ground and subdued her. “Give me the phone!” He ordered. “No!” She said as she stuck her tongue out at him. “Rainbow!” Applejack yelled as she caught up with them. Isaac put the cyan mare in a full nelson and held her still as Applejack took the phone from her and started to scroll through the photo’s. “Hey! Don’t go through my stuff!” she said as she squirmed. “Found it?” “Yeah......and deleted.” She said with a grin. Isaac released the Pegasus. She looked back at him with a frown on her face as Applejack handed her phone back to her. “Kill joy.” Rainbow spat out. “You didn’t give us much choice.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. “Hey, not my fault you guys tried to get it on in the barn.” She said with a smirk. Applejack’s face turned crimson. “That ain’t what happened! He saved me from a falling crate.” “So that’s how you were thanking him?” she cooed. “Keep talking Rainbow.” Isaac said as he gritted his teeth. “It’s like Applejack said I just pushed her out of the way otherwise we would have been smashed. We even have proof.” He led her back to the barn and showed her the smashed crate. “Yeah, yeah what ever. I know what I saw.” She said in a cocky tone. Isaac looked down at his shirt and saw a massive hole in it. “Oh hell.” He said as he examined the hole. “What?” “This is my only shirt.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Relax, I’m sure Rarity can fix it.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes. “She’s the one with the purple hair right?” “Yeah.” “I’ll head there after I’m done here.” He said as he looked at the crate. “Don’t worry about it, Mac will take care of it.” Applejack said. “You sure?” “Yeah. I’ll be fine, thanks for your help.” She said as she walked back inside the barn. “See you later Applejack.” “Y’all can call me AJ.” she said with a smile. Isaac looked at her in surprise and gave her a nod. “So where is Rarity’s shop anyway?” “I’ll show you.” Rainbow interjected. “Follow me!” she said as she took him by the arm and led him away from the barn. Isaac shook free from the mare’s iron grip and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “Why would you automatically assume that Applejack and I were....you know.” “Hey I just walked in on you guys, she was on top of you, in the barn, no pony around. You do the math.” “Ugh, you have an over active imagination Dash.” He said as he continued walking. “So what were you and AJ doing?” “Picking apples and bailing hay.” “Why did you go there?” “I needed a job. In case you forgot that I gave away most of my bit’s to the Cakes.” Rainbow remembered the events that occurred the previous night. “Oh yeah. You really beat the living crap out of those guys. Where did you learn how to fight like that?” “I been doing MMA since I was ten.” “MMA? “Mixed Martial Arts. It’s a fusion of some of the most lethal, and well executed fighting styles on the planet.” He said as he put his hands to the back of his head. “Are you any good?” “I’m average.” “You pulverized those guys last night.” “I just did a few punches, kicks and grapples. Basic stuff.” He said as he shrugged. “Wow. We should totally spar sometime!” “What?” “I can hold my own in a fight.” She said a she struck a kung-fu pose. “Two things Rainbow. One I’m not gonna hit a girl and two, MMA isn’t a game. If I hit you the wrong way you could be seriously hurt.” “You’re just scared that I’ll beat you.” She teased as they stopped in front of a shop. “This is the place.” She said as she walked inside. “Rarity? You in here?” she yelled. “Yes, I’ll be with you in one minute Rainbow!” a voice said from up stairs. Isaac looked up to too see the white unicorn wearing a sleeveless purple blouse with a dark blue skirt. “Now what is so.....Oh you brought him along.” She said with an eyebrow raised. “Yeah, I need my shirt fixed.” He said as he pointed to the hole. “Let me see.” The human took his shirt off and handed it to the mare. Rainbow looked at the humans well chiseled body with her mouth agate. Rarity levitated the shirt in front of her and examined the hole. “Nothing too bad. I can probably fix this in five minutes.” “Thanks, that’s the only one I’ve got.” Rarity looked at him in surprise. “You meant that you only have ONE outfit?” “Yeah, I didn’t exactly have my wardrobe on my when I came here.” “I will have to remedy that.” she said in a bold tone. “You don’t have to do that, I can manage.” “I insist, you are a guest after all!” her nose suddenly wrinkled as she smelt a faint odor. “Um, I don’t wish to offend anypony but what is that smell?” “Sorry, probably me. I was working with Applejack today on the farm.” He said as he scratched his head. “Oh,....I see. You can use the bathroom upstairs if you want to wash up.” She said as she pointed to the stair case. “I couldn’t intrude like-” “I insist. Besides it’ll be easier to work without that....aroma looming in the air.” She said in an annoyed tone. Isaac narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Where's the bathroom again?” “Upstairs, third door on the left.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. As he made his way upstairs he felt eyes on him, he turned around to see that Rainbow quickly adverted her gaze and began whistling a tune. He shrugged and continued upstairs. He opened the door to find the well furbished restroom complete with bath salts, scented candles and a large assortment of soaps and conditioners. “What is this? A day spa?” he said as he removed his clothes. Back down stairs Dash and Rarity were waiting for their guest to come back down. “Honestly Rainbow how could you befriend that thing?” “So what if he looks weird. Besides he and AJ REALLY hit it off.” She said with a chuckle. “What do you mean?” “Check your phone.” She said with a laugh. “You sent me a picture...... OH MY CELESTIA!” she said with shrunken eyes. Rainbow started to laugh hysterically. “Are they-” “No, he pushed her out of the way of a falling crate and she just landed on top of him. I couldn’t resist!” she said as she clutched her sides. “It is rather humorous.” Rarity said as she smirked. The door opened to reveal a mint green unicorn mare. “Hello Lyra.” she said with a wave. “Hey guys.” “Did you need something darling?” “I just wanted to pop in and-” her eyes then fell upon the shirtless human descending the stairs. “Oh hey Lyra.” he said with a nod. “What is going here?” she asked as she looked at Rarity. “Rarity allowed me to use her shower while she fixed up my shirt.” He said as he came to the bottom of the stairs and stood next to the mare. “Oh....for a second there I thought that something else was going on.” She said with a laugh. “What else would be going on?” Lyra pulled out her phone and showed him the picture Rainbow had sent her. “RAINBOW!” he yelled at the laughing Pegasus. “It’s not what it looks like. I pushed AJ out of the way of a moving crate and she accidentally landed on me. Rainbow just happen to walk in at the wrong time and she assumed that-” “Relax Isaac, I saw the falling crate.” “Then why did you take that photo?” “For fun.” She said with a smile. “You’re killing me Dash.” He said in a smug tone. He then noticed that Lyra was looking him over. “Why are you staring at me?” “Oh....um, just the first time I’ve seen a human’s upper body.” She said trying to hide her blush. “I guess I can understand that. Any major differences?” he asked. “Not really, apart from the fur.” “You’re shirt will be ready shortly.” The white mare said with a smile. Isaac then noticed that she had a tattoo of three bright blue gems on her shoulder. “Hey what’s with the tattoo?” “My what?” “The mark on your arm.” He said as he pointed to her shoulder. “Oh! That’s my Cutie Mark.” “A what?” “A Cutie Mark shows what your special talent is.” Rainbow said as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a thundercloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt shooting out of it. “Cool huh?” She said in a cocky tone. “Where’s yours?” Lyra asked. “Don’t have one.” “Why?” “Um.....I’m a human.” He said with an eyebrow raised. “So how do you know what your special talent is?” “I don’t have a special talent.” “WHAT!” the three mares exclaimed. “Most humans go through their life not knowing what it is.” “So how do you find work?” “We take what we can get and make the best of it.” “Wow that must-” the group was cut off by three small girls entering the boutique. One was a white Unicorn with a light purple mane, another was yellow with a deep red hair being held by a red bow and the last was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane. “C’mon girls theres gotta be something we haven’t-” the white unicorn stopped as she saw the group of adults. “Hey Rainbow Dash, hi Ms. Lyra.” she said with a smile. Her eyes then fell upon the tall stranger. “Who’s he?” “This is Isaac, he’s visiting for a few days.” The human gave a nod at the three girls who looked at him in amazement. “Hey! He doesn’t have a Cutie Mark either!” the yellow one said with a smile on her face. “That’s because I’m not a pony.” He said in a flat tone. “Then what are ya?” “I’m human.” “No way.” The orange child said as she rolled her eyes. “He’s telling the truth squirt.” Rainbow interjected. The girls looked back at him in surprise. “Wow! I’ve never seen a human before. I just though that Ms. Lyra was crazy and-” the white filly shut her mouth as Lyra looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Uh..sorry.” she said with a sheepish grin. “Well, we have some work to do.” She said as they made their way upstairs. “Done. Here you are.” Rarity said as she levitated the shirt over to him. Isaac put the garment on and smiled. “Thanks. How much do I owe you?” He said as he withdrew the coin pouch. “Three bits will do.” Isaac handed her four. “This is four-” “Think of it as a tip, for fixing it on such short notice.” “Any time darling.” She said with a smile. Rarity glanced at the clock and realized how late it was. “I’m terribly sorry dear but I must get this order done by tonight. Could you come back tomorrow and I’ll make you some more clothes.” “I couldn’t-” “I said that I would and I meant it!” “Um...okay. At what time?” “Ten o’clock sharp would be divine.” “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He said with a smile. As Isaac walked out the door Lyra and Rainbow looked at one another in shock. “Wow.” “I know right.” Rainbow said with a smile. “Oh will you two please control yourselves!” Rarity said as she rolled her eyes. “C’mon Rarity, even you have to admit he looked good.” Rainbow said with a smug grin. “I’ll admit he knows how to take care of himself physically, but he’s still a brute for attacking those poor stallions last night.” “Those stallions started the fight and he defended himself.” Lyra interjected. “Yeah and he defended Ditzy from the same goons yesterday!” Rainbow said as she stared at the mare. “Physical ability is only half the battle Rainbow Dash. What truly matters is if he is courteous and kind to a mare. Which is what I will be assessing during his fitting.” She said as she walked back upstairs. Rainbow and Lyra rolled their eyes and let out a sigh. As they left the shop the mares felt three small fillies squeeze past them and run out into the street. The three fillies suddenly ran into a hard object causing them to fall over. “Ow, what did we-” the yellow filly was cut off as she saw the human lying on the ground in front of them. “Sorry about that mister.” “It’s fine.” He said as he got to his feet. Rainbow caught up to the small fillies and landed in front of them. “Where are you three going in such a hurry?” “We’re going into the Everfree Forest to see Zecora.” The white filly said with a smile. “Are you three crazy? That place is way too dangerous for you three.” “We’ve been to Zecora’s hut before and I know the way like the back of my hand.” Sweetie said in a an annoyed tone. “No way am I letting you three go into that place alone.” “I’ll go with them.” Isaac interjected. “WHAT?” The group said in surprise. “I don’t mind.” “That place is really, really creepy!” Dash said. “I’m sure I can handle a forest Dash.” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll come too.” She said with a grin. “It’d suck if you got killed on your second day here.” “All right! Lets go!” the orange Pegasus said as she and the other two girls ran ahead. “Kids, what can you do?” he shrugged. “Tell me about it.” “I take it that the yellow one is AJ’s sister?” “Yeah that’s Applebloom and the unicorn is Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister.” she said as she pointed to the girls. “I see and the Pegasus?” “That’s Scootaloo.” “Let me guess. You’re sister?” “No, but she looks up to me like one. What about you?” “Nope, it’s just me.” The two suddenly came upon the forest’s edge and ventured in after the fillies. Isaac felt the forest engulf him and the others as they made their way through the maze of trees and shrubs. As they went deeper into the brush Isaac felt Rainbow grab his arm once or twice when she heard a noise or saw a bush move. “Here we are!” Applebloom said as they stopped in front of a hut. “Hello? Are you there Zecora?” The door opened to reveal a slightly taller pony with stripes running across her body, tail and mane which was styled in a mohawk fashion. Must be a zebra. Isaac thought. “What have we here? Why it’s Applebloom my dear.” She said with a smile. The zebra then noticed the familiar cyan mare and the guest. “Who stands before my hut? Rainbow who is this nut?” “This is Isaac.” “Hello.” “I have never seen another pony like you. This is true.” She said as she looked at Rainbow. “Well, I’m a human.” Isaac said with a weak grin. Zecora nodded and the ponies went inside and started to chat. Isaac explained his trip into the magical land and what had happened to him since his arrival. Rainbow glanced at her phone and her eyes shrank. “Uh-oh I gotta go! See you tomorrow Isaac.” She said as she raced out the door. “C’mon girls it’s time to go.” “Awwe, do we have too?” Sweetie Belle whined. “Sorry but yes. Your sisters will kill me if you weren’t home on time.” The fillies sighed and got to their feet. Isaac said goodbye to Zecora and the group walked out of the forest in silence. As they reached the edge Sweetie Belle let out an audible gasp. “What’s wrong?” “I left my bag back at Zecora’s hut.” She said as she face palmed. “Can we get it tomorrow?” “No. My bag has our school project that we’ve spent weeks working on.” Isaac scratched his head and let out a heavy sigh. “All right. I’ll go back and get it. You three head home, tell the other where I am and if I’m not back in an hour then bring the Calvary.” He said as he made his way back into the forest. Luckily it was still somewhat light out and he could see the path way with ease. He soon reached Zecora’s hut and knocked on the door. “What a surprise, what brings you before my eyes?” “Sweetie forgot her school bag here and I came back to get it.” The zebra nodded and handed him the small back pack. “Thanks.” He said as he began to walk away from the hut, as the sky got darker it became increasingly difficult to see the path in front of him. He tripped over a log and fell into a patch of plants, he quickly got up and continued on his way. As Isaac neared the exit to the forest he heard a few familiar voices coming from it. He emerged from the forest to see Rainbow, Rarity, AJ and Twilight with worried looks on their faces. Isaac walked up to them with a raised eyebrow. “Sup?” “You’re okay!” Rainbow yelled as she flew up to him. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “That place is dangerous!” Twilight exclaimed. “Seems like your average forest to me.” He said as he handed Rarity the bag. “I’m terribly sorry about this Isaac.” She said in a sad tone. “It’s fine, nothing too bad in there.” He said as he walked past the mares and made his way back into town. The mares quickly caught up to him and the group waked until it was time to go their separate ways. Isaac walked into the library and let out a yawn. “Well, night Twilight. I’m gonna hit the hay early.” “Okay, see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile. Isaac retuned the gesture and entered the guest room. As he removed his shirt three blue petal fell to the floor. Isaac picked them up and threw them in the garbage can. He felt a little odd as laid his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep. Chapter 4: A Prank Too FarChapter 4 A Prank Too Far Twilight woke up to an ear splitting scream coming from the hallway, she looked out of her room to see Spike standing outside Isaacs door. She threw on her robe and hurried over beside the purple dragon. “Spike what was that?” “I don’t know, I was just walking back from the bathroom when I heard a scream coming from his room.” He said with a shrug. Twilight hurried over to the door and knocked three times. “Isaac? Are you okay in there?” “GO AWAY!” he bellowed. “What’s wrong?” “DID YOU HEX ME OR SOMETHING WHILE I WAS ASLEEP?” He yelled. “What? No.” “Well, SOMEONE must have!” “Why? What’s wrong?” “I can’t say!” “How can I help you if-” She was cut off by someone knocking at the door, Twilight motioned for Spike to deal with the visitor, Spike opened the door to see Rainbow standing there with a concerned look on her face. “Hey Spike, what was that scream I heard?” “Somethings wrong with Isaac.” “What?” “He refuses to come out of his room for some reason.” He said with a shrug. Rainbow made her way inside and met up with Twilight outside the door. “Oh good. Thank's for the help Rainbow.” She said with a sigh. “Isaac? You okay in there?” Rainbow said as she put her ear to the door. “NO!” “Come out and we’ll help you.” “NO WAY IN HELL!” “Are you sick?” “No.” “So what’s wrong?” “I DON’T KNOW!” There came another knock on the door, Spike opened it to see the white unicorn standing with her arms across her chest with an annoyed look on her face. “What is that horrendous shouting?” She asked in an annoyed voice. Rarity made her way upstairs to see Twilight and Rainbow. “Somethings wrong with Isaac and he won’t tell us.” Rarity walked over and gave a small knock. “Isaac dear, what’s wrong?” “YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!” Another knock from the door was heard. Spike let out a heavy sigh and saw the orange cow girl standing there with a worried look on her face. “Howdy Spike.” “Hey AJ.” “Whats all the hollering about?” Spike pointed to the upstairs where the other three mares were standing. “Look Isaac, why don’t you retrace your steps and we’ll see if anything seems out of the ordinary, okay?” Twilight said in a concerned tone. “Okay. I went to work with AJ, had lunch, then went to Rarity’s shop to get my shirt fixed. Then Rainbow, the girls and I went into that forest to go see Zecora. Rainbow left on her own then I took the girls back. I went back in to get Sweetie Belle’s bag, I came back out and went to sleep. The end.” “Did you touch anything while you were in the forest?” “No....Wait, I tripped and fell into some kind of bush.” “What bush? What did it look like?” AJ asked. “I don’t know it was too dark to see, but when I got back here my back was covered in blue petals. They looked like they came from a flower.” The mares looked at one another in surprise. “Do you still have them?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, hang on a second.” The girls heard the sounds of walking and something sliding on the floor. The door opened and the trash can slid out into the hall way. Twilight levitated the contents and saw three blue flower petals. “Is that-” “Yup.” Twilight said as she remembered the blue colored petals. “Isaac, I’ve got good news. I know what caused your problem.” “What?” “You must have fallen into a patch of Poison Joke.” She said as she examined the petals. “POISON WHAT?” “It’s like Poison Oak, but instead of making you itchy it plays a small prank on you.” Rainbow added. “This does not qualify as a SMALL PRANK!” “There’s a cure for it. All you need to do is take an herbal bath.” “Good, do you have the recipe?” “No. Somepony checked the book out two days ago and I don’t remember the recipe off hand.” Twilight said with a defeated look on her face. “So we just wait until they come back?” he said in an annoyed tone. “We could do that or we go to Aloe and Lotus.” Rarity interjected. “Who are they?” “They run the local spa and Zecora gave them the recipe for the cure.” “Will it even work on me?” “It’s worth a shot.” Rainbow said. A long silence hung over the group. “Okay, I’ll come out just try not to laugh.” He said in a low tone The door opened and the mare’s jaw dropped at the sight. Isaac stood there with significantly longer hair, a much more curvy physique and a set of breasts. Isaac’s face turned bright red as he looked at the mares. Applejack was covering Rainbow’s mouth to prevent laughter. Isaac let out a sigh at the mares’ state. “Just get it out of your system.” He said with a hand raised, Rainbow exploded in laughter and fell to the ground clutching her sides. “It turned you into a mare? Priceless!” she said as she began to cry. “Laugh it up Rainbow.” He said as he reached inside the trash can and rubbed the petals in her hair. Rainbow shot back just in time to start feeling a chain reaction occur. The ponies looked in surprise to see her vibrantly colored hair turn white as snow. Rainbow looked in the mirror and yelled in surprise. “Looks like we’re in the same boat.” “Why did it work so quickly? It usually takes hours for it to take effect.” Twilight said in surprise. “Probably because of my oil.” “What oil?” “Humans secrete a type of oil from their skin which tends to spread the oils produced by Poison Ivy and Poison Oak, looks like it does the same with Poison Joke. Hey, I can do this rhyming shit too.” Isaac said with a smirk. Rainbow glared at the human with daggers in her eyes. “Let’s get you two to the spa.” Rarity said as she walked past the group. Isaac threw the hood over his head, Rainbow did the same with her cyan hoodie. The two followed the group of mares out into the street. As long as no pony sees us we should be- “Hey guys!” the group looked over to see Vinyl rush over to them. Goddamn it! “Hey have you seen Isaac?” Rainbow had a sly grin on her face. Isaac made the ‘slicing throat motion’ with his thumb. “N-no. Ah haven’t seen him all day.” AJ said as she threw on a bad poker face. “Then who’s that?” she said as she pointed to the dark hooded figure. “Um-” Twilight didn’t finish as Rainbow ripped the hood off the human’s head. Vinyl let out a gasp at the now female human. Isaac quickly threw the hood back on his head and looked back at the mare with a cross look on his face. “What....was....that?” “Isaac fell into a patch of Poison Joke and well...” Twilight said. “So it turned him into a mare?” the others nodded in agreement. Vinyl then saw the human lower his head. “Sorry Isaac, if it’s any conciliation I turned pink when I got hit with that stuff.” “Why were you looking for me anyway?” he said as he kept his face covered. “Wanted to see if I could listen to some of your tunes.” “Fine. Just wait until I fix this and please don’t tell anyone about this.” “Deal.” She said with a smile. “Meet me at the shop when you’re done.” Isaac nodded as she walked away. “Didn’t see that coming.” AJ said. “Let’s just get this over with.” He said in a low tone. Rarity led the group into the spa and they were greeted by two mares, one pink and the other was bright blue. “Hello girls.” Rarity said with a smile. “Good morning Ms. Rarity. How can we help you today?” “My two friends here had a little Poison Joke accident. We were wondering if you had the recipe.” “Of course. Just give us a few moments to get it ready for Ms. Dash and...who is your friend?” “Oh..this is.....An acquaintance of mine from out of town.” “Very well right this way.” She said as she led the human and cyan mare into the bath house. “You can use the baths at the end of the row, we’ll also need your clothes.” Lotus said as she pointed to a basket. “Why?” “We need to soak them in the water so the toxins get washed out and don’t cause the same problem when you’re done.” Aloe said. “They’ll be ready when we get done?” Rainbow asked. The blue mare nodded and handed each of them a towel. Isaac quickly took of the garments and wrapped the towel around his body. He adverted his eyes as Rainbow undressed. Isaac made his way over to the bath and submerged himself from head to toe. He felt his skin begin to tingle and his bones reshape to their original size. Isaac stuck his head out of the water just below his eye level, he looked up to see the cyan mare get into the tub next to him. He quickly submerged his head and held his breath. Okay don’t panic. Theres an extremely attractive- Don’t even finish that sentence! She’s not a girl, she’s a THING. Not cool. You know I’m right, she’s a mutated horse. So? Back home theres speculation that humans are monkeys. That’s not the point! She’s not human she- Her name is Rainbow! Like it matters. It DOES. They’ve shown me nothing but kindness since I’ve arrived here and have treated me with more respect than I ever got back at home! Rainbow is a friend and-. He stopped as he realized he had spent all his stored air. Isaac grabbed the sides of the tube and brought his normal upper body to the surface. He sat up panting and taking in the sweet smelling air. “You okay?” Isaac looked over to see that Rainbows hair was starting to return to it’s normal six color spectrum. “You were down there for so long I thought you drowned.” She said as she put her arms back over her head. Isaac felt himself blush and quickly adverted his eyes. “Sorry for turning your hair white.” He said still looking away. “Sorry I laughed at you.” She said with sympathy in her voice. “It’s fine, I’m used to it.” “What do you mean?” she asked as she rested her chin on her hands. “I’m not exactly the most respected member of my group of friends.” He said as he laid the back of his head on the tiled edge. “Why? You’re a nice guy.” “That doesn’t count for much back on my world.” “They’re not friendly?” “Not really, save a few.” He said as he felt his hair grow back into it’s proper size. “But you showed me a picture of those other humans.” “Those two are the exception and even then they get on my nerves sometimes.” He said in a low grumble. “How?” “The other guy I showed you is my oldest friend, but he’s a massive show off.” “So am I.” she said in a cocky tone. “Yeah but you’re not a show off all the time.” He said as he looked at the mare. “He is constantly going off on how he’s the best at everything. It get’s old really quick.” He said as he let out a grunt. “What about the girl?” “Allie? She’s nicer and a bit more down to earth. However she has horrible taste in guys.” “How so?” “She always goes for the big strong dumb as dirt jocks. Things are great for the first three months then he goes and cheats on her with his ex or some other girl and guess who has to be there to pick up the pieces.” He said as he pointed to himself. “It’s unfortunate, but she never learns.” He said in an annoyed tone. “Okay, no offense but that’s kinda mean.” “I was very sympathetic at first, but over the years she turned me into a cynic with her constant ignorance and stupidity.” He said as he leaned his head back. “OH GOD!” he said as he felt a blunt pain below his stomach. “What?” “I think I just got my family jewels back.” He said as he looked into the water. “Yeah, I did.” “Your what?” “It’s......um.” he tried to find the right words. “Relax I know what you mean.” She said with a laugh. The two looked over to see the two spa ponies came into the room with smiles on their faces. “How is every-. WHO ARE YOU?” The blue mare yelled as she looked at Isaac. “He was the girl that came in with me.” Rainbow interjected. “You mean to tell me that the hair loss wasn’t the Poison Joke?” “The Poison Joke made me gender swap.” Isaac explained. “So what are you?” “Oh right, you two don’t know. I’m a human.” The ponies looked at one another in confusion. “Looks like we owe Lyra an apology.” The pink one whispered to her sister. “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.” Isaac said with a sigh. “Can I have my clothes back?” “Y-yes. I’ll go get them.” Lotus said as she hurried away. “Your clothes are ready Ms. Dash.” Aloe said as she walked out of the door. “Awesome!” she said as she hopped out of the tub. Isaac looked away as she rose from the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. “I’ll meet you out front.” Isaac gave her a thumbs up as he still looked away from the mare. He heard the door close and he let out a sigh as he got out of the tub and put the towel around his waist. The pink sister then came out of the back room and led him to the stallions changing area. Isaac found his clothes neatly stacked on the bench, as he picked up his shirt two notes fell to the floor. He picked one up and saw that the penmanship was very refine. Isaac, Don’t worry about the cost, my treat. ~Rarity. He gave a smile and folded the note into his pocket. The other note was considerably messy and the penmanship looked like that of a ten year old. Isaac, Heres my # Call me later. ~Rainbow Isaac entered the number in his phone and grinned. As he put his shirt back on he noticed that a blue blur ducked behind the door. Isaac rolled his eyes and made his way out into the lobby where the cyan mare was waiting for him. “Bout time you got out here.” She said in an impatient tone. “Calm down, I’m here now aren’t I?” he said with a smug grin on his face. “What ever.” She said as she got to her feet. Her hair was still fairly wet and clung to her light bluecoat with a strong grip. Isaac couldn’t help but notice that her tail began to swish as she took a step with her well defined hips. He felt himself blush and quickly adverted his eyes away from the cyan mare. “Please come again.” The blue sister said with a smile. “Just be sure to use the correct changing room next time.” The pink one added. “Sorry about that. What are your names?” “I’m Lotus.” The blue one said with a smile. “I’m Aloe.” “Nice to meet you two. My names Isaac by the way.” He said as he shook their hands. The two mares smiled at him. Isaac quickly made his way out the door and rejoined Rainbow who was leaning against the building tapping her foot. Isaac reached down into his pocket and let out a groan. “I’ll be right back I forgot my phone inside.” Rainbow rolled her eyes at the statement. Isaac walked back inside the counter to see Lotus holding up his device. “Sorry Lotus.” “Its quite alright.” as he took the phone she drew his head next to her mouth and began to whisper. “Theres a new number in there if you’re interested.” Isaac felt himself blush again as the mare backed away from him. She began to giggle as she turned around and walked back into the room. Isaac silently turned around and walked back out to the busy street. “There you-....You okay? Looks like you just saw a ghost.” “Yeah. I’m fine.” He said as he shook off the shock. “So what do we do now? I got the day off. What about you?” “I gotta grab some bit’s from Twi’s place, then I gotta head to Raritys shop for some new clothes and Vinyl wanted to listen to some of my music.” Rainbow let out a groan at the statement. “You’re free to come along if you want, I’m not much of a fashion guy so it’ll be nice to have a second opinion.” The cyan mare smiled and the two began to walk back to the library. “Wanna race?” she asked. “I’m at a huge disadvantage for that.” He said as he pointed to her wings. “I won’t fly, I promise.” “In that case....you’re on!” he said with a grin. The two drew a line in the dirt and began to stretch. “Ready.....Set-” “GO!” Isaac yelled as he sprinted forward. He looked back to see that the cyan mare was gaining ground and had a hungry look in her eye. Isaac quickened his pace as he felt the speed demon come up behind him. “LOOK OUT!” she yelled. Isaac looked ahead to see a parked cart in the middle of the road, he couldn’t slow down in time or swerve out of the way. Isaac increased his speed and leaped over the cart, as he performed a quick summersault as he landed. Rainbow stared at him in amazement, Isaac gave her a sly grin and resumed running towards the library. As he saw the library, Isaac knew that the door would slow him down. His eyes searched for another entry point, he veered off to the right a few feet and aligned himself with the open window. Rainbow had caught up to him and had no intention of loosing as Rainbow reached the door she saw the human vault into the library causing Twilight to jump in surprise. Rainbow burst through the door panting heavily. “I believe the score stands one to zero.” He said as he caught his breath. “That doesn’t count! You cheated!” “How?” “You used the window!” “So? You never said I couldn’t.” He said with a smile. Twilight looked at the two with a raised eyebrow. “What is going on?” “We were racing.” He said with a smirk. “Why did you jump through my window?” “Would you prefer it if I broke your door down?” “No.....but still-” “Fine I won’t jump through the window anymore.” “Thank you.” “I just need to grab my bit bag and then we’ll leave.” Isaac said as he and Rainbow hurried up the stairs, he opened the room to see that his bit bag and knife were on the night stand. Isaac attached the knife on his jeans and put the pouch in his pocket. “Okay we can go now.” “Why bring that thing?” she said as she pointed to the knife. “You never know when you might need it.” He said as he walked back into the main room of the library. “So where are you two going?” Twilight asked. “Carousel Boutique, Rarity wanted to make me another set of clothes.” “Oh good. Spike is over there by the way.” “Why?” “He helps Rarity from time to time, mostly because he has a crush on her.” Rainbow added. “Ah. I see.” He said as he nodded his head. “Well, I’ll see you later Twilight.” He said with a wave. He and the cyan mare made their way onto the streets of the small town. Isaac was still catching glances from some unknown mares and stallions. He looked to his side to see Rainbow quickly turning her head away from him. “So.....How long has Spike had the hots for Rarity?” “Since he met her.” “Is Rarity stringing him along?” “No....Well....Maybe. I’m not the best when it comes to that kind of stuff. I think she knows he likes her but doesn’t know how to tell him without breaking his heart.” “Ah, that old problem. Has Spike tried to win her over?” “No, he’s usually too nervous to even form complete sentences.” “Interesting.” He said as they arrived in front of the shop. The two made their way inside and looked around the posh shop. “Rarity? You in here?” Rainbow yelled. “Come upstairs darling.” The two looked at each other and complied with the order. Rainbow opened the door to see the white mare at her sewing machine and Spike sweeping up some fabric scraps. “Hello you two.” She said with a smile. “Hi.” Isaac said with a wave. “Thanks for covering our spa visit Rarity.” “Oh think nothing of it darling, Glad to see that you’re back to normal.” “Thank you.” He said with a warm smile. “So how can I help you?” “I was thinking on getting some new clothes.” “Ah, say no more! I will begin making the measurements!” “If you’re too busy then I can come back later and-” “It’s perfectly all right, it’s a slow day anyway. Spike, would you be a dear and fetch me some white fabric from the top shelf.” She said in a sweet tone. Spike gave a quick nod and appeared ten-seconds later with the fabric. “Thank you dear.” The dragon had a massive grin on his face. “So what kind of clothes were you looking for?” “Just something casual I can use around town.” “Anything specific?” “Something lightweight and comfortable.” “What about a suit?” “No thanks. I don’t wear suits on a regular basis.” “I trust you’ll want to wear something nice for your return trip.” “No. I’m guessing that no one even knows that I’m gone.” He said as he took off his jacket. “What about your family?” “Parents are dead and I’m an only child.” Rarity looked at him in regret. “Oh....I’m terribly sorry dear. I didn’t know.” “It’s fine.” “What about your friends?” “Don’t have many.” Rainbow put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak smile. “Except for you guys of course.” He said with a smile. “Thank you dear. What do you think about a shirt in white?” “Sounds good, why not make the trim in black?” “Darling that idea is completely-.” Her eyes shrank at the thought. “Genius. I didn’t know you had fashion insight.” “I don’t. I just know that black and white go well together, as it does with red, blue and dark green.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “I took a few art classes in high school.” He said with a shrug. “It’s just surprising.” Rarity commented. “I had no idea that humans were so fashionably inclined.” “Oh yeah. People make their whole careers around making clothes and designing different types of fashion for all different kinds of people.” Rarities eyes boggled at the information. “What kinds of fashion?” She asked as her eyes grew wide. “Not really sure, I never paid attention to it that much.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Why not?” she said in an annoyed tone. “Never need too. Not my area of expertise.” He said as Rarity wrapped the measuring tape around his right arm. He then noticed that Spike was sweeping up some fabric scraps in the corner with a blank look in his face. “Hey Rarity, on my way over here Rainbow was thinking on upgrading her wardrobe.” Rainbow shot him a confused glance. “Really? Odd she usually never wants to do something like that.” “I don-” Isaac quickly covered the mares mouth. “She just didn’t want to look like a posh pony, you know how she is.” He said as he let go of the angry mare. “OH! Come along darling I will help you once I’m done with-” “Spike can help me out.” He interjected. The dragon looked at him in confusion. “Besides we haven’t really had a chance to talk.” He said with a smile. “But I need to help Rarity with-” “Oh don’t worry Spike. I’m sure I can manage.” She said as she took Rainbow into the next room, the cyan mare shot the human a dirty look. Spike looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. As the two mares left Isaac looked back at Spike with a grin. “Good now we can talk.” “About what?” “I know you like Rarity Spike.” The dragons face turned bright red at the statement. “How did-” “Rainbow told me and you were making it obvious.” He said with a shrug. Spike face palmed in defeat. “So tell me how long have you had feeling for her?” “What do you care?” “I’m gonna help you out.” “Why?” “I was in your position one time and no one helped me out. Long story short, it sucked and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let it happen to you.” “How do I know you won’t try to steal her from me?” “Two things Spike. One, Rarity is not my type and two, I am many things, but I’m not a cock blocker.” “A what?” “It’s a human term. The point is, I have no interest in Rarity. So I’m going to help you out.” “Thanks. What should I do?” “First off, tell me three things you don’t like about her.” “What?” “Just do it.” He said as he sat down in a chair. “Well, she can be a bit fussy sometimes, Rarity also has this habit of making mountains out of mole hills and she can be a bit selfish.” He finished. Isaac smirked at the dragon. “Congratulations Spike you passed the first test.” “What test?” “We now know that this isn’t some type of school yard crush. You recognized her flaws and are willing to accept them, if you were just after her body then you wouldn’t have paid attention to them.” “Oh I get it!” he said as his head perked up. “Now, what does Rarity like to do in her off time?” “I help her jewel hunting, she likes to come up with new designs for outfits and she reads a lot.” “What kind of books does she read?” “Romance novels mostly.” “Okay, now we have a place to start. My suggestion is find out her favorite Author’s and stories. Come see me again when you do.” He said as he began to try on the shirts Rarity made him. He pulled the black T-shirt with deep red sleeves over his head and looked at himself in the mirror. “What do you think?” “Looks cool.” He said with a shrug. “Think the white will look better?” he asked. “I guess.” “Hey can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “What can you tell me about Twilight and the others, I’m still fairly new here and I’m trying to adapt to this place.” “Well, Twilight runs the library and is Princess Celestia’s private pupil.” “She’s the Princess’s personal student?” he said in surprise. “I see. So that’s why she told me to live with her. What about Rainbow and AJ?” “AJ runs the apple farm at the edge of town. She’s cool, level headed and can’t tell a lie to save her life. Rainbow is very cocky and rash.” “So I’ve heard.” Isaac said as he rolled his eyes. “She’s also very loyal which makes up for her boisterous attitude.” He said as he shrugged. “What about the pink one?” “Pinkie? You can’t really explain her, she has this habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.” He said as he quickly glanced around the room. “She’s very random and unpredictable.” “I see, what about the yellow one?” “That’s Fluttershy, that pony is scared of almost everything. She’s really good at taking care of animals though.” “She’s really that shy?” “Oh yeah. She flinches like a cat to a water pistol, just don’t get her angry or she’ll use ‘the stare’ on you.” “The what?” “It’s this thing she can do that will make any animal or pony freeze up in fear. Twilight said that she used it on a fully grown dragon once.” “Fully grown dragon?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m only seventeen. Full grown dragons can grow to be as big as a house.” “That also brings up another question, why do you live with Twilight are you two like adopted brother and sister or something?” “No. I’m just her assistant.” “Are you her assistant by choice?” “Yeah, Twilight hatched me when she was filly and-” “She what? How did she hatch you?” He said with a raised eyebrow. “She went nuts with magic during an entrance exam, my egg got zapped and I hatched from it.” “Oh. So that’s how it works. Mind if I open a window? It’s getting stuffy in here.” He said as he moved over to the window. “Sure.” The dragon said with a shrug. “Cool.” He said as he opened the window. “One other thing I’ve been wondering about. What’s the typical diet for ponies?” “Diet?” “You know, what do they eat?” “Fruit, vegetables, grain, hay, stuff like that.” Isaac let out a sigh. “I was afraid you might say that.” “Why?” “Humans are carnivorous.” Spike looked at him in surprise. “But, I saw you eat vegetables and fruit the other day at Sugar Cube Corner.” “Most humans are omnivores.” “Omni what?” “I can eat both meat and vegetables to sustain myself. It’s just that meat tastes better in my opinion. What about you? I’m assuming you’re a carnivore as well.” “Nope. Vegetarian and some gem stones every now and then.” “Gem stones?” “You know, ruby’s, sapphires, emeralds. Stuff like that.” “How does-....Never mind. So there’s no place to buy meat around here?” “Nope. Sorry.” “Oh well, can’t be helped I suppose. How much do I owe you?” Isaac asked as he pulled out a bit bag. “That’ll be sixty bits.” Isaac nodded and handed the dragon the money and picked up his new shirts. As he did the door shot open to reveal a very angry Rainbow Dash who was wearing a dress that was causing her some discomfort. “Uh-oh.” “YOU ARE SO DEAD!” She bellowed. Isaac quickly grabbed the shirts “Time to go!” he said as he ran towards the window. Isaac jumped out of the shop and onto the ground. He looked up to see Rainbow staring at him in surprise, he quickly high tailed it back towards the library. As he reached the door he saw a familiar white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane. “Hey Isaac! I was just coming to see if I could-” “Yeah sounds great let’s go!” he said as he began to walk at a fast pace. “Where’s the fire?” “Let’s just say I need to DASH off.” “What?” “I’ll explain once we’re at the shop.” He said as he ran off with Vinyl in hot pursuit. Once they reached the shop Isaac took a moment to collect his thoughts. He then explained what had happened at the boutique. “Ah I see. Good thing you were able to get out of there.” “Yeah, me too.” He said as he sat down. “So you want to listen to some music?” “Sure!” she said as he withdrew his P-Pod. Vinyl took it and plugged it into her speakers. She shuffled the music and rock music began to blast through the speakers. The mare sat next to the human and smiled. “Interesting taste in music.” “I like a to have a variety.” He said with a grin. “Thanks for letting me hide out here to avoid Rainbow.” “No problem. What are friends for?” she said with a grin spread across her face. She then noticed the humans white shirt with the dark blue sleeves and stripe going down the center. “Cool shirt by the way.” “Thanks. Rarity just made it.” The human then noticed Vinyl’s low cut top and jet black jeans that seemed to hug her figure. “You look good too.” “Awwe. Thanks.” She said as her cheeks blushed. “So how did you get Poison Joke on you anyway?” “I accidentally fell in a bush when I was in the forest.” “Oh. That place is covered in it.” She said as she slid closer to the human. “So what type of music do you listen to?” “Mostly rock, electric, alternative stuff like that. What about you?” “Electric and Dubsteb.” “Really?” “Yeah it helps with my DJ skills.” “You’re a DJ?” “Yep.” She said as she let out a yawn. “Sorry, I had a late night.” “If you want to take a nap I can leave and-” “Nah, it’s fine. I’m used to being tired.” She said as she rested her head against his arm. Isaac noticed the mares motion and started to blush at the mares action. Isaac felt his eyes become heavy and he soon drifted off to sleep with the white mare resting on his shoulder. Isaac was awoken by a loud knock at the door, he looked over to see the Vinyl was fast asleep on the couch, he gently slipped his arm from her grip and made his way over to the door. “Who is-” was all he got out before being grabbed by a familiar pair of cyan hands, Rainbow pulled a small pill from her pocket and shoved it in the humans mouth, Isaac swallowed the pill in surprise and yelped as Rainbow jumped behind him and locked her arms around the front of his chest, the two took flight towards the sky. “Are you crazy?” he yelled as they flew higher. Rainbow tightened her grip and zoomed towards the clouds, Isaac looked up at the cyan mare who had a devilish grin spread across her face. Rainbow stopped just above a cloud and loosened her grip on the human, who was holding on for dear life. “RAINBOW DON’T!” “Sorry.” She said as she let go of him. Isaac yelled in fear as he felt himself plummet towards the ground. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact. His body fell on what felt like a soft pillow. He opened his eyes to see the cyan mare laughing hysterically on her back next to him. “Oh man! You should have seen your face! Priceless!” “THAT WASN’T FUNNY! I COULD HAVE DIED!” He yelled. “I’d be able to catch you.” She said as she sat up. “That’s so comforting.” He said with his voice dripping in sarcasm. “How am I not falling through the cloud?” he said as he looked over the edge and saw the busy town below. “That pill I gave you allows non-Pegasi to walk on clouds for a day.” She said with a smile. “Where did you get it?” “Twilight made them so she wouldn’t have to use magic every time they came to my house.” “Your house?” “Yeah, I’m a Pegasus. I live in the clouds.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Okay. Why did you drag me up here anyway?” “Payback.” she said as she began to fly away. “I’ll pick you up later.” She said with a sly grin. “WHAT? NO! You can’t leave me up here!” he yelled as Rainbow snickered and flew back towards Ponyville. GODDAMN IT! Isaac thought as he looked at the shrinking blue dot. He laid back on the cloud and stared up at the sky to see a familiar grey mare coming towards him. Is that Ditzy? as the mare came closer Isaac could make out her yellow mane. “Hey over here!” he yelled as he waved his arms. The grey mare heard the yells and flew over to the human. Isaac saw that she had a tan messenger bag and a tan collard shirt with long khaki pants that stretched to her ankles. “Hey Isaac. What are you doing up here?” She asked as she landed next to the human. “Rainbow dropped me here for payback.” He said with a grumble. “How are you not falling?” “She gave me this pill that allows me to walk on clouds for a day.” The grey mare gave a nod and pulled out a tin box. “What’s that?” “My shift just got over, so I’m having lunch. Want some?” she asked as she pulled out a muffin. “I couldn’t take your food.” “It’s fine, I have another one.” She said as she handed it to him. Isaac took the muffin and smiled at the mare. “Thanks, what’s your job anyway?” he asked as he took a bite. “I’m a mail mare.” She said with a grin. “Oh a postal worker, I guess that explains the letters I saw the other day.” “Yep. What about you?” “Well, I’m freelancing around town for the time being.” “What about back where your from?” “I was a college student and I was working for a military antique dealer.” “That sounds cool.” She said as she finished her muffin. “Yeah, not the best job in the world, but it puts food on the table.” He said as he took the final bite of his muffin. “Hey can I ask you for a favor?” “Sure.” “Think you could get me down from here?” “Um, I can’t carry anything over one hundred pounds, I’m scared I might drop you.” She said with a weak grin. “Wouldn’t want that now would we?” he said in a light hearted tone. “Yeah, if you want I could probably go get some other pegasi-” “It’s fine. Rainbow said this pill lasted all day and I’m sure that she won’t leave me up here until the pill wears off.” He said as he laid back on the cloud. “True. Rainbow likes pranks but she’d never hurt anypony on purpose.” She said as she looked back at the human. The two continued to chat as the afternoon crept around. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow landed in front of the library after finishing her afternoon shift, she walked in to see Twilight and Applejack sitting on the couch. Twilight waved to her feathered friend and made room on the couch for her. “Hey Rainbow what’s up?” “Nothing just got done with my afternoon shift.” She said as she stretched her arms. “Have you seen Isaac?” Applejack asked. Rainbow let out a giggle at the question. “I haven’t seen him since I dropped him on a cloud.” Applejack and Twilight looked at her in horror. “YOU DID WHAT?” The mares yelled in shock. “Relax, I gave him that cloud walking pill.” “That’s not funny Rainbow!” Applejack yelled. “Just imagine how he feels, the poor fella is probably scared out of his mind.” “Seriously Rainbow, that’s crossing the line! I demand you go get him down now!” Twilight yelled. Rainbow rolled her eyes and got to her feet. “Fine.” As she walked towards the exit the door burst open to reveal an out of breath orange Pegasus filly with a helmet on. “What’s up squirt?” “Isaac......hurt bad......near.......Everfree Forest.” She said as she caught her breath. “What happened?” Rainbow asked in a concerned tone as she crouched down to the fillies eye level. “I don’t know, he just told me to get help, Ditzy is with him now. We’d better hurry!” She said as she got on her scooter and rocketed down the street with the mares following close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac and Ditzy were having a lengthy discussion about the postal business. “So that’s who delivers the mail pony’s mail, I’ always wondered how that worked back in my world.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Yeah, it’s a very complex system.” She said with a smile. “Sounds like it.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “Great, my legs fell asleep.” “Oh I hate it when my wings do that.” Isaac nodded and cracked his back, as he looked back at the mare who stretched her arms. It looked like she was she was growing taller. Isaac looked down to see that his legs were quickly sinking into the cloud. “DITZY HELP!” The mare looked down to see the humans head disappear underneath the cloud. She looked off the edge of the cloud to see the human falling through the air at a break neck pace. Ditzy zoomed towards the human and outstretched her hand. Isaac could see the buildings becoming clearer and clearer as he fell towards the ground. “SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!” He yelled as he fell through the air. He looked up to see the grey mare trying to reach him, he outstretched his and trying to grab onto her. Ditzy increased her speed and grabbed the humans arm, she began to pull up as they closed in on the ground. Isaac could feel tears running down his face and fear course through every fiber his body. As Ditzy started to slow down she felt the strength in her hands beginning to fade. She lost her concentration and the human slipped from her grasp. Isaac felt his bones splinter as he landed on the hard ground, Ditzy had slowed him down considerably lessening the damage. She had only dropped him ten feet from the ground but it felt like eighty to Isaac. Ditzy hurried to him with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” “No.” As he tried to sit up he felt a wave of pain rip through his body, he looked down to see that his right leg was broken and was pointing in an odd direction. Ditzy looked away in disgust as he yelled in pain. Ditzy looked over to see three fillies rushing towards them. “Ditzy what happened-” Applebloom stopped talking as she saw the human. The three looked away form the mangled human. “Girls...listen.” Isaac said as he coughed up some blood. “Which one of you is the fastest?” “I-I am.” Scootaloo said still looking away. “I need you to go get Twilight or one of the others tell them I’m hurt and please hurry.” He said as he coughed again. Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and rocketed off towards the library. “Sweetie Belle, Applebloom I need you two to find two flat pieces of wood, the same size as my leg. Can you do that?” “I think so.” The white filly said through the tears. “Good, and if your able to find me a big stick, something I can use as a crutch.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded and ran off towards a tree. “Get it and bring him with you.” Applebloom nodded with tears running down her face and took off towards the farm. “What about me?” Ditzy asked. “I need you to straighten my leg out.” Ditzy looked at him in horror. “It has to be done, in order for this to work my leg needs to be straight.” “I-I can’t it’ll hurt you and-” “DITZY THERES NO TIME TO ARGUE! JUST DO IT!” He yelled. Ditzy wiped the tears from her eyes and put her hands on his injured leg. Isaac let out a cry of pain at her touch. “Ready?” Isaac but his hand in his mouth and let out a grunt of approval. “Okay, Three, two, one. NOW!” Ditzy pulled the limb so that it laid straight Isaac bit into his hand hard and let out muffles of pain. He tasted the blood from his hand in his mouth, he looked at Ditzy to see that she was crying. Isaac looked over to see the two fillies running towards him with wood in their arms. “These were all we could find.” Applebloom said in a sad tone. “Good.” He said as he fought through the pain. “Put the two smaller pieces by my right leg, one on each side.” The filly complied and laid the wood next to his leg. Isaac reached for his knife and handed it to Ditzy. “I need you to cut my shirt off into two pieces and tie the pieces of wood to my leg. Tightly!” Ditzy nodded and cut the fabric off his body, she tied the wood around the injured leg. Isaac bit his hand again to smother the whimpers of pain emanating from him. He looked over to see Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow rushing towards him. “ISAAC!” Twilight yelled as she crouched next to him. “What happened Ditzy?” “I-I don’t know, one minute were sitting on a cloud the next minute I see him falling through the air. I managed to slow him down but I lost my grip and-” She put her hands over her face and started to cry. Applejack trotted over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Shhh, it’s all right sugar cube. You did all you could.” Isaac coughed up some more blood as Twilight finished the knot. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she levitated Isaac off of the ground, Sweetie Belle handed him the stick and backed away from the human as he used it as a crutch. He let out a cry of pain as he put some weight on it. “Oh no you don’t partner, ya ain’t going anywhere with that leg.” She said as she rushed over to him and put his arm over her shoulder. Rainbow walked over to Ditzy with a look that could kill a dragon. “What were you thinking Ditzy? You just had to lose your grip and-” “SHUT UP RAINBOW! DITZY SAVED MY LIFE, IF THERES ANYONE TO BLAME HERE IT’S YOU!” Isaac yelled as he looked at the mare with daggers in his eyes. “That pill you gave me wore off! That’s why I fell!” Rainbow looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Bringing me up there was scary enough, but trying to kill me is crossing the line!” “But...I didn’t-” she tried to say through the tears. “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!” He yelled as he coughed up more blood. Rainbow was about to rush over when he stopped her by raising his hand. “Just stay back, you’ve done enough damage for one day.” Even with his fading vision he could make out the tears running down the her face. Applejack and Twilight exchanged looks of worry as Isaac lost consciousness. “Oh no! Isaac stay with me!” Twilight said as she hurried over to him. “Give him to me, I’ll get him to the hospital. You get the others and tell them what happened.” “What about Dash?” Applejack asked as she put the humans arm over the unicorns shoulder. “I don’t know, just hurry!” Twilight said as her horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of light. Applejack hurried over to the crying Ditzy and helped her to her feet. She walked over to Rainbow who was still frozen in a catatonic state with tears running down her face. “You okay RD?” “He’s right....It’s my fault....He almost died because of me.” She said as she lowered her head. “Hey don’t talk like that, the pill probably doesn’t work as well on humans as it does on ponies.” She said as she put a hand on her friends shoulder. “He was probably talking out of pain and his head wasn’t in the right place.” “Y-yeah. I guess you’re right.” She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “That a girl. C’mon let’s get the others.” She said as she and the grey mare started to walk past her. “Hey Ditz.” “Y-yeah?” “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” “It’s okay, you were upset and I know that you’d never hurt somepony on purpose.” She said with a warm smile. Dash looked back at the mare with a smile and gave her a hug. “Thanks, your a real friend.” She said as she broke the hug. “Um girls, hospital.” Applejack said trying to get them back on topic. “Oh right!” Rainbow said as she flew off towards Ponyville with the other mares and the three fillies in hot pursuit. Twilight arrived in the hospital lobby with the bleeding human on her shoulders. She looked at his face to see that he was still unconscious. “Somepony! Help!” She yelled, as a nurse hurried over to her with a stretcher. “What happened?” The nurse asked as she laid the human down. “I don’t know, but I think his leg is broken.” She said as she looked at his leg. A unicorn stallion came over to the them and started to examine the human. His horn glowed and a horizontal line appeared on Isaacs body, the line moved up and down his body twice and vanished. The doctor looked at Twilight in amazement. “This thing is incredible.” The doctor said as he lifted his glasses. “Does that really matter? He’s hurt!” She yelled with a frown on her face. “Right sorry, looks like his right leg and a few ribs are fractured, he has a internal bleeding and a concussion.” Twilight let out a gasp. “Will he be okay?” “We’d better get him into surgery.” The doctor said as he and the nurse began to wheel the human into the OR. Twilight sat down in the lobby processing what had just happened. Soon her friends began to arrive. “How is he?” Rarity asked. “They just took him into surgery, his leg is broken, he has internal bleeding and is currently unconscious.” The group gasped at the news, Rainbow hung her head in shame and stared at the floor. Rarity walked over to Twilight and pulled out a clean shirt. “What’s this for?” Rarity motioned to Twilights shoulder to point out a blood stain on her shirt. Twilight quickly threw the blood stained shirt off and put on the clean garment. “Thanks.” “Any time darling.” She said with a smile. The mares looked up to see the doctor walking up to them holding a clip board. “How is he doctor?” Twilight asked. “He should make a full recovery. We managed to heal the bone and stop the bleeding. He’ll have to remain here for a few days, just to make sure there are no complications.” The ponies let out a sigh. “Can we see him?” “He’s still unconscious and even if he does wakeup the drugs we have him on will make him, for lack of a better term ‘loopy.’ I’d say come by tomorrow, he should be awake by then.” “Thanks anyway doctor.” The lavender mare said as the group turned around and exited the hospital. The group walked back into town in silence, Luna’s moon was shinning brightly. The mares said good bye to one another and made their way to their respected homes. As Twilight walked in she picked up a quill and began to write a letter to the Princess describing the days events. As Spike sent the lengthy letter Twilight made her way upstairs and began to drift off to blissful sleep. Chapter 5: RecoveryChapter 5 Recovery. Back in Canterlot Luna and Celestia were going through every book at their disposal while Discord lounged on the couch. He snapped his fingers and materialized a colorful drink with a toothpick umbrella sticking through an orange slice. “I already told you two, I’ve been through every book in here and found nothing.” He said as he sipped his drink. “There has to be something here about humans!” Celestia said as she breezed through another book. “I hate to say it Tia, but Discord has point. We’ve been in here for days and have found nothing about him or his kind.” Luna said as she threw another book into the massive pile. “Well, there is one place we haven’t checked yet.” Discord said as he got to his feet. “NO! You are not allowed in the archives!” Celestia said as she frowned. “All I’m saying is we haven’t checked there and why would I be interested in old magic? I already have all the power I need.” He said as he made the couch disappear. Celestia shot a nervous look at her sister. “It is not a bad idea Tia and if Discord does get out of hand we can certainly handle him.” Discord gulped at the though of becoming a lawn ornament again. Celestia let out a sigh and looked at the god of chaos. “Very well, we shall check the archives next.” Celestia said as she levitated the pile of books and put them in their proper places. Her concentration was broken as a piece of parchment appeared before her. She opened the letter and let out a small gasp. “What is sister?” “Isaac has been badly injured.” Luna looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow. “Will he be all right?” “Yes, Twilight said that he only has a broken leg and some minor internal bleeding.” She said as she made the parchment vanish. She began to walk towards the door. “Where are you going?’ Discord asked. “We are going to see him.” “We?” “Yes, all three of us.” She said as she looked Discord. “You brought him here, it’s only fair that he meets you.” Discord rolled his eyes and he followed the white Princess with Luna close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac looked out the door of the plane to see the small town below. He let out a heavy sigh and looked back to the six other adults in the plane. He looked at the pilot to see him moving his index finger in a circular formation. Isaac nodded to the others who put on their helmets. “Okay! We’er at the drop zone! Remember stay together and we’ll meet up at the hotel later on!” He said as he flipped the face shield down over his face. The others nodded and got to their feet. “Okay! Geronimo!” Isaac yelled as he jumped out of the plane, he opened his wing suit and began to soar through the sky. He looked up to see the other six people fall out of the plane and follow him, as he passed the cloud barrier he noticed that another person was neck and neck with him. He focused on the woman’s hand, that was trying desperately to pull the parachute chord. He saw her hand jerk outward and saw that the chord was malfunctioning. She began to scream in terror as she saw the ground become clearer. Isaac leaned to the right and outstretched his arm for her to grab on. She quickly wrapped her arm around his as he pulled the parachute chord. He felt a massive jerk and began to float to the ground with ease, he looked down to see that the woman was holding onto him for dear life. Isaac focused on the wind patterns, a massive gust coming from the West made his chute turn rapidly. He quickly looked down to see that the woman was now clutching his legs. As he tried to reach for a her hand the chute dropped in altitude and began to spiral out of control. Isaac put his hand back in its proper place, just as another gust of wind crashed into the two. The woman’s grip loosened and he felt her arms slide down to his ankles. Isaac looked down with tears in his eyes and another gut of wind hit them, He saw her pale blue eyes for one final second before her grip failed and disappeared from his sight. Isaacs woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around the room to see a white ceiling and a sterile hospital room. Isaac turned his head to see that he was in a white tiled hospital room with the sun pouring through the window. Again with this? He thought as he tried to move his body. A small wave of pain washed over him as he sat up, He looked under the covers to see that his right leg was in a cast and that there were several bandages on his chest and stomach. What the hell? Isaac put his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling in boredom. Was it all a dream? He thought as the door opened to reveal a woman with snow white fur covered by a white nurses outfit her mane was tied in a bun and was holding up a white nurse cap with the red cross stitched into it. “Oh good you’re awake.” She said with a warm smile. Nope, not a dream. He thought to himself. “Where am I?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “Ponyville hospital. You were brought in yesterday afternoon by Twilight.” “Right, now I remember. How’s my leg Doc?” “Well, firstly I’m a nurse, Nurse Red Heart if you want. The bone itself is healed, but it needs to be immobilized while the spell completely takes effect.” She said as she looked at the chart. “How long will that take?” “It should be done by this afternoon, but we’ll keep you overnight just to make sure there aren’t any complications. This is the first time we are performing this spell on a human after all.” “Sounds reasonable.” He said as he let out a sigh. “You have some visitors waiting in the lobby, if you feel like having company.” “Who is it?” “Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie.” She said as she reached for the door. “Sure, send them in.” “I’ll get them for you.” She said with smile. Isaac laid back and let out a sigh. The door opened to reveal the four mares with smiled on their faces. “ISAAC!” Pinkie said as she hugged the human in a bone crushing hug. “Pinkie.....can’t breathe!” He wheezed out. “Oops, sorry.” She said with a sheepish grin. “How are ya feeling partner?” AJ asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t really complain. All things considering that is.” He said as he looked at his leg. “Still, it must have hurt.” Twilight said as she looked at the cast. “It’s not the first time I’ve broken a bone.” “What were the other times?” Applejack asked. “Fights, work accidents, stuff like that.” He said as he shrugged. “I’m impressed that your doctors were able to heal me this fast. It usually takes months for a bone to heal on it’s own and even after that theres still a ton of physical therapy to go through. The doctors back in my world would make a killing.” He said as he stretched his arm. Twilight reached into her purse and pulled out a book. “I figured you could use something to pass the time. It’s an adventure book I’d thought you might like it.” She said with a sheepish grin. “Thanks, I thought I might go crazy with boredom.” Isaac said as Twilight handed him the book. “‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue.’ Looks like an Indiana Jones spin off.” He said with a chuckle. “A what?” “Nothing, it’s a human thing.” “Rainbow recommended it and-” She was cut off as Isaac cracked his neck in frustration. “Look, I know your upset with her-” “Upset? I almost died because of her stupid prank!” He bellowed. “She didn’t know that the pill would wear off so quickly and-” “Stop trying to defend her Twilight. You know I’m right.” “I’m her friend what do you expect me to do?” “Let me ask you this, has she ever done anything that to either of you?” He asked as he looked at the pack of mares. “Um....” “That’s what I thought.” He said as he laid his head back on the pillow. “I know that she’d never do it on purpose, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was HER screw up.” “Now listen here-” The farmer was cut off by a blinding light filling the room. Isaac looked to see Princess Celestia, a younger and darker looking mare with wings and horn and a creature that looked like it was created by jamming a bunch of different animal parts together. The mares quickly bowed their heads at the royal sisters. “Hello everyone.” She said with a warm smile. “How are you feeling Isaac?” “I’ve been better.” He said as he looked at his leg. “Who are they?” He asked as he looked at the two strangers. “This is my younger sister Princess Luna.” She said as she looked at the blue Alicorn. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She said with a smile. “Your majesty.” He said as he gave her a nod. “What about him?” “This is Discord, he’s the one who brought you here.” He looked at the creature with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t mean to offend, but what is he?” “I’m a Draconequus and I’m God Of Chaos and Disharmony.” He said as he approached the bed. “I’ve never heard of a Draconequus before.” “If we may ask, what happened to you?” Luna asked as she looked at the wound. “What a coincidence, we were just talking about that.” Twilight’s eyes shrank at the thought of Rainbow in a prison cell. “I was climbing a building and I fell off.” He lied. The mares looked at him in confusion. “Why in Equestria were you climbing a building?” “Theres this sport back in my world called Parkour, it’s like racing with a ton of obstacles in your way and the competitors have to find different and creative ways to ver come them.” “Do those ‘obstacles’ include buildings?” Celestia said as she raised an eyebrow. “Most of the time.” “You humans are crazy.” Luna interjected. “Oh you don’t even know the half of it and what’s life like without a little bit of crazy every now and then?” “I like this guy.” Discord said with a smile. “Don’t get any ideas.” Luna spat at the creature. “Enough, the point is that our guest is all right.” Celestia said as she looked at the human. “How goes the progress on getting me back home?” “We’re still looking. Our next search area is the archives.” Luna said. “Excellent. Don’t let me keep you then, the sooner I get home the better.” “Goodbye. I will send Twilight a letter if we find anything and please try to be more careful.” She said as her horn glowed and the three figures vanished from sight. Twilight and the others looked back at the human with a dumbfounded expression on their faces. “What?” “Why didn’t you tell the Princess the truth?” Twilight asked as she walked over to the bed. “Look, I have no idea how your judicial system works. Rainbow may have injured me but she doesn’t deserve to be executed or thrown in prison or whatever you guys do to ponies that hurt other ponies.” “SHE DIDN’T MEAN TOO!” Applejack yelled. “I know, but it was her fault that I was put in that predicament.” “Will you ever forgive her?” Pinkie asked. “We’ll see.” He said in a stagnant tone. “So, you’re that eager to leave are you?” Rarity said in a snooty tone. “Look, I belong back in my dimension and you belong in yours. Simple as that.” “That doesn’t mean you have to hurry back.” “I prefer to leave before certain individuals become ‘attached’ to me.” “Like who?” “I don’t know, besides the sooner I’m out of your hair the sooner you all can go back to living normal lives.” He said as he grabbed the crutched by his bed side and propped himself on them. “Trust me, the less humanity interacts with this world the better.” “Why?” “We’re a violent race.” “You don’t seem that bad.” Pinkie said with a raised eyebrow. “That’s because you don’t know much about the human race.” “Like what?” “Well, I’ve killed animals.” The ponies cringed back in fear. “Why?” “Food. Humans are carnivores.” “But I saw you eat an entire salad the other day.” Rarity chimed in. “Most humans are omnivores.” “What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked in confusion. “An omnivore is a creature that can eat both meat and vegetables.” Twilight added. “Exactly and while I don’t mind fruit and vegetables, meat holds protein that humans need to survive and it tastes good.” “H-have you ever eaten...pony meat?” Pinkie asked as her teeth were chattering in fear. “No and I don’t plan too. Most of the meat I’ve eaten comes from cows, goats, pigs and fish.” The ponies let out a half sigh. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but as the only omnivore in a vegetarian society I thought it might be considered a crime to eat meat.” “Th-theres no law against it but, there’s no one around here who eats meat. You’d have to talk to a Griffin about that.” Twilight said. “There are Griffins here?” “Yes, but most of them live far away from here.” “Oh well, can't be helped I suppose.” He said as he sat back on the bed. The door opened to reveal the same nurse as before. “Hello.” “I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to give you a physical.” She said as she withdrew a stethoscope. “Fine by me.” “We’ll see you later Isaac. I need to get back to the library.” Twilight said as she left the book on the table. “Cool, say hi to Vinyl and Ditzy for me.” He said with a wave. “I’ll throw you a get well party when you get out.” Pinkie said with a smile “Just keep it small Pinkie, I’m in no condition for a big party.” “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she gave him a hug. “Sorry I cut up your shirt Rarity.” “It-it’s perfectly all right darling, I’ll whip up some new ones in a jiffy.” “If you have the time, then I’d appreciate it.” He said with a smile. “Of course darling.” She said with a smile. Applejack approached him and whispered to him. “Ah’ll see if ah can sneak ya some apples in here. The hospital food ain’t that good.” She said with a grin. “Thanks.” He said as she gave him a quick hug. The ponies began to leave the room as the nurse untied his hospital gowned, out of the corner of her eye Twilight noticed a small circular scar on his right shoulder and a larger scar on his left. She dismissed the thought as she followed her other three friends. The put the cold stethoscope on the humans back, sending a shiver up his spine. “Your heart seems to be intact as do your vital organs.” She removed the instrument and brought out a tongue depressor. Isaac opened his mouth and the nurse pressed the wooden object on his tongue. “Say ah.” The human complied and made the noise. “Quite the pair of canines you have there.” She said as she looked at his teeth. “They come in handy.” He said as she removed the piece of wood from his mouth. “I’ll check your wounds out now.” She said as she removed the bandages. “No infection, they seem to be healing nicely.” She said with a smile. “That’s good, I guess I’ll be out of here in no time.” “We still want to keep you over night to make sure your injuries are fully healed.” “Fine, but if I wake up on a lab table with doctors looming over me with scalpels in their hands I’m gonna sue somebody or somepony in this case.” He said with a chuckle. “Relax, we may be curious about your species but we won’t dissect you. So long as you’re alive that is.” Isaacs face turned pale at the thought. “I’m kidding, don’t you humans have a sense of humor?” “That wasn’t funny.” He said as he let out a breath. “I’ll check on you later and see how you’re feeling.” She said as she “Thanks.” He said as she left the room. Isaac looked over to the window to see the sun shining through his window. His eyes wandered over to the book that Twilight left him. He let out a heavy sigh and picked up the book. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash was sitting at a bar with a clear liquid sitting in her glass, her eyes were bloodshot red with tears. As she threw back another shot the door opened to reveal an orange mare. “There ya are, we’ve been looking all over for ya.” Applejack said as she and the other five mares entered the bar and took a seat next to her. “Just leave me alone AJ.” She said as the bartender refilled her glass. “Can’t do that RD.” She said as she took the glass from her friends’ hand. “I almost killed him, he probably hates me.” “Isaac just needs some time to cool off.” Twilight said as she sat down next to her friend. “He’s awake if you want to apologize.” “I doubt he’d accept it.” She said in a low tone. “It doesn’t hurt to try.” Rarity said. “He’s angry now, but he’ll come around eventually.” “You didn’t see the look in his eyes, he looked like he wanted to kill me.” She said as a few tears dribbled down her face. Applejack put a hand on her friends shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, if it makes you feel any better he saved yer hide from the Princess.” Rainbow looked up at her in confusion. “Celestia Luna and Discord dropped in for a visit. When they asked about the accident he told them he fell off a building.” “Why?” “I guess he was being kind.” “It makes no sense! If he hates me the why did he go and save me from the them. What’s up with that?” She said as she raised her hands in the air. “Ah don’t know sugar cube, but theres only one way yer gonna find out.” “Yeah I’ll go talk to him.” As she got to her feet she stumbled to the floor. “Maybe you should sober up first before making your apology. I doubt that he’d forgive you if you barfed on him.” Pinkie said as she helped her friend up. “Good idea.” “You can rest at the library if you want.” Twilight said as she set a few bits down on the table for the bartender. “Thanks guys.” She said as AJ put her arm around her friend and walked her out of the bar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was engulfed in the book that Twilight had left him. His concentration was broken when he heard a knock on the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Ditzy.” “Come on in.” He said as he set the book down on the night stand. The grey mare walked inside with a tan messenger bag and gave him a weak smile. “How are you feeling?” “Better, thanks to you.” “But I dropped you and-” “If you hadn’t slowed me down I’d be dead. It was a freak accident.” He said as she walked over and sat on the bed. “I just want you to know that Rainbow would never do that on purpose.” “I know, I was just angry. I still am, but I think I can forgive her.” “Really?” “I can try, but no promises.” He said as he leaned his head back. Ditzy reached inside her bag and pulled out a muffin. “I figured that the hospital food wan’t any good so I snuck this in for you.” “Thanks.” He said as he set the muffin aside. Ditzy bit her lip at what she was about to say. “I think I know somepony who can get you back home.” Isaac looked at her in confusion. “Really? Who?” “The Doctor.” “Doctor who?” “Just the Doctor. He says that he’s a time traveler and can fly through space.” Isaac threw on a nervous grin as he looked at the grey mare. “Okay, have you considered that he might belong in a mental institution?” Isaac said as he raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, but he may be the best way to get you home.” “Worth a shot I suppose. Where is he?” “I don’t know, he comes and goes as he pleases.” She said as she scratched her head, “Oh well. If he shows up before I leave then tell him to meet me.” “Sure.” Ditzy looked at the clock in surprise. “Sorry I have to go. When are you getting out?” “Doctors are letting me out tomorrow morning.” “Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She said as she hurried out of the door. Isaac laid his head back and picked the book back up and started to read. He was interrupted as another series of knocks hi the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Lyra and Vinyl.” “Come in.” The mares entered the room and hurried over to him. “Sup?” “How are you feeling?” Lyra asked as she sat down on the bed. “I’ve been better.” He said as he looked at his leg. “What happened? I heard that Rainbow dropped you or something.” Vinyl asked. Isaac continued to tell the two what had happened the previous day. By the end Vinyl and Lyra were fuming with rage. “That bitch! I swear to Celestia I’m going to-” “It wasn’t her fault, not entirely.” “She’s the one who put you up there!” Lyra exclaimed. “I know.” “So why are you so lenient on her?” “Theres a saying where I come from, ‘shit happens.’” “You’re just going to forgive her just like that?” “No, I’m still wondering if I should forgive her.” He said as he put his head back. “Oh right before I forget, you left your phone and P-pod at my place.” She aid as she withdrew the devices and handed them to the human. “Thanks.” “Why do you have those?” Lyra asked as she looked at the white mare. “We were hanging out yesterday and they must have fallen out of my pocket before I was abducted by Dash.” He said as he scratched his head. “Oh, I see.” Lyra said as she bit her lip and looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll see you later Isaac, Bonbon and I are catching dinner at Sugar Cube Corner.” “Are you and Bonbon...together?” “Yeah, three years now. Is that a problem?” She asked as she glared at the human. “No, I know plenty of humans who’re gay. Makes no difference to me.” “Phew, that’s a load off. I thought that humans might be prejudice about that.” She said as she wiped her forehead. “Some are, but most are very accepting of things like that.” “I’ll add it to my research! See ya!” The green mare said as she hurried out the door. Isaac looked at Vinyl who gave a shrug. Vinyls phone began to vibrate in her pocket, she looked at the screen and her eyes shrank. “Sorry Isaac, I gotta go. My manager just said he got me a gig in Trottingham.” “It’s fine. See you when you get back.” Vinyl gave him a quick hug and hurried out the door. Isaac leaned back and picked up his book and started to read the book. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open to see a wooden ceiling above her. She felt a sharp pain rip through her head. “Oh, I’m never drinking again.” She said as she sat up right on the couch in Twilight’s library. She scratched her head as she saw the other five mares sitting down in some other chairs. “We’ve all been there sugar cube.” Applejack said as she walked over to her friend. “Feeling better?” “Yeah. I think so.” She said as she sat up on the couch. “So what should I do to apologize to him?” “Maybe bring a peace offering?” Twilight suggested. “Could work. What’s his favorite food?” “Um...we just found out that humans are meat eaters.” Rainbow’s eyes shrank at the news. “Well, that rules food out. Maybe take him to a Wonderbolts show?” Twilight face palmed at the suggestion. “Two things Dash. One, he doesn’t know who the Wonderbolts are. Two, the last thing he needs is another flying incident.” “Good point.” She said as she lowered her head. “Maybe just a sincere apology would suffice?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll think of something on my way over there.” She said as she got to her feet. “Want us to go with you sugar cube?” Applejack offered. “No, I have to do this on my own.” She said as she ran out the door and took flight towards the hospital. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was in the middle of his physical with Nurse Red Heart and Dr. Syringe. The doctor examined the human and gave him a smile. “So how’s my leg?” Isaac asked as he looked at the doctor. The unicorns’ horn glowed and a small beam of light scanned the humans leg. “It’s fully healed and safe to walk on.” He said as he made the cast vanish. “That’s good. Thank you.” “Think nothing of it. I wan to keep you over night so there aren’t any surprises. Since you’re a completely different species I’m not sure how the magic will react to your body in the long term.” “Fine by me.” He said as he scratched his leg. “By the way, how much is this going to cost me?” “The Princess has covered your bill.” “Remind me to send her a thank you card.” He said with a chuckle. The two ponies smiled at him and opened the door to leave. “If you need the bits, we offer good pay for medical experimentation subjects.” The doctor said with a laugh. “No thank you. Been there, done that, not doing it again.” The ponies gave him a nod and closed the door. Isaac took a few moments to stretch his newly healed leg by doing a few basic exercises. As he was on his tenth jumping jack he heard a light tapping noise. He stopped his movement and zero’d in on the window. What? Who could possibly-. His brain stopped as he looked out side to see Rainbow Dash with a sad look on her face. “Hey.” “.....” He remained silent. “Can I come in?” “If you want to.” He said as he opened the window to it’s fullest extent. Rainbow flew inside and looked at the human with sadness in her eyes. “How’s your leg?” She asked as she sat on the bed. “Fine, the doctors are letting me out tomorrow.” He said in a flat tone. “Good.” A long silence crept into the room until Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. “Listen I know that no matter what I say you won’t care. I hurt you and you have every right to be mad at me.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the statement. “So, to make up for it. I owe you a favor.” “A favor?” “Name it and I’ll do it. No hesitation.” “Anything?” “Yep, anything.” She said in a defeated tone. Isaac bit his lip as he adverted his gaze from her. “I knew that you wouldn’t be interested, I’ll just leave you alone.” She said as she started to walk towards the window. “Wait.” The mare stopped in surprise and turned around to face the human. “A wise man once said, ‘What’s the point of having a heart if you cant be a bit forgiving every now and then.’” Rainbow looked up at him in surprise. “I’m not saying I forgive you.....Not completely anyway. I guess what I’m saying is..I believe in second chances.” Rainbow’s face lit up with a smile. “I’ll consider forgiving you on two conditions.” “What?” “Number one, you still owe me a favor.” Rainbow nodded at the request. “Number two, If you EVER do that to me again then that’s it, no more chances, I will never speak to you again. Are we clear?” “Yeah.” Isaac stuck out his hand and the mare shook it happily. “Good, see you when I get out.” He said. “Hang on a second.” Isaac looked back to see that Rainbow had pulled one of her feathers out of her wing. She walked over to him and handed it to the human. “What’s this?” “When you tell me it’s THE favor then you give that back to me.” She said as she pointed to the feather. “So it’a contract?” “Yeah, it’s some old Pegasus tradition. Just don’t lose it.” She said as she scratched her head. “Fine, see you tomorrow.” He said as he walked over to the bed. “See ya.” Rainbow said with a smile as she flew out of the window. Isaac looked down at the cyan feather and set it on the night stand next to him. Isaac turned out the light and laid his head on the pillow. You shouldn’t have let her off so easy. I was being nice. A little TOO nice if you ask me! Good thing I’m not asking you then. You’re getting too close to these..things! Shut up, they’re nice people...or ponies in this case. Don’t get too comfortable here! You heard Celestia, there might not even a way for me to get home. If that’s the case then I don’t want that many enemies here. Face it, you were lenient because she reminds you of ‘her’ doesn’t she? Leave her out of this! Why? Because it was your- SHUT UP! Fine. What was with that thing that was with the Princess anyway? Discord was his name right? Yeah and I don’t know, he had this weird vibe to him. I’ll worry about it later. He thought as he let out a yawn and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Canterlot Celestia, Luna and Discord stopped in front of an old wooden door that reached the ceiling of the large hallway. Celestia looked at Discord who let out a yawn. “Let’s get one thing straight here Discord, if Luna or myself catch you looking at anything-” “Oh calm down Tia.” He said in a mocking tone. “If I had wanted to get into the archives I would have done it a long time ago.” Celestia let out a grunt as she levitated an old key into the lock and opened the door to reveal thousands of racks filled with ancient books and scrolls. “Let us begin.” She said as she walked inside the ancient room of knowledge. Chapter 7: TrustChapter 7 Trust Isaac woke up with a pounding head ache as the sun slowly creeped into the window of his room. As he walked out of his room he bumped into a familiar purple dragon, Isaac never gave Spike a second thought. He noticed that the dragon, although claiming he was only seventeen easily had a good two inches on him and could probably break Isaac over his knee if he wanted to. Not to mention the fire breathing aspect which could easily turn him into a pile of ash. “Sup Spike?” “What’s up? I’ve got a date with Rarity tonight and I have no idea what to do!” He yelled. “Easy, I said that I’d help you out and I will.” “How? Rarity probably doesn’t even like me in the same way I like her!” “There’s only one sure way to find that out.” He said as the two walked down the stairs. “Yeah right, how could she possibly like me like that?” “If you know that she doesn’t like you then why do you have a crush on her?” He said as he looked at the dragon. “She’s the funniest, prettiest, smartest and nicest pony I know. I’d do anything for her, even if she just sees me as a friend it’s enough.” Spike said as he grabbed the humans shirt and drew him closer to the dragon, Isaac could see small trails of smoke leaving the dragons nostrils. Isaac stood his ground and stared back at the purple beast. “Easy, this is a way for you to find out how she really feels about you.” “That’s not the point! I want Rarity to go on a date with me because she wants too, not because of some dare!” Isaac felt something click in the back of his mind. I want her to like me for me! Not because of the lies you told her! Isaac felt the memory echo through his mind. “You’re.....right. I shouldn’t have forced her into going on a date with you. I’ll go tell her the deal is off.” He said as he walked past the dragon. “Thank you. I appreciate what you tried to do but, I want to be the one who wins her over.” Spike said as he let the human go. “I can respect that. Trust me, I know how it feels to be jerked around like that and it wasn’t fair to you or Rarity.” He said as he walked down stairs. He pulled out his phone and dialed the spa ponies number. “Hey Lotus it’s Isaac.......Listen I’m gonna be a little late getting to the spa...... I have a personal matter that needs to be addressed........You’re sure it’s fine?.....Okay I’ll see ya at nine-thirty then.” He ended the call and grabbed an apple on his way out the door. Isaac walked through the streets in silence. As he ate the apple his mind began to wander. I’m not better than him am I? In a way you’re similar. Ugh! Kill me now. I can’t believe I almost did that to them. It was the alcohol.....you weren’t thinking straight. Bullshit. I knew what I was doing and now I’m gonna fix it. That pony won’t even listen to you. Probably, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Isaac threw the apple into a nearby trash can as he approached the posh shop. He opened the door and let the assorted perfumes fill his nose. “Hello? Anyone home?” “One moment.” A voice said as Isaac took a seat on the nearby couch. “How can I help.... Oh it’s you.” She said in a less than pleased tone, Rarity crossed her arms over her chest and threw a frown across her face. “What do you want?” “I came by to tell you that the date’s off.” Rarities jaw hit the floor at the information. “I realized I shouldn’t have forced you into something like that and Spike agrees with me.” “He-he turned me down?” “No. I shouldn’t be telling you this but, he want’s to ask you out on his own terms. Not because of some stupid dare and I support his decision.” Rarity sat down on the adjacent chair and leaned her head against her palm. “Oh....I see.” Isaac looked at the mare in confusion. “You seem sad. I thought you’d be relieved that you wouldn’t have to go out with him.” “It’s not that I don’t like Spike, he’s very sweet and always helps me out when I’m in a jam. I do care for him but...I’m just not sure about how much.” Isaac’s eyes widened at the statement. “Tell Spike that our date is still on and that he’d better be here on time.” She said with a smile. Isaac got to his feet and gave her a nod. “Again, I’m sorry for my behavior.” “It’s alright. I’m sorry for forcing you to kiss Applejack last night. I’m more angry that you almost gave away my feelings.” The white mare said as she glared at the human. “To tell you the truth Rarity, I bluffed. I failed my Psychology course in school, I couldn’t read a person to save my own life. I just threw on my best poker face and said the first thing that came to mind.” He said with a sheepish grin. Rarity rolled her eyes and smiled. “So we’re cool?” “I suppose I can forgive you, you did the right thing after all.” She said as she shook the humans hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to work.” “Same, I’m helping Aloe and Lotus out with shipment.” “Those two are simply delightful. Very friendly girls.” “Do you have Spike’s number?” “Yes, let me see your phone for a minute.” She said as she levitated the phone from Isaacs hand and pressed a series of numbers. “Please don’t tell him about my feelings, that will my job for the evening.” “Deal.” Isaac quickly dialed the number and walked out into the busy town. “Hey Spike It’s Isaac.....Rarity gave me the number, listen I’ve got news for ya.....Yes, I told Rarity she didn’t have to, but get this, she still wants the date....I know I didn’t see it coming either.....You meet her in front of the shop at eight, I gotta go. See ya and good luck.” He ended the conversation on that note and hurried over to the spa. Isaac looked at his phone and saw that it was nine twenty-five. He gave a light knock on the door which was soon opened by a pink mare with light blue hair. “You must be Isaac.” The human gave her a smile and a nod. “I’m Aloe, Lotus’s sister, we met the other day.” She said as she led him into the spa. “The delivery just arrived so you didn’t miss much. Lotus, your friend is here.” Isaac looked at the smiling blue mare, Isaac noticed that the two were wearing identical outfits. Short skirts that stopped at their mid thighs and identical strapless tops. Lotus’s matched her pink mane color while Aloe’s was bright blue. “You two really take the whole identical twins thing seriously huh?” Isaac said as he began to move the boxes. “Yes, is that a problem?” Lotus asked in a teasing manner. “No, of course not. I know plenty of people that do that.” He said as he set another box down. “Did you get any other stallions to help out?” “No, it’s just us.” Aloe commented. “Why?” “Just wondering why you didn’t ask for more help.” “Well, there aren’t that many decent stallions in Ponyville.” Aloe said in a low tone “We usually have to do it ourselves so we can save money and it takes forever with just the two of us.” Lotus said as she put a box down. “That’s a shame. Y’know other than Big Mac and those three Pegasus jerks, I haven’t seen too many other males.” “That’s because the ratio stands at ten mares for every one stallion.” Isaac looked at the mares with a confused look on his face. “Really?” The mares gave him a nod. “I guess the pickings are slim around here.” He said as he went to get another box. “You have no idea.” The two said in a grumble. “If there are so few stallions then how does your species......you know. Keep going?” “Unicorns have developed a way to create a fetus inside a mare. It’s not traditional but it works.” Aloe added. “Although eight times out of ten a filly is produced, it’s very rare that a colt is made with magic.” “What about donations from stallions?” “That is extremely expensive and unaffordable for most ponies.” Aloe said as she took another box from the pile. “Are there are more mares than stallions from where you’re from?” The blue mare said as she tilted her head. “Yeah, the numbers are always changing but, it's nowhere near the difference here though.” “What’s the ratio for where you’re from?” Aloe asked. “I’d say it’s almost Fifty-fifty, I think.” The mares jaws dropped as they looked at the human. “The women must love you then.” Lotus said with a smirk. “No, most women don’t like nice guys.” He said as he took a seat. “That’s their loss.” The blue mare said with a sly grin. “That’s sweet of you to say.” He said as he gave them a smile. The three continued to unpack the massive pile of boxes. Isaac noticed that the more boxes he put away the closer Lotus would get to him. “Oh Isaac, could you come here for a moment?” Lotus said in a sweet voice. Isaac walked over to see that the blue mare was trying to reach for something on a high shelf. “Could you be a dear and get that jar on the shelf?” She asked as she made a pouting face. Isaac smiled and rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to make a cute face to convince me.” He said as he walked up next to her. Isaac reached up and found the jar as he wrapped his hands around it he felt the mares tail wrap round his leg and move up to his thigh. He turned back around to see the blue mare pressing up against him. She quickly let her tail drop and turned away from the human giggling to herself. Isaac shook off the notion and continued to unpack the boxes. After the last of the supplies were put away Isaac noticed that it was almost one o’clock. “Thanks for your help Isaac. We really needed the extra pair of hands.” Aloe said with a smile. “No problem. I’m alway happy to help.” He said as he rubbed his right shoulder. “Something wrong?” “I twisted my shoulder yesterday at Sweet Apple Acres, nothing too bad.” He said with a smile. “Unacceptable! Let’s take care of that for you right now!” The two sisters grabbed the humans arm and led him to the massage area. “You two don’t have to-” “We insist.” “Consider it a thank you, for all your hard work.” Aloe said with a smile. “What about other clients?” “We closed the shop so we’d have enough time to put the shipment away. We have all day.” Lotus said in a seductive tone. He made his way down the hall until he reached the massage rooms. Isaac saw a sign hanging on the room at the end of the hall. Isaac, Use this one. It’s...bigger. “Bigger?” Isaac opened the door to reveal a fully furnished room with a large bed in the center. He looked over to see Aloe with her hair down and stretching her arms. “Sorry I think I’ve got the wrong room, I’ll just-” As he began to back away he felt fur against his back. He turned around to see Lotus with a lustful smirk on her face and wearing nothing but a towel. She placed a finger in the center of his chest and began to push him back towards the bed. Isaac felt himself being forced down on the edge of the bed and a pair of hands slowly rubbing his back. “Ready for your massage?” Lotus cooed and she started to take long strides making her hips sway. Isaac felt his member stiffening and press against his pants, he tried to ignore the blue beauty that was slowly making her way over to him but the massage he was receiving was making it very difficult. “Look ladies, you’re both are very beautiful and any stallion would be lucky to spend time with you but-” He stopped as he let out a small moan from the massage. “but, we’re a completely different species and-” “I see no problem with it. Our cousin is engaged to a griffin and they’re happy.” She said as she crouched down so their eyes met. “Rarity told us about that little kiss you and Applejack shared.” “But-” Lotus put her index finger on his lips silencing him. “Relax, we’re not looking for anything serious we just need to relieve some pent up stress.” Aloe said as she applied more pressure. “What if you get-” “Pregnant? Relax we’re both on the pill and we can always go to a unicorn for the morning after spell.” The blue mare said as she tapped on the humans nose. Isaac was about to protest but was stopped as the blue mare locked lips with him. Isaac felt the mares tongue exploring his mouth and began a small wrestling match with their tongues. As she broke the kiss Lotus raised her arms allowing the towel to fall to the ground. The human boggled at the mares shiny blue coat and ample breasts that looked like they were begging to be held. Isaac felt the hands behind him disconnect with his back. The pink mare had removed her towel and stood in front of the human next to her sister. The two mares slowly closed in on the human with seductive looks in their eyes. Isaac felt lost in their gaze. He quickly snapped out of the trance and got to his feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t, it’s not you two, it’s me.” He said as he quickly side stepped the stunned mares. “I appreciate the massage and I’ll see you two around.” Isaac closed the door and remained silent until he exited the building. “I need a fucking drink and a cold shower.” He said as he slugged himself in the thigh causing his erection to fall. Isaac quickly made his way to Sugar Cube Corner and sat down at the bar, he was soon greeted by a familiar pink and lavender mare. “Hey Isaac, what can I-.....Are you okay?” Pinkie asked as she looked at the humans’ pale face. “Do you guys sell alcohol here?” “Nope, sorry. I can get you some water if you want.” “That’d be great.” He said as he laid his head on the table. Pinkie quickly fetched him a glass of water and sat down next to him. “What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Twilight asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t want to know.” He said as he gulped the water down. “What happened?” Isaac let out a sigh and started to tell Pinkie about his run in with the spa ponies. By the end the mares mouths were agate in shock. “OH MY GOSH!” “Yep.” “So did you....y’know.” Pinkie asked. “No. I didn’t.” “I still can’t believe that those two would try to seduce you like that.” Twilight said. “Who’d thought?” The door opened to reveal a familiar cyan mare with a rainbow mane. “Hey guys what’s up?” Rainbow asked as she walked over to the trio. Isaac let out a low grumble. “What’s his deal?” “The spa ponies tried to seduce him.” Twilight said. Rainbow’s jaw hit the floor and looked at the human. “What?” She said in aggravation. “Well, did-” “No, I didn’t.” He said as he looked at her. Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. “Why didn’t you? Are you not into mares?” “NO! I’m just in control of myself.” “Oh, I’ll go have a small chat with them about this.” Rainbow said as she cracked her knuckles and turned to leave. “Oh no you don’t.” He said as he grabbed the cyan mares tail. “Relax Rainbow, they were just sexually deprived, they saw an opportunity and took it. Sound familiar?” He said as he raised an eyebrow and let go of the mares tail. “They tried and failed, I’m flattered they think I’m attractive but I’m not the type of guy who goes around having sex with every girl he sees.” “But they still-” “Calm down, from what they told me the pickings are very slim around here.” He said as he looked at the mares who had a small blush strewn across their faces. “I’m gonna head out, I’ll see you guys later.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Want some company?” Twilight asked in a low tone. “Nah, I’m better on my own.” He said as he walked out of the door. The mares looked at one another with a nervous look in their eyes. “You think he’s okay?” Pinkie asked. “He seemed kinda down.” Twilight said as she scratched her chin. “I’m gonna go check on him.” Rainbow said as she got to her feet. “Be careful Rainbow, we still don’t know that much about him.” “So? How are we gonna find out if we just sit here?” She said as she crossed her arms. “Good point, I’ll come to.” Twilight said as she got to her feet. “I’d love to go but I have to work.” Pinkie said as she shrugged. The two mares made their way out of the bakery and looked around to see that the human had vanished from their sight. Isaac plugged in his P-pod and selected one of his favorite song. He saw the forest and started to walk into the wooded area. He saw the patch of poison joke he must have stumbled in. He went deeper into the forest until he came to a crystal blue pond. Isaac went up to a random tree and punched it hard, Isaac felt some of the bark break off as his fist disconnected with the trunk. He sat against a tree and stared up at the sky. I can’t become attached to them, I just....can’t. As his music blasted through his head phones he saw a bright yellow comet rocket through the clouds. His eyes squinted as the object started to grow and become clearer. Isaac got to his feet and saw the object land in the pond in front of him. The object caused a huge splash that almost reached the human. Isaac saw that the golden object was a Pegasus in a blue uniform. “Hey! Are you okay?” He shouted at the floating object. Isaac squinted and noticed that the pony was slowly sinking into the water. Isaac dropped his phoned and music player and dove into the water, the human swam at a breakneck pace towards the object. Isaac grabbed the mares arm and started to swim back towards the surface. As his head broke the surface of the water he let out a gasp, he wrapped an arm around the mares body and began to make his way to the shore. Isaac walked out of the pond with the unconscious mare in his arms. He laid her on the ground and put his ear to her chest. “Shit, she’s no breathing.” He placed his hands on the mares chest and began to press in a steady motion. He closed her nose and transferred the oxygen he stored in his lungs into her causing the mares chest to rise. Isaac continued the actions until he saw the mare cough up the water she had swallowed. Isaac let out a sigh and laid back in relief. “Hey are you-” He was cut off when he noticed that the mare was still unconscious. Isaac walked over and retrieved his items, he looked at his phone to see that the he had no service. “Great, just perfect.” He said in aggravation. He walked over to the mare and noticed that her left wing was bruised and her left leg was black and blue. Isaac hoisted the mare onto his back in a piggy back fashion and ran back towards the town. The golden mares eyes fluttered open and saw trees flying by her and her body being carried by a stranger. “What the?” She said as she looked around. “Oh good, you’re awake.” Isaac said as he slowed down and looked back at the mare. “What happened?” “I don’t know, one moment I’m relaxing under a tree and the next thing I see is you crashing down into the pond in front of me. I pulled you out and gave you CPR.” He said as he slowed to a walking pace. The mare rested her head against the back of his neck and tightened her grip around him. “Thank you. What’s your name?” “Isaac and you’re welcome.” “Isaac? Odd name for a pony.” “Well, that’s because I’m not a pony.” The mares eyes shrank as she looked at the human’s bare neck and arms. “What are you?” “I’m a human.” The mare felt a small wave of pain as she tried to flap her wings. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, your left wing looked banged up as did your leg.” He said as he looked back at the mare who had an uneasy look on her face. “Relax, I don’t bite.” “Where are we?” “In the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville.” He said as he stepped over a fallen tree. “How far away are we?” She asked as she looked around the dark forest. “Around five minutes. I didn’t get your name by the way.” “It’s Spitfire.” She said with a smile. “Nice to meet you, what were you doing up there anyway?” “I was trying out a new trick when I twisted a muscle and started to fall.” “So you’re some kind of performer?” “Um Yeah! I’m Spitfire Captain of the Wonderbolts.” “The who?” “Jeez man what planet are you from?” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Not this one. Remember?” “Oh right, sorry.” She said in a low tone. The two remained silent as they exited the forest and the small town came into view. She rested her chin on the humans shoulder and smiled. Isaac quickly made his way to the small town to see a familiar lavender mare run up to him. “Isaac there you are! We were worried and-” She stopped as she saw the golden mares head. “Is that who I think it is?” “You know Spitfire?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Not professionally, but Rainbow Dash is-” She was cut off as a bright cyan mare landed in front of the group. “There you are! I’ve been tearing through the skies looking for..... Oh my Luna!” She yelled as she saw Spitfire hanging onto his back. Spit fire let out a sigh and gave her a weak smile. “What are you doing with Spitfire?” “She crash landed while I was in the forest and I helped her out. I was on my way to the hospital just now, her wing and leg are injured.” He said as he looked at her right leg. “Speaking of which, please hurry up! This is painful ya know.” The mare said in an agitated tone. “Sorry, I’ll explain later, we need to get to the-” He was cut off as Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and vanished in a flash of light. Isaac opened his eyes to see that he and the mares were outside the hospital. “....hospital. Thanks Twilight, just warn me the next time you do that.” He said as he entered lobby. “Hey! We got an injured Pegasus here!” He yelled as a doctor came up to him with stretcher. Isaac placed the mare down on her right side so her injured wing was up. The doctors rushed the mare inside, leaving Twilight and Isaac in the lobby. Isaac noticed that the purple mare was beginning to stumble, he quickly rushed to her side and sat her down. “You okay?” “Yeah, I guess teleporting a different species takes a bit more magic.” She said as she wiped her brow. “What were you doing in the Everfree forest anyway?” She asked as she looked at the human. “Just, letting off some steam.” He said in a low tone. “Oh really? Then what’s wrong with your hand?” She asked as she saw his bloodied knuckles. “Like I said, letting off some steam.” He said as he rubbed his hand. “By punching things?” “Hey, cool it. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.” He said as he looked at her. “You need to find a way to channel your emotions in a positive way.” “Stop acting like you’re my therapist Twilight, you have no idea how I feel.” He said as his eyes narrowed. “Well, just trust me and-” “Trust you? Why in the hell should I trust you?” Isaacs eyes narrowed on the mare. “Why shouldn’t you? You are staying in MY house.” The mare said in a challenging voice. “Let’s go down the list. You throw me in a cage, borderline interrogated me, I fell to the ground from easily five hundred feet in the fucking air and to top it off I was almost raped this morning. Stop me if I missed anything.” He said in a cold tone. Twilight immediately backed off and tried to find an argument but found none. “That’s what I thought.” “I don’t see how anyone like you could possibly have friends.” She said in a cold tone. “I HAD friends Twilight. We were inseparable, thicker than blood and despite everything we went through together they still lied, cheated and tore each other apart.” He said as his anger peaked. “So let me ask you this, how the hell am I supposed to trust a bunch anthropomorphized ponies when I couldn’t trust the people I cared for the most?” Twilight’s mind drew a blank at the question. “I figured as much.” Isaac said as he got to his feet and walked towards the door. A tan unicorn stallion walked up to him holding a clip board. “Excuse me are you Isaac?” The doctor asked. “Yeah. How's Spitfire doing?” “Perfectly fine, she has a sprained wing and has a bruised thigh muscle.” The doctor said as he looked at the chart. “She’s awake and would like to see you.” “Why?” “She wouldn’t say.” Isaac let out a sigh and cracked his neck. “Lead the way doc.” Isaac said as he followed the pony in the white lab coat. “Wait, I have to know something.” Twilight said as she stood up and faced the human. “How can you be a total jerk one minute and then sympathetic the next?” “Beats me, I’m only human.” Isaac said as he followed the doctor, leaving the dumbfounded purple mare standing in the center of the lobby. Twilight looked towards the door to see that her other friends had arrived and hurried over to her. “Twilight! Hows Spitfire doing?” Rainbow asked. “She’s fine, but we have a bigger issue that needs addressing.” She said in a stern tone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac opened the door to see the golden mare happily eating the hospital food the nurse had just dropped off. She smiled at him and quickly waved him in. “Hey!” She said as she swallowed her food. “How are you feeling?” Isaac asked as he sat down in a chair. “A whole lot better, thanks to you.” “It was nothing.” “You saved my life, I owe you big time.” “You don’t owe me a thing, anyone else would have done the same for you. Especially since you’re famous.” He said as he leaned back. “That’s the point. You didn’t know who I was, why did you save me?” She asked as she tilted her head. “I wasn’t going to let an innocent pony drown in front of me.” “There has to be some other reason, than that.” “Like?” “I don’t know, you tell me. Why would you risk your life for a complete stranger?” Spitfire asked as the door burst open to reveal three Pegasus ponies wearing a similar blue suit. The stallion in the center was light blue and had bright green eyes “Spits! Are you okay?” He said as he ran over to the mares side. “Relax Soarin, I’m fine. Thanks to Isaac here.” She said as she pointed to the human who sat in the corner. Isaac gave a slight wave at them. “Who and what is he?” The stallion asked. “His name is Isaac and he’s a human.” The stallions eyes shrank. “I heard rumors that a human was in Equestria, I just thought somepony was pulling a prank or something.” He said as he looked at the human. “What happened anyway?” “I was testing out a new trick and my wing cramped up, next thing I know Isaac is carrying me through a forest.” She said with a smile. “Your girlfriend landed in a pond in front of me, I got her out and brought her into town.” He said as he got to his feet. “ Soarin and the other Pegasus’s looked at the human in confusion. “Girlfriend?” “Mare friend, what ever you call each other.” Isaac said as he stretched. “Spit isn’t my Mare friend, she’s my boss.” He said with a chuckle. “Oh, sorry. I just assumed that-” “It’s alright, we get that a lot.” Spitfire said with a grin. “Well, I see that Spitfire is in capable hands. I’ll take my leave now.” Isaac said as he moved towards the door. “Wait, you still didn’t answer my question. Why did you save me?” Spitfire said as she looked at the human. Isaac stopped moving and refused to turn around. “You remind me of someone I used to know.” Spitfire was about to comment but Isaac had already left the room. The human looked in the lobby to see Twilight talking to the other five mares, he doubled back and went out the side exit. Isaac let out a sigh and put his P-pod and blasted a song that fit the mood. He made his way back to the library in silence, as he opened the door he saw Spike with a green collard shirt on and a new pair of slacks. “Getting ready for your date?” “Yeah, thanks again for this. I can’t believe that she wants to go on a date with me.” The dragon said with a smile. “No problem, just remember to be yourself and it’ll be a breeze.” Isaac said with a fake smile. “Rarity is at the hospital with the others.” “Yeah, I heard that you saved The Wonderbolt captain.” “I just brought her into town, thats it.” “I heard that you brought her back to life.” Spike said as he raised an eyebrow. “So? I just did what anyone else would do.” Isaac glanced at he clock and then back to the dragon. “You should get going, it’s almost eight and Rarity will probably be back any minute.” “Oh man! You’re right, see ya later Isaac.” He said as he ran out the door. Isaac walked up stairs and laid on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling until he felt sleep take him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the hospital Twilight had just finished telling the others about her conversation with Isaac. “That much sums it up.” “He doesn’t trust us?” Applejack asked in a sad tone. “Well, considering what he’s been through it’s understandable. Imagine if you were in his position.” Twilight said in a sympathetic tone. “I still can’t believe those two would try to do something so....uncouth.” Rarity said in a stern tone. “They were in heat and hadn’t hit it in a few months.” Rainbow said with a shrug. “That’s still no excuse.” “Where is Isaac anyway?” Fluttershy asked. “He went in to see Spitfire a while ago and hasn’t come back out yet.” Twilight said as she looked at the three Wonderbolts walked into the lobby. Rainbow walked up to the blue stallion with a worried look on her face. “How’s Spitfire doing?” “She’s going to be fine, just a sprained wing.” He said with a smile. “That’s good.” Rainbow looked over his shoulder to see the other two Wonderbolts. “Where’s Isaac?” “The human? He left like an hour ago.” Soarin said as he walked past the group of mares. Twilight walked up to a nearby nurse with a determined look in her eye. “Excuse me Nurse Red heart, could I ask you something?” “Sure.” “Have you seen Isaac?” “Oh the human. He left through the side exit around an hour ago.” She said as she turned back to her chart. Twilight looked back to the group of mares with a confused look on her face. “The nurse said he left an hour ago.” The mares looked at her in surprise. Rarity looked behind her to see Spike walk through the door. “Oh, Spike I’m so sorry. I completely forgot about our date.” She said as she face palmed. “It’s fine. Isaac said you guys were here.” The mares stared at him in surprise. “You know where he is?” “Yeah, I just saw him at the library.” The five mares quickly ran past the dragon and out back towards the town. “What’s with them?” He asked as he looked at the white mare. “I’ll tell you over dinner.” She said as she wrapped her hand around Spike’s causing the purple dragon to blush. The two walked out of the hospital with smiles on their faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was standing in the bathroom looking himself over and noticed that a small layer of hair had started to grow around his face. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small bottle that Aloe and Lotus had given him. The concoction felt similar to shaving cream, he felt the hairs on his face stand at attention. He lifted his knife to his face and slowly moved it across his flesh. “ISAAC STOP!” He looked over to see five mares running towards him, he felt the knife being ripped out of his hands by a purple aura. “We know you’re sad but suicide isn’t the answer!” Twilight yelled. “Suicide? I wasn’t killing myself.” He said in confusion. “Then why were you holding your knife to your throat?” Applejack said trying to hold back tears. “I was shaving. See?” He said as he pointed to the bald patch on his face. “What?” “Ugh! Human males grow hair on their face, some can grow a full beard while others like to shave it off.” He said as Twilight levitated the knife back to him. “Watch.” He said as he pressed the knife against his skin and moved the blade down his face, cutting the hair off his face. “See.” “Doesn’t that hurt?” Pinkie asked. “No, it’s like getting a hair cut, you just have to have a steady grip.” He said as he continued. “Why did you guys think I would try to kill myself?” “You seemed really sad and Twi told us about your conversation at the hospital.” Rainbow said. “I figured that’s what you guys were talking about.” He said as he washed the blade in the sink. “You saw us?” Twilight said in surprise. “Why didn’t you use the normal exit?” “I didn’t want to get in another argument and you made your opinion about me quite clear.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight lowered her head in sadness. “I just wanted to shave before I left.” “Where were you going?” Twilight asked. “I was planning on just slipping out before you got back, but now that plan is ruined.” He said as he wiped the cream off his face. The mares looked at him in surprise. “I came her to apologize for my comment, I guess I didn’t realize how much stress you were under.” She said in a sad tone. Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not your fault, I admit that I have trust issues.” “Why is that, if you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy asked in a timid voice. “The last friend I had stabbed me in the back. Literally.” He said as he turned around and lifted his shirt revealing the small scar on his right shoulder. He heard a collective gasp come from the group of mares. “What happened?” Rainbow asked as she felt the scar. “We got in a fight and he pulled a knife on me. I tried to calm him down and he stabbed me.” He said ina low tone. “What about the bigger one?” “That was intentional. Tattoo removal is really painful.” “What’s a Tattoo?” Pinkie asked. “Think of it as an artificial Cutie Mark. Humans can get art done on their bodies by drawing below the skin layer. Once it’s done the skin heals and the image is permanent....well, almost permanent.” He said as he pulled his shirt back down. “How did you remove something like that?” Applejack asked. “Either pay thousands of dollars for surgery or just do what I did and burn it off.” The ponies cringed back in disgust. “It would have hurt either way, my method was quick and cheap.” “Why did you want to burn it out?” Twilight asked. “It was a part of my life I wanted to forget.” He said in a low tone. Twilight went forward and hugged the human. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pestered you about it.” She said as tears began to pool in her eyes. “It’s fine.” He said in a forgiving tone. The other mares joined the hug and smiled at him. Isaac rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “Sorry for making you guys worry.” He said as he broke the hug. The mares looked back at him and smiled. “Look, it’s been a long day. How about we just calm down and sweep this under the rug.” The mares gave him a smile let go of the human. The four mares nodded and walked out of the library, Rainbow stopped at the door and turned to face the human. “Hey can I ask you something?” “Sure.” He said with a shrug. “Did your friend really try to kill you?” “No, it was a stupid fight that got taken over the edge.” The human said in a low tone. “Was he your only friend?” She asked in a saddened tone. “No, I had many friends...once.” Isaac said ina low tone “What happened to them?” “They leave, because they should or they find someone else and some of them...forget me.” He said in a low tone. “I suppose in the end...they break my heart.” Rainbow looked back at him in confusion. “All in the past now.” “What will you do when you go back?” “To be honest, ‘when’ is starting to turn into an ‘if.’” “What?” “If Celestia can’t find anything, I’ll probably have to stay here.” Rainbow felt her heart beat rise at the though of the man staying with her. “Well, if that happens then you can always crash at my place.” “I’ve had enough crashing for a while thank you very much.” He said in a stern tone. “No! I meant that.....um....” Isaac let out a laugh and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just kidding Dash, I know what you meant and thanks for the offer.” “Ha-ha. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and went back inside the massive hollowed out tree. He sat down on the couch and reopened the Daring Do book he had at the hospital. After he got through three chapters the door opened to reveal a pale faced Spike. “Hey Spike how did the date go?” “It went....AWESOME!” “How so?” “We went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, went for a walk in the park and I walked her home.” He said as he sat down. “Cool anything else?” Spike looked around the room to see if Twilight was around. He motioned for the human to come closer. “I kissed her goodnight and we’re going out again next week!” He said with a laugh. “Spike, I request the highest of fives.” Isaac said as he raised his right hand. The dragon slapped it with a deafening force. “Hell yeah!” He said as he rubbed his hand in pain. “Ow.” “Sorry, blame the scales.” “It’s fine.” “Thanks again man.” He said as he patted the human on the back. “For what?” “The whole date thing. If it wasn’t for you then I wouldn’t have gone out with Rarity.” “You did that on your own, I just gave you a shove. It’s what a wingman does.” Isaac said as he put his heads behind his head “What’s a wing man?” The dragon said in confusion. “A wingman is a person, or pony in this case that helps a friend get some pony to like them in a romantic way.” “Oh, thanks again.” He said as he walked upstairs. “Anytime.” He said with a wave. Isaac pulled the feather Rainbow had given him out of the book and examined it. Why would she give me this? This must have a deeper meaning then just a bargaining chip. Don’t know. I’ll worry about it later. He thought as he slipped the feather into his pocket. Isaac made his way to his room and laid down to rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Outside of the small town a strange blue box had appeared out of nowhere and was making an odd noise. The box was tall and had the words ‘police box’ written on the borders. A tan earth pony stallion in a suit with a bow tie around his neck stepped out of the box and looked around. “Oh, I’m back here again. Brilliant.” He pilled out a small metal wand with a green tip and pointed it at the box. The light on top flashed twice and it slowly faded. “Right, now to find Ditzy.” He said as he hurried towards the town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Applejack kicked the dirt with her boot and let out a long sigh as she walked past the entrance sign to Sweet Apple Acres. Her mind was flashing with images of the human. She lightly tapped her head in frustration. “Ugh! Shut up brain, he’s a completely different species then I am and he has to go back where he belongs.....far away....from me.” A small tear rolled from her eye. She quickly wiped her tears away as her cyan friend landed next to her. “Howdy Rainbow. What’s up?” “Nothing, I’m just happy.” “Why?” “Isaac said he might stay.” She said with a smile. Applejack couldn’t help but smile. “R-really?” “Yeah, if he can’t find a way home, he said he’d stay.” The orange mares smile vanished and stared back at the pegasus. “What?” “That implies that Celestia doesn’t find a way to send him back.” She said as her eyes narrowed. “Yeah, but it means he’s considered the thought of staying. All we have to do is show him how good it is here and he won’t want to leave!” Applejacks jaw dropped at the information. “How in the hay are we gonna do that? He told me about his planet and it sounds spectacular, how can we compete with that?” AJ asked in annoyance. “I don’t know but we’d better think of something if we want him to stay.” “Wait a second, why do you want him to stay?” Applejack asked as she eyed the cyan mare. Rainbow blushed at the question. “He’s fun to hang out with.” “Ah think it’s more than that.” “Well, why do you want him to stay?” Applejack instantly recoiled. “H-he’s a good friend is all.” “Right, it has nothing to do with the kiss you two had?” “NO! It was a dare, that’s it!” She said with a bright blush on her face. “Sure it was, I’ve seen how you look at him.” “Ah can say the same about you.” The orange mare said in a stern tone. Dash immediately backed off. “Let’s just focus on trying to get him to stay here.” Rainbow said trying to calm her friend down. “And I think I have a good idea how to do that.” She said with a sly smirk. Chapter 8: Party TimeChapter 8 Party Time Isaac woke up to feel the warm sun crashing through the window and covering him in it’s warm embrace. He let out a yawn and looked at his phones screen to see an odd message pop up. “Oh great. It’s THAT day.” He said in a grumble. He got to his feet and slowly made his way down stairs. Twilight was sitting at the kitchen table eating a fresh egg with a side of toast. “Morning Isaac.” She said with a smile. “Morning. What’s up?” “Just having some breakfast before I start studying. Want some?” “Sure. I take it Spike made theses?” He asked as he took some of the food from the frying pan. “Yeah, I’m not much of a cook.” She said with a blush. “I heard you almost burned down the library.” “It was an accident!” “Five times.” Twilight’s blush brightened and gave a scoff. Isaac chuckled and continued to eat his food. “I got here seven days ago right?” “Yeah why?” “Just curious.” He said as he shrugged. After he put his dishes in the sink he felt his phone vibrate in his pants. He took the device from his pocket and touched the screen to see a new text message. Hey, What’s up? Who’s this? Spitfire from yesterday. How did you get my number? I asked Rainbow when she came by this morning. Kinda stalkerish. Most stallions like having a mare’s number in their phone. ;) No complaint here. How are you feeling? Better. Food sucks though. >:( Yeah, been there. So what’s up? I’m bored, no pony to talk to. What about that blue guy, Soarin? Filling in for me. Manager gave me R&R for a few weeks. FML >:( Want some company? Sure, I’m getting out at noon. I’ll see ya in a few. Okay bye. Isaac closed the message and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The man got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. He looked over to see Twilight starting to work. “Where are you going?” She asked. “Going to visit Spitfire. She’s held up in the hospital with no one to talk to. Might as well keep her company.” He said as he put his jacket on and made his way towards the door. “Mind if I ask something?” “Sure.” “What if Celestia can’t find a way for you to go home?” “I’d stay here. Find a house, I don’t know. Just live out the rest of my days.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Theres just one thing I don’t get. From what you’ve told me your life back home was less than charming. Why do you want to go back?” Isaac stopped as he reached for the door knob. “I mean why would you go back to a place you can’t stand?” “I’ve been asking myself that my whole life and I still don’t know.” He said as he walked out the door and made his way through the small town. As he closed the door behind him he decided to run to the hospital. He took out his P-pod and selected a song to get him in the mood. He quickly pulled his hood over his head and began his morning run. His pace doubled as he saw two familiar spa ponies entering their shop. He quickly ducked behind a building and waited until they were inside. As he got to the hospital he saw a familiar Pegasus mare sitting in the lobby. “Hey!” She said as she waved him over. “Yo. Hows your wing?” He asked as he looked at the bandaged appendage. “Fine. I can take the bandages off later on today.” She said as she got to her feet. As the two exited the hospital Isaac took his jacket off and handed it to the mare. “What’s this for?” “I figured you’d want to lay low. Since you’re a celebrity and all.” She smiled and quickly put the jacket over her blue uniform. “Thanks, you have no idea what it’s like to be hounded by fans everywhere you go.” She said as she put the hood over her head so it covered her mane. “That’s why I’m not a movie star.” “Lucky you.” She said with a laugh. “So what exactly do the Wonderbolts do? Is it strictly stunts or do you compete against other teams?” Isaac asked at the two made their way through town. “We’re a special branch of the Equestrian Air Force.” Isaac’s eyes shrank at the information. “You’re in the Military?” “Yeah, we’re the best fliers in Equestria our main job is to boost moral by performing stunts.” “OH! Like the Blue Angels.” “The what?” “Theres something similar to that where I’m from. The only difference is we use big flying machines called airplanes.” The mares jaw dropped at the information “Awesome!” Isaac then scanned the mares light blue suit. “Now that I think about it the color scheme is the same too. Blue with yellow trim.” “Weird.” She said as she looked at her outfit. “Yeah, I guess you guys copied something from my universe.” The mare gave him a punch on the arm. “Ow! Jeez, you hit hard.” He said as he rubbed the sore spot while Spitfire stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. “C’mon let’s find a place to eat. That hospital food could kill a manticore.” She said as she made a sick face. The two made their way into Sugar Cube Corner and grabbed a nearby booth and sat down. Isaac was greeted by a familiar pink mare with a smile on her face. “Hey Isaac what can I get you and Spit-” The golden mare instantly put her hand over the pink mares mouth. “We’d appreciate it if you didn’t broadcast our presence.” Pinkie nodded and Spitfire removed her hand. “I’ll have the hay fries and a dandelion sandwich.” Spitfire said with a smile. “I’ll just go with some fruit.” Isaac said as he handed her the menu. Pinkie jotted the orders down and hurried back into the kitchen. “Fruit? That’s it?” “Humans don’t eat hay or dandelions.” “What do you eat then?” She asked as she sipped her water. “Meat, vegetables and fruit.” “Oh you’re a carnivore then.” She said with a nod. “You don’t mind?” “Nah, my roommate in college was a Griffin. There was always some meat in the fridge. Not the best tasting stuff but passable.” She said with a shrug. Isaac looked at her in confusion. “Wait, ponies can eat meat?” “Yeah when we have to. It’s kinda uncommon but not illegal.” She said as Pinke arrived their food arrived. “Sweet, finally some real food.” She said as she began to eat her sandwich. Isaac did the same with his fruit salad. The human looked over to see Rainbow walk in with a smile on her face. “Heads up, here comes Rainbow.” He whispered to Spitfire who almost chocked in surprise. She quickly made the slicing throat motion but the motion came to late as Rainbow sat down next to Isaac. “Hey Isaac who’s.....Oh my gosh!” She yelled as she saw the golden mare. “Rainbow keep it down, we’re trying to AVOID drawing attention to ourselves.” Isaac said. “Sorry.” She said in a hushed tone. “What are you two doing here?” “Having lunch.” He said as he continued to eat his food. “What were you guys talking about?” “Food.” Spitfire said in a cheery tone. Rainbow let out a grumble and slid down in her seat. The golden mare turned her attention back to the human. “So can humans fly?” “Not on their own like you can, we need either a plane or a flight suit.” “What’s a flight suit?” She asked in confusion. “Have you ever seen a flying squirrel?” The two mares nodded. “The suit is based off that. Humans glide through the sky with it.” “Have you ever done it?” “Yeah it’s a lot of fun. I love being up in the sky.” He said as he sipped his water. “Why did you freak out when I brought you up on a cloud then?” Rainbow asked. “I usually have a parachute attached to me Dash.” He said as he deadpanned. “Oh sorry.” She said with a sheepish grin. The three continued to eat their meal in silence until they were interrupted by Pinkie who’s right eye was twitching spastically. “Twitch. Twitch, Twitch!” She yelled as the motion continued. “What’s wrong Pinkie?” Isaac asked. “My eye is twitchy!” She said as she pointed to her eyelid. “So?” “That means it’s somepony’s birthday today!” She said as she pulled out a small note pad with names on it. “How did you come to that conclusion?” Spitfire asked. “Pinkie sense.” Rainbow breathed out. “What’s that?” Isaac asked as he sipped his drink. “Pinkie get’s these ‘twitches’ in her body which mean different things. Like if her tail starts to twitch it means somethings going to fall.” On cue Pinkie’s tail started to move on it’s own. The pink mare immediately jumped to the right to avoid a falling flower pot. “Where did that even come from?” Isaac said in surprise. “I have no idea.” Pinkie said with a smile. She closed her note book and let out a sigh. “Ugh! It’s no ones birthday today in Ponyville. Unless...” He gaze instantly shifted to Spitfire who was a step ahead of her. “Not me. Mine was five months ago.” She said as she drank her water. “Not you huh. Then who could-” Pinkie turned her head to see the human avoiding eye contact and going back to his salad. Her eyes narrowed on the human and began to rub her chin. “Fine! You caught me, I’m twenty-two today.” The mares looked at him in surprise as Pinkie grabbed the human and began to shake him violently. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” Pinkie yelled as she stopped shaking the human. Isaac shook his head and collected himself. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.” “Not that big a deal? It’s your birthday!” “So? It’s just another day to me back home.” He said in a blank tone. “You don’t throw a party?” Rainbow asked. “I haven’t had a party since I was ten.” He said as he sat back. The ponies looked at him in confusion. “So what do you usually do on your birthday?” Rainbow asked. “Go to work, go home and go to sleep.” He said flatly. “That’s kinda sad.” Spitfire commented. “I don’t see the big deal. Why should my day be any different on my birthday?” “We have to fix that!” Pinkie said as she zoomed off. Isaac was about to protest but shrugged off the gesture as got to his feet and stretched his back. “Where are you going?” Spitfire asked as she and the cyan mare got up. “Dunno, I just like to keep moving. What about you two?” “I gotta go get some pain killers for my wing.” She said as she pointed to the appendage. “My lunch break is almost up so I gotta get back to work.” Rainbow said as she flew out the door. “See ya.” Spitfire said as she walked out of the bakery. Isaac shrugged and walked towards the park. He made his way through the park and came across a good sized tree. Isaac got put his arms on a nearby branch and pulled himself up and leaned his back against the trunk. He plugged in his music and listen to a relaxing melody as sleep eventually took hold of him. “HEY!” He was awoken by a high pitched yell coming from bellow him. He unplugged his music and looked down to see Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looking up at him in confusion. Isaac made his way down the tree and hopped in front of the three fillies with a yawn. He noticed that the top of their heads were in line with his shoulders. “What’s up?” “Rarity needs your help with something.” Sweetie Belle answered. “What?” “She wouldn’t say.” Applebloom said with a shrug. “Thanks.” He said as he and the three girls made their way back into town. Isaac noticed the three fillies had disappointed looks on their faces. “What’s eating you three?” “We thought we’d get out human finding Cutie Marks.” Sweetie Belle said with a groan. “What would that even look like?” Scootaloo asked. “No idea.” “What’s so special about these ‘Cutie Marks?’” Isaac asked. “Everyone at school has one except for us!” Sweetie whined. “How old are you three?” “We’re fourteen. Most ponies get theirs by twelve or thirteen.” Scootaloo answered. “So you guys are late bloomers, nothing wrong with that.” He said with a smile. “How would you know?” “I was always the shortest kid in the class until Junior year of High School. I got picked last for sports and everything else. Then I hit a growth spurt and all that waiting paid off.” He said as the girls looked at his height. “The best things come to those who wait.” “That’s what everypony keeps telling us! We’re tired of waiting!” Scootaloo said with grumble. “We’ve tried everything!” “I know how you feel, but trust me it’ll all pay off in the end.” He said as the three got to the boutique. Isaac made his way upstairs and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Rarity said in a charming voice. Isaac poked his head in to see Rarity sitting at her sewing table. “Ah Isaac, just the human I wanted to see.” “Your sister said you needed a hand with something?” “Yes, I need you to help me go jewel hunting.” “What?” “I ran out of jewels for an outfit I’m working on and I need someone to help me dig up more.” She said as she got to her feet. “Couldn’t you get Spike to help you?” “Unfortunately no. He’s helping Twilight with a massive report for the Princess.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “If you’re too busy then-” “I don’t mind. Do you have a shovel or a pick axe?” “We can borrow one from Applejack, so we’ll have to stop there.” “No problem. Are they going to help?” He asked as he looked at the fillies. “Yes, is that a problem?” “No, just curious.” He said as the group left the boutique. As they made their way past the library Isaac stopped for a moment. “Hang on I need to grab something from the library.” He said as he walked over to the door. He gave it a hard knock, the door opened to reveal the purple dragon with a worried look on his face. “Hey Spike, mind if I come in?” “Sorry Isaac. Twilight is in the middle of a serious study session.” He said in a nervous voice. “I just need to grab something, I’ll be in and out in no time.” He said as he started to step inside only to be blocked by the dragon. “Trust me Isaac you don’t want to mess with Twi when she’s in the zone. Last time that happened she accidentally turned me int a cactus.” Isaac immediately stepped back and gulped. “I’ll take your word for it. Can you grab my knife for me? It’s on the nightstand in my room.” Spike nodded and shut the door. Isaac peeked through the window to see movement from several different figures. It was too dark to make out any specific details but he swore he saw the silhouette of a Pegasus. He heard the door open and he quickly got back in front of the door. “Here ya go. What do you need it for?” “Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom and I are going jewel hunting.” “Why do you need that thing?” He asked as ho pointed to the weapon. “Better to have it and not need then to need it and not have it.” He said as he clipped the weapon onto his pants. Spike shrugged and closed the door as Isaac walked back towards the group. “It’s rude to keep a lady waiting Isaac.” Rarity teased. “Relax, I just needed to grab my knife.” He said with a smile. As the group walked towards the farm Isaac noticed that the orange filly had a folded up scooter attached to her back. “Can you do any tricks on that scooter?” “Yeah, but it gets boring.” She said with a sigh. “Why?” “I’ve already mastered this thing and I still don’t have a Cutie Mark.” “Can I see it? I may be able to help you with that.” The group looked at him in surprise. Scootaloo shrugged and handed him the object. Isaac looked it over and noticed that it’s base was made out of wood, the wheels itself were plastic and the handlebars were connected by two bolts. “What are you thinking of?” “I’ve got an idea. I’ll show you when we get to Sweet Apple Acres.” He said as he handed the scooter back to the orange Pegasus. The party soon found themselves in front of the barn where the orange mare was tying up a bale of hay. She quickly pulled her hat down to hide her blushing cheeks from the human. “Hey AJ, Rarity said you guys have a pick axe, some shovels and a cart we could borrow?” “Y-yeah, they’re over there. Just bring ‘em back when yer done.” She said as she tried to calm her fast beating heart. The orange mare pointed to the far corner, Isaac saw four shovels and a pick axe leaning against a two wheeled wagon with a pole slid horizontally in front of it. “Thanks, mind if I use your work bench for a quick second?” “Go right ahead. Ah gotta get back to work.” She said as she quickly walked out of the barn. Isaac walked over to the work bench and laid the scooter down unfolded. He took a nearby screw driver and removed the handlebars from the base. “You broke it!” Scootaloo yelled. “I modified it into a skateboard.” He said as he put the object on the ground in front of him. “How an I supposed to move it?” Isaac rolled his eyes and put his right foot on the board and pushed with his left. He skated out of the barn and back inside. “Like that.” He said as he handed her the board. The filly looked at him in amazement as she took the board. “Awesome! What’s this thing called again?” “A skateboard. It you want to turn it back into a scooter then just ask.” He said as he picked up four shovels and a pick axe. He put them in the cart and pulled the carrier out of the barn. The three fillies ran ahead with Scootaloo testing out her modified machine. Rarity walked up next to him and smiled. “How did you do that?” “I worked in a skate shop during my High School days. I got pretty good at modifying the equipment in there.” He said with a grin. “That was very sweet of you to help Scootaloo out like that.” “It was nothing. I figured she might enjoy something like that. I know I did when I was her age.” He said with a shrug. The group walked in silence as they came across a flat dirt plane. “This the place?” “Yes, give me a moment.” She said as her horn and hands began to glow. She waved her hands in a horizontal motion and levitated a stick and began marking the dirt with X’s. “There we are.” Isaac picked up the shovel and started to dig. When he got ten inches down he hit something hard, the human scraped the dirt away and saw a cluster of bright shinning gems. “Jackpot.” He said as he lifted the bundle out of the ground. “What do you use these for anyway?” He asked as he started another hole. “I make outfits and jewelry out of them. What do humans use them for?” “Same reason. Except for diamonds, we sometimes use those to make tools.” Isaac said as he lifted another pile out of the ground. “Really?” She said as she levitated the pile into the cart. “Yeah, hang on a second.” The human got out of the hole and pulled out his knife. “The core of the blade is mixed with a diamond. Hardest rock on earth.” He said with a shrug. “Why is the edge black?” She asked as she took the knife from his hands. “The edge is lined with obsidian, the sharpest rock in the world.” The three fillies walked over to them with bundles of jewels. “What’s obsidian?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Obsidian is volcanic rock that’s been hardened and melted down. Think of it as volcanic glass.” He said as he put the knife back into it’s sheath. “Where’d you get it?” “I made it while I was visiting Pompeii. A city notorious for it’s volcano and is loaded with the stuff. I was helping some miners move some rocks when I found a diamond cluster. I took it as payment and melted it down with some iron, fused it with a few obsidian shards and presto.” He said with a smile. “I got one of the strongest knives ever made.” He said with a smile. “Where did ya learn how to make things like that?” Scootaloo asked. “I took a blacksmithing class and learned how to make weapons, armor and all other things like that.” He said as he picked up the shovel and started to dig. He soon hit a hard surface and scraped the dirt away. His eyes grew wide as he saw the massive gem. “Rarity you gotta see this.” “By the goddess! That’s the biggest amethyst I’ve ever seen!” She yelled as the three fillies trotted up next to her. Their jaws dropped as Isaac began to dig around it. “It must be at least three feet long!” Isaac grabbed the pick axe and shoved the end underneath the space he had made. The three fillies hopped down with shovels in hand and helped the human rock the jewel from it’s place. “Okay girls together on three. One.....Two......Three!” He yelled as the four of them made the massive rock come loose. “Hey Rarity, can you lift this thing up with your magic?” He asked at he and the three fillies began to pant. “I’ll try.” She said as her horn flared and she raised her hands. Isaac felt the massive rock shift and rise from the hole. Rarity struggled to concentrate and dropped the rock just outside the hole. “There, but I won’t be able to get it back to town like this.” She said as she panted and leaned against the gem. Isaac and the girls got out of the hole and walked over to the white mare. “Good thing we got the cart then.” He said as he walked over to the wagon. “Can you handle that thing? I don’t want you to strain your back.” The white mare said in a nervous voice. “Nah, humans are durable. I may need a hand getting it moving though.” He said as he picked up the handle and started to push. The three fillies did the same on the rear end and eventually got the cart rolling. Isaac let out a sigh as he found a steady pace and walked back into town. As they found them selves surrounded by familiar building Rarity walked up next to the human. “Do the males in your world wear jewelry?” “Some do. I wear my watch and class ring if I’m going to meet with someone important.” He said as he let out a breath. “What type of gem is in the ring?” “My birthstone; Amethyst.” Rarity blinked and looked back at the massive rock and then back to the human. “Birthstone?” She said in confusion. “For every month theres a gem that coincides with it. Emeralds are for May, Amber is for August and Amethyst is for February.” “Does it do anything?” Scootaloo asked. “Not really, some believe that they’ll bring good luck or something like that. It’s mostly a guideline to figure out your Zodiac.” “What’s a Zodiac?” Applebloom asked as she joined the conversation. “It’s a star sign. Every birthday is born under a different star sign where I’m from.” “Cool so what’s yours?” “Mine is a little tricky because I’m born on a cusp.” He said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “A what?” “It’s when one sign ends and another begins. So I guess I have two.” “What are they?” “Pieces and Aquarius.Think of the Zodiac signs as Cutie Marks, they help describe someones personality.” He said with a shrug. “That’s cool!” Sweetie Belle said as they pulled beside the fancy boutique. Rarity levitated the large rock off of the cart and into her house. She cam back out with a smile on her face. “I can’t thank you enough darling.” “It’s no problem.” He said as he cracked his back. “Oh no. I wouldn’t have been able to get that monster out of the ground without your help. I insist that... IDEA!” She said as she raced back into the boutique leaving the human standing at the door. She returned with a nice white collard shirt and a par of jet black pants. I was working on these for a client and he canceled at the last minute, they’re not fit to your size specifically but it’s close enough. She said with a warm smile. “Thanks Rarity, I appreciate it.” He said as she put the clothed in a bag and handed them to the human. Isaac gave her a smile and put the bag i the back of the cart and started to head back towards the farm with Applebloom riding in the back. “Can ah ask you something?” She said as she looked at the human. “Sure, what’s up?” “Are you mah sisters’ boyfriend?” Isaac looked at the filly in in surprise. “No. What gave you that idea?” “She talks about you a lot.” “To who?” “That’s the weird thing, she talks to herself.” She said as she shrugged. “So? Everyone does that.” “She just sounds weird when she does it though.” Applebloom said as she scratched her chin. “The other night I heard her talking to her self and some loud moaning coming from her room. I listened closer and I swear I heard her say your name. I wanted to see if she was okay but her door was locked.” Isaacs face turned crimson as the image of the orange mare pleasuring herself to him filled his mind. “Hasn’t she told you that eaves dropping is rude?” “Yeah, I know. She’s just been acting weird is all. Do you know why?” “Nope, no idea. It’s probably a personal issue.” He said as he stopped in front of the barn where he saw Mac about to close the massive doors. “Hey Mac, just returning some tool I borrowed.” He said as he picked up the muddy shovel and made his way into the barn and left the tools in their proper places. As he walked by Mac the red stallion smelled the humans odor. “Um Isaac ah don’t mean to cause offense but ya need a shower.” Mac said as he closed his nose with his fingers. “Sorry, jewel hunting is hard work.” He said with a weak grin. “Ya can use our shower if ya want.” Mac said as he pointed inside. “I couldn’t ask ya for-” “It’s no trouble. Do ya have a change of clothes?” “Yeah, Rarity just gave me some.” He said as he held up the bag. “Good, upstairs last door on the hall.” He said as Isaac nodded and made his way into the house. As the human walked upstairs his mind was filled with thought’s fighting with one another. She likes me like that? Shut up. Don’t even think about it! But do I- NO! She’s a Pony for Christ sakes. So? Aloe and Lotus said their cousin is dating a Griffin. Spike and Rarity seem to be doing fine so why the HELL shouldn’t I at least try to have a relationship? THEY AREN’T HUMAN! I noticed, but they do have human features and-. He was cut off as he opened the bathroom door and saw the soaking wet orange mare step out of the shower. Applejack’s face turned crimson and her brain seemed to stop. Isaac had never seen her with her hair down. The water made her golden mane stick to her orange body. The humans face turned bright red and his jaw hit the floor. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YA DOIN HERE?” She yelled as she reached for a towel. Isaac snapped out of the trance and slammed the door shut. “Sorry!” He yelled as he walked back down the hallway. He took shelter in the kitchen until he heard the bathroom door open and close again. He snuck by the orange mares room and quickly made his way into the bathroom. He started it off cold to smother his arousal and started to switch it to warm water. He let out a sigh as the warm water washed away the layer of dirt that he had accumulated from his jewel expedition. As he dried himself off he looked over the ensemble Rarity had given him. A white short sleeve collared shirt with red stripes reaching from the shoulders to the sleeve ends. The pants were dark blue with a red stripe going down the right leg. He threw on the apparel and stuffed his dirty clothes in the bag and walked out of the hose in silence. As Isaac cleared Sweet Apple Acres a familiar cyan blur landed next to him. “Hey dude, hows your birthday been so far?” She asked with a smile. “Can’t complain. Went jewel hunting and got some new clothes.” He said as he looked at his ensemble.Isaac smiled at her and noticed that she was wearing a sleek black dress that ended at her mid thighs. She was wearing a pair of black shoes the reached up to her ankles. “Why are you so dressed up?” He asked as he looked at her outfit. They Pegasus’s face instantly turned bright red. “What I don’t look good?” She asked as she struck a pose. “No, you look great.” He said as he hid his blush. “Thanks. You look nice too.” She said with a small grin. “Where are you going anyway?” “The library.” She said in a flat tone. “Why?” “Um...Twi’s got the new Daring Do book and I wanted to get an early copy.” “And you got all dressed up for that?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “So?” The mare tried to think of something clever but just let out a sigh as they neared the massive tree. As the two entered the lights flicked on to reveal a group of mares with smiles on their faces with a banner in the back round reading ‘Happy Birthday.’ The ponies yelled the phrase as Isaac felt a smile creep across his face. He looked over at Rainbow who had a smug grin on her face. “Let me guess, Pinkie?” “Yup.” “So that’s why Rarity needed my help with jewel hunting. Should have seen that one coming.” “Okay enough talking you two LET’S PARTY!” She said as the music flared and the drinks began to flow. Isaac noticed that Soarin, Big Mac and a few other stallions had shown up to the humans surprise. The human let out a sigh and made his way over to Applejack who had a mug of cider in her hand. She quickly pulled her hat down over her face to hide her blush. “Hey AJ can we talk?” “About what?” She asked as she sipped her drink. “About what happened at the farm.” He said with a small blush. Applejack spat out the drink in surprise. Isaac gave her a napkin and she wiped her face. “Thanks.” “I just want to apologize for walking in on you like that. I should’ve knocked.” He said as he wiped his face with a towel. “It’s fine. Ah know you’d never peep on me like that. It did take you a while to close the door though.” She said as she glared at the man. “I was like a deer in headlights!” He protested. “What?” “Human term. I mean I was just shocked and my brain froze.” Applejack had a sly grin creep across her face. “So I’m that bad to look at am I?” Isaac felt his face flare up. “No, you didn’t look bad. I was just surprised how you looked so-” Isaac paused before he continued. “So what?” She asked as she leaned in and tipped her hat up. “Human.” He said as he let out a gulp. The farmer felt her heart skip a beat and her face turned bright red. “Th-thanks. Ah think.” “Again I’m sorry-” Applejack put a finger to his lips before he said another word. “It’s alright sugar cube. No harm done, just be sure to at least buy me a drink first next time.” She said with a wink. The mare removed her finger and walked over to Rainbow and Ditzy. Isaac’ brain seemed to go blank as he slowly walked over to Twilight who was chatting with Lyra. “Hey Isaac enjoying the party?” Lyra asked. “Yeah it’s great. I’m a little surprised to see so many stallions here though.” He said as he looked around the room. “Why?” Lyra asked as she sipped her drink. “Aloe and Lotus told me that the ratio was one stallion for every ten mares.” The two unicorns looked at one another and started to giggle. “What?” “Man those two must have wanted you bad.” Lyra said with a laugh. “While this is a matriarch society the ratio isn’t that drastic.” Twilight said with a smile. “What?” “The ratio is more like seven to three.” “Then why haven’t I seen too many stallions around town?” “They just left because most of the mares go into heat around this time.” “I keep hearing that term. What does ‘heat cycle’ mean?” He asked as he made quotation marks with his fingers. Lyra started to whistle to herself while Twilight rubbed her head. “Okay, once every few months mares go through their heat cycle. It makes them more sexually active than usual. So most stallions skip town and try to avoid being hounded by all the mares in Ponyville.” Isaac nodded his head. “Wait, why didn’t most of them go after me then?” “Probably because you’re a different species and you intimidated them.” Lyra explained. “Apparently not everyone feels that way.” He said as the memory of his session with the twins came back to him. He looked over to see the two spa ponies make their way to him. “Speaking of which.” He said as he looked at them straight in the eye. “Look Isaac we just wanted to apologize for our behavior the other day.” Aloe said in a low tone. “Our heat cycle was particularly bad this year. It was extremely unprofessional and we shouldn’t have tried to force ourselves on you like that.” Lotus said as she adverted her eyes. “Twilight also tells me that the ratio is seven to three, when you said it was nine to one.” “Did we say that? Again, we’re sorry.” Isaac let out a sigh and nodded his head. “It’s fine you two weren’t the first ones to try to get me into bed against my will.” He said as he poured himself and the mares a drink. The spa ponies smiled at him and took the glasses. “Let’s just bury the hatchet.” He said as they clanged glasses and drank. The drink continued to flow as Isaac challenged Soarin to an arm wrestling match which Isaac won but lost miserably to Big Mac. Isaac introduced the ponies to beer pong which ended with the human and the cyan mare beating the farmer and party animal. Soon the ponies began to leave the library leaving Isaac and the other mares in a drunken state. Isaac slowly got to his feet and smirked at the sleeping mares. He walked over to Twilight’s desk and withdrew a black marker. “I really shouldn’t, but on the other hand I’ll never get another chance like this again.” He said as he drew a monocle over Pinkie’s right eye. When he was done he capped the marker and marveled at his work. Twilight had a tic tack toe board on her right cheek. Spike had a French mustache drawn over his scales while Rarity who was asleep on his chest had a drawn on unibrow. Fluttershy was left untouched while Applejack had a goatee on her face. As Isaac stepped away Twilight had turned over and wrapped her arms around the orange mare. Isaac pulled out his phone and took a quick snapshot. As he made his way upstairs he looked back at the five mares and dragon. He rubbed his eyes and recounted. He shrugged as his brain tried to recount the graffitied mares. He opened his door and removed his shirt as his brain clicked. “Wait. Wheres Rain-” He was cut off as a soft object tackled him on the bed. He looked up to see the cyan mare straddling him and looking at him with a seductive look in her eye. “What are you-” He was cut off as she pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt the mares tongue feel around inside of his mouth. Isaac returned the gesture and felt his member pressing against his jeans. Rainbow broke the kiss and let out a breath. “Wow AJ wasn’t kidding you are good.” She said as she got off of the human. “Thank’s not so bad yourself.” He said as he tried to sit up but his arm slipped and fell on his back against the bed. He looked up to see Rainbow removing her sleek dress and throwing it on the floor. Isaac felt his jaw drop at the mares toned body and felt his heart rate increase as she walked closer and crawled over his body like a cat. She locked lips with him a second time and let out a moan of pleasure as her wings stood at full attention. Rainbow broke the kiss and reached down and stroked his clothed member. She smirked and unbuttoned his pants making his member pop out of his boxers. “Looks like someone wants to get naughty.” She said in a seductive tone. Isaac could barely keep focus as the mare positioned herself above his groin. “Rainbow I don’t think that-” He was cut off as the mare started to massage his shaft. “I don’t see the reason why we shouldn’t you’re hot, I’m hot and don’t act like you’re not enjoying this.” She said she stopped rubbing the shaft. “But, you’re a pony and-” “So? Spike is a dragon and he’s going out with Rarity.” She said as she positioned herself over his erect cock. “But-” He was cut off as the mare slowly slid his shaft inside of her. Rainbow let out a moan of pleasure as she slowly began to move up and down. Isaac could feel his member being squeezed by Dash’s tight slit. He returned the action with an upward thrust causing Rainbow to cry out in ecstasy. “Oh fuck that feels good.” She said as she began to thrust harder. Isaac smirked and flipped the mare on her back so he was on top of her. He pressed his lips against her and pushed his tongue into her wanting lips. He began to caress her breast in his palm making her go wild in passion. He pushed deeper inside of the mare who was close to a climax. “Please don’t stop.” She said in a pleading voice. Isaac continued the motions as he felt her walls clamp around his member trying to squeeze out it’s prize. The mare wrapped her legs and hands around the human as she flipped so she was back on top of him. Isaac placed his hands on the mares waist and began to thrust faster. “Isaac I’m gonna-” Her words came to late as her slit grew tighter and Isaac felt the mares fluids coat his shaft. He increased his thrusts and felt a pressure build inside of him. “ Just like that. Harder!” Rainbow said as she began to pant. “Dash I’m gonna-” “Don’t stop!” She said as she felt her eyes roll back. Isaac doubled his rate. Isaac felt instinct took over and gave a final thrust as he released into the mare causing her to cry out in passion. Rainbow slid herself off the man and collapsed panting on his chest. Isaac looked down and saw that there was blood coming from the mare’s pussy. “Dash are you a-” “Not anymore.” She said as she nuzzled his chest and closed her eyes.Rainbow smiled and drifted off to sleep in the man’s embrace. Isaac felt the adrenaline wear off and felt his body beginning to relax. His eyes felt heavy and let sleep take him with the cyan mare in his arms. Rainbow's eyes opened for a second and let out a sigh. "Too bad I can't have you all to myself." She said as she felt sleep take her. Chapter 9: The EncounterChapter 9 The Encounter Isaac’s eyes snapped open to find himself in a barren wasteland. He got to his feet and looked around the desert. The skies were filled with black clouds as thunder and lightning boomed through the landscape. As he turned around he felt something collide with his face sending him back to the ground. Isaac looked up to see a dark hooded figure staring down at him with hateful red eyes. “You fucking freak.” The figure said as he kicked Isaac in the ribs causing him to cough up blood. “I can’t believe that you would go and do something like that.” “I always knew you were a waste.” Another apparition formed, this time in the shape of a woman with black hair and bright green eyes. She walked over to him and pulled out a night stick and began to beat the injured human with it. Isaac felt his bones splinter and crack with each blow. He got to his knees to see the two figures each pull out a hand gun and point it at his head. He closed his eyes and waited for the deafening sound to seal his fate. As the hammer on the pistol was cocked a bright light filled the desert. “Shit, looks like we have company.” The two ghosts vanished leaving the bloodied human laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He looked up to see a winged figure approach him. He felt a hand on his head as he tried to see the stranger. “ISAAC!” The dream collapsed and the light of the morning sun burned his eyes. The sound of his own name being yelled felt as if someone drove a spike through his head. He shot up from the bed to see the mares and dragon looking at him in shock. He let out a chuckle as he saw the drawings on their faces which were stricken with confusion. “What?” He asked as Twilight pointed to the stirring cyan Pegasus mare in his bed. Isaac immediately jumped out of bed holding a pillow to cover his exposed area. “Oh dear god. It wasn’t a dream.” He said as he looked at the mare who was holding her head in pain. Isaac reached for his pants and quickly put them on. He grabbed his head as his hangover started to kick in. “Oh Christ, this is just like Vegas all over again.” He said as he let out a groan. He felt vomit making it’s way up to his mouth. The human quickly side stepped the group and ran into the bathroom to return the drinks he had last night. The group then looked at Rainbow who was in a similar state. “Have you guys seen your faces?” She said as she began to laugh. The group held their stare at the mare who let out a sigh. “Okay fine, I slept with him big deal.” “Big deal? Rainbow! He’s a completely different species!” Twilight yelled. “So? Look at those two.” She said as she pointed at Spike and Rarity. The group was about to protest but found no argument. “That’s what I thought, I don’t judge you two so why should you do that to me?” She said as she slipped her crumpled dress on. “We don’t know anything about him Dash! He could have some weird genetic defect to him!” Twilight yelled. Dash began to laugh again as she saw the artwork. “Sorry Twi but I can’t take you seriously like that.” She said as she held up a mirror. Twilight looked in shock at their faces. “How come he didn’t do anything to you or Fluttershy?” Applejack asked as she spat in her palm and wiped the marker off her face. “I don’t know.” She said with a shrug. The group left the room as Dash finished dressing except for the farmer who had a sour look on her face. “Look AJ I know that-” “You didn’t respect the dibs rule!” She yelled. “Easy AJ, it’s not like I own him.” “Still, we agreed that I’d get first dibs.” “Excuse me?” The two mares looked towards the door to see the man frowning at them. “What did you mean by ‘first dibs?’” He said as he walked over to the mares who had a blush on their faces. “Well, Applejack had first dibs on you and since you and I-” “DIBS?” He yelled as he walked over and pulled his shirt over his body. “For the record I was drunk off my ass last night.” “So you’re saying you didn’t enjoy it?” She said with a smirk. Isaac felt his blood boil and his right knuckles cracked as he made a fist. He grabbed his wrist with his opposite hand and let out a sigh. Isaac looked back at the mares with daggers in his eyes. “Look I just need some time to process this.” Isaac said as he grabbed his hoodie and marched out the door without making eye contact. Isaac ran down the stairs and slammed the door shut as he walked outside making the other ponies look at one another in confusion. Isaac made his way through the street without making eye contact with any one until a familiar grey mare with a blond mane flew up to him. “Hey Isaac how.....Are you okay?” She asked as she saw the humans disheveled state. “I just have killer hangover and a migraine. So if it’s something important tell me later because I can’t think straight right now.” He said as he looked at the mare with a flat expression. “Oh I see. You might want to head to Zecora’s place. She’s got all kinds of potions for stuff like that.” She said with a smile. “Even a hangover cure?” “I’m not too sure. She’s probably your best option.” She said with a shrug. “Thanks Ditz. What did you want to tell me?” Ditzy gulped and shrugged her shoulders. “Never mind, I’ll see ya later.” She said as she took flight. Isaac shrugged and made his way towards the Everfree forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the library Rainbow had just finished explaining what happened the night before between the human and herself in detail. By the end Applejack and the other mares had a bright blush on their face and were shifting uncomfortably in their seats. “Then he ran out the door without looking back.” Dash finished as she took a drink from her water. The mares looked at her in shock while Applejack frowned at the mare. “So was he good?” Rarity asked in an innocent sounding voice. “Oh yeah he was good. I wonder if all humans can last that long?” She said with a smirk. “DASH!” Twilight yelled. “We don’t know anything about his kind, you could be infected with some weird other worldly disease!” She stammered. “Can’t you just use your magic to see if there’s anything wrong with me?” She asked as she lifted an eyebrow. Twilight’s horn glowed and she waved he hand over the Pegasus. “I can’t find anything.” “See and while your at it Twilight could you-” “Morning after spell?” She said in a condescending tone. The Pegasus nodded as the mares horn glowed and let out a sigh. “Done.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Oh lighten up Twi. So I had a little fun with him big deal.” “We have no idea how relationships from his world work. For all we know you could have just made yourself a slave!” Rainbow looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “Okay I know that sounds a little farfetched but it could mean something else.” “C’mon Twilight. He may be different but he’s not dangerous.” Pinkie interjected. “I agree with Pinkie.” Rarity said with a smile. “He’s shown no behavior to be unsavory, he may seem odd but let’s not forget that he’s from another world and will want to return when he gets the chance.” She said as she looked at Rainbow and Applejack. “Not if we convince him to stay!” Rainbow protested. “So is that why you slept with him? To bribe him to stay?” Twilight said in a frustrated tone. “Maybe and there’s the fact that I like him.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Be realistic here Rainbow, he’ll want to go back eventually. It’s his home.” Rarity said as she got to her feet. “What if Celestia can’t bring him home? What then?” Applejack asked. “I don’t know. He said he’d try to settle down here.” Twilight said as she let out a sigh. “There’s also the possibility that he won’t want to leave.” Rainbow interjected. “It’s possible, but unlikely.” The lavender mare said in a stern tone. The group was interrupted by a hard knock on the door. Twilight opened it to reveal Princess Luna wearing a dark cloak covering her wavy blue mane. “P-Princess Luna. What are you doing here?” “We are here to speak with the human. I was told that he was staying here.” She said as she made her way inside. The other ponies looked in shock at the royal sister. “He’s out right now. I’m not sure where he is. Why do you need to see him?” “It’s a personal matter.” She said as she looked at the group of mares. “Are we interrupting something?” “We were just talking about-” Pinkie’s mouth was covered by a lavender hand. “Nothing Princess just some gossip and current events.” Twilight said as she threw on a fake grin. “I see, don’t let us keep you then, we shall find the human on our own.” Luna said as she threw the hood back over her head and exited the library. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as the Alicorn left the group of mares. “Pinkie! We can’t tell anyone about this!” “Why not?” “Yeah why not?” Rainbow said in confusion. “He’s a completely-” “I don’t care about that! He’s a nice guy and I like him, deal with it!” She said as her eyes narrowed. “But-” “Why do you care so much Twi? I don’t judge you and I’m not the only one here who has a crush on him.” She said as she looked at the orange mare. Applejack covered her face with her hat to hide her vibrant blush. “Ah have to agree with Dash on this one Twi. He’s a good stall....human.” She said as she looked back at the lavender mare. Twilight face palmed and let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s just calm down and talk this out.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zecora was sitting by her cauldron mixing some soup for herself. As she added another ingredient she heard a loud knock on the door. She got to her feet and made her way to the door. The zebra looked in surprise as she saw the human standing in her door way. “Sorry to barge in like this Zecora, but I need a cure for a hangover. I was told you could help me.” He said with a small smile. “Of course my friend, come inside and I will heal that pounding head.” She said with a smile. Isaac gave her a friendly nod and entered the Zebra’s hut. Isaac sat down on one of the zebra’s stools and waited while Zecora mixed the ingredients. Isaac took a moment to look around the Zebra’s home, which was decorated with all sorts of masks and ingredients hanging from the ceiling. Zecora poured the concoction into a clay cup and handed it to the human. “Thank you.” He gave a sniff of the liquid and struggled to keep a straight face. He let out a sigh and gulped the mixture down. He made a sour face as the foul tasting substance. Zecora let out a small laugh at the humans’ expression. “Ugh, it’s got an after taste.” He said in a disgusted tone. “The fool is you for allowing the drink to make you it’s tool.” She said as she shook her head. Isaac nodded and felt the pain leave his mind. Zecora squinted her eyes at the human. “The pain in your head is gone. Yet I sense that something else is wrong.” Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not gonna lie I’ve got a lot on my mind.” He said as he sat back. “Part of me is trying to get home and the other part wants me to stay here.” “You sound like a fickle, I must say you are in quite pickle.” She said as she put a hand on the human’s shoulder. “Tell me about it.” He said with a sigh. “I have no idea what to do.” He said as he let out a sigh. Zecora scratched her chin and thought for a moment. “I just need a quiet place to think things out.” Zecora perked up at the human’s words and a smile spread across her face. “Follow me and you will see a place your mind can be at ease.” She said as she got to her feet. Isaac looked at the mare in confusion as she withdrew a long brown cloak that covered her striped body. Isaac got to his feet and followed the zebra back out into the dark forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Princess Luna discretely made her way through the small town in search of the human. She had cast an illusion spell that changed her coat color to a bright teal and she kept her wings hidden underneath her cloak. As she walked through the busy town she accidentally knocked into a grey Pegasus mare. Luna noticed the mare had a brown messenger bag over her shoulder. “Sorry ma’am.” “No, the fault was ours. We were so busy looking for someone that we weren’t watching where we were going.” She said as she helped the Pegasus to her feet. “It’s alright. Were you looking for your special somepony?” She asked with a smile, causing Luna to blush. “No. We do not have a special somepony.” She said in a low tone. “Oh, sorry I asked.” Ditzy said with a sheepish grin. “We hate to take up more of your time, but have you seen a tall creature with no fur on his body walking around?” “Oh! You mean Isaac!” Luna’s eyes grew wide at the name. “Yes, that’s his name.” “He went off to the Everfree forest an hour ago.” Luna looked at the mare in shock. “Why in Equestria would he go there?” “To meet with Zecora for a hangover cure.” “Zecora? She is the potion maker is she not?” “Yep, just follow the path and you’ll be there in no time.” Ditzy said with a smile. “We thank thee.” Luna’s coat returned to it’s normal color. The Princess spread her massive wings and took flight towards the forest. Ditzy’s eye twitched in surprise as her brain put the pieces together. As Luna soared through the skies she thought about the dream the human’s mind had created. Why would he dream up something like that? Who were those two other humans? As protector of the night it’s my duty to protect my subjects. She thought as she reached the edge of the forest. His dreams were just like mine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac followed the Zebra through the dark forest keeping his hand on the handle of his knife in case of an emergency. Zecora pushed aside some vines to reveal a crystal blue waterfall pouring into a pond that had a small island in the center. “This place is much better than a bed, take all the time you need to clear your head.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and made his way to the small island. He sat Indian style and put his hands on his legs. He let out a deep breath and allowed his mind to wander freely. Isaac found himself in a barren wasteland where a familiar form was waiting for him. The figure was the same height as the human, wore the same attire and had the same dark brown hair. The difference was the figure was wrapped in shadow and it’s eyes were glowing bright red, unlike Isaac’s crystal blue eyes. “Long time no see, whelp.” The figure spat out. “I’m just here to talk.” “Finally you start listening to reason.” “No, I’m here to say I’m staying.” The dark figure looked at the man in confusion. “WHAT?” “They’re good people...or ponies in this case.” He said in a calm tone. “Exactly they’re ponies! You even slept with one!” “I was drunk and yet.....I don’t feel bad.” The figure walked forward and slammed his fist into Isaac’s face. Isaac stood there with a blank look on his face as he bled from his mouth. “How can you say that?” “Eventually humanity will reach out amongst the stars and explore new worlds. Humanity will have to repopulate and expand their race. I’m just a man ahead of his time.” He said with a smile. The figure looked at him in confusion and rage as he let out another barrage of fists that impacted the man. “What will the others think?” He yelled. “They’re not here, they were never there for me and now that I finally find some friends who actually give a damn about me you suggest that I abandon them?” He said as he held his ground. “How could they possibly care about a coward like you? ” The figure said as he continued to beat the human. The image of a group of ponies and a dragon appeared before he felt himself fade into darkness. Isaac heard a faint scream and snapped back to reality. He opened his eyes to see Zecora looking back towards the path. Three fillies cam charging out with tears in their eyes. Isaac rushed over to them and stopped next to the Zebra. “What happened?” “We were going to Zecora’s hut to see if she could help us get our potion making Cutie Marks. We know she likes this place so we made our way here.” Scootaloo said as tears formed in her eyes. “But we-” She was cut off as the group heard a loud growl coming from the bushes. The zebra and human turned around to see a lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail glaring at them. “Is that....A manticore?” Isaac said in disbelief. He looked behind him to see the three fillies cowering in fear. Isaac let out a breath and withdrew his knife. “Zecora take the girls and get out of here. I’ll keep this thing busy.” “Have you gone mad?” She said as she looked at the human. “There’s no time to argue GO!” He said as he held his knife up and got in a defensive position. “We’ll bring back help!” Applebloom said as the fillies and the Zebra ran off into the bush. The large manticore looked at the group and felt something hard hit it’s face. The creature looked back at the human who was holding another rock. “I’m over here fur ball.” He said as he raised his knife. The beast charged as Isaac ran towards the beast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Princess Luna made her way through the strange forest until she reached the hut. Even though she was Princess of the night this forest still gave her unsettling memories. Not to far from here stood the castle where the elements of Harmony had defeated Nightmare Moon and had saved her from herself. As she was about to knock on the hut she heard rustling from the bushes just ahead of her. She focused her magic and prepared herself for what ever may be lurking in the brush. She was shocked when she saw the zebra and three fillies stop in front of her. “Princess Luna! You’ve gotta help us!” Applebloom yelled. “What is wrong?” “Our friend Isaac is keeping a Manticore busy and-” “WHERE?” She yelled. “Just up ahead in a clearing!” Sweetie Belle said. “Go inform Twilight Sparkle, I will go ad the human.” The dark Alicorn said as she ran down the path. The fillies and the zebra looked at one another and ran back towards the town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight and her friends were in a stalemate over Isaac. Twilight let out a sigh and got to her feet. “Okay, maybe I overreacted to you and Isaac sleeping together Dash.” “Ya think?” Rainbow said as she cocked an eyebrow. The group was interrupted by Zecora and the three fillies barging through the door. “What’s up guys?” “Isaac......help......Manticore....Princess Luna.......Everfree Forest.” Applebloom said as she tried to catch her breath. The ponies looked at one another in shock and quickly got to their feet. Spike belched out a letter and skimmed it. “SPIKE! THERE’S NO TIME FOR THAT NOW!” Twilight yelled. Spike held up the letter and the mare’s eyes watered at the contents. “Change of plans off to the hospital!” Rainbow yelled as she flew out the door with the other mares following close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac dodged the beast’s attack and sliced it’s arm. The beast let out a roar of pain and swiped the human with it’s tail. Isaac dodged the blow and jumped back from the beast. The manticore charged a second time and made it’s claw connect with the humans right arm. Isaac let out cry of pain as he felt the beasts claws tear his arm. Isaac randomly lashed out with the knife in his left hand and felt it connect with the manticore’s hide. The beast reared back in pain and agony at the wound the human inflicted on it. Isaac smiled as he looked at the injured beast. The manticore was about to strike the human with it’s tail but was knocked aside by a blast of blue energy. Isaac turned his head to see the dark Alicorn with her hands and horn glowing with a magical aura. The dark alicorn raised her hands sending the beast away from the human. Luna hurried over to the human who was on a knee clutching his arm that was bleeding heavily. “Are you alright?” She asked with worry in her voice. “Yeah, thanks to you.” He said with a smile. Luna’s hands glowed and put them on the humans right arm. “Hold still we will-” Luna was cut off as Isaac pushed her aside and outstretched his arms. Luna looked in horror as the manticore’s tail impaled the man. Isaac let out a cry of pain as the manticore lifted him off the ground and threw him against a nearby tree. Luna’s eyes glowed with rage and magic. She lifted the creature off the ground and sent it flying into a patch of trees. Luna heard the creatures spine snap against the hard wood and hurried over to the injured human. Luna looked at Isaac and realized he had been poisoned and he was loosing a lot of blood. The Alicorn took human in her arms and teleported them to Ponyville hospital. “THIS ONE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION!” She yelled using the Royal Canterlot voice. The doctors and nurses took the human and placed him on a stretcher. “What happened?” The doctor asked as he looked at the Princess. “Manticore attack, he’s been poisoned and is loosing blood.” She said as she walked next to the doctors. The doctor looked at the human who was slowly losing consciousness. “Isaac I know you’re tired right now, but just hold on. What’s your blood type?” The doctor asked as he tried to keep the human awake. Isaac tried to speak but felt the poison taking hold. He slowly motioned to his right pocket. The nurse noticed and took out the black leather wallet. She looked through the paper bills and plastic cards until she came to his blood donor card. She glanced at it and her heart sank. “What is it nurse?” “It’s O positive.” The ponies looked at her in shock and then back at the human who was now unconscious. “Damn it!” He said in frustration. “What is wrong?” Luna asked. “He has a rare blood type and it’s impossible to find a donor in time.” Luna bit her lip and looked at the stallion. “We happen to have a large supply of O positive blood.” She said in a stern voice. “But, your highness-” “I am giving you a direct order doctor! Save him!” She yelled. The ponies looked at one another and gave a gulp. Luna summoned a quill and parchment and scribbled a quick message on it. The mare made it vanish in a brilliant blue flame and turned back to the doctors who had the transfusion equipment ready. “We’re ready ma’am.” The doctor said as the mare was hooked up to the machine and the needle was inserted into her arm. Luna bit her lip at the discomfort. “We’ve neutralized the poison and the wounds have pressure on them, but he won’t last long without the blood.” The doctor said as they rolled the two of them into surgery. Twilight and the others burst into the hospital and ran towards the front desk. “Nurse is there a human here?” Twilight asked as she and her friends caught their breath. “Yes, they just got him and Princess Luna into surgery.” “The Princess was injured?” Twilight said as she let out a gasp. “No. Your friend lost a lot of blood and the Princess has the same blood type so she volunteered to be the donor.” She said as she glanced at her clip board. “How bad are his injuries?” Rainbow asked with tears in her eyes. “His right arm was clawed, he’s poisoned and his chest cavity was punctured by the Manticores tail. We’ve given him an antidote and he’s receiving the transfusion before he goes into surgery.” She said as she looked back at the stunned group of mares. The ponies waited eagerly in the lobby hoping for the best. Celestia herself was there with them waiting to hear the news. The doctor came out wearing a pair of green scrubs with a bit of blood splattered on them. “How are they doctor?” Celestia asked. “Princess Luna is fine, just a little woozy from the transfusion.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. “What about the human?” “The antidote worked and his wounds are all but healed. We’re waiting to see what happens.” He said as he looked back at the Princess. “Princess Luna is awake if you want to see her.” The ponies nodded and followed the doctor to a hospital room where the blue Alicorn was sitting up with an I.V. attached to her arm. Celestia rushed over to her sister and wrapped her in a hug. “Sister we are fine.” Luna said as she rolled her eyes. Celestia hugged her tighter as she smiled. The ponies then noticed the human in the opposite bed hooked up to a series of monitors and machines. The mares ran over to him with worry in their eyes. “I hope he will be alright.” “If the manticore didn’t kill min then the transfusion might.” Celestia said in a low tone. “What?” Twilight asked. “Alicorn blood is extremely unstable and holds old magic. If a normal pony were to receive any it would cause the body extreme amounts of pain. THe body can only take so much.” Celestia said as she looked at her sister. “What was I supposed to do? Let him die? He needed blood and I will protect my subjects, even if they aren’t the same species.” She said in a stern tone. “Luna, there’s something you’re not telling us.” Celestia said as her eyes focused on her sister. “I saw his mind, he’s confused and hurt.” She said in a low tone. “It reminded me of myself before I became Nightmare Moon.” Luna said as she lowered her head. The ponies looked at the sleeping human in surprise. “I wanted to talk to him about it which is why I was looking for him.” “So he’s dangerous?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know. His nightmare was very odd and disturbing. It took me quite a bit of work before we could enter his dream.” å “So that’s what you were doing in the forest.” The mares looked in surprise as they saw the human sit up and look at them. “Two days later and I’m back here again.” He said as he looked around the hospital room. The six friends made their way over to him and gave him a hug. “Easy girls still injured here.” He breathed out. Isaac looked back at the Princess with a stagnant expression on his face. “I don’t like it when other people get inside my head Princess.” “We apologize for the intrusion, but it looked like you needed help.” She said in a low tone. “I appreciate the gesture but-” He felt a wave of pain rip through his body. He grabbed his side and started to shake. The ponies quickly crowded around him. “What the hell was that?” He said as the pain subsided. “Probably the result from the transfusion.” Celestia said as she examined the human. “What transfusion?” He asked in confusion. “You were injured by the manticore and you needed blood.” Isaac noticed the dark Alicorn was adverting her eyes. “YOU?” “Yes, we’re sorry.” She said as she lowered her head. “Why would you say you’re sorry? You saved my ass back there.” He said with a smile. “The pain you just felt is our blood mixing with yours.” “You’re blood is O Positive right?” “Correct.” “Then I don’t see the issue.” He said in confusion. “Alicorn blood is unstable.” Luna said in a low tone. “To ponies. Humans are annoyingly hard to get rid of.” He said with a weak smile. The group was interrupted by the nurse opening the door and poking her head in. “Sorry to disturb you your majesty. I need to examine his injuries.” Nurse Red Heart said as she walked over to the human. Isaac removed his shirt to reveal a massive scar from the manticore’s tail. “Dude, that looks awesome.” Rainbow said as she looked at his chest and tried to hide her bright blush. “Cool.” Isaac said as the nurse looked at his wounds and smiled. “The poison is neutralized and the injury itself is almost healed. We just want to keep you under observation for the night to make sure there aren’t any....side effects.” “You mean from the transfusion?” The mare nodded. “Fine by me.” He said as he shifted his gaze to the two Alicorns. “This may seem a bit off topic but how goes the search for sending me home?” The two sisters hung their heads in defeat. “We’re sorry Isaac. My sister and I searched every inch of the archives but found nothing about trans dimensional spells.” Isaac let out a sigh and looked back at the Princess’s. “Maybe we missed something or-” “It’s fine Princess. You two have a country to run and you can’t spend all your time on me.” He said with a warm smile. “I was actually going to ask if it were possible for me to stay here.” The mares looked at him in surprise. Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister who had the same look of confusion on her face. “We would be honored to have you say.” She said with a warm smile. “Thank you your highness I’m grateful.” He said with a smile. “It’s no trouble. I’m sorry Luna but I must get back to the castle.” She said as she walked out the door. The mares smiled and crowded around the human with looks of confusion and joy on their faces. “So you’re gonna stay?” Rainbow asked. “Looks like you guys are stuck with me.” He said with a chuckle. “So what did you guys do today?” “Dashie told us about how you lasted five minutes in bed and-” She was cut off as Twilight’s horn flared and changed Pinkies mouth into a closed zipper. Isaac felt his face flare up at the memories. The mares looked at him with an uneasy look in their eyes. “Really now?” He said as he face palmed. “Is it true?” Twilight asked. “Is what true?” “That you lasted five minutes?” “I know what you’re thinking, ‘he must suck at sex.’ Keep in mind I was very drunk and I was going through a bit of a dry spell. So I was a little out of practice.” He said with a sigh as The mares looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “That’s probably the shortest I’ve ever gone.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “You mean you’ve gone over eight minutes?” She said in surprise. “Um, yeah. I can usually go for at least thirteen minutes at a time.” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Why?” “The healthy stallion can only go for two and a half minutes before reaching their climax.” Luna interjected. “Seriously?” He said as he looked at the shocked mares. “Unfortunately yes. Some of the stallion’s I’ve been with have climaxed before I’ve even begun to enjoy myself.” Rarity added. The mares looked at her in shock as Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Even ladies have needs every now and then.” She said as she blushed. The group was cut off as the nurse opened the door and walked inside carrying a clip board. “Okay everypony these two need their rest. You can visit them tomorrow.” The mares nodded and began to leave after they each gave Isaac a hug. Rainbow hanged back for a moment and drew the curtain across so Luna couldn’t see. Rainbow sat on the humans bed with an uneasy look in her eye. “Listen...I wanted to thank you for.....ya know.....last night.” She said with a smile. “Dash, I was very drunk. Don’t get me wrong I like you and all, but I still need to think about how this relationship will-” “Relationship? Who said anything about a relationship?” She said in confusion. “I figured since we had sex that you-” The mare burst out in a small giggle fit. “Look pal, I know a one night stand when I see one and I’m totally cool with that.” She said with a smile. “Huh?” “Yeah, I’m not into that whole mushy, gushy couple stuff anyway. I was wondering if you would.....I don’t know....want to do it again?” She asked with a blushing smile. “Let me get this straight. You don’t want to be in a relationship but you still want to have sex?” He said as he scratched his head. “Yup.” Isaac’s mind was going crazy. He let out a gulp and weighed his options. “Um...” He was cut off as the mare pressed her lips against his and moved her tongue inside his mouth. Isaac let out a small moan of pleasure as the taste of raspberries filled his mouth. Rainbow broke the kiss and smiled back at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She said as she zoomed out the door. The force from the mare managed to knock the curtain back into place. Isaac looked over at the blue Princess who had already fallen asleep. He let out a sigh and turned off the light that was on his night stand. Isaac let out a sigh and drifted off to sleep. Chapter 10: Apple Picking and The DoctorChapter 10 Apple Picking and The Doctor. Isaac felt himself in a familiar desert surrounding. “Back here again? What the hell?” The familiar shadow of himself came alive and looked at him with daggers in his eyes. “Okay, now what? You heard Celestia they didn’t find a way to bring me home. So now were stuck here. I say we man up and deal with it.” Isaac said as he rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t give you permission to become fuck buddies with the locals!” The shadow spat out. “So Rainbow likes me, big deal. Like I said, humanity will eventually branch out and-” “Do you honestly believe that?” He said with a scoff. “We’re on another world right now! Care to explain that?” The shadow was about to protest but was cut off as a blue beam pinned him to the floor. Isaac looked up in confusion to see the dark Alicorn Princess flying down to him. “I thought I made it clear that I don’t like other ponies getting inside my head?” He said as he frowned. “We apologize, we wished to speak with you without the other’s hearing.” She said in an apologetic tone. “What is it?” He said as he rolled his eyes. The landscape shifted so two chairs appeared before the two. Isaac took his seat as did the Princess. “It’s about theses dreams. They remind me of myself before I became Nightmare Moon.” She said in a low tone. “Nightmare Moon?” He said in confusion. “One thousand years ago we tried to overthrow our sisters rule. We failed and were banished to the moon for one thousand years.” Luna said as she held her head in shame. “Back up for a second. One thousand years ago? Are you pulling my leg?” “Why would we joke about this?” She said in an irritated tone. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Celestia looks like she’s only thirty-two maybe thirty-five and you look only a few years older than me. I’m guessing twenty-four, twenty-six maybe.” The dark Alicorn felt her cheeks turn red at the compliment. “Y-you think we look youthful?” “Yeah, why?” “No pony has ever given us such a compliment before.” Luna said as she cleared her throat. “However, we are still as old as we claim.” “You’re not joking are you?” Isaac said as he raised his eyebrows. “I’m so sorry I didn’t think that you could be that old.” “We are still far younger than Celestia.” She said with a smile. “Why did you try to overthrow your sister?” Isaac asked in an uneasy tone. Luna let out a sigh and looked the human in the eyes. “We were envious of our sister and how our subjects reacted to her day, while they slept through our night.” She said in a low tone. “The ponies showed no appreciation for our hard work while our sister was praised.” She let out a sigh and calmed herself down. “We grew frustrated and angry, eventually all of that emotion was too much to bare and we lost control.” “So she sent you to the moon....for a thousand years?” “She was given no choice. Nightmare Moon had all of our strength and my sister was forced to use the Elements of Harmony to stop us.” “The Elements of what?” “Ancient artifacts that hold the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, you’ve met the users.” She said as she waved her hand and an image the six mares appeared before them. “Twilight and the others?” Luna nodded. “Still, sending your own sister to the moon for one thousand years is a bit extreme and how did you get out?” “Three years ago, during the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon escaped and returned to Equestria. Luckily, Twilight and her friends stopped us from doing any real damage. Nightmare Moon was defeated and we were free from her influence.” “So you’re better now right?” “We still feel guilty about what we’ve done and will carry that with us for as long as we live. Even our subjects are scared of us.” She said as a small tear formed in her eye. Isaac looked at the mare and pitied her. “Trust me I’ve done things I’m not proud of either. If it’s any consolation, I’m not scared of you.” Luna looked at the human in surprise. “ Truth be told I always preferred the night to the day.” He said as he leaned back. “W-why?” Luna asked in confusion. “I always liked the night sky. I could look upon it freely, when I tried it during the day I’d always be blinded by the sun.” He said with a smile. “Th-thank you.” The mare said as she blushed. “You’re welcome and here’s some advice. If you live too long in the past then you’ll miss your future.” He said as the landscape started to change. The ground shifted from sand to concrete and large buildings rose from the earth. Isaac got to his feet as the Alicorn mare looked in amazement at the passing people and cars buzzing through the street. “Welcome to my world.” The Princess looked at the human with wonder as he made his way through the street with the Alicorn following close behind. “What is this place?” The two stopped in front of an old apartment building that was connected to a bar. The building was wedged between two other buildings and a dark alley on either side. “My childhood home.” Isaac said as he stepped inside. The Alicorn followed him, as she entered the door one of the human images phased through her body. Luna felt a shiver run down her spine as the image left her body. “We’re the ghost’s in here.” “What is this? It doesn’t feel like a dream.” “It’s a memory.” Isaac said as they walked up the stairs and made his way into a room where a man and a woman were sitting on the couch. The apartment was average size with a kitchen, the adults sat in front of a small flickering box where a man sitting behind a desk was talking about the weather. Isaac side stepped them and entered a smaller room that had a twin sized bed against the far wall. On the bed was a small human in a dark red hoodie holding a book in his hands and the dark red hood over his head. “That’s me at eight years old. No friends, I kept to myself and my books were my only company.” He said as he sat down on the bed next to himself. The adult man snapped his fingers and the scene collapsed back to the desert. “Why did you show us that?” She said as tears started to form in her eyes. “I know what it’s like to feel alone and unwanted. In a way, you’re like me, someone who feels like that one piece in the puzzle that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere.” He said in a low tone. Luna looked in shock as the realization hit her. A small ripple went through the land scape. “Times up.” He said as he raised his fingers in a snap position. “We appreciate you allowing us to see this. Would though like to do this again?” She asked in a nervous tone. “Sure, why not. See ya then.” The human snapped his fingers and the image collapsed. Isaac woke up and noticed that the blue Alicorn mare that was sleeping in the hospital bed was gone. Isaac stretched his arms and let out a yawn. The door opened to reveal a smiling white mare. “Morning Isaac.” She said with a smile. “Morning, what happened to the Princess?” “She left an hour ago on royal Canterlot business.” Isaac gave a nod and quickly got to his feet. “Am I free to go?” He asked as he cracked his back. “Yes, you have somepony waiting for you downstairs.” She said with a smile. Isaac looked at her in confusion and made his way through the hospital. As he reached the lobby he saw the friendly orange mare waiting for him with a smile on her face. Isaac thanked the nurse and walked out of the building with Applejack by his side. “How do ya fee partner?” “Better. A little weird but it’ll pass.” He said with a smile. “Where’s everyone else?” “Twilight got some new project from the Princess to work on, Rarity is filling out at least a dozen dress orders. Rainbow is covering for three Pegasi sick with the feather flu, Fluttershy is taking care of a sick bear and Pinkie Pie is watching the shop while the Cakes are visiting family in Fillydelphia. So you’re stuck with me.” She said with a smug grin. “Aren’t I lucky?” He said in a teasing tone. AJ slugged him in the arm and chuckled. “Geez! I just got out of the hospital.” “Ah know. You up for working the farm today? Ah could use the help.” “Sure. I don’t mind.” He said as the two made their way to the farm. As Isaac and the orange mare made their way through town Isaac was catching glances from mares who were looking him over and smiling. “AJ, mind if we stop at Sugar Cube Corner real quick?” “Sure ah guess. Why?” “I just need to ask Pinkie something.” He said as the two made their way inside the sweet shop. Isaac noticed that a few mares looked at him as he entered. Pinkie was behind the counter with a smile on her face. The two walked up to the counter and had a seat. “Hey Pinkie.” “Hey! How are you feeling?” “Better. A bit odd, but that’s expected after a transfusion.” He said as he looked at the menu. “That’s good. What can I get you?” “I’ll have an egg and a quick cup of coffee.” He said with a smile. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she walked back into the kitchen. Isaac tilted the spoon next to him and looked in the reflection to see a group of mares pointing at him and whispering to one another. “Here ya go!” Pinkie said as she handed him the food on a plate. “Thanks Pinkie.” Isaac finished his food quickly and noticed that another group of mares were making the same gesture’s as the others were. He glanced over at AJ who was giving them a stare that could kill a dragon. The pink mare returned to the two with the check in hand. “That’ll be eight bits.” Isaac handed her the bits and motioned for her and AJ to come closer in a huddle. “Hey Pinks. Did you tell anyone about the conversation we had yesterday?” “What conversation?” She asked in confusion. “The one about my....’endurance.’” He said as he blushed and made quotation marks with his fingers. “You’re....OH! I told no pony about that.” “You’re sure?” “I Pinkie Promised. I NEVER break a Pinkie Promise!” She said in a proud tone. “Why are ya asking that sugar cube?” AJ asked as she raised an eyebrow. “See those group of mares over in the booth?” He said as he motioned with his head. The mares looked over at them to see them whispering to one another. “They’ve been eyeing me since I walked in, same goes from when we were on our way over here.” He said as he looked at the two mares. “Ah’d never tell anypony something that personal.” AJ said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. I don’t think Twilight would either and Fluttershy would be too embarrassed to talk to someone about that.” He said as he scratched his chin. “So that leaves Rarity and Rainbow.” “Rarity does like to gossip about juicy stories.” Pinkie added. Isaac let out a sigh and got to his feet. “I’ll figure it out later. Right now I just want to get out of here.” “Ah here ya. Let’s scram.” AJ said as the two hastily made their way out the door. Isaac threw his hood up and kept a low profile as the farmer led him towards the orchard. Isaac had just noticed that Applejack was wearing a pair of blue denim shorts that stopped at her mid thigh, brown cowboy boots, a brown and white checkered shirt that exposed most of her well toned stomach and finally her signature Stenson hat. Isaac noticed the mare was walking a bit differently than before. She was swaying her hips from side to side in an almost seductive manner. Isaac dismissed the thought as the two reached the farm. Isaac noticed that some of the apples were grey. “What’s up with those apples? They seem different.” “Those are Zap apples. They grow once a year and it’s not their time to be picked yet.” She said as they walked towards the barn. The two gathered a few barrels and started to pick the ripe red fruit. As they started to pick the apples Isaac noticed that the mare was looking at him with a bright blush on her face. “Dang it!” Isaac looked over to see that AJ had dropped a barrel of apples, spilling them on the ground. “Sorry, ah lost my grip.” “It’s fine I got it.” Isaac bent down and stated to pick up the fruit. “Hey Isaac.” The human, still bent over turned around just in time for his face to hit something soft yet firm. He pulled back to see that the farmer had bent over and her ass was sticking out. Isaac felt his face flare up in embarrassment as the mare looked at him in confusion. “S-sorry about that AJ I-” He was cut off as the mare pushed him up against the tree and bore holes through him with her deep green eyes. The mare had a sly smile on her face and pressed her body up against the human’s. “I’m done beating around the bush.” She said in a slow and sultry tone. “Come again?” He said in confusion as he felt the mares breasts press up against his chest and her waist pressed against his. “Ah need a good rut and yer gonna give me one.” She said in a commanding tone. Well, this is escalating quickly. He gulped as the mare rand her hand over his chest “Um..I-” He was cut off as he felt the mare’s hand rub against his clothed erect member. “I guess I got my answer.” She said as she drew her face close to his. Isaac felt the mares warm breath on his lips and could feel her legs shifting. “Ah could lose control if ya waned me to. Let ya fuck me in the dirt right here, right now.” Isaac had just noticed that the two top buttons on her shirt were open revealing her orange ample breasts. The mare’s face drew closer to that their noses were touching. “But, it’s almost lunch time and we need to finish up gathering these apples.” She said as she backed away from the human. Isaac’s face was bright red and stricken with confusion. Applejack buttoned her top and walked back to the farm house with a barrel of apples in her hands while whistling a tune. Isaac gulped and snapped out of the trance as Applejack left his view. What’s with these mares? He thought as he picked up the apples and made his way back to the farm house. As he dropped them off in front of the barn he took a moment to look at the orchard with the sun shinning high above. Isaac felt something wrap around his feet and pull him into the barn. He looked down to see that he’d been lassoed. He felt his body hit a pile of what felt like hay. Isaac looked up to see Applejack removing her red ribbon she used to keep her hair tied and let the golden locks of hair drop to her shoulders. She then started to slowly unbutton flannel shirt. “Like what ya see?” She asked in a seductive tone. Isaac nodded slowly as the mare slipped off her pants revealing her toned thighs. “Yer gonna have to work long and hard today partner.” She said as she untied the rope that was holding him. The mare grabbed the humans shirt and ripped it off his well toned body. “Y-yes ma’am.” He said as the mare removed his pants and crawled on top of him. Isaac pressed his lips against hers as she let out a moan. The human snaked his hand down to her waist and started to caress her already soaked slit. Applejack let out a cry of ecstasy as the human continued the motion. Isaac saw an opportunity and rolled over so that the mare was on her back. Isaac removed his fingers and started to massage the mares right bosom, while Isaac started to make tiny circles on her left with his tongue. The orange mare started to moan heavily as he started to suck on the mares pink nipple. “Sweet Celestia.” She said as she felt the sharpened canines starting to lightly nibble at her tit. Isaac removed his mouth and stuck out his tongue against her body as he started to move lower, creating a small trail of wet fur leading from her breast to her wanting slit. His eyes widened as he saw the mares dripping sex before him. Isaac leaned his head in and started to lick the soaked surface. Applejack’s breathing quickened as the human slid his tongue inside her and started to wiggle it around inside her slit. “Ah can’t take much more of this.” She said as she began to massage her own breast. As Isaac backed off the mare got on her hands and knees, Applejack let out a sigh as she turned around and faced the wall of the barn. “Please.....I need it inside me now!” She said as she tried to control herself. Isaac smirked and put a hand on either side of the mares thighs and slowly inserted his fully erect member into her cunt. The mare let out a cry of passion as the human slowly started to move in and out of the farmer. After a good ten minutes of the motion the farmer was reaching her climax. “I’m.....I’m....I’m coming!” Applejack had hit her peak and felt her pussy clamp around the large rod and her juices slide out onto his shaft. Isaac felt the mare’s walls start to relax and quickened his pace. “How.......can you.....keep.....going?” She said in between the thrusts. “Human......endurance.” He answered as AJ flipped him onto his back and slid herself off the man. She turned around so that her ass was resting on his chest. “Ready for a ride?” She said in a lust filled voice. Isaac felt the mare’s folds envelope his member once more and began to slide up and down. As he tenderly groped her muscular ass Isaac noticed that the pony’s Cutie Mark was also on her thighs. He lightly smacked the mark with his palm causing her to stop for a moment. “Did I hit you too hard?” He asked in a worried tone. “Ya didn’t hit hard enough.” She said as she licked her lips. Isaac complied and put a little more force behind his next slap making the mare cry out in passion. Isaac felt a massive pressure building in his loins. “AJ I’m gonna-” “Me too!” Isaac gave one last thrust as he felt the mares slit clamp around him once again. Applejack let out a loud moan as she felt the humans juices shoot up into her. The two felt their muscles contract and each let out a cry of passion. Applejack slid her self off the human and laid her head on his chest. “That....was.....the best.....ah ever had.” She said through the panting. “That.....was........amazing.” He said as he kissed her forehead. “Listen, Rainbow told me about your agreement.” Isaac face grew red at the conversation they had the night before. “Ah want in.” She said in a calm tone. “Really?” Isaac said in confusion. “Isn’t that like illegal?” “Who told ya that?” She said as she cocked her head to the side. “Polygamy is illegal where I’m from.” He said as he threw his shirt back on. Applejack let out a burst of laughter. “That ain’t how things work here darling. It’s very common for a stallion to see more than one mare. Considering the ratio and all. Plus, how can I give up something like you?” She said as she kissed his cheek. Isaac smiled and threw his pant’s back onto him. The mare grabbed his arm and looked at him with a pleading look in her eye. “Why don’t you stay a while?” “Little AJ wanna snuggle?” He asked in a teasing tone. Applejack had a wide grin on her face and nodded. “Okay, let’s just get dressed first. I wouldn’t want to be caught by Big-” He was cut off as Applejack’s face turned pale and her eyes shrank to the size of pin tips. Isaac felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He let out a sigh and looked at the orange mare. “He’s standing right behind me isn’t he?” “Eeyup.” A familiar deep and spite filled voice said. As Isaac turned around to see the large red stallion with a look that could make a rhino shit bricks. The large stallion cracked his knuckles and swung at the human. Isaac side stepped the blow and jumped back from the stallion. Big Mac grabbed a nearby shovel and charged at Isaac with rage in his eyes. The pony felt himself fall as he felt a rope tie around his feet. Isaac looked back to see Applejack struggling to hold the other end of the lasso she had used to wrangle him into the barn earlier. Isaac brushed himself off and looked at the mare with a smile. “GO! This won’t hold him for long!” “Now for my next impression, Jessie Owens!” He said as he ran out of the barn at full speed. As he cleared the first row of trees he heard a rope snap and looked back to see the enraged stallion exit the barn. Isaac quickened his pace and vaulted over the fence to the orchard. He didn’t dare look back at the stallion. Isaac put all his strength into his legs as he got to the park. The human looked back to see a shrinking red dot. Isaac then hit something solid causing him to fall on his back. He looked ahead to see a blue police box appear before him. “What the hell? What is this 1963?” He looked back to see the red dot approaching him at a fast rate. Isaac quickly got to his feet and banged on the door to the box. He pulled the handle to find it open and he quickly hid inside. “Thank god.” He said as he closed the door and sat down. As he caught his breath he noticed that the inside was bigger than the lobby in the library. He peered out the window to see Big Mac run past the box and down the road. Isaac looked at the interior and approached the center console that had all sorts of bells, whistles and buttons attached to it. The man then noticed a couch and happily laid on it. He let out a sigh as he felt the adrenaline wear off and his body tire out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across Ponyville Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting in the Golden Oaks Library for some afternoon tea when an exhausted orange mare burst through the door. “Have y’all......seen.....Isaac.....around.....here?” She asked as she tried to catch her breath. “No, why?” Twilight said as she walked over to her friend. “I just wanna find him before Mac kills him.” “Why would Big Macintosh wan to kill Isaac?” Rarity said with a laugh. AJ’s face lit up as the memories of the human came rushing back. “Um.....Ya see....” She was cut off as Rainbow flew into the room with a smug grin on her face. “AJ got a little frisky with our human friend.” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. Applejack bit her lip and her blush intensified. The mares looked at the farmer in shock while Rainbow looked at her friend with a smirk. “So....how was it?” “It was.......um....Oh to hell with it, it was spectacular.” She said as she sat down on the couch. “Was he telling the truth, did he last ten minutes?” Rarity asked. “No.” “I knew he was lying!” Rainbow yelled. “Let me finish, he lasted for twenty.” She said in a satisfied tone. The mares jaws dropped. “You’re lying!” “I’m not!” The farmer stammered Rarity matched her eyes with the orange mare and took a moment to examine her gaze. “She’s....telling the truth.” Rarity said in amazement. “Oh....my.” Fluttershy said as she blushed. “So how was it?” Twilight asked. “It was wonderful. Like seeing the first apple of the season fall from the tree......and then Mac showed up.” The mare’s let out a collective gasp. Rainbow was on the ground in a fit of laughter. “Mac walked in on you guys while you were-” “No, he didn’t see that, but he put the pieces together.” She said as she let out a sigh. The ponies were interrupted by a familiar grey Pegasus mare walking into the library with a tall tan earth pony stallion wearing a brown suit and a bow tie. “Howdy Ditzy.” “Hey guys. Have you seen Isaac?” “No, we were just gonna go look for him. Why?” Rainbow interjected. “I have someone he needs to meet.” “Hello, I’m the Doctor.” The tan stallion said with a smile. “Doctor who?” Twilight asked. “Just the Doctor and I understand that there’s a human living here?” “Yeah why?” “He’s an expert on humans.” Ditzy added. The stallion sat down in a nearby chair and smiled. “Really? You’ve met humans before?” Twilight said in excitement. “Yes, such an interesting race they are.” “What can you tell us about them?” “What do you want to know?” “Everything.” The Doctor looked at the mare in surprise and got to his feet. “Be careful around them.” “Why? Isaac is cool.” Rainbow said with a grin. “Still, humans are chaotic by nature and can become extremely hard to handle when they’re enraged.” He said with a sigh. “They can be very persistent.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “No matter how far or how ever far they fall they will never give up. They can fall from heights that would seem impossible and then rise higher then ever before. Figuratively speaking that is.” “They’re that strong?” Applejack asked. “You have no idea. If anything they’re resourceful. Making things you can’t even begin to imagine. It’s their greatest strength and greatest curse.” “Tell me how all of this started.” Twilight said as she leaned her head in. “Alright, let’s start at the- OUCH!” He said as he reached inside his breast pocket and withdrew a small glowing key. “Oh, that’s not good.” “What’s wrong Doctor?” Ditzy asked. “Something’s gotten into the TARDIS.” He said as he pulled out a metallic rod with a green tip and pointed it at the key. “Luckily, I have remote control. You all might want to stand back.” The mares got to their feet and stepped to the far side of the room. An odd noise filled the library as an outline of a blue box started to appear in the center of the room. The box stopped flashing and the stallion withdrew the key and inserted it into the key hole. As he opened the door the ponies looked in shock at the massive interior. The stallion rushed in to see and unconscious human laying on the ground. The stallion rushed to his side and withdrew the metal rod. The green light flashed as he waved it over the human. Isaac’s eyes snapped open and instantly got in a sitting position. “Are you alright?” The Doctor asked as he looked at the human in confusion. “I guess. Where am I? Who are you?” “You can call me the Doctor and you’re inside the TARDIS. Speaking of which, how did you get in here?” He asked as the human stood up. “I opened the door.” “But I locked and cloaked it.” “Right I ran into it while trying to run away from somepony. I decided to lay low for a while.” He said as he looked around the room. “It’s bigger on the inside.” “I love it when they say that.” The doctor muttered to himself. The stallion immediately pulled out an odd machine and scanned the human. “What’s that?” “This is my timey-whimey detector. It goes ding when there’s stuff.” He said as he scanned the human. Isaac looked at him in confusion. Suddenly a small green light appeared on the screen. “Oh brilliant! Do you know what you are?” “Human.” “Yes, but you’re something more! You’re a Prime!” He said as he giggled. “A what?” “An original DNA strand. A fusion of DNA unlike I have ever seen!” He said as he pulled out the wand again. “Is that some type of probe?” Twilight asked. “Looks more like a screwdriver to me.” Isaac said. “Finally, someone gets it right!” The doctor said as he scanned the human. “Looks like a bit of Human and Pony.” He said as he took a step back. “So you’re a pony?” Isaac asked. He pointed the wand at the console and a hologram of a tall man wearing a suit appeared before them. “That’s what I used to look like.” “You look human.” Isaac said in amazement. “No, you look Time Lord. We came first.” He said with a smile. “So what now? Ditzy said you could supposedly take me home.” “Sorry, I can’t.” “Why?” “You’re a fixed point in time. Nothing can interfere with it, not even me.” He said in a low tone. “If I try to bring you home then, not only will you become an anomaly in your world, but we could make a hole in time and space the exact size of.....Belgium.” Isaac’s face turned pale. “Okay then. Wouldn’t want that now would we.” The Doctor started to look over the console holding the implement. “Well, get over here. You broke my machine, it’s only fair that you help me fix it.” The doctor said with a grin. “Um ladies, if you’d be so kind as to give us some privacy.” The Stallion said as he looked at the mares. “Why?” “Were about to start some serious science and I don’t want to run the risk of blowing you all up.” He said as Isaac walked up next to him. The mares gulped and made their way out of the TARDIS. Isaac looked at the stallion in confusion. “You do realize that I have no idea how to fix this thing right?” “I figured as much, I just need you to go around and scan the systems with this.” He said as he handed Isaac a small silver rod with a blue light at the end. “Just start over there and tell me if something happens.” He said as Isaac took the implement. The human pressed the button and the end started to glow. “So tell me Isaac, how did you get here anyway?” “Honestly I have no idea. One moment I’m falling off a cliff and the next I land in Twilight’s library.” He said with a shrug. “You probably hit a rift.” “A what?” “A small rift in time and space. They pop up every now and again. Send’s things all over the place. Never seen a human go through one before.” He said as he pressed a few buttons. “What did you mean before when you said I was a fixed point in time?” “You’re here for a purpose. I don’t know what, but it must be important.” He said as he crossed a few wires. The room dimmed and them flickered back to life. “There we go!” He said with a smile. “So you’re a traveler then?” “Yep, been all around time and space.” He said with a grin. “One last thing. You said you locked this thing. If that’s true then how did I open it?” The Doctor looked at Isaac in confusion as he scratched his chin. “I don’t know. The TARDIS wanted you to come inside. You were meant to find me and this world.” He said as he bit his lip. “So destiny?” “I suppose.” The stallion said with a shrug. “Sorry, but this is where I take my leave. Nice meeting you Isaac.” He said as he offered him the implement. “Keep it. You never know when you might need it.” The stallion said with a smile. Isaac looked at him in confusions. “Think of it as a late birthday present.” Isaac looked at him in shock. “How did you-” “Spoilers.” He said with a smile. Isaac nodded and slipped the small tool into his pocket as made his way to the exit of the machine. He opened the door to see the other mares sitting down on the couch. Their heads perked up as the human exited the machine. “Hello.” He said with a smile. “How are you feeling?” Twilight asked. “Can’t complain.” The group looked behind them to see the blue box making an odd noise as beginning to fade. After it had disappeared from the library. Isaac sat down on the couch with a quizzical look on his face. “Whats wrong?” Rainbow asked. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.” As he finished his statement the door opened to reveal a familiar red stallion. “Oh right now I remember.” “Found ya!” He said as he walked into the library. Rainbow and Applejack got up and blocked the stallions advance. “Mac, calm down. Let me explain something to ya-” She was cut off as the human walked in front of them. “Ladies it’s okay.” Isaac turned to face the red stallion. “Mac you have every right to be mad at me. So as conciliation you can hit me.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “Once in the face, so make it a good one.” The human put his hands over his groin and closed his eyes. “Dash, AJ don’t interfere. This is my choice.” The stallion cracked his knuckles and brought back his right arm. Isaac felt the solid fist connect with his face, the human staggered backwards and prevented himself from falling. Isaac grasped his face in pain. “Good hit Mac. Good hit.” “Ah’m surprised you let me do that.” “It’s a custom where I’m from and it hasn’t been the first time someones done that to me.” He said as he looked at the stallion. “We cool?” “Just a warning, hurt mah sister and I’ll snap ya like a twig.” “Noted.” He said as the stallion let out a huff and walked out of the library. Isaac rubbed his face. Applejack walked over to him and gave him a weak smile. “Ah’m mighty sorry about that.” “It’s fine.” He said with a smile. “So what did you and the Doctor talk about?” Twilight asked. “Oh, human stuff.” He said with a shrug. “By the way Dash, did you tell anyone about my ‘stamina?’” He asked as he looked at the cyan mare. “Maybe.” She said with a smirk. “Damn it Dash. Fighting off Aloe and Lotus was hard enough. Now I gotta deal with a whole town of mares?” He said in an irritated tone. “Jeez I didn’t know being liked by every mare in Ponyville would be a problem for you.” She said with a shrug. “Relax, I know how to handle this. I just need to lay low for a few days and this whole thing will blow over.” He said as he let out a sigh. “I still can’t believe you and AJ-” Twilight began to say. “For the record, she lassoed me into the barn!” He said as he glared at the lavender mare. “I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but she came onto me. Same with Rainbow, she got me while I was drunk.” Twilight looked at her friends in confusion. The two mares started to blush and adverted their eyes from her. “I’m just asking for a little consideration. I’m not some toy to be used at your convenience.” He said in an aggravated tone. “You okay Isaac? You seem kinda....stressed.” Twilight said as she looked at the human. “I’m fine. I just need to relax for a bit.” He said as he started to make his way upstairs. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Rainbow and Applejack get to their feet. “Alone.” Isaac said as he looked at the two mares who had a disappointed looks on their faces. The human shook his head and walked into his room. He saw a small note placed on the nightstand. Isaac, Have sex in this bed again and I’ll turn you into a sheep. ~Twilight. Isaac crumpled up the note and threw it in the waste pan. He laid on the bed and let out a sigh as he drifted off to sleep. Chapter 11: OutcastChapter 11 Outcast The human found himself in a familiar forest resting by a pool of crystal blue water. He got to his feet and saw something shinning behind the waterfall. Isaac pulled his hood over his head and made his way through the pond. He passed through the cascading water to find a dark cave. As he took a step inside the walls were lined with lit torches. He took one from the wall and made his way through the cave to find a shinning bright ball sitting on a pedestal. The human cautiously made his way to the shinning sphere. Isaac examined the ball with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell is this thing?” He said aloud. Isaac picked up the sphere in his right hand and felt it sink beneath his skin. He started to yell in agony as the sphere moved up his arm and into his chest cavity. Isaac felt blood fill his mouth as he collapsed on the ground. His body was shaking as some unknown force coursed through his body. He felt his muscles beginning to tear and his insides beginning to liquify. Suddenly the pain was gone and he felt a euphoria take hold of him. He felt the dream collapse as he heard someone call out his name. Isaac woke up in a cold sweat with his heart beating like a drum. He looked to his right to see Twilight looking at him with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay? I heard you screaming.” “Nothing, just a bad dream.” He said as he sat up. “That didn’t sound like a normal dream.” “I don’t know what qualifies as normal anymore.” Isaac cracked his back and rubbed his left shoulder. “So what’s up?” “I just wanted to come and apologize.” Twilight said as she sat down on the bed. “For what? The note?” “What note?” Isaac walked over to the trash can and pulled out the crumpled note. “Oh that.” She said in a low tone. “While I don’t mind you staying here. I don’t appreciate you having sex with two of my best friends, especially in my house.” She said as her eyes narrowed. “Like I said, Rainbow surprised me while I was drunk and Applejack didn’t give me much room to escape the situation.” He said with a sigh. “However, I do see your point. I’ll start looking for a place of my own.” Twilight looked at him in surprise. “I’m not trying to chase you out the door or anything. I’m just looking out for my friends.” “I understand. Frankly I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole ‘open relationship’ thing. Honestly, I have never been put in a position like this before and the attention I’m getting from the mares in this town isn’t making it any easier.” He said with a sigh. “I can see how that would be frustrating. How do relationships in your world work anyway?” “Most of the time they’re monogamous.” He said as he sat down on the bed next to the mare. “Really?” “Yeah, considering the ratio is almost even where I come from and polygamy is frowned upon in most areas of the world.” “What happens to those who are polygamous?” She asked as she tilted her head. “Nothing too bad. Mostly looked down on to those who don’t practice it. I just don’t care. Who am I to judge their lives?” “What if someone cheats on their wife or husband?” She asked. “Depends. Most of the time divorce follows afterwards, sometimes they talk out their problems and stay together.” He bit his lip at the next part. “Sometimes the cheated kills the cheater.” Twilight looked at the human in shock. “It’s unfortunate but it happens.” “What happened to the killer?” “That is left up to the courts. Most of the time it’s a prison sentence and some of them get away with it.” “What?” “No court system is perfect.” He said with a shrug. “What else can you tell me about your people?” She asked as she leaned her head in. “If I’m going to talk about humans then I think we should get Lyra over here. No doubt she’d be interested.” “Good idea.” Isaac pulled out his phone and selected the contact. Hello? “Hey Lyra it’s Isaac.” What’s up? “I’m going to teach Twilight about human culture. Thought you might be interested.” YES! What time? “Um....How about twelve o’clock at the library?” Perfect! I am so there! “Great see you then.” He said as he hung up the phone. “Get that Twilight?” “Yep.” She said with a smile. “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go get something.” The human said as he made his way towards the door. “What are you getting?” “Just something I left behind.” Isaac said with a grin. The man put on his jet black shirt and made his way out the door. The human moved through the town keeping an eye out for a cyan Pegasus and an orange Earth pony. As he reached the edge of the forest he saw a familiar yellow Pegasus mare. She was wearing a white dress that cut off at her knees and a brown sleeveless top. Isaac made his way over to her with a smile on her face. “Hello Isaac, what brings you here?” “I’m going into the forest. You?” The mare looked at him in surprise. “Th-the forest? It’s dangerous in there.” “I know but I forgot something and I aim to get it back.” He said as he started to walk into the forest. “Wait. I’ll go with you.” She said in a timid voice. Isaac looked at the mare in confusion. “You sure? I don’t want to take up any of your time.” “Oh it’s alright. I need to go in there anyway to get some plants.” She said with a smile. The two made their way into the forest and walked down the dirt path. Even though Isaac had been in there before the place felt different. As they made their way through a bush rustled causing the mare to grab Isaac’s arm as she let out a small yelp. The human looked at the bush and saw a small squirrel come out. The human chuckled as he looked bak at the mare who had a bright blush on her face. She immediately let go and gulped. “S-sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said with a smile. The two came to the clearing. Fluttershy let out a gasp at the sight of the dead manticore. Isaac approached the beast and looked over it’s body. “Ah ha! There you are.” He said as he saw the knife sticking out of the manticores jaw. Isaac wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled the knife from the manticores body. Isaac looked over the blade and wiped the blood on the grass next to him. He turned back around to see Fluttershy with tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” “Y-you killed the manticore?” “No, I only stabbed it. That’s when Luna came along and threw it against the tree.” Fluttershy wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and let out a sigh. “If she didn’t then it was going to kill me.” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “It’s alright. I understand.” She said with a sigh. As Isaac got to his feet he heard an odd noise. He turned his head towards the waterfall. As he looked at it time seemed to stop and the area became quiet. He then felt a hand on his shoulder snapping him out of the trance. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah. I just spaced out for a second.” He said with a weak grin. The mare nodded and made her way back to the cottage. Isaac looked at the waterfall one last time and caught up to the mare. The two made their way down the path. As they made their way through the forest Isaac noticed that the yellow mare was staring at him. “What’s up?” “N-nothing.” She said in a timid tone. “C’mon Fluttershy I know that something’s bugging you. What is it?” “I was just wondering.......how man animals have you killed?” Isaac gulped at the question. “Well...Quite a few fish, two deer and-....never mind.” He said in a low tone. “What?” Isaac took a deep breath and looked back at the mare. “I.....I had to kill a dog in self defense once.” Fluttershy looked at him in horror. “Wh-what?” “The dog was infected with rabies and he was going to kill me.” He said as he hung his head low. “He was bitten by a raccoon, that’s how he got it. I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. Haven’t had a dog since then.” Fluttershy’s eyes shrank as she connected the dots in her head. “Y-you mean that Scout was...” Isaac gave her a reluctant nod. “Yeah.” Fluttershy wrapped him in a tight hug. Isaac blushed and returned the gesture. Get down! The voice blazed in his mind Isaac grabbed Fluttershy and ducked just in time to avoid a wooden wolf from bitting them. Isaac pulled out his knife and got in a defensive position. “What the hell is that thing?” “A Timber wolf!” She yelled. Seriously? He thought. “Fluttershy go, I can-” He was cut off as the mare stepped in front of the human. The wolf growled at the two creatures. Fluttershy frowned and took a step forward. “How dare you scare us like that!” She yelled. The wolf tried to move, but found itself become paralyzed by the mares gaze. “I have half a mind to find your mother and tell her what you’ve been up to.” The human looked in amazement as the large wolf started to whimper and lower it’s head. “Oh it’s okay. Run along now.” The mare said with a warm smile. The wolf then ran back into the brush. Fluttershy looked at Isaac who’s mouth was agate. “How did you do that?” “I can talk to animals. It’s my special talent.” She said with a smile. “Good thing too. That thing would have probably killed me.” He said as they continued on their way. As they walked through the forest another bush moved causing the yellow mare to grab the humans arm again in fright. Isaac looked down and saw that the mare’s large breasts had enveloped his arm. Isaac felt his face blush and cleared his throat. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and staggered for a moment. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, I just need to rest for a minute.” He said as he sat down against a nearby tree. Fluttershy knelt next to him with a worried look on her face. “Mind if I ask you something?” “S-sure.” “How did you stop that Timber Wolf from tearing me apart?” He asked as he took a deep breath. “I used my ‘stare’ on him.” “The what?” “It’s um...a little trick I can do. It makes the animal I’m looking at freeze up and do what ever I say.” She said in a low tone. “That must come in handy.” “Well, I can’t control it. It just happens.” She said as she lowered her head. “It’s still surprising and I’m a bit relieved.” “Why?” “Just imagine if that gift got into the wrong hands. It’s reassuring that a nice pony like you has it.” Fluttershy’s face turned bright red at the humans words. “Thank you.” She said as she gulped. Isaac got to his feet and the two continued down the path way with Fluttershy following close behind. The two found themselves back in front of Fluttershy’s cabin as noon approached. Isaac stopped in front of the cottage with the yellow mare. “Thanks for coming with me Fluttershy. I’m not too sure how things would have turned out with that wolf if you hadn’t come with me.” He said with a smile. “N-no problem.” She then heard her stomach growl. “S-sorry, it must be getting close to lunch time.” “Yeah it is. Hey listen I’m gonna give Twilight and Lyra a lesson on humans at the library. You want in?” the mare smiled and gave him a nod. Isaac smiled and made his way back to the library with the yellow mare following close behind. As they walked back Isaac noticed that the mare was looking at him with a bright blush on her face. Isaac opened the door to the library to see Lyra, Twilight, Vinyl and the other four mares waiting for them on the couch. “Oh good you’re back.” Twilight said as she grabbed a notebook and quill. “I was going to ask if you minded Fluttershy joining in, but I guess we’re past that point.” He said as he sat down. “When did you get back Vinyl?” “Just got in this morning.” The mare said as she sipped an energy drink. Isaac nodded and then turned his attention to the group. “So what do you want to know?” “Everything.” Lyra answered. “Well, that sure narrows things down.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Let me just get my thoughts together.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Okay, granted I don’t know everything about humanity but I’ll give it a shot.” He got to his feet and cracked his back. “Are we sitting comfortably?” The mares shifted slightly in their seats and nodded. Isaac started his lesson with a brief explanation of dinosaurs and the cave men. Fluttershy raised a hand. “Yes?” “What did they look like?” She asked in a timid tone. “Massive lizard like creatures. Hang on I think I have a video of them.” He said as he pulled out his P-Pod. He scrolled through the menu and selected his movie folder. “We depicted them as this.” He said as he handed her the device. Fluttershy gave a yelp in fright as she saw the T-Rex. “Why don’t you just put it on projector mode?’ Vinyl asked. “Projector mode?” Vinyl took the device and pointed it at the far wall. An image shined against the wall showing the massive dinosaur. “Man, wish I knew about that earlier.” Isaac continued to ramble on about the massive creatures. “What happened to them?” Twilight asked. “Wiped out by a comet that blocked out the sun in a cloud of dust and ash. Causing them to become extinct. I’m fuzzy on the details but that’s what scientists say.” He said with a shrug. “So how did your people get started?” Twilight asked. “That is still up for debate. There are theories that an all powerful being created us or that we evolved from apes.” The mares looked at him in confusion. “There’s scientific proof that humanity shares DNA with monkeys, but a lot of people don’t believe that.” He said with a sigh. “Honestly I don’t care and the debate itself is getting tiresome.” “Why? What’s wrong about having different points of view?” Lyra asked. “Nothing at all, but humanity has had enough bloodshed over this argument.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Countless wars have been fought over this topic and it’s getting old.” “Wars?” Lyra asked. “Yeah, religion although it inspires hope, it’s also a cause of great violence and despair.” “I’m not following.” “Lets say that you like ice cream while Twilight prefers cake. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you insist that Twilight is wrong and you’re constantly trying to change her mind.” He said with a sigh. “Eventually Twilight gets angry enough and tells you off. You become angry with her and you stop being friends. Soon, the rest of the cake eaters ban together and decide to take their cake loving global and decide that anyone who doesn’t like cake is a deviant and should be punished.” “That’s insane!” Twilight yelled. “That’s escalation and it’s happened countless times in my peoples past. We’ve gotten much better at accepting each other but we still have a long way to go.” He said as he sat back in a chair. The mares looked at him in confusion. “It’s not pretty but it’s how we’ve evolved as a species. We’ve made mistakes and we learn by them.” “What other wars have your people had?” “Most I don’t know about. How about we start with the founding of my country?” He said as he scrolled through his device and found a map of the continent. Isaac stated how it began; the leaders, the locations and the government structure. He was cut off as Ditzy came running inside out of breath. “What’s up Ditzy?” “Somebody is causing trouble in town. Some Griffin, she sound like she knows Rainbow.” The mares looked at the cyan Pegasus and gave her a nod. “Gilda.” Rainbow said in a reluctant tone. “That’s her name.” Ditzy said as Rainbow got to her feet and barged out the door. The other mares soon got up and followed her. “Who’s Gilda?” Isaac asked. “She’s an old ‘friend’ of Rainbow’s. She acted like a total jerk and blew everypony off last time she was here.” Pinkie added. “So?” “She has a really bad temper and isn’t afraid to smack a few ponies around.” Applejack said as the group gave chase. The clouds outside were starting to turn dark and a light sprinkle was starting to cover the land. Isaac noticed a large group of ponies and shouting coming from the center. Isaac and the mares forced their way through the crowd to see a large griffin and the cyan Pegasus arguing with one another. The griffin then rolled her right claw into a fist and punched the mare in the face sending her staggering back. As the Griffin tried to land another blow her wrist was caught by the human who had a cold look in his eyes. “Who the fuck are you?” She yelled as she broke the man’s grip on her. “Back the fuck off.” Isaac ordered. “This doesn’t concern you.” “You just nailed my friend in the face. That makes it my business” “I can handle this myself Isaac.” Rainbow said as she stumbled. Pinkie walked over to her and pulled her off to the side. “I’m giving you one chance to walk away.” Isaac said as he stared at the Griffin who easily stood a foot above him. “You got guts. Nice to see somepony in this town with a spine.” She said with a smirk. She quickly swung at the humans face. Isaac dodged the blow only to be met with a kick to the stomach. Isaac felt his rib crack and cried out in pain. As he looked up he felt his face take a blow from the creatures left claw. Isaac felt his face swell up and his left eye swelled shut. He staggered backwards and smiled at the beast who looked at him in confusion. “What the fuck?” “That all you got?” The griffin charged at him and landed a few kicks to his stomach. Isaac coughed up more blood. The griffon then felt a rope being wrapped around her. She looked to her left to see Applejack with rage in her eyes and the other end of the rope in her hands. Gilda quickly grabbed the rope and threw the farmer into the charging cyan mare, sending them both to the ground. Twilight’s horn suddenly glowed and shot out a bolt of magic at the Griffin. Gilda dodged it and the bolt which connected with the human, sending him to the ground. Twilight immediately stopped her barrage and was met with a quick jab to the face from the feathered being. The beast was then shot off the mare by an invisible force. She looked in surprise as she saw the human get to his feet. The Griffin lunged at the human with a fist clenched. As she closed in on her target the human dodged her attack and felt something catch her tail. The human gripped the appendage and slammed her into the ground. The Griffin let out a cry of pain and quickly got to her feet. The Griffin took flight and launched herself at the human. Her claw clamped around his neck and she took towards the sky. “You may know how to fight. Lets see if you can fly!” She said as she let go of the man. Isaac felt a familiar sensation of falling as the clouds passed around him. He felt himself collide with the hard earth and darkness take hold of his body. The Griffin landed next to the human and smirked. The group of mares got to their feet and charged at the the feathered beast. Gilda turned around to face her attackers only to see the looks of shock and fear strewn across their faces. The Griffin turned around to see the heavily bleeding human on his feet and looking at her with a malicious grin strewn across his face.”Now this is where the fun begins.” Isaac said in a dark tone He slapped the Griffin with the back of his hand sending her crashing against the building’s outside wall. Isaac quickly grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground above him still holding the smile. The light drizzle had turned into a downpour which was making the blood from the human and Griffin run down their bodies. He started to squeeze and felt the mare claw at his arm. Isaac felt the pain and immediately let go. The Griffin jumped behind him and brought her arm around his neck. Isaac still held the smile on his face. The human opened his mouth and bit down on the beast’s arm. Isaac felt his mouth fill with blood as the griffin cried in pain and let the human go. She felt a fist collide with her face. Gilda felt the force break her beak and instantly slumped to the ground in pain. Isaac walked over to the Griffins damaged body and smirked. He raised his right hand which lifted the Griffin off the ground by an invisible force. Isaac stuck out his thumb and index finger in a squeezing motion. The griffin felt her windpipe being crushed by the unseen force. “Mercy!” She chocked out. “Sorry didn’t catch that. Cat got your tongue?” He said as his grip tightened. “MERCY! PLEASE!” She yelled. Isaac dropped his arm and the Griffin fell and started to breath heavily. Isaac grabbed the feathers on top of her head and picked her up so their eyes met. “Pull anything like this again and I’ll send you home in a coffin.” Gilda nodded as she looked at him in fear. Isaac let go and dropped the Griffin on the ground again. As he started to walk away he looked at the mares who had tears in their eyes. As he took a step forward the group cringed back and Twilight’s horn flared. “J-just stay back!” Isaac looked at her in surprise and took another step forward. Twilight acted on instinct and fired a bolt from her horn. Isaac raised his arms and felt the bolt knock him on the ground. The human looked at the mares who had fear in their eyes. Isaac quickly got to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. Twilight looked closely and saw that his injuries were healing themselves. “J-just go away!” Twilight yelled in fear. The words tore at Isaacs heart and he got into a squatting position. He launched himself over the group of mares and landed behind them. He turned back and looked at them one more time before running off. Isaac quickly made his way into the library to retrieve his knife and his jacket. He pushed the weapon into his pocket and threw the hoodie over his body. Isaac then heard the door open to reveal a purple dragon with a confused look on his face. “You okay Isaac?” “I’m fine Spike.” He said in a cold tone. “You sure? You look like hell.” The dragon then burped up a letter. “Hang on a second.” He said as he unrolled the letter and turned away from the human. The dragon unrolled the letter and had a look of confusion on his face. SPIKE DO NOT LET ISAAC LEAVE! “What the?” The dragon was cut off as he felt a blunt force strike the back of his head. The human put the large book down as he caught the dragon and dragged him over to the couch. Isaac took one last look at the library before he took off towards the forest. Chapter 12: House ShoppingChapter 12 House Shopping “What the fuck were you thinking Twilight?” Rainbow yelled as some paramedics arrived and put the Griffin on a stretcher. “Y-you all saw him!” She exclaimed. “So you shot him with your magic after he saved our flanks?” Rainbow yelled. “I-I panicked! I didn’t know what he was going to do!” “Ya shouldn’t have done that Twi.” The orange mare said with a sigh. “I know and I feel terrible. Hopefully, Spike was able to keep him at the library so I can apologize.” She said as the mares entered the library to see the purple dragon asleep on the couch. “SPIKE!” Twilight yelled. “What? OW!” He yelled as he grabbed his head in pain. Rarity rushed over to him and put her hand on his head. “Oh my little Spikey-wikey. Are you okay?” She asked as the dragon sat up. “Yeah, I think so.” “What happened?” Twilight asked. “I remember seeing Isaac. He looked pretty roughed up. Then I got your letter and then nothing.” Twilight looked around the room and found a note. I understand that I freaked you all out. I’m sorry. I honestly have no idea what happened. You won’t have to worry about it happening again. Spike, sorry for knocking you out with a book. Consider it payback for doing it to me when I got here. P.S. Send the Griffin my regards and tell her I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that but she gave me little choice. Twilight put the letter down and looked back at her friends. Rainbow and Applejack had daggers in their eyes. “Nice one Twi. Real nice.” Rainbow said in a stern tone. The mare got to her feet and walked towards the door. “Where are you going?” Rarity asked. “To go find him. Duh! It’s crazy out there and who knows what could happen to him.” She said in a stern tone. “Coming AJ?” “Right behind ya.” The farmer said as she walked up to the cyan mare. “Um...I’m going too.” Fluttershy said in a timid voice. “Wait for me!” Pinkie chimed in. “WAIT!” Twilight bellowed. “No! He’s our friend, he defended us. I’m not leaving him out there. I’m the element of loyalty for a reason!” Rainbow yelled. “I was going to say that we wait till the storm calms down. Isaac is smart, he’s probably gone to find shelter. Maybe he even went to Zecora.” She said as she let out a sigh. “All I’m saying is that we give him some breathing room before we go looking for him, plus I also need to figure out my apology.” She said in a low tone. “Wow first you shoot him, now your complimenting him. Way to flip flop Twilight.” Dash exclaimed. “I overreacted!” She yelled. “Now you know how we felt when you charmed the smarty pants doll.” Rainbow said in a stern tone. “That was totally different! I wasn’t trying to kill somepony!” “Neither was he. He let Gilda go. I’m pretty sure if he wanted to kill her then he would have.” AJ interjected. “Isaac was only trying to defend us.” Twilight looked at her two friends in disbelief. “We’ll all meet back here in the morning, then we’ll go look for Isaac. Agreed?” She asked as she glanced at the mares who gave a nod. Twilight let out a sigh and complied. The mares got to their feet and went their separate ways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac ran faster than he had in his entire life through the poring rain and dark forest. He felt the wind whip at his face and felt the rain sting his skin like needles. He stopped when he came to an odd ruin. An old decrepit castle long abandoned. A lighting strike from the storm struck a nearby tree setting it ablaze with fire. The man picked up a flaming piece of timber and made his way inside the old building. The interior was pitch black but dry. Isaac removed his hoodie as he set the burning piece of wood in front of him and left to collect a few more pieces from outside the castle. Isaac put the pieces next to the blazing branch to dry out. He did the same with his now soaking wet hoodie. He sat down with his back against the stone wall. He looked into a puddle next to him and saw his blood covered reflection. The human quickly splashed the water in his face washing away the crimson fluid. Isaac looked down at his shaking hands and tried to stop his panting. What the fuck happened back there? We went all Jedi on that Griffon’s ass! I almost killed her! So? It was self- BULLSHIT! I knew what I was doing and I couldn’t stop myself. No thanks to you! Oh so you’re gonna pin this on me? Who got involved in their lives while I wanted to leave them alone? ....... That’s what I thought! I am so sick and tired of your bullshit! I know. I’m just....tired of all this. Now I have powers? If I sprout wings I’m gonna jump off the nearest cliff and pray that they don’t flap on instinct. What will you do? No idea. He thought as he rested his head on the partially dry jacket and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight found herself before the man she had shot that day with her magic. The man looked back at her with an icy glare. Twilight gulped and walked in front of the human with tears in her eyes. “Isaac....I’m-” The human raised his hand. “Save it for someone who cares!” “I care! I’m sorry! You just really freaked me out and I didn’t know what to do!” She said as the tears started to flow. Isaac turned his back to the mare and started to walk away. Twilight rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. The human stopped moving as he felt the mares tears seep through his clothing. “Please don’t go! We want you to stay! I want you to stay.” She said as she let go. Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Sorry Twi. It’s too late.” The human wrapped his hand around Twilight’s throat and started to squeeze. Twilight was struggling to find air as she felt the man lift her off the ground. The man let out a cry of pain as his arm was cut in half by an unknown force. Twilight fell to the ground and looked up to see the image of Princess Luna. “P-Princess Luna? What are you doing here?” “As Princess of the night it’s my duty to ensure the citizens of Equestria sleep peacefully.” “I’m dreaming?” She said as the image of the man vanished. “Yes, your mind is creating this nightmare. Tell us, why are you so afraid of the human?” The Princess said as she looked at the mare. Twilight told Luna what had happened that afternoon between Isaac and Gilda. “I see. So you acted out of fear.” “Yes and I feel terrible about it.” She said as she hung her head low. “I have visited Isaac and his dreams. While I was there I saw a much darker side of his personality. I’m assuming that being in that injured state triggered it.” The mare said as she scratched her chin. “I didn’t know humans could use magic.” Twilight said as she let out a sigh. “They can’t. I’m assuming that when my blood mixed with his, a bit of my magic was transferred into his body.” “Why didn’t he use it before then?” “You said you shot him with a bolt of magic correct?” “Twice. The first was by accident and the second was intentional.” She said in a low tone. “I see. That first bolt must have acted like a key that unlocked the magic within him. It’s unstable and he was acting on instinct, which caused the personality flip.” She said as she let out a sigh. “Now I assume he’s even more confused that you attacked him.” “It was an accident! I over reacted.” She stammered. “I was scared okay!” She said as she sat down and buried her face in her knees. The lunar Princess walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I understand Twilight. The real question is; Why are you scared?” The lavender mare looked up at the Princess with tears in her eyes. “What?” “I know for a fact that Isaac would never do anything to hurt you or your friends. So, what are you really afraid of?” She said as the image of her collapsing. Twilight let out a sigh wiped the tears away as got to her feet. The dream started to collapse and fade. Twilight woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of pounding at her door. She threw on a purple blouse and a brown skirt. The mare walked down stairs and saw that the others had already gathered in front of the door. “About time! We’ve been banging on the door for like five minutes.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes. Twilight noticed that Applejack had brought her dog with her. “Why do you have Winona?” Twilight asked. “If she can track down Pinkie during a sugar rush ah’m fairly certain she can track Isaac.” Twilight nodded and levitated one of the human’s shirts over to the hound. The brown dog gave a sniff and took off with the mares following close behind. The group stopped as they reached the Everfree forest. The dog sniffed around the area and let out a small whimper. “Dang it. His scent’s gone cold.” “Now how are we going to find him?” Pinkie asked. The ponies saw a shadow beginning to widen. The mares looked up in surprise as they saw Discord descend in front of them. “Hello ladies.” He said with a smug grin. “We’re not in the mood Discord. Scram!” Rainbow yelled. “Hey, hey easy. I’m here to help you find the human.” He said as he teleported next to the dog. “Why do you care?” Applejack asked. “It’s rare to meet another being that’s as chaotic and unpredictable as me.” He said with a grin. “I also happen to know where he is.” “What?” The group yelled. “Yes, I saw him napping in the old castle in the forest.” He said with a shrug. “I suggest we hurry, who knows what could be creeping up on him.” He said in a flat tone. “How can we trust you?” Twilight asked as she glared at the chaotic lord. “Are we going to stand here talking all day or are we going to go find him?” He said as he flew into the forest with the group of mares close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac awoke to the sound of birds chirping and bugs buzzing. He got to his feet and cracked his back as he let out a yawn. He looked down at the small pit of coals and noticed that a few were still glowing. He picked one of the burning coals up and placed it in the center of his right palm. Isaac gritted his teeth as he felt the burning piece of wood scorch his skin. The human dropped the coal back into the bed of ashes and looked at his palm which now had a small burn mark in the center of it. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw the small wound begin to heal itself at a fast rate. After the wound was closed and new skin had replaced the old he felt the spot where the coal had been. Not even a scar. Am I even human anymore? He thought to himself as he laid back against the stone wall. “Isaac?” The human perked up as he heard the familiar voices of the mares from Ponyville approach the ruins. “Are you here?” Isaac heard the lavender unicorn’s voice yell. He let out a sigh and sat still. Twilight and the others made their way into the old castle. “This place gives me the creeps.” Applejack said as she looked at the stone. “I know what you mean. This place is absolutely dreadful.” Rarity said with a scoff. “Well, this is the place where we all became friends.” Pinkie interjected. “True, but that doesn’t change the fact that this place feels weird.” Rainbow added. “Doesn’t seem too bad to me.” The mares looked up ahead to see the human sitting against the stone wall in front of a pile of ash. The mares hurried over to him as he got to his feet. Twilight hung back as the other mares hurried up to him with worried looks in their eyes. “Guys I’m fine.” He said as they wrapped him in a hug. “We were worried about you idiot!” Rainbow said as she slugged him in the arm. Isaac let out a groan as he rubbed the sore spot. He noticed that Twilight hung back and was hanging her head in shame. The mare let out a sigh and walked towards the human. “Isaac I-” “It’s okay Twilight, you don’t have to say anything.” He said as he led up a hand. “NO! I’m so sorry I hurt you. I shouldn’t have acted that way.” She said as tears formed in her eyes. “I would have acted the same way. To be honest I have no idea what happened.” He said with a shrug. The lavender mare walked forward and wrapped her arms around the man. Isaac felt the tears seep through his clothes. “I feel horrible! I’m so sorry.” Isaac returned the gesture and smiled. “Oh gag me.” Discord said as he stuck out his tongue and pointed into his throat. “Be careful what you wish for Discord.” The group looked up to see two large winged figures approach them. Twilight gulped as the two Alicorn Princess’s landed in front of them. Twilight broke the embrace and bowed to her mentor. “Hello Twilight.” “Princess.....I can explain this-” She was cut off as the white Princess raised a hand. “I’m not here about that. I’m here about Isaac.” She said as she walked up to the human. Isaac gulped and stood up straight. “My sister tells me that through her blood you’ve gained some odd abilities.” “I guess that explains the telekinesis.” He said with another gulp. “It intrigues me.” “That I’m the first human with powers?” “That her blood and magic didn’t kill you.” The ponies looked at the Princess in surprise. “Let me explain.” The Alicorn said in a calm tone. “Alicorn blood holds massive amounts of magic and almost no pony can control it.” “What happens if a pony were to receive Alicorn blood?” Isaac asked. Celestia bit her lip and let out a sigh. “Their bodies would combust with the raw power.” Luna answered. “Then after that happened any remaining cells would break down and detonate a second time.” The dark Princess said in a low tone. “So they’ll explode twice?” Isaac said as he raised an eyebrow. The two gave a reluctant nod. “Looks like I owe Spike ten bits.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “Now I have three questions. Is that happening to me?” He asked as he looked at his hand. “No, it would have already occurred.” Luna said. “Well, that’s a relief.” He said as he let out a sigh. “My second question is this, am I immortal like you?” “No, you haven’t absorbed enough magic to become that strong. We are not sure what you can do.” Celestia said in a relaxed tone. “What’s your final question?” “Can you take these powers away from me?” The non-humans looked at them man in confusion. “If it is possible then consider it a request.” The creatures jaws dropped in shock. “You WANT me to take your powers away?” Celestia asked. “If it’s possible.” He said in a calm tone. “Might I ask why?” “I’ve survived this long without them and I can’t really control them.” He said as he Shrugged. A nearby pillar was hit with an invisible force causing it to fall. The creatures looked at the pillar and back at the human in shock. “See? It’s too much power for someone like me to have. If I lose control.....I’m scared of what I might do.” The two Alicorns looked at one another in confusion. “Hold still.” Celestia said as she walked up to the human. “I have never been asked by somepony to remove their own powers.” The goddess said as she put her hands on either side of the man’s head. The Alicorn closed her eyes and focused, her hands and horn started to glow. Isaac felt an odd sensation flow through him. Celestia took a step back and let out a sigh. “It appears that not even I can remove something like that. Other than the obvious way.” “Which is?” “I end your life.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac bit his lip at the statement. “Well, I was hoping for something a little less.......lethal.” He said in a disappointed tone. “Oh well, you gotta deal with the cards your dealt I guess.” He said to himself as he let out a sigh. “We can’t have you running around with no control on that power of yours.” Celestia said as she summoned a small box. She opened it to reveal a necklace with a purple gem in the center. “What is it?” Isaac asked. “That will keep your powers in check as your body gets used to them.” She said as she handed the gem over to Isaac. “Princess, may I ask something?” The human said as he looked into the Alicorns eyes. “Of course.” “While I don’t mind living with Twilight I feel like I’m mooching off her and I would like to find a place where I can call my own.” “I’m sure something can be arranged.” Isaac gave her a bow. “Thank you your highness. I’ll look around Ponyville and I’ll see if I can find something that catches my eye.” He said in a humble tone. The white Alicorn smiled and turned back to her sister and the chaos lord who was still glaring at the man in confusion. “Good luck to you all, we must return to Canterlot.” She said as the three took flight, leaving Isaac and the other six mares alone in the ruins. Isaac turned back to the mares who had a massive grin on their faces. “Alright. let’s head back then.” He said as the group walked out of the large ruins. The mares followed close behind the human as they left the old palace. “So what is this place?” “It was the old palace of the royal sisters.” Twilight answered. “Celestia and Luna used to live here?” The ponies nodded. “Yeah, it’s also where we defeated Nightmare Moon.” Pinkie added. “So this is where you used the Elements of Harmony on Luna then?” “Yeah. Wait, how did you know about the Elements?” Twilight asked. “Luna told me about it when she visited my dreams.” He said as the ponies gave a collective ‘oh’ sound. “Hey, this may sound out of the blue but what happened with that Griffin?” “Gilda? She’s in the hospital.” Rainbow added. “I should probably go apologize to her. I didn’t know what I was doing.” “She doesn’t deserve it.” Twilight said. “Maybe not, but I still feel bad. Speaking of which, you told me that Griffins don’t live around here. So why did she come stirring up trouble in Ponyville?” He said as he looked at the mares. “She was making a delivery to Cloudsdale when she heard somepony talking about me and she started drinking. One thing led to another and then she came here and started shooting her beak off.” Rainbow answered. The group looked at her in surprise. “How do ya know all that?” Applejack asked. “I went to go visit her after I left the library yesterday.” The mares looked at her in confusion. “I wanted to see if she was okay....ya know. For old time sakes.” She said with a weak grin. “Dang it Rainbow. She nearly killed Isaac!” AJ stammered. “Yeah, but she was drunk and wasn’t in the right mind. We’ve all done things that we regret.” She said as she remembered the falling incident. Isaac stepped between the two mares. “Let’s all just calm down. Yes, Gilda hurt me and I’m a little pissed at that, but I’ve also seen how someone gets when they go into a drunken rage.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Let me just find a place to stay and THEN I’ll go talk to Gilda. Okay?” The farmer let out a sigh and gave him a nod. The group made their way out of the dark forest and into the outskirts of town. As they came to the outskirts Pinkie noticed that Isaac was unusually quiet. “You okay?” Pinkie asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, it’s just that.....never mind.” “What? You can tell us.” Rarity said with a reassuring smile. Isaac let out a sigh and stopped walking. “Buying a house here is finally making me realize that I won’t be able to leave here.” “What’s wrong with that?” Rainbow asked. “It’s just that...” He hesitated and let out a sigh. “When my folks died they left a lot of things for me in their will. A lot of sentimental stuff, not to mention valuable. Now I’m worried about what might happen to it all.” He said in a low tone. “I’d hate to think that my family’s prized heirlooms would end up in a pawn shop somewhere being sold for less than it’s worth.” He said as he continued walking. “What kind of things?” Twilight asked. “Photo’s, family history, books. Things that took generations to collect and now it’s all gone. I can’t help but feel I’ve disappointed them in some-” He was cut off as he felt something collide with his face sending him back onto the ground. “Son of a bitch!” He yelled as he grabbed his now bleeding nose. The ponies crouched down beside him and helped him to his feet. Twilight looked ahead and saw something flicker. Isaac looked in the same direction and saw a familiar blue police box. The door opened up to reveal the tan earth pony stallion in a suit and red hat on his head. “Ah Isaac, good to see you again.” He said with a smile. “Okay, Doc. You need to stop cloaking that thing. This is the second time I’ve run into it.” He said as he felt his nose bleed. “Sorry.” He said as he scratched his mane. “How long has it been?” “Two maybe three days.” “Really? Time flies I suppose.” He said with a smile. Isaac cracked his neck and looked at the Doctor with a flat expression. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Nothing I-” “Isaac is just bummed out that he left all his valuable family heirlooms behind. That he’s the only one of his kind in this world and-” The pink mare was silenced as Applejack put an orange hand over her mouth. The stallion looked at the man who was bitting his lip. “I see. Ladies if you don’t mind I’d like to talk to Isaac alone for a bit.” He said as he looked at the mares. “A-alright.” Twilight said as she and the other mares left the two. The Doctor led him into the TARDIS and the two sat down. Isaac let out a sigh as he sat down on the couch. “Look Isaac. I know how you feel-” “How could you know that? You’re a time traveler. You can go where ever whenever you want.” “True, but I know what it’s like to be alone.” He said in a low tone. “I’m not just a Time Lord Isaac. I’m the last of the Time Lords. My planet is long gone, along with it’s people.” Isaac looked at the stallion in shock. “This box is all I have left. My family, my friends are lost to me.” “Couldn’t you just go back and-” “No. I can’t ever go back. I...locked them in a time void. Nothing can get in or out.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You and I are the same. We’re both travelers and we’re both alone in this world.” The stallion said as he put a hand on the humans shoulder. “It’s just that.....Since I arrived here I feel like I’ve become less human.” He said as he looked at his right palm. He removed the pendant and watched as the opposite couch was levitated. The stallion looked in surprise at the human as he put the pendant back on and the couch dropped to the floor. “Don’t act too impressed. I can’t even control it.” “That is a lot of power.” “I know. I even asked if Celestia could take it away from me. Apparently there are somethings she can’t do.” He said as he cracked his wrist. “Why would you want to give up power like that?” “No real reason. I don’t need it.” “There has to be more reason then that.” “There isn’t!” Isaac said as he stood up. “You’re lying!” The Doctor said as he matched the humans eye level. “Tell me why you don’t want that power!” “I’m scared! Happy?” Isaac yelled. “What if I can’t control it? I almost killed someone yesterday! I could barely stop myself.” He said as he hung his head. “I know what you’re thinking; ‘he must be pathetic.’ Am I right?” “Quite the opposite in fact. Fear is a basic emotion and it shows that you’re still plenty human.” He said with a smile. “Look Isaac, I know that things are different but one of the most admirable things about humans is their ability to adapt to new surroundings.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Isaac said as he let out a sigh. “I’d better go house shopping. Thanks for the advise Doc.” He said as he walked towards the doors, but stopped as he walked past the console. “Hey Doc, think I could see what happened to my house?” “Sure let me just.” He said as he flipped a few switches as Isaac typed in his address. The stallion saw the screen flicker. The stallions face changed to one of despair. “Oh dear.” “What?” “Your house......it burned down.” He said in a reluctant tone. Isaac felt his heart sink into his stomach. “I’m so sorry Isaac.” Isaac sat down on the couch in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. Everything.....gone.” The stallion looked closer at the screen which portrayed a massive burn mark in the center of a square connected to a smaller square. “Does it say when?” “Why do you-” “Just tell me!” He said in a stern tone. The stallion pressed a few buttons. “February 12, 2013.” Isaac’s jaw dropped and hung his head in shame. “What’s wrong?” “That was the day after I came here.” He said in a low tone. “One day......one fucking day I’m not there and I lose everything!” The human yelled. The Doctor let out a sigh and looked at the monitor. The stallion looked closer at the screen and smiled. “Oh time! You’re bloody fantastic!” He yelled. “I don’t see what’s fantastic about my house-” He was cut off as the doctor grabbed his arm and led him towards the door. “Hey what are you doing?” He protested. “I’ll be back in five minutes!” He said as he threw Isaac out of the box. “Five minutes to you could mean ten years for me!” He yelled as the doors closed with Isaac on the outside. “Damn you Doctor!” He yelled as the blue box started to vanish. Isaac lowered his head and felt a small tear run down his right cheek as he turned and walked away from the spot. He pulled out his P-pod and selected a random song. The music echoed through his head as his mind tried to process everything that had happened. He let out a groan as he laid his head back. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. “Gotcha!” The voice made him jump from his seat. Isaac looked around to see Vinyl with a grin on her face. “Oh man your face!” She said with a laugh. Isaac remained silent at the mare’s action. Vinyl’s grin slowly faded and was replaced with a look of concern. “You okay?” “No.” “What’s up?” “I really.....really don’t want to talk about it. At least not without alcohol.” “That I have back at my place.” Vinyl said with a weak smile. “Okay then. Let’s go.” He said in a reluctant tone. The two made their way out of the park and back onto the street. Isaac glanced at the mare who was wearing a apr of black shorts that cut off at her mid thigh and a black strapless shirt that left her shoulders exposed and ended just below her breasts, leaving her white stomach exposed. “Hey can I ask you something?” Vinyl said as Isaac quickly adjusted his gaze. “Sure.” “Mind telling me what happened yesterday? I didn’t know humans could use magic.” She said as she looked at the man. “Oh that.” The human let out a sigh and cleared his head. “Let me star at the beginning. While you were at your gig I got attacked by a Manticore and almost died.” Vinyl let out a gasp. “Fortunately, Princess Luna was in the area and killed it before it could kill me. Bad news, I was already badly injured and lost a lot of blood. Luna teleported us to the hospital and she volunteered for a transfusion, being we’re the same blood type. Apparently some of her magic got transferred into me when that happened.” The mare’s jaw dropped. “The only problem is that it’s unstable and I can’t control it.....right now anyway.” “Awesome! Maybe I could teach you a few tricks.” She said with a small chuckle. “Any help would be appreciated, but I’m not sure how well that will work out.” “What do you mean?” “I learn more by doing than I do by learning. I HATE studying. I’m a lot better with my hands than I am with my brain.” “From what I’ve heard around town that sounds accurate.” She said in a seductive tone. Isaac blushed at the statement and gulped. “Oh calm down, almost everypony knows about your......stamina.” “Damn you Rainbow.” He said as he let out a groan. The two soon arrived in front of the DJ’s shop and made their way inside. “My apartment is upstairs.” She said as she pointed to a staircase in the back of the store. The two made their way up the ladder and into the mares living quarters. It was medium sized, a sofa was in the center of the living room in front of a Television and a turn table hooked up to two massive amps. Isaac saw a cello off on the corner laying against a chair close to a window. “You play the cello?” “Nah, my roommate does. She’s in Fillydelphia right now visiter her folks.” She said as she walked into the kitchen. Isaac followed and saw her withdrew a bottle of hard cider. She poured them each a glass and set it on the table. Isaac picked the glass up and slammed it back. “So what’s bugging you?” “Just....having trouble adjusting to things around here. So much has changed for me and I have no control over it.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Trust me I know how that feels.” She said as she took a drink. “I may not be from a different universe but I know how it feels when your life gets out of control.” “To top it off even if I do get home I don’t have a house to go back to.” “What are you talking about?” “I just found out that my house burned down the second day I was here.” He said as he shot back another drink. The mare looked at him in surprise and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s okay, it’ not your fault. I don’t even know how it burned down.” He said as he let out a sigh. The man got to his feet and poured himself another drink. The two were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Isaac and Vinyl got to their feet and looked out the window to see Lyra and Bonbon. “What’s up guys?” Isaac said as he opened the window. “Didn’t you hear? Some crazy building just popped up out of nowhere on the edge of town!” Bonbon yelled. “Crazy building?” Vinyl asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Looks like some weird house. We’re gonna check it out. Coming?” “Sure I need to get my mind off certain things anyway.” Isaac said as he closed the window and made his way out onto the street. Lyra smiled at him and the group made their way to where a large group of ponies had gathered. Isaac’s jaw dropped as he saw a rather large two story white house with bright red front door. Isaac made his way through the crowd to see a familiar tan stallion smiling. “Ah Isaac, just the man I wanted to see.” The doctor said with a smile. “How....when did......WHAT?” Isaac said as his brain tried to form words. “Yeah, I took a closer look at the screen and the burn marks weren’t from a fire. It was from Temporal Displacement.” The doctor said in a matter-of-fact tone. “What?” “Time travel.” The doctor said with a sigh. “You mean my house didn’t burn down?” He said as his brain connected the dots. “Nope, what we saw was just seconds after I teleported it here.” “But....how come it just got here and we didn’t see it before?” “Because I didn’t do it yet.” The human had a confused look on his face. “But....Screw it I am WAY to excited to try to understand this right now.” Twilight and the five others made their way up to the human. “Isaac, what in Equestria is that thing?” Twilight asked as she and the five other mares looked at the building. “This is my house! The one I had back on Earth!” He said in excitement. The mare’s jaws dropped at the information. Isaac walked up to the door and tried to turn the handle to find it locked. “Damn it. The doors locked.” “Hang on.” The doctor said as he pulled out the metal rod and pointed it towards the lock. Isaac heard a small click come from the door knob. Isaac tried it again and felt the knob turn to his satisfaction. Isaac made his way inside and found that all of his possessions were just as he left them. The six mares made their way inside and started to look around. The main hallway was quaint and a stair case that led upstairs that seemed to jut out from the wall. “Cool. Humans have TV’s.” Rainbow said as she saw the 48’ flat screen in the living room. “Yeah. I never saw one at Twilight’s place though.” He said as he looked at Twilight. “It’s in Spike’s room. It posed too big of a distraction for me.” Twilight said as she sat on the black leather couch. Isaac picked up the remote and flipped through the channels that seemed to only show static. “Looks like I’ll have to upgrade a few things.” He said as he turned the screen off and remote down. Pinkie and Applejack had made their way into the kitchen and were starting to look through his fridge. “Hey Isaac, what’s this?” Pinkie asked as she held up a red and white soda can. “That is Co Ca Cola. It’s a type of soda.” Pinkie cracked it open and took a sip. “WOW THAT IS GOOD!” She yelled as she chugged the rest of it. “Easy, I only have a few cases of that stuff.” “So this is what a human house looks like. Very.......homely.” Rarity added. “Thanks. I think.” He said as he walked over to the ponies sitting down on the couch. "You guys want a tour?” The mares smiled and got to their feet. “What’s this thing?” Pinkie asked as she picked up a white box. “Gah! Carful with that.” “What is it?” “It’s an X-Box 360. It’s a game console and a DVD player.” “DVD player?” “Movies on disks.” He said as Pinkie put the electronic devise down. Isaac walked through the house with the mares. The group walked into a study with the walls lined with books. Twilight’s jaw dropped and she started to drool. “Um Twilight. You’re drooling on the carpet.” “Sorry. There’s SO MANY BOOKS!” She said in excitement. “Yeah, my dad was huge book worm.” “If you don’t mind me asking darling, where did you get the money to pay for this?” Rarity asked. “Well, when my folks died they left me this house.” He said in a flat tone. Rarity gulped. “Oh.....I’m sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s fine. On with the tour.” He said as he walked out of the room. He grabbed Twilight’s arm and dragged her out of the study. The group followed the man upstairs. The mares walked into a room with papers and other things strewn across the floor. Isaac rubbed his head and chuckled. “Sorry, I should probably clean this place up.” “It’s not too bad.” Rainbow added. “Well, considering your room Rainbow you’d think a pig stye was neat.” Applejack said with a smirk. “Hey! I clean when I have guests over.” She protested. The mares looked around the room to see posters and pictures hanging up on the gray walls. A bed and book shelf leaned against the far wall. Isaac walked out of the room and led the group back downstairs where the tan stallion was waiting. “Is everything where it should be?” He asked with a smile. “Yeah, it’s all here. Doc, I can’t thank you enough for this.” “Oh relax.” “No really, if you need anything. Anything at all don’t hesitate to ask.” The stallion smiled and patted him on the back. “Can I ask you something?” “Shoot.” “Why do this all for me? I know we’re friends and all but, bringing my house from another dimension? Don’t get me wrong I’m very grateful, but I can’t help wondering how you did it and why.” He said as the mares looked at the stallion. The Doctor let out a sigh and looked at the mane. “Trust me Isaac. I know what it’s like to not have a home to go back too and that’s something no one should go through. In a way, you remind me of myself.” “Well, if you find yourself in this dimension my door is always open.” He said with a smile. The stallion smiled and shook the humans outstretched hand. “Now if you need me, I’ll be in the 1960’s.” He said with a grin. “Say hi to JFK for me.” Isaac said with a grin. The stallion let out a chuckle and walked out of the house into a his blue box. The human gave a final wave as the box started to vanish. He turned back to the stunned mares and grinned. “Now then, who wants dinner?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The six mares sat at the dinner table and watched as the human chopped up fresh vegetable and threw them in a stir fry pan. “You guys are lucky that I dated a vegetarian for two months.” He said as he finished and put the vegetable and noodles on their plates. “Um..what is this?” Twilight asked. “Stir fry noodles and vegetables.” He said with a smile. Twilight gulped and looked at her friends who had the same look of uncertainty on their faces. They all took a bite at the same time. Their eyes shrank at the flavor in their mouth. “What you don’t like it?” “It’s great!” Rainbow yelled as she scarfed the rest of it down. “Yeah this stuff is a delicious!” Pinkie said with a smile. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” Rarity asked as she took another bite. “When you live on your own, you need to learn how to cook for yourself.” He said as he ate his pile. The group soon started to chat about the other adventures they’ve had. Through out the conversations Twilight looked at the man with a suspicious look in her eyes. “Something wrong Twilight?” Isaac asked as he noticed the mares expression. “Can I make an observation?” “Sure.” “Since you’ve been here your personality has changed quite a bit. I guess all I’m saying is that...I’m a little surprised to see how relaxed you are.” “Well, when I first got here I was WAY out of my comfort zone and to be honest I was little freaked out. So I naturally kept my distance.” He said as the mares looked at him in shock. “Now that I’ve actually gotten to know you all I’m a bit more relaxed, not to mention having some familiar ground to stand on.” He said with a grin. The mares smiled warmly back at him. Rarity let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Well, this has been fun, but a lady does need her beauty sleep.” She said as she got to her feet. “I’ll do some digging and I’ll see if I can find any fashion magazines around.” “Thank you darling. Ta-ta.” She said as she left the house. “Ah’d better get home soon. Mac will be wondering where I am.” AJ said with a grin. She gave the human a hug and left the odd home. “Ugh! I just remembered the Cakes need me to watch the twins!” Pinkie said as she charged out the door. “I’d better get home and feed Angel bunny.” The timid mare said as she left the home. “I have weather duty in the morning, see ya later.” Rainbow said with a wink. Isaac walked back into the study and came out with a book in his hand. “Hey Twilight, here.” He said as he handed her the book. “It’s a book that overviews human history. Not everything is in there but enough to give you a basic understanding.” He said with a grin. “Thank you and Isaac I’m really, really sorry about-” “It’s fine Twilight we all act crazy when we get too emotional. If I cut off a friend for every time they over reacted I’d have no friends at all.” The mare smiled and gave him a hug before she left. Isaac closed the door behind her and let out a satisfied sigh. He made his way upstairs and laid down on his old bed. “Man it’s good to be back home.” He said with a smile. The human drifted off to sleep in his familiar surroundings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the Doctor vanished inside the TARDIS d hung his head in shame. He pulled something up on the screen and let out a sigh. He bashed his fists down on the console and groaned. “NO! He can’t know, not yet.” The stallion said as he threw a few switches and sped off through time and space. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac awoke to find himself in a plain white room with a familiar AlicornPrincess smiling at him. “Princess Luna?” “Hello Isaac.” She said with a grin. “What are we doing here?” “While my sister’s intentions are good. We believe it’s better to learn how to control power rather then seal it.” She said as she approached the man. “I’m not following.” “We will train you to control your magic.” Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Who better to teach you then the one who gave you that power?” “Good point. I’m just worried that I’ll go out of control again.” He said in a low tone. “That won’t happen with my guidance.” “How will this even work? I mean I’m dreaming right?” The mare gave him a nod. “So how will any of the things you’re going to teach me stick?” “You’re forgetting that we can manipulate dreams. We casted a spell so you will remember what we’ve taught you when you wake.” She said still holding the smile. “This is of course voluntary. Should you not wish us to be your mentor then we completely understand.” Isaac bit his lip and weighed his options. “Okay. So what should we do first Master Luna?” He said with a bow. “Thank you for allowing us to teach you and we would like to keep this just between us.” “Why?” “My sister might not approve and we fear that Twilight Sparkle will become jealous.” “I understand. I won’t tell a soul.” He said with a smile. “Splendid. Lesson one; Levitation.” Author's Note Sorry for the long delay everypony. I neede to get my thoughts together and finals are starting to creep up again. Chapter 13: RewardChapter 13 Reward The next few days went by fairly quickly as Isaac finished with the seemingly endless amount of paperwork for purchasing the property his house had ‘landed’ on. The Princess was kind enough to help out with the expenses and she managed to get a local construction crew to connect the water pipelines and the solar panels to his house. Isaac helped the crew with placing the panels on the roof of his house to help soak up suns energy the ponies used to power their electronic equipment. Luna was steadily teaching Isaac the basics of magic. He had gotten the hang of telekinesis quickly and practiced it quite often around his home. Isaac stood at his stove with two eggs in the pan and bacon sizzling in the other. He looked at the clock and realized it was around 8:30am. He turned away as he heard a knock on the door. The human hurried over and opened it to see Spitfire smiling at him. “Hey Spitfire what’s up?” “Nothing much, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I’d stop in and say hi.” He said as she walked inside. Isaac noticed she was wearing a pair of royal blue shorts and a grey Wonderbolt T-Shirt. “So this is what a human’s house looks like.....Cool.” “How do you know where I live?” “I heard a rumor going around that some weird house came out of nowhere and landed in Ponyville. I figured either you or one of your friends had something to do with it.” She said with a chuckle. She then sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?” “I was just having breakfast. Want some?” “Sure, I haven’t eaten yet.” She said as she followed the human into the kitchen. She sat down across from the human as he put a plate down in front of her on the circular table. “What’s sizzling?” “That is bacon.” “Can I try some?” She asked. Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Sure, I guess. You should know that it’s made from pig.” “Ponies can eat meat remember?” “Just wanted to let you know.” He said as he handed her a strip. The mare sniffed it and took a bite from the strip of meat. Spitfire’s eyes widened at the flavor. “This tastes awesome!” She said as she devoured the rest of her food. Isaac did the same to his and put the dishes in the sink. “So did you wanna do something?” “Yeah, I kept thinking of a way to pay you back for saving me and I think I’ve got something.” The human groaned. “Spitfire you don’t have to do anything for me.” “I still feel like I owe you something and trust me you’re going to love it!” She said with a grin. Isaac looked at her with a blank expression on his face. “Just hear me out first okay?” “Fine.” “How would you like to be a Wonderbolt?” The human looked at her in confusion. “Um don’t I need to have wings to become one?” He asked as he pointed to the mares wings. “You’ll become an Honorary Wonderbolt. You’d be considered a Wonderbolt in title, but you won’t have to go to any of the shows or do stunts.” Isaac thought to himself for a moment. “I am the Captain and I’m sure my manager would agree to it.” “How many ‘Honorary Wonderbolts’ are there?” “Not that many. Honorary Wonderbolts still have to prove themselves on the training course and pass a series of tests.” Isaac raised his eyebrows at the mares words. “And if you don’t pass then there’s no repercussions.” “And if I do pass?” “Then you get a Wonderbolt uniform fitted to your body, a badge that will get you into all the exclusive places we get into and the title itself.” She said with a grin. “What are these tests?” “Physical strength, speed, maneuverability, combat and a few others.” She said with a shrug. “Why not? I had nothing planned today anyway.” “Awesome!” She said as she got to her feet. “Let me just check something.” He said as he started to walk upstairs. “Can you go get a cloud and bring it down here?” Spitfire nodded and flew out the door into the sky. Isaac walked into his room and opened the closet. He pulled out a black bag and removed the contents. A black sleek backpack that had a hard plastic surface on the outside and draw strings on the shoulder pads. He put the object on his back and walked back down to see the golden mare waiting for him. Isaac gave her a nod and saw that the white fluffy cloud was right beside her. The human took a breath and climbed on top of the cloud and stood on it. Looks like I got Luna’s cloud walking powers too. “I thought you said that humans couldn’t walk on clouds.” Spitfire said as she looked at the human. “Twilight put a spell on me that allows me to do so.” He lied. The mare nodded her head and noticed the pack on his back. “What’s that thing?” “Insurance.” He said as he hopped off the cloud. “Dumb question; where is the training course?” “In Cloudsdale.” She said as she pointed towards the sky. “Right, how am I going to- GAH!” He was cut off as Spitfire grabbed Isaac under the arms and took flight. Isaac held on to the mare for dear life as she picked up speed. The two quickly made their way towards a cluster of clouds that seemed to take the shape of a city. The two by passed it and landed on a cloud that was significantly longer and was complete with a terrace and an air strip. Spitfire set the human down on the cloud. “Don’t. DO THAT!” He yelled as he caught his breath “Oh suck it up you big foal.” She teased we’re here. As she started to walk up the steps to what looked like an office. Isaac pulled his hood up and followed the mare inside. Isaac kept his head held low and avoided any unwanted attention. Spitfire stopped and unlocked a door to reveal a lounge area with several other blue suited Pegasi. The golden mare walked up to Soarin with a smile on her face. “Hey Soarin.” “Hey boss what’s up?” He asked. “I was thinking we put Isaac here through the ringer and see about making him an Honorary Wonderbolt.” She said as the other bolts looked at the human. “Um, what is he?” One of them asked. “He’s a human. The one I told you about.” Their heads immediately perked up. “You’re the guy that saved Spit?” “Yeah.” Isaac said as he removed his hood. The other ponies looked at him in surprise and amazement. Soarin scratched his chin and gave a shrug. “You got my vote. All he has to do now is pass the tests and he’s in.” “Sweet. Let’s get you some gear.” Spitfire said as she took him by the arm and pulled him out of the room and back down the hall. Soarin looked at the other bolts and smirked. “He’s gonna get burned isn’t he.” One of them chimed. “Oh yeah. He’s doomed.” Soaring said with a smile. Isaac followed Spitfire into a workout area that was complete with weight machines, treadmills and several other devices. Isaac removed his hood and the bag he had on his back. Spit fire walked over to one of the machines and pressed a few buttons. “Stretch out while I set this thing up.” Isaac nodded and did a series of pushups, jumping jacks and crunches. “Okay this thing is ready for you.” Isaac nodded and walked over to the mare. Isaac laid down on the bench press and put his hands on the bar. “The minimum to lift is eighty-five pounds.” “That’s it?” “Hey, Pegasi may be fast but we’re not as strong as Earth Ponies.” She said as she spotted the human. Isaac lifted the bar off the stand and started to lift the weight with ease. “You’re stronger than you look.” Spitfire said sounding impressed. Isaac set the bar on the holder and got to his feet. “Thanks I-” He was cut off as he felt dizzy and stumbled. Spitfire caught him and eased him down on the bench. “You okay?” “Yeah, must be the thin air. Not used to being up this high.” He said as he slowed his breathing. “Right I totally forgot that non Pegasi have issues with the altitude.” She said as she face palmed. “Sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said as he caught his breath. “Take five. I’m gonna stretch out.” She said as she walked over and grabbed yoga mat. Wait what? He thought as he looked over and saw the orange mare remover her grey shirt to reveal a tight fitting black sports bra. Isaac’s jaw dropped as she started doing splits. As her legs spread apart she bent her back so that the base of her wings were touching the mat. Isaac felt his face flare up as the mare tilted her head back and looked at him. “What?” “N-nothing. Just surprised to see how flexible you are.” He said as he adverted his eyes. “Were you thinking dirty thoughts?” She teased. “NO!” Yes. “Whatever.” She said as she got to her feet. “You passed the strength test, now onto the sparring training.” She said as she slung the grey shirt over her shoulder and led the man out of the room. As they walked through the hallways Isaac noticed that several stallions and mares wings spring up as they saw Spitfire walking down the hall with Isaac following. As they walked down the hallway Isaac couldn’t help but notice that Spitfires tail was swishing from left to right each time she took a step. The two walked into a padded room where Soarin and a few other trainee’s were sitting down as Soarin lectured. He saw Spitfire enter the room and gave her a wave. The two made their way over to the group who looked at Isaac in surprise. “Hey Soarin what’s going on?” “We were about to test hand to hand combat. You want in?” “Maybe later, but Isaac could use the practice.” “What?” The human said in surprise. “You need it on the check list.” She said with a smug grin. Isaac let out a groan and walked up to Soarin. “Okay everypony this is Isaac. He is the one that saved Spitfire from drowning last week.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “So what are you guys doing?” “Submission grapples.” Isaac gave him a nod. “Fire Wind, show him what you got.” A yellow Pegasus stallion with a red mane got to his feet. The two got in a fighting position. “Okay, no kicks, punches or biting.” He said as the two gave a nod. “Okay, go.” The yellow stallion lunged at the man. Isaac grabbed his right arm and brought it behind his back. Isaac then took his other hand and grabbed the back of his neck and forced him to the ground. The yellow stallion grunted and tapped on Isaac’s arm. The human let go of the stallion and backed away as he cracked his back. “Wow.” He heard one of the trainees say. “Impressive. Mind showing us any more other moves?” Soarin asked as he entered the small ring. “Sure.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The two circled the mat as a brown Pegasus stallion entered the room. His eyes narrowed on the human. “YOU!” He yelled. “What a pleasure to see you again.” Isaac said in a sarcastic tone. Soarin turned around and saw the trainee. “You know him Thunder Kicker?” The stallion asked as the Pegasus approached the human. “Yeah.....he...um.” The stallion immediately shut his mouth. “What he means to say is that I cleaned his and his other two friends clocks last week.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. The ponies looked at the brown stallion who was gritting his teeth. “You told us that it was five on three!” One of the trainees yelled. “Shut up!” The brown stallion yelled. “Look, how about we just for get this whole-” Isaac was cut off as the stallion punched him in the face. Soarin immediately stepped between the two. “This is FAR from over.” He yelled. Isaac cracked his neck and looked at Soarin. “Soarin, permission to use him in the demonstration?” “Permission granted.” Soarin said as he stepped to the side. The brown stallion grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Same rules; no kicks, no punches or biting.” He said as he stepped out from between them and sat down next to a nervous Spitfire. The stallion immediately started to circle Isaac who stood as still as a statue. Some of the trainees were cheering Thunder on while the others stayed silent. “Payback time asshole.” He said as he lunged at Isaac’s back. The human side stepped him and stuck his right arm out. The stallions chest collide with the appendage making him fall back. His right leg went upwards towards the ceiling. Isaac caught the leg and gave it and extra force. Making the stallion do a complete back flip and landed on his chest. The ponies in the room let out a collective ‘ouch’ as the stallion hit the mat. Isaac raised the pointer finger on his still outstretched arm. “Rule number one; Never be too eager to rush your opponent.” The stallion got to his feet and tried to jab at Isaac. The man caught the stallions fist and started open the fingers and apply pressure to the stallions’ palm. Thunder’s face contorted in Pain as Isaac forced him onto a knee. A series of cracks came from the stallions hand which sent shivers down the Wonderbolts spines. “From this position it’s very easy to manipulate your opponents’ movements.” He said as the stallion got to his feet. “For example.” Isaac said as forced the captured hand close to the stallions armpit and positioned the elbow in an odd angle. The stallion cried in pain at the action. “This is called the chicken wing.” Some of the recruits let out a chuckle. The human then forced the arm up into a right angle. “The crowbar.” The stallion grunted in pain. “And my personal favorite.” Isaac noticed that the stallion was trying to sat something. He quickly made the stallions ring and pinkie finger crunch against his palm leaving his index and pointer finger exposed. Isaac then forced the two fingers inside the stallions mouth. “The Pacifier.” He said as he gave an upward thrust, sending the stallion onto his back. The Wonderbolts started to clap for the human as he took a bow. Isaac looked over at Soarin and Spitfire who’s jaws were hitting the floor in shock. “Let’s um...take a five minute break.” Soarin said as he side stepped the human. Some of the Wonderbolts helped the injured Pegasus to his feet and walked towards the door. “Sorry about that.” Isaac said as the Pegasus limped by him. The stallion let out a grunt and joined the other trainees that followed the blue stallion out of the room. Spitfire looked at him still in shock. Isaac sat down on the ground and caught his breath. Spitfire walked up next to him and sat down next to him. “That was pretty impressive.” She said with a smile. “Thanks.” “Where did you learn those moves?” She asked. “My dad taught me.” “Why?” “I don’t know. My dad was in the Marines, wanted me to carry on the tradition.” “Did you?” “Yeah, only for four years though.” He said with a sigh. “What was it like?” “Hard as hell.” He said as he got to his feet. He helped Spitfire up and smiled. “Mind teaching me some of those moves?” “Well, Spitfire-” “Dude, you don’t have to use my full name all the time. I don’t call you Isaac....what’s your last name anyway?” “Trust me, it’s unpronounceable Spit.” He said hesitantly. “There ya go.” She said with a smile. “As I was saying. I only use those moves when I have too and you need to be pretty strong in order to-” He was cut off as the golden mare kicked his legs out from under him and pinned him to the floor. Isaac tried to struggle but Spitfire had a hand on each of his wrists and was sitting on his groin area. “You were saying?” She teased. Spitfire drew her face closer to the humans and made her chest press against his. “Nicely done.” He wiggled on arm free and reversed their positions so he was now on top of her. “But not good enough-” He was cut of as the golden mare pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt her tongue prod it’s way into his mouth and explore the foreign orifice. Isaac looked at her in shock as she broke the kiss. The mare wrapped her tail around the humans leg and managed to break free. She grabbed one of the humans arms and pushed it up against his back. The mare then forced the human’s upper body and face to the mat. “No fair!” “You gotta do what it takes to win.” She cooed. The mare let go of the human and helped him up. Isaac discretely slugged himself in the leg to smother his stiffening member. “Having a malfunction?” Spitfire teased. “No, looks like you are though.” He said as he pointed to Spitfires erect wings. The mare started to blush brightly and took a few deep breaths. The mare cleared her throat and walked over to the door. Isaac picked up his coat and bag before he followed her. “C’mon we still have to test your speed.” She said as she adverted her eyes from the human who was concealing his blush. The man followed the mare until she stopped in front of a door. “I just need to get changed. That okay?” “Sure.” He said as he leaned against the wall. Spitfire nodded and walked inside the mares room and closed the doors behind her. Isaac leaned up against the wall and waited for the mare to walk out. As he waited several ponies were looking at him in surprise and amazement. As he waited several thoughts went through his mind. Why did dad teach me all this stuff? I mean, I’m not complaining, but just why? There MUST have been a reason. I guess we’ll never know. He thought as the door opened to reveal the orange mare in her skin tight blue uniform. Isaac felt his face flare up as he saw the tight blue suit hug her body. Making her curves more apparent. “You ready?” “Yeah.” He said as he followed the mare down the hallway. “So what rank were you?” She asked as she looked back at the man. “I was a Sergeant.” He said with a shrug. “Was it tough? The training I mean.” “Oh yeah. I’ve never hurt more from working out in my life.” “What was the group called again?” “Marines, they’re a fusion of out Navy, Army and Air Force. The best of the best.” “So why did you join?” “Mostly to help pay for school.....Which really doesn’t matter now that I’m here.” He said as the two walked outside onto the field with a quarter mile track ring in the center.. “So what are we doing now?” “Speed test. Normally we’d test your wing power, but since you don’t have any wings. We’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.” She said as she held up a stop watch and a clip board. Isaac set his belongings down and took his position at the starting position. “GO!” She yelled as Isaac took off. Spitfire watched Isaac as he picked up speed and ran past her. She felt the force created by the man hit against her fur. As Isaac rounded the final turn he put everything he had into his legs and shot forward like a manticore was chasing him. He overshot the finish line and started to slow down. Spitfire looked at the stop watch and recorded the results. “How’d I do?” He asked as he supported his weight on his knees. “Six minutes, seventeen-seconds. That’s a new academy record.” “Really?” “Nope.” She said in a teasing tone. “Why do you torture me like that?” He said as he caught his breath. “It’s fun.” She said with a smile. “But, you are on your way to breaking a record.” “What?” “First human to complete the Wonderbolt Training course.” “Like that’s and achievement.” He said in a flat tone as he stood up. “Hey! I’ve seen some of the strongest ponies fail this course.” She said as the human go to his feet. “It’s a pretty big achievement in this world.” She said in stern tone. Isaac looked at the mare who had a serious expression on her face. “Sorry, I meant no offense.” He said in a low tone. “It’s okay I guess I see your point. You are the only human here after all, so there’s no real competition.” She said with a shrug. “What’s next?” “I just need to fill out some paper work and then we’re good.” She said as she led him back inside the building. As the two went past a number of doors Isaac caught himself staring at the mare’s flank which was magnified by her tight blue uniform. He instantly adverted his eyes as the mare’s head turned back to him. “What’s up?” “Why wear that thing when you’re off duty?” “Well, it’s really comfortable and light weight.” She said as she looked at her arms. “Not to mention it looks cool.” She said as Isaac eyed her figure. The two made their way into a large office with a large desk in the center and a lounge chair in the corner. “Now where did I out that paperwork?” She asked as she started to search her desk. “Search the drawers.” “What does it look like?” “You’ll know it when you see it.” She said as she bent over the desk and started to look through the papers. Isaac sat in the chair and started to rifle through the drawers. Isaac noticed that Spitfire was whipping her tail as she looked for the papers. “Ah ha! Gotcha.” She said as she held up the piece of paper. She put the paper on to her desk and grabbed a pen. “I just need your signature here.” She said as she pointed to a line. Isaac picked up a nearby pen and scribbled his name down onto it. “Here and here.” She said as she pointed to two more spots. The human signed his name and handed her the pen. Spitfire picked up the paper and read the name. “Wow you were right. Odd name.” “Don’t beat yourself up. Almost no one get’s it right.” He said with a smile. “So what now?” “Now we get you a uniform.” She said as she walked over to a supply closet and withdrew a bright blue uniform with yellow stripes. The mare handed it to Isaac who started to look it over. “Right one question. How do you get it on and off? Is there a zipper in the back or something?” “Oh that’s easy theres a zipper near the neck.” Isaac watched as the mare pulled the zipper down her mid section revealing her golden cleavage. The man felt his face heat up and his member become hard. Spitfire’s face instantly went red as her brain clicked at what she just did. A snide smile then spread across her face. “Oh you’re good.” “Um, what?” He asked as the mare walked up to him taking long strides with her hips. “Oh don’t play dumb with me Sarge. I’ve seen how you look at me when you think I’m not looking.” She said as she pulled her arms through the outfit revealing her ample golden breasts.Isaac tried to back up but found that the desk was blocking his escape. “Look Spitfire, you’re very attractive but-” He was cut off as the mare started to massage his stiff member. “Wow, I haven’t been this fired up in a while.” She said as she removed the rest of her outfit. “As your Captain I am giving you a direct order.” She said as she unbuttoned Isaac’s pants. “What if someone walks in and-” “So what?” She said as she removed his shirt and forced him down against the desk. “I just remembered something.” “What?” He asked as the mare crawled on top of him. “We still have to test your endurance.” She said with a sly grin. Spitfire positioned herself above the man’s fully erect shaft. The mare let out a gasp as she lowered herself on to the tip of the phallus. Isaac let out a moan as he felt the mare’s soaking wet slit envelope his stiff member. “Oh....sweet Celestia.” She said as she pressed her lips against his. Isaac wrapped his hands around the mares back and started massaging her wings. The mare cried in ecstasy as she felt the man’s fingers rub her stiff wings. “Oh.....Fuck.” She said as she slowly started to slide herself up and down on the man’s shaft, lubricating it. “Oh god.” Isaac said as he started to match her rhythm. The mare cried out in pleasure as she sat up, taking the rod deeper within herself. Isaac started to massage her breasts in a circular motion. “Keep going...........That’s an order.” She breathed out between the moans. “Yeah....here’s the thing......Spit.” He said as he started to sit up. “I hate taking orders.” With one quick motion he reversed their positions on the desk and started to pound into her. Spitfire was going crazy. She enjoyed sex when she was the dominant one, but when she was dominated she loved it. “Oh my Luna.” She breathed out as the man started to make his motions more fluid and swift. “Let’s see.....how....flexible.....you are.” Isaac took each of the mares muscular legs and spread them apart. The mare bit her lip as she felt her muscled being strained and pleasured at the same time. Spitfire could feel the burning fire growing in her loins starting to peak. Isaac felt the mare’s walls starting to grip around his stiff member. The human smirked and pulled himself out of the mare. “Don’t!” She whined. “What? Couldn’t catch that.” He said in a teasing tone. “I NEED YOU INSIDE ME I’M SO CLOSE!” She yelled. Isaac smirked. “What’s the magic word?” “PLEASE!” She yelled. Isaac smiled and plunged his rod into the mare’s waiting folds. Spitfire cried out in passion as she felt the man’s rod hit her back wall. “I’m.....I’m coming!” She yelled as she wrapped her arms and legs around the man’s body. Isaac felt her walls clam on his cock like a vice. Isaac continued to quicken his pace as he felt the mare’s juices flow onto his shaft. “Harder!” She yelled. Isaac felt a familiar pressure building up inside his body. “Spit I’m gonna-” “Keep going!” She moaned. Isaac thrusted harder and faster than before until he released inside of her. The mare let out a cry of passion as she felt the man’s juices flow into her. Isaac felt his muscles contract and relax. The golden mare wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in to a kiss. Isaac returned the gesture and prodded his tongue inside her lips. “That......was.....amazing.” She said as he slid out of her. “Like wise.” He said as he caught his breath. “I can honestly say I’ve never had sex at 20,000 feet before.” “We’re actually at 35,000 feet.” She said as she started to put her uniform back on. “Even better.” He said as he put his clothes back on. “Listen I understand if you don’t want me to talk about this with anyone. You’re a celebrity after all.” “Doesn’t matter to me. So long as you don’t get all obnoxious about it.” She said as she zipped her uniform back up. “Relax, I’m not like that.” He said with a smile. “Oh right, before I forget.” She said as she opened a drawer and pulled out a golden badge with the wonderbolt insignia on it. “That’s your badge. Ponies will recognize you as an Honorary Wonderbolt. Congratulations.” She said with a smile. “Thank you.” He said as he shook her hand. “Don’t mention it.” “Just one more question.” The mare looked at him as he pulled the uniform out of the navy blue gym bag. “What about the wing space? I don’t have wings so it would look kinda silly.” He said as he pointed to the costume. “Each suit is enchanted to fit the owners body. It’ll adapt once you put it on. So the wing space will probably disappear.” She said as Isaac put the suit in a bag. “That’s handy.” He said with a smile. He put the badge in his pocket. The two walked out of the office and made their way outside. Isaac looked at his phone and saw that it was late in the afternoon. “I should probably get back the others are probably getting worried about me.” “Want a lift?” She asked as she outstretched her hand. The man nodded and took hold of the mares arm as she took flight towards the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the small town Rarity and the other girls were sitting outside Sugar Cube Corner. Twilight was nose deep in the book Isaac had given her while the other girls were small talking. Rarity had a disappointed look in her eyes as she looked at her friend. “Please Twilight.” Rarity whined in a pleading manner. “Sorry Rarity, but I just got to...” The lavender mare took a moment to glance at the book she received from the man. “The Egyptians and I am NOT stopping.” She said as she returned to her book. “Fluttershy, please?” She asked with a smile. “Sorry Rarity, but the bunny I’m looking after could have her babies any day and I have to be there for her. Sorry.” She said in a timid tone. “It’s alright darling. Rainbow? Applejack?” “No way, no how.” The farmer said as she shook her head. “Why don’t you ask Sp-” She was cut off as Twilight’s horn flared and turned her mouth into a zipper. The mare shook her head with a worried look in her eyes. The mare made the zipper vanish. “Okay never mind.” “Thank you Twilight.” Rarity said as she let out a sigh. “I still need to find a plus one for the event. Do you know anyone who I could go with?” The mares gave it some thought until Rainbow perked up. “Look Rare’s, a date isn’t come falling out of the sky just because you have some fancy art show to go to.” She said with a sigh. “I’ll have you know that several brilliant painters will be there. Not to mention-” “TWITCHY TAIL!” Pinkie yelled as her tail started to shake. The ponies immediately ducked under the table and looked towards the sky. “Wait! Twitchy tail, achey knee and floppy ear.” She said as she got to her feet. “What? What’s gonna fall?” Applejack said as she panicked. “Not what. Who.” “INCOMING!” The mares looked up to see Isaac falling from the sky with a parachute coming from his backpack. The mares looked at him in shock as he landed in front of them. The parachute landed behind him and he held a clenched fist raised. “Still got it!” The mare’s quickly rushed over to him as he started to fold the parachute up and packed it into the bag. “WHAT WERE YOU DOING?” Twilight yelled. “I can tell you what I wan’t doing. I WASN’T trying to recreate one of the best stunts from the James Bond films.” He said with a smile. “What?” “Never mind.” He said as he continued to pack up the parachute. “Where were you today?” Rainbow asked. Isaac froze as he remembered the day. “I was hanging out with Spitfire and I brought the parachute incase I fell off a cloud.” He said with a sigh. The mares looked at him in shock, while Rainbow was fuming. She grabbed the mans shirt and started to shake him. “WHY DIDN’T YOU INVITE ME?” She yelled as she let go of the man. “Easy there Dash.” AJ interjected. “So what did you and Spitfire do?” She asked as they sat back down at the table. “We just hung out. Shot the breeze. Stuff like that.” He lied. “What did she want to talk about?” Twilight asked. “I mostly asked about the Wonderbolts, flying that sort of thing.” He said in a flat tone. “Did you mention me?” Dash asked in enthusiasm. “No, you didn’t come up at all.” The cyan mare hung her head in disappointment. “Well, if you need me I’ll be heading home. It’s been a long day and I’m bushed.” He said as he yawned and got to his feet. Rarity’s eyes lit up at a realization. “Isaac wait.” The human looked back at the mare who had a smile on her face. “Theres an art show in Manehattan that I would just love to go to. I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.” She said with a smile. “What like a date?” The mare blushed at the statement. “No, just a social engagement that is no fun to go to alone.” She said in a flat tone. “Everyone else is too busy.” She whined. Isaac thought for a moment and shrugged. “Fine, only on one condition.” He said in a stern tone. “What?” “I get to wear what I want to wear.” The mare’s right eye twitched. “Relax I own two suits that look good. I’ll bring those.” Rarity bit her lip and thought for a moment. “Very well. Be at the train station tomorrow at Eight o’clock.” She said with a smile. “I’ll be there.” He said with a wave as he continued on his way. Rarity looked back at her friends with a smile on her face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac walked into his home and threw his bag on the couch and made his way upstairs. When he got to his room he climbed out of the window and walked up to the chimney that had a bright blue gym bag hanging from it. He opened the bag and saw that the suit and other items were in there. He took a moment to look towards the sky and let out a sigh. “Hey Spit, can you drop this bag off on my roof for me?” He said as the two stopped on a cloud just above the town. “Why?” She asked in confusion. “If Rainbow see’s this stuff she’s gonna flip and I am way to tired to deal with that right now.” He said as he handed her the bag. “How are you going to get down?” “The old fashioned way.” He said as he jumped off the cloud and pulled the parachute cord, making the parachute erupt from the bag and slowed his descent. Isaac snapped back to reality and went back inside his house. He quickly withdrew a jet black suit with a red tie and white shirt along with a navy blue jacket with a silver tie. He packed them in a bag and threw a few more items back inside. The human laid on his bed and closed his eyes as he felt the day’s activities take their tolls. Chapter 14: ArtChapter 13 Art Isaac sat across from the white mare inside their train booth. The human was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a white T-shirt with a black leather jacket on. Isaac looked over at the mare who was wearing a white blouse along with a pair of purple jeans that matched her purple glasses and mane. The human noticed that the mare’s eyes were darting from left to right and she seemed to shift in her seat. In an effort to break the silence Isaac started a conversation “So Rarity, why did you pick me to go on this event?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “Well, everyone else didn’t want to go.” “Why?” “Rainbow Dash and Applejack have no appreciation for the fine arts. Fluttershy hates large crowds and would probably spend the whole event hiding in a bush or under a table.” She said with a sigh. “What about Twilight? Wouldn’t she want to go?” “Twilight is the smartest mare I know and while she is cultured, she lacks the creative point of view.” “I can see that. What about Pinkie?” The mare looked at him with a blank expression on her face. “Right, never mind. Wait, why not take Spike?” “Spike unfortunately has a small cold.” “So?” “Sneezing dragons and priceless works of art don’t mix.” The human nodded his head in agreement. “You should know that I’m not very artistic and can’t throw my two cents in if we get into a conversation.” He said as he sat back. “I figured.” She said as she looked at the man. “So why bring me then?” “I hate going to these functions alone and you haven’t seen much of Equestria, aside from Ponyville that is.” She said with a smile. “How long is this event?” “We’ll be staying there for two nights.” She said as she turned back to her magazine. The human let out a sigh and pulled out a small leather bound book. Isaac pulled a pen out of his backpack and started to scribble some words down. Rarity looked up and cocked an eyebrow at the humans action. “What are you doing?” “Writing.” He said in a flat tone. “I meant why.” “Just a habit I guess. I did it all the time back in my world and I aim to continue it here.” “So it’s a diary?” “Journal. Diary sounds too......pretty.” He said as he put the book away. “How long is the train ride?” “We’ll be there in two hours.” She said as she looked at her watch. The human let out a groan and pulled out his Laptop. “What in the name of Equestria is that?” “This is a laptop. Mac Book Pro.” “What does it do?” She asked as she sat next to the human to look at the screen. “Almost anything. Right now I’m going to watch a movie. You want in?” He asked as he plugged in his headphones. “No thank you darling I-” She was cut off as she saw the movie poster appear next to the description. “That dress is marvelous! That hair is so...unique!” She said with a gasp. “Reconsidered have we?” He said with a grin. Rarity pulled out a earphone splicer and connected it to the machine. Isaac pressed play and the two watched the flick. Isaac had noticed that the mare started to rest her head on his shoulder. The human payed no mind to it as he watched the film. By the time the movie had ended the train had pulled to a stop and the two grabbed their belongings and made their way off the train tracks. “That film was spectacular! I had no idea that humans were so creative!” “We’re full of surprises.” He said as he and the mare waited for the cart filled with Rarities belongings. The small cart seemed to be overflowing with bags filled with god know what. “Thinking of setting up a vendor booth Rare’s?” He said with a smirk. “Ha, ha. Very funny.” She said in a sarcastic tone. “Let’s head to the hotel.” She said as she waved over a carriage. Isaac looked in surprise as it was being pulled by two Clydesdale horses. “Something wrong dear?” Rarity asked as she stepped inside the carriage. “There are horses here?” “Yes, why?” She asked as she levitated the bags on top. “To the Diamond Palace sir.” “Right away ma’am.” The grey pony said with a smile. He slapped the reigns and the horse pulled the carriage. Isaac looked at Rarity with a raised eyebrow as they continued along the streets. “Why are you staring at me?” Rarity asked. “Just amazed that there are horses here.” He said as he looked at the animals. “Why?” “I just figured since ponies are like humans, I just assumed the same for horses.” “No. We use them for pulling carts and what not. What about on your world?” “Same reason. I’m just still surprised.” He said as he sat back. “What’s so surprising?” “You may not know this, but on my world ponies are just distant cousins of horses.” “I know.” She said in a calm voice. “So why do you make them pull carts?” “Well, they can’t communicate, shop or get jobs. I guess they’re considered pets.” Isaac held the stare and let out a sigh. “I guess I can see that. Humans do the same thing to monkeys by putting them in zoos’.” He said as the cart stopped. The two got out of the cart and with their belongings. Isaac let out a groan at the mountain of bags Rarity had in a pile outside the cart. Isaac tipped the stallion and gave him a nod. Isaac and the mare walked inside and stopped at the desk. The receptionist was a green unicorn mare with glasses. “Good afternoon.” She said with a smile. “Hello, I have two rooms under Rarity Belle.” “Okay let me just check.” The mare said with a smile. She started looking through the files. She pulled one out and bit her lip. “Sorry Ms. Belle, but we only have one room under that name.” “Oh silly me. I must have forgotten. Can you just add one to the bill then?” “Sorry, no vacancy.” Rarity’s smile faded and hung her head. “How many beds are there?” Isaac asked. “One. There is a sofa in the main living area.” The receptionist said as she adjusted her glasses. “Well, looks like Rarity will have to take the couch.” He said in a light hearted tone. The white mare slowly turned her head slowly and gave him a look that could kill a manticore. “Jeez Rarity, I’m kidding. That will be fine.” Isaac said with a grin. The mare handed him the room keys and smiled. Rarity walked over to the luggage cart where a tan stallion was waiting next to Rarity’s mountain of bags. “Sir, please take these up to room 618 on floor ten.” She said with a smile. “Ma’am the weight limit on the elevator won’t take all of this baggage.” “So make multiple trips.” She said in a flat tone. “I don’t know Miss I-” Rarity let her hair down and made a pouting face. “Please?” She asked as her lip quivered. What ever resistance the stallion had crumbled right there. “As you wish.” He said in a flat tone. “Thank you.” She said as she walked towards the elevator. Isaac walked over to the stallion who silently cursed himself. “Need a hand?” “Thank you!” He said as he handed Isaac some bags. The two made their way towards the elevator. The stallion pressed the button and leaned against the elevator wall. The two let out a sigh as they rose. “So are you and her....together?” “No, just friends.” He said as the elevator stopped moving. The two grabbed the bags and made their way down the hallway. Isaac stopped at the room number and inserted the key into the slot and opened the door. The two walked inside and dropped the bags off. Isaac reached into his wallet and withdrew twenty bits. “Here you go.” “Thank you sir.” He said as he left the room. Isaac looked around the room and whistled. A complete kitchen, with living room, a Queen sized bed and shower. The man threw his backpack and single bag onto the couch. He walked over to the fridge and withdrew a bottle of bottled water. He looked over to see Rarity with a smile on her face. “Ah good the luggage arrived.” “Yeah, what do you keep in here rocks?” “Diamonds to be more specific.” She said as she reached in to reveal a diamond necklace. “So when does this art thing start?” “Tonight at seven o’clock.” She said as she adjusted her hair in the mirror. “Well, it’s only noon. So what do we do?” “SHOPPING!” She said as she levitated her purse over to her. Isaac face palmed. “I knew you were gonna say that.” “Come along Isaac. We have much to see.” She said as she walked out the door. Isaac grabbed his jacket and reluctantly followed the mare. The two walked down the city street as Isaac kept his hood up to avoid attention. The two walked into a department store and started to look around the small shop. Isaac waited patiently as Rarity tried on outfit after outfit. The human withdrew his music player and selected a random song to help pass the time. “Well, how do I look?” Isaac looked up to see rarity in a very small bikini swim suit. The top was just two small triangles colored white that made her look like she was wearing nothing at all. Isaac felt himself blush at the sight. “You look.....great.” He said with a gulp. “Do you think Spike will like it?” She asked as she turned around. Dat ass! Isaac quickly slapped himself in the face. “Yeah I think he’ll approve.” He said as he discretely took a snapshot with his phone. The mare walked back behind the curtain. That’s Spike’s girl! Since when do you care? I may not like the fact that your having sex with theses things but you took the Bro Code Oath! What’s bro code article one? Bro’s before hoe’s. Correct. So control yourself! Isaac snapped back to reality as Rarity exited the changing room in the clothes she wore into the store. The white mare paid the cashier and the two made their way back onto the city streets. Isaac pulled out his phone and selected Spike’s contact. He pressed a few buttons and sent the text. Yo Spike. Sup? Not much. How are you feeling? Lousy :( Maybe this will cheer you up >:) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Ponyville the dragon was lying in bed with the phone in his claw. “What could he mean by that?” He said as the human sent him the picture he had just taken of the white mare. The dragons jaw dropped and a small dribble of blood came out of his nose. The dragon saved it in his phone and started to text. What are you two doing? Rarity wanted to go shopping, so she dragged me along for a second opinion. Oh. That makes sense. Yeah, I’m bored out of my skull here. Likewise. Crap, Rarity is about to buy something completely stupid. Better stop her. See ya. Peace. The dragon exited out of the message and stared at the picture of the white mare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the busy city the two friends sat down at a nearby coffee shop. Isaac quietly sipped his drink as the white mare glared at him. “Oh don’t give me that look. That hat was hideous.” He said as he put his cup down on the table. “I would have made it work!” “Look Rare’s, your an excellent designer, but there are somethings you just can’t fix. Like that hat. I’ve seen water buffalo that look more subtle than that thing.” He said as he finished his coffee. “I suppose you’re right.” She said as the two got to their feet and walked out of the shop. Isaac threw his white hood over his head and walked beside the mare who was staring at him. “Honestly Isaac why do you insist on keeping that hood up?” “I don’t want to end up on the six o’clock news with the title ‘New species discovered.’ I’m pretty sure I’d get a bag thrown over my head and hauled off to get dismantled and experimented on.” He said with a groan. “If something like that did happen I’m sure Celestia and Luna could clear things up.” She said with a smile. The human nodded and continued walking until an old shop caught his eye. The small building was wedged between two tall skyscrapers and looked like it was made when the city first started. “Isaac?” “Hang on, I want to see something.” He said as he walked towards the shop. “You can’t be serious. That place sells trash.” “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He said as he went through the door. The inside smelled of burning herbs and spices. He looked around at the antiques until he noticed an old mare with a cane and a pair of thick dark glasses on her nose. “Hello there. What can I do for you?” She asked in a sweet tone. “I was just looking around your shop.” “Wish I could.” She said as she pointed to her glasses. Isaac immediately gulped. “It’s alright dear. I’m used to it. You must have a knack for the strange and mysterious if this shop caught your eye.” “You could say that.” He said as a young green unicorn mare with brown hair came from the back. “Hello, need help finding anything?” She asked in a cheery tone. “No thank you. We were just leaving.” Rarity said in a flat tone. “You can if you want.” “Come on Isaac this place is boring.” “Hey you dragged me to all those clothing stores, now it’s my turn.” He said as he eyed the mare. The white mare put a pouting face on and whimpered. “That look doesn’t work on me. Save it for Spike.” He said as he looked around the shop. The mare let out a sigh and stood by the counter. Isaac made his way through the shop and looked at the various items. The man’s eyes shrank as his eyes fell upon a certain item. “Ma’am where did you get this?” He asked in a flat tone. “That?.....Hm.....Don’t know. Just found it here one day. No idea what it is though, no pony will buy it.” The young mare said with a shrug. The man picked it up and placed it on the counter. “How much?” “Seriously?” The mare said in surprise. “Yeah.” “That’ll be fifty bits.” She said with a smile. “Fifty?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yup.” “No problem.” He said as he pulled out the bit bag. Clearly these guys don’t know what it this thing is. If they did they’d most likely destroy it. And they’d most likely hurt themselves. I won’t let that happen. He thought as he paid the mare and put the item in his bag. The elderly mare suddenly got to her feet. “We have a special on this week. A free fortune reading with every purchase.” She said with a smile. “You’d better take her up on the offer. Granny’s predictions are pretty good.” The mare said with a smile. “How will that work? I mean you’re-” Rarity was cut off as the mare chuckled. “There are many ways to see the world dear.” She said with a smile. Isaac shrugged and followed the mare into the back room. The room was small with a single table in the center. The two sat down on either end. “Okay, now I need something that holds sentimental value.” She said as she stretched out her hand. “Why?” “The spell need something to lock onto.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac rifled through his pockets and sighed. His gaze then fell upon his arm which had a wooden beaded wristband with carvings into each bead. The man reluctantly pulled it off his arm and handed it to the mare. “Thank you.” She said as she rolled it around in her palm. “Good, now give your right hand.” Isaac complied and outstretched his hand. The elderly mare took it and quickly pulled out a pin and plucked it into his flesh drawing blood. “JESUS! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?” He yelled as he tried to withdraw his hand from her grasp. “Payment.” She said as she squeezed and a small drop of blood fell on the wooden wristband. The mare let go and Isaac immediately pulled his hand away and rubbed the sore spot. The mare’s horn glowed and the wristband was levitated and started to spin. Isaac looked in surprise as the mare’s eyes started to glow. A beam of light connected their foreheads. “I can see it now.” Her voice changed from her usual cheery voice to one that sounded like she was possessed. “You’re a traveler. A long, long, long way from home. You are like a coin; two sides. Two voices with the same goal.” She said as she looked at the man. “Be wary. Your song will end soon.” “What are you talking about?” “It will knock four times.” Isaac’s mind was going crazy as he felt the foreign influence flash multiple pictures. “Take up arms old soldier there is still a battle to be fought and a choice must be made.” Rarity poked her head into the room and let out a gasp at the sight. “Know one last thing child. You are not alone.” The glow from her eyes left as the connection was severed. She sat back and breathed heavily. The mare looked at the man who’s face had lost all it’s color and had the look of pure fear. “So sorry dear, did I say something?” She said in her normal tone. “You don’t remember?” Isaac said as he caught his breath. “Sorry, I don’t remember the fortunes. They just come and go.” She said with a smile. Isaac quickly got to his feet. Hurried over to Rarity and grabbed her hand. As he left the shop the younger mare hurried after him with a bag in her hand. “Sir you forgot your item.” She said the human stopped. “Okay no offense, but your grandmother is-” “Crazy?” She said as she bit her lip. “For lack of a better term; yes.” He said as the mare handed him the bag. “Tell me do all her predictions usually come true?” He asked in a nervous tone. “Sometimes.” She said in a low tone. “I’m sorry about your hand, it’s just how it works.” “It’s fine.” He said as he raised his right hand to show that the wound was healing. “See good as new.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. “Right, oh here’s your bracelet back.” She said as she tossed him the wooden bracelet. Isaac nodded and put it around his arm. “Hope you come again.” She said with a wave. “Hopefully next time we skip the bleeding.” He said as he walked away from the shop. Rarity looked at him in confusion as the two hurried away from the shop. “Isaac what’s wrong?” Rarity asked. The man remained silent as they hurried through the streets. Isaac felt a mixture of emotions flood through him. Curiosity, anxiety and fear. As the two entered a wooded park. Rarity ripped her hand from the man’s tight grip. “ISAAC!” The man snapped back to reality and looked at the mare who had a look of fear on her face. “Sorry Rarity. I just.....had to get out of there.” He said as he sat down at a bench and caught his breath. The mare sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “That mare was obviously crazy.” She said in a reassuring voice. “I mean she thought you were a soldier.” “I was. Once.” He said as he looked down. “I felt her crawl into my mind. She saw my memories, my thoughts....everything.” He said as he held his head. The mare rubbed his back and comforted him. She then noticed the item in the bag. “What is that thing anyway?” She asked. “Nothing just a trinket.” He said as he grabbed the bag. “Isaac....What is it?” Isaac let out a sigh and looked back at the mare. “It’s something from my world.” “What? How is that possible?” “The Doctor told me that I came here through a rift.” “A what?” Rarity said in a confused sounding voice. “Think of reality and time like a piece of fabric. Tightly woven together. There are these little gaps in the material that can let things fall through.” The mare nodded her head. “I fell through one of them.” “So other things can fall through them too?” “Yeah.” “Other humans?” “Possible, but unlikely. The Doctor said that if a living thing were to fall through there’d be no way of knowing when or where they’d end up.” He said with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “It’s getting late we’d better head back and get ready.” He said as he got to his feet. The mare nodded and the two made their way back to the hotel. The two walked through the streets in silence as they made their way through the busy crowd of ponies. They entered the lobby and made their way upstairs. Rarity was going through her purse and let out a gasp. “What?” “I left my key inside the room.” The man face palmed. “Great.” He said with a groan. “Wait a second.” His head perked up and he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the silver rod the Doctor had given him. “Let’s hope this works.” He said as he pointed it towards the key hole and pressed the button. After a few seconds the two heard a satisfying click come from the lock and they made their way inside. “Now I see why he carries this thing around with him.” He said as he slipped the instrument back into his pocket. The man pulled out his suitcase and threw on his collared white shirt, jet black pants and jacket along with a red straight tie. He looked at his watch and let out a sigh. He laid back on the couch and dozed off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “That eager for our lessons?” A voice said in the man’s head. Isaac looked up to see Princess Luna smiling at him. “Might as well get a lesson in while I wait for Rarity. God knows that could take hours.” He said with a chuckle. The mare smiled. Her expression then turned flat as a shiver ran down her spine. “Is something wrong?” “I sense that there is something wrong with you.” “How do you know?” “I’m in YOUR head remember?” She said as she cocked an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lied. The dark Princes glared at the man who held a bad poker face. “Isaac. As a friend we ask that you be truthful with us.” She said in a stern tone. “Fine. Sorry for lying it’s just that I can’t seem to make much sense of it myself.” The man then told the Princess about his fortune being told. “That’s when Rarity and I high tailed it out of there.” He said with a sigh. The mare put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I’m sure she was just another so called ‘fortune teller.’ They can’t even predict the weather without a Pegasi’s help.” “Thanks Luna.” He said as he got to his feet. “So what’s this lesson?” “We are going to teach you how to deflect offensive spells.” She said as a glowing blue ball appeared in her right hand. “Wait a second. I don’t even know any spells.” He said in a surprised tone. “Oh well. On guard!” Isaac looked up to see the Lunar Princess charge at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the room Rarity had finished preparing and walked out of the room to see Isaac asleep on the couch. She tapped him on the forehead and drew her face closer to his ear. “Wake up Isaac!” She said in a high pitched sing sone voice. “AHHH!” He said as he instantly sat up. “Jeez Rarity. Couldn’t you have just nudged my shoulder or something?” Isaac looked at the mare who was sporting a sleek strapless red dress with matching shoes. She was also wearing a pair of red gloves that creeped up to the middle of her upper arm. Here eyelashes were curled and were lined with a lightish red eyeliner and ruby red lipstick. “Well, how do I look?” She asked as she spun around. Isaac gulped and felt his face flare up. “You look fine.” He said as he gulped. “Just fine?” She asked with a pouting look on her face. “Stunning, hot, sexy. Take your pick.” He said as he got to his feet. “What was that last one?” She asked as she blushed. “Nothing. We’d better get going.” He said as he walked over to the door only to have it shut in his face by a white aura. “Hold it right there mister!” The mare said in a commanding tone. “You’re not going out there like that!” “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He asked. “It’s a formal event!” “The deal was that I could wear what I wanted and this is the nicest suit I own.” The mare remembered the deal she struck with the man. “Very well. I suppose it’s passable. Just be on your best behavior.” “What are you my mother?” He said in an aggravated tone. “Oh hush and don’t forget the room key.” She said as she walked towards the door. Isaac walked over to his bag and removed a medium sized black cylinder with a grip. He put the object in his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He walked out of the room taking his key. The two made their way to the lobby and hailed a carriage. Isaac felt the cart roll against the cobble stone road and hit a few pot holes. Isaac felt the carriage pull to a stop and he stepped out first holding the door open for the mare. “Why thank you kind sir.” She cooed. Isaac reached into his pocked and withdrew a handful of bits to pay the stallion. He looked at the building in surprise. “Something wrong Isaac?” “This place looks a lot like a museum from my world.” He said as his eyes looked at the architecture. There were two stone griffins out front on pedestals. Rarity wrapped her arm around Isaac’s and the two of them made their way up the stone steps to the museum entrance. Two white pegasus guards in golden armor and holding spears stood at the entrance checking invitations. The two guards looked at the human with a raised eyebrow as Rarity withdrew their invitations. The two stallions shrugged and let the white mare inside. As Isaac stepped forward they crossed their spears. “Sir, he’s my plus one.” Rarity said with a smile. “Sorry ma’am but you’ll have to leave your pet outside.” The guard said in a flat tone. Pet? “Can’t you let him in?” Rarity said in a begging voice. The guards gulped as the mare traced a finger over one of their golden chest plates. “You know I love a stallion in uniform.” She cooed. Both guards felt their faces heat up but soon shook it off. “Sorry ma’am but-” “Rarity!” The mare looked behind her to see a white unicorn stallion with a flowing blue mane and a monocle over his left eye accompanied by a slim pink unicorn mare. “So good to see you again my dear.” “Fancy, Fleur. So good to see you again.” She said as she shook their hands. “Maybe you can help me. The guards are giving my date a little bit of trouble.” “No need Rarity.” He said as he reached into his pocket. Hope this works. He thought as he pulled out the golden badge Spitfire had given him. Both guards immediately retracted their spears. “Sorry sir. We didn’t know you were a Wonderbolt.” They said as they let the man pass. “Perfectly fine.” He said as he rejoined a now dumbfounded Rarity. “Ready to go?” “Where did you get that?” Rarity asked. “Spitfire made me an honorary Wonderbolt yesterday as payment for saving her.” He said as he put the badge away. “Don’t tell Rainbow Dash.” “I understand.” The mare said as she looked back to her two friends. “Oh yes, Isaac, I’d like you to meet Fancy Pants and his wife Fleur de Lis.” “A pleasure to meet you.” Fancy said with a smile. “Like wise.” Fleur nodded. “Might we inquire to what you are?” “I’m a human.” He said with a smile. Both of their jaws dropped. “Looks like the rumors are true.” Fancy said as he cleaned his monocle. “Well, any friend of Rarity’s is a friend of mine.” He said as he shook the man’s hand. “Come along you two, lots to see.” He said as the group made their way through the crowd. Isaac could feel multiple eyes on him. “Don’t mind them old boy. Just not used to seeing someone like you around.” “Relax I’ve been getting looks like that for over a month now.” Isaac said with a grin. “So....Isaac was it?” Fleur asked. The man nodded. “What do you do?” “I’m a freelancer.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “I go from job to job. Recently I’ve been helping a friend of mine who runs a farm.” “My friend Applejack.” Rarity added. “Oh she was running the apple cart at the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago.” Fancy said as they stopped in front of a painting of a landscape. “What about where you’re from?” “Let’s just say that I’m a long way from home.” He said as he crossed his arms. “What was your occupation?” Fleur asked. “Solider.” He said in a flat tone. “Really now?” The stallion said in a surprised tone. The group continued to go through the museum and look at the different types of art put on display. After an hour had passed The group started to mingle and talk amongst themselves. “So Fancy, what do you do?” “I’m a share holder in a series of banks.” He said as he sipped his wine. “Interesting. What about you Fleur?” “I’m a model for a number of magazines.” She said with a smile. “Oh excuse us.” She said as she and the white stallion departed and vanished into the crowd. Isaac looked at Rarity who was smiling. “They seem nice.” “Oh yes Fancy is such a generous stallion.” “Looks like it.” The man then saw the color from the mare’s face fade away and she quickly turned around. “What’s wrong Rarity?” He asked as he looked at her. “Over three tables to the right.” She said as she pointed over her shoulder. Isaac followed the finger to see a pink Pegasus mare with a blonde mane surrounded by several stallions. “Who’s that?” He asked. “That is Angel Beats. That mare, for lack of a better term; is a grade A bitch.” She said in a cold tone. “How so?” Isaac asked. “She always flaunts her eyelashes and thrusts her chest out in order to get ahead in life.” Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “No offense Rarity, but you do the same thing.” The mare’s jaw dropped. “Like when?” She stammered. “Whenever you need Spike to do something for you. At the hotel with the butler and at the front gate with those guards.” He said as he sipped his water. “I only use that for trivial tasks. I have never, nor will ever do that to get ahead in the fashion business. I prefer to be recognized for my skill.” She said in a proud tone. “I see. My apologies.” He said with a nod. “It’s alright darling. Back to the topic at hand. That mare is without a doubt the most insufferable, inconsiderate mare in all of-” “Rarity! Darling!” Isaac looked up to see the pink mare make her way over to him and the white mare. “Angel! How are you dear?” The visible rage was quickly hidden by a flawless smile The white mare gave the pink Unicorn and air kiss on either cheek. “How goes your business dear?” “Excellent as always. I still can’t believe that you’re still in that backwater town.” She said in a smooth voice. Isaac saw Rarity’s right eye twitch. “It has it’s charms and I draw so much inspiration from the ponies there.” She said with a smile. The pink mare’s eyes then fell upon the man in the suit. “Who’s your friend?” She asked as she batted her eye lashes. “This is my date.” She said as she wrapped and arm around his. “Isaac this is Angel Beats, Lingerie designer.” She said still holding the fake smile. “Nice to meet you.” Isaac said with a grin. “Charmed. I’m so sorry.” “For what?” Isaac asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “What ever accident you were in that made you lose all of your fur. You poor stallion.” Isaac bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Actually, I was born like this and I’m not a pony.” He said with a fake smile. The mare looked at him in confusion. “Oh...You must be that human that Fleur was going on about. Quite honestly I thought she was kidding.” She said with a sigh. “Well, why are you with Rarity?” She asked. “Excuse me?” Isaac said as he narrowed his gaze. “I’m just asking why someone like you is with a mare so plain.” Isaac could feel the rage as Rarity’s grip tightened on his arm. The man cracked his neck and glared at the mare. “Plain? She is anything but plain.” He said in a flat tone. “Rarity is the nicest and most generous mare I’ve ever met.” He said as the pink mare gulped. “Unlike you, who have to resort to cheap underhanded tricks to get ahead in life because you can’t rely on your skill as a designer.” “How dare you!” She said as she slapped him across the face causing Rarity to gasp. “How about that. You even smack like a bitch.” The now flustered pink mare stormed off back to her table. Isaac let out a sigh and walked over to the bar. “I’ll take a shot of Scotch.” He said as he put a few bits on the bar. Rarity followed him and ordered a drink of her own. Isaac looked to his right to see Rarity staring at him. “Sorry about that.” “Don’t be. I still can’t believe that you stood up for me.” “‘Course I did. You’re my friend.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Not to mention that I hate people or ponies in this case, like that.” “You’ve dealt with people like that before?” She asked as her Champaign arrived. “Yup, all through High School.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Likewise. My school days could have gone better.” “How so?” He said in a confused tone. “You seemed like the prom queen type.” “Oh I was. I was the most popular mare in school and everypony wanted to be by my side.” She said as she stared off into space. “Then I realized that my friends really weren’t my friends.” “What happened?” Isaac asked. “A few of the girls started picking on a mare who was different. When I defended her they all turned on me. My status plummeted and I was thrown into the same social group as her.” She said as she sipped her glass. “Was it worth it?” “Definitely. I’m a better mare for it and Applejack an I are the best of friends.” Isaac looked at the mare in surprise. “What about you? What social class were you in?” “None. I was usually on my own safe for Mason who got along with almost everyone.” He said as the bartender refilled his drink. “Mason. I recall that you said that he was stronger than you.” “Yup.” “He must be something special then.” She said as she looked at the man. “What do you mean?” He asked in confusion. “Well, you are something else and if he's better than you then that means he must be very special.” “Mason and I were equal in physical ability, but he has this...driving force that always keeps him going. No matter what the world throws at him he takes in stride.” He said in a low tone. “You don’t?” “I’m the guy that always prefer to just deal with thing rather than change them.” “You said that you were a soldier?” The man nodded. “Why did you decide to do it?” “Didn’t really have much choice. Family tradition and all. My dad was pretty strict about it. Told me to ‘carry on the warrior gene.’” He said with a sigh. “Warrior gene?” “I come from a long line of soldiers. My mom traced our ancestry back to ancient times. I honestly think that she may have had too much to drink one night and started reading about roman mythology.” He said with a shrug. “So what did the ancestry thing turn out as?” She asked. “No idea.I can look it up when we get back home. I’m pretty sure that my mom saved the family tree.” He said with a shrug. “What about your folks?” The two continued to talk late into the night. By the time the exhibit was over the white mare had downed two bottles worth of champaign and was barely standing on her own. “Then....that...crazy mare turned my hair green! GREEN!” She yelled. Isaac looked at his watch and then back at the mare. “C’mon Rarity. Time to go.” “Why? We’re having fun!” She whined. “Well, you’re drunk and I’m almost right behind you. So I say we head back to the hotel before on of us does something stupid.” He said as he paid the bartender. The white mare was pouting and pushing her lower lip out. “That look doesn’t work on me.” He said as he helped her to her feet. “Oh you’re no fun.” She said as the two made their way out of the art museum. Isaac hailed a carriage and the two slowly made their way back to the hotel. Isaac managed to keep the mare from tripping over herself. As Isaac fumbled with the key card he felt the mare rub her head against his back and let out a sigh. Isaac ignored the action and made his way into the roon with the white mare following close behind. The man sat on the couch as the mare walked into the bedroom. The man leaned back and let out a sigh until he heard a voice. “Isaac, could you help me with something really quick?” Isaac got to his feet and walked into the room to the the mare sitting down on the bed. “I hate to ask this, but could you undo the zipper on the back of my dress? I’d do it my self but magic and alcohol don’t mix well.” She said in slow tone. “No problem.” He said as he sat behind her. The mare pulled her mane out of the way so that the man could get to the zipper. “What word did you use to describe me before we left?” She asked in a playful tone. “I used three words, try to narrow it down. I can’t rightly remember.” He said as he blushed. “It was a four letter word and it started with an S.” She said as the human took the zipper down. “If you must know then the term was....” The mare turned around and smiled at him. “Say it.” She said in a seductive tone. “Sexy.” As the man started to get up the white mare tackled him onto the bed and passionately pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt the mare’s body latch around him and start to move in a steady rhythm. The man felt himself becoming aroused by the mares action. The man quickly sat up and gently pushed the mare off him. “Sorry Rarity, but no.” “Why not?” She whined. “You’re drunk. I can taste the Champagne on your lips. I won’t take advantage of you like that.” He said as he tried to get up only to be tackled again by the white mare. Rarity pinned him to the bed and straddled his chest. “Rarity, get off me.” He said in a flat tone. “Why? Let’s have some fun” Her horn glowed and the bed sheets tied Isaac’s wrists to the frame. The mare’s breath reeked of alcohol. The man let out a sigh and looked back at the mare. “Fine.” He said in a flat tone. “Just let me get my hands back. This is a bit uncomfortable and I’ll need them to pleasure you.” He said in a sultry tone. “As you wish darling.” She said as her horn glowed and the bed sheets removed themselves from his wrists. The man took a moment to gently rub his once tied hands. He gently removed the top half of the mare’s red dress revealing her pristine white ample breasts. The man slowly moved his hands up her torso and caressed them making the mare moan in pleasure. “Oh Isaac. That feels marvelous.” She breathed out. “How does this feel?” He asked as he moved his hand in a circular motion. “Simply divine.” She moaned. “What about this?” The man moved his right hand up to the spot where her shoulder met her neck and applied pressure. The mare felt dizzy for a moment and collapsed on the human’s chest. Isaac gently lifted the mare off his body and rolled her over on her back. He took the front of her dress and put it over her bust. Isaac then maneuvered the covers so that they covered the mare’s body up to her neck. “Thank you Leonard Nimoy.” He said in a low tone. The man walked over to the bed room door and closed it. Isaac then took a shower and changed into a Guinea T and a pair of baggy gym shorts. He pulled the bed portion out from the couch and laid down to rest. Author's Note I'm Back! Inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. Honestly finishing this chapter is what the difficult part was. I'd like to thank all those who gave me their support to help me get back on track. Chapter 15: Have I Been Here Before?Chapter 15 Have I Been Here Before? Rarity woke up with a bounding headache and a bad taste in her mouth. As she pulled the covers off she realized that she was still in her dress from the night before. The mare quickly threw on a bathrobe and smelled something coming from the opposite room. She opened the door to see the man sitting down eating at the table in the kitchen portion of the room. “Morning.” He said with a grin. “Ugh, my head.” She said as she sat down. Isaac walked over to his bag and withdrew a small vial of purple liquid. “What’s that?” “Hangover cure from Zecora. I figured that at least one of us would get blitzed so I asked her to cook up a few batches before we left.” He said as he poured the liquid into a glass. The mare stared at the glass and gulped. “It may taste bad but it get’s the job done.” The mare took the glass and drank the liquid. Her face contorted and she stuck her tongue out. “Better?” “A little. Mind telling me why I woke up in my dress from last night?” She asked as Isaac got up. “You don’t remember?” Th mare shook her head. Isaac thought for a moment of the events that occurred the previous night. “You got drunk and passed out on the bed.” He lied while putting on his best poker face. “Did I do anything embarrassing?” She asked. “Almost, but I stopped you from making a big mistake.” “What mistake?” “You almost slept with the bellhop.” He lied. The mare’s face turned bright red and hung her head in shame. “Thank you. For stoping him.” “Well....It was more you than him.” He said as he washed his plate in the sink. The mare grabbed her head in pain. “Yeah the headache still remains, but the nausea disappears.” The man walked over to his bag and withdrew a black hooded sleeveless sweat shirt making the white T-shirt he had on stick out. The man walked over to his back and retrieved the black cylinder from before. He slipped it into his right pocket along with his P-pod and phone. The man made his way towards the door. “Where are you going?” She asked. “Sight seeing.” “Wait, I’ll go with you.” “I think it’s better if you stay here and rest. That potion can affect you pending on how much you drank.” “Your point?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow. “I had three shot’s of Scotch while you drank almost two bottles of champagne. The potion will take longer to disperse the alcohol and I don’t think that you want to be going around a loud and noisy city with a migraine.” The mare was about to protest but found no argument. “I move faster on my own anyway.” He looked at his phone to see that it was nine o’clock. “I’ll be back around three at the latest.” He said as he walked out the door. He walked over to the elevator and selected the main floor. He walked out into the street listening to his music. He kept his hood up and made his way through the crowd. He looked into an alley and found a fire escape. The man ascended the metal structure until he got to the roof. He looked out to the other buildings. Isaac walked over to the edge and rested his right foot on the edge. Let’s see I managed to jump over Twilight and the others. So that was a good ten feet. This should be easy. If I’m wrong? Then we don’t have to live in this place anymore. Win, win in my book. He thought as he took a few steps back. Legs don’t fail me now! He thought as he ran and jumped off the building. He outstretched his hands. Isaac felt his feet hit the roof next to his jump point and he quickly went into a roll. Okay that was easy. This calls for some awesome running music. He thought as he selected a song and started running. The man then broke into a sprint and ran along the roof tops scaring the crap out of some pigeons and Pegasi. After he cleared a twenty foot gap he stopped and caught his breath. As he looked down he saw a familiar white mare with an electric blue mane. He quickly pulled out his phone and selected the contact. He looked down to see the white mare put her phone to her ear. “Hello?” “Hey Vinyl, it’s Isaac.” “Hey what’s up?” “Where are you right now?” He asked. “In Manehattan. Why?” “See the store with the blue banner out in front?” He said as he looked down towards the banner. “Yeah why?” “Look up towards the roof.” The white mare followed the banner to see a hooded figure on the roof waving to her. “What the hell are you doing up there?” She asked as her jaw dropped. “Sight seeing. I’ll be down in a minute.” The man said as he hung up. Isaac walked over to the edge and descended the fire escape. The metal frame stopped ten feet above the ground. Isaac hopped off the structure and onto the black top. He crossed the street to where the DJ was waiting for him. “Sup?” “Not much. Why were you on the roof?” “Like I said; sight seeing. The best place to look at things is from above.” He said with a shrug. “Why are you in the city?” “I’ve got a gig tonight.” She said with a smile. “What about you?” “Rarity is going to this art thing and she dragged me along for company.” He said with a shrug. “Ouch. That must suck.” “Yeah, of course that wasn’t the weirdest part of my visit.” He said as the two started to walk down the road. The two walked towards a coffee shop and sat down as Isaac finished his story. “And then I knocked her out.” He said as the mare stared at him. “Wow, you have the craziest adventures.” Vinyl said as she sipped her drink. “Yeah, aren’t I lucky?” He said in a sarcastic tone. The human felt a small shiver run down his spine. He looked over his shoulder to see a figure in a white hood staring at him. Isaac rubbed his eyes for a second and the figure vanished. “You okay?” “Yeah, just tired.” He said with a yawn. “So what should we do now? I got the day off. Know any cool things to look at?” “I guess....Oh I know a place!” She said as she got up. “C’mon it’s not to far from here.” The mare grabbed the man’s hand and led him through the streets of the bustling city. “Can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “Why didn’t you sleep with Rarity?” The human looked at her in confusion. “She was drunk and I didn’t want to take advantage of her like that.” “That’s nice of you, but I know that it’s not the only reason.” The human looked at the mare who was making a pouting face “Fine. Spike is seeing her.” He breathed out. “So? You know that it’s not illegal for a mare to see more than one stallion or vice versa.” “Yeah I know, but Spike is a friend and I said that I wouldn’t do anything with Rarity.” He said with a sigh. “I stick to my morals and I know that Spike would probably try to kill me if I did.” “You really think that?” “I would if I were him.” “Why?” She asked. The man stopped walking and let out a sigh. “Back on my world relationships are usually between two people. My first girlfriend broke my heart.” The mare put a hand to her mouth in shock. “What happened?” Vinyl asked in a low tone. “I caught her in bed with another guy.” He said in a low tone. “So?” The man cracked his knuckles. “You don’t get it Vinyl. I respected her, I put up with a lot of her shit and she goes behind my back and cheats on me? With someone I hate no less.” He said as he felt rage burning up inside of him. “Look, even if Spike said he was okay with it I’d know that he’d just be suppressing a growing rage. Eventually it would explode and who knows what will happen if a dragon goes on a rampage.” “I think I’m starting to see the picture.” “Not to mention that I consider Spike a Bro and I follow the Bro Code.” “The what?” “A code that bro’s follow. Think of it like a set of rules for bro’s to abide by. For example; Bro Code Article one, Bro’s before Hoe’s.” “Huh?” “It means that your friend comes before your girl or boyfriend.” He said with a smile. “Oh! I guess that makes sense.” “Right. So you see that I am not willing to jeopardize my friendship with Spike just because a mare is shaking her ass.” He said in a proud tone. The mare nodded and led him to the sidewalk near the shore. Isaac’s jaw dropped as he saw a massive green statue of Celestia holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left. “Vinyl. What the fuck is that?” “The statue of Libertneigh.” Isaac face palmed so hard he left a red mark on his forehead the size of his palm. “Where did the city get it from?” “Prance I think.” Vinyl said as she scratched her head. The man face falmed herder than he'd ever before. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He said with a groan. “What?” She said in an aggravated tone. “Okay. There’s coincidence, then there’s downright plagiarism. I’m gonna have to sue somebody.” He said as he raised his arms. “Why?” “There’s a humanized version of that statue back in Manhattan. The human version of this place.” He said as he pointed to the ground. “Just when I thought this place couldn’t get stranger.” “Welcome to Equestria.” She said with a smile. A low grumble came from the mare’s stomach. “Heh, heh. Sorry I skipped breakfast. Want some lunch?” “Sure. This may sound odd but, are there any places that sell meat around here?” Vinyl gulped. “I think there are a few in Little Griffonia.” She said as she led the way through the busy streets that soon turned into large alleyways. Shops were stationed on either side of the road with the large Griffins standing behind. “This place looks good.” She said with a smile. The two sat down at a table. A female Griffin walked up to them and handed them each a menu. Isaac read through the menu while Vinyl looked at it in confusion. “Um...I can’t read this.” “Really? Clear as day to me.” He said as he looked at the menu. “Here’s a salad dish.” He said as he pointed to an oddly worded name. “How can you read that?” “It looks like English to me.....OH!” He said as he made a connection. “What?” “Do you know the Doctor?” “You mean that tan stallion that travels around in a police box or something? The one that Ditzy keeps going on about?” “Yeah him. Ditzy told me that his police box....or ship, has a psychic translator built into it.” The mare nodded. “Apparently if you go into the box, then you automatically have a psychic link with the machine. Hence I can translate.” “That makes no sense.” “This coming from a magical pony who’s also a DJ.” He said with a laugh. “Touche.” She said as another Griffin came to their table. Isaac gulped as he saw Gilda with a note pad in her claw. “Well, look who’s here.” She said in a stagnant tone. “Look Gilda I don’t want any trouble. If you want us to go then we’ll go.” Isaac said as he closed his menu. “It’s fine. Since you gave me that recipe our business has been booming. So I’d say we’re even.” She said with a small grin. “So what can I get you?” “I’ll just have a salad.” Vinyl said with a grin. “Got it. What about you?” She asked as she looked at the man. “I’ll see how you guys used the recipe.” He said with a smile. “I’ll be back out in a second.” As the Griffin walked away Vinyl looked at the man who let out a sigh of relief. “Who was that?” She asked as she cocked her eyebrow. “You heard that I got in a fight right?” “Yeah, with some Griffin......HER?” “Yup.” He said as he sipped his water. “After a few days I visited her in the hospital. At first she was scared shitless of me. After we both calmed down she apologized and I to her. We called it even after I gave her a meat recipe from my world.” “What’s it called?” “A Hamburger. It’s a slab of meat that’s in patty form and fit’s on a two pieces of bread.” He said with a smile. “It’s quite delicious if you make it right.” “I still think that eating meat is weird.” She said with a sigh. “There are plenty of humans that are vegetarians and I guess it’s an acquired taste.” He said as their food arrived. Isaac’s eyes boggled at the slab of meat in the pieces of bread in front of him. The man picked it up and took a bite from it. “Awesome.” He said with a satisfied grin. Vinyl ate her salad as Isaac happily ate his burger. “Can I try a bit of that?” Vinyl asked. “Sure.” The man took his fork and knife and cut a piece off for the mare. Vinyl sniffed it and gulped. “What kind of meat is this?” “Beef.” He said as the mare looked at him in confusion. “Cow.” “Okay. Don’t knock it till you try it.” She said as she took a bite. The mare slowly chewed the meat and swallowed. “Not too bad I guess.” She said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. Gilda came by and handed him the bill. “Hey Gilda, Rainbow told me that you work for Griffin Air Mail. Why are you here?” “My uncle owns the restaurant and I help out on the weekends.” She said with a shrug, Isaac nodded and paid the bill and left ten bits as a tip. The two walked out of the restaurant and made their way back to the city street. “So Vinyl. How did you get into the music business?” He asked. “Well, I’ve always liked music. When I was a filly I accidentally scratched a record on a turn table and I liked the noise. I started to practice it and the rest is history.” She said with a smile. “Interesting. So when is this gig you’re performing at?” “It’s tonight at eleven. You should totally come by!” She said with a smile. “I don’t know Vinyl. I have to go with Rarity to this Art thing.” “Oh come on. Please?” She asked as she made a pouting face. How can I resist that face? He thought to himself. “If I leave early or the event ends then maybe I’ll swing by.” He said as the mare cheered. “Just so you know I’m not a club person and I’d most likely stick out like a sore thumb.” “Relax I’ll get you in.” She said with a smile. The two continued to make their way through the busy street as the day went on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity sat in the hotel room as she flipped through a magazine. The mare let out a groan as she threw the magazine on the table. Ugh, I’m so bored. She thought to herself. The mare looked through her dresses for the tenth time and came up with the same outfit every time. The mare groaned and paced around the hotel room. She walked over to Isaac’s bag and withdrew his laptop. “How does this thing work?” She then started to press random buttons. Rarity smiled as the screen flickered on showing a text box with the word; password. “Password hmm?” She said as she scratched her chin. “Umm.....Rainbow Dash.” She typed. The screen showed a big red X and the word vanished. “Okay....Applejack.” The mare typed out and was met with the same result. This time, two X’s appeared on the screen. “That didn’t work......Earth?” She typed. Three red X’s blinked on the screen and the mare saw a sudden flash come from a small circle that was just above the laptop’s screen which quickly turned to black. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! I broke it!” She said as she started to panic. “Calm down Rarity. I’ll just put it back.” She said as she slipped it back into his bag. As she slipped the device back inside she picked up the small leather bound book. “Oh I really shouldn’t snoop.” The mare said as she went to put the book back. “Oh I just can’t resist!” She squealed as she opened to the first page. As the mare got through the first page the door knob slowly stared to open. The mare quickly levitated the book back into Isaac’s bag and grabbed the nearby magazine. The door opened to reveal the man with a smile on his face. “Hello Isaac. How was your walk?” She said sounding as innocent as possible. The mare noticed that the man had a few black marks on his face and on his arms and was missing his black sweatshirt he had left with that morning. “Good. How’s your head?” He asked as he closed the door. “Much better. That potion Zecora made sure does the trick.” She said with a smile. The man nodded in agreement and pulled out his laptop. “W-why are you pulling that thing out?” “Just want to check the system and-” His face turned to confusion as he screen showed three red X’s and a photo of the mare’s face. “Rarity, why did you try to get into my laptop?” “Wh-what are you talking about?” “I programed the computer to give me three tries to get the password right. If the correct password isn’t put in then the computer locks down and takes a snapshot of the person in front of the screen as it shuts down.” He said as he eyed the mare. “So it isn’t broken?” “No, it’s just locked like a door. It just need a key.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. Isaac typed a series of keys on the screen and the picture of a mountain range a number of files appeared on the screen. “Okay running a system check and......done.” He said as he shut down the computer. “If you want to go on it then just ask me next time.” He said as he put the laptop away. “I’m sorry. I was just getting so bored. There isn’t much to do around here.” She said in an apologetic tone. “This hotel has a pool right?” “Yes, why?” “I don’t know about you, but I’m going swimming.” He said as he walked into the bathroom with a pair of swim shorts. In ten seconds flat the man walked out wearing a pair of white swimming trunks that went down to his knees. The trunks also had green palm trees on them that sprouted from the bottom edges. “Wait, I’ll join you. A dip in the hot tub is just what I need to feel rejuvenated.” She said with a smile. “Sounds good to me.” He said as he grabbed a towel. Isaac waited for the mare to finish changing. The white mare walked out wearing a bathrobe with a elegant purple R stitched into it. “Ready to go?” The mare nodded. The two walked down the hallway to the elevator and took it down to the ground floor. “Oh yeah. Guess who I ran into on the street?” “Who?” “Vinyl.” “Really? What’s she doing here?” “She has a gig in the city.” He said as the elevator came to a halt. “So what did you two do?” “We went sigh seeing and then stopped for lunch at a Griffin restaurant. That reminds me I ran into Gilda in Little Griffonia.” The mare put a hand to her mouth in shock. “You didn’t get into any trouble did you?” “No, we’re cool now.” He said with a grin. “So why did you come back so early?” Rarity asked as they walked through the lobby. “Vinyl had to go and check in at the club where she’s performing. So I came back here.” He said with a shrug. The two walked into the empty pool house and let out a sigh. The pool was twelve feet long and was ten feet deep at the far end. The hot tub was only five feet wide and three feet deep. It sat on the right side of the pool. Isaac set his towel down on a chair and table and removed his black T shirt. Rarity felt herself blush at the man’s well built muscular frame. The man let out a sigh as he sat in the warm water. “Oh that feel’s nice.” He said with a smile on his face. The white mare nodded and removed her robe revealing a tight fitting black bikini that was barely held together by a few draw strings. Isaac gulped and blamed the hot water for making his face turn red. The mare sat across from him and let out a satisfied sigh. The mare then noticed that the man had several fresh burn marks on his chest and arms. “Isaac what happened to your body? Those burns look new.” “These? Oh um.....funny story about that-” He was cut off as a teal Pegasus mare with a blue mane and a bandage on her forehead along with an orange Unicorn stallion with his right arm in a sling accompanied by a small red Pegasus filly, no older than five years old with a bandage wrapped around her right leg. The family suddenly noticed the man and hurried over to him. “Hey it’s you!” The filly said as she ran up to him. “Oh, what are you guys doing here?” Isaac said as the family approached him. “Our daughter said you took off in this direction and we followed her.” The stallion said as he scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry if we’re disturbing you.” “It’s alright.” “We just wanted to thank you for saving Sunny.” The mare said with a smile as she looked at the filly. “No need. I’m content with knowing that you made it out safely.” Isaac said with a smile. The filly then trotted over to her mother’s bag and withdrew a beaten up and burnt white sweatshirt. “I also wanted to give this back to you.” The filly said with a smile. Rarity looked at the damaged black sweatshirt. The article of clothing had several burn holes on it and looked like it was trampled by a horde of Rhino’s “Thanks. I think we’re even since you saved my sweatshirt.” He said with a smile. “Is there nothing we can do for you?” The mare asked. “It’s fine. Just work on finding a new home.” Isaac said with a smile. The filly smiled and gave him a hug before she and her parent’s left the pool area with smiles on their faces. Isaac gave a final wave as they left. He looked back to Rarity who had a very confused look on her face. “Isaac start explaining.....now.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Okay, fine.” He said as he took a breath and started his story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Sorry Isaac, but I’ve got to go check in at the club.” Vinyl said as she scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to the man. “What’s this?” He asked as he looked at the piece of paper. “It’s where the gig is. Come by if you get a chance.” She said with a smile. “Okay see ya later.” He said as the mare hailed a carriage and waved as the carriage took her down the street. Isaac looked across the street and saw a white hooded figure staring at him. “Hey you! Stop!” he said as the figure tuned and ran down the alley. Isaac ran to the middle of the street. He looked to his right to see a carriage charging towards him. Isaac acted on instinct and jumped over the two horses and landed on top of the carriage. “How’d you do that?” Isaac looked behind him to see two Earth pony colt’s staring at him in surprise. “Um....Study hard in school. Work out. You know, eat your green vegetables.” He said as he hopped off the carriage. “That’s what my grandma always says. I just never believed her.” One of the colt’s said. “That’s what I used to say too.” He said as he took off into the alley after the figure. The alley way was deserted as he looked around. “Where did he go?” He was thought as he felt a small pebble hit his head. The man looked up to see the figure looking down at him. “Hey get back here!” Isaac yelled as he started to climb the fire escape after the figure. As he got to the roof he looked around to see that the figure had vanished again. “Gah! Where did he go?” He yelled. As he looked around, Isaac saw the hooded figure staring at him three building away. Isaac took chase after the figure who seemed to move faster than a ninja. As he started to gain on him Isaac noticed that a large cloud of smoke coming from a house. The man stopped running and saw bright red flames coming from the windows. “That doesn’t look good.” Isaac looked ahead to see that the figure had stopped running and was now watching him. Isaac looked at the burning building and back at the figure. Isaac saw a group of ponies now crowding around the blazing inferno. The man bit his lip and jumped onto a nearby fire escape and ran towards the burning building. Some ponies in police uniforms were holding a teal Pegasus mare and an orange Unicorn stallion. “Please! My daughter is still in there!” The mare yelled. “I’m sorry ma’am but the fire is too out of control and-” The police stallion was cut off as another blaze of flame shattered a window. Isaac clenched his fists and walked up to the couple. “What floor is your daughter on?” He asked. “She’s on the fifth but-” The stallion was cut off as the man ran towards the adjacent building. He raced up the stairs as several ponies were running down the stairs. “Are you crazy?” A stallion yelled as Isaac ran past him. “A little. Yeah.” He said as he reached the fifth floor. He was standing in a long hallway next to the blazing building. Isaac opened the window and took several steps back. The man broke into a run and jumped through the window and into the blazing inferno. Isaac immediately felt the heat of the fire and pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth in an attempt to filter out the smoke. “Hello is anyone up here?” He yelled. The man opened the door to the first apartment only to see a giant wall of flame. The fire from the sudden oxygen intake made the flames erupt towards the man causing him to hit the wall behind him. Isaac looked up to see a falling beam. He managed to dodge the piece of burning wood. Isaac pressed onward calling out. “Hello? If anyone is here then say something!” He yelled as he could feel the oxygen slipping away from him. “Help!” The man’s eyes shrank as he heard a voice come from inside one of the rooms. Isaac bashed in the door to see another wall of flames. “Is anyone out there?” He heard a young girl’s voice yell out. Isaac took a deep breath and jumped through the fire. He felt the flames lash at his legs and body. The man entered the room and looked around to see a the living room and the flames dancing in front of the kitchen. “Where are you?” Isaac yelled as he coughed. “In here...The bedroom.” The voice cried out. Isaac ran towards the voice and kicked in the door. He looked around the room but saw no one there. He heard a faint cough coming from underneath the bed. He looked underneath the bed to see a red Pegasus filly coughing in the corner. “Give me your hand! I’m here to get you out.” Isaac said as he extended his hand underneath the bed. The foal looked at it in hesitation. She heard another beam fall and saw the man swivel out of the way of the falling debris. “Your parent’s are waiting for you just outside.” The filly perked up hearing this. The man stuck out his hand one last time. He felt the filly grab his arm and held on as Isaac pulled her out from the bed. He noticed that the filly’s right leg was burned. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around the filly’s body. Isaac picked her up and charged out of the room. He stopped as the floor in front of him collapsed. Isaac looked down into the swirling inferno and swore that he saw hell itself. He took a few steps back and vaulted over the hole. As he landed on the other side the floorboards gave out and the man grabbed onto the edge and held on for dear life. Isaac looked up and saw that the filly was looking at him with tears in her eyes. The man mustered his strength and lifted himself back onto the floor boards. The filly smiled as Isaac got to his feet. The foal looked up to see a beam coming down. She closed her eyes and waited for the crushing pain. The filly looked up to see the pieces of wood floating above her head and the man with his hand outstretched. “Move!” He ordered. The filly quickly got out of the way as Isaac moved underneath the floating pieces of wood and let the pieces fall after he went underneath them. Isaac felt something running down his face. He put a hand underneath his nose and saw blood as he looked at his finger. He ignored it for now as he picked up the filly and ventured back out into the blazing hallway. Shit the exit is blocked. No way out. He thought as the walls started to come down. The man looked down at his left hand and saw what looked like small strands of electricity flashing between his finger tips. “What is this?” He said aloud. He heard the filly yelp in fear. Isaac looked up just in time for a piece of wood to hit him in the back and knock him out. Isaac opened his eyes to see the small filly punching his arm and trying to rouse him. The man also saw a shadowy figure pointing towards the end of the hall where the window facing the street was. Game’s not over yet kid. The man heard a familiar voice echo through his mind. Now get up. Isaac caught a second wind and slowly got to his feet. The filly looked at him in wonder as he wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. Isaac looked behind him to see a small explosive force come from the other end of the hallway. The man bolted towards the window with newfound strength. “Hang on!” He yelled as the filly tightened her grip. Isaac could feel the heat whipping at his legs as he closed in on his target. With one last burst of effort he jumped through the glass window and into the city air. As he was in mid air he stuck his hands out and felt his descent slow until he was three feet above the ground. His concentration dissipated and he landed on his hands and knees. Several ponies in fire fighting uniforms rushed over to them. Isaac watched as the filly ran over to her parent’s who were crying tears of joy. Isaac had a blanket thrown over him and was given an oxygen mask. As one of the paramedics came over to him Isaac shrugged him off. “Hey, will the filly be okay?” “She has a small burn on her leg that’s about it.” He said as he looked Isaac over. “Well, whatever you are. You’re a hero.” The pony said with a grin. “No, I’m not.” He said as he pulled the fire blanket over his head and discretely made his way through the crowd. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac had finished telling his tale to Rarity who was in complete shock. The man decided to keep the bit about the individual in the white hood to himself. “Then I walked three blocks. Threw the blanket in a trash can and came upstairs.” He said as he dunked his head into the warm water. “That is amazing! Why didn’t you stick around and talk to the press?” The white mare asked. “I don’t like drawing attention to myself.” He said in a flat tone. “Still you saved a filly’s life. That must do something right?” “I just did what I thought was right.” He said as he stretched his arms. The man got out of the hot tub and threw a towel over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go lie down in the room for a bit.” “Okay. I think you deserve some peace and quiet.” “That makes one of us.” He said under his breath as he left the pool room. Rarity squinted and swore she saw something on the man's left shoulder, but dismissed the thought as Isaac left the room. The man made his way back to the elevator in silence. The man got to his room and hastily entered the shower to wash of the chlorine and chemicals from the pool. He let the warm water pour over his body that was still recovering from the fire he had thrown himself into. The man turned the water off and stepped out and looked at himself in the mirror. The man let out a scoff as he saw the burn mark healing itself. “So much for staying human.” He said with a sigh. The man changed into a pair of baggy gym shorts and a T shirt. He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. The man found himself on a familiar white room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Quite the day you’ve had Isaac.” The man looked up to see Luna with a blank expression on her face. “Running into a burning building? That is either brave or stupid.” “How did you know about the fire?” He asked. “We’re in your mind remember. My sister and I also received a notification from the city an hour ago. That a strange bipedal bald creature ran into a burning building and puled a filly out.” She said as she walked over to him. “Do you wish to talk about it?” “I don’t know.” “Why not? You saved a filly’s life.” She said as she sat next to him. “I didn’t save everyone.” The mare looked at him in confusion. “There was someone trapped on the sixth floor. They didn’t make it out.” He said as he hung his head in shame. Luna put a hand on his shoulder trying to offer comfort. “You did all you could.” “It wasn’t enough. I could have gone back inside, I could have saved her.” “You would have been killed!” She stammered. “So? I’m not someone important. I was thrown here by accident. That’s all I am, one massive accident.” He said with a groan. The lunar Princess then slapped the man across his face. “That’s enough!” She yelled. “You shouldn’t think that your life is meaningless.” “Say what you want. It doesn’t change anything. I failed.” He said as he hung his head. “If it’s one thing I learned in my years of living it’s that you can’t save everyone.” “Trust me I’ve learned that the hard way.” He said as he got up. “By the way something weird happened while I was in the fire.” “What?” “I felt this surge of strength flow through me and I floated down to the ground. Mind telling me what kind of spell that was?” The blue Princess thought for a moment. “We can’t think of any. We do have a hunch of what might be happening.” “Let’s heat it then.” “Magic is different for everypony and can take many forms. The way magic is presented is based upon the individual.” “So what your saying is whatever I think qualifies as magic the power will adjust itself accordingly?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Correct. Although....” “Although what?” “You are from a different plain of reality so it’s uncertain to know how your body will react to such strength.” That probably explains the nose bleed. “Thanks for clearing that up Luna. I’d better get going Rarity and I gotta get going.” The blue mare nodded and vanished from the man’s mind. Isaac looked to his right to see a copy of him with white hair and glowing red eyes. “Oh great what do you want?” “You heard what that thing-” “Her name is Luna.” Isaac said as he narrowed his eyes. “Fine whatever. I suggest we practice some of this new strength. We both know who’s voice that was before in the fire.” The image said with a grin. “I’m pretty sure that was the after effect of getting hit by a burning piece of wood.” “Still just imagine to have that guy’s strength. You heard what she said, anything we deem as magic will appear as so.’” The image said with a smile. “I think that might be too much power.” “No such thing.” The clone said with a wicked grin. “That’s where you and I differ.” “We should still practice.” “Fine, let’s get this thing started.” Isaac said as he took a fighting pose. The clone took the same pose. “Let’s get the blood pumping a bit now shall we.” The image snapped it’s fingers a and music started to blaze around the two. Chapter 16: Raves and HoodsChapter 16 Raves and Hoods Isaac felt himself fly off the couch and onto the carpeted floor. He looked up to see Rarity wearing a slim black dress with one strap going over her shoulder. “Finally! I thought I was going to have to pour a bucket of water on you!” She yelled. “Jesus Rarity. You could have nudged my shoulder.” “I did. You must have been in quite the dream.” “You have no idea. What time is it?” He asked as he got to his feet and stretched. “We’ve got ten minutes before the art show starts.” “Plenty of time.” He said as he went over to his bag and withdrew a navy blue suit with a red tie. The man went into the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth and put on some fresh deodorant. He changed into his suit and exited the bathroom. “Alright I’m all set.” He said as he joined the white mare. The two arrived at the museum and got in without a hitch. They were soon joined by Fancy Pants and Fleur once again. “Ah so good that you two could join us.” Fancy said with a smile. “Of course Fancy we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Rarity said with a smile. “I heard the strangest news on the T.V. today.” Fleur said. “What?” Isaac asked as he handed Rarity a drink. “There was a fire downtown and they said that some type of creature saved a small filly.” Isaac gulped as Rarity looked at him. “They didn’t get a good look at him although it appeared that he used a weak levitation spell after he jumped from the fifth floor.” She said with a shrug. “Yeah, I heard about that too.” Isaac said as he sipped his drink. The four of them stopped in front of a portrait of a white Unicorn stallion with a long blonde mane. “What’s your opinion of this one Isaac?” Fleur asked. “I’m far from an art expert Fleur.” The man said with a shrug. “Oh don’t be shy.” Fancy said in an encouraging tone. “Alright I’ll take a crack at it.” The man reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a pair of fake glasses with a thick black rectangular rimmed glasses and threw them over his eyes. “Looks like someone has either very poor taste, or has a god complex that needs to be sorting out.” Rarity let out a giggle at the comment. “There’s no....passion in the painting. It’s just too in your face.” “Who are you to decide that?” A regal sounding voice said. Isaac turned around to see a tall Unicorn stallion with a long, straight blonde mane. “I wasn’t deciding anything. Just giving my honest opinion.” The man said as he folded his arms. “Keep your opinions to yourself mongrel.” He said as he stuck his nose up in the air. Mongrel? “Who asked for your opinion anyway?” “I believe I did Blueblood.” Fancy stepped forward. “Isaac is a friend of mine and I was asking what he thought of this painting from the human perspective.” He said with a flat expression on his face. “Oh I see.” Blueblood said as he rolled his eyes. The stallion’s gaze then fell upon the cross purple maned mare. “What are you doing here cretin?” “I am here to admire the fine artwork of ponies with talent and fines.” Rarity said trying to suppress her rage. “Two qualities which you will never have.” She said with a smirk. Like pro. Well done Rarity. Isaac thought with a laugh. “Why you insolent little tramp!” Blueblood said as he slapped the mare across the face. Rarity stumbled back clutching the right side of her face. Isaac clenched his fist and put his glasses back into his pocket. “You dare insult me? I have half a mind to-” The stallion was cut off as Isaac grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up off the ground. “Listen here you spoiled brat. I don’t give a fuck if you insult me, but you made this personal when you dragged my friend into this.” Isaac said in a spite filled tone. Soon a crowd of ponies gathered around them. “Now I’m fully prepared to either kick your ass seven ways to Sunday, or I’ll let you go if you apologize to both Rarity and myself.” He said as he lowered him so their eyes met. Three guards holding spears surrounded the two with the metal end pointing towards them. “Hey you! Put down the Prince now!” One of the guards barked. “Prince? This guy?” Isaac said as he looked at the whimpering stallion. “That’s right I am Prince Blueblood. Beloved nephew of Princess Celestia.” Isaac’s jaw dropped. “You’re Luna’s kid?” “No, but my family has been at Celestia’s side for generations.” He exclaimed with a smug grin on his face. Isaac frowned at the stallion. “What’s the matter? Scared that my aunt is a Princess of Equestria?” He asked. That’s it! “I don’t care if she’s your fucking grandmother!” Isaac grabbed the stallion and banged their foreheads together. Blue blood staggered backwards before falling down on his back. Isaac took several steps back before rubbing his head. The three guards surrounded the human with spears drawn. “ENOUGH!” Isaac and the guards looked over at Rarity who made her way over to the man. She reached inside of her purse and withdrew what looked like a golden encrusted amulet with three diamonds in it. The guards immediately gulped and stepped back. “I’m assuming that you recognize this?” “Yes ma’am.” “Good, then I should have you know that this man is a personal friend of mine and the other Elements as well.” Rarity said as she put the item back in her purse. “Not to mention that he has connections with both Princess Celestia and Luna.” The crowd started to mutter amongst one another. “It would not look good on your records to arrest such a stallion. Unless you want the wrath of both Princess’s breathing down your necks, not to mention the other Elements as well.” The guards looked at one another and gulped. The three withdrew their spears and backed off. “We’ll over look it. Provided that you both leave here immediately.” One of the guards barked. “Fine by me.” Isaac said as he cracked his jaw. “This place was a little too proper for me anyway.” Isaac said as he made his way through the crowd with Rarity following close behind. The guards escorted the two out of the museum. “Nice meeting you Fancy, Fleur.” He said with a wave. As the two exited the museum Rarity was staring at him. “Okay, have at it.” He said with a sigh. “What ever do you mean?” She asked. “I thought that you might be pissed for me getting both of us thrown out of that party.” He said as the two started walking back towards the hotel. “I’ll admit it was a little....shocking. However seeing the look on Blueblood’s face was definitely worth it.” She said with a laugh. “Serves that plot hole right!” “I take it that you’ve met him before?” “Unfortunately yes. A few years ago at the Grand Galloping Gala I was trying to woo him.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the mare. “I then found out that he is the most inconsiderate, uncouth and rudest stallion in Equestria!” She said as her face started to get flustered. “I mean he used me as a shield against a flying cake!” “Pinkie Pie?” Isaac guessed. “It wasn’t her fault.” She said with a sigh. “By then the entire gala was a total disaster and we all got out of there as soon as possible.” “Sounds like my Junior Prom.” He said with a groan. “So what should we do now? It’s only ten o’clock.” He said as he looked at his watch. “I just want to go to bed.” She said with a sigh. The two made their way through the lobby and to the elevator. “Mind if I ask something?” “You don’t need my permission to ask me a question.” He said with a smile. “Were you really going to beat up Blueblood?” “If he continued to shoot his mouth off, then yes.” He said with a yawn. “I just hate people like that. Thinking that they’re better than everybody else because of their connections.” He said as the elevator stopped at their floor. “You would have been thrown in prison!” “True, but I was willing to take that risk.” He said with a shrug. The two entered their hotel room and let out a sigh as they sat down on the couch. Isaac noticed the red mark on the mare’s cheek. “Here let me see.” The man gently put his hand under her chin and slowly turned her head. “Put some ice on it and it should help with the swelling.” “What about your head?” She asked as the man walked over to the refrigerator and withdrew a glass with three ice cubes in it. Isaac looked in the reflection of a spoon and saw the large red spot on his forehead. “I’ll live. I’ve taken worse hits.” He said as he handed her a glass of water. The mare let out a sigh and put the glass to her cheek. “I look awful don’t I?” She said in a low tone. “You look the same as ever.” The mare bit her lip and felt a blush creep across her face. “So you still think I’m beautiful?” She asked. “Sure I do. Why wouldn’t I-” The man was cut off as the mare wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. The man felt her tongue prod against his and she let out a moan of pleasure. Isaac snapped out of the trance and broke the kiss. “Rarity? What the hell?” “I..I thought that...... Oh I’m such a fool!” The white mare put her head in her hands and started to sob. Isaac let out a sigh and put a hand on her back. “Look Rarity, it’s not that I don’t think you’re unattractive. It’s just that you’re with Spike and you’re both friends of mine.” The mare looked up at him with tears rolling down her face. “What relationships allow here aside; you and Spike have something good going and I don’t want to interfere with it.” He said with a sigh. “Even if Spike gave the okay I know that it would break his heart and I know for a fact that you wouldn’t want to do that to somebody that cares that much about you.” “Is that why you knocked me out last night?” She asked. The human gulped and cringed back. “I’m not angry if that’s what you’re wondering. I wasn’t myself.” “I’m more curious as to how you remembered.” “Memory spell. I use it whenever I have too much to drink just in caseI missed something important.” “Sorry, but you gave me little choice.” He said with a sigh. “It’s alright dear and I apologize for my behavior last night.” “It’s fine. We’ve all done stupid things when we’re drunk.” He said with a smile. The man got to his feet and grabbed a change of clothes. “What are those for?” She asked. “Vinyl has a show in the city. Might as well see her play. You’re free to come along if you want.” He said with a smile. “No thank you. I think I’ll just relax here.” She said as she took her shoes off. The man shrugged and went into the bathroom to change. He removed his white collard shirt and threw on a dark blue T shirt and jet black jeans. The man threw on his shoes and some fresh cologne along with his blue hooded sweatshirt. “Okay Rare’s I’m heading out.” He said as he walked by the mare. “Remember to be back here by nine to pack your things. Our train leaves at ten.” “Got it.” He said as he left the room. The man made his way out of the hotel and back out into the busy night life of the city. Isaac pulled out the address Vinyl had written him. The man made his way through the busy streets until he came to a dark bricked building with a long line out in front. The man got on line and tapped the stallion in front of him on the shoulder. “Hey is Vinyl playing tonight?” The stallion turned around to reveal his light blue coat and white mane. “Shit yeah man. That mare has the finest piece of ass I’ve ever seen!” He said with a smile. Isaac gave him an uneasy nod and waited until he stood in front of the bouncer. He was a tall red Earth Pony stallion with a jet black mane. He was holding a clip board and had a serious look on his face. “Name?” “Isaac.” The man said. The stallion looked at the clipboard and stared back at the man. “You’re not on the list.” He said as he crossed his arms. “But Vinyl is-” “You’re not on the list.” The stallion said as he cracked his knuckles. Isaac now noticed two other stallions each holding a bat in their hands. Isaac put his hands up and slowly backed away from the bouncer who returned to his checklist. Isaac started to walk away when a familiar white Unicorn mare came to the doorway and waved him over. “Hey you made it!” She said with a smile. “Yeah, I’m just having some trouble getting in.” He said with a shrug. Vinyl nodded and walked past him towards the door. As she walked by Isaac noticed that she was wearing a skin tight black shirt that ended just below her chest and a pair of skin tight black jeans. He sunglasses rested right above her horn. Isaac followed her up to the entrance and stopped when he saw the bouncer grunt at him. “It’s cool guys. He’s with me.” Vinyl said with a smile. The mare grabbed the man’s arm and led him inside. The guards looked at one another in amazement. As Isaac stepped inside he could feel the electronic music beating relentlessly against his eardrums. The interior was only lit by neon lights on the walls, the strobe lights and the lasers that were in tune with the music. Isaac looked across the room and saw several pegasi and Unicorn mares in giant bird cages dancing in very exotic lingerie. Each cage was equipped with a pole running vertically from the top to the bottom. Isaac felt his face flare up as the dancers started doing very flexible dance moves. “So looks pretty cool huh?” Vinyl said with a smile. “Y-yeah. Looks very.....interesting.” He said with a gulp. “Go and enjoy yourself. I gotta get on stage.” She said as she started to make her way through the crowd. Isaac shrugged and pulled his hood up over his head and headed over to the bar. The music was causing the man’s drink to ripple in his glass. The light’s started to dim and everyones attention turned towards the stage. A small layer of smoke covered the area as the white mare appeared behind the turntable. “EVERYBODY READY?” She yelled. The crowd cheered in response. Isaac clasped his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to drown out the sound. “I’M ABOUT TO DRAOP THE BASS!” She hit a switch and the speakers flared to life. The music and lights were in perfect sync. Isaac went to a nearby table and sat down. The man closed his eyes as he rested his head on his hand and started to drown out the music until he felt someone knock the table. His arm slipped and he felt his head bash against the table. Isaac looked up to see a Vinyl with a smile on her face. “Oops. Sorry dude.” She said in an apologetic tone. “It’s fine. What’s up?” He asked as he sat up. “Do you wanna dance?” she asked with a small blush on her face. “I suck at it.” He whined. “Come on. Please.” She said as she made a pouting face. Damn you Vinyl. Why do you use that look on me? “Fine, but just-” He was cut off as the mare grabbed his arm and made her way through the crowd. As they reached near the turn tables The mare let go of the man’s wrist and started to dance around him. Isaac just stuck to the one two step. Vinyl giggled at the man’s moves and turned her back to him. The mare then started to grind up on him. Isaac blushed as he felt the mare’s ass connect with his groin. The man could feel her well toned body lean against his. Isaac went with the flow and put his hands on Vinyl’s hips. The man felt the Unicorn’s tail wrap around his waist holding him against her. Vinyl started to pant as the music flared and her body started to move to a steady rhythm. Isaac matched it and started to move his hips and synchronize with her rhythm. The man felt himself stiffening as the mare continued to grind against him. Vinyl took the man’s hand and moved it up to her right breast. “Vinyl what are you-” He was cut off as the mare let out a moan. Vinyl quickly spun around and pressed her lips against his. Isaac froze at the mare’s action. Instinct took over and he returned the gesture. Vinyl broke the kiss and looked back at the man as she started panting. “Hold on tight.” Her horn flared and a white light enveloped the two. Isaac opened his eyes to see a hotel room with a single bed.Vinyl smirked and gently pushed him down onto the bed. Vinyl slowly removed her top causing her ample white breasts to bounce. “Like what you see?” She asked in a seductive tone. “Very much so.” He said with a smile. The man said as he removed his shirt. Vinyl’s horn glowed and Isaac felt his trousers starting to slide off his legs. The mare jumped on him kissed him passionately. “Ready for a ride?” Vinyl said as she sat up. The mare positioned herself over the man’s now fully erect member and dropped down taking his full length within her folds. “By Celestia.” She breathed out. The mare then started to slide up and down the shaft lubricating it. Isaac thrusted upwards causing the mare to scream in pleasure. Isaac reached around and grabbed the mare’s ass and gave it a hard squeeze. Vinyl smirked at him and slid herself off of the man and turned around. Isaac then face to face with the white mare’s dripping slit. Vinyl lowered her head and licked the length of the man’s shaft which made his eyes roll back in his head. “Oh fuck Vinyl.” The mare wrapped her lips around his shaft and started to bob her head up and down. Isaac leaned forward and ran his tongue over her moist slit. The motion sent a shiver down the mare’s spine. The mare’s tongue wrapped itself around the man’s shaft and she started to suck on the man’s phallus. The mare increased the rhythm and felt the man’s shaft touch the back of her throat. Isaac used his hands to apply some pressure to the Cutie Mark on her thigh. Vinyl let out a moan of pleasure at the motion. “Vinyl if you keep doing that then I’m gonna-” The mare stopped and positioned herself back over the man’s phallus. The mare readjusted herself so that her slit was above his phallus. The mare plunged the man’s rod into her once more and slid up and down until she felt a familiar pressure build in her loins. “Isaac I’m gonna-” “Me too.” As the words left his lips he felt the pressure that was building in his shaft release. Vinyl arch her back and felt the fluid enter her system. The mare collapsed on the man’s chest and was panting heavily. “That......was...... awesome.” She panted. “AJ and Dash weren’t kidding when they said you were good.” “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” The mare let out a yawn and rested her head on his chest. The mare started to snore loudly as she adjusted her head. Isaac felt the day’s activities beginning to take their toll and he set his head back against the pillow. The man woke up hours later. He looked at the clock and saw that it was close to two in the morning. Isaac carefully got up and made sure not to disturb the sleeping mare. The human got to his feet and threw his pants back on his body. Isaac got to his feet and looked out the window. Against the rain and bolts of lightning that were raining from the sky Isaac saw something that caught his eye. His eyes shrank when he saw a familiar white hooded figure was staring at him from the adjacent building. The man quickly threw his shirt and other pieces of clothing onto his body, including his blue hooded sweatshirt and climbed out of the window onto the fire escape. The man felt the gusting winds and the torrential rain hit the skin on his face as he ascended the fire escape. Isaac looked up and saw the white hooded figure looking down at him. The man gave chase across the roof tops. The crashing bolts of lighting striking nearby houses and power lines creating sparks. The target was running out of roof and stopped as it reached the end of the building. “No where left to run now pal.” Isaac said as he caught his breath. “Who’s running?” The voice said in a cocky tone. The hooded figure cracked it’s knuckles and took a fighting stance. Isaac took a stance and the two started to move in a circular pattern. A bolt of lighting struck between the two signaling the fight to begin. Isaac threw the first punch only for it to be blocked by the hooded figure. The stranger then took the human’s arm and flipped him down onto his back. Isaac felt his bones crack from the force and coughed up blood. This guy’s stronger than me? He thought as the hooded stranger crouched down next to him. “You’d better get back in shape kid. Otherwise we’re all screwed.” The figure said with a small laugh. “Who the fuck are you anyway?” Isaac asked. “I’m just something you helped make.” The figure raised both his arms and smiled. As he brought his hands down a massive bolt of lighting came down from the dark sky and struck the man square in the chest. Isaac felt the searing pain course through his body. As the bolt ended Isaac could feel his skin burning and the residual electricity flow through his body. “That should be enough to get ya started.” The figure said as it started to walk away. “Looks like my time is up.” He said as Isaac looked over he saw that the figure was starting to disintegrate and was soon taken by the storm. Isaac slowly got to his feet. The man staggered towards where the figure once stood. Isaac felt the rain against his skin and slowly made his way back to his and Rarity’s hotel room. The man made quick stop at Vinyl’s hotel and left a small note on the coffee table before venturing back out into the night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac looked out the window at the passing landscapes. The train ride back was taking longer than it should have due to some ticket forgeries.The mare rolled her eyes and continued to tap her thumbs together as she looked at the man. “What?” He asked. “Just worried.” She said as she sipped her glass of water. “About?” “You.” “Why?” “You head butted a Prince.” She said in a flat tone. “I’m not saying it wasn’t fun to watch but there are bound to be repercussions.” “How much influence does Blueblood have anyway? Is he involved with politics at all?” He asked as he crossed his arms. “No, he just parades around Canterlot with his nose stuck in the air.” She said with a scoff. “So I see no problem. I’m sure that if something did come up then I’d just explain it to Celestia and Luna. They’re reasonable, I’m sure they’d understand.” He said as he sat back. “Hows your cheek?” The man asked as he looked at the mare’s purple swollen cheek. “It’s.....fine. Still hurt’s a little but I’ll manage.” The mare’s horn glowed and the injury was covered up by an illusion. “See, good as new.” She said as the train came to a halt. The two got to their feet and walked out of the train car and onto Ponyville platform. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw Princess Celestia with three white Pegasus guards accompanied by the other five mares. “Ah Isaac. Just who I wanted to see.” Celestia said in a stagnant tone. “Aw fuck me.” Isaac said with a gulp as the three ponies drew their swords. “Meet me in the library, we have something to discuss.” She said as she vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Sorry for the delay everypony. I recently started a full time job giving me very little time to work on this. Chapter 17: ConfrontationChapter 17 Confrontation Isaac reluctantly made his way through the street’s of Ponyville with the six mares crowding around him. “You head butted Blueblood? Awesome!” Rainbow said as she high five’d him. “This isn’t a joke Dash.” Twilight interjected. “Sure Blueblood is an ass, but he’s royalty none the less.” The lavender mare then turned towards the human. “Why did you hit him anyway?” She asked. “I’ll explain that when we get there.” He said as he opened the door to the library. The ponies’s eyes shrank as they saw Celestia, Luna, Discord and Prince Blue Blood waiting for them. Isaac gave Luna a friendly nod as he stepped inside. “Nice to see you Luna.” “Likewise.” She said with a nod. “Can we please get down to business?” Blueblood said with a scoff. “Late for a shirt stuffing?” Dash retorted. Twilight quickly covered the mare’s mouth with her hand. Celestia let out a sigh and turned her attention to the human. “My nephew claims that you attacked him at the Art gallery. Is that correct?” She asked in a flat tone. “Yes, but-” “You see he admit’s it!” Blueblood yelled. “To the dungeon! Guards!” The white stallion’s started to move only to be blocked by the white Princess’s hand. “I give the orders around here Blueblood. Not you.” She said as she narrowed her eyes on the white stallion. “I had a good reason your highness.” The mares all turned and looked at the man. “Blueblood attacked Rarity and I defended her.” “WHAT?” The ponies all yelled as Rarity’s horn flared and the illusion around her face collapsed revealing the bruise. Isaac looked over at Spike who had pure rage in his eyes. As the dragon exhaled a small bit of fire escaped his lips. Rainbow nudged the lavender mare’s shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. “Um Twilight maybe you should-” “Easy Spike. Calm down.” Twilight said as she hurried over to her assistant. “I’m fine.” He said as he gritted his teeth. Celestia and Luna turned back to the white stallion who had a blank expression on his face. “You didn’t mention that Blueblood.” Luna spat out. “What does it matter?” He said with a scoff. “WHAT DOES IT MATTER?” Luna yelled in her royal Canterlot voice. “THOU HAS LIED TO US. THOU SAID THAT ISAAC ATTACKED YOU UNPROVOKED!” She yelled. Celestia put a hand on her sister’s shoulder and calmed her down. “So you acted in self defense?” Celestia said as she looked at the man. “Yes, I did it to protect a friend.” He said as he crossed his arms. The white Alicorn let out a sigh and looked back at her nephew. “I see. It looks like I need to educate my nephew on a few things.” She said in a stern tone. The mares let out a sigh of relief. “However, you still attacked a member of the noble branch and will have to be punished.” “What?” The ponies yelled in shock. “Sister you can’t be serious.” Luna protested. “As much as it pains me. I’m bound by law.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I am willing to drop the charges if....the human apologizes and bows to me.” Blueblood said with a snide grin. “And if I chose not to?” Isaac asked. “Then you will be punished.” Blueblood said with a grin. Isaac weighed his options and let out a sigh. “Prince Blueblood.” The man said as he gritted his teeth. “Go fuck yourself.” The mares looked at him in shock as Blueblood’s face turned to one of anger. The man then turned towards the two shocked Alicorns. “You see, I’ll apologize if I accidentally bump into someone. I’ll say I’m sorry if I’ve unknowingly insulted someone. However, I will not apologize for defending a friend for whatever the reason.” He said in a bold tone. The man then outstretched his arms. “Go ahead! Do your worst.” “Oh this is getting good.” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and materialized some popcorn. The white Alicorn cocked an eyebrow at the man. “So you’re willing to go to prison for a friend?” She asked. “I’d die protecting someone I consider a friend.” He said as he stood his ground. The white Alicorn smiled at the man. “You can learn from this human Blueblood.” She said with a smile. “WHAT?” He yelled. “Now for your punishment.” She thought to herself. “If my memory serves you are a Wonderbolt are you not?” The man instantly felt Rainbow’s gaze on him. “That’s correct. I’m an Honorary Wonderbolt.” He answered. The five mares jaws dropped in shock. “Yes, Spitfire was very impressed with your physical ability.” Luna said with a smile. “She’s just being nice.” He said with a blush on his face. “As punishment I will suspend your status for.....one week. Is that alright by you?” Celestia asked. “Fine by me.” Isaac said with a nod. “It is done. We hope that our next visit is a bit more civil.” Luna said with a smile. “But Auntie-” Blueblood tried to protest only to be stopped by the white Alicorn’s icy glare. “My decision is final.” Celestia said as her horn flared and she vanished in a flash of light. Blueblood turned towards the human and grunted. “You will rue this day ape.” He said as he vanished from sight. “Pay him no mind Isaac. It’s embarrassing enough that I’m forced to be in the same room with Blueblood.” Luna said with a groan. “Well, you know what they say. ‘You can chose your friends, but you can’s chose your family.’” He said with a shrug. “We thank thee and we look forward to seeing you again.” Luna said with a smile. “For the record, it’s nice to see that sneaky little leech get some well deserved punishment.” She said with a smile. The mare’s horn glowed and she vanished in a veil of blue light. The lord of chaos then approached the man. “My how entertaining you are.” He said with a smirk. “I’m not here for your amusement Discord.” He said in a flat tone. “Hey, hey easy. I’m merely stating that your actions please me.” He said as he held out his fist. Isaac looked at it for a moment before fist bumping the god’s hand. “Well, I’m off. See you later gang.” He said in a teasing tone before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Isaac turned back around to see the six mares staring at him. “Wonderbolt?” Dash said as her eyebrow twitched. “Right about that.” The mare quickly flew up to hims and started to shake his shoulders. “How? When? Why?” She asked. “I passed the physical requirements. Spitfire wanted to thank me and it happened the day before Rarity and I left for the art show.” He said as he gulped. “I can’t fucking believe this!” She yelled. “Dash I’m only an honorary Wonderbolt.” “What’s the difference?” Applejack asked. “I don’t actually perform any stunts. I’m only a Wonderbolt in title.” He said with a sigh. “Plus, I prefer to keep a low profile. Last thing I need is more publicity.” “Well, considering your actions that may be hard to do.” Twilight said as she levitated him over two newspapers. “Aw crap.” The man saw a snapshot of himself head butting Blueblood on the front page of one news paper and the other showed the burnt down apartment Isaac rescued the filly from. “Great.” Isaac said ina sarcastic tone. The man started to walk towards the door. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked. “I think I’ll go camping for a bit. Until I’m out of the news.” He said with a sigh. “If I’m not back in a week then I’m most likely dead.” He said with a wave. The man was stopped by a purple aura closing the door in front of him. “Hold it right there mister.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “I’m coming with you.” Rainbow gave a small snicker at the mare’s answer. “Something funny Dash?” “You? Camping? No offense Twi, but you’re not really the outdoorsy type.” Dash said with a laugh. “Have you ever been camping?” “No, but I’ve read several camping books and I’m interested to see how humans survive in the wild.” She said with a smile. “Fine by me, just don’t start complaining about being tired or anything like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Hold up there partner. Ah’m coming too.” The farmer said with a smile. “Ah could use a vacation.” “Fine. Anyone else?” He asked. Pinkie raised her hand. “Me! Party in the woods!” She yelled as Dash raised her own and Fluttershy’s hand. “We’re in.” She said in a cocky grin. “WHAT?” Fluttershy squeaked. “C’mon Shy. You have a gift with the animals so you can keep them off our backs.” Dash said with a wink. “Oh....I don’t know.” She said in a timid tone. “No one’s forcing you to go sugar cube.” The farmer said with a sigh. “Please Fluttershy. It’ll be loads more fun with you there!” Pinkie chimed. The yellow mare looked at her friends who all had smiles on their faces. “Well.....Okay.” She said with a sigh. “It’s gonna be awesome Shy. I know this wicked awesome spot where rainbows come down from the clouds and form a waterfall.” Dash said with a smile. “Not coming Rarity?” Isaac asked. “No thank you darling. I don’t prefer to get all.....icky. Not to mention the large amount of orders I need to complete.” She said with a sigh. Spike walked over to Twilight and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey Twi is it okay if-” “You don’t have to come Spike.” She said with a nod. “Okay fine. Pack your gear and be at my place by eight o’clock.” He said with a sigh. “Why so early?” Dash asked. “The faster we move the more time we’ll have to hang around camp.” He said with a shrug. “See you guys tomorrow.” He said as he walked out of the library. The man walked back to his home with haste and walked inside. Isaac walked over to his closet and pulled out a framed backpack. The human started to pack his belongings when he remembered the item he had bought in the shop. Isaac walked over to the bag and removed the fire arm. He took a moment to admire the detail on the handle. He took the weapon into his father’s study and walked over to a cabinet. He pulled out the drawer and put the weapon inside. After he closed it her withdrew a set of keys and locked the cabinet. As he continued to pack he came across his compound bow and set it aside with it’s quiver with at least twenty arrows in it. Isaac packed his trail mix, beef jerky and his Dutch oven. The man finished packing his tent and sleeping bag and attached them to the bottom of the backpack by a pair of straps. The man also withdrew his carving knife and packed it in his bag. As he set his bag down on the tile floor near the door. The man sat down on his couch and groaned. “So bored!” He said to no one. The man turned the television on and walked over to his movie cabinet. As he ran his finger across the titles he heard a knock on his door. Isaac walked over and looked through the peep hole to see Twilight standing with a book in her arms. The man opened the door and smiled. “Hey Twi what’s up?” “Just returning this book.” Isaac smiled as she walked inside. “No problem. Enjoy the read?” “Oh yes! The ancient Greeks sound amazing! To see the Trojan war would be something.” She said as she sat on the couch. “What if I could arrange something like that?” He said with a smile. “What?” She asked in confusion. “In my time there have been several movies made off that time period and I have them in my collection.” He said with a smirk. “Hang on a second.” She said as her horn flared and she vanished in a flash of light. Isaac let out a sigh and sat down on the couch. Another flash of light filled the room and Twilight landed on his lap. The man let out a groan as she landed square on his crotch. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said as he took a breath. “What did you do?” “Oh I invited the girls to watch.” As the words left her lips the door opened to reveal the other five mares and the dragon. “Ever heard of knocking?” Isaac asked in a flat tone. “Nope.” Dash teased as she took a seat next to him. “So what movie are we watching?” “Troy.” He said as he got up and put the disk in the player. “Now I’m warning you, this get’s violent so if you can’t handle it then you might want to leave.” “Please, I’m sure I can handle anything you humans can.” Dash said in a cocky tone. “Fine don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said as the title menu popped up. The man sat between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Rarity squealed in delight as she saw the Princess’s outfits. As the beach scene showed on the screen Isaac heard several ‘oohs and ouch’s’ come from the mares. By the end the ponies were in awe at the movie. “That.....was.....AWESOME!” Dash yelled. “It’s amazing how you humans can come up with such interesting tails.” Rarity said. “That was not fiction. That actually happened.” The color from the mare’s faces drained away except for Twilight. “R-really?” “Well, not exactly like that. It happened over two thousand years ago, so the story itself is....edited. The main battle of the Greeks vs. Trojans is fact.” The mares all gulped. “And that was long before the founding of my nation.” He said with a sigh. “Anyway it’s getting late and we have an early start tomorrow.” He said as he got up. “Right. See ya later then partner.” Applejack said as she and the other mares got up and exited the human’s home. Isaac closed the door and made his way upstairs and laid down in his bed. As he stared up at the ceiling he let out a sigh and let sleep took him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A white cloaked Blueblood made his way through the dark streets of Canterlot. He came to a dark building and knocked on it three times. A slot on the metal door opened and a deep voice answered. “Password?” The cloaked stallion held up three fingers. The slot closed and the large door opened. “I’m looking for Skull. Is he here?” The door stallion pointed with his finger towards the corner. The cloaked stallion made his way over to the corner where a jet black Unicorn stallion with a red mane drank from his cup. The black stallion looked up and grinned. “Never thought I’d see you here again.” “You should have known better.” The stallion said in a rough tone. “What do you need?” He asked as he sat back. “I need a thorn in my side removed. With extreme prejudice.” “I see and who is this thorn?” “More of a what than a who.” The white stallion said as he showed him the newspaper. “Front page. Everywhere across Equestria ponies are laughing at me! I’ll show them what happens when the mess with a stallion of my stature.” He said with a scoff. The dark stallion picked up the paper and raised his eyebrows. “A human huh?’ Never hunted one of those before.” He said as he put the paper down. “It’ll cost more.” The white stallion threw down a large bag of bits in front of the stallion. “You’ll get the other half when you bring me his head.” Blueblood said with a grin. The dark stallion smiled and took the bits. “Where can I find him?” “He was with that repulsive seamstress. She resides in some dirt hole town called Ponyville.” He said with a scoff. “I’ll see it done sir.” “Good and remember it has to look like an accident.” Blueblood said as he walked out of the establishment. The black stallion nodded and raised a glass at the Prince. Chapter 18: CampingChapter 18 Camping Isaac waited patiently for the other five mares to arrive outside his door. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive followed by Pinkie, Twilight and Fluttershy. The morning dew was starting to shine as the sun rose. “Everyone ready?” Isaac asked. “Yup.” Pinkie said as the rest nodded. “Okay Dash, since you know where we’re going then you lead the way.” Isaac said as he threw his bag on his back. “Right.” She said as the ponies entered the woods. Dash was in front followed by Twilight who had a map. Applejack was behind Isaac and Fluttershy was bringing up the rear. The timid mare seemed to jump every time someone stepped on a twig. Isaac let out a sigh as they stopped for the eighth time. “Okay everyone, hang on.” Isaac said as he stopped. “What now?” Dash asked in an impatient tone. Isaac looked back towards Fluttershy who was struggling to keep up. “Ugh! Come on! It’s gonna take us forever to get there.” Dash complained. Isaac removed his bag and walked down towards the mare. “I-I’m sorry Isaac.” Fluttershy said as she hung her head. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll get there.” The man then noticed the mare rubbing her shoulders as she bit her lip. “Is your pack too heavy?” He asked. “N-no. I can mange. I-” Before she could react the human grabbed her pack and strapped it to his own. “Y-you don’t have to do that Isaac. You’ll hurt yourself!” “I’ll be fine.” Isaac said with a smile. “How much farther Dash?” “It’ll take us another two days to get there, but there’s a rest stop just up ahead where we can camp for the night.” “You sure?” “Eeyup. Dash, Rarity and I took the CMC up there a few months ago.” Applejack said with a smile. “Good, then let’s get going.” Isaac said as he continued forward. As the day went on it only got hotter and more humid. Isaac was carrying the most weight and kept the best pace. The group stopped as they came to an opening in a field. There were three logs around a stone fire ring. “This is it.” Applejack said with a smile. “Good then let’s unpack.” Isaac said as he threw his bag down and cracked his back. The yellow mare took her bag from the man and had a guilty look on her face. “Fluttershy I’m fine. I’ve carried heavier things than your backpack.” “I just feel bad.” Applejack came over and lifted the bag with one arm. She looked at the yellow Pegasus in shock. “What do ya got in here Shy? This thing is lighter than air.” She said as she set it back down. “Where’s your tent?” “I....um....don’t have one.” She said in a timid tone. “What?” The group said in unison. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Dash asked. “I was afraid to.” The cyan mare then face palmed. Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the other four mares. “Can she bunk with one of you?” “Sorry, I’m bunking with Pinkie.” Twilight said. “Dash and I could probably-” Isaac was cut off as the cyan mare held up her hand. “I’m bunking with AJ.” She said in an almost angry tone. “Okay then?” Isaac said as he cocked an eyebrow. “My tent holds two. So you’ll be bunk with me.” The yellow mare’s face turned red. “A-are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.” She said in a timid tone. “It’s fine. It’s only for a few nights.” He said as he started to set up the tent. When they were done Isaac had stashed his and Fluttershy’s bags inside the tent. “Okay now that thats out of the way we need to get cracking. Twilight, I want you and Dash to go find some sticks for the fire.” “On it.” “AJ, Pinkie. I need you two to look at our food supply and be ready to start cooking once the fire is made.” “Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie said with a salute. “What about you then hot shot?” Dash asked. “Shy and I are going to go find some water and purify it.” He said as he held up a bag. “Oh before I forget.” He said as he went over to his bag and pulled out five knives. “Take these.” “Why?” Dash asked. “Better to have one and not need it then to need it and not have one.” He said as he withdrew his own knife. Unlike the one the mare’s had seen this knife was a bit more worn and had a sleek black leather sheath. The blade had a few nicks in it and was a bit rusted on the edge. “If it needs sharpening then just come and see me.” He said as he and the yellow mare walked away from the campsite towards the sound of running water. As the two made their way deeper into the thicket Isaac heard the sounds of the rushing water getting louder. Once they got to the stream the human filled the odd bag with some water and the two started to make their way back to camp. He saw that Dash and Twilight had returned with the fire wood. “Hey Twi can you light this?” Dash asked. “Sorry, I don’t know any fire magic.” She said with a shrug. “Relax, I got this.” Isaac said as he went over to his pack and withdrew a box of matches. He lit the kindling and the fire was started. Soon the farmer and the pastry chef started to cook. “So how did the inventory go?” “By my count, we got plenty of food till we get there plus the return trip.” The farmer said with a smile. “Excellent.” Isaac said with a grin. The orange mare then opened the pot to see the stew peaking. “Soups on everypony.” Applejack hollered. The group then sat around the fire place and started to eat. As the sky grew darker and the fire seemed to get brighter the ponies started to tell stories. Fluttershy gulped and grabbed Isaac’s arm as Dash finished her story about the Headless Pony. “And they were never heard from again.” She said in a creepy tone. The ponies gulped as Dash made a spooky laugh. Fluttershy instantly ducked behind the log and started to shake. “Not bad Dash.” Isaac said with a grin. “Think you could do better?” She asked in a cocky tone. “I’m not one to boast but....yes.” “Prove it!” She yelled. “Okay, this is the story of Slenderman.” As Isaac told his tale the mare’s all leaned in closer. The man could see the worried looks on the mare’s faces as he came to the climax. “So if you ever feel a shiver run down your spine. Chances are that he’s creeping up behind you....watching, waiting for the opportune moment.” A leaf from the over head tree drifted down from the branch and touched the cyan mare’s shoulder. “AH SLENDER MAN!” She yelled as she jumped twenty feet in the air. Fluttershy screamed as well. Applejack and Pinkie started to laugh while Twilight tried to contain her composure. “You okay Dashie?” Pinkie said through the giggles. “I-I’m fine. The leaf just surprised me!” She stammered. “It’s okay to be scared by something like that Dash. Hell, I couldn’t sleep for days after I heard that story.” Isaac said with a yawn. “Well, it’s getting late and we have a full day of hiking to do tomorrow. Good night.” He said as he walked over to his tent with a trembling Fluttershy in hot pursuit. Twilight and Applejack stomped out the fire before heading to their tents. Inside the human’s tent, Isaac had removed his shirt and slipped into his sleeping bag. As the man tried to fall asleep he felt the yellow mare shaking. “You okay Fluttershy?” He asked. “I-I was just wondering. Is that story....true?” She asked in a timid tone. “Doubtful and if it does exist then it would live in MY world.” He said with a smile. “S-sorry for troubling you.” She said in a low tone. Isaac sat up and looked at her. “Look Shy, it’s perfectly natural to be scared of things. I’m scared of things too.” He said in a reassuring tone. The mare still had a sad look on her face. “Look if you’re ever scared just call out my name and I’ll be there.” He said with a smile. “Promise?” she asked. “Promise.” He said with a smile. The mare felt a wave of relief wash over her as she laid back down to sleep beside the man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up to find himself in a pitch black forest completely alone with nothing but the small fire burning brightly in front of him. Isaac clutched the hunting knife in his hand waiting and listening. He looked passed the fire and saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The man’s eyes snapped open from the dream and felt something against his chest. He looked down to see that the yellow mare had rested her head on his chest. The top of her light pink hair was just below his chin. Isaac attempted to move his right arm but felt that it was caught between something. The man slowly adjusted his head and saw that his arm was elbow deep between the mare’s breasts. Isaac blushed in realizing that Fluttershy was significantly more developed then her friends. The man gulped and slowly slid his arm out from between the two soft breasts. The man gently rolled the yellow mare off his body and threw a shirt on before walking outside the tent. He grabbed his compound bow and his quiver and made his way away from the camp. He stood in front of a standing tree and aimed for the center. He drew the arrow back and released it. The arrow went to the far right and missed the target. “Damn it.” He said as he shot another. The arrow went too far to the left and missed. The man groaned and withdrew a third arrow. The man took a deep breath and concentrated. He focused and felt something inside of him burn. As he released the arrow he saw it fly through the air. As it his it’s target he saw the arrow pass through the tree and land in the rock behind it. The arrow was stuck in the rock causing a massive crack in the hard surface. “What was that?” He asked as he looked down at the bow. The man heard something to his right as he drew another arrow. Isaac turned to face a deer. It was a doe. Isaac looked at the timid animal with his arrow drawn. The man’s hand holding the arrow was shaking as he frowned. The deer didn’t move an inch. The human squinted his eyes trying to remain focused. The man grunted and dropped the weapon. Isaac fell to his knees and cursed himself under his breath. The deer cocked it’s head to the side in confusion. “Just....go.” He said as he looked at the deer. The animal backed away and ran off in the other direction. The man closed his eyes and remembered a conversation he had a long time ago. You’re too soft. I didn’t see the point in killing it. Whatever, you’ll never make it as a soldier if you hesitate like that. Otherwise it’ll cost you your life. It was defenseless! Looks like I was right, you’re nothing like- “Isaac?” The man opened his eyes to see Fluttershy staring at him from afar. “Is everything okay?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He said as he stood up and picked up his bow. “What were you doing?” She asked in a timid tone. “Practicing.” He said in a flat tone. The yellow mare then saw the doe looking at them before running away. “Are the others up?” He asked as he retrieved his arrows. “Y-yes, Applejack is cooking breakfast right now.” She said with a gulp. “Good we’ll need our strength for the walk ahead.” He said as he and the mare made their way back to camp. The man had his weapon over his shoulder and the quiver in his hand. He saw the orange mare over the fire cooking while the other mares broke down their tents. Isaac packed up his things and started to disassemble the tent. Once he was done he joined the mares in their meal. “How’d you sleep Isaac?” Twilight asked. “Good, you?” “Just fine.” She said with a smile. “Good, we’ll need the energy.” Dash said with a smile. “How long a walk is it to the next checkpoint?” “I’d say five miles.” She said with a shrug. Isaac walked over and scooped some of the oatmeal into a bowl. “Not too bad. After we’re done here we should be able to reach it by late afternoon.” He said as he took a bite from his meal. After the dishes were done and the group was packed up they continued through the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seven hours earlier. Back in the town of Ponyville a jet black Unicorn stallion with a vibrant red mane made his way through town with a large over coat on. It was almost three o’clock as he approached Carousel Boutique and made his way inside to see a purple dragon stacking boxes of fabric. “Can I help you?” Spike asked. “Yes, I’m looking for a Ms. Rarity Belle.” Skull said with a smile. “Rarity, some stallion wants to talk to you.” Spike said as he called up the stairs. “Coming~” She said in a sing song voice. The stallion looked up to see the white unicorn mare with a wavy purple mane and donning a white dress. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique. How can I help you?” “I’m looking for an odd creature and sources say you might know where he is.” He said as he withdrew the paper with Isaac’s picture on it. “Yes, I know him.” “Do you know where he is?” The stallion asked. Rarity looked at the stallion and got an odd vibe from him. “No, he’s out of town on business.” She said with a shrug. “Do you know when he’ll be back?” He asked. “No.” She said in a flat tone. “I see. Sorry for troubling you.” He said as he turned and left the establishment. The dark stallion made his way through the small town grumbling to himself. He heard three fillies talking amongst themselves. “Why can’t we go see Isaac again?” Sweetie Belle asked. “He’s camping with Dash, Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy.” Applebloom said in a flat tone. “Where are they going?” Scootaloo asked. “They were heading up to that rainbow waterfall they took us to a few months back.” The farmer said. The stallion’s ears perked up at the words. He then approached the fillies with a smile on his face. “Excuse me, did you say rainbow waterfall?” He asked. “Sure did. Why?” “Well, I’m a traveler and I’m on the look out for beautiful landmarks.” He lied. “Do you know where it is?” “Sure do ah got a map to it back at the farm.” Applebloom said with a smile. “Can I see it?” “Sure, I know ah’d hate to get lost in a place like that.” The farmer said with a grin. The large stallion followed the three fillies to the farmhouse where the farmer dug out a map. “This her is the most direct route and will take you three days to get there.” “I see. Sounds like quite the trek.” Skull said in surprise. “It is so worth it though!” Sweetie said with a smile. “It is so beautiful.” “Do you mind if I copy this map?” “Sure.” The farmer said with a smile. The stallion’s horn glowed and a duplicate of the map was made in his hands. He handed the original back to the fillies and smiled. “Thank you very much. You three have been a huge help.” He said in a kind hearted voice. The stranger then got to his feet and walked out the door. “No problem mister. If you see Isaac or the others tell them we said hi.” Scootaloo said as she waved goodbye to the stallion. “Oh trust me, I will.” He said keeping his eyes front and his evil smirk hidden from the fillies. The stallion quickly made his way into the forest and pulled out a spell book filled with odd symbols. He put the book on the ground and placed his palm on top of one of the seals. The circle started to glow and a black puff of smoke came out. Through the smoke a pair of bright red eyes stared at him. “He’s traveling with five mares, don’t let them see you.” The beast roared and charged down the path after the group. “Time to see if this human is either prey or hunter.” He said with excitement in his voice. Chapter 19: Marco PoloChapter 19 Marco Polo The group stopped at the next checkpoint which was a large hollowed out cave. “A c-cave?” The man asked with a gulp. “Yeah, what’s up?” Dash asked as she looked at the human. “Nothing.” Isaac got a fire going while the other mare’s set up their tents. The man got to his feet and let out a sigh. “I’m going for a walk.” He said to the group. The mares nodded as the man walked past them with his bow and quiver and made his way out into the open air. He walked a good three hundred feet away from the camp and started shooting the arrows at a nearby log. The man heard something snap a twig behind him. Isaac turned with his weapon drawn to see the yellow mare with a frightened look on her face. “Jesus, Shy. You can’t sneak up on a guy with his weapon drawn.” He said as he lowered the bow. “I’m sorry.” She said as she lowered her head. “It’s fine. Did you need something?” He asked. “I was....just wondering, what you were doing.” She asked in her timid tone. “Practicing with my bow.” He said as he held up the weapon. “Want to try?” “Oh....I don’t know.” She said with a gulp. “I guess I could give it a shot.” She said as she walked beside the human. Isaac handed her the bow.The mare held the bow in her left hand as she pulled the arrow back with her right. He left hand was shaking in anxiety. Isaac put his hand on hers to help steady the bow, causing the yellow mare to blush. “Just pull the arrow back and take a moment to focus.” He said in a hushed tone. The mare nodded and let out a sigh. She released the arrow which hit the center of the target. The man looked at the mare in surprise. “You’re a natural.” He said with a smile. Fluttershy smiled at his kind words. She pulled back another arrow and let it fly. The arrow didn’t only hit the center of the target but split the other one right down the middle. “I-I’m so sorry Isaac! I didn’t mean to do that!” She said in a sad filled tone. “Don’t be. That was awesome!” He said as he approached the target. “How did you do that?” “I-I don’t know. You’re not mad?” “No, I’ve got other arrows back at my house.” He said with a nod. “Where did you get this thing?” Fluttershy asked. “My grandpa got it for me when I was fifteen.” He said as he retrieved the arrows. “Oh that’s nice.” She said with a smile. The two made their way back to camp. As they made their way back Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept adverting her eyes as Isaac looked back at her. The man pushed the thought out his mind as they entered the cave. Isaac felt a small wave of fear creep over him as he entered the dark place. “Isaac are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Y-yeah, it’s just been a long day.” He said as he walked over to his tent and set his bow down. The man joined the other mares around the fire and sat down as he opened a leather bound book. He withdrew a small pencil and started to write in the book. “What’s that?” Twilight asked. “Just a journal I keep.” He said in a flat tone. “Can I see it?” She asked. “No.” Isaac said as he put the book away. The man looked around the cave as he ate. A long silence fell over the group as they ate until AJ broke the silence. “So Isaac, who taught you so much about camping?” The farmer asked. “My dad, my grandpa and my uncle.” He said as he sipped his water. “They taught me how to survive even if their methods were.....extreme.” He said in a flat tone. “What do you mean extreme?” Pinkie asked. “When I turned thirteen my dad had the idea of dropping me in the woods for a week with three days worth of food and water along with this knife.” He said as he withdrew the old weapon. Twilight spat out her drink in surprise at the man’s words. “WHAT? That’s insane!” She protested. “It made me stronger so I can’t complain.” He said with a shrug. “How did you survive?” Pinkie asked. “I hunted, I tracked and I made my way out of the woods.” He said with a sigh. “If memory serves I came out by a small town and I managed to find a nearby Army base and they called my folks.” He said with a sigh. “So you had a military upbringing?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, when your dad is in the armed forces you get moved around a lot.” He said as he sat back. “How often did you move?” Dash asked. “Longest place I stayed was for about two years. That was when I was twelve.” “Two years!” Twilight said in surprise. “So how did you make friends?” Pinkie asked. “I made a few close friends when I was a kid and closer friends when I served in the Marines.” He said with a sigh. “How many friends?” Applejack asked. “I guess my squad that I stuck with.” He said with a laugh. “We were more like family then teammates.” He said with a smile. “Wait, when you first came here you said that you barely talked to anyone.” Twilight said. “Yeah, what’s your point?” He asked “Why din’t you talk to them when you got out of the service?” The man bit his lip at the next part. “The dead aren’t much for conversation.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight held her head in shame. A long silence fell between the group of friends. “I’m sorry....I didn’t.” She stopped as Isaac raised his hand. “It’s fine it’s in the past now.” He said as he got up. “It’s supposed to get cold tonight.” Dash said. The man waved as he walked back over to his tent. Isaac laid on top of his sleeping bag and let out a sigh as he yawned. The man felt sleep take him. An hour later he heard Fluttershy enter the tent and crawl into her sleeping bag next to him. As the man tried to fall asleep he heard a faint sneeze come from the yellow mare. “You okay Fluttershy?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as the man felt a shiver come from her body. “Are you cold?” He asked in a concerned tone. “N-no I’m fine.” Isaac could see his breath outside the sleeping bag and hear her teeth chattering. “No, you’re not. If you get to cold then you’ll get sick.” He said with a sigh. Isaac slipped out of his sleeping bag and felt the cold air bite at his skin. “Must be forty degrees here.” He said as he rubbed his arms. “Hang on I have an idea. Get out of your sleeping bag for a second.” “What?” “I could zip our sleeping bags together and our combined body heat will be enough to keep us both warm for the night.” He said as they both blushed. “If you don’t want to then-” “A-Alright.” She said with a gulp. “You sure?” “Yeah, it’s only for one night anyway.” She said as she got out of her bag. Isaac turned on his flashlight and saw that the yellow mare was wearing a tight green shirt that seemed to be a size too small for her. The mare was also wearing a pair of yellow short shorts. The man gulped and lowered his head as he zipped the two bags together. Isaac held the enlarged opening. Fluttershy got inside trying desperately to hide her blush as the man faced the opposite direction from the mare. Fluttershy gulped as she felt her wings starting to extend. She faced the man’s back and moved closer to him, allowing her wings the room they needed. The mare managed to control her wings and eventually drift off to sleep. The human woke up early in the morning to see the yellow mare sleeping next to him with her mane over her face. The man gently pushed the strands of pink hair out of her face before discretely sliding out of the bag and getting his shoes on. The man noticed that none of the other mare’s were up and decided to go for a walk. The man walked down one of the pathways and found what looked like a stream bed. He crouched down and scooped up a handful of water. As he splashed the cold liquid in his face he felt as though he was being watched. Isaac slowly stood up and looked around his surroundings. The human felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He looked to his right to see a large black wolf with bright red eyes glaring at him with a malicious stare. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw that the wolf was at least five feet long and looked like it weighed over one hundred pounds. It’s teeth were bigger than any other wolf he’d seen. The man slowly reached for his knife only to have the beast run at him with lightning speed. Isaac pulled his knife out just in time to dodge and slash it across the side of it’s body. The man managed to avoid the attack and got in a defensive position. The two moved in a circular formation. The man stared into the wolf’s red eyes and it stared back into his. The two both charged at one another the wold baring it’s teeth and the man tightening his grip on the knife’s handle. The human managed to slash the beat a few more times making blood spill on his body. The wolf swiped the man’s hand which made him cry in pain and drop the knife, before the man could react the wolf was on top of him. The beast knocked the knife away with it’s paw and tried to bite the man’s neck. Isaac’s hands shot out and grabbed the wolf’s jaw and snout. He could smell the beast’s vile breath breathing on him. The beast was obviously stronger than he was and was starting to over power him. The man gather his strength and gave a sharp twist. The human heard a snap come from the wolf’s neck and the beast’s body fell limp. Isaac pushed the wolf’s body off him and got to his feet. Isaac took a moment to collect himself before walking over to his knife and putting it in the sheath. The man walked over to the brook and looked at himself in the water’s reflection. He quickly washed the blood off his face and hands. He heard a noise come from behind him. He turned around to see that the wolf was cloaked in shadow and was more menacing looking than before. The beast howled and charged at the man. The wolf jumped aiming for it’s prey’s neck. Isaac quickly withdrew his knife and ducked to the left. The wolf bit down hard on the human’s shoulder and felt it’s blood fill it’s mouth. Isaac cried out in pain as he slammed the blade into the wolf’s skull. The beast felt it’s life leave it’s body. The man pried the beast’s jaws open and release his arm. Isaac grunted in pain and pulled out his knife. He stabbed the beast three more times just to make sure it was dead. The man looked at the beast’s coat which was jet black. The man saw the shadowy aura around the body leave and fly back into the jungle. The man let out a sigh and looked down at the beast. He walked over to it and saw that it’s eyes shifted from a dark red to a light blue and it’s coat was pristine white. The man let out a sigh and sat down next to the wolf. He patted it on the head and closed it’s eyes. Isaac got to his feet and made his way back towards the camp. As he came into view he saw Twilight taking down her and Pinkie’s tent. “Hey Isaac where did-” The mare stopped as she saw the man’t bleeding shoulder. “Oh my Celestia! What happened?” She yelled as the other mares ran towards him. “Wolf attacked me.” He said as he sat down. The man removed his shirt as Twilight’s horn and hands glowed. “I’m fine.” He said in a flat tone. The mare watched as the bite marks started to heal on their own. “What wolf got ya?” Applejack asked. “Follow me and you can analyze it.” He said as he got up. “Are you okay to walk?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, I’ve been through worse.” He said as he walked back towards the brook. The white wolf’s body laid there motionless. Fluttershy walked over and inspected the body. “So what is it?” “It....It’s a Dire wolf.” Fluttershy said as the mares gasped. “What?” “Dire wolves are extremely rare and are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Equestria.” Twilight clarified. “Really?” “Yeah, no one has seen one in over ten years.” Dash said. “Great, so I just killed an endangered species?” “No, they’re just not native to Equestria. My brother see’s them all the time in the Crystal Empire because of the colder temperatures.” She said with a sigh. “Well, since this thing gave me so much trouble I think I deserve a little reward.” He said as he pulled out his knife. “What are you doing?” Applejack asked. “I’m gonna take the pelt and some meat while I’m at it.” He said in a flat tone. “WHAT?” They all yelled. “Look, human’s need meat. It’s a fact.” He said as he let out a sigh. “It’s custom where I come from.” As he walked towards the wolf he felt something tug on his arm. He looked back to see Fluttershy holding his wrist and some tears flowing down her face. “P-Please don’t. It’s already dead.” She said as she hung her head. Isaac looked at the wolf and then back at the mare. He let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “Fine.” He said with a sigh. The man got up and started to walk back to camp with the group following. The man packed up his things and the group continued the trek. Isaac kept his bow out in case of any more wild animals. “Why do ya have that thing?” Applejack asked as she looked at the weapon. “In case something tries to attack again.” “Fluttershy could probably handle it.” Twilight said with a nod. “No offense, but I think not. That wolf wasn’t natural.” “What makes you say that?” “I had to kill it twice.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “I broke it’s neck and when I was getting my knife it came back to life and I stabbed it in the skull.” The mares cringed at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s something the Dire Wolf race can do but I had to do something else I’d be that thing’s lunch.” He said with a sigh. “If it’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that hesitation leads to disaster.” “That’s a little extreme.” Twilight said with a gulp. “That it may be but it’s the truth. I don’t hesitate when I defend myself or friends. No matter who or what I’m fighting.” He said in a low tone. The group continued the trek in silence as they walked along the wooded path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The dark shadow moved through the woods until it found the black unicorn stallion sitting indian style in front of an open book. The shadow made it’s way into the stallion’s body as his red eyes opened. Well, it looks like this human is no stranger to combat. This should be fun. He thought as he got up. Those mares on the other hand could pose a problem if they get in my way. A distraction is required. The stallion opened his spell book and started to glance through it. He stopped as he found the page he was looking for. Let’s see how they deal with this. He thought as he placed his hand on the seal and a massive spell circle formed on the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac stopped as he set his eyes on a massive waterfall with all the colors of the Rainbow pouring down into a pool of the same colors. The lavender and yellow mares shared the shame shocked expression. “You guys should see your faces.” Dash said with a smirk. “C’mon theres a camping spot at the top of the water fall.” She said as she spread her wings and took flight. The ponies took the path on the right hand side and made their way up to the camping spot. The group set up their tents and started to lounge about. “Hey is this water safe to swim in?” Isaac asked. “Yeah it’s fine.” Dash said with a smile. The man nodded and went into his tent and changed into a swim suit. “How deep is the water at the base of the falls?” He asked as he walked to the edge. “Don’t know.” Twilight said with a shrug. “Only one way to find out then.” “DON’T EVEN-” The lavender unicorn was cut off as the man jumped off the edge. “Geronimo!” He said as he dove off the edge. The man felt his body hit the water. He opened his eyes to see that the floor was easily twenty feet below him. He swam to the surface to see the five mares looking over the edge with concerned looks on their faces. “It’s fine. It’s at least twenty feet deep.” He said with a grin. “Well, in that case.” Dash said with a smirk. “Heads up!” Dash said as she jumped off the edge. The cyan mare made herself into a cannon ball and landed next to the human. “Really Dash?” He said in a flat tone. The human looked at the mare with a blank expression on his face. “You do realize you just jumped in the water with your clothes on right?” The mare stopped laughing for a moment and glared back at the man. “Crap.” She said as she flew out of the water and back up to the camp. Five minutes later the rest of the group got changed and were relaxing by the water’s edge. Isaac sat in the rainbow water so that it covered his chest and lower half of his body. Twilight was wearing a black one piece with book in hand. Applejack had an orange poke a dot bikini top and a pair of short cut denim shorts. Rainbow was wearing a dark blue string bikini and was sunbathing on her Wonderbolt Towel. Pinkie was donning a dark red swimsuit with a dress like frill on the bottom and was bouncing an inflatable beach ball to Applejack. Fluttershy was wearing a forest green bikini top that went over her neck and back down the other side, the two pieces of fabric were connected by a metal ring in the center of her chest. The yellow mare was quietly splashing her feet in the water. Isaac laid his head back and let the sun hit against his body. I guess......It’s not so bad here. Glad to see you finally came around. Isaac thought to the other voice in his head. I just hated being the one who bitched all the time. We’re stuck here so we might as well accept it. We have to deal with the cards we’re dealt. Spade said that all the time. The man’s eye snapped open and walked over to his blanket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to the calendar and let out a sigh. “What’s up sugar cube?” The farmer asked as she looked at him. “Nothing. Just checking the date.” He said as he put the phone on his blanket. The man let out a yawn and laid down on his towel. After a good five minutes of shut eye until his face was hit with a rubber ball. “Hey!” He said as he sat up. “Oh don’t be such a party poop’r! C’mon in.” Pinkie said with a smile. Isaac rolled his eyes and jumped in the water with the other five girls. “You guys ever play Marco Polo?” “What?” Twilight asked. “It’s kind of like tag, only the person that is it has their eyes shut. Whenever they say Marco the other players say Polo and who ever Marco get’s is the new Marco and a new round starts.” He said with a smile. “Sounds like fun!” Pinkie said with a smile. The group nodded and started the game. Twilight went first and managed to tag Pinkie. The hyperactive pink mare managed to tag Applejack without breaking a sweat. The cyan mare was next to find the others. Dash managed to catch the human by barreling into him at full speed. “Was that really necessary Dash?” He said as he sat up. “Nope.” She said with a smile. Isaac closed his eyes and heard the splashing from the mares. He stared to walk around aimlessly and called out at random. He tried to zero in on the voices. As he stepped closer the other ponies decided to stay just out of reach of the man. The cyan mare stuck out her leg and made the man trip. Isaac fell forward and tried to grab onto something as he fell. His hand came into contact with something soft and large. As he fell forward he felt his face hit a pound of fur. Isaac opened his eyes to see that his had was on the yellow Pegasus’s right breast. The yellow mare’s wings instantly sprang up like they were spring loaded. “Oh....my.” Fluttershy said as her and Isaac’s face turned bright red. The man quickly removed his hand and stood up. He looked back to see Applejack and Twilight blushing brightly while Dash and Pinkie were on their backs laughing. “Let’s.....um.....get dinner ready.” Twilight suggested trying to make the conversation less awkward. “Good idea.” The human said as he gulped. As the other mares packed up their things Isaac helped Fluttershy to her feet. The two collected their things in silence and made their way back up to camp. As the group ate their meals, Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept glancing at him and turning away. The man ignored the gestures and continued eating his food. “So Isaac, who came up with the whole Marco Polo game?” Twilight asked. “It’s named after a famous explorer from my world, his name was Marco Polo. He was known for his expedition to Asia.” “Asia?” Twilight asked. “I’ll tell you about it when we get back to Ponyville.” He said with a smile. “The man was genius. He traveled a far and wide and made friends along the way.” “Kinda like you?” Pinkie asked. “No, he meant to go places. I landed here by accident.” He said in a flat tone. “But didn’t that Doctor guy say that you were a fixed point or something like that?” Dash asked. “Yeah, but I have no idea what my purpose is yet.” He said with a shrug. The man sat back against the tree that was behind him and watched as the ponies conversed with one another. He noticed that once in a while Dash was giving him an angry look. Isaac ignored it for the time being and zoned out the chatter until he heard a loud banging noise next to him. “GAH!” He yelled as he jumped to his feet. Isaac looked to his left to see what looked like fire crackers next to him. He cast a glare at the group of mares who were trying to hold back their laughter. His gaze focused on the cyan mare who was rolling on her back in a fit of laughter. The man let out a groan and got to his feet. “Hey where ya going?” Dash yelled through the laughter. “Just getting some smoke free air.” He said as he walked away from the campsite and into the woods. After he walked a good way in the man let out a sigh and looked up at the starry sky to see the moon. The man then heard a rustling noise behind him and quickly turned around to see Fluttershy trying to hide behind a tree. “Need something Shy?” “I just wanted to apologize for Rainbow Dash. You know how she gets.” She said in a timid tone. “Yeah, I know.” He said as the two started to walk back towards the camp when a thought made it’s way into the man’s head. “Hey, sorry about earlier.” The man said in a flat tone. “For what?” “When we were playing and I kinda grabbed your......ya know.” He said as his face turned red. Fluttershy remembered the incident and lost her balance. Isaac rushed to catch the mare only to trip over a large tree root. The man felt himself hit the dirt and a patch of moss. The man opened his eyes to see that Fluttershy’s lips were less than an inch away and she was panting heavily. As Isaac tried to hide his blush he felt the mare’s lips connect with his own. The Pegasus’s lips were soft and she tasted like fresh vanilla. A soft moan escaped the mare’s mouth as she felt the man’s tongue enter her own mouth and started to explore. The yellow mare soon let her body rest on top of the man’s and felt her wings unfurl. As the two broke the embrace Isaac noticed that the mare was panting heavily. The mare got up and had tears forming in her eyes. “I-I’m sorry!” She said as she turned away. As the mare tried to leave the man grabbed her wrist and turned her around. “It’s just that..” She said with a sniffle. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack said you were really good. So I got curious. I know you probably don’t think I’m attractive so I didn’t really-” “Back up a sec there Shy. Who said you’re not attractive?” “Well, colt’s always teased me when I was younger so I just assumed that.” She said as she held her head in shame. “That’s crazy! They were just being a bunch of bullies, trying to get you riled up.” “Really?” “Trust me I’ve seen girls that look WAY worse than you.” He said with a smile. “So you wanted to see if what Dash and Applejack said was true?” The mare nodded and bit her lip in embarrassment. “Look Shy, it’s not that I don’t find you attractive it’s just that.” He started as Fluttershy looked up at him. Damn that cute look. He thought. “Look sex is fun, but it should be with someone special and someone you really care about. Dash got me while I was drunk and Applejack practically hog tied me. Then there was Spit.....never mind. Point is it should be with someone you care about.” He said with a sigh. “I know and....I care about you.” She said as her blush brightened. The man thought for a moment and sifted through his mind. “Look Shy, the truth is....I don’t deserve to have somepony like you, Dash or AJ.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life and I’ll never be able to redeem myself for what I’ve done.” The man started to walk back towards the camp ahead of the yellow mare. “I’m truly sorry, but it’a fact.” He said as he entered the campsite without a word to any of the other ponies. The man quickly went over to his tent and crawled inside his own individual sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep. Author's Note Wow, over 300 paged in my doc. Longest story I've ever written. Chapter 21: The Most Dangerous Game (Re Edited)Chapter 21 The Most Dangerous Game Isaac opened his eyes to see the yellow mare sleeping soundly next to him. Her eyes fluttered open showing their teal color. “Morning.” She said with a small kiss. “How’d you sleep?” Isaac asked as he sat up and stretched. “Just wonderful.” The mare said with a smile. The two then heard a tapping on their tent. “Rise and shine you two.” A familiar southern accent said in a tired tone. “Twi’s got something important she want’s to tell us.” The farmer said as she left. “We’ll be right out.” Isaac said as she slipped out of his sleeping bag and threw on a pair of camouflage jeans and a dark green T shirt. He stepped out of the tent to see the mare’s starting to break down their tents and pack up. “Did I miss something?” He asked as Twilight walked up to him. “I just got a message from Spike saying that we need to return to Ponyville immediately.” She said in a serious tone. “Why?” Fluttershy asked as she stepped out of the tent. “He got a letter from the Princess. Only he said it looked weird.” She said with a shrug. “You do know that it took us like three days to get here right?” Dash said as she rolled up her sleeping bag. “That’s why I have this.” Twilight said as she pulled out a piece of paper with an odd symbol in it. “What’s that?” “It’s a warp gate. It acts like my teleportation spell, only it’s for long range.” “So why didn’t you use that to get us up here?” Isaac asked in a confused tone. “It only works one way and the other end is in the library.” She said with a sigh. “So hurry up and get packing.” “Yes, ma’am.” Isaac said in a half mocking tone. After packing up his things and folding the tent up Dash walked over to Fluttershy with a smile on her face. “Hi Rainbow Dash, what’s up?” Fluttershy asked in her usual timid tone. “Oh don’t try to act innocent on my Shy.” Dash said with a smug grin. “How was it?” “How was what?” “You know.” The mare said as she waggled her eyebrows and glanced towards the human. The yellow mare’s face turned scarlet and felt her stomach jump into her throat. “H-how did you know?” “On account of we heard ya last night.” Applejack said as she walked up to her friend. The yellow mare pulled her pink hair over her face in hopes of hiding from the embarrassment. “Easy there sugar cube. We don’t blame ya.” “Yeah Isaac is a really cool guy.” Dash said with a smile. “I was just curious.” The mare said as she put a hand on her friends shoulder. “C’mon guys. We need to get back to Ponyville pronto!” Twilight said in an impatient tone. “Calm down Twilight.” Isaac said as he finished packing. “Celestia is a reasonable mare. She won’t be angry if we’re tardy.” The lavender mare’s eye twitched and glared at the man. “I have NEVR been tardy and I don’t want to start now!” She said in a half crazed tone. “Twi, take a chill pill.” He said with a sigh. The lavender mare put the piece of paper down on the ground and waited for everyone to step on it with their bags. “Everyone ready?” Twilight asked. The group nodded and the mare’s horn glowed a faint purple along with the seal. The group saw a flash of purple light and then found themselves inside the library. The lavender mare’s horn stopped glowing and started to collapse. Isaac and the cyan mare caught their friend before she hit the wooden floor. “You okay Twilight?” Dash asked. “Yeah, it’s just that this spell takes a lot of power.” She said as they sat her down on the couch. The purple dragon walked up to her with a glass of water. “Thank’s Spike. Now what’s so interesting about this letter?” She asked before taking a sip of water. “Well, it arrived here by a mail pony not magic.” He said with a shrug. “That’s odd.” Applejack said as she scratched her head. “Maybe she couldn’t. Is there a range where she can’t send letters?” Isaac asked. “No, she sent me one while she was in Gryphonia and that’s like on the other side of the world.” Spike said with a shrug. “Maybe she was too tired?” Pinkie asked. “Raising the sun everyday has to take a lot out of you.” “Doubtful.” The door suddenly opened to reveal the white unicorn mare. “Oh, I didn’t know that you all got back.” Rarity said in surprise. “We just did.” Applejack said still shaking off the teleportation. “Anyway that’s not the only thing that’s weird.” Spike said as he pulled out the letter. Twilight gave it a read and passed it around. Twilight, I must speak to you and your friends on the outskirts of Ponyville immediately. P.S. Bring the human as well. ~Princess Celestia. “That does seem odd.” Rarity said as she scratched her head. “Not to mention that she didn’t use my name, just ‘the human’” Isaac said as he scratched his chin. Twilight got to her feet and let out a pant. “You sure you’re okay? We can go tell Celestia that you weren’t feeling well. I’m sure she’d understand.” Isaac said as he looked at the mare. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” She said as she sat back down. “How about this, the rest of us go drop our stuff off and when we come back then we’ll meet Celestia okay? We ditch our stuff and Twi rests a little. Everybody wins.” Isaac said with a shrug. “Sounds good to me.” Dash said with a smile. “I’m fine with it.” AJ agreed. “Alright. Just hurry back.” Twilight said in a flat tone. The group nodded and made their way back to their houses. Isaac walked along the road and he scowled as a familiar white Unicorn mare with an electric blue mane walked up to him. “Yo, Isaac what’s up?” She asked with a smile. “Something you want to tell me Vinyl?” He said in a harsh tone. “Sheesh, what’s up with you?” “How about not telling me about your girlfriend?” Vinyl bit her lip at the words. “Yeah about that.” She said with a gulp. Isaac stood still with a blank expression on his face. “Look, I’m not a complete lesbian. I’m bi.” “Is that supposed to make me feel better? You used me to cheat on your girlfriend.” He said in a rough tone. “Tavi knows. I told her that morning and she’s totally cool with it.” “Really? Even though I’m a completely different species?” He said in a sarcastic tone. “I didn’t tell her that you were a human.” “I think that that’s a major detail you left out.” He said with a grunt. “Look, when does this....Tavi girl come back?” “She should be back in two days. Why?” “We and by that I mean you, Tavi and I are going to have a little chat and resolve this like mature adults.” He said as he walked passed her. “Call me when she get’s back and we’ll discuss what happened then.” “Alright.” She said as she hung her head in shame. The man side stepped the saddened mare and continued making his way down the street with his bag latched onto his back. Isaac kept walking down the road when he was approached by a familiar teal Unicorn mare. “Hey Lyra. What’s up?” He said with a smile on his face. “Not much. I haven’t seen you in a few days. Where’d you go?” She asked as she started to walk next to him. “Camping with Twi, Dash, AJ, Pinkie and Fluttershy.” He said as he got to his home. “How was that?” Isaac to moment to chose his words. “It was....fun.” He said as he walked inside. “Want to come in?” “YES!” She said with a wide smile. The two entered and Lyra immediately started examining things. “Wow, this is so cool!” “I’ll be right out. I just need to grab a few things and put some stuff back.” He said as he walked down the hallway. Isaac made his way towards a jet black door and went inside. The room was large and circular. The walls had pictures of several men in uniform. He pulled out the black box and put the handgun on the side as he pulled out a brown leather hip holster. Isaac pulled out the foam holder inside the box and loaded the gun and a speed reloader before putting it in the holster. He looked around the room and saw several glass boxes line in a row. Each had a folded American flag inside and a series of medals. He stopped next to the last one and saw a golden medal. Isaac was so engrossed with the medal that he didn’t notice Lyra had entered the room and started to look around. “What’s this-” “GAH!” Isaac said nearly jumping five feet in the air. He spun around to see a startled Lyra staring at him. “Oh sorry Lyra, I didn’t hear you come in.” He said in a flat tone. “What is this place?” “My dad called it the war room. It’s a collection of my family’s military records.” He said with a sigh. “My family dates back to the founding of my country. We've fought in almost every war since then." Isaac said as he started walking out of the room with the teal mare following close behind. The man rifled through his bag and withdrew his knife and clipped it on his belt. "Doubt that will happen again." “What do you mean?” “I don't have a way back remember?” He said in a flat tone. “Oh....I’m sorry.” She said as she held her head low. “It's fine. I've come to accept things as they are.” He said as he walked towards the door. “Where are you going?” “For some reason Celestia sent Spike a message wanting to meet Twilight, me and the others on the outskirts of town.” “Why?” “No idea, but my gut is telling me that things are gonna go south.” He said as he turned to face Lyra. “Mind doing me a favor?” “Sure, what?” “Follow us, but stay in the shadows and if things go bad get to Spike and tell him to send a letter to Luna. Can you do that?” The teal mare nodded and ignited her horn and her body turned invisible. “How’s this?” She asked. “Wow, that works perfectly.” He said with a nod. “Okay, keep that up for as long as possible. If things go well, which I highly doubt, then you can just step out. I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t mind.” “Got it. Lead the way.” Isaac nodded and made his way back towards the library. The man motioned Lyra to hold back as he entered the tree to see the other mares waiting for him. “There you are. What took you?” Dash asked. “Sorry, I had a little chat with Vinyl.” He said in a rough tone. He then turned his attention to the lavender mare. “You okay to go?” “Yeah, I’m feeling much better.” She said as she got to her feet. “Let’s go. Celestia is waiting for us. Spike stay here and watch the library.” “You got it Twilight.” He said with a salute. The group made their way out of the library and made their way towards the outskirts. Isaac looked behind him and saw that a faint shimmer was following them. “Hey Isaac.” Twilight said as she looked at the man. “Why do you have your gun?” “Well, knowing you, I figured that you’d want to tell Celestia about it sooner or later. Since we’re meeting with her I figured I’d skip a step and show her myself.” “What if she tries to take it away from you?” Dash asked. “I doubt that will happen.” “How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked. “Once she hears how dangerous it is-” “Don’t lecture me Twilight. I’m sure should the argument come up then she’ll take my side over yours.” Twilight was taken back by the ma’s words. “What? I’m Celestia’s private pupil and I’ve known her my whole life. While you have known her for barely a month!” “True. However there’s something both of us have done that you haven’t.” He said as he looked at the lavender mare. “What’s that?” “We’ve done what’s necessary for the benefit of others. That includes killing.” Twilight looked at him in shock. “Can you honestly say that Celestia has never sent somepony to death row or killed for the benefit of her country?” The lavender mare was speechless. “I thought so.” “But you’ve killed people and-” “I don’t expect you to understand Twilight. The only ones who can are those who’ve been out in the trenches and have fought the enemy, who or what ever it may be.” He said in a rough tone. “Besides, do you honestly think that I would kill an innocent civilian?” “Well-” Isaac looked at her in complete and utter shock. “I gotta say Twilight. I’m extremely insulted by that. I’ve only killed in self defense. Whether it was for my protection or my friend’s.” He said in a rough tone. “There’s always an alternative to-” “No, you don’t get it. I didn’t grow up in the same happy atmosphere where everyone is your friend. You have to do what’s necessary to move forward.” He said in a rough tone. “I don’t like killing, I hate doing it, but I will if I have to.” Twilight blinked twice and gulped. “Bottom line, I’m keeping my weapons and there’s nothing that you or anyone else can say to change that.” He said as he continued to walk towards the outskirts of town. The mares all gulped and looked at the lavender mare in shock. “He does have a good point Twi.” Applejack stated. “You’re siding with him?” “Yeah seriously Twilight. Thinking that he’d kill on a whim is pretty low.” Dash said in a low tone. “You always told me not to judge a book by it’s cover. Isaac is just another book. An extremely hot book from another dimension with a crazy past, but a book none the less. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.” “But he’s-” “We turned Discord to stone, your brother and Cadence kicked Chrysalis and every other Changeling out of Canterlot and let’s not forget about the Crystal Empire thing, not to mention those manticores we had to take down yesterday.” Pinkie added. “We’ve done a lot too and we saved all of Equestria and each other by doing those things.” Pinkie said as she scratched her mane. “Isaac did the same, just in a different way.” “Pinkie that.....actually makes sense.” Dash said in surprise. The mares and human were all dumbfounded at Pinkie’s spark of intelligence. “Thank you Pinkie.” The man said with a nod. “If Pinkie can understand it then why can’t you? I mean I thought you were the brains of this outfit.” He said as he looked at the lavender mare. “What do you mean the brains?” Twilight asked. “In every crew there’s the brains, the looks, the muscle and the wildcard.” He said in a flat tone. “You’re the brains, Shy and Rarity are the looks. Dash and AJ are the muscle and Pinkie is definitely the wildcard.” “So what does that make you?” Twilight asked. “Me? No fucking idea. I’m just along for the ride.” He said as he shrugged. “Eh, I’ll buy it.” Dash said with a shrug. “Now that that’s settled we’ve got someone waiting on us.” Isaac said as he continued to walk forward towards the edge of town. The mares followed him as Twilight kept her mouth shut and processed the information. As the group got to the edge of town they saw the white goddess waiting for them. The lavender mare immediately rushed forward. “Princess Celestia, it’s nice to see you again.” She said with a smile. “Twilight Sparkle, my prize pupil. I was wondering when you were going to get here.” She said as she waved her hand for them to come closer. “Is there something-” The lavender mare felt something grip her tail and pull her back towards the group. She looked back to see that the man had the end of her tail in his hand. “What are you doing?” “Twilight, we’ve been had.” The man said as he focused on the white Princess. “What?” Isaac walked forward and ran his hand over a wire. He pulled out his knife and cut it, causing the ground to open up in front of the group into a deep pit. The mare’s jaws dropped and looked down to see that it was easily twenty feet deep. “Looks like someones been setting booby traps.” He said in a flat tone. The group of ponies then heard a clapping sound coming from the Princess. “Impressive.” The Princess’s voice shifted from her warm and angelic sound to a rough and harsh tone. The white goddess’s body burst into smoke to reveal a black unicorn stallion wearing a black hood and a silver mask. “No ones ever been able to spot one of my pit traps before.” “I’m going to assume that you were the one who set up that rope trap in the forest.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. “Correct. I’m also the one responsible for that manticore incident.” The mare’s eyes shrank at the stallion’s words. “It was all a test to see if you were worthy enough to face me head on and you passed. I’m actually impressed.” He said with a chuckle. The man then saw a cyan blur fly over his shoulder and towards the stallion. “I’m gonna squish you into cider!” Dash yelled as she stuck out her leg for a kick. The stallion dodged the mare’s attack and grabbed her by the throat. The stallion’s horn started to glow and a small red beam sent the mare back flying into the group of mares. Isaac’s eyes shrank at the collision and bore holed through the stallion’s eyes. The stallion them pressed his hands on the ground and a magical red cage trapped the mares. “You’re after me then.” The stranger nodded as he removed his cloak. “Mind if I ask why?” “Business.” “An assassin then.” The stallion’s horn glowed and a four massive red magical walls surrounded the two warriors. “Insurance so nothing can interfere with our spat.” The stallion’s horn flared and Isaac felt his gun fly out of it’s holster and into the air. The weapon teleported outside the barrier. “Right then. Let get down to business. My name is Skull Crusher.” “Isaac. A pleasure.” He said in a sarcastic tone as the stallion charged forward and threw a punch at the human. Isaac caught the stallion’s attack and elbowed him in the ribs. The masked stallion let out a grunt of pain and sweep kicked the man causing him to fall on his back. The stallion followed up with a punch only to be caught by the man. Isaac used his free right hand to grip the stallion’s chest Isaac gave a sharp tug and ripped the stallion’s cloak along with a tuff of fur. The assassin took a step back and looked down at his now ripped fur. Isaac got to his feet and dropped the ball of fur in front of him and let out a breath. “No sense in wearing this thing anymore.” The stallion said as he removed his torn garment. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw the stallion’s muscular body riddled with scars. “Must be some interesting stories behind those scars.” Isaac said as he cracked his knuckles. “You have no idea.” The assassin took a deep breath and focused his sight on the man. “Enough warmup. Time to fight.” The stallion said as his horn glowed and a sword made of red magic appeared in his right hand. Isaac withdrew his hunting knife and took a defensive stance. “You’re going to fight me with that small thing.” “The size of the weapon is irrelevant. What matters is how you use it.” “Wise words.” The stallion lunged with the blade held high. The assassin swung the blade only for it to be blocked by the man’s small knife. The two stood in dead lock for a good forty seconds before breaking apart. “C’mon Twilight! Isn’t there some type of spell you can use to bust us out of here?” The cyan mare said as she banged against the magical wall. “I’m still worn out from that spell. I need a little more time or Spike to get me some boosters.” “On it!” The six mares heard a familiar voice say. They turned to their right to see Lyra appearing before them. “Lyra? What in the name of Equestria are you doing here?” Rarity asked. “Isaac asked me to tag along in case things went bad.” “He knew?” Dash yelled. “I don’t think he expected this, but definitely something.” The mint green mare said. “I’m going to go get Spike so he can call in for back up.” She said with a smile. “Good, now go!” Applejack yelled. Lyra nodded and took off towards the town. “So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. “We hope that she get’s back here soon and that Isaac can last long enough for us to help him.” Twilight said with a gulp. “C’mon Isaac! Kick his ass!” Dash yelled. The two fighters exchanged blows with their blade free hands. The stallion saw an opening and slashed the man across his stomach with his magical blade. Isaac jumped back and clutched his side. The stallion panted as he waited for the man to attack. Isaac let out a sigh and removed his green shirt to show the cut mark across his abdomen. Isaac grinned and traced a finger across the wound. He lifted his blood tipped finger up to his mouth and lightly touched it with his tongue before wiping the rest of it off on his pant leg. Isaac took a defensive stance and made the ‘bring it on’ sign with his left hand. The stallion grunted and charged forward with sword in hand. Isaac brassed himself and caught the stallion’s armed hand with his left. Skull did the same with the man’s right hand and the two entered a power struggle. “Well, I’d say that this is where the fight ends.” The stallion breathed out. “How so? You’re not looking much better than I am.” Isaac said and he felt his muscles starting to strain. “You’re forgetting that I have magic on my side.” Skull’s horn glowed a deep red and two puffs of red smoke appeared. Out of the smoke came two copies of the assassin each with a sword of their own. Isaac immediately backed away and dodged the two attackers. “I thought this was a fair fight.” “It is. Magic is allowed remember.” He said as his horn flared. “Granted your power level is under five hundred. Hardly worth the effort.” “Then why use them then?” Isaac asked with a pant. “I like to mix things up a little.” He said with a smirk. The three stallion’s charged at the man who brassed himself for the oncoming pain. Twilight and the mares watched helplessly as their friend was losing ground. Dash kept hitting against the magical barrier hoping to see a crack. “Break damn you!” “Dash that won’t do anything!” Twilight yelled. “We have to do something! Isaac isn’t gonna last much longer!” She yelled. Twilight perked up seeing a familiar purple dragon and mint green unicorn running towards them. “Bout bucking time!” “Spike did you send Celestia a letter?” Twilight asked as spike pulled out a purple vial. “Yeah, she’s on her way with Luna and the royal guard.” He said as he breathed a breath of lavender flames and the vial disappeared. Inside the prison, the vial appeared in Twilight’s hands. The mare quickly drank the liquid and closed her eyes. “Everypony stand back.” The mares backed away from her friend as she started to glow a vibrant purple color. The air around her crackled with magic. Her eyes burned white with energy and her horn shot out a massive purple salvo at the far wall of the prison. The red walls started to crack and break. The mares instantly leapt out and pounded against the prison where the warriors were fighting. “C’mon Twi. Think you can do that again?” Dash asked. “I can’t.” She said with a pant. “That potion I took only works once and-” She was cut off as she felt a small wave of pain. “I’m almost out of magic.” She said as she sat down. “Lyra, Rarity, think either of you can do something?” The two unicorn’s looked at one another and shrugged. “Sorry Dash, but this is way to advanced for somepony like me.” Lyra said with a shrug. “Likewise.” Rarity said as she tapped on the red surface. “So we just sit here and do nothing?” AJ yelled. Dash yelled and her amulet morphed into the two daggers and she started to slash against the shield. The mare kept slicing at the shield in hopes of seeing a crack. Isaac was dodging left and right from the clones’s attacks. The man took a moment to collect himself. He dropped to one knee and examined his beaten body. The slice mark that had formed across his chest hadn’t stopped bleeding. The original stallion stepped forward and held up his sword. “These blades are laced with my own magical energy which is preventing your blood from coagulating.” He said with a smirk. “You have two options, one; give up or two you bleed to death.” He said with a chuckle. “The I’ll just have to end this quickly.” The man said with a chuckle. Isaac lunged forward with the knife in his hand. One of the clones scoffed and lunged forward with the sword aiming for the man’s chest. Isaac quickly side stepped the sword and slashed the clone across it’s chest causing it to turn into a cloud of smoke. “Well, look who’s finally getting serious.” The stallion mocked. He snapped his fingers and ten clones appeared beside the stallion. Each with their own sword. The human gulped and was fighting to keep himself awake. He took a defensive stance as the group of clones charged at him with murder in their eyes. The mares summoned their Element weapons as started to beat against the red wall. Pinkie gave a massive swing with her hammer and a small crack appeared on the surface. “Hey! A crack look!” The mare’s stopped their attacks and looked to see the small crack. “Okay, everypony, focus on that weak point.” Twilight said as she focused what little magic she had left. The group all took turns enlarging the crack. The group then saw a flash of blue light. The looked to their right to see Princess Luna in a flowing blue dress. “I apologize for the late arrival everypony. My sister and I were meeting with the Griffin King. What is the emergency?” She asked as the mares pointed inside the prison. Luna’s eyes shrank and she quickly walked over to the side of the prison. Her horn and right hand clenched into a fist started to glow a dark blue and she slammed it into the fractured wall. A large crack sprouted up the wall and spread out to the others. Inside the prison Isaac was getting beaten left and right by the copies. Isaac panted and felt his vision starting to blur. Shit, blood loss, not good. He thought as he was given an uppercut. Isaac coughed up a mouthful of blood. Two copies slammed the back of his knees which mad him drop to the ground in pain. The human fought to keep conscious as the copies took turns kicking him. They stopped as the original stepped forward and his horn glowed. Isaac felt himself being lifted off the ground by an invisible force. “I have to say, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would.” He said with a smirk. Isaac spat a mouthful of blood in his face and smirked. Skull wiped the blood off his face and slammed his fist into Isaac’s stomach. The stallion looked closer at the man’s exposed body and cocked an eyebrow. “Looks like you’re hiding a few things. Let’s see those nasty scars of yours then.” The Unicorn’s horn started to glow and Isaac felt a burning sensation wrap around his body. The ponies watched in horror as bits of his flesh was being ripped off of him. Skull’s eyes shrank as the spell ended. Isaac’s chest had a massive scar running from the top of his right shoulder down to his left leg. A series of healed cuts coated his arms and burn marks were placed all over his body. What in the name of Celestia happened to this thing? Skull thought in disgust. Isaac lifted his head up with a defiant look in his eyes. Skull then noticed that the man had a large scar over his right eyelid. Isaac’s stare bore holes through the dark Unicorn. Skull felt a small wave of fear creep over him as he heard a banging noise. The mares continued their bombardment and the prison was cracking apart. Isaac’s mind clicked at the noise. “They will knock four times.” He remembered the mare’s words and grunted. The stallion snapped his fingers and a glowing red blade appeared in his hand. The stallion let the man go from the grip so that he stood on his two feet while his hands were being held by a copy. “Sorry Isaac, but this is the end.” Time slowed. Isaac’s eyes shrank as the blade shot forward. Isaac heard a loud breaking noise and looked up to see the red prison collapsing as he felt an incredible pain. The man looked down to see the blade of the red sword enter his chest. The human heard the angry cries of the six mares and the lunar Princess. The man looked forward and time slowed down. He felt nothing, no pain, no death. Isaac felt his strength leave his body. His mind was losing focus. He looked forward to see the white hooded figure from before. The figure shook it’s head and looked at him with a scowl on his face. “Honestly, you’re pathetic. Getting your ass handed to you by this chump?” He said as he looked at the black stallion. Isaac kept coughing up blood as the figure started at him. The white hooded figure then saw the purple crystal necklace that Celestia had given him. “For fucks sake no wonder you’re so weak.” The figure said as he looked at the bleeding man. “I think I’ll take this.” He said as he wrapped his hand around the necklace and ripped it off him. “Time seemed to shift back and the figure put a hand in Isaac’s shoulder. “You’ll thank me later.” The black stallion groaned as he saw the red wall collapse and he was staring down six enraged mares and one furious Alicorn Princess. As he tried to pull his sword out from the man he felt something grab his arm. He looked forward in horror to see the human latched onto his sword arm. “Impossible!” He said as he felt him squeeze on his wrist. “Wh-what are you?” “You wanna know what I am?” The man said as a dark blue aura started to seep out of his body. “I’m not telling!” As the man looked up Skull saw that his crystal blue eyes were spliced and had a crazed look behind them. The man clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it into the stallion’s jaw. Skull staggered backwards and regained his balance. The mare’s looked in shock as the man lashed out a clone making it puff into smoke. The human looked down at the magical blade and wrapped both hands around the hilt and pulled it out of his chest. Skull felt nauseous as he watched the red blade exit the man’s chest. The human’s body started to steam and his wounds started to rapidly heal. The man took the blade in his hand and smirked. “Nice sword. I think I’ll take it.” He said with a grin. The man’s body seemed to be wrapped in dark blue shadows. The sword morphed from it’s broad physic to a smaller, narrower blade. Isaac looked at the group of black stallion’s who gulped. “Now we’re gonna have some fun!” The man bent his knees and he launched himself with the sword drawn at the group. One of the copies froze as Isaac appeared in front of him and slashed it across the chest, causing it to disintegrate. The human looked ahead at the other eight stallions. “Who’s next?” He asked as he raised the blade. The stallion started to chuckle and soon broke into a laugh. His horn glowed and the eight copies vanished. “Now this is a fight! It’s like hunting!” He said as a sword formed in his hands. “As Richard Connell stated; Man in the most dangerous game.” He said as he ran forward swing ing the sword rapidly at the stallion. The other mares, including Luna were frozen in shock in fear as they saw the man fighting the stallion that had almost killed him. The lunar Princess then felt a familiar chill run down her spine. “Wow, look at Isaac go.” Pinkie said in a cheerful tone. “Kick his ass Isaac!” Dash yelled. “Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said as she looked at the lavender mare. “Yes Princess?” “Get ready to use the Elements on Isaac.” She said in a serious tone. The mares all cast a look of shock at the dark blue Alicorn. “Why? We don’t even know what they would do to him!” “I know this magic it’s foul and dark, like evil itself.” “What?” “Isaac has a good amount of my magic stored in his body.” She said with a gulp. “Yeah so?” Dash asked. “Who else’s magic does he have then?” She said in a fear filled tone. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the realization. “Nightmare Moon.” She said softly. Luna nodded as the mares gasped. “I’ve been visiting Isaac in his sleep and through his dreams I’ve seen an...alternate side of him then you have not yet witnessed. A much darker, darker side.” She said with a sigh. “I only hope that it doesn’t come to that.” She said in a low tone. Isaac and the stallion locked blades again. The stallion could feel his legs starting to buckle and being forced back. “What’s wrong? What happened to all that talk earlier?” Isaac said in a malicious tone. The man’s blade started to glow and a dark blue blur could be seen from the man’s sword hand. The blast knocked the stallion back a good thirty feet. Skull felt himself tumble on the ground. Isaac grinned and raised the blade. Skull got to his feet and realized that he was low on magic. He heard a cracking sound and realized that his mask was starting to crack. Isaac lunged forward with the sword in hand. Skull looked forward at the oncoming creature. “I am no match for this human.” He said in a defeated tone. The man ran towards the stallion with murder in his eyes. As the mask cracked in half showing his face, the stallion closed his eyes and waited for the eventual pain. Skull felt a small pinch on his neck and opened his eyes to see the man standing right in front of him with the tip of the blade just touching his neck. The stallion also noticed that the man’s eyes shifted back to their original shape and the dark blue shadows that once danced across his body vanished. “That was you in the forest wasn’t it?” Isaac said keeping the blade on his neck. “Yes.” “Why didn’t you kill me then? I was an easy target, dangling by a piece of rope attached to a tree branch with a manticore only ten feet away.” He said in a cold tone. “Why didn’t you just let me die right then and there?” He asked. “Too underhanded for my taste.” Skull said in a rough tone. “I like to give my prey a chance to escape. I can honestly say that you are the first to best me like this.” He said with a small grin. “So go ahead, claim your trophy.” He said as he closed his eyes. The man looked down at the blade and back at the stallion. He raised the sword up and slammed the butt end of the blade into his stomach. Skull gave a sharp cough and fell forwards onto his knees. As the sword vanished in a flash of blue light, Isaac started to walk away fro the stallion when he heard a cough come from him. “Why? Why spare me?’ Skull asked in a defeated tone. “A life for a life.” Isaac said as he looked at the defeated stallion. “My debt is repaid.” He said as he continued walking. “Wait.” Skull said as he slowly stood up. He was panting heavily and a trail of blood could be seen coming from his mouth. “As leader of the Red Talon Assassination Society I hereby grant you the name, ‘The Predator.” He said with a sigh. “You have my word that neither I nor any other members of my guild will ever set foot in this town again.” He said as he placed his right hand over his heart. “Thank you.” Isaac said with a nod. “Should you ever need a hand with something. Don’t hesitate to look us up.” He said as he tossed him an amulet with an eagle talon etched into the stone. skull’s horn flared and his body vanished in a puff of red smoke. Isaac let out a sigh of relief. He walked over to the broken mask and picked the two pieces up. The man was then bombarded by a pink blur that tackled him to the ground. He looked up to see a sobbing Pinkie Pie wrapping him in a death gripping hug. “Ohmygoshweweresoworried! Wethoughtyouweredead. Thenyouwhenyougotstabbedandthenyouwentallglowyand-” “PINKIE PIE!” Dash yelled. “Let him breath for Celestia’s sake.” She said as she pointed to the man’s blue, oxygen deprived face. “Sorry!” Pinkie said as she let the man go. Isaac took several deep breaths and looked up at the mares. Twilight walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Isaac, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I was out of line.” Twilight said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s fine.” He said with a sigh. The ponies then noticed the man’s now heavily scared body. “What did that guy do to you?” Lyra asked as she crouched down next to him. “All those scars.” “They were always there. I just hid them with plastic surgery.” He said with a sigh. “Why?” “I was ashamed of them along with everything else.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Like what hun?”Applejack asked. Isaac bit his lip and let out a long drawn out sigh. “I lied to you guys. I’m not twenty-two.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “My real age is twenty-six.” “WHAT?” Pinkie yelled. “Humans have four birthdays in just two months!” The ponies looked at her in confusion. “No Pinkie. I just lied about my age.” He said in a shame filled tone. “Now why did ya go and do a thing like that?” The farmer asked. “I was ordered to by my Government when I was discharged. You see I-” He was cut off as a massive wave of pain ripped through his body and he started to cough up blood. “Isaac! Are you okay?” Luna asked as she knelt next to him. The ponies looked in amazement as bright blue magical sparks started to shoot out his mouth and into the air. “What’s happening to him?” Spike asked. “Magic backlash.” Luna stated as she scanned the human with her magic. “What’s that?” Applejack asked with concern present in her voice. “It happens when a Unicorn or, human in this case uses too much magic at once.” Twilight clarified. “Judging from what happened I’d say Isaac used more magic than what his body could handle.” “Will he be okay?” Fluttershy asked. “He should be fine. He just needs to rest for a while.” She said in a calm tone. The ponies all let out a sigh of relief. The mare’s then scanned their eyes over his scared body. “I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s been through.” Rarity said as she buried her face in Spike’s shoulder. The dragon put an arm around her and comforted the white mare. “We will take him home.” Luna said as she lifted the man’s arm over her shoulder. As she turned around the mares all let out a gasp. Luna looked at the man’s back and her eyes shrank as she saw a massive image of crossed swords. One was jagged, curved and dark red while the other was light blue and straight. The two swords crossed behind a shield with a seven pointed star painted on the shield. Luna’s horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of blue light. The mares looked at one another with worry. Spike helped Twilight to her feet and the group started to walk back towards the small town. The lunar Princess found herself inside the man’s home and laid him down on the couch in the living room. He was still holding the two pieces of the mask. She gently took it from the human’s hands and set the pieces on the table in front of the couch. The Princess snapped her fingers and a blanket appeared over the man’s body. Luna looked at the man and let out a sigh. “You have many secrets Isaac.” She said as her hand started to glow. “I’m sorry, but I must learn more about you.” The blue mare gently put the glowing appendage against the man’s forehead. She closed her eyes and focused her magic. Luna saw several images flash into her mind. The Princess covered her mouth to muffle her gasp at the images she had seen. If the human suddenly woke up she would wrap him in a comforting hug. Like a mother would hold a child after they had scraped their knee and reassuring them that everything would be okay. “You poor, poor man. You have seen horrors that even I dare not think of.” Luna said as a small tear rolled down her face. The Princess exited the home and teleported back to the pristine white castle of Canterlot. She quickly made her way into her sister’s bedroom to see the white Goddess brushing her hair. “Ah Luna, what happened in Ponyville?” She asked in a concerned tone. “An assassin was paid to kill Isaac.” Celestia’s eyes shrank at the news and stood up. “He is fine and defeated the assassin.” “So Isaac killed him?” “No, he let him go.” Celestia looked at her sister in confusion. “I don’t understand it either sister, but there is something we must discuss.” She said as she sat down on her sister’s bed. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and sat next to her sister. “The assassin used a time spell to revert the human’s body back.” She said as she hung her head. “He has many scars and a symbol on his back.” She said as her hands shook. “What symbol Luna?” She asked as she wrapped an arm around her sister. “A pair of crossed swords, one good and one evil behind a shield.” Luna said in a low tone. “A star was portrayed on the shield.” “What is troubling about this?” “It was The impossible star.” Luna said as Celestia’s eyes shrank. “A seven pointed star.” The white Princess pulled her sister into a warm hug. “I....I saw into his mind and I saw terrible, horrible things done to him.” She said as he horn flared. A projection showing several images flashed across the room. Images of men and women falling to the sound of gunshots and screams of pain filled their eyes. A single tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek as Luna’s eyes were filled with tears. “We must speak with him and the other Elements as soon as he awakens.” She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Luna looked at her sister in surprise. She walked over to a chess board and looked at it with a blank look on her face. Six white pieces stood on the board. Each shaped like the Element bearers. “It is time for the final piece to take it’s place on the board.” She said as she held up a single black piece that was in the shape of a man and had no definitive features to it. Chapter 22: Threesome?Chapter 22 Threesome? Isaac awoke inside the familiar white room that he had visited Luna in many times before. As he looked around his ‘roommate’ hurried up to him with a worried look on his face. “Isaac, I know you’re confused right now, but you have to listen to me!” “What?” “We’re in terrible, terrible danger.” He said as he looked around and started to pant. “It’s coming!” “Slow down there, what’s going on?” Isaac asked as he got to his feet. The man then grabbed Isaac’s face towards a dark blue shadow creeping towards them. “What the fuck is that?” “Fuck should I know! You’re the one who’s embraced their society.” The double said in a grumble. “Oh don’t start that shit again!” Isaac yelled. “Fine! Point is we got a big problem!” The double said as he looked at the dark cloud. The cloud then morphed into a few odd creatures. “Oh fuck.” He said as the beasts charged forward. “Well, shit.” Isaac groaned. “Um got any ideas?” “Me? This is your fucking head jackass! Think of something!” “Um okay. Exit stage left!” Isaac then started to vanish from sight. “Oh don’t you dare you fucker!” The man said as Isaac vanished. The beasts then converged on the personality. “Well, if you want something done right. Then you gotta do it yourself.” He said as he snapped his fingers and a shotgun appeared in his hands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up with a pounding headache and two crystal blue eyes looking down at him. “Hey! You’re up!” Isaac immediately sat up and stared at the pink mare in surprise. “Jesus Pinkie!” Isaac said as he glared at the pink mare who sat Indian style. The girl was donning a dark pink T shirt with bright blue shorts. “How did you even get in here?” “Rainbow Dash found an open window and unlocked the door from the inside.” The man cocked an eyebrow at the mare. “We’ve been staying over in shifts.” “Shifts?” “Yup, first it was Dashie, then AJ. Twilight was supposed to go next but she had to talk to Princess Celestia about something. So I came here in her place.” The mare said with a smile. “Why would you guys need shifts?” He asked with a groan. Isaac then looked around to see that he was in his bedroom and was wearing a different set of clothes. “How long have I been out?” “I’d say around three days.” Isaac gave a dead panned look at the grinning mare. “Three days?” “Yup, three days. You are a really sound sleeper.” She said as she patted him on the head. “Mind telling me where the clothes I was wearing went?” “Oh that, Rarity used her magic to put some new clothes on you while you were asleep.” She said in her usual perky tone. “Then I think she had one of my hot sauce cupcakes cause her face was pretty red.” Isaac shrugged and quickly got out of bed. The man stretched and grabbed a new set of clothes. “How are you feeling anyway?” “Fine, all things considering.” He said as he grabbed a towel. “I’m gonna take a quick shower. Make yourself at home.” “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as Isaac chuckled and closed the door to the bathroom. As Isaac took his shirt off he saw the scars that covered his body. He grunted and stepped inside the shower. He turned it on and let the warm water wash over his damaged body. Once he was done he threw on a pair of pants. The man then realized he had forgotten his shirt. He threw the towel over is neck and made his way back to his room. He looked to see Pinkie sitting on his bed looking at some of the movie and video game posters he had set up. Pinkie’s eyes shrank as she saw the man’s scar riddled body. “Sorry Pinkie, forgot my shirt.” He said as he walked over to his dresser. As he put a dark red shirt on, he heard a deflating sound. As he turned back around he saw that the pink mare’s hair was straight and a tad darker than before. Her face also had a glum look to it. “You okay Pinkie?” He asked in a concerned tone. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” She lied as she tried to smile. “I....um....gotta go to work. See ya later Isaac. I’ll let the others know that you’re up.” She said before zooming out of the room. Isaac heard the front door slam and shrugged. As Pinkie got outside, she leaned against the front door and sniffled as she remembered the scars strewn across her friend’s body. The baker then slowly made her way back towards the bakery with her head held low. After the human had a simple bowl of cereal he sat down in his living room and popped in Dead Space 2 into his console. His character was in the Sprawl and was facing off against the boss when he felt something tap his shoulder. The man jumped high enough to hit the ceiling. As he landed on the couch clutching his head in pain he looked up to see Twilight looking at him in confusion. “Damn it Twilight! You never sneak up on a person playing Dead Space!” He said in a rough tone. The mare rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Sorry, Pinkie told me that you were awake and I came over to see how you were doing.” She said as he sat up on the couch and rubbed his head. “Apart from the possible concussion, I’m fine.” He said in a calm tone. “I also came over to find out something.” “What’s that?” “Why is Pinkie sad?” The man looked at the mare in surprise. “Pinkie? Sad?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “The only way those words match up is if you have ‘is never’ in between them.” “Not true, when Pinkie gets sad there are clear visible signs.” Isaac connected the dots and his eyes shrank. “Would those signs include her hair going straight and darkening?” “You saw it?” “Yeah, I just thought it was one of Pinkie’s Pinkie senses or something like that.” He said with a shrug. “What did you do to make her sad?” Twilight asked as she looked at the man. “Nothing!” He said in a defensive tone. “I got up, saw that Pinkie was here and took a shower. When I went in my room to get my shirt and.....Oh.” He said as he face palmed. “You know what’s wrong?” “Yeah, she must have seen my scars.” He said in a low tone. “I see. That’s another thing.” She said as she sat down next to him. “What happened to you?” “Which one?” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped and looked at his right eye. “The one over your eye.” “This eye is a transplant after my original one was lost.” Twilight let out a gasp. “How is that possible?” “The eye itself was damaged, the optic nerve itself was intact. Luckily when I got back to base they had one that matched my blood type.” He said in a flat tone. “Now back to Pinkie, I think I know a way to get her back to her old self.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “What are you going to do?” “Simple, I’ll just talk to her. This isn’t the first time someone has reacted this way to my....collection.” He said as he made his way towards the door. Twilight got to her feet and followed the human out of his home. “How did you get in my house anyway? I didn’t hear you come in.” “Teleportation spell.” “Honesty do any of you ever knock?’ He asked. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned. “By the way what were you doing?” “Playing Dead Space 2.” He said with a shrug. “It’s a video game.” He said as he was tackled by a familiar cyan Pegasus mare. Isaac looked up to see Dash smiling at him. “Dude you’re finally up!” She said in a happy tone. “Yeah, mind getting off me?” He asked. “And here I thought you liked me being on top of you.” She said with a sly grin. Twilight blushed and face palmed. Isaac blushed as she got off him. “What are you two doing out here anyway?” “Long story short, Pinkie is sad and I’m going to go talk to her.” Isaac said as he got up. “What made her sad?” Dash asked. “I mean it takes a lot for Pinkie to get sad.” Twilight then gulped and looked at the man. “It’s kind of my fault. Not directly anyway, relax I’ll fix it.” He said as he walked off towards the bakery shop. The two mares followed him until they got to the door. Isaac stopped and turned around to face the mares. “Look guys this is my mess and I know how to fix it.” “So what do we do?” Dash asked. “Nothing. Go back to what you guys were doing. I’ll take care of this.” He said in a calm tone. “Listen pal. Pinkie is one of my best friends and I’m not gonna leave her like this!” Dash said as she poked his chest. Isaac groaned and let out a sigh. “Fine, you two can wait down stairs if you want. But leave the talking to me.” He said in a flat tone. The two mares looked at one another and shrugged. “Deal, but if she’s not better by the time you’re done talking then you’re dead.” Dash said in a menacing tone. “Noted.” He said as he walked inside. The three friends then saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake behind the counter. “Hey guys.” “Oh hello, how can we help you three?” Mrs. Cake asked with a warm smile. “Is Pinkie here?” Twilight asked. “Yes, she ran upstairs a few minutes ago.” Mr. Cake said. “She seemed kind of down.” Isaac lowered his head. “Yeah, that’s why we’re here.” He said in a low tone. “I’ll go see if I can get her down.” Isaac said as he ascended the staircase. Isaac walked up to a bright pink door and let out a sigh. He gave it a few taps. “Who is it?” Pinkie asked in her typical cheery tone. “It’s Isaac.” The man then heard the same deflation noise from before. “Can I come in?” Isaac waited two long minutes before he heard the door click. The human turned the knob and opened the door to see Pinkie sitting on her bed with her hair straight. Isaac let out a sigh and closed the door behind him as he entered. Isaac sat down net to the pink mare and let out a sigh. A long silence fell between the two until Isaac finally piped up. “I’m sorry.” Pinkie cocked her head in surprise at the man’s words. “What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the one who’s probably overreacting.” She said as she hung her head. “No, you acted like everyone else who’s seen my scars.” He said with a shrug. “I was careless and I should have kept them covered.” Pinkie sniffled and rested her head against his shoulder. “What happened?” Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the mare. “Look Pinkie, what happened to me wasn’t a pleasant experience.” He said in a flat tone. “It’s.....painful to talk about.” The pink mare then wrapped him in a warm hug and cried into his shoulder. “There’s no reason for you to be sad.” “B-but you’re so hurt.” She said as she cried. “Not your fault.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m not angry at you if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m used to people looking at me in that way.” Isaac said as he held his head. “The surgery I had to cover up my scars felt like I was erasing a huge part of my life. I didn’t want to scare any of you guys off.” Pinkie then looked at the man in surprise. “Scare us off?” “My scars aren’t the most pleasant thing to behold, I’ve had people run away in pure fear and disgust of me.” Pinkie gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “But they’re a part of who I am whether I like it or not.” “I guess you think that I’m like that then?” She said as she held her head low. “No, you’re too good a pers....pony to think like that.” He said in a reassuring tone. “I’m certain that you were just caught off guard and thought that you offended me. Am I right?” He asked as he stared into her crystal blue eyes. Pinkie gave him a hesitant nod. “It’s fine. You didn’t offend me and even if you think you did then I’d forgive you.” “Really?” She asked in a hope filled tone. Isaac nodded and smiled at the mare. Pinkie’s mane seemed to explode and return to it’s ‘normal’ curly and lighter form. “You okay?” “Yup! Thanks.” She said as she gave him a light peck on the cheek. The action caused the man to blush a deep red color. “No problem.” He said with a smile. “C’mon we better let Dash know that you’re better before she kills me.” Pinkie giggled at the remark before the two left the pink mare’s room. The two walked down stairs to see the other two mares talking amongst one another. The two perked up as they saw the pink mare back to her usual self. “Hey guys. You okay Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “Yup. It was just a big misunderstanding.” Pinkie said with a smile. Isaac then felt his phone ring. He lifted it up to his ear and pressed the talk button. “Hello?” “Yo Isaac, it’s Vinyl.” The man rolled his eyes at the name. “Just letting you know that Tavi got back last night and wants to talk.” “Okay, I’ll be there in a few. Your place right?” “Yup, see ya then.” She said before hanging up. Isaac let out a sigh and said his goodbyes before making his way out of the bakery and heading towards his home. Vinyl sat on her couch twiddling her thumbs in anticipation for the man’s arrival. The DJ then heard a heavy knock on her door and immediately got up to answer it. She opened the door to reveal the man with a folder in his right hand. “Sup dude. How are things?” She asked as he stepped inside. “Oh you know, got stabbed, almost died. The usual.” He said with a shrug. “Yeah I heard about that. How are you feeling?” She asked as the two sat down on the couch. “Better, where’s this Tavi person at?” “My name is Octavia.” The two then turned around to see a very proper looking mare with charcoal fur and dark brown hair that hung down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a similar colored sports jacket and slacks. She was also donning a pink bow tie. “You must be Isaac.” “Yeah.” The human said in a nervous tone. He immediately got up and moved onto the opposite couch as Octavia sat next to Vinyl. As Isaac looked at the two he could only chuckle. “Something funny?” Octavia asked as she narrowed her eyes. “Just seeing the irony here. Vinyl is a DJ while you’re a Cellist.” he said with a small snicker. “Shall we get down to business?” She said in a tone that could freeze a volcano. Okay, ouch. The man thought as he let out a sigh. “Fair enough. I’m assuming that Vinyl told you about the night we spent together in Manehattan correct?” Isaac asked in a flat tone. “Yes, and I’m far from happy about it.” She said as she cast an icy stare at her mare friend. “If you’re looking to blame someone then blame me.” Isaac perked up. The two mares looked at him in confusion. “I’m fairly sure that Vinyl was drunk since she had been DJ'ing long before I got to the party and I took advantage of that.” He lied. “Hey I was stone cold sober!” Vinyl yelled. Isaac glared at her and made the throat slicing gesture with his thumb. “Vinyl may be a party animal, but she never drinks while she’s working. Apart from those disgusting energy drinks.” Octavia said as she rolled her eyes. There goes that plan. “Look, it was a mistake on both our parts.” Isaac said with a sigh. “I honestly had no idea that she was in a relationship with you. Had I known that, then I wouldn’t have slept with her.” Octavia looked at the man in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m not angry that you slept with her.” Isaac’s face contorted in confusion as he looked at the charcoal mare. “Wait what?” “I’m angry at Vinyl because she didn’t invite me to join!” She sad as she glared at the white Unicorn mare. Isaac’s brain had stopped working as the words left her lips. “I was in Manehattan and you were in Trottingham!” Vinyl argued. “It’s not like I can teleport from that far away. Besides, I didn’t even know that Isaac was there until that day.” “And you decided to sleep with the thing that head butted Prince Blueblood?” Octavia said. “Okay that I had a good reason for.” Isaac spoke up. “He attacked a friend of mine and I defended her.” “Ah yes I believe that it was Rarity correct?” Tavi said as she relaxed her posture. “Yes, he slapped her across the face hard enough to leave a large bruise on her cheek. I wasn’t about to let a friend suffer while I stood by and did nothing.” “But, he’s Celestia’s nephew!” “I don’t care if he was her son for Christ’s sake!” He said in a stern tone. “Plus, I’m on good terms with her for the moment along with Luna, Twilight and her friends. So I guess I have some leeway. Not a lot, but some.” He said with a sigh. “Now back to the matter at hand. You said you’re angry because Vinyl didn’t invite you?” Octavia gave him a nod. “Wait I thought that you were a lesbian?” “We’re both Bisexuals.” Tavi corrected him. “When we started our relationship we made an agreement that if one of us would sleep with a stallion then we’d both be involved.” Isaac’s right eye twitched as he processed the info. “Oh. I see.” Isaac said as he blushed brightly. “So what happens now?” He asked as he gulped. A long silence fell over the room until the white Unicorn piped up. “Threesome?” The two looked at her in shock and had a deep blush on their faces. “What? Everypony wins. Isaac get’s laid, I get laid and you get laid.” She said as she looked at her mare friend. “I doubt that two minutes of pleasure is worth me getting all undressed for.” The Cellist said. “Hey, I go for at least ten minutes.” Octavia blinked twice and looked at Vinyl who nodded. “Is this true?” “He’s being modest. He went for at least twenty.” Vinyl said with a wink. Octavia gulped and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “C’mon Tavi, you know you want too.” Vinyl cooed as she lightly blew into her ear. “I..I suppose. Only if he’s comfortable with it.” She said with a gulp. “I can honestly say that I’ve never been in this situation before so I have no idea what to say.” Isaac said with a gulp. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Vinyl said as she grabbed him and her mare friend and teleported up to their bedroom. Isaac gulped as he saw the massive bed before him and tried to predict what would happen next. Vinyl took hold of Tavi’s shirt and ripped it clean off her body. Her light pink bra showed and the charcoal mare blushed. “Vinyl!” “Oh come on. I know you love it when I do that.” She said as she took her shirt off. Isaac was now completely stiff as he saw them undress the rest of the way. The two mares crawled onto the bed and looked at him with half lidded eyes. “Well? Are you coming?” Vinyl said as she motioned him over with her pointer finger. The man gulped and removed his shirt. Before it was over his head he heard a blood churning scream come from the cellist and an audible gasp come from the DJ. Isaac rolled his shirt back on his body. He looked at the to mares who had the look of pure shock strewn across their faces. “I think I’d better go.” He said as he turned around. “N-no Isaac we didn’t mean-” Vinyl was cut off as the man stormed out of the room and left the DJ’s home. The man cursed under his breath and made his way towards his own house. He inserted the key into the lock and felt the tumblers turn. As he entered his home he froze as he saw a sleeping Princess Luna lounging on his couch. The dark blue mare turned on her side and was softly snoring. She does look cut like this. He thought as he looked at her. Isaac then gently nudged her shoulder. Luna’s eyes snapped open and her horn shot out a magical blue bolt that struck the human in the chest. Isaac was instantly pinned on the ceiling and was held there by the magical force. “What?” Luna said as she sat up. “Who goes there?” “The owner of the house you’re sleeping in.” Luna looked up and gasped as she saw the man pinned to the ceiling. “Our apologies Isaac. We thought that you were a burglar.” She said in embarrassment. “Why would I break into my own house?” He said in a flat tone. “Valid point.” Luna said with a sigh. Isaac rolled his eyes and blushed as he noticed that he could see down the dark Alicorn’s shirt. “Mind letting me down?” He asked as he hid his bright red cheeks. Luna snapped her fingers and Isaac felt himself falling. The man felt himself land on something soft yet firm. His face felt like it was in between the couch cushions. He instantly picked his head up and saw that his face was right in the Princess of the night’s cleavage. Isaac’s face turned crimson as Luna frowned and blushed at the man. “Insolent pervert!” She yelled in her Royal Canterlot voice. “It was an accident. I swear!” Isaac said as he immediately got off of her. “You didn’t move when you let me go from the ceiling and I kind of....well, landed on you.” The Princess of the night took a moment to collect herself and straightened her blouse. “I..suppose it was an accident.” She said with a sigh. Is she blushing? Well, I did just practically motorboat her. I should be grateful that I’m not a pile of ash right now. “It’s fine. Mind if I ask what you’re doing here?” “Our sister received word that you were awake. So we came to see how you were feeling. When we found that you weren’t here we decided to wait for your return.” She said with a smile. “And why were you sleeping on my couch?” “Being Princess of the night tends to make one nocturnal.” She said as she sat down on the couch. “Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. I was chatting with a friend about.....something.” He said not wanting to relive what had just happened. “It is quite alright. Might we ask one thing of you?” Isaac cocked and eyebrow as Luna got up and stood next to his game console. “What is this contraption?” “An Xbox 360. One of my video game consoles.” He said in a flat tone. “Video game?” She asked in confusion. Isaac ran a hand through his hair and thought. “How can I explain this? Okay, you have seen movies right?” “Of course.” “Well, video games are kind of like that, only you take control of the main character using a game controller.” He said in a flat tone. “That sounds intriguing.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and started up the console and withdrew two controllers. He pulled out HALO: Combat Evolved Anniversary and put the campaign disk into the disk drive. He sat down next to Luna and handed her the controller. “How do we use this?” She asked as she looked at the strange device. “There’s a tutorial program. It’ll show you the ropes.” He said as he started a new game. The two played through the campaign until they reached the Covenant carrier mission. Isaac then introduced Luna to multiplayer. Every time Isaac scored a kill off her Luna grew more and more frustrated. “I demand you let me win!” She yelled in her royal canterlot voice. “Sorry Lulu, but I play to win.” He said with a smug grin. “Wh-what did thou just call us?” She asked as her cheeks turned red. Daww she’s blushing. How cute. Wait she can’t read minds can she? “Lulu. it’s a nick name. Rainbow Dash had Dash, Applejack has AJ and so on.” He said with a shrug. “Why? You don’t like it?” “N-no it’s fine.” She said as she stood up. “We apologize, but we must return to Canterlot. Our duty as Princess of the night calls.” She said with a smile. “We will return and you will fall to our might!” She said in a challenging tone. “That’ll be the day.” He said with a snicker. “Oh trust us, the day is coming.” She said as she opened the door. “Oh and for the record the answer is yes.” “Yes to what?” You know. Isaac heard the Princess’s voice inside of his mind. The human gulped as the Princess giggled. The mare then closed the door and left the man alone in his home. Isaac looked at the clock and decided to make himself some dinner. After doing the dishes the man yawned and walked into his room and laid down on his bed before drifting off to sleep. Hours later two black clothed ponies made their way to the side of the human’s home. One of them had wings sprouting from their back. The Pegasus flew up to the window and quietly unlocked it before going inside. The pony looked to her left and saw the sleeping human in his bed. She tip toed down stairs and unlocked the front door and let the other pony inside. The two then made their way back up the stairs. The Pegasus slowly opened the door and saw that the bed was empty. The two immediately barged in and looked at the bed in confusion. The two then heard a clicking noise and gulped. “Hands on your head and turn around slowly.” The two looked behind them to see the man standing in the doorway with a dark red gym pants on and a a sleek handgun gripped in his right palm and aimed right at their heads. “Easy there partner.” A familiar Southern accent said. Isaac looked at the two in confusion. “Applejack?” He said as he flipped on the light. The man then saw that the Pegasus had a rainbow colored tail and cyan wings. “Rainbow?” He said as the other figure nodded. “What the fuck?” “Mind pointing that thing somewhere else.” Dash said as she eyed the gun. “Sorry.” He said as he removed the clip and the bullet that was in the chamber. The man then walked over and put it back in his nightstand. “Why are you two in my house?” “We figured that we’d surprise you.” Dash said as they took off the black masks that covered their faces. “Dash, you never surprise someone who’s had to wake up to mortar shells being fired.” He said with a groan. The mares looked at one another and shook their heads. “Why do you have that thing?” AJ asked as she looked at the gun. “Some crazy stallion just tried to kill me three days ago. Forgive me for being on edge.” He said as he sat down on his bed. “So why are you two here again?” The two mares looked at each other and grinned. “We just wanted to see if you were tired.” Applejack said in a sultry voice. “Not now. Why do you-” The two mares then took the zipper of the sin tight black suits and slowly unzipped them. The two then freed the top half of their bodies from the spandex prison. Isaac felt his jaw dropped as his eyes took in their now wet bodies. “Don’t tell me that you forgot about us.” Dash said in an innocent tone. “N-no, I’m just a bit surprised.” He said as they both tackled him and forced him down onto the bed. The two mares then took off the rest of the stealth suit and looked down at the trapped man. Dash slowly removed his gym shorts and grinned. The farmer and the flyer then climbed off of him and focused their attention to his now rock hard member. The human then felt two wet object move up and down the entire length of his shaft. He lifted his head up enough to see that the two mares had each taken a side. Dash was on the right and AJ was on the left. “Oh dear god.” He said as his member stiffened harder. When the licking stopped Isaac felt as though his cock was between a few soft pillows. He looked again to see that the two were pressing their boobs together and were bobbing up and down with his dick in between their joint cleavage. Isaac’s eyes rolled back as the two quickened their movements. “Girls if you keep doing that then I’m gonna-” His words were ignored as he felt the mare’s tongues starting to lick the tip of his shaft. The human felt a familiar pressure building in his loins. Both mare’s were moaning in passion as they continued to play with themselves. The man couldn’t hold it any longer and felt the pressure exit his body. Isaac slowly looked to see the two mares crawling towards him in a cat like manner. He could see the fresh spunk glistening on their breasts. A sly smile spread across the Pegasus’s face as she hovered her already dripping sex above the man’s still hard shaft. “Looks like we’ve got a long way to go before you’re tired.” Dash said with a smug grin before slowly sliding herself on the man’s cock. Dash’s eyes rolled back in her head as she felt the man’s shaft grow even harder. “Fuck. I almost forgot how good you feel inside of me.” She said as she started to slide up and down his rod. Isaac looked to see that dash was using her arms to support her as she leaned back. he could see the fine wall of muscle that made up her athletic midsection as she continued the motions. The man the felt a pair of strong orange hands grab him and force his back down on the bed. He looked up to see a pair of lust filled emerald eyes staring at him. “Don’t think you’re forgetting me partner.” Applejack said as she put either leg beside his head and leaned forward. He could feel the heat coming from the farmer’s soaking slit. Isaac lifted his head up and started to lick it resulting in a loud moan coming from the mare. He then heard Dash let out a long lust filled moan as she sat up straight and felt his cock hit her back wall. Isaac glanced at the mirror that was sitting in the corner of his room and saw the orange farmer licking the semen off of the cyan mare’s chest. Dash moaned as she felt her friend’s tongue start to move between her breasts. The man then turned his attention back to the mare who was on his face. He then started to nibble at her button which resulted in a loud gasp from the farmer. Applejack the grabbed a tuff of the Pegasus’s seven colored mane and pressed her lips against hers. Rainbow felt the mare’s spunk coated tongue swirl around in her own cave and let out a moan as her climax approached. “Isaac I’m gonna-” She said as the man felt her inner walls tightening around his shaft. Isaac and the farmer each felt their peak rising and quickened their motions. He felt the pressure building up inside of his shaft again and Dash’s inner walls clamping like a vice. As he released his fluid he was met with the same result from the Pegasus and the farmer. The to mares both panted heavily and lumped forward. Dash slid herself off the man and laid down next to him. Isaac then felt the farmer climb on top of him and smile. “My turn now.” She said as she easily slid herself down on top of the man’s shaft. Isaac could almost feel the bruises starting to form as Applejack rode him like a horse. The human gripped the mare’s muscular ass and squeezed it, resulting in several moans of pleasure coming from the mare. “You got a good handle?” “I have appreciation for a lady’s ‘assets.’” He said with a smirk. “Maybe you’d like to show your appreciation even more then.” Isaac gulped as the mare got off of him and turned around. She flicked her tail out of the way to reveal her glimmering ass. Isaac got to the foot of his bed and stood up so that he was even with the farmer’s ass. He put each hand on her thigh, right above her Cutie Mark and thrusted forward. Applejack let out a low scream of pain and passion as the man inserted himself into her back door. Isaac groaned as he felt the wall of muscle squeeze against his cock. “Fuck AJ, your ass is amazing.” He said with a groan. The mare then felt added weight to her back. She then felt a few feathers tickle the middle of her spine. “D-Dash, what are you doing?” She said through the thrusts. “I-I’m not done yet.” She said as she laid on her friend’s back and used her legs to pull the man into her crotch. Isaac didn’t resist as he started to eat the mare out. Dash erupted in a series of moans and groans of passion. Applejack was nearing her climax and motioned for the Pegasus to move. Dash complied and quickly flew off her friends back. The farmer slid herself of her lover’s rod and laid on her back. Isaac then moved forward and entered her soaking slit. Dash then flew on top of her friend, still keeping her feet on the man’s shoulders and bringing his head between her legs. Applejack felt the cyan mare playing with her breast as Isaac rammed his cock into her. “Just like old times. Huh AJ?” Dash said between the moans. The two were too captivated in the moment to hear the cyan Pegasus’s comment. Applejack was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Dash’s face contorted as she felt her climax coming on. Isaac gave one last thrust into the mare before blowing his load and making the two mares squeal in passion. The three collapsed on the bed. Their energy was spent and they were all panting heavily. Isaac felt as though Mike Tyson had used his groin as a punching bag. He climbed over to his pillow and got under the covers in between the two mares. He felt their fur warm him as they each put an arm around him and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the eerie streets of Canterlot. Blueblood was donning his pristine white hood and barged into the bar where a battle scarred Unicorn assassin sat. The arrogant Prince took a seat in front of him and grunted. “You were supposed to kill the rat.” “You didn’t mention that he could use magic.” The stallion grunted. “How am I supposed to know what his species can and can’t do?” Blueblood said with a sigh. “At least now you’ll have heads up for next time.” “There won’t be a next time.” Blueblood looked at the assassin in confusion. “I refuse to kill a being with such honor and one that has seen many battles.” “If you don’t kill him then there’s no pay!” “Take it.” Skull said as he tossed him the bit bag. “I didn’t spend a cent of it.” “If you don’t do it then I’ll call the guards.” He said in threatening tone. “You go and do that.” Skull said in a flat tone. “When I’m captured, I’ll have a nice long chat with Celestia about all the deals you’ve made with me and the other groups as well.” The Prince felt his face turn pale. “Plus, you know how ponies like me deal with squealers.” Blue blood gulped and took the bag of bits. “Never come back looking for me again, or you’ll leave in a body bag.” The stallion said as he vanished in a puff of black smoke. The Prince grunted in rage as he made his way back towards the Castle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac found himself in the same room as before. His ‘roommate’ was sitting on the floor, panting with the gun lying next to him. Isaac walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Where the fuck were you?” The tired out man said. “Busy. How many waves?” “Twenty-seven.” He said with a grunt. Isaac then saw several other creatures appear out from the cloud of darkness. “Take a break dude. I got this.” Isaac said as a light blue sword formed in his hand. With a smirk the man charged towards the horde and lashed out. Author's Note Hope you liked it! Chapter 23: The WagerChapter 23 The Wager It had been a week since Isaac’s night with AJ and Dash. The human found himself wandering the streets of Ponyville bored out of his skull. The man shrugged and made his way towards the library. As he opened the door he saw the six friends siting at a table with tea cups in hand and gossiping. “Hello Isaac.” Twilight said with a smile. The other girls gave him a nod while Dash gave him a wink. “Morning. What’s going on here?” “Oh we’re just having our monthly tea party.” Rarity said as she sipped her cup. “Care to join?” “No thanks. I plan on keeping my dignity at least until noon.” He said with a chuckle. The man then spied the dragon wearing a pink apron and serving some cupcakes. “Oh lord. What have you done to Spike?” He said as he looked at the dragon. “He’s our butler.” Pinkie said. “That’s the lamest I’ve ever heard.” Isaac said as he face palmed. “What? You try serving these crumpets without getting crumbs on your scales.” The dragon argued. “Lamest until I just heard that.” He said with a groan. “I can feel my testosterone melting away.” Isaac said with a chuckle. “Why do you force him to do this Twilight?” “I didn’t force him.” She said with a grunt. “Is there something you wanted?” “I was going to see if any of you wanted to hangout, but since you’re all having a tea party and Spike is playing bellhop my search continues.” He said as he got up and walked out the door. As the human made his way through town he felt something sprinkle on his head. Isaac looked up to see a pink cloud that was spewing brown colored rain. He stuck his tongue out and looked at the cloud in confusion. “Is that...chocolate milk?” “I find that it takes the edge off things.” A familiar voice said coming from behind the man. Isaac spun around to see a grinning Discord looking at him. “Discord? What are you doing here?” “I believe that it’s Tia’s time of the month again and I really don’t feel like getting turned into a bird bath.” He said with a shiver. “So I came here.” He said with a sigh. “Good call.” Isaac thought for a moment and grinned. “Since you and I are both stuck here we might as well make the best of it.” Discord cocked an eyebrow at the statement. “Want to do something stupid?” “You have my attention.” The chaos lord said with a grin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the girls sat in the library Twilight heard a knock on the door. The lavender mare got to her feet and opened it to see the familiar mint green Unicorn mare. “Hey Lyra, what’s up?” “Don’t you know? Discord is here.” She said with a concerned look on her face. “Is he causing trouble?” “No, Isaac is with him.” The ponies all gulped and cocked their heads. “Yeah, weirder thing is they’re getting along.” “What?” Dash yelled. The other girls looked at one another in confusion. “Getting along?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, they were even joking around together.” “This ah gotta see.” Applejack said as she stood up. The others nodded and walked out of the library and followed the mint green Unicorn out into the street. The group then made their way towards the park and saw the chaos lord along with the human talking to one another. The group hid in the bushes and listened in. “Okay so all we need is some concrete, some pipes, and excavator and-” The human was cut off as the chaos lord held up an arm. “Or I could just get the blue print from your head and transport it out here.” The being said as he rolled his eyes. “Wait, you can do that?” “I’m a god. What do you expect?” “True, I just don’t know about you going inside my head.” He said with a grunt. “Oh please, you’ve let Luna go inside.” He said with a smug. “Fair enough. Just nothing personal.” Discord nodded and put a hand on the man’s head. Isaac felt a foreign presence enter his mind. “Really spacious in here.” The voice said. “Fuck you.” Isaac said. “Find it yet?” “Yeah hang on.” Discord exited his mind and shook his head. “Man you should organize.” “Oh just make the fucking court.” Isaac said with a frown. Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A large portion of the grassy surface was replaced by concrete and two large poles with some netting around the opening. Some paint line were also visible on the hard surface. “Perfect. Now all we need is some players.” He said with a grin. “Want to volunteer Dash?” The group of mares then poked their heads out of the bush and walked up to the two. “What in the hay are you doing with him?” AJ asked. “Well, since you all were busy, Discord and I decided to have a little fun. So I asked him to make a basketball court.” “Basketball?” Dash asked. Isaac face palmed. “Okay if you all weren’t from another dimension then I’d slap you. Basketball is a sport people play in my dimension.” He said with a sigh. “I was hoping to find some people to play a few rounds.” “I’m in.” Dash said with a smile. “Ah could go with a round.” The farmer said as she cracked her knuckles. “Cool! A new game!” Pinkie chimed. “This is so going down on my notes.” Lyra said as she summoned a note pad and pencil. “This could make a very interesting letter to the Princess.” Twilight said as she sat down. “Okay, now we need an even number of players on each team. Two on two.” He said as he looked at the three mares. “Okay, Pinkie and I will be on Team A and you two are on team B. That okay?” The mares nodded in approval. “Good, now to even the playing field. Discord, do it.” The chaotic being smirked and shot the cyan Pegasus with a blast of magic that made her wings disappear. “What the buck?” She yelled. “You’re forgetting that this is a human game Dash.” Isaac explained. “So?” “Human was the key words in that sentence. No wings or magic allowed and knowing you, I figured that you might be tempted to use them.” “What gave you that idea?” “You’re competitive attitude, quick blooded temper and the fact that AJ told me about the last time you two did a so called ‘Iron Pony’ competition.” Dash grunted at the memory. “Relax Discord will give them back.” “He’d better.” The Pegasus grunted. “Okay, now there are rules. Since I don’t know all of them I’ll just give you the basics.” He said as he pulled out an orange ball. “Your objective-” “Objective?” Dash asked. “Your goal is to get this ball into our basket and defend your own while Pinkie and I try to get to it.” After going through the basic rules the two teams nodded. Isaac dribbled the ball and made his way past the farmer. After dodging the wingless Pegasus he dunked the ball into the net. “Score is one zip.” He said as he passed the ball to the farmer. “Alright big shot. No more messing around.” She said with a smirk. The next hour was spent with the group playing against one another. Twilight and Fluttershy kept score as Lyra took notes. As noon crept around the group of friends took a break. A loud growl came from the pink mare’s stomach. “Heh-heh. sorry it must be close to lunch time.” The baker said with a smile. The group then got to their feet. “What do humans usually do after a basketball game?” “Me and the guys usually would grab a slice of pizza.” “What’s pizza?” Lyra asked. Isaac looked at the mares with an ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He said in a shocked tone. “Pizza is only one of the most delicious culinary creations created by humans.” An idea suddenly formed in the man’s head. “Hey Pinkie, is the bakery open today?” “Yeah why?” “Meet me there in a few minutes, I need to grab some stuff.” He said before walking away from the group. Discord shrugged and accompanied the group. “Hey!” Dash yelled. “Forgetting something?” She said as she pointed to her wingless back. “My apologies I forget these things sometimes.” He said as he snapped his fingers. A pair of small white wings appeared on the cyan girl’s back. “I think this is more interesting.” He said with a chuckle. Dash growled at the chaos lord. “Sheesh, take a joke Dash.” He said as he gave her back her normal wings. The mares all narrowed their eyes on the odd being. The group then found themselves in the bakery and waited for the human to return. Isaac made his way into the bakery with a paper bag stuffed with supplies. “Right then, Pinkie with me.” He said as he motioned towards the kitchen. The pink mare smiled and followed the man inside. After nearly an hour of waiting the human pushed a chart out with two large dough circles with what looked like melted cheese. “Dig in!” Isaac said with a smile. “Um....how do we eat it?” Twilight asked. Isaac rolled his eyes and cut himself a slice of pizza. “Like this genius.” He said as he picked it up and took a bite from the slice. Twilight gulped and looked down at the odd food. The group all shrugged and took a slice. As they bit into the odd food their eyes shrank. “What? You guys don’t like it?” He said in surprise. “No!” Dash yelled. “This is awesome!” She yelled as she gobbled the rest of her slice down. “What’s this stuff called again?” “Pizza.” Isaac said with a grin. The group eagerly dove into the pizza. “Where is this recipe from?” Lyra asked. “Italy.” He said with a shrug. The room was then filled with a bright white light and the group shielded their eyes. As the light died they saw Princess Celestia and Luna glaring at the chaos lord. “Oh great, the buzz killers.” He said with a groan. “There you are Discord.” Celestia said in a flat voice. “Where did you go?” “Calm down Celestia,” Isaac interjected. “we were just shooting some B-ball and now were grabbing a slice.” Celestia’s right eye twitched in confusion at the words. “What?” “We were playing a game and now we’re eating.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “Help yourself.” He said as he slid them each a plate with a slice on it. Luna shrugged and levitated the piece of food to her lips. Her taste buds tingled at the taste and smiled. “This is amazing! Who is responsible for this?” She said with a smile. The group all pointed to Isaac and smiled. “Sister, thou must try this!” She said as she handed her sister the morsel of food. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and looked at the slice. She took a small bite and smiled at the taste. “I must say that this is delectable.” “So did you two need something?” Isaac asked as he looked at the Princesses. Luna smirked and glared at the human. “We request a rematch in the virtual realm!” She yelled. Isaac rolled his eyes and groaned. “Again? You lost last time.” The girls looked at him in confusion. “This time will be different! We will emerge victorious!” Isaac grinned and got to his feet. “Feeling confident eh? Anytime, anywhere.” “Here and now.” “What are you two talking about?” Twilight asked. “Long story.” Isaac said with a sigh. “You guys are about to see a Princess lose in the art of war.” The man walked out of the building with the Princess and the others following. The group walked inside the human’s home and watch as he booted up the game console. Isaac handed Luna the controller and popped in Halo: Reach. “This one is a bit different then the other one, but it’s the same basic principle.” He gave a brief explanation of armor abilities and the control layout. The two played a quick round of firefight to let Luna get accustomed to the control layout. The girls all gulped as the two easily went through the endless hordes of enemies. Afterwards the man selected the Covenant cruiser for the match. Isaac chose a DMR and a magnum with Sprint for the first match. Luna selected the hologram, assault rifle and a shotgun. The match started out evenly, but the human soon gained the upper hand as he switched tactics and switched to cloaking. Little by little Luna was getting frustrated. As Isaac started to sneak up on her Spartan, he felt a small tingle in his head. The avatar spun around and blasted him with the shotgun. Isaac chocked it up as screen peeking. Slowly the Lunar Princes was gaining the advantage and the feeling in the man’s head was slowly growing. He thought for a moment and Luna’s face contorted in shock before Isaac sniped the Spartan through the visor. Now I get it! He thought as he looked at Luna who gulped. Mind reading? That’s cheating! You need to allow me some advantage! Fine, but two can play at this game! Isaac smirked and concentrated. Luna then heard a completely different dialect fill her head. ¿Qué tiene de malo? No hable español? *What’s wrong? Don’t speak Spanish? Luna was slowly losing ground as the odd language filled her head. The Lunar Princess saw his avatar in the sniping position and ran up to assassinate him. As she made contact her eye shrank and the hologram vanished. She then saw the small cutscene of his avatar assassinating her character. “Game Over!” The electronic voice said. Luna’s jaw dropped and glared at the human. “Sorry Lulu, I told you that ya can’t beat me.” He said with a smug grin on his face. “I shall never admit defeat!” The Princess yelled. Celestia and Discord giggle seeing Luna so flustered. “Another match?” “Yes, one week from today and I will beat you!” “Care to put your money where your mouth is?” Luna cocked an eyebrow at the words. “Why would I put coins in my mouth? That is most unsanitary.” Isaac and the others face palmed. “I mean let’s make a bet.” “What kind of bet?” Luna asked. “The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day.” The group of visitors gulped. Isaac grinned as he outstretched his hand. Luna grinned and shook it. Her horn glowed and a copy of the game console appeared on the table. “This will be easier then shooting fish in a barrel.” “Don’t be too sure human.” Luna spat out as she duplicated his game collection. “Next time we will be ready and you will fall.” “Then I’ll rise higher than ever.” He said in a challenging tone. Isaac chuckled and looked at the group who was staring at him in shock. “What?” “You just challenged Princess Luna to a match and you offered yourself as payment if you lose!” Twilight said. “That’s only if I lose.” He said with a smirk. “And what will happen if you do lose?” “I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.” He said as he shut down the television. “Might I ask what that match was?” Celestia asked. “Think of it as a virtual simulation stationed in a time of conflict.” “And those things were robots?” “No, genetically altered humans.” He said with a shrug. “Do they actually exist?” Lyra asked. “Not in my timeline,” Isaac said with a shrug. “but humans are persistent and it could happen.” Celestia gulped at the response. “But that is a very long way away. I mean go back forty years and we only discovered space travel.” “Space travel?” Luna yelled. “Yep, humans have gone to space.” He said in a flat tone. Luna walked up to him and glared. “Show me!” “Okay, jeez. Let me find the recording.” Isaac spent the next ten minutes rummaging through the endless videotapes in his collection. “Ah ha! Here we go 1969 Moon landing.” He said as he plugged in his VHS player and inserted the tape. The group looked in astonishment as they saw a white suited man stand on the moon. “This is one small step for man.....One giant leap for Mankind.” The figure then planted the flag in it’s position. “Cool eh?” Isaac said with a smile. “Is this fake?” Lyra asked in wonder. “Nope, that is one hundred percent real footage. My father recorded it when he was younger.” He said with a smile. “Humans have sent hundreds of satellites since then and have started to explore the cosmos.” “How many planets are in your solar system?” Celestia asked. “Well, at first it wan nine, but then we found out that the last one was actually a large moon orbiting Neptune.” The man said with a shrug. “Well, this has been very interesting,” Lyra said as she finished taking notes. “but I have to go see Bon-bon. I’m late as it is.” She said as she ran off. “This has been very....educational Isaac and I would love to hear more about your people,” She said as she looked at the clock. “but Luna, Discord and I must return to Canterlot.” “Of course Princess.” He then looked at Luna and grinned. “I’ll see you in a week missy and give me some challenge next time.” “Oh trust us, we will not disappoint.” Luna said with an evil grin. The three immortals then vanished in a flash of light. The man then looked towards the group of mares who were still mesmerized by what they saw. “So awesome!” Dash yelled. “Have you ever been there?” “The moon?” The mare nodded. “No, but it would be a sight to see.” He said with a smile. “Have any other movies about space?” Twilight asked. “Fiction or non-fiction?” “Fiction! I want to see some action!” Dash yelled. Isaac smirked and pulled out a stack of DVD’s. “I think it’s time I introduced you all to Star Wars.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celestia paced back and forth with her sister watching. Sh bit her lip as she thought about the footage she had been shown. “There’s no questioning it now.” She stated. “Sister, if he was dangerous then he would have done something already.” Luna said with a sigh. “What happens if he does do something?” Celestia asked. “What if he goes on a rampage and-” “Sister, he’s one person and a kind one.” Luna stated. “He’s only attacked in self defense or if the others were threatened.” Luna said trying to calm her sister. “I know, but it still worried me.” She said as she sat down. “I should go read the tombs to double check this.” She said before vanishing in a flash of light. Luna shrugged and plugged in her new game console. She selected Halo: Combat Evolved and started to hone her skills on the ring world of Halo. Author's Note Sorry for the delay. Chapter 24: False Past and Broken PromisesChapter 24 False Past and Broken Promises There was a knocking on the man’s door as he sat down on his couch. Isaac walked over and opened it to see three familiar fillies. “Hey girls. What’s up?” “We need a hand with something.” Scootaloo said. “With what?” He asked as he let the girls inside. “Ya see, Ms. Cherilee assigned us a book report and we need a book.” Applebloom started. “Why not go to Twilight?” He asked. “Twilight would recommend that we do it on Star what his name,” She said with a groan. “and we kinda want to really impress her.” “So we thought that we’d do it on a book that no pony has ever read.” Scootaloo added. “Since you’re from another dimension, we figured that you might have a book we could borrow.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “I’m sure I have something you might be able to find interesting.” The man then led the small fillies into his study where all the books were kept. “Are you three working on this project together?” “Eeyup!” Applebloom said with a smile. “Okay, so what are you three looking for?” “I want something with action!” Scootaloo said. “Something romantic.” Sweetie Belle said. “Something ah can relate to.” The farmer said. Isaac ran a hand through his hair and thought for a moment. “Let me see what I can find.” He said with a gulp. The girls started looking around the bookshelves. One book in particular caught Applebloom’s eye. “Hey girls check this one out.” She said as she held up the book. The two fillies made their way over to their friend and looked at the cover. “The Diary of a Young Girl.” The girls read the synopsis as Isaac walked back into the room. “Sorry girls, but I couldn’t find much.” The three fillies then ran up to him with the book in hand. “What about this one?” Isaac looked at the cover and gulped. “Um...look girls there are some....complicated things in this book and-” He was cut off as the girls all put on their best puppy dog face. “Fine, just be careful with it. It’s the only copy I have.” “Thanks!” As Sweetie Belle raised her hands in victory the rumored ‘Curse of the Crusaders’ struck. The book flew out of the mare’s hand and hit one of Isaac’s glass fitted pictures of him and his parents. The photo fell to the ground and the glass shattered. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry Isaac!” The filly yelled as tears formed in her eyes. “It’s alright Sweetie Belle, just some broken glass.” He said as he walked over to the photo. As he cleaned up the glass something was attached to the back of the picture. The three fillies stood on their tip toes but could only make out a few words. Sweetie noticed that the man’s hands were shaking and his face was contorting as he read the piece of paper. “You okay Isaac?” She asked with a gulp. “I’m....fine.” He managed to say. “Girls, you’d better get started on that report.” He said in a flat tone. Applebloom walked over and picked up the book. “Are you sure you’re-” “Just go!” He yelled. The three girls immediately jumped at the volume of the man’s voice. The trio charged out the door and ran outside. Isaac stood frozen as he looked down at the sheet of paper. He set it down on the desk and slammed his fist into the wall making a hole in the wall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight was sitting in the library talking with Rarity. “You’re seriously going to go through with it?” Twilight asked. “Yes,” She said with a sigh. “I do care for him, just not in that way and I tried Twilight, I really did.” Twilight let out a sigh and looked at her friend. “It’s okay, I guess you gave him a shot and that’s all that counts.” The mare was then cut off as the door opened to reveal the three young fillies. “Sweetie Belle, did you get started on that book report yet?” Rarity asked as she eyed her sister. “We just got the book.” She said as she showed them the novel. The group then saw Spike come down from upstairs and yawned. Rarity gulped as she saw the young dragon. “I don’t think I’ve read that one before.” Twilight said as she looked at the cover. “Did you three get this from Isaac?” “Yeah and ah think somethings bugging him.” Applebloom said. “What makes you say that?” Spike asked as he descended the stairs. “Well, he was acting weird.” Sweetie Belle said in a low tone. “One minuted he’s his usual happy self then the next he yells at us for no reason.” The filly said with a groan. “I mean, what’s up with that?” “No reason?” Rarity asked as she cocked an eyebrow. “Well,” Scootaloo said as she rubbed her head. “we kinda did break a photo.” “Girls! That photo was probably important!” Twilight said with a sigh. “Curse of the Crusaders strikes again.” Spike said with a chuckle. “Yeah, but he found some weird piece of paper behind the photo.” Applebloom said. “It looked like some sort of official document ya see in town hall.” The two mares looked at one another in surprise. “Did you see what it said?” Rarity asked. “I couldn’t get a good look at it, but I did see one word that looked familiar.” Sweetie Belle said. “It was a long word and it started with an A.” “It had some fancy lettering on it too.” Scootaloo said. “Hmm.” Twilight said as she put a finger to her lips. “Some sort of document with a letter A.” She sighed. “Anything else you can remember?” “It looked like it had the ‘tion’ ending. Like in action.” Sweetie Belle said. “Adaptation?” Rarity asked. “Closer, but no.” The farmer said. Twilight thought for a moment and gulped as the word came to her. “Adoption?” “Yeah! That’s it!” Scootaloo yelled. Both mares looked at one another and gulped. “I thought Isaac said that he was raised by his parents?” Rarity asked. “Who hides an adoption form?” “If the child doesn’t know.” Twilight said. Rarity’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Rarity get the others and-” The mare was cut off as they heard a deafening noise come from outside. The group rushed out just in time to see the human wearing a black leather jacket with red trim, a black helmet that covered his head with the visor pulled down riding an odd machine with two wheels. The human also had a backpack strapped to his body. The mares looked in awe as the machine rocketed down the street with a cyan blur chasing after it. Dash flew along side it and tried to get the driver’s attention. Isaac didn’t even look as he twisted the throttle and he shot forwards, leaving the mare in the dust. Dash slowed down and came to a stop as the human drove off down the road. Twilight, Rarity and Spike then came running up to her. “Can somepony tell me what the buck I just saw?” The cyan mare asked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The man drove far out of town and cut off on a dirt road. He stopped as he spied a cave and slowly drove into it. He stopped the cycle and threw his helmet off. Isaac grunted and threw the helmet to the dirt floor as he sat down and leaned against a rock. They lied all those years. My entire life. All they did was lie. “Who am I?” Isaac yelled as he fired a bolt of blue magic from his palm. The rock across from him instantly shattered as the bolt hit the hard surface. The man looked in horror at the shattered remains of the rock. He looked at his palm and saw a dull blue light glow underneath his skin. “What am I?” His vision started to alter and he found himself back in his mind. He looked ahead to see a dark cloud of blue smoke in front of him. “Great now what?” He asked as he got in a fighting stance. The smoke the started to colonize and take form. Once it was done, a tall dark blue Alicorn mare stood before him wearing odd armor. She rivaled Celestia in height, but looked more like Princess Luna. Her fur was jet black and her hair was like the night sky. “Luna?” He asked as he relaxed his stance. “Close, but no.” The being said as it slowly walked towards him. “I’m not as nice as her.” She said with a wicked laugh. “Okay, so who are you?” He asked as he watched her like a hawk. “That depends on what you say to my offer.” She said as she circled around him taking in his full body. “I can show you how to use my magic.” “Your magic?” He asked as he looked at her. The beings eyes were light cyan and were spliced. “Did you honestly think that you were a natural at magic only after you got some of our blood?” Isaac connected the dots and his eyes shrank. He immediately backed away from the shade. “That makes you Nightmare Moon then.” He said with a gulp. “Well, it looks like you have some brains after all.” She said with a chuckle. “That’s right, I’m Nightmare Moon, but you can just call me Moon.” The dark girl said with a grin. “Getting pretty friendly all of a sudden.” He said as he frowned. “Well, we are considered roommates.” As Isaac turned to walk away, the shade appeared before him. “I can help you, you know.” She said with a smile. “How?” “I will teach you magic that no one, not even Celestia or Luna know about.” She said as she got closer to him. “Just imagine it, the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want.” “And you’re just going to teach me just like that?” He said in a suspicious tone. “Well, I do require one thing from you.” She said with a smug smile. “That would be?” The dark mare leaned so that she was next to his ear. “Pleasure.” She said in a soft tone. Isaac’s eyes shrank as she extender her tongue and licked his ear. “It get’s lonely on the moon.” She said in a pleading tone. Isaac gulped and backed away. “Forget it!” He bellowed. “No way in hell.” He said as the dark mare pouted. “Oh well, can’t blame a mare for trying.” She said with a coy smile. The shadow then grabbed his hand in a shockingly strong grip. Isaac grunted and tried to break free. He felt a burning sensation on his hand and the mare let go. “When you decide you desire my power, just ask allow some blood to spill on the seal.” “Don’t hold your breath Moony.” He said as he clenched his fist. “We shall see.” The dark mare said with a smile. “Until next time.” She said as she gave him a wink and blew a kiss. Isaac rolled his eyes as the dream world collapsed and he looked at the cave once more. He looked out in the cave entrance and saw that it was getting dark out. The man heard a few rocks being crushed under feet and immediately stood up. “Who’s there?” He yelled. Nothing but silence filled the cave. “I’m warning you, I’m in no mood for games. Show yourself!” He said as he got into a fighting stance. “P-Please, don’t hurt me.” A shaken voice said. Isaac looked to see a cloaked figure standing in the cave. “Mind if I see you’re face.” “You’ll just run away and scream.” Isaac registered the voice as a girl’s. “Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things these past few months.” He said as he relaxed his stance. “I give you my word that I won’t run away.” The hooded figure stepped forward. As she stepped into the light Isaac saw that she possessed no fur and that her skin was Ivory black. A jagged horn also sprouted from her forehead. The creature’s hair was a light blue as was her tail She also seemed to have a pair of wings coming from her back. Unlike Dash’s and Fluttershy’s wings, hers looked more insect like. The creature’s eyes were light blue and spliced. “Who and what are you?” He asked in a calm tone. “M-my name is Isis, I’m a Changeling.” She said in a frightened tone. “Who and what are you?” “Isaac, Human.” He said as he walked closer. The creature then felt lightheaded and started to fall. Isaac rushed forward and caught her. “You okay?” “I’m just weak.” She said as he gently sat her down on a rock. “I haven’t eaten in a few days.” “Hang on.” Isaac walked back over to his bag and pulled out some food he hastily put in his bag before riding out. “Here.” He said as he handed her an apple. The Changeling let out a sigh and reluctantly ate it. “Don’t like apples?” “It’s not that,” She said with a sigh. “Changelings can sustain themselves on food, but it doesn’t give us as much sustenance.” She said in a flat tone. “What do Changeling usually feed on?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Love.” “How do you feed on love?” “It’s.....complicated.” She said with a sigh. “I’m just gonna chock it in with magic.” Something then rose from the back of his mind. “Wait, a friend of mine told me that Changelings attacked Canterlot.” “Yeah, that’s why I’m here in this cave.” She said with a sigh. “Hiding from the cops?” “That and my own people.” She said with a sigh. “Your own people?” He asked in confusion. “Yes, I hide from them.” She said in a low tone. Isis lowered her head and sniffled. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’m sorry.” He said in a serious tone. “It’s okay.” “Why are you hiding from them?” He asked as he sat closer to her. “I opposed the attack on Canterlot.” Isaac looked at her in shock. “I didn’t think it was right so now I’m banished.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” She said with a sniffle. “I chose this path, it was either exile or death, which is the same thing to a Changeling.” “How so?” “When a Changeling is exiled their link to the hive is cut off and we are branded as traitors.” The woman rolled up her sleeve to reveal an odd symbol branded into her skin. “Changelings will eventually die if they do not feed on love regularly.” She said with a cough. “How long ago did you feed?” He asked. “A week, a record amongst most Changelings.” “I can get you help! My friend is a Unicorn and can-” “No! They’ll have me killed!” She said in a scared tone. “You didn’t even take part in the attack.” He fired back. “I’m on good terms with both Princess’s I can help you.” “It doesn’t matter.” She said as a few tears formed in her eyes. “Changelings were always despised and treated like dirt, even before the attack.” Isaac moved closer and comforted her. “Any Changeling sighted is to be arrested, detained and deported.” She said with a cry. “They’ll kill me if I return.” Isaac put an arm around her and sighed. “I can never go back.” “That’s something we have in common.” He said as the Changeling looked at him. He said with a sigh. “I just found out that I was adopted and I’ll never know who my real parents were.” Isis saw the sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that. At least you were loved.” “That’s debatable.” “They raised you as their own, even though you weren’t theres to raise.” She said with a frown. “What about your parents?” He asked. “Changelings are born in a hive system.” Isis groaned. “We’re taken when we are young to serve the hive.” She said in a low tone. “I never knew my parents, I was taken at the age of six and put in deployment as a low level drone.” She said with a shrug. “So how do you feed on love?” “We impersonate somepony they love and feed off the emotions.” “Okay that’s a bit underhanded.” “We do what we have to do in order to survive.” She said in a cross tone. “What happens to the one you impersonate?” “I’ve never killed anyone if that’s what you’re wondering.” She said in a rough tone. “I usually knock them out and cocoon them.” “Cocoon them?” He asked as he immediately stood up. “I don’t have the strength for something like that.” The changeling then cringed and immediately started coughing up green liquid. “Are you alright?” “I’m at my limit.” She grunted. “I’ll die soon.” “Wait, there has to be something I can do.” He said in a concerned tone. “There isn’t.” She said as she felt herself becoming weaker. “Except.” “Except what?” “I feed on you.” Isaac cringed as the thought of her using him for a food supply. Isaac bit his lip as the woman collapsed on the ground. “Okay,” The Changeling looked at him in confusion. No one had ever willingly offered to provide her with love. “how does this work. Do you bite my neck like a Vampire or something?” “A what?” She asked. “Will I turn into a Changeling if you feed on me?” The woman shook her head. “Okay, fine. What do I do?” “Why are you trying to save me?” She asked as she coughed again. “We’re alike. I’m from another dimension with no way back.” He said as he crouched down and slowly lifted her head. “I can never go home and the fact that you spoke out against violence proves that you are a kind soul.” “But what I’ve done-” “Is nothing compared to what I have done.” He said in a flat tone. “So just shut up and do what you have to.” Isis gulped and focused the last bit of magic she had. A bright light filled the cave and Isaac shielded his eyes. When he opened them again he saw the form of a young human woman with crimson red hair and light green eyes. Oh god, anything but her. He thought. The figure then started to glow bright red and Isaac felt some of his strength being sapped away. Isis felt bad for the human and put a hand on his back. The man refused to look at the impostor and held his head in shame. Isis felt rejuvenated and quickly returned to her original form. “Isis, do me a favor.” He said with a pant. “What?” “Never, ever take that form again!” He said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I automatically take the form of the most loved one of whoever I’m feeding on the most.” She said with a gulp. “Thank you.” Isaac stood up and turned away. “If you ever decide to move out of this cave.” He said with a sigh. “Then my door in Ponyville is open.” “You don’t have to do that.” She said with a sigh. “It’s the least I can do for a friend who’s down on their luck.” He said with a weak smile. “F-friend?” She asked. “Well, considering I just let you use me as food I’d say that makes us something.” He said with a shrug. “Plus, I can tell that you’re a good person or Changeling in this case.” Isis gulped and shook his hand. “Hopefully, we can skip the feeding next time we see each other.” Isis said with a chuckle. Isis gave her a quick hug before walking back to his vehicle. He put the helmet on his head and started the engine. He looked towards the sky and saw that it was starting to rain. He revved the engine twice before speeding off back towards his home. An hour later he came across the familiar small town. He looked at his watch and saw that it was close to ten o’clock. He cut the engine and kept it in neutral. As he rolled by Carousel Boutique the door opened and a voice called out. “Isaac is that you?” Isaac removed his helmet and squinted as his eyes got use to the light and saw the robed figure of the white Unicorn mare. “Hurry and get inside before you catch a cold.” “I’m fine. My house is just-” He was cut off as he saw the mare’s sapphire like eyes pierce him. The man let out a sigh and rolled his vehicle towards her. After the man covered it with a black tarp he had packed in his bag he made his way inside. “What in the name of Celestia were you doing out there?” She said as she put her hands on her hips. “I was just coming back from a ride.” “On that...what did you call it?” “A motorcycle.” He said as he sat down on the couch. “I do that whenever I’m stressed out and I needed to clear my head.” Rarity then remembered what the CMC had said earlier that day. The seamstress sat down next to her friend and wrapped him in a hug. “Sweetie told me. I’m so sorry Isaac.” She said as the man returned the hug. “It’s fine I-” “No, it’s not.” She said in a strong tone. “If you keep bottling these emotions up then eventually you’re going to explode and do something you’re going to regret.” “Well what should I do Rarity?” He yelled. “It’s not like I can go talk to them or anything!” The mare gulped. “I can’t find out who my real parents are, or go to my fake one’s graves! I’m stuck here with nothing!” “Your house is-” “Can you really call a house a home when the people you love are gone?” Rarity ran out of words. “That’s what I thought.” He said as he sat down. Rarity gulped and bit her lip. “I know that you’ve felt alone since you got here, but you need to see that you’re not.” She said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I know that we can never fill that place in your heart, but we’re trying to help you as best we can.” “I know. It’s just,” He started with a sigh. “nearly all my life I’ve followed the path that was set out for me and I was betrayed at almost every turn.” Rarity gasped. “I do trust you guys, but I can’t help but keep my guard up. It’s a defense mechanism and it’s not fair to you.” “Or to yourself either.” The mare said in a soft tone. “You have a lot of ponies who care about you.” “You mean Dash, AJ and Shy?” The white mare nodded. “Yeah I know.” “I was talking about me.” Isaac’s eyes shrank as he stared into the mare’s crystal blue eyes. Rarity put her hand on his and slowly closed the gap between them. She softly pressed her lips against his and moaned. The man was stunned at the action. His mind was in confusion as it is. He acted on basic instinct and returned the kiss. Rarity broke the kiss and stood up. Isaac’s eyes widened as she opened her robe and revealed her naked white form. Her breasts were like two orbs that were begging to be held. The mare gently kneeled so that one leg was beside his. Isaac slowly reached inside her robe and ran his hand through her pristine fur. Rarity locked lips with the man again and slowly moved her tongue inside his mouth. The man slowly moved his hands up her hourglass form and found themselves on the mounds. Rarity gasped as he slowly started to squeeze them, making her moan. Rarity broke the kiss and looked into the man’s deep blue eyes. “Let’s...take this upstairs.” She said as she panted. Isaac quickly got to his feet and scooped the mare up in his arms. “What about your sis?” “Sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres.” She said as she put her arms around his neck. “So we have all night long.” She said in a lust filled voice. As the two got to her door Isaac balanced on one foot and used his right to kick in the door. “You beast!” She said in a playful tone. Isaac then saw that around her room were several half burnt down scented candles. As they got into the room, Isaac spun around and ganged the mare’s position so that she was upright. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her back was flat against the wall. “Oh Isaac~” She purred. The human started to smother her neck and chest with passionate kisses. The mare could feel his clothed member stiffening and press against her marehood. Isaac then balanced the mare and wrapped his arms around her back. He held on to her as he neared the bed. He gently laid the mare down on her back and took a moment to thoroughly look at her. Her hourglass figure accented her snow white fur perfectly. The mare slowly sat up and let the open robe slide off her majestic body. As she laid back down she motioned with her pointer finger to join her on the bed. Isaac slowly crawled on top of her and pressed his lips against hers. Rarity’s horn glowed and the man felt as though his clothes had become ghosts and phased off his body. “I’m glad Twilight taught me that de-fabrication spell.” The man could smell the lust coming from the mare’s nether regions and slowly snaked a hand down. The mare squealed in delight as he started to play with her button. Isaac used his other hand to cup her breast. The smell from her snatch and the candles were intoxicating. Rarity was moaning more than ever as she was reaching her climax. Isaac felt the mare’s walls clamp around his finger and a familiar wetness coat them. He looked up at the red faced mare who was panting. “Please, I can’t wait any longer.” She begged. Isaac moved so that he was directly over the mare. His rock hard cock poked at her moist entrance. As Rarity moaned Isaac pressed his lips against hers and forced her mouth open. As their tongues danced, Isaac slowly slid his rod into her moist caverns. He wrapped his left hand around the mare’s body to give her back support and used his right palm to massage one of her breasts. The mare wrapped her arms and legs around the man’s scared body. Her tail was firmly gripped around the man’s right leg. Rarity was in pleasure as the man picked up speed and increased his pace. Rarity could feel the man’s pillar poking at her womb. Rarity was now gripping tight enough to draw blood from the man’s back. Isaac felt a familiar pressure building in his rod. “Isaac, I’m-” “Me too.” He said as he gave one last thrust. Rarity clamped her eyes shut as she felt the overwhelming pleasure course through her body. Isaac soon felt the day’s events take it’s toll and he slowly climbed off the mare and laid on his back next to her. The mare smiled and used her magic to pull the covers over their bodies. Rarity rested her head on the man’s chest and the two soon drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up with the sun shining on his face. As he slowly sat up he felt something pull him back down. The man froze and looked to see the white mare smiling at him. “Morning dear.” She said with a smile. Oh no. The man thought. No, no, no, no, no! He yelled at himself. Isaac quickly jumped out of bed and looked at the mare in fear. “Isaac? What’s wrong?” “We....you and I....last night.” He was too freaked out to form proper words. “Best night I’ve had in a very long time.” She said with a giggle. The mare sat up taking the sheet with her so she covered her exposed areas. Isaac felt himself becoming ill and his face turned almost as white as Rarity’s fur. “Are you alright dear?” “I broke my promise to Spike.” He said in disgust. “I had sex with you.” Rarity saw the dilemma and summoned her robe. She wrapped the soft garment around her body before she walked over to his side. “Spike and I are no longer together.” She said with a sigh. Isaac looked at her as though she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. “When and why did you break up?” “I broke the news to him yesterday and I realized that I do care about Spike, but in a more...big sister little brother way. Like what he and Twilight have.” She said in a low tone. “How’d he take it?” “I explained myself and he seemed to accept it, but he was very unhappy.” The mare said with a sigh. “He is a kind dragon and will make somepony happy.” “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He asked as he walked over and pulled his pants on. “How do you think he’s going to react when he finds out about this?” He said as he made gestures between them. Rarity bit her lip at the words. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make you feel bad when I’m the one at fault and-” “Your fault?” She said in a perplexed tone. “It’s nobody’s fault. We are two adults that were both in an emotional state and acted on it.” “Exactly.” He said in a flat tone. “Now you’re confusing me Isaac.” She said with a groan. “I’m not supposed to get emotional.” He said in a flat tone. “Emotions are just an obstacle to overcome and should be stowed.” “What idiot told you that?” “My fath....The man who raised me.” Rarity gripped her hair and let out a sigh. “I made the choice to sleep with you just as you did with me. We have an equal share of the blame.” The man finished getting dressed and made his way towards the door. “Where are you going?” “To get what’s coming to me.” He said in a cold tone. “I hope to see you again Rarity.” He said with a small nod and smile. Rarity stood frozen as the door closed. Isaac started up his motorcycle and quickly sped towards the library. He stopped his vehicle outside the tree and stormed in to see Twilight at her desk. The lavender mare instantly ran towards him. “Isaac, I heard what happened and-” She was stopped as he raised a hand. “We’ll discuss that later. Where’s Spike?” The lavender mare saw the seriousness in the man’s eyes and gulped. “He’s upstairs. I take it you heard about him and Rarity?” “Something like that.” He said as he walked past her. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she smelled a familiar scent brush across her nose. The mare connected the dots and glared at the human as he hurried up the wooden steps. “Spike?” He said as he knocked on the door. The wooden door opened to reveal a drowsy dragon. “What?” “Mind if I come in?” Spike shrugged and opened the door for him. Isaac closed it behind him and thought of how he should tell him. “I....heard about you and Rarity.” He said as the sick feeling creeped back into his system. “Yeah.” Spike said with a shrug. “What exactly did Rarity say?” “That she does like me, just in a more ‘friend’ way,” He said as he hung his head in shame. Isaac felt a small light of relief shine on him. “and that she’s interested in some other guy.” The light then vanished and guilt crept over him. “Why are you asking?” “Spike,” Isaac started. “it pains me to tell you this but,” He said as he hung his head. “I’m the other guy.” A long silence fell between the two Isaac could see the rage boiling in the young dragon’s eyes. “Last night....Rarity and I......I swear if I could change what happened then-” Was all he could get out before the dragon threw a punch at the man. Isaac dodged it and wrapped the dragon in a full nelson. Spike was about to scream but his mouth was quickly covered by a fleshy hand. “Look Spike, you’re pissed I get that.” Isaac said in a hushed tone. “You have every right to hate my guts, but this isn’t the time, or the place to settle this.” The dragon squirmed in the hold. “I’m gonna let you go and we’ll decide when and where we can settle this.” The human let the dragon go. Spike’s eyes were like daggers that pierced the man’s soul. “Now we can either talk about this or we settle it with our fists like a man and dragon.” “I’ll take the second option.” He spat out. “When and where?” “It’s ten o’clock right now right?” Spike asked. Isaac looked at his watch and nodded. “You know where Rarity goes gem hunting?” The human nodded again. “Be there at noon.” “Public or private?” “Definitely private.” “Hand to hand?” The man asked. “Doesn’t matter. Just none of those gun things.” “Knives?” Isaac asked. “If you want, won’t do you much good though.” “First to surrender or first to be knocked out loses?” “Yup.” Spike said in a flat tone. Isaac shook the dragon’s claw and felt the density of the scales. Isaac walked out of the room and saw Twilight waiting for him. She quickly walked up to him and slapped him across the face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” She yelled. “They just broke up!” “I found that out this morning.” He said as he rubbed the sore spot. “Did you two work things out?” She asked in a hopeful tone. “We came to an understanding.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight sighed and returned to her work as the man walked out of the library. As he approached his motorcycle he looked back at the upstairs window to see the dragon glaring at him.Isaac gave him a small nod before speeding off towards his home. Chapter 25: Fight!Chapter 25 Fight! Isaac walked along the path towards the meeting point with the dragon. As he looked towards the crystal blue sky he tried to focus on the challenge that lay ahead of him. He’d never even met a dragon before coming to Equestria much less know how to fight one. The man ran through several scenarios in his mind. He looked towards the clearing to see Spike sitting on a rock waiting for him. The dragon was chewing on a shard of sapphire. “You’re late.” He spat out. “Had to sneak by Dash.” He said in a flat tone. Spike spat out the rock and got to his feet. The two stood, face to face. Isaac was only a little taller than Spike. Isaac used his foot to draw a line in the dirt. “Okay, so we’re here to settle the incident with Rarity right?” “Correct.” Spike said. “Okay, first to surrender or to be K.O.’d loses.” Isaac said with a sigh. The man spit over the line he had drawn and the dragon did the same.The two circled one another for two turned before Spike lunged at him. Isaac rushed forward and slammed his fist into Spike’s face. The dragon didn’t even budge as the man felt pain in his hand. He looked to see his that his knuckles were bleeding. “Thick scales idiot.” Spike said as he slammed his fist into the man’s gut. Isaac felt his bones creak at the hardness of the scales. The man staggered back and pulled out his knife. The man threw it at the dragon who kept still. As the metal blade came into contact with Spike’s arm, the metal snapped in half. “My turn.” Spike said as he arched his fingers. Isaac gulped as the dragon’s nails grew longer and looked like sharpened knives. The dragon lunged forwards and slashed the man across the chest. Isaac could feel the nails dig into his skin. The human quickly backed away and withdrew the knife he had entered Equestria with. He took it by the handle and aimed right at the dragon. Isaac threw the weapon. The blade spun end over end as it got closer to the dragon. Spike grunted and caught the diamond blade between his teeth. The dragon applied more pressure to the bite and broke the blade between his teeth. Isaac stood stunned as he watched the teenage dragon chomp on the remains of the blade. The man gulped and panted. Isaac charged and slammed his fist into the dragon’s under belly which caused Spike to curdle a little bit. So that’s your weak point. He thought as the dragon stood back up. The dragon jumped and tried to slam both clenched fists down on the man. Isaac caught the arms at the wrists and was struggling to hold him. Spike wasn’t stronger than him but his scales were definitely thick enough to stop a knife. As the two were dead locked Isaac noticed the drake’s cheeks becoming larger and a small trail of smoke was coming from his nostrils. He put the pieces together and leaned back, just in time to avoid a massive ball of green flame. He could feel the heat coming from the fire ball. As Isaac leaned back he rolled over and took the dragon with him. Spike grunted as he was flipped onto his back and the man delivered a quick elbow drop to his ribs. Isaac quickly got to his feet and heard a whooshing sound from above. He squinted enough just to make out the shape of a familiar grey Pegasus mare with a messenger bag rocketing towards Ponyville. As he looked ahead he saw that Spike had regained his ground and was now fuming with rage. Isaac got in an offensive position and charged. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity at Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight face palmed as Rarity finished her story. “Oh my Celestia Rarity what were you thinking?” Twilight yelled. “You had just broken up with Spike and then you just sleep with Isaac!” “Yeah Rare’s.” Dash said. “I mean, you could have given it a little more time.” “You think that breaking up with Spike was easy?” The mare protested. “I was in a very emotional state.” “What about Isaac?” Applejack asked. “The poor guy just found out that his folks adopted him and never said a word. He was probably in a more sensitive state then you were.” The farmer said with a frown. “Hey Twi, where’s Spike at anyhow?” “He asked for the afternoon off. I figured that he wanted some time alone.” She said with a sigh. “Twilight!” The lavender mare’s ears perked up and looked up to see a familiar grey mail mare racing towards them. Ditzy landed in front of the group and panted. “You.....gotta...listen.” “Slow down there sally.” The farmer said as she handed her a bottle of water. “Deep breath.” The grey mare hastily drank the water and collected her thoughts. “You gotta come quick it’s an emergency!” She yelled. “What’s wrong?” “Isaac and Spike are going head to head in the gem field!.” The four mares gasped and looked at one another. “I was just coming back from dropping off Fluttershy’s mail when I saw them going at it. You gotta come quick.” “Mac!” Applejack yelled. The hulking red stallion hurried out of the barn. “Spike and Isaac are butting heads and we need yer muscle.” “Eeyup.” The cyan mare then took flight and followed the mail mare as the group ran towards the fields. “Think Spike will be okay?” Applejack asked. “I’m more concerned about Isaac.” Twilight said. “Why?” Dash said as she flew down, keeping pace next to her friends. “We’ve seen Isaac fight.” “Yes, but Spike is a dragon. His scales are thicker than steel.” The mares all gulped. “Not to mention he can breathe fire.” “I doubt Spike would go that far.” Rarity said. “Wrong.” Ditzy said. The group all looked up at the grey mare. “When they were deadlocked Spike almost burned Isaac’s face off.” That was all the motivation Dash needed to book it and rocketed towards the fields. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was panting heavily. His shirt had been torn to shreds by the dragon’s claws and was bleeding profusely. Thanks to dragon’s natural resistance to magic his healing ability’s were slowed exponentially. The man was also severely burned on his right arm and upper chest area. His left eyes was black and blue from Spike’s dense fists. Spike’s under stomach was heavily bruised and he had some blood coming from his mouth. The two charged at one another again and slammed their fists against each other. Spike twirled around and tried to strike the man with his tail. The man grabbed the appendage and threw Spike against the ground. The dragon quickly got up and fired a few fire balls at the man. Isaac quickly dodged them and picked up a nearby rock and chucked it at the dragon. Spike slammed his fist and shattered the rock just in time to see Isaac’s hand glow a bright blue and slam him in the face. The force sent the dragon back a good three feet before regaining his balance. I told you to stay out of this! He yelled at himself. You need my power if you want to win. Moon's voice said. I’m not trying to win. Now scram. He yelled as he dodged another blast of green fire. The two looked to the right and saw the group of ponies running towards them. Twilight gasped as she looked at her dragon assistant. She’d never seen him so ferocious. The hulking red stallion charged forward trying to separate the two. “Stay out of this!” The two combatants yelled as they each delivered a powerful punch to the stallion’s gut. Mac felt the force and grunted as he was thrown back towards the group. “Mac!” Applejack said as she helped her brother sit up. Applejack was about to charge in but was stopped by the red stallion grabbing her arm. “AJ, these two need to settle this.” “Are ya crazy?” “Look at how Isaac is fighting.” He said as he pointed towards the human who got slashed by another claw. Twilight struggled to watch and noticed that the human was acting strangely. “He could have easily dodged that, but took it anyway.” “H-he’s letting Spike hit him.” The scholar said. The red farmer nodded as he slowly stood up. Isaac felt his vision starting to blur and something screamed int the back of his mind. Words. Words he knew only form one place. Spike started to fill his cheeks with green flame when Isaac felt the magic inside him well up and was ready to be unleashed. The young drake let loses a massive fireball at the man. “FUS ROH DAH!” The man yelled. A massive shockwave hit the fireball and extinguished the flames while sending the dragon flying back. The group of mares felt the force from the blast and struggled to stay on their feet. Isaac looked down at his hands and saw that they were glowing bright blue. He shook off the magical energy and watched as Spike got to his feet. Isaac felt as though someone had poured acid down his throat and started to cough. Spike and the human locked eyes and gave one last charge. The dragon and human clenched their fists and landed the blows right in each other’s faces. The force from the punches launched both fighters back. The two fell down on their back and panted as they looked up at the sky. The human slowly got to his feet and hobbled over to the dragon. Twilight and the others ran forwards to hopefully stop the man. Spike shut his eyes as he waited for the man’s finishing blow. He opened his eyes to see the man offering his hand. The dragon was confused as he took the hand. Isaac helped him up and panted. “You okay?” “Yeah, you?” Spike asked. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened.” Isaac said with a sigh. “I’d change it if I could.” Spike shrugged and grunted. “I know you would.” Spike said with a sigh. "But you still broke your promise to me." Isaac hung his head in shame. "I just...I just need to think things over." The man nodded in agreement as they walked back towards the group. Twilight ran up to them and slapped them both across the face. “Jeez Twi, I’m beaten up enough. Show some sympathy.” Isaac said as he rubbed the red handprint on his face. “What is wrong with you two?” She yelled. “I said that we worked something out and low and behold, we did.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. Twilight gripped her mane and glared at the dragon. “You are in a lot of trouble mister.” She scolded. “I can’t believe that you used fire against him!” “Twi if it means anything then I challenged him.” Isaac stated. “I figured I’d let him get his emotions out rater than bottling them up and the best way to do that is to beat the living shit out of something.” Twilight glared at the human who gulped. “Please don’t kill me.” He quickly stated. “Seriously Spike. Overkill.” Dash said. “Dash, lay off.” Isaac said as he glared at the mare. “Spike was in the right and I deserved every bit of pain I got.” He said with a sigh. “But-” “I’ll admit that it wasn’t all my fault.” He said as he glared at the white mare. “Me?” She asked. “Yes, you.” He said as he frowned at he mare. “I willingly opened up to you Rarity and you used that to get me into bed. I gotta tell ya, that is low.” He said as he shook his head. “Oh and you’re Mr. Perfect is that it?” She yelled. “I’m far from perfect Rarity. I know that and I will admit that in my younger days I did some stupid shit to get laid, but I have never manipulated people’s feelings like that.” The white Unicorn gulped. “If that’s who you really are, then I think that it’s better if we just remain acquaintances.” The group fell silent as the man walked by the group. “See ya around Spike.” He said with a wave. The dragon just grunted at the words. As Isaac continued to walk away he felt the pain from the small match take it’s toll. The man stumbled forwards and struggled to keep his balance. Twilight hurried up to him and her hands glowed a faint purple. “Hang on.” Twilight said as the two vanished in a flash of purple light. The two appeared outside Isaac’s home. “Thanks for the lift.” He said as he walked up to his door. The mare vanished in a flash of light. As he opened the door he saw the familiar form of Princess Luna napping on his couch. Oh this is too perfect! He thought with a mustache twirling grin. He quietly made his way into the downstairs bathroom and pulled out a can of shaving cream and a long feather. He silently put the white cream in the mare’s left hand and started to tickle her nose with the feather. The mare lightly brushed her nose with her bare hand. The man frowned and tickled her again. This time the mare flat out slapped herself in the face with the cream covered hand. Luna’s eyes snapped open and heard the man roar in laughter. “Oh you can’t beat the classics!” “Wretch!” She yelled as she levitated the man up by his ankles. “Prepare to face our-” The lunar Princess then noticed the man’s mangled appearance. “By our sister’s beard! What happened to you?” “Mind putting me down?” The Princess did and looked at him with worry in her eyes. “What happened?” “Spike and I got into a little scuffle.” He said with a sigh. Luna looked at him in surprise. “It’s a long story.” The blue mare walked over and wiped her face off with some paper towels. “You can tell me as I heal you.” Isaac was about to protest but was shot down as he looked into the lunar Princess’s piercing blue eyes. He let the mare use a few healing spells on him as he told her about his parent’s secret, how he broke a promise to the young dragon and the fight. He decided to keep the bits about the Changeling and Nightmare Moon to himself. “Why did you let Spike beat you up?” She asked as she continued to pour her magic into him. “He needed to take out his aggression on something.” Isaac said. “I figured since I was the root of the problem that it would be the best for him.” “He could have killed you.” She protested. “Nah, Spike may have been pissed, but I doubt that he wanted to kill me.” He said as his black eye vanished. “Besides, I broke my promise. The least I can do is give him the pleasure of kicking the shit out of me.” “You got hurt!” “Believe me, I’ve been through worse.” He said as he stood up. Luna looked at his exposed chest and placed her hand on it to heal the newly formed cuts. Isaac felt the tingling sensation on his skin and bit his lip. He saw the mare’s eyes looking over his mangled body. “I was captured.” “Huh?” She asked. “During my time in the Marines, we were fighting some rebels.” He said with a sigh. “My squad and I were captured and they tried to force information out of us.” The mare gasped at the words. “Needless to say, we made it difficult for them.” “So they,” The mare could barely form the words. “tortured you?” “Yeah,” Isaac said. “I was the only one who made it out alive.” He then gave a small chuckle. “Figures, the talentless hack is the one who made it.” “What?” “Each member of my team had something that made them special. Gizmo could hack through anything. Kickback was a genius with explosives. Hawk eye was our sniper and could shoot the wings off a fly. We had this medic who’s name was Dufresne, but we just called him Doc. He could patch up anything from a papercut to a blown of leg.” He said with a small chuckle. “Then you have me.” He said with a sigh. “I was known for stepping on a land mine and almost blowing my balls off.” “They had some odd names.” Luna said as she moved to heal his back. “They were just nicknames we called each other around the base.” “What was yours?” “Zerum.” He said in a flat tone. “Sounds interesting.” “It’s Latin for zero, meaning nothing.” Luna gulped. “I was the General’s son so everyone expected a lot from me and when I couldn’t meet the expectations I got called Zero. My Drill Sargent had a thing for the Latin language so he called me Zerum, the name stuck.” “They hated you?” She asked in shock. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say hate.” He said as she put a hand on his right shoulder. “Mostly just.....resented the fact that I didn’t earn my place.” Luna cocked an eyebrow. “My dad got me in and gave me....special treatment and I hated him for it.” “Why?” “I didn’t want his help. I wanted to prove it to myself that I could do it on my own.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m sure he did it out of love.” “That’s debatable.” He said with a sigh. “On a side note, what are you doing here? Our match isn’t for another couple of days.” The mare bit her lip and let out a sigh. “We need your help.” “With?” “We request your help with becoming better at this Halo game.” “Asking your opponent for advice?” He said with a smug grin. Luna blushed and snarled at the man. “Fine, let me start it up.” He booted up the game and got two controllers. Luna snapped her fingers and a customized navy blue controller with her Cutie Mark on the right handle. “Where’d you get that?” “Thou are forgetting that we are a goddess. Manipulating colors on a device such as this is trivial.” She said with a grin. “Okay.” He booted up a custom map labeled, ‘Training.’ “First off, what’s your controller sensitivity on?” “Ten, so that we may earn the most points!” Isaac face palmed and sighed. “My god you’re a noob.” “A what?” “A newbie, rookie, beginner. Take your pick.” Luna frowned at the words. “Bank the sensitivity back down to three.” “That’s the default! What’s yours on?” “Four, but I am more experienced and I’m more comfortable using it.” Luna grunted and did as he asked. The training started. “Good, now go pick up a sniper rifle.” Luna’s avatar was a purple female Spartan with the recon helmet equipped. “See if you can shoot the cones off the crates without using the zoom.” Luna missed the first several shots and went through four clips of ammo before hitting the crate. “Ugh! This is impossible!” She yelled. “Princess of the night giving up?” He said with a grin. “Never!” She yelled as she threw her controller down and crossed her arms. “Look, It’s been a really, really long day for me.” He aid with a sigh. “Think we could do this another time?” “Very well, we hope that you manage to patch things up.” She said with a nod. The lunar Princess then vanished in a flash of blue light. Isaac walked up to his bathroom and took a steaming hot shower. He let the warm water wash over his damaged body. Luna may have closed the wounds but the pain was still faintly there. He laid down in his bed and let sleep take him. Chapter 26: To Dungeons DeepChapter 26 To Dungeons Deep It had been a few days since the fight with the young dragon. The two males kept their distance from one another. Isaac had come close to cutting all ties with the white mare, but only stayed in contact for the Elements’ sakes. The man woke up and groaned. Isaac walked inside the bathroom and turned on the shower. The man let the warm water wash over his body. The man wrapped a towel around his naked form and saw his phone vibrating. He picked it up and saw that he had at least ten voice mail messages from Twilight. All within five minutes of one another. The phone started to vibrate again and showed the lavender mare’s name. Isaac groaned and pressed the call button. “Hello?” “Finally! I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for like ten minutes!” The voice yelled. “So I’ve seen.” Isaac said in a flat tone. “What’s up?” “You need to get to the library now!” “Why? What’s wrong?” “Just get here!” “Fine I’ll be there in five minutes.” Isaac said. “No, we need you right now!” “Who’s we?” “Just get here!” “Jeez, give me five fucking minutes I need to,” He was cut off as he felt a lavender aura ensnare him. He saw a flash of light and saw the familiar walls of the library. He turned around and saw the six girls and the two Alicorns. Twilight, Fluttershy and Luna’s faces all turned bright red while Applejack, Pinkie and Dash all laughed. “get dressed.” He finished in a flat tone. Rarity had an evil smirk at the man’s uncomfortable position. “Why didn’t you tell me you just got out of the shower?” Twilight yelled. “You didn’t let me!” Isaac said with a grumble. The man firmly gripped the towel around his waist. “So what is so important?” “I have something to ask.” Celestia said. Isaac sat across from the group. Luna’s cheeks turned bright red. Isaac followed her gaze and crossed his legs. Celestia chuckled as Luna hid her blush. “So what’s up?” Dash asked. “I need you all and Isaac to retrieve something from the ruins in the Everfree forest.” Celestia said. “An old relic that is said to hold great power.” Celestia said. “So why don’t you get it?” He asked. “I mean you are the Princess. Couldn’t you just walk in there and take the thing?” “Unfortunately no.” Celestia said. “There is old magic that resides within the catacombs of the old castle. Magic that is unknown to either Luna or myself.” “So why send us?” Dash asked. “Though we don’t know exactly what is down there.” The lunar Princess began. “We know that it involves the Elements of Harmony.” The flyer nodded. “So why do we need him?” Rarity asked in an almost spiteful tone as she pointed to Isaac. “Rarity don’t-” Twilight said with a grunt. “No Twi, it’s a good question.” He said as he held up his hand. “Like you said Princess, this is Element business. Why should I go?” “We have no idea what is inside.” Celestia said. “So? I’m sure they can handle whatever is in there.” The man said. “I need you to lead them in there.” She said in a stern tone. The girls all looked at the goddess in shock. “Why? I have the least amount of knowledge of this place. Twilight should lead.” He said as he looked at the scholar. “They work the best with her and they’ll follow her.” He said in a flat tone. “There’s no reason for me to go. Besides, I’m not a leader.” He said as he stood up. “You held the rank of Captain did you not?” Isaac’s face went pale and he cracked his knuckles as he made a fist. “How did you know that?” Celestia gulped as she looked at the man’s eyes that looked like they could go through steel. “No one, and I mean no one knew that!” He said in an angry tone. Celestia gulped. “Oh, I get it.” He said as he shook his head. “Going into my mind without my permission is an extreme invasion of my privacy.” “I was just-” Isaac held up his hand. “I’m only gonna say this once.” He said as he stood up and intensified his glare. “If I find you or any of you poking around in my head without my say so. Then I’m going to make things very uncomfortable for you in there.” He said in a dark tone. “Are you threatening me?” Celestia said. “All I’m saying is that it’s unwise to piss off a man who’s sole occupation for most of his adult life has been killing.” Celestia’s eyes shrank. “As to your request, I’ll go along as back up. Only if you give me your word as a Princess that you stay out of my head.” He said in a flat tone. Celestia bit her lip and hesitantly shook his hand. “Thank you. Now before we go rummaging through some abandoned ruins that will most likely contain several deadly traps I gotta do something.” “What?” Luna asked. “While I am enjoying the gentle breeze that is gracing my undercarriage,” He said as he bit his lip. “I would like to get on some proper clothes before I go.” He said as he crossed his arms. As he did, the towel fell and the man’s face along with several others turned bright red. Isaac quickly wrapped the towel around his lower half and groaned. “I’d like to that soon if you don’t mind. Twilight, send me back and I’ll meet you guys in front of Fluttershy’s cottage.” “Sorry Isaac.” Twilight said as she still adverted her eyes. “That was a one way teleportation spell.” “I am not walking through town like this!” He yelled. “Want me to give you a lift?” Dash said as she barreled over in laughter. “No! What happens if a kid looks up and sees something they can never un-see?” Luna walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Isaac blushed at the Princess’s touch. “We shall teleport you home.” Luna’s horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of light. The two found themselves in the human’s home. Isaac quickly made his way up to his room as Luna waited outside his door. “We apologize for our sister’s behavior. She had no right to look into your mind.” “Whatever. Whats done is done.” He said through the doorway. Isaac walked back out wearing a tan long sleeved collared shirt with a pair of brown pants. The man walked over to his closet and pulled out a roll of climbing rope with a hook on the end. The next thing he grabbed was a small tomahawk and secured it to his belt. He grabbed a handgun and holstered it on his belt. “Wait almost forgot.” He said as he grabbed a black leather hat and put it on top his head. “Okay, I’m ready.” “Why are you wearing that? You look like Daring Do.” Luna giggled. “I prefer Indiana Jones. I’m not a Pegasus mare.” He said with a sigh. Luna rolled her eyes and put her hand on his shoulder and the two vanished in a flash of light. The two appeared outside of Fluttershy’s cottage where the rest of the group were standing. Dash walked up to the human and laughed. “Dude what is with the get up?” “What? Every adventure needs someone looking badass.” He said with a shrug. “And the rope?” “People in action movies always have rope. You never know what they need it for only that they always need it.” He said as he adjusted the rope. “This isn’t a movie Isaac.” Twilight said as she leaned against her staff. He looked at the staff and twirled it in his hand. “Oh is that right Gandalf?” He said as he examined it. “Hey be careful with that!” Twilight yelled. “Oh calm down Twi. Whats the worst that could-” The man was cut off as he twirled the staff and accidentally shot a fire ball at a nearby tree from the staff’s end. “Um....my bad.” He said with a weak grin. Twilight frowned and held out her hand. Isaac quickly gave it back to her and she extinguished the flames. “Thank you.” She said with a sigh. “Now from what I’ve managed to gather,” She said as she pulled out a map. “the quickest way to get there would be through the Everfree Forest. There’s an old path that leads directly through the forest and into the castle.” “Didn’t we take that route when we fought Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie asked. “Sort of, but I managed to find a shortcut.” She said as she made the map vanish. “How long will getting there take?” Pinkie asked. “Not too long although it depends on our pace.” Isaac then looked up at the two Alicorns. “So what exactly does this relic look like?” “Its a small sphere. No bigger than what you can fit in your palm.” “I take it that we’ll find this thing in the bottom of the castle correct?” The two Princesses nodded. “So what’s the history behind this thing? If I’m gonna play grave robber I at least want to know what it is I’m robbing.” “One thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon stole something from our scholars.” Celestia said. Luna held her head in shame. “We have just recently discovered it’s power signature emanating from deep within the castle. Unfortunately she placed wards preventing myself or Luna from reaching it.” The man nodded. “So what is this thing supposed to do?” Dash asked. “We are not sure. Our scholars were researching it when Nightmare Moon stole it.” Celestia said. “All we know is that it is important enough for Nightmare Moon to steal.” “I see and now you want it back to keep researching it.” Celestia nodded. “Alright sounds easy enough. Think Nightmare left some surprises in store for us?” “Most likely she left deadly traps.” Luna said. “Going into an abandoned castle left by a power crazy goddess of darkness that may or may not contain some ancient treasure.” He said with a chuckle. “Where’s Harrison Ford when you need him?” He said under his breath. “What are we waiting for then?” He asked as he cracked his neck. “Good luck.” Celestia said as she and Luna vanished in a flash of light. The man shrugged and walked back towards the group. “Ready?” Twilight asked. “Lead the way.” Dash said as the group started to follow the lavender mare. The group went through the path in relative silence. “So Isaac, Celestia said you were a Captain of a boat?” “Not that type of Captain.” He said as he pushed a branch aside. “I was leader of the squad I once had. Never wanted it.” “Why not?” “Dear old dad,” He said in a sarcastic tone. “used some of his influence to promote me. I didn’t earn it,” He said as he continued onward. “and I didn’t have a choice.” He said with a sigh. “Why not?” “I wasn’t in a position to refuse.” He said with a shrug. The group fell silent and continued forwards. The man kept his eyes focused on the thick brush that lied ahead. “I heard Spitfire mention that you were Sergeant.” Dash said. “Why lie?” “Sergeant I actually earned through blood, sweat and tears.” He said with a sigh. As the group continued forward Isaac heard the familiar voice of Nightmare Moon in his head. So what is this damn thing we’re looking for? How should I know? Moon spat out. You stole it. I’ve done a lot of things I don’t remember. You’re a lot of help. Isaac said in a sarcastic tone. Watch it mortal. I’m in your head and I can do some serious damage. Bullshit. You wouldn’t dare hurt the body thats housing you, which I’m only doing until I can find a way to get rid of this magic. You heard Celestia. There’s no way to remove it. If there’s a will there’s a way. Yeah good luck with that. “Um Isaac.” Isaac turned his head towards the purple mare. “You okay?” “Yeah, why?” “You look kinda off.” “Just thinking.” “Were you serious? About what you said to Celestia.” “If she tries to go poking around in my head then yes.” “B-but she’s the Princess!” Twilight yelled. “I don’t care who she is. I do not appreciate anyone going in and fucking with my head.” He said with a grunt. “How would you feel if someone broke into the library and read your diary?” The lavender mare gulped at the thought of her secrets being revealed. “Not a nice thought is it?” The man said with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t like Celestia. I think she’s a great leader. Sure beats the hell out of the idiots running my world.” He said with a sigh. “That still doesn’t give her the right to go into my head.” “Still, I don’t think I’ve seen the Princess get that angry at one of her subjects before.” Fluttershy said. “I’m not her subject. No one has the right to rule over another person.” “So if you’re not a subject, then what does that make you then hot shot?” Dash said with a grumble. “Civilian, acquaintance, hell I’d even settle for punkish rogue, but not subject.” “You do realize that she could have sent you to the moon right?” Applejack said. “Yeah right.” He said in a mocking tone. “From what I understand she did that with the help of the Elements which are now in your possession, so I think that she doesn’t have the ability anymore.” The girls all gasped. “Not to mention the guilt that she’d feel from exterminating the only human here might haunt her.” “What are you talking about? You’d just be imprisoned on the moon.” Twilight said. “The moon, at least from where I’m from has no oxygen. The second I reach orbit my lungs would collapse on themselves and my head would explode from lack of air.” The mares all gulped. “I think that the only reason Luna was able to survive up there so long was because she was an immortal Princess.” He said with a shrug. “I’m not immortal and I’m glad I’m not.” “Why? Living forever would be awesome!” Dash said with a smile. “No, if anything then it would be curse.” He said as he turned to look at the cyan flyer. “How? You could do so much stuff.” “Okay lets role play then.” He said in a flat tone. “You’re immortal. Nothing can kill you, completely unstoppable.” “Oh yeah.” She said with a smile. “What would you do with all that time on your hands?” The cyan mare fell silent. “What would you do after the rest of us all die?” Dash cocky grin melted away at the thought and scratched her head trying to think of something. “When it comes down to that the only person thats left is yourself and no matter how fast your wings can carry you, there’s no escaping that truth. I’m surprised Celestia is able to keep it together for this long. One thousand years is a long time Dash.” He said with a sigh. “I know that I would go crazy.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Well, more crazy than I already am.” “What about you then?” Dash asked. “What would you do if you got immortality?” “Try to find a way to kill myself.” The mares all fell silent at the words. “Living forever isn’t the problem. Its living with yourself forever. That is something I can’t do.” “You aren’t afraid of dying?” Twilight asked. “Everyone dies. Its a fact. I’ve just come and accepted that at any moment I could die. That’s one of the reason’s why Celestia is jealous of us.” The mares all looked at him in shock. “What?” Twilight yelled. “Think about it. Every beginning has an end.” He said in a flat tone. “The ability to die is what keeps the world going. If everyone were to live forever then the world would become a stagnant swamp.” The ponies all gulped as they processed the man’s words. “Just my opinion though.” He said before walking down the path. “C’mon, I wanna find this thing and get back home before dark.” The mares let out a sigh and continued to make their way towards the structure. The group got to a familiar bridge and crossed it one at a time. Darkness filled the interior of the castle, the man pulled out a flashlight and started to look around. The pink mare found a staircase leading down the steps. Twilight snapped her fingers and a bright purple ball formed in her hands. The ball floated above the groups’ heads and illuminated the cave in a bright purple light. “So this is where Lu...Nightmare Moon was held up?” Isaac asked. “Yeah, kinda creepy.” Dash said. The way was spent in silence. The group reached the bottom of the staircase. A long hallway laid before them and a low fog covered the floor. The group continued forwards. As Fluttershy stepped on a panel her foot sank. “Um, Twilight.” The mare said. “Hm?” “I think I stepped on-” She was cut off as a large spike sprouted up from the floor in front of her. The woman yelped as she saw a skeleton on the spike. “No one move!” Twilight yelled. “It’s a pressure spike trap!” “What?” Applejack asked. “Pressure slabs in the floor that shoot spikes up from the ground.” Twilight yelled. The room started to shake. Pinkie looked behind her to see several spikes shooting up from the ground. Twilight looked ahead to see a large slab of stone covering the exit. “Run!” The group charged forwards. Several spikes shot up from the ground. “Just keep running!” The man barked. As he looked back he saw the image of the seamstress being impaled. “Rarity stop!” “Huh?” The woman stopped just as a spike shot up in front of her. The man shook his head and continued running. He the farmer and Dash made it to the exit. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity still had halfway to go. Isaac looked up and saw the slab coming down. Isaac extended his hands and tried to keep the slab from closing. He looked at the three to see them impaled. “Twilight! Bank right! Shy one step back! Rarity go left!” “Why should-” “Just do it!” The three altered their course and dodged the spikes. Isaac was forced to one knee as the slab kept pressing. Applejack was beside him along with Dash. Dash looked to her left and saw a stream of blood coming from the man’s right eye. The man kept barking orders at the girls who kept dodging the spikes. Isaac was forced to his hands and knees as the slab was slowly crushing his spine. “Hurry up!” Dash yelled as her muscles strained. The two mares were soon on their knees as they tried to keep the slab open. Twilight ducked and slid in between the farmer and human to safety. Next was Fluttershy who accidentally tackled the cyan flyer. The two grunted in pain as the weight pressed down on them. The man saw another vision of the mare being impaled. Rarity was less than two feet away and Isaac saw the spike protruding from the ground. He acted on instinct and outstretched his right arm. Rarity grabbed it as she felt something warm splash across her face. She looked down to see the spike going clean through the man’s arm. Isaac screamed in pain as he gripped the designer’s arm. He mustered what was left of his strength and recoiled his arm. The spike broke just below the man’s appendage as he pulled the mare inside. AJ was at her limit and let the slab fall as Rarity got her tail out of the death trap. Isaac laid on the ground and panted heavily. “Okay, who’s not dead? Sound off.” He groaned. “I’m good.” Dash said. “Same.” The chef chimed. “Like wise.” Shy said with a pant. “Ah’m okay.” The farmer said. “I’ve been better.” Rarity said. “I’m fine.” Twilight then turned her attention towards Isaac’s arm. “You’re hurt!” Isaac then looked at his arm. “Looks like it.” He said as he sat up. “Hang on, I know a healing spell.” Isaac raised up his hand. “No, we may need your magic for the road ahead.” “But what about-” The woman was cut off as Isaac rilled the sleeve from his shirt at the seam and set it on the ground next to him. He placed his hand on the spike and quickly pulled it out. The man grunted in pain as he quickly tied the bandage over the wound. “It should hold for now.” He said as he got to his feet. “Dude you need to rest and-” The cyan flyer was interrupted by his gaze. “We still have a job to do.” He said with a sigh. The mares looked at one another and continued down the corridor. As the group continued onward Rarity walked up to the man and sighed. “Why did you do that?” She asked. “You may be a massive thorn in my side as of late, but that doesn’t mean I want you to die.” He said with a groan. “Still you shouldn’t have let that spike stab you.” “Its just an arm. I’ve got two.” He said with a sigh. “Well, thank you.” Rarity breathed out. Isaac nodded with a neutral look on his face and kept going forward. “Hey Isaac,” The man turned towards the lavender mare. “How did you know where the spikes would shoot up?” Isaac thought for a moment and sighed. “I don’t know. I just got these visions of you three getting impaled and I just yelled out where it was safe.” He said with a sigh. “I don’t know how it works.” “Sounds like foresight.” “What?” “You can see small bits of the future. “Fan-fucking-tastic.” He groaned. “What’s wrong? That’s awesome!” Dash yelled. “Dash I don’t want these powers!” “Why not?” Applejack asked. “I’ve survived this long without them and I don’t want anymore. It just makes things complicated.” He sighed. The mares looked at one another and shrugged. “C’mon we gotta keep going.” He said in a flat tone. The next room they were in was large and circular. Six stones were in a circle and a pedestal in the center. Twilight walked up to one of the slabs and saw that one of them had an image of her Cutie Mark. “I think this is it.” Twilight said as the other’s walked up to the slabs and found a few gem sized holes. “I think that we’re supposed to put them in the slots.” The group shrugged and put their gems into the carved out portions in the stone. The images started to glow and a handprint glowed on the face of the slabs underneath the gems. The six looked at one another and put their hands on the slabs. The six felt a small tingling run through their bodies. The man looked in surprise as a pillar in the center of the six rose from the ground. Resting on top was a small metal orb the size of a softball. The metal was silver and had several carvings in it. “It that it?” Dash asked. “Must be.” As Twilight went to move her hand, the plate deactivated and the pillar closed up. The mare quickly put her hand back on the plate and the sphere showed up once again. “I’ll get it.” Isaac said as he walked up to the sphere and started to reach for it. He stopped as a thought came to him. “When I grab this thing, get ready to run.” “Why?” “C’mon Dash. In every single book, video game or movie involving a temple and ancient treasure there’s always some massive trap when someone picks up the treasure.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “This is real life Isaac. Just pick the thing up so we can get out of here.” “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said with a gulp. The man hesitantly reached out and picked the sphere in his right hand. The small ball seemed to weigh a little less than ten pounds. The six mares waited and listened to see if anything would happen. Twilight sighed and smiled. “See there’s nothing to-” She was cut off as Isaac felt a splitting pain run up his right arm. The human fell to his knees and saw bolts of magic tearing at his skin. “Isaac!” As the mare charged forward the floor opened up underneath the man. Isaac felt the scholar grab his left arm and tried to pull him out of the pit. Isaac tried to drop the ball but his arm wasn’t obeying his commands. The other girls soon grabbed his arm and started to pull. Isaac felt himself being lifted out as something from below wrapped around his leg and pulled. The group almost fell into the pit but still continued to pull. The man could feel that whatever was pulling his legs was a lot stronger than the six mares. The human sighed and looked at the mares. No....not again. He thought as he focused whatever willpower he had back into his right hand. Through the pain, the man flung his arm and connected it with the scholar’s. A small jolt of magic made the scholar let go. Time seemed to slow as the man was swallowed by the darkness. The floor closed up as Dash tried to reach for him. “We gotta go after him and-” Dash was cut off as a hole opened up from beneath her and an invisible force dragged her down. The cyan mare grabbed the edge and pulled herself up long enough to see her friends suffer a similar fate. The flyer could feel the force dragging her down and her hand was slipping. Rainbow gave one last cry of strength as she pulled up on the stone. The wall edge cracked and the cyan mare was ripped down into the pit as the stone slab overhead covered the hole. Author's Note Sorry for the break needed to get my thoughts together and midterms taken care of. Chapter 27: Caverns OldChapter 27 Caverns Old Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open to see darkness all around her. As she sat up, the Pegasus felt a familiar pain in her left wing. She looked and saw her wing quivering as she tried to move it only resulting in pain. “Great.” She said to herself. The mare got to her feet and looked up to see the stone ceiling. Dash looked ahead and saw a small flickering blue light. As she walked closer she saw that it was a small blue fire. A figure sat alone in front of it. “Isaac? That you?” The figure turned around and Dash gulped as she saw it wearing an odd ski mask. The mask was jet black. “Who are you?” The voice was deep and masculine. “Name’s Rainbow Dash. Who are you?” “You can just call me Swift.” He said as he sat back down. The cyan mare noticed that he had two odd items by his side. “So what brings you down to a place like this?” “I was with my friends when the floor opened up and.....Oh man! I gotta get going!” The figure grabbed her tail before she could run off. “Hey what gives?” “Look ma’am. I’ve been stuck down here for almost three months and this place is like a fucking maze.” Dash grumbled. “Now believe it or not, I’m looking for my friends too. We should stick together and see if we can find them. Deal?” “Deal.” Dash said as she shook the stranger’s hand. “Good.” He said as he kicked the fire apart and picked up a burning stick. The two continued down the dark hallway. “How many of your friends are down here?” “Six. Five girls and one guy.” She said with a smile. “So how’d you all get stuck?” “We were sent to find some sort of relic and a trap hit us.” Dash said. “I see.” “What about you? What are your friends like?” “Me and five other guys were chasing after our friend.” He sighed. “He got lost. So we split up in hopes of increasing our efforts but we ended up getting lost ourselves.” He said in a low tone. “Ouch. Think he’s okay? The guy you were originally looking for.” “He’s a tough son-of-a-bitch.” He chuckled. “I’m worried that he’s too lost to find his way back home. Being in darkness does things to ya Ms. Dash. Makes ya think the whole world is against you.” “Yeah I know a guy like that.” She said as she thought of the human. “He’s been through a lot and most of the stuff is...disturbing to say the least. Hope we find him soon and you can just call me Rainbow or Dash. Ms. makes me sound old.” “Sorry Rainbow and thanks. Every vote of confidence helps.” He said as the two continued onwards. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Through the darkness Rarity was running for her life as she heard growls coming behind her. She quickly sprinted down the stone hallway. She heard her own shoes click against the floor along with the paws of the creatures behind her. A stone sticking up from the ground made the fashionista trip and fall forwards. The mare groaned in pain and looked back to see three pairs of bright red eyes glaring at her. Rarity was frozen in their gaze as they charged forwards. Rarity closed her eyes and waited for the pain. She heard three popping noises. She opened her eyes to see the three beasts falling back. “Honestly,” A refined voice said from behind the woman. “that is no way to treat a lady.” Rarity looked behind her to see a shadowy figure with a black mask on his face and a hood over its head. Rarity scrambled to her feet and gulped. The figure stood a good five inches taller than her. “Stay back!” The man reached into his jacket and Rarity saw a glint of silver. Her sapphire eyes shrank as she saw a long edged knife. “Duck!” He yelled. Rarity did as she was asked as she saw the blade fly towards her. She looked behind to see another one of the creatures drop to the ground with a knife in between it’s eyes. The stranger walked towards the beast and saw its body turn to shadows. The man put the blade back in its holster and looked at the girl. “P-please don’t hurt me.” “Wouldn’t dream of it. I find hurting damsels in distress to be most distasteful.” He said as he outstretched a black gloved hand. “Are you hurt?” Rarity looked at the hand and back at the man. She gathered her courage and allowed the stranger to help him up. “No, thanks to you anyway.” The figure bowed to her. “It is no trouble at all Ms?” “Rarity.” She said with a smile. “Who can I call my rescuer?” “You may call me Fox.” He said with another bow. “Forgive the mask Ms. Rarity.” He said as he pointed to the mask. “A mug such as mine needs to be hidden for the time being.” Rarity gulped and sighed. “I suppose I can understand.” “Thank you. Now would you mind telling me what a beauty such as yourself is doing in such a dreary place.” “My friends and I sent in here to locate some dusty old rock.” She said with a sigh. “Then one of them gets caught in a trap and soon we all were met with the same.” Rarity lowered her head. “I was trying to find them when I was ambushed by those beasts.” The figure cocked its head in surprise. “What about you?” “There is no such thing as coincidence in this life Ms. Rarity. You see a few companions and myself were in search of a friend that had gone astray.” He said with a small chuckle. “We split up, but soon found this place to be alike a labyrinth.” Rarity nodded. “Been nearly,” The figure paused and thought for a moment. “What day is today?” “I believe its Tuesday.” “Ah then it’a been two months and twelve days.” Rarity’s jaw dropped at the number. “Nearly three months?” “Yup.” He said with a nod. “My companions and I will not leave our brother to wander aimlessly in darkness.” “Your brother?” “Well, we’re like brothers to each other though we are not bound by blood.” The figure then looked back towards the darkness and heard growls. Rarity gulped. “Might I suggest we continue this conversation during a stroll?” He said as he offered his arm. “Good idea!” She said as she took the arm and the two hurried off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So you’re looking for your friend?” Twilight said as she looked back at the masked figure. The figure had a large wrapped object on his back and was secured by a strap. She looked into the mask’s eye holes and saw a crystal blue eye behind the left but darkness behind the right. “Correct.” “In the process of looking, you and your five other friends got lost and have been down here almost three months.” “Yes,” The figure nodded. “hopefully I find them soon.” “So who are you anyway?” The mare asked as she looked at the figure. “You may call me Hawk eye.” His voice was deep and he bowed. “Odd name.” “Yours isn’t?” The mare was about to protest but sighed. “Fair enough. So this friend of yours, why did he come down here?” She asked as the two leaped over a small ravine. The shade went first and caught the mare as she landed. “Thank you.” “The poor soul is lost. We came to find him.” He said as the mare snapped her fingers and a levitating purple flame hovered above their heads. “Nice trick.” “Basic illumination spell.” Twilight smiled. The two heard a low hissing noise. The figure grabbed Twilight and pulled her into a dark crack. “What are you-” “Shhh!” He said with a gulp. The tow froze as they felt a cold presence chill them to the bone. “Whatever you do, don’t make a sound.” The air grew colder and the two saw a dark armored shade glide by them. The shade stopped and looking into the crack. The figure put his hand over Twilight’s mouth to hide her breath. The shade’s face was pitch black and a tattered robe covered its head. The figure slowly reached for a rock and threw it out of the crack and across the cavern. The sound of the rock bouncing on the flat stone echoed through the hallways. The shade quickly made itself scarce in search of the noise. The two let out a sigh of relief as the masked figure poked his head out to see the shade leaving. “What in the name of Celestia was that?” Twilight asked as she looked at the fleeing shadow. “I don’t rightly know. From what I’ve been able to translate, they’re souls that have been clouded by darkness.” “Will that happen to us?” Twilight asked. “Not unless you are killed by one of them. That’s why the sooner we find your and my friends the better.” “Alright.” She said as the two made their way down the path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Wow, that’s a long time to be trapped down here Kickback.” The farmer said as she looked at the masked figure that stood before her. “Yeah, and I’m getting real tired of this shit.” The voice said in a southern accent. “Remind me again why ah’m following you.” She spat out. “Cause ah’m the only thing in this place that isn’t trying to kill ya.” The shadow said. “Fair enough.” The southerner said. “So why in the name of Celestia would yer friend come down here?” “Don’t know. He’s always liked dark places like this.” The figure shrugged. Applejack then noticed the odd item on his back. “Hey what in the hay is that thing?” She asked as she pointed to the weapon. “This here is a Mossberg 500.” He said as he held the weapon. “This is for when things get ugly and I need to get up close and personal.” He said as he continued onward. That looked like that small thing Isaac showed us. She thought to herself. I wonder if....nah. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy quickly walked behind a man with a dark mask over his face and a dog with a vest covering its mid section. The dog stopped and sniffed the air for a moment. “Smell something Cage?” The masked figure asked. The dog barked a few times and ran forwards. “Is he gonna be okay Doc?” The yellow mare asked as the two raced after the canine. “Cage has been through a lot. He should be-” “Hey cool, a puppy!” Fluttershy recognized the voice of the pasty chef and hurried forwards. The mare and figure ran down the hallway to see a large room lit by torches. Several other paths diverged from the room. She saw another mask wearing figure bend down and pet the dog. The figure’s mask was similar to the other figure's. The pastry chef saw her friend and ran over to hug her. “Oh Pinkie, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Shy said as she cried in the mare’s arms. Pinkie nodded and let her friends tears mix with her own. The beak masked figure made a smile gesture with his fingers towards the other who returned the gesture. Fluttershy looked at the man and saw that his mask looked similar to the shade that had found her. “Hey you met somepony new too!” “Y-yes.” Fluttershy said as she stood up. “This is Doc and his dog Cage.” The canine barked and happily wagged his tail. “Cool! This is Gizmo.” “Nice to meet you.” The shade said with a bow. The group then heard something come from the darkness. Doc pulled out two pistols and Gizmo pulled out a much larger weapon. As the footsteps grew louder they saw a purple flame hanging over Twilight’s head. “Twilight!” The two mares yelled as she ran towards them. “Oh thank Celestia I found you girls. This place is like a maze.” She said as they hugged. The two masked figures nodded to the other. “I heard them up ahead!” Dash and Applejack ran down the path and quickly met up with the other mares. “Am ah glad to see you girls.” The farmer said with a smile. The figures that were accompanying them nodded to one another. “Hello gents.” A voice said from the darkness. The group turned and saw the fashionista with the last masked figure. “Late as usual Fox.” Hawk eye said. “Did any of you find him yet?” Doc asked. “No trace.” Swift said. The others nodded. “We have to double our efforts.” “No question. Isaac’s tough he can handle himself.” The six mares’ ears perked up at the name. “What did you just say?” Twilight asked. “This friend of yours, is he about 5’8” brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin, scar over his right eyelid?” The six masked figures then surrounded the group. “So you’ve seen him then?” The mares nodded. “Where? When?” “He was with us when we came in here.” Dash said. “H-How do you guys know him?” The figures looked at Hawk eye as he nodded. The figure removed his mask to reveal his pale skin, light blonde hair, piercing blue eye and an eyepatch over his right. Doc removed his to reveal his dirty blonde hair, green eyes and a pair of wire rim glasses. Swift’s skin was darker than the others and his eyes were dark brown. The top of his head was shaved clean. Kickback had tan skin and a mustache under his nose. His hazel eyes cut like daggers. Fox’s hair was jet black to contrast his light green eyes and a small scar was just above his cheek. Gizmo removed his mask to show that his skin was tan and a black beard was beginning to form on his face. “N-no way.” Twilight said as she looked at the six human males. “H-how is this possible? Who are you people?” “We’re what’s left of his squad.” Fox stated. “Zerum or Isaac as you know him as is....was our captain.” “But he said that you guys died!” Dash said. “That he did, but we’re still alive in here.” Gizmo said. “That makes no sense!” Twilight yelled. “Isaac said you all died.” The six men looked at one another and sighed. Kickback opened his cloak to show that the right side of his chest was gone. The girls gasped at the sight. “Got hit by a grenade.” He said as he closed the cloak. Doc removed the bandana that was tied around his head to show a hole going through. “Sniper got me while I was trying to save Fox here from bleeding to death.” The medic then bent down to the dog and removed the vest to show the dog’s blown out stomach. “Cage here jumped on a grenade to save us.” The dog whined as the dapper man removed his cloak to show his upper body had thousands of cut marks on him. “They decided to use slow process.” He sighed. Gizmo removed his cloak to reveal a large hole going through his chest. “RPG round went clean through. Didn’t have to worry about my heart burn though.” He chuckled. Next up was Swift. He rolled up his pant legs to show two skeletal legs. “Wasn’t quick enough to outrun a tank shell.” The girls lastly turned towards Hawk eye who pulled down his shirt to show a wound over his heart. “Died on the operating table when Isaac and I finally got back to base.” He sighed. “At least I gave him something.” He said as he pointed to his eye patch. Twilight’s brain was trying to comprehend the fact that she was talking to six human corpses. “How are you alive right now?” “They say that no one is really dead so long as there’s someone that still remembers you.” Doc stated. The group looked at them in shock. “Here’s what I’ve been able to gather. Whatever it was that Isaac touched and trapped you all is what brought us here.” Doc adjusted his glasses. “Twilight, you know more about Nightmare moon out of all of us.” He said as he covered up his injury. “What was Nightmare Moon’s main way of getting followers?” Twilight gulped and took a deep breath. “The texts say that Nightmare moon would make a pony experience their worst nightmares and they would eventually go insane. One their mind is lost she would infect them with her own will and they’ll become her slaves.” The mares gulped. “So that’s whats happening then?” Kickback asked. “Most likely. If we find his physical body then we should be able to wake him up from the trance.” Doc stated. “Wait, didn’t we destroy Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie asked. “From Luna.” Gizmo stated. “When Isaac got her blood and magic, a bit of Nightmare Moon’s essence went along for the ride.” The six mares gulped. “Her essence has been getting stronger and is most likely going to try to take possession of his body.” “Why would she want his body?” “I don’t know.” Hawk eye said. “My only assumption is that his mind must have sensed what was happening and sent out a distress call. We just so happened to be on his mind at the time.” Gizmo stated. “So the plan is to find him, kill this moon person and get out?” Hawk eye asked. “That’s the plan.” The six humans looked at one another and sighed. “Ready for one last run?” “Always.” Swift said with a grin. “Okay lets move out then.” “Wait!” Twilight yelled as the men started to leave. “We’re going with you.” “No way in hell. You’ll just get in our way.” The blue eyes soldier stated. “Look we’re Isaac’s friends and we want to help him.” Dash said. The six men looked at one another and sighed. “You guys don’t have the faintest idea how to help him.” Doc said. The medic turned towards Twilight. “Constantly prodding at an infected organ will cause it to burst. The only one that can help him is himself.” The other men looked at the medic on shock. “We may be able to help!” Twilight said. “I have my magic and the others are just as useful.” Hawk eye walked up to her and scanned her with his eyes. “Tell me Sparkle, have you ever had to kill anything with your bare hands?” Twilight gulped. “Ever had to see someone you love like family killed in front of your eyes while you can’t do anything?” “N-no, I’ve never had to do any of those things.” She said as she hung her head and the man rolled his good eye. “Regardless,” She said as she stared back at the man. “Isaac is our friend and we’ll do anything to help him. With or without your help.” The men looked at them in surprise. “We’ve faced Nightmare Moon before and we know how to deal with her.” The men looked at one another and huddled up. Twilight couldn’t hear what they were discussing. The group broke and the man sighed. “Okay, you’re in.” He stated. “But, you do everything we tell you to do got it?” “Yes.” Twilight said. “Good.” Hawk eye shook her hand and felt something burning in his pocket. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the bright purple gem. “What now?” “Where did you get that?” Twilight yelled. “Found it in the dirt.” He said as he looked at the gem that glowed brightly. “Its what led me to you. You know what it is?” He asked as he gave it to her. Twilight took it and funneled her magic through it. The gem glowed brightly and changed into the staff form. The other five men then held out the other amulets and handed them to the mares. They each transformed into their respective weapon form. The men gulped as they saw the now armed girls. “Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about protecting you.” He chuckled. “Now lets get going. Time is not on our side.” The man said as he and the group made their way back into the dark halls of the old castle. As they continued the trek through the darkness Dash stared at their covered faces. “Hey why do you guys wear masks?” “Keeps our identities hidden.” Fox said. “Didn’t want our enemies knowing our faces.” “Why?” “Makes us easier to find.” Hawk eye said in a flat tone. “Plus it males us look more intimidating.” “You guys don’t seem that-” The cyan mare was cut off as the six men looked at her with darkness in their eyes. The Pegasus gulped. “never mind.” The six men led the mares deep through the caverns and tirelessly searched for their friend. The group stopped to rest in a large room. The floor was cobble stone and there was a massive five foot hole in the center. The hole’s edge had a three foot wall built up around it. Twilight looked up and saw that the hole went through several more floors. “What’s with the hole?” AJ asked. “Must have been used to hoist things up from the bottom of the castle.” Twilight said with a small pant. The girls leaned against the edge. Twilight looked at Rarity who had a glum look on her face. “You okay?” “Its just that....This is very ironic for me.” The fashionista said. “When we started on this little quest I really couldn’t give a damn about Isaac.” The other mares cocked an eyebrow at her. “Now here I am worried sick that we’ll never see him again.” She sniffled. Twilight put an arm on her shoulder and nodded. “Yeah,” The mares then heard several clicking noises behind them. “I wouldn’t go worrying about that if I were you.” The mares spun around and saw the six men standing behind them with their weapons raised. A wave of pure fear went through the mares. Before they could speak, gunfire filled the room. Dash slumped to ground in pain as she felt the bullet go through her chest. She slowly tilted her head to see her friends lying motionless on the ground. “Double tap.” The sniper said. Dash watched in horror as they fired off another round into her friends already lifeless bodies. She slowly looked up at Swift who’s eyes were like daggers. He raised a pistol and pointed it clear at her forehead. “Sorry Dash, but this is the end.” The cyan mare had tears in her eyes as the man pulled the trigger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac’s eyes snapped wide open and he shot up. “No!” He yelled as he felt the sweat on his face. He grabbed his side in pain and slowly got to his feet. “Fucking dream.” He groaned. The man looked down at his right arm and removed the bandage. The puncture would was completely healed as he flexed his arm. The man collected his rope that had landed in a heap beside him and his axe. “Okay, now to find the others.” He said as he brushed himself off. He puled out his cell phone and sighed at the no service indication on the screen. “Typical.” He groaned. Isaac pulled out his hand gun and saw he still had six bullets in the revolver. He reached into his pocket and looked at the speed-loader. So I’ve got twelve shots. Better make em count. Something shiny caught his eye and he saw the silver orb he was holding before. The man picked it up in his right hand and frowned. You’d better be worth this or I’m gonna melt you down for scrap. He thought as he put it in his pocket. He grabbed his crumple hat and dusted it off before going down the path that laid before him. He picked up his barely functioning flashlight and shined it towards the cave walls. What the hell? He saw odd paintings in the walls that seemed to show the three pony races bowing down before the silver sphere. Isaac fumbled in his pocket before pulling out the metal round object. “Makes us easier to find.” Isaac froze at the voice and hurried towards it. He came to a circular room with a massive hole in the floor. Memories of the dream came rushing back to his mind as he looked down and could make out the heads of the six mares. “Shit!” He said as he grabbed his rope and looked for something to tie it on. He found a jagged rock and quickly looped it around the base. He wrapped the other end around his mid section and jumped down the hole. The man traveled through two floors before he heard the metallic clicking of the guns. Time slowed as the human pulled out his gun as he came to the clearing. The six mens’ eyes shrank as they saw the armed human pointing the gun at them. “Duck!” Isaac yelled. The girls obeyed as Isaac shot off a round that hit the sniper in the chest sending him falling back. In the confusion Twilight used her staff and shot off a ball of purple fire at the medic who was instantly enveloped in flames. Pinkie charged forth with her hammer and slammed the end into the Southerner. The dog attempted to leap onto the purple mage only to be stopped by Fluttershy’s stare. Dash slashed Swift across the chest with his daggers as Rarity slammed the weight at the end of her whip into the knife user’s face. Applejack used her axe to slash Gizmo’s mid section. After the dust had settled the girls all panted. “Can I get a little help please?” Isaac yelled. The girls looked back and saw that the man was holding onto the edge of the pit with one hand. The man looked down into the darkness and gulped. “Easy partner, we got ya.” AJ said as she and Dash took hold of his arm. Twilight’s horn glowed and the man felt himself being lifted out of the pit and stood on the hard ground. The group immediately hugged him. “You guys okay?” Isaac asked with a pant. “Yeah, thanks for that.” Dash said. The human then looked at Twilight with a smug grin. “Told you we’d need the rope.” He said with a chuckle. The scholar rolled her eyes as one of the men groaned in pain. Isaac walked over to the sniper and put his boot on his neck. Isaac tore off the mask and looked at the man in surprise. “These guys said that you knew them.” AJ said. “I did. They were my old squad.” He said as he applied more pressure to his throat. “The only difference is, had this been the REAL Hawk eye I’d be dead.” “What kind of monster are you?” The sniper coughed. “You didn’t even hesitate to kill your best friends!” “Carter Jenkins is dead!” Isaac said as he pointed the barrel at the shade’s head. “You dare invoke his image? You must be glutton for punishment.” Isaac squeezed the trigger and the shade vanished as the bullet went through its head. All that remained was a pile of ash. Isaac slumped to the ground and leaned against the wall with the gun in his hand. The man hung his head and looked at the ash pile. Twilight approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” “Yeah. I’m good.” He said as he got to his feet. “C’mon I got the thing.” He said as he pulled out the small ball. The mares crowded around it and cocked their heads in surprise. “That’s it?” Dash said in surprise. “Thats what we came down here to get?” “I guess. This thing was a pain in the ass to carry.” Isaac said as he tossed it in his hand. “Let me see it.” Isaac shrugged and handed it to the cyan mare. Dash looked it over before she felt as though someone had lit her hand on fire. “Damn thats hot!” She said as she dropped it. Isaac picked it up and looked at it. “Really? Seems fine to me.” Twilight looked at it and picked it up in a telekinetic grip. While it was wrapped in the purple aura a lighting bolt shot out and struck the mare causing her to lose her concentration and drop it. “What is with that thing?” “I blame magic.” Isaac said as he picked it up and slipped it inside his pocket. “Now we need to talk about something.” The mares looked at him in confusion. “We need a way to find each other in case we get separated again and whatever’s in here can change their shape. So we’d better be careful.” Twilight snapped her fingers and summoned seven compasses. As she handed them out the man cocked an eyebrow. “Um not sure how well these are gonna work Twi.” He said as he looked at the compass. “I mean it doesn’t even point North.” “Its not supposed to. I take one of these with me whenever I go to visit Zecora. The default is set for Ponyville so I can always find my way back home. Shining wanted me to make a few for him and some of his guards when they’re out on missions. So I made a few extra.” “Good enough for me.” He said as he put it in his pocket. “Now I suggest we find a way out of this crazy place before something else happens.” “Sounds good to me..” Dash stated. As the group turned to leave the medic grunted and gripped his pistol. He pulled the trigger and the bullet rocketed forward into the man’s back and went through his chest. “Isaac!” Dash yelled as she looked at the heavily bleeding man. Fluttershy aimed her bow back at the the medic that soon turned to ash. Twilight knelt down next to him and examined the would. “He’s in bad shape.” The mare placed her hands over the wound and focused her magic. The wound glowed bright red and refused to close. “Why isn’t it healing?” She said as the man coughed up more blood. “Hang on.” Rarity waved her finger and the man’s shirt phased off his body and turned back to physical material. “Guys......Scarlet......I’m....I’m so sorry.” The man said in a dazed state. “Don’t try to talk.” Twilight said as she folded the shirt and applied pressure to the wound. A roar then came from Pinkie’s end of the hallway. The mares looked to see several dark wolves coming out of the darkness with murder in their eyes. Applejack stood beside the pastry chef with her axe in hand. The human coughed up another mouthful of blood before slipping into darkness. The five mares were holding their own against the dark wolves as Twilight tried multiple healing spells on the human as she tried to stop his bleeding. One of the wolves jumped into the air only to be met with a large rock hurdled by Rarity’s telekinesis. More wolves appeared from the shadows and started to gain ground. “They just keep coming!” Dash yelled as she slashed another wolf. As one tried to bite her the pack was blasted away by a bright beam of green energy. Out of the darkness the girls saw a figure standing. Their eyes shrank as they saw a female Changeling panting heavily. “Finally.” She said as she walked forwards. The girls raised their weapons and the Changeling froze. “Look I don’t want any trouble. I’m here to help.” “Yeah right.” Dash spat out. “Why would you want to help us? “I’m not helping you. I’m helping him.” she said as she pointed at the bleeding man. “I can heal him.” “How do you know Isaac?” Applejack asked. “Hey, do you want me to explain or let him bleed out on the floor?” She said in an annoyed tone. “Look, you don’t like me and I don’t like you, but I am the only one here who can help him!” “I’ve read that Changelings do have advanced healing spells.” Twilight said. The mares looked at one another and sighed. “I see you try anything and you’re dead!” Dash yelled as the Changeling walked over and knelt down on the hard stone across from Twilight. Isis removed the bandage and looked at the wound. “Doesn’t look good.” She said as she spat in the wound and it started to sizzle. “What are you doing?” “Changeling saliva is a disinfectant.” She said as she placed both hands on the man’s chest and focused her magic. A spell circle appeared over the wound and it started to slowly close. “Hey its working!” Pinkie chimed. The wound stopped and the Changeling started to pant. “You okay?” “This spell....takes a lot of power.” She said with a sigh. “I’m not sure if I have enough .” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac felt as though he was floating in a pool of crystal blue water and gasped. He treaded in the liquid and saw a small island in the center of the pool of water. He swam towards it and saw the metallic ball he had been sent to retrieve. “Well, are you just going to stand there all day?” The ball asked. “Holy crap, you can talk?” Isaac said in shock. “Yes, I can communicate with you telepathically.” “Great, haven’t heard that one before.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Where the hell am I?” “You are currently bleeding out on the castle floor.” “Crap.” Isaac groaned. “Calm down. This is not the end. I can heal you.” “Okay first off who the hell are you? It feels strange talking to a ball.” The sphere shifted to a white cloaked figure with a mask on. “You may call me Catalyst.” “Okay and you’re just going to help me free of charge?” Isaac said as he looked at the figure. The stranger stood at nearly seven feet tall and wore a white mask. “No, I require a payment.” “Fucking knew it. Is Nightmare behind this facade to?” He said as he looked around. “No, although should you wish to be rid of her we can do that.” “Okay so how much do you charge?” Isaac asked. “It is a trade. Should you wish to be relieved of the dark presence we will require something in return.” “That would be?” “Your health.” “Excuse me?” “Currently, any injury your body receives will heal in a matter of minutes. We will take that power in order for you to be free from Nightmare Moon and if you want to go back to your friends then I’ll take your foresight.” Isaac looked at the figure in confusion and scratched his head. “Why are you helping me?” “I’m am merely an observer. My job is to present the choices and witness your reaction based on your choices.” “You make it sound like life is some game.” Isaac scoffed. “It is. How you play is up to you.” The figure outstretched its right hand. Isaac pondered for a moment and weighed his options. “I should also mention that there is no going back. Once the decision is made its final and most of moon’s powers will be forever lost.” That healing is really handy. But moon is so fucking annoying and after she made THEM come back! For once we both agree on something. Isaac walked forward and shook the figure’s hand. “Deal.” The figure gripped his hand like a vice. The man cried in pain as he felt his eyes and entire body burning. As the figure broke the handshake it slugged Isaac in the stomach. The human felt as though he had punched a hole clean through his abdomen. “Okay. That hurt.” He said as he grabbed his stomach in pain. “You wretch!” The man gulped and looked behind him to see the dark Alicorn in a ghost like form. The whit cloaked figure then raised its arms and chains shot out the sleeves and wrapped around the spirit. “Wh-what are you doing.” “See ya in hell moon.” Isaac said with a grin and the chains started to squeeze until the man heard a the gut wrenching crack of her spine. The ghost faded and Isaac looked back at the white figure. “Well that’s one annoyance out of the way. Thanks.” “We made a deal and you held up your end of the bargain.” The figure said as it showed a glowing white ball in its hand. “Now for the foresight.” The figure towered over Isaac and poked its fingers into the man’s eyes sockets. “Fuck!” Isaac yelled as he grabbed his face in pain. “Payment accepted.” The figure said as it clenched its fist and slammed Isaac in the chest. The man’s body shot upwards and he looked at his surroundings. The six mares and Changeling were looking at him in amazement. “Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight said as she hugged him. The man nodded and looked at the Changeling in surprise. “Isis? What are you doing here?” He asked as he got up. He looked down at his blood soaked upper body. “Well, I was living in here until SOMEBODY triggered the traps.” She said with a sigh. “You know each other?” Dash said. “Yeah I ran into her when I took my bike out for a spin.” The entire foundation started to shake and crumble away. “We’ll catch up later. Isis do you know a way out of here?” “Yeah straight ahead.” The Changeling said as she ran ahead. Isaac followed with the six mares in hot pursuit. The group saw light coming from the end of the hallway and heard a roaring sound behind them. Isaac looked back to see a large round stone charging after them. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He yelled as the group quickened their pace and were outrunning death itself. Dash and Applejack made it out first. The human then saw that the cyan flyer zoom down and pick up the farmer who had a scared look on her face. “Oh shit.” He said as he and the other’s cleared the hallway. The man looked down and saw nothing but a dark ravine below. The other mares screamed. Fluttershy and the Changeling grabbed the nearest bodies to them which were Piny and Rarity. Twilight and Isaac were left as they fell towards the dark fissure. “Need a hand?” A familiar voice said. Isaac felt something grab his leg and saw a paw grab the scholar’s shirt by the collar. The two felt themselves being lifted up towards the top of the crack and made out the shapes of their companions. Isaac looked up and saw the smug grin of the chaos lord. “Never thought I’d be happy to see Discord.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Oh that hurts Twilight.” He said as he dropped them off on the cliff edge. Isaac sat down on the ground and looked up at the chaos lord. “Thanks Discord.” Isaac said with a smile. “How did you know that we were here?” “Well, I sensed a massive amount of chaotic energy in the area and I knew that it had something to do with you. So here I am.” He said with a smile. The human noticed that Dash and AJ were glaring at the Changeling who had a blank look on her face. “Well, I’m done. See ya.” She said with a wave. “And just where do you think yer going?” Applejack said as she stepped in front of the Changeling. “To look for another place to live.” She sighed. “Yeah right, just wait until the guards get here.” The Changeling gulped. “C’mon guys don’t ya think that’s a little harsh?” Isaac said as he stood up. “No! Her kind attacked Canterlot.” “For the record I didn’t take part in the attack and was exiled for speaking out against it.” She clarified. “I don’t care-” “Dash if it wasn’t for her then I would be dead and you all would have been crushed by rocks or cleaning Pinkie off the bottom of the ravine.” Isaac stated. The mares gulped. “You owe her.” The farmer and flyer bit their lips and looked back at the Changeling. “Yeah, besides she saved me.” The pink chef chimed. “She can’t be all bad.” “Hate to say it Dash, but he’s right.” Twilight said. The changeling gulped as the farmer and flyer backed off. “I don’t like this.” Rainbow said. “You don’t have to like it, just deal with it.” Isaac stated. The human walked over to the Changeling and extended his hand. Isis smiled and shook it. “Looks like I owe you one now.” “Nah, my debt is repaid.” She said as she started to walk back into the forest. “See ya.” “If you need a place to stay then my door is always open.” The Changeling waved as she vanished in the forest. Isaac’s eyes shrank as his adrenaline wore off and he dropped to his knees in pain. “You okay?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, just really sore.” He said with a sigh. “So you’ll just heal and-” “I don’t have that healing ability anymore.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “Or that foresight thing Twilight mentioned.” “How did you lose them?” “Its a long story.” He said as AJ put his arm over her neck. Discord snapped his fingers and the group were transported back to the library. “Damn thats handy.” He said with a sigh. Two flashes of light then filled the room. Celestia and Luna stood before the group with smiles on their faces. “Ah you’ve returned.” Celestia said as she looked at their disheveled appearances. “Looks like you’ve had quite the time.” “You have no idea.” Isaac said as he tossed her the small ball. “There’s the relic.” He sighed. Celestia and Luna looked at his appearance and cocked an eyebrow. “What happened in there?” “Lets just say that I finally faced my demons and,” The man paused as he thought of the right words. “I feel better for it.” The room grew stagnant and the mares all looked at him in shock. “Huh?” The six mares said. “I’ve feared facing them for years and now that I finally did it....it feels like a two ton weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Now if you all would excuse me, I’m going home. Taking a nice hot shower and sleeping till noon tomorrow.” He said as he walked towards the door. “Besides I have another challenge ahead of me.” “Whats that?” Twilight asked. Isaac grinned and looked at Luna. “I will beat Luna at Halo for a third time.” He said in a matter-oh-fact tone. “Don’t be so sure. We have spent days practicing!” “And I was going easy on you those first two times.” He said with a wicked grin. “Tomorrow its no holds bard. I’m going at it like a freight train. Balls to the wall!” Luna gulped as she looked at the man’s burning eyes. “Arrivederci!” “Excuse me?” Luna said. “Its Italian for goodbye.” He said before closing the door and walking out into the streets of Ponyville. Chapter 29: Repairs (Edited)Chapter 29 Repairs The next day started out slow. Isaac sat at his kitchen table with a pop tart on his plate and the Equestria Daily Newspaper in his hands. His ears perked up as he heard a slight buzzing noise. He shrugged and went back to his paper. Over the next ten minutes the buzzing continued and seemed to rise in volume. The man started searching his home in search of the noise. The sound seemed to originate in his closet. When he opened the door, hell broke loose. Hundreds of small tennis ball sized bugs came pouring out of his closet and onto the floor. The mass made the human jump and land on his back. Isaac grunted as he sat up and looked in horror as the bug started flying and devouring his sheets and clothing. The man quickly raced downstairs and grabbed an empty jar. He ran back to his room and trapped one of the creatures in the jar before locking the door and high tailing it towards the library. The lavender mare was sitting on her bed with a quill in her hand and was writing a report for the Princess. The sound of her door slamming open and a familiar scream caused the mare’s quill to break. Twilight gritted her teeth and sighed. The door to her room then had several loud knocks on it accompanied by the voice. “Twilight! Open up! Its an emergency!” Isaac yelled. Twilight grunted and opened the door for the human. “What? I’m in the middle of something.” She said as he stormed in to her room. “Did any of you put some kind of bug in my house for revenge?” He said in an accusing tone. “No, why?” “Because I just saw about a hundred giant bugs starting to devour my wardrobe!” He said as he held out the jar that now had two of the creatures inside. “What? There was only one a minute ago!” Twilight gasped as she saw the insects. “Gah! Where did you get those things?” “Like I said, they were in my closet munching on my stuff.” He yelled as Pinkie appeared out of nowhere. She saw the jar and screamed. “Parisprite!” She shrieked. “What?” Isaac asked. “Thats what these things are.” Twilight said as she levitated the jar. “They’re pests that devour food and multiply.” “Well, these seem to have developed a taste for cotton.” “Must be some left over from our fiasco.” Twilight said. “Well, can you kill them?” “Yeah but-” “That’s all I needed to know. Time to get my blow torch.” He said before running back towards his house with the mares in hot pursuit. “So you’ve tangled with these things before?” “Yeah, that was nightmare.” Twilight shivered. “So why are they eating my stuff?” “Twilight charmed them so that they found food gross and they started eating things that you couldn’t eat.” Isaac looked at the lavender mare who had an embarrassed look on her face. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” She sheepishly grinned. “Here’s my idea when it comes to pests: Kill it with fire!” He said as he got to his front door. The two mares looked his living room around and saw nothing. “Where are they?” Pinkie asked. “Probably halfway through my mattress.” He said as he raced up the stairs and stopped in front of his room. “Know any fire spells Twilight?” “I have a better plan.” She said in a flat tone. “I can just teleport them somewhere else.” “I still like my idea better.” He said as he duck taped a zippo lighter to a hairspray can. Twilight rolled her eyes and opened the door to see a wall of the small creatures. The mare’s horn glowed and the bugs vanished in flash of purple light. “Killjoy.” He said as he closed the lighter smothering the flame. “Oh well, time to assess the damage.” He said as he walked into his room. His bed and most of his furniture were still in one piece. The little bugs from hell only destroyed a few pairs of shirts and pants. “How’s the damage?” Twilight asked as she looked through the human’s room. “Not too bad.” He said as he looked through the racks of clothes. “Wait a second.” He said as he went to the back. “Gah! Sons of bitches! I’ll kill them all!” “What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked. Isaac came out holding a heavily torn dress uniform. The fabric still had some of the insects’ saliva on it around the bite marks. The human was literally fuming with rage. Twilight noticed that several objects around his room started to levitate. “My uniform! Its trashed!” “Isaac calm down.” Twilight said. “Your emotions are making your magic act out.” The human took a deep breath and calmed himself down. The objects went back in their spots and the lavender mare sighed in relief. “You could take that to Rarity.” Pinkie chimed. The human grumbled at the name. “Are there any other tailors around here?” He asked. “Nope, aside from the ones Manehattan anyway.” Twilight said. Isaac groaned and wrapped the uniform in a bag. “Fine.” He grunted as he made his way out of his house with the two mares following close behind. “Sorry about the poison joke yesterday.” “Oh its no big deal. We did kinda had it coming.” Pinkie giggled. “Plus we already got payback.” Twilight smirked. “Remember, we all agreed never talk about it.” He said with an embarrassed blush on his face. “We know. We all pinkie promised and no pony breaks a pinkie promise.” Pinkie said with a smile. “Well, I’ll catch you later. I need to help the cakes pack for their family reunion.” The pink mare said before happily skipping away. “I have to finish up that report for the Princess.” Twilight said. The human trudged through the town with the bag in tow and found himself on the door step of the boutique. He groaned and swallowed what little pride he had left and entered the shop. The familiar scent of perfume hit his nostrils. “Coming~” The mare’s voice echoed through the building. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique where everything-” The mare’s expression went from happy to annoyed in ten second’s flat. “oh its you.” “Look Rarity, its too early in the morning for an argument.” He grumbled. “I’m here on business. Thats it.” “Fine. What do you want?” She said as she crossed her arms under her chest. “My uniform needs to be repaired after a parisprite encounter.” The mare gasped in surprise. “Didn’t know you cared.” “Well, of course I care!” She said as she adjusted her horn rimmed glasses on her nose. “I designed some of your shirts.” The man snarled. “None of your stuff got eaten.” “Oh. So what abomination have you-” The mare was cut off as he laid out the damaged blue uniform. Rarity’s jaw hit the floor as she saw the midnight blue coat with several pins and medals on either side of the chest. The pants were of the same color with a red stripe going down the sides of the pants. A white hat was also in attendance that matched the white belt. “Rarity, I don’t care if you are a girl.” Isaac said as his eyes became daggers. “Insult this uniform and so help me I will slap you into last Tuesday.” He said in a serious tone. “Oh I wouldn’t dare insult such a marvelous ensemble!” She said as she looked over the piece. “Where did you get this?” “Through blood, bullets and broken bones.” He said as he crossed his arms. “Its my dress Uniform from when I was in the Marines.” He said as he pulled out an old picture of himself in the uniform. “This is what it use to look like.” Rarity looked at the picture and back at the uniform. “Think you can repair it?” “In my sleep.” She smiled. “Fine. Just don’t experiment with it. It has to be by the book.” “I may find you irritating, but I don’t joke around when it comes to fashion.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Thank you.” He said with a sigh. “I’ll pay you when you’re done then.” “Of course. I’ll call you when its finished.” She said as she levitated it over to her work bench. “Thanks.” He said as he walked out of the boutique. Rarity huffed and started to work on the uniform. The human groaned as he made his way through the street. He looked around and spied Lyra sitting across from a cream colored mare with a pink and dark blue mane. Lyra smiled and waved him over. “Morning Lyra.” He said with a nod. He looked at the other mare who started to frown. “Your name is Bon-bon right?” “Yeah. It is.” She said as she sipped her drink. Sheesh, what’s her deal? “So whats up?” Lyra asked. “Oh right, just letting you know that Cherilee has me signed on to teach some of the kids about human history next week. Thought that you’d be interested.” If Lyra’s grin grew any wider the human would be certain that it would split skin. “I am so there!” “Figured. Just clear it with Cherilee first.” “Awesome! When is it?” “Monday.” The mare quickly pulled out a note pad and “Alright see ya then!” She said as the human walked away. Isaac spied that Bob-bon was shooting him a stare that could make a rhino shit bricks. The man shrugged it off and continued to make his way through town. He put his arms over his head and stared up at the sky. Not a single fuck shall be given this day. He thought as he went into the park and leaned against a tree. The man dozed off and found himself standing across from a familiar dark Alicorn mare. “Hello Isaac.” “Princess.” He spat out. Luna raised an eyebrow at the man. “Is something wrong?” “Yeah! Yesterday, that’s whats wrong.” “We beat you. Are you backing out?” She asked as she got in his face. “I don’t care that you beat me. I care about how you beat me.” Luna’s face blushed as she remembered the strategy she had used. “It was supposed to be a match that determined skill. Not sex appeal!” He bellowed in frustration. “Honestly, I thought a Princess of Equestria would understand something about honor. Guess I was wrong.” Before the Princess could retort Isaac felt a numbing pain in his leg and he was snapped out of the dream. The man looked up and saw the familiar orange farmer smiling. “Morning sunshine.” She chimed. “Hey AJ whats up?” He said as he stood up. “Not much. You?” “Just dealt with some parisprites and now I’m bored.” He said with a yawn. “Well, Mac and I could use your help down at the farm.” Isaac winced. “He isn’t gonna try to kill me right?” “Nah, ah think he’s calmed down.” “Alright, I could use some cash so lets go.” The two then started to walk down the road headed towards the farm. “So what needs to get done?” “Mac needs help with removing a dead tree.” The man thought for a moment. “Then we gotta chop it up and stack the wood. The stump we can handle later.” “I think I got just the thing you need to get it done without breaking a sweat.” “Huh?” “C’mon I gotta grab something from my house.” The mare waited outside as Isaac went back inside his home. The farmer heard a thunderous roar and the garage door opening. The mare’s jaw dropped as she saw a gun metal grey object on four wheels. The window rolled down and showed the man’s face. “Get in.” “What in tarnation is that thing?” “This, my friend is a 2012 quad cab Dodge RAM truck complete with a winch, a plow hook up and just for the hell of it, a badass sound system.” He said as the speakers boomed to life. “Okay. So what’s it do?” She asked as she looked at the machine. “Get in and you’ll find out.” The mare shrugged and got in next to the man. “Okay now strap the belt around you.” He said as he pointed to the safety belt. The mare put it across her chest and clicked it. Isaac hit the gas pedal and the two headed towards the farm. “So where did you get this thing anyway?” “Bought it when I got back from my tour overseas.” “What about that bike thing?” “The motorcycle. That was my old man’s. I got it in his will like the house.” “Oh....sorry for asking.” The mare said as she hung her head. “Don’t worry about it.” He said with a shrug. “They died a while ago.” “Are you okay? After finding out that they adopted ya ah mean.” “I’m still a little ticked off that they didn’t tell me, but I suppose they had their reasons.” He said as he pulled into the farmer’s driveway. “They still raised me as their son even though I wasn’t theirs. So it works out in a way.” The two pulled up to where the red farmer had dug around the tree. Mac’s jaw dropped when he saw his sister get out of the weird machine. His eyes then narrowed when he saw Isaac. “Howdy Mac.” She said with a smile. “What’s he doing here?” He asked as he bit on the piece of hay in his mouth. Applejack glared at the farmer. “Ah won’t hear none of that. Isaac is gonna help us out with this here tree.” “Ah don’t need no help.” He said as he cracked his back. “You’ll never get it out that way.” Isaac said as he grabbed the winch. “That thing has probably got roots that go at least a few meters down. It’d be impossible to get them all out by digging.” Mac frowned at the man. “With this we’ll be able to get it out in no time.” The man grabbed the hook and wrapped it around the trunk of the dead tree. “You two stand back. I don’t want the cable to snap.” He said as he got into the vehicle. The two farmers ducked behind a tree and heard the truck roar to life. The vehicle started to move back and the cable became taught. The dead tree started to crack and lean. Soon the tree uprooted and was dragged out of its hole. The man cut the engine and walked out as the farmers examined the work. “Woo doggy!” AJ yelled. “That there is a nifty gizmo ya got there.” “It comes in handy.” He said as he unhooked the cable from the trunk. “Now we gotta chop it up.” Isaac walked back to the car and pulled out another odd device. It was bulky near the handle while the other end was smooth and seemed to have a chain with jagged edges running over and under it. “What in the hay is that thing?” “Chainsaw.” He said as he pulled out three pairs of earmuffs. “Hopefully these will cover your ears.” The two siblings looked at one another and put them on. Their ears fit uncomfortably inside the padded objects. The human set it on the ground and pulled the cord. The machine roared to life and the chain moved rapidly. Isaac walked over to one of the branches and the saw cut through it like butter. The farmers blinked as the human continued the action. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across town the seamstress was hard at work assessing the damage to the man’s uniform. Several bite marks were over the fabric surface. The mare heard the door open and saw the lavender mare. “Hey Rarity.” Twilight said with a smile. “Hello Twilight.” Rarity smiled. “How can I help you?” “I just wanted to see how you were doing on Isaac’s suit.” The white mare sighed. “Nothing I can’t fix. Although those pests certainly did a number on it.” She said as they walked over to the table that housed the uniform. The mare reached inside the pocket and put her slender finger through one of the holes the bugs had made. “I mean honestly, look at the damage.” As the mare removed her finger she felt something hard inside the pocket. The mare reached back inside and felt something hard and circular. The mare pulled it out and looked at it. Twilight had the same confused look on her face. “Is that ring?” Twilight asked. The small band was polished silver and had a bright red ruby in the center. The white mare gave a nod and levitated it over to a table with a table mounted magnifying glass. She looked it over and something caught her eye. “There’s something written on the back of the band.” Rarity said as she focused. You are the Scarlet flame that lights my way through the darkness. Twilight perked up at the words. “Doesn’t that sound familiar to you?” Rarity asked. “Yeah. I think he mentioned it while we were in the ruins.” Twilight said as she put a finger to her chin. “Somethings not right.” “Should we ask him?” Rarity asked. “No, he’d probably just stone wall us.” Twilight said. “Let’s just keep this between us for now and we’ll decide what to do about it later.” The mare nodded as she put the ring back in the suit’s pocket and closed the hole with a thread. “So are you two okay?” “Frankly I don’t know.” Rarity said with a sigh. “I’ve thought about it and I realize that it was wrong of me to do that why he was in such a...delicate state.” She said as her hears flopped down. “It also wasn’t fair to Spike.” Twilight gave a nod. “I just need to think.” The lavender mare put a hand on her shoulder before leaving the mare to her work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The three workers braked for lunch and were each eating a sandwich. AJ and Isaac were sitting on the porch next to each other while Mac sat underneath a tree. “So why can’t you use that gizmo of yours too often?” AJ asked after sipping some cider. “I have to conserve gasoline. I can’t just go down to the local gas station and refill it.” He said as he ate his sandwich. “And that gas stuff is what makes your car go right?” “Yeah, its like,” He thought for a moment. “the gasoline and oil is like the blood for the machine. It needs to be changed and refilled from time to time. Since I can’t just go buy more, I need to conserve it.” “Ah get it.” The man still had a blank look on his face. “Something on yer mind?” “Sorta. I dropped my uniform off at Rarity’s after being chomped on by parasprites.” He said as he sipped his water. “Just worried that she might do something to it.” “Ah doubt Rarity would do something like that.” The farmer said. “Look, Rarity gets on my nerves at times too, but she’s an okay gal.” The man sighed. “Don’t tell me your still hung up on what happened with Spike.” “I don’t know. I’m just angry at myself.” “How come?” “I was in Spike’s situation one time and it felt like shit. I promised myself that I’d never do that to someone and look what happened.” AJ put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s bugging me even more is why you and Dash haven’t kicked the crap out of me yet.” The mare raised an eyebrow at the man. “Why would we do a thing like that?” The man looked at her in confusion. “Okay, lets recap.” He said as he faced the mare. “Since you and Dash made this ‘deal’ with me I’ve slept with Vinyl, Spitfire, Fluttershy and Rarity.” He said as he stuck out a finger for each. “That’s four times I’ve cheated on you and you two haven’t done anything to get back at me. What gives?” The mare chuckled. “Care to share the joke?” “Oh darlin, you gotta catch up on how things run around here.” She laughed. “It’s far from uncommon for a stallion to see more than one mare.” “Yeah I got that part.” “So, why are you complaining about expanding your herd.” The man looked at the mare in surprise. “My what?” He yelled as the farmer face palmed. “A herd is when several mares take an interest in one stallion. That group can be expanded pending on the stallion.” Isaac processed the information. “So what you’re saying is that I can have sex with any mare and you all won’t kick my ass?” “Ah wouldn’t say that.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “So I’d have to get the other group members say so if I wanted to expand this herd thing?” “Normally no, but ah’d like to get a heads up about it.” She scrunched her nose. “Ah got no problems with Shy, Dash or Rarity. Vinyl seems like an okay gal, even though ah don’t know her that well.” She said as she scratched her chin. “That Wonderbolt on the other hand-” “That I’m pretty sure was a one time thing.” Isaac clarified. The mare sighed. “I’m sorry about all of these.....awkward questions. I’m still getting used to this world’s rules and traditions.” “Don’t fret sugar cube. You’ll get used to it.” She said as she gave him a hard slap on the back. “Thanks. Just one more thing.” The mare looked at him in anticipation. “You remember the last time that you, Dash and I....you know.” He said with a blush. “Yeah, how could ah forget that?” She said with a sly grin. “I think Dash said, ‘just like old times.’ What was that about?” The farmer’s face flushed a deep red at the words. “Um...nothing. Just pillow talk.” She tried to lie. “AJ I know you’re lying.” He said as he looked at her face. “What aren’t you telling me?” The mare sighed and swallowed her pride. “Promise not to judge me?” “Pinkie promise.” He said as he stuck out his pinkie finger. “What the hay are you doing?” “This is a pinkie promise from where I’m from.” He said as he looked at his hand. “Just wrap yours around mine.” The mare shrugged and complied. “Mighty weird way of doing things.” “Weirder then doing a rhyme and an assortment of hand gestures?” He raised an eyebrow. “Fair enough.” She said as she let go. “You know about heat right?” “You mean when your sexual desires go into overdrive right?” “Yeah, well before you showed up, Dash and I would....‘help each other out’ if ya catch my drift.” The man’s jaw dropped at the thought. “You mean that you two would-” “Ya don’t have to say it.” She said as she crossed her arms and a blush appeared on her face. “We were hormonal.” “I’m not judging AJ. Granted I’m a little surprised, but not disgusted.” He said. “There aren’t that many good stallions around so we made due with what we had.” “What about the others?” He asked in a hesitant tone. “Have you-” He was cut off as AJ punched him in the crotch. “Ow!” He said in a high pitched tone. “No! No pony knows about it ya here and if your smart then it’ll stay that way.” She said as she glared at him. “No problem.” He said as he stood up and started walking the pain off. “Fuck that hurt.” “Sorry sugar cube.” She said as she stood up. “I’ve taken worst hits.” He groaned. “So now what?” “Mac and I can handle the rest. Ya can take the rest of the day off.” “You sure?” The mare nodded and handed him a small bag of bits. “Cool see ya later.” The man put the small bag in his pocket and made his way back towards his truck. As he packed the chainsaw in the back Mac approached him. “Hey Mac.” “Listen,” The man said as he rubbed the back of his head. “ah’ve been treat’n ya unfairly and ah’m mighty sorry about that.” Isaac let his guard down. “Ya don’t seem like a bad guy and AJ seems to trust ya so ah guess ah can to.” “No problem Mac.” The stallion then sharpened his gaze. “But, if you hurt mah sis then I’ll snap ya over mah knee like a dry twig.” Isaac gulped as he looked at the hulking stallion. “Are we clear?” “C-crystal.” Isaac said as he forced a smile. “Good.” The stallion said as he smiled and gave him a hard slap on the back. Isaac groaned as he felt the bruise forming. The man got in his truck and started to drive back down the road. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two blurs run towards the road and out in front of the man’s vehicle. Isaac slammed on the brakes and the machine came to a stop. He quickly got out and saw that the bumper was two inches away from the orange Pegasus filly and yellow farmer. “Are you two okay?” Isaac said with worry. “I didn’t hit you did I?” “No, but we need your help!” Applebloom yelled. “What’s up?” “We were on our way back from the club house,” The Pegasus started. “then a manticore came out of nowhere and started to chase us!” Isaac gulped at the words. “Sweetie Belle got separated from us and ran into the Everfree forest. We ran here to get help.” Isaac’s mind quickly thought of something. “Scootaloo, go tell Mac and AJ what happened.” “On it!” The filly said as she ran down the orchard path. “Applebloom get in!” The filly nodded and hoped into the passenger seat. “Where did you guys run out from?” He said as he pressed the gas pedal and rocketed forwards. “Near the club house.” The man shifted gears and the two shot down the road and made it to the small club house. The man quickly got out and opened the back door. He lifted the entire back seat forwards and pulled out a large black plastic box. “What’s that?” “Insurance.” The man pulled out a long barreled object and a few small red cylinders. He closed the door and pulled out his keys. “Look Applebloom.” He said as he looked at the filly. “If we get separated in anyway, run back here, get in the car and press the center of the steering wheel.” He said as pointed to the object. “Its gonna make a lot of noise and hopefully someone will hear it. When they get here, tell them what happened okay?” “Got it.” She said as he gave her the keys. The man inserted a few of the cylinders into the gun and the filly heard a loud cocking noise. The two ventured into the forest with the filly leading the man through the thicket. “Sweetie Belle!” The filly yelled. “Come out Sweetie!” Isaac yelled as they went deeper into the woods. Applebloom’s ears perked up and stopped moving. “Something wrong?” “Shhh!” The filly said as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing. He left ear turned and she looked in that direction. “There!” The two ran forwards into the thicket. As they got closer the human could hear the cries from the Unicorn filly. The human gasped as he saw the filly halfway up a tree with the manticore circling it. The large cat jumped and tried to dig its razor sharp nails into the wood in order to get to its prey. Sweetie had tears running from her face as she held on to the main stem of the tree. The human crouched next to the worried yellow filly and whispered. “Bloom, when I get the manticore away from the tree, lead Sweetie back to my truck and lock the doors. Got it?” “What about you?” She asked in a worried tone. “I’ll be fine.” He said as he stood out of the bushes and aimed the gun at the manticore. He made a high pitched whistle and the manticore turned to see the human. “C’mon, you son of a bitch.” He said as he cocked the gun. The human ran away with the beast in hot pursuit. “Bloom run now!” The filly nodded and ran towards her friend. The Unicorn whimpered as she slowly climbed down the tree and hugged her friend. “C’mon, we gotta go!” The farmer yelled. “What about Isaac?” Sweetie said with a sniffle. “He’s gonna be fine. C’mon!” she said as she grabbed her friend by the hand and the two ran back towards the vehicle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the human ran he could make out the sound of his car horn being honked. The man looked behind him and saw that the manticore was nowhere to be seen. The human stopped running and started panting. He kept his finger on the trigger and looked around. The human heard rustling in the bushes and raised his gun. “Okay, I know your game.” He said as he took a few deep breaths. Silence enveloped the area. The human honed his concentration and slowed his breathing. He heard a rustling in the bushes ahead of him. He tightened the butt of the gun against his shoulder. Isaac waited for the beast to emerge from the thicket. Something went off in his brain and the man sighed. He tilted his head to the left and looked to see a pair of dark brown eyes looking at him through the bushes. “Clever girl.” As he turned the rifle, the beast leapt at him. Isaac felt the beasts body crash into his own and the beast was bearing down on him. The man shoved the gun into the beasts mouth in an effort to prevent it from biting him. The man’s arms were screaming in pain as the beast applied more force. Isaac slammed his knee into the beast’s rib cage. The manticore roared in pain and the man rolled out from underneath the beast. The beast aimed its tail at the man. Isaac dodged the poisoned tip and fired the round at the manticore who dodged the blast. Isaac cocked the gun and aimed it at the monster. As the human pulled the trigger he heard a clicking noise. “Shit!” He said as he rifled through his pockets to find another shell. The beast took the moment to launch itself at the human. The beast’s claws knocked the gun from the man’s hands. Isaac quickly scurried away from the beast. The manticore looked at the human and down at the gun a few feet away from him several times. Manticores weren’t smart, but weren’t dumb either. This one had just figured out that the human was useless without the weapon. The beast growled and looked at the man. The two locked eyes and each got into a pouncing position. The two moved in a circular formation. The man cracked his knuckles and eyed the gun. The human let out a long held breath and got ready to move. The manticore’s eyes were locked onto the man’s every movement and adjusted itself accordingly. The two looked at each other one last time before they both launched themselves at each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two fillies sat in the vehicle as the apple farmer pounded on the steering wheel. Sweetie was looking around the vehicle. “So what is this thing?” Sweetie asked. “Ah’m not too sure. Isaac said that humans use it to get around.” “Like trains?” “Yeah, ah guess.” Sweetie looked at the radio and pressed a few buttons. “Whatcha doin?” “I don’t know. This looks like a radio.” She said as she turned the knobs. The two heard nothing but static. The Unicorn kept turning the dial. “Applebloom? You here?” The filly stopped honking the horn and got out of the car. The two quickly ran towards the farmer, scholar and seamstress. “Oh thank Celestia.” The farmer said as she hugged her sister. The fashionista hugged her sister and looked her over. “Are you hurt?” She asked in a frantic tone. “I’m fine.” Sweetie smiled. “Where’s Isaac?” Twilight asked. “He lured the manticore away.” Applebloom said. The mares looked at one another and gulped. “You don’t think he got eaten did you?” Rarity asked in a concerned tone. “C’mon Rarity. Give me some credit.” The group looked towards the thicket and saw the man walking out with the gun in hand. The group was about to wrap him in a tight hug when they saw that he was drenched from head to toe in red liquid. “Its gonna take a lot more than some overgrown cat to take me out.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Isaac, what’s all that stuff?” Twilight asked as she pointed to the red stains. “Manticore blood.” He said as he brushed himself off. “What did you do?” AJ asked. He looked at her with an ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face. “Um AJ, I’m covered in it’s blood. What do you think happened? I killed it.” The scholar gulped. “Oh don’t give me that. You all should know by now how I deal with pests.” He said as he walked back to his vehicle. The man put the gun away and pulled out a plastic bag. “What’s that?” The farmer asked. “Change of clothes. I always have a spare set. Ya know, for emergencies.” He said as he walked to the other side of the vehicle. The human quickly got changed and returned wearing a white cotton T-shirt with a pair of khaki shorts on. “Hope this blood comes out.” He said as he put the bag in the back of the car. “Well, we’d better get going.” AJ said. “You guys need a lift?” He asked as he got in. “This thing holds six people.” The mares shrugged and got inside. Rarity was in the passenger seat with Sweetie sitting between her and the man. AJ, Twilight and Applebloom were in the back. “I must say that these seats are comfortable.” Rarity chimed. “Gotta love mechanical engineering.” Isaac said as he pulled up to the farm and dropped the farmers off. “So this is what humans use to get around?” Twilight asked. “Yeah. We use these daily.” He said with a smile. The human dropped the scholar off and headed towards the boutique. Rarity sighed and tapped her sister on the shoulder as the human stopped the vehicle. “Sweetie why don’t you go inside? There’s something I need to talk about with Isaac.” “Okay Rarity.” She smiled. “Thanks for saving me Isaac.” The man nodded and the girl got out of the car. A silence fell over the two as Rarity tried to find the right words. She was about to speak when the man cut her off. “I’m sorry.” He said with a sigh. “Pardon?” “I’m sorry I’ve been so...difficult with you as of late.” Isaac said as he turned to look at the mare. “It’s just that,” He tried to find the right words. “in the seventh grade, I liked this girl in my algebra class. Blonde hair, blue eyes, really cute laugh.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I told one of my friends about her and I was going to ask her out.” “Got cold feet?” Rarity asked. “Nope. Just before I was going to, I heard that my friend beat me to it after he said that he wouldn’t.” Isaac grumbled. “Needless to say, I didn’t hang around with him much after that. I promised myself that I’d never do that to someone and when we...ya know.” He said as he made a few gestures with his hands. “I hated myself for that and I was just trying to put the blame on someone else. Namely you.” The mare nodded. “Well, it was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that after you opened up to me about your parents.” She sighed. “I never meant to hurt you or Spike. I truly didn’t” She sighed. “I honestly don’t blame you for hating me. Especially after what transpired yesterday.” She said with a sigh. “Its fine. I had it coming.” He shrugged. The man then got out of the vehicle and opened the passenger door for the mare. Rarity nodded and wrapped him in a hug. The human returned it and smiled as she gave him a small peck on the cheek. “Look Rarity, before anything else happens between us.” He said with a blush on his face. “I think that we should both talk to Spike about what happened. Just to clear the air you know?” “I couldn’t agree more.” She said as she led him inside her shop. “Oh that reminds me. I finished repairing your Uniform.” The mare levitated the hanging uniform over onto the table the man looked it over and his jaw dropped. “Did I do something wrong?” “Absolutely not! Looks just like the day I got it.” He said with enthusiasm. “Happy to hear it darling.” She chimed. “Although I think it’s due for a resizing.” She said as she compared the man’s body to the suit. “How about tomorrow?” “Sorry dear, but I’ve just gotten a huge order from a client and I have to get it filled post haste.” “Its fine. We can do it when you’ve got some breathing room. I know you have a business to run.” Rarity then remembered the ring she had found. The mare bit her lip as she remembered what she and the scholar talked about. “Something up?” “Yes, while repairing your outfit I happened to find this.” She said as she levitated the small ring into her hand. Isaac looked at the mare’s hand. The human’s eyes went wide and shrank to the size of pin tips in a flash. His skin went pale and his usually calm blue eyes were filled with anxiety almost like he was afraid of something. “Are you alright dear?” “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” He said s he took the ring and shoved it into his pocket. “Just one of my mom’s old rings.” He said with a fake smile. “I thought I lost that ages ago.” He grinned nervously. “So how much do I owe you for the repairs.” “No charge. Consider it a peace offering in patching things up.” She waved him off. The human said his goodbyes and drove back to his home. The human parked his car in the garage and made his way inside. “Fuck!” He yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. The human groaned and tossed his uniform on the couch. The human then made his way into the shower to wash any remaining blood off his body. As the man saw the bloody water swirl down the drain his mind flashed back to what had happened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human dove towards his gun and ducked as the manticore jumped over him. Isaac grabbed the gun and pointed it at the beast. The large cat dug its hind legs into the ground before pouncing towards the man. The human fumbled with the last shell he had in his hand. In an act of desperation he aimed the gun forwards and pulled the trigger. What the man saw next would have probably impressed the lunar Princess. A bright silver ball of magic came erupting out of the end of the barrel. The blast hit the manticore and the body suddenly looked as though someone had lit it on fire and a hole the size of a large marble went straight through the animal’s chest. As the body fell on the man, Isaac felt the warm blood pouring out of it and onto his body. The man quickly crawled out from underneath the body and panted. “What the hell was that?” He said as he looked down at his gun. The human then approached the beast and poked its snout with the end of the rifle barrel. No response. The human then slammed the rifle butt into the beast’s ribcage. Nothing happened. The man let out a sigh of relief and looked at the beast. The man looked past the beast and his eyes shrank. The tree that was behind the manticore when it was hit by the blast had been completely decimated. Only half of the tree was still standing and the other half was slowly catching fire. Isaac quickly made his way over and smothered the silver flames. The human was about to head home when he remembered that he was running low on meat. He looked at the manticore and shrugged as he grabbed it by the crook of its neck and started to slowly haul it back to the truck. When he reached the edged he saw the fillies running out of the truck towards their older sisters. He quickly grabbed some fallen branches and covered the body before making his way out to the mares. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac waited an hour later until the sun started to go down. He grabbed a large amount of tarps and cleared a space in his garage. The man started his Truck and lined the bed with more tarps. The man silently made his way back towards the forest and grabbed a flash light. The human went back into the thicket where he had hidden the manticore body. Some flies had flown around the body. The man put a bandana over his face in an effort to stifle the smell. And I thought this thing smelt bad on the outside. He groaned as he heaved the body towards the car. He hauled it in the back of his tarp covered truck bed and got inside the cab. Isaac drove slowly in an effort not to draw attention to himself. The man parked in his garage and quickly hauled the body out of his truck. The human quickly grabbed a smock, paint mask, rubber gloves and an assortment of knives. The man looked at the manticore and cracked his neck. Isaac pulled out a book he had gotten from the library detailing manticore anatomy. “Okay, show me what you got.” He said as he pulled out his knife and started to work on the large beast. The human skinned it and removed the organs. He set them aside and would dispose of them later. Hours later the human walked inside his home with a few plastic bags of meet in them. Isaac set them in the fridge and grabbed a pale of water and mop before heading back to the remains of the beast. Author's Note Merry X-mas or whatever winter time holiday you guys celebrate. Chapter 30: Learning and RematchChapter 30 Learning and Rematch Isaac was in a white collared shirt, brown jacket and a matching tie as he walked up to the school house where Cherilee was busy organizing her papers. He tapped on the door and the mare waved him in. “I’m not late am I?” He asked. “No, we’ve still got ten minutes till the children get here.” she said as he put some books down on the desk. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.” “No problem. Never thought I’d be a teacher.” “Really?” “Yeah. I was a trouble maker back in school.” He chuckled. “Swapped book sleeves, spit balls, giving the teacher a hard time, you name it I’ve done it.” He grinned. “Irony is a funny thing.” Cherilee shared the humor and the two continued setting things up. Twilight brought along a projector. Isaac managed to rig it to his laptop so that he could use the slide show he had designed. Soon, the foals started to gather in the classroom. Most of them were captivated by the projector and odd device it was hooked up to. Twilight was sitting off to the side along with Lyra who had shown up three minutes prior. “Alright class settle down.” Cherilee said. The class mates quieted down and a blue Pegasus colt with a grey mane raised his hand. “Yes, Rumble?” “What’s that thing for?” He asked as he pointed to the alien device. “Excellent question.” The mare smiled. “We have a treat for you all today.” Isaac waited outside the room and checked his shirt and tie once more. “We are going to learn about the human race.” Several children looked at each other in confusion as the CMC bumped fists. Cherilee motioned for the human to walk in. Isaac cracked his neck and entered the class. The man saw several surprised faces. Among the crowd were three familiar fillies beaming with delight. “Morning.” He said as he cleared his throat. He grabbed a piece of chalk and made his way up to the board. “My name is Mr-” He paused as he bit his lip. “Since my last name is too tricky to say you can Call me Isaac, Mr. I or if you feel so inclined, Oh Captain my Captain.” Several students looked at one another in confusion. “Any who, your teacher Ms. Cherilee has graciously offered me the chance to teach you all about humans.” The children all smiled. “Now I hope to keep this as entertaining as possible. So I’ve enlisted the help of Twilight Sparkle, the town librarian.” He motioned towards the mare who waved. “So without further ado lets get on with it.” The man started up his laptop and luckily the technology was compatible. Isaac started talking about the neanderthals and cave men. Several students chuckled as he did an almost accurate interpretation of their mannerisms. After three hours of the lecture the bell rang and the children went to lunch. Isaac let out a long sigh and sat back in the chair and loosened his tie. “I gotta tell ya Cherilee, I don’t know how you do it everyday.” He said as he pulled out his thermos filled with soup. “Here I thought teaching was easy.” “Lots of practice and the fact that it’s my special talent helps.” Isaac raised an eyebrow as she rolled up her sleeve to show three sunflowers with smiling faces on it. “Hey, where’s the restroom? Wanna wash my hands before I eat.” “Out in the hallway. Third door on the left.” Isaac nodded and went off to relieve himself. The teacher was then left alone with the lavender and teal mare. “So what did you two think?” “The lesson was certainly interesting.” Twilight chimed. “Yeah, I got some awesome notes!” Lyra chimed as she took a bite into her sandwich. Twilight spied the thermos and levitated it over to herself. “What’s that?” “Isaac’s lunch.” She said as she opened the lid and saw what looked like noodles floating in a brown broth. “Soup.” She said as Lyra looked at it. The two looked closer when they saw a brown thing float to the top. “What’s that?” Cherilee took a spoon out and fished the object out of the broth. The teacher gave a sniff and shook her head. “It has an interesting scent.” “Oi!” The three mares looked back towards the doorway to see the man making his way into the classroom. “Mind not dissecting my food?” He said as he sat back down and took the thermos back. “Um what was that?” Cherilee asked as the human scooped up some noodles and shoved them in his mouth. “Ramen noodles with some meat.” Cherilee gulped. “What? I said that humans are omnivores in my lecture.” He said as he swallowed. “What kind of meat is it?” Lyra asked. “Relax, its no one you know.” The three mares went pale in the face at the words. The man almost fell out of his chair in laughter. “I’m kidding. Relax, I’d never eat a pony.” The mares all let out a sigh as Twilight frowned. “So what kind of meat is it?” Isaac thought for a moment and sighed. “Promise you won’t freak out?” “That depends.” “Its manticore.” He said as he took another bite. Lyra gave a laugh. “Ha! You almost had me that time.” “I’m not joking.” “Oh come on.” Cherilee said as she rolled her eyes. “Where would you get manticore meat?” “From the one that I killed two days ago.” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she remembered the man covered in blood. “It was in self defense and leaving it there to rot just seemed like such a waste.” He said as he took another bite. “Fluttershy is going to be pissed.” “So don’t tell her.” He said in a flat tone. “You killed an animal!” Cherilee yelled. “Yeah so? The thing was gonna make Sweetie Belle and I its lunch if I didn’t do something.” He shrugged. “Besides, its not like manticores are an endangered species or anything.” The group was cut off as Rumble came running inside. “Um, Ms. Cherilee.” The boy said with a gulp. “Yes, Rumble? Is something wrong?” “Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara are fighting.” The adults immediately look outside to see the foals crowding around a space. The group immediately bolted up and ran outside towards the spectacle. As they drew closer, Isaac could see over the kids’ heads and saw the orange and pink fillies on the ground beating each other up. On the far edge of the circle he could make out a white colt crying and Rumble trying to comfort him. The man frowned and made his way through the crowd until he got to the fight. He reached in and yanked both fillies out of the scuffle by their tails. He set them both down and stood in between them with his arms crossed. “What is going on here?” He yelled in a tone that could be on par with Luna’s royal canterlot voice. The crowd fell silent and the man heard several of the students gulp. “She started it!” Tiara yelled. “No, I didn’t!” Scootaloo would tackle the filly if Applebloom and Sweetie hadn’t held her back. “I’m gonna kick your ass!” “Enough! Both of you shut the hell up and sit down! If anyones going to kick anyone’s ass, its going to be me!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. Scootaloo immediately stopped squirming and froze on the spot. The man took a deep breath and calmed himself. Lyra and Twilight broke up the group and led them back inside. “Sorry for the language Cherilee.” He said as he wiped his forehead. “Oh trust me I’ve heard far worse come from some of my students.” She sighed. The mare then turned her attention to the fillies. “Meet me after class.” She said in a flat tone. Cherilee walked Diamond back who stuck her tongue out at the filly. Scootaloo growled and would have started another fight if the man hadn’t put a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as she dusted herself off. “Sorry for pulling your tail. Really didn’t see another way for me to get in there.” “It’s fine. I’m not Sweetie Belle so I don’t really care.” She shrugged. Isaac shrugged and walked her back inside. The rest of the day was normal. The human continued his lesson and caught the two fillies exchanging dirty looks at one another. The final bell rang and the two fillies remained as the rest went home. Lyra and Twilight left the room with the other foals. Cherilee sat at her desk and looked at the two. “Now what happened?” Cherilee asked. “She started it!” Tiara yelled. “No I didn’t, she-” The orange filly was cut off as Isaac slammed his hand on the desk. The two fillies gulped. “Shut it!” He said with daggers in his eyes. “The next one of you that talks out of turn is gonna get the belt.” Both fillies sat up straight and could feel their blood run cold. Isaac pulled out a bit and placed it on his thumb. “Scootaloo. Heads or tails?” “Um..heads.” The man flipped the coin in the air and caught it in his palm the man then placed it on the back of his left hand. He removed the hand to show Celestia’s face. “Okay, you go first.” Tiara pouted. “Diamond Tiara, wait outside until Scootaloo is finished.” He said as he glared at the pink filly. Tiara grunted and walked out the door. Cherilee stood guard by the door to make sure that the pink filly didn’t try to run. “Now Scootaloo, in a calm way. Tell us what happened.” “Okay.” The filly took a moment to gather her thoughts. “So Applebloom, Sweetie and I were having lunch with Rumble and Pipsqueak.” “Who?” “The white earth pony colt with the brown spot on his eye.” Cherilee stated. “You mean the kid who was talking with a pirate accent?” The mare nodded. “Okay, then what?” “We were just talking. The Diamond comes over and starts making fun of him for no reason then he started to cry.” She said with a grunt. “What kind of things was she teasing him about?” “How his parents don’t want him or some stupid made up thing like that.” Isaac’s jaw dropped. “He’s adopted?” “No, but I think that Pip’s mom died giving birth to him and his dad is in the royal guard.” The filly scratched her scalp. “So his dad isn’t around a lot?” The filly nodded. “Don’t tell me that he’s living on the streets.” “No, he usually stays with Rumble and his family.” Isaac gave a sigh of relief. “Okay, so how does this all tie together?” Scootaloo sighed. “Well, I think that his dad was supposed to be home a few weeks ago, but he didn’t come.” Isaac felt an old pain in his chest rising up again. “I think Pip told me he went MIA or something like that. I’m not really sure what that means.” “I see.” Isaac said as he folded his hands. “So I’m guessing that’s when you attacked Diamond Tiara.” “It was her fault!” She yelled. “Everypony knows how much his dad means to him and then she goes and starts saying crap-” “Language.” Cherilee stated. “Fine, saying bad things about him! Who does that?” The filly panted and calmed down. “She doesn’t have the right to talk to ponies like that.” “You’re right, but that doesn’t give you the right to punch your classmates.” Isaac said with a sigh. “You’re siding with her?” Scootaloo yelled. “No, I’m not deciding anything until I get the full story.” He said with a sigh. “Besides, Ms.Cherilee is your teacher so its up to her.” “Your punishment will be decided tomorrow.” The mare said. “Run along home and get some rest.” “Fine.” She got to her feet and grabbed her bag before running out. “What does that term mean? MIA?” Cherilee asked. “Seriously you don’t know?” Isaac said in surprise. Cherilee had a guilty smile on her face. “It means Missing In Action. It’s when a soldier goes missing and a search team is mobilized to look for him.” Cherilee gulped. The mare then waved Diamond Tiara in and she took a seat in front of the two. “Now Diamond Tiara, according to Scootaloo’s story you said some nasty things to Pip regarding his family.” Isaac said as he adjusted his glasses. “That true?” “So what if it is?” Isaac frowned at the filly. “Why?” “Why not?” Her words could give manticore venom a run for their money. “Not my fault he’s such a crybaby.” Than man saw no remorse or guilt in her eyes. “That doesn’t give you the right to ridicule somebody....somepony like that.” “Um why are we even having this conversation?” “Pardon?” The human raised an eyebrow. “I mean why should I be listening to you in class anyway?” She said as she crossed her arms. “Not like there are any other apes walking around.” “Diamond Tiara!” Cherilee yelled. “Just stating a fact.” She said as she got up. “I’m out of here.” Isaac could feel his blood boiling as she closed the door behind her. “I am so sorry about that Isaac.” Cherilee said. “This isn’t the first time Diamond Tiara has done something like this.” “It’s fine.” He said as he sighed. “I’m gonna go around and talk to the other students. See if Scootaloo’s story checks out.” “I doubt it. You know how kids don’t like telling on one another.” She sighed. “I can be very persuasive.” He smiled. The man exited the school house and made his way towards the boutique. The man entered to see Rarity asleep at her desk with a pencil behind her ear and her glasses askew on her face. A small pool of drool was present on the desk. Isaac grinned and gently nudged her shoulder. The mare stirred and saw the man chuckling. “You got something here.” He said as he pointed to his cheek. “Oh I’m terribly sorry dear.” She said as she rubbed her cheek. “I must have dozed off. Is there something I can help you with?” “I’m wondering if Sweetie Belle is in.” “Why?” “There was a scuffle at the school today and I just need to get a better idea about what happened.” Rarity put her hand to her mouth in surprise. “Was Sweetie in it?” “No, it was between Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara.” Rarity’s face turned sour. “I take it you know her?” “I know of her.” She grimaced. “What did she do this time?” “Shot her mouth off and made fun of Pip.” “You mean that sweet earth pony colt with the pirate accent?” Isaac gave a nod. “I see. She’s in her room.” The man nodded and made his way up towards the rooms. He gave a soft knock on the far door. “Who’s there?” A familiar voice said. “Its Isaac. Mind if I come in?” He waited for the door to open revealing the small filly. “Hey!” She said in her usual high pitched voice. “Hey Sweetie. Look, I talked to Scootaloo about the fight and I waned to hear what happened.” “Um. What did Scootaloo say?” She asked as she adverted her eyes. “I’ll tell you after I hear your viewpoint.” He said as he crossed his arms. Sweetie hung her head and bit her lip. “Is Diamond Tiara really worth protecting?” “No, but I don’t want to get called a tattle tale.” She shrugged. “Who’s gonna know?” “Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Isaac went through the Pinkie Promise gestures and smiled. “Okay.” The filly then told the precise retelling of the orange filly’s story. “Figured that’s what happened. Scootaloo said the same thing.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Thanks for the info Sweetie. Oh and before I go, do you know where Pip lives?” “Yeah, he usually stays with Rumble.” She said as she walked over to the window. Isaac stood next to her as she pointed to a light blue house. “There it is.” “Okay. Thanks.” He said with a wave. The man gave Rarity a friendly nod as he exited the boutique. Isaac walked up to the house and knocked on the front door. The wooden door swung open to reveal a dark Pegasus stallion with a white mane styled in a mohawk. “Thunderlane?” The human had met the stallion once or twice and had heard stories from Dash. “Sup dude?” He asked in his typical laid back attitude. “What are you doing here?” “Um, I live here.” “Really?” Isaac thought for a moment. “Oh, you and Rumble must be brothers.” “Bingo. So what’s up?” He asked as he leaned on the door frame. “Not sure if Rumble told you, but there was a small scuffle at school today.” “Yeah Rumble mentioned it.” He said as he scratched his head. “He ain’t in trouble is he?” “No, nothing of the sort. I just want to see how Pip is doing.” Thunderlane sighed. “He’s okay for the moment. Poor guy was pretty sad.” He said as he bit his lip. “Mind if I talk to him? My dad was in the military so I know what he’s going through.” The stallion shrugged and led him inside. Isaac spied the two colts sitting on the couch watching TV. “Yo Rumble.” Thunderlane said. The two colts looked towards the stallion and saw the man. “Mind giving me a hand with something?” “Sure bro.” The colt said as he got up and followed the larger Pegasus out of the room. Isaac scratched his head and let out a sigh. “Look Pip, I know that we don’t really know each other at all.” He said as he sat down next to him. “But I know what Tiara said and I know how you feel.” The colt hung his head. “I get it. My dad was in the military too.” “Did he ever not come home?” Isaac ran a hand through his brown hair and sighed. “Yeah, once when I was fourteen. Went missing for over three months.” Pip looked at him in astonishment. “Did he come back?” Pip asked. “Around the fifth month I’d almost given up hope. Then when I came home from school, there he was sitting in the living room.” He smiled. “How long has your dad been in the guard?” “Since before I was born.” “Right so he’s got over a decade of experience under his belt.” He said as he put a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever gets thrown at him, I’m sure your old man can take it.” “I know. I’m just....scared.” He said in a low tone. “That’s good. It’s okay to be scared sometimes.” The man said with a smile. “Right now you have to be strong for your dad.” Pip gave a slow and shaky nod. “Also, don’t let Tiara get to you. My opinion, she’s a spoiled brat that needs an attitude adjustment.” The colt gave a chuckle in agreement. Isaac got to his feet and cracked his back. “Just remember, you’ve got Rumble, Thunderlane, their folks and Cherilee to talk to.” “What about you?” “I’m no psychologist, but sure if you want.” The man smiled. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to get going. See you around.” He said with a wave. As he exited he gave Thunderlane a friendly nod. Isaac gave a yawn and made his way home for some well deserved rest. Isaac walked into his home and headed for his kitchen. The human took out some pasta and started boiling some water before taking out the cuts of Manticore meat. He threw them into a pot with some tomato sauce and stirred it. The man perked up when he heard a knock at his door. The human opened the door to see the lunar Princess standing before him. “Um, hey Luna.” The man was just as surprised as he was confused. “Need something?” The Princess had a glum look on her face. “May we come in?” “Sure. Make yourself at home.” He led her inside and returned to his cooking. “Sorry, just making myself dinner.” “It is alright.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac raised an eyebrow at the Princess. “Okay Luna, what’s up? You’re usually never this gloomy.” “Its sort of personal.” Isaac then heard her stomach growl and saw the mare’s cheeks blush. “How about we talk over dinner? Or is it breakfast for you?” Luna gave a nod and took a seat at the round table. “I should mention that I use meat in this.” “Oh that is all right. We’ve had to eat meat when Tia and I visited with the Griffin King.” She said as she levitated the plates, forks and knives over on the table. Isaac served them each a plate of pasta and the sauce covered meat. “Pray tell, what kind of meat is this?” “Manticore.” Luna looked at him in surprise. “I’m assuming that you know Sweetie Belle?” “Is she not Rarity’s little sister?” The man nodded. “How does she fit into this?” “She got cornered by a manticore two days ago. I intervened and the overgrown cat and I had a little game of hide and go shoot. I killed it. Decided that it would be a shame if all that meat went to waste. Hauled it back here, skinned it, gutted it and saved what I could.” He said as he took a bite. “Interesting.” She said as she took a bite and smiled. “I didn’t know you were such a cook.” “I’m no Chef Boyardee, but I make due.” He said as he put his fork down. “Now what did you want to talk about?” Luna sighed and looked at the human. “We came to apologize.” “For?” “How we won the competition between us.” Isaac raised an eyebrow. “We realized that we should not have used our beauty for an advantage.” “Oh that.” He said as he bit his lip. “We hope that you are still not mad at us.” She said with a guilty look on her face. “I was a bit pissed, but its not like I’ve never bent the rules oncer or twice in my days.” He said as he took another bite. “If you want then we could do a rematch. Just to settle things.” “It will have to be quick. I have to appear in the night court soon.” “Night court?” “As Princess of the night it is our duty to ensure peace during the night.” She said as she finished her plate of food. “Okay so it’ll be first to die loses. Sound fair?” He asked with a grin. “Prepare to be thrashed!” She yelled as she summoned her controller. “Since the last match’s outcome was due to my ‘strategy’ I’ll over look the penalty.” “So I don’t have to be your slave for two days?” He asked as he booted up the game. “No, but if you lose this time then the rule will still apply.” She grinned. Isaac booted up a game type and the two Spartans spawned with energy swords with sprint attached. The two avatars kept locking sword blow after sword blow. As Isaac’s character charged, Luna’s jumped and spun in the air. The blue female Spartan then used the sword to air assassinate Isaac’s red Spartan. “Victory!” “Hacks I say!” The man grumbled. “All right Princess you beat me. What do you want?” “We shall have to get back to you about that.” She said with a grin. “We must be off.” “See ya.” The alicorn then vanished in a flash of bright blue light. Isaac yawned and turned off his X-box. The human heard his phone ring and saw that Twilight was calling him. “Yeah Twilight?” “Hey are you doing anything tomorrow?” “Not really. Why?” “The girls and I are going to the Crystal Empire for a few days. I figured that you’d want to see more of Equestria.” “Crystal Empire? As in it’s made entirely out of crystals?” “Yup.” “Sure. Just need to find my shades.” “Excellent! Meet us at the train by 8:00am.” “See ya then.” The human hung up the phone and grabbed a duffle bag. He lazily threw some clothes in a bag and called it a night. Isaac plopped down on his bed and eventually let sleep take him. Author's Note Sorry this took so long. Getting back in the groove of School. If you caught the Dead Poets Society reference then you're awesome! Where All the Stories EndAuthor's Note Okay, now before you read this, might I suggest you check out the most recent blog concerining this fic. If you don't want to then I'll tell you right now that 'Somewhere I Belong' is finished. What you see before you is a summary of all the things I had planned for it and I lack the time and conviction to follow through with it. The post will give more details on this. This is it. Thank you all who have given this story so much support and it's been a fun ride. Where All the Stories End Where All the Stories End. Isaac and the girls traveled to the Crystal Empire to visit Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Upon arrival, Isaac starts exploring and meets Cadence who is disguised by an illusion spell so she won’t get hounded by the paparazzi. When the two part ways, Isaac makes his way into the nearest bar and see’s Skull, the stallion that Blueblood hired to kill him sitting at a table. Isaac discretely has him at gun point and the two start talking. Isaac learns that Skull was once in the Royal guard, but left after receiving an order from above that resulted in his squad getting massacred. Isaac relates to Skull and tell him about his old teammates that died under his watch and that the two are like wolves among sheep. The two bond over drinks until Isaac gets called to meet up at the castle. Upon arrival, he is mistaken for a threat and is attacked when he tries to go through. This results in a 3 on 1 fight between him and three crystal guards. Soon, Shining Armor breaks up the scuffle and is impressed with the human’s fighting style. The human then joins the group for lunch and learns of Cadence’s and Shining’s identities. Twilight then asks what became of Scootaloo after the scuffle at the school yard. He explains to them what transpired between the foals. It is learned that Pip’s father, Orion Shield, is an old friend of Shining’s from his days in the Royal Guard Academy and promises to look into the matter personally. Later that night, Twilight goes to Shining and tells him of Isaac’s reluctance to open up to her or her friends about his past. Shining deduces that he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suggests to leave him be and not force anything, else it could have a serious backlash. Shining also explains that Isaac’s reluctance is rightly placed, much to Twilight’s surprise. He explains that most soldiers shut down their emotions to do their jobs and to prevent that life from haunting them when their tour is over. The next day, Isaac and Rarity decide to talk to Spike face to face about their fling. Isaac is attempting to remain calm as Spike starts yelling and threatening him, even after Rarity and Isaac both admit their guilt. Isaac now at the end of his patience with the drake and says that loss is a part of life and that Spike needs to accept it and grow up. This makes the dragon furious and is about to light the man on fire when the castle is starting to come under attack. The group meets in Cadence’s safe house, a room in the castle that is made to be some sort of fall out shelter. The attackers are revealed to be former servants of King Sombra. Several of the attackers fight their way into the safe room and hold them captive. Isaac is stabbed in the shoulder upon trying to fight his way out and is left for dead. Isaac then receives another visit from Catalyst who explains that the power Isaac needs is buried within him, but does not have the spine to use it. Isaac and his darker half then fuse, becoming one personality with the help of Catalyst who decides to move into Isaac’s body as payment for the fusion and heals his stab wound. This makes Isaac more blood thirsty and merciless. The human then manages to make his way towards the tallest tower, where the girls and dragon are being held. Isaac kills several of the attackers in the process, via gun or telekinesis. The human meets up with Armor and the two clear out the armory before going to the tower. Shining leaves with the guards he and the human freed to retake the castle, while Isaac goes in search of more soldiers. Shining and his men are ambushed by more of the extremists. They take heavy losses before withdrawing. Shining gets a report that the East wing had been cleared by an unknown figure. As they try for another assault they find that the enemy has apparently been wiped out and their wounds suggest telekinetic blades. Shining quickly makes his way to the tower and kicks open the door to see Twilight being held by one of the extremists with a sword to her throat. Shining immediately backs off and drops his weapons. The group then sees another one of the attackers running through the door screaming in fear. An unseen force then drags the stallion back out into the hallway and group hears a gut churning scream before the sound of bones snapping. A blood soaked Isaac then walks through the door with a gun in his right hand. Isaac points the gun at the stallion and says that he’s going to count to ten and either the stallion’s sword or brains would be on the ground. The stallion calls his bluff and Isaac begins to count. After counting to two, he jumps ahead to ten before pulling the trigger and killing the stallion without any harm coming to Twilight. The scholar faints after looking at the dead body of her attacker. The girls all crowd around the scholar and didn’t notice the man exiting the room. After Twilight wakes back up, the group goes in search for the human. Shining see’s one of his men outside the throne room with a spear in hand. He reports to him that Isaac had captured a number of the extremists and is interrogating them. Shining enters the room to see Isaac questioning the captives. The two then do a ‘good cop bad cop’ routine. At first none of the attackers will talk. Isaac becomes impatient and storms off. He comes back a few minutes later with a dead body in hand and making it look like its still alive and starts questioning it before sticking his gun in it’s mouth. He counts to three and fires a bullet into the already dead body. Isaac then looks at the soldier Shining is questioning and says he’s next. Out of pure fear of the man, the soldier begins to tell Armor every detail of their assault. Isaac leaves and heads off to take a shower, leaving a speechless Cadence and elements of Harmony. Hours later, Princess Celestia and Luna arrive to check on the elements. Twilight tells them of the man’s actions. The group goes to confront the man who is calmly relaxing on the bed he was using the night before. Celestia is outraged by his carnage and threatens to banish him from Equestria, should such an incident occur again. Isaac simply replies by saying that he did what he had to do. Later that night, Cadence tells Twilight that when he came in to save her that the others gave off the love pulse, a pulse that ponies give off when they are near somepony they love, but felt nothing coming from the man. Fed up with all of the mystery, Twilight sneaks into Isaac’s room and enters his mind while he’s sleeping. Isaac realizes this and kicks her out of his mind. Not before Twilight sees a much younger looking Isaac happily chatting with a beautiful human woman with dark red hair and wearing the ring Twilight and Rarity found in his uniform. After snapping back to reality, Isaac berates Twilight for going into his mind. The mare yells that its a mystery to her how anypony could ever love a monster like him. The next day, Isaac catches Twilight alone and explains that what Twilight said had no affect on him, because she’s still a child. He explains that she hasn’t the faintest idea of what he’s had to do to survive. He admits that before coming to Equestria that he was due to be married to his girlfriend of three years, but she died when she lost control of the car she was driving and went off a bridge into a frozen river. Her body was most likely swept away by the current. He then says that if Twilight ever tries to go into his head again then there will be hell to pay. The other girls overheard their conversation and they all agree to end their ‘relationship’ with him. Isaac accepts this with a nod and wishes them the best. By the end of his rant he says that all his life he thought he was a survivor, now he decides that he’s a winner and a symbol of humanity’s strength. As he makes his way to the train station, he spies Armor with a large squad. Armor explains that he is going after Pip’s father. Not wanting Shining to end up like him, Isaac pleads with the stallion to stays with Cadence and not go after him. Shining states that he can’t leave his friends to waste away in a prison. Isaac understands and gives him one of his hand guns for good measure and wishes him the best in his mission. The man heads back to Ponyville alone and enters his house. Later that night, he hears a knocking at his door. He finds a battered Isis at his doorstep begging for his help. Isaac learns that Isis had escaped a Changeling slave camp and needed someone to help her spring her captives. Isaac explains to her that he is no longer involved with the Elements or the Princesses, but agrees to help her. He packs a few weapons and teaches Isis how to shoot before going off. The two spend the next month on the road tracking the slavers. The two encounter Skull who reluctantly agrees to helping them. Isaac learns that it was Skull that had cleared out one of the wings during the battle at the castle. One of the lunatics was a target that he’d been assigned to kill. Skull manages to kidnap one of the slavers and get info on what their next destinations are. Skull falls back to get reinforcements from his assassin’s guild, while Isaac and Isis continue to make their way to the ports. Over time the two become closer and Isaac opens up to the Changeling about his past. Isis then reveals that it was her older sister, Chrysalis who attacked Canterlot and Isis is trying to start a new life for herself and her captive friends. The two then catch up to the slavers and Isaac gets a video recording of Blueblood making a deal with the slavers. After the Prince leaves, Skull returns with a handful of loyal guild members. The group descend upon the slavers and free the captive Changelings. Skull admits that he and his friends grow tired of all the killing for coin. Isaac gives them the suggestion of staying with the Changelings, for protection. The night before Isaac plans on making the return trip to Ponyville, Isis approaches him and says that she has to repay him for all he’s done for her. Isis reveals that despite feeding off love, that she is still a virgin and wants Isaac to be her first. The two have sex under the moonlight. Isis asks Isaac why he won’t stay with her and the group. He says that he has to set things right with some old friends, but he promises her that they will see each other again. The Changeling’s give him a magical ring that makes him look like a stallion as a thank you for freeing them from slavery. After a long and hard trek, The human then makes his way back into Ponyville wearing the illusion ring. He observes the group of mares from afar and sees that Spike is forming his own herd with the CMC and are happy together. A lot of the towns folk are dressed in costumes for Nightmare Night. Isaac is then discretely approached by Discord who could easily see through his illusion and has been keeping an eye on Isaac, but has not reported it to the Princesses or the elements. He will continue to do so, if he helps Discord pull off a huge prank on the local populace. The human agrees with enthusiasm and the two recreate a zombie scenario by projecting the man’s thoughts and making it look like that they are attacking. The duo are interrupted by Luna who sees through Isaac’s disguise. Isaac looses his concentration and the zombies vanish. The six mares see Luna and Discord conversing with the stallion they each met earlier. Isaac removed his ring and reveals himself to the mares. The group begins to question him on where he’s been. Isaac just tells them that he’s been traveling around Equestria. He wisely leaves the incidents involving Isis. The human then states that he’s only there for a short while before he goes back out again. Twilight is refusing to talk to him and he learns that after Shining went out on his rescue mission that he too has gone missing, which she blames him for. Luna apologizes for Celestia’s behavior in the empire and agrees that what Isaac did was the best course of action. The alicorn then uses the bet that she won over him to be her ‘escort’ to the Grand Galloping Gala. Isaac agrees and comes up with an idea which he enlists the help of Discord with. The six girls and one dragon get invitations to the gala and they reluctantly go par Celestia’s request. The group is shocked when Isaac shows up as Luna’s date wearing his dress Uniform. Halfway through the night, Isaac sees Blueblood and plays the recording for everyone to see. Celestia and Luna are in utter shock at their nephew’s activities and call a guard squad to arrest him. Blueblood challenges Isaac to a duel for his freedom, a right reserved for royal family members and nobles. If Isaac wins then he will decide Blueblood’s punishment and if Blueblood wins then he will banish Isaac from Equestria forever. Isaac agrees and violently shakes his hand. During the shake, Isaac signals Discord to use the ancient spell ‘Ties of Death’ should one of them try to get out of their punishment, no matter the outcome, then the coward will die. The two agree that they will fight at the Equestria Games that is three months away. Blueblood leaves in a fit of rage and Isaac is looking forward to the fight. Celestia ponders why Isaac did not come to her with the tape before broadcasting it. Isaac states that he knew that Blueblood would try to sweep it under the rug and deny everything. Celestia suggests that Isaac be taught in Equestrian combat for the up coming fight. Isaac turns Luna’s offer down and states that she has more important things to do than train him. Twilight offers her assistance, but Isaac rejects her saying that he couldn’t learn anything from her teaching style. He suggests that Discord train him much to everyone’s shock, including the Chaos lord. He manages to convince both Princesses to let Discord tutor him, stating that Twilight and the others can handle him if he gets out of hand. Isaac and Discord start training, under Twilight’s supervision for only a week before Isaac drugs Twilight’s tea and the two leave Ponyville while she’s napping. Discord then decides to ‘get into the mood’ by transforming himself into a human. When he looks at his reflection it jogs a memory loose. He remembers transforming into this form 1,000 years ago before he was over thrown. Isaac then receives a message from Isis stating that she once again needs his help. Isis and Skull had since formed a large resistance to fight Chrysalis’s rule. At first Isaac wants no part in the rebellion and only to focus on his training. He then hears that the empire recently captured a VIP and plan to use it as leverage on Equestria. He reluctantly agrees and asks Discord to keep the Princesses’ watchful eyes off him. Isaac lets himself get captured by the Changeling and gets thrown in a cell with a battered Shining Armor. Shining is pushed to the limit and thinks about taking his own life when Isaac reminds him of Cadence and Twilight. The two then start a riot as a distraction for the rebellion to swarm in and attack. Chrysalis herself makes an appearance and plays cat and mouse with the human. The two lock horns with Isaac coming out on top as her main army arrives. He ends up decapitating the Queen and is ready to take on the army. The Changelings instead take a knee and swear loyalty to the human and admit that they were forced into attacking Canterlot. Isis states that in the Changeling culture ‘you keep what you kill.’ Isaac orders the release of all the captives and their wounds be treated. One month later, Cadence is in Ponyville to Hearths Warming Eve with Twilight. The group hears a knock at the door and Cadence opens it to see a bandaged Shining. As the group is rejoicing, Orion makes his way towards Rumble’s home. Orion uses a communication gem to talk with Isaac and asks if there’s anything he can do to repay the man. Isaac only says that he should live for those that he loves. Twilight and Cadence then learn that Shining found his way back via the compass that Twilight gave Isaac in the ruins. Another month goes by and the news of the fight had spread all across the globe. Isaac and Discord appear before Blueblood at the last second and the two begin to fight. Discord then tells the group that Isaac spent all of his time on his psychokinetic abilities. The group is amazed as they see Isaac use his powers to increase his strength, speed along with telekinetic flight, and making a forcefield. The fight winds down when the two fighters had exhausted all of their magic. As Isaac delivers the final blow, Blueblood is knocked out and his body armor breaks open to show that it is not Blueblood, but a guard who Blueblood blackmailed into fighting for him. It is revealed that Blueblood was hiding underground since before the human arrived. He then traps Isaac in an illusion where he is back on Earth where his friends and fiance are still with him. Isaac makes the choice of returning to reality by shooting himself in the head. The human attacks the Prince and shows no mercy while he pounds him into the ground with his bare hands. Isaac regains his sanity and stops himself from killing Blueblood. He then states that Blueblood will live, but his rank of Prince will be stripped, his assets will be seized and that he is forever banished from Equestria. As Isaac walks away, Blueblood summons a spear and attempts to stab Isaac in the back. Catalyst takes possession of Isaac’s body and says that Blueblood is unworthy of his life. Catalyst grabs Blueblood and snaps his horn off before making his eyes glow. When he releases Blueblood Catalyst explains that he has removed all of Blueblood’s magical abilities and has taken them for his own. The Prince does not believe him and tries to cast a lethal spell at him, but nothing comes out. Now in control, Catalyst summons six familiars that look similar to Isaac’s old squad. After regaining his senses, Isaac collapses from exhaustion and is caught by the familiar that resembles Doc. The royal guard arrive to take Blueblood away and start to approach Isaac before a group of Changelings rush out from the stands and surround the human in defensive positions. Before another fight can start, Isaac pulls out his weapon and fires it into the air in order to get the crowds attention. The Elements recognize Isis among the Changelings, who reveals herself to be the new Queen and that Isaac is her personal advisor. Celestia tries to intervene but is stopped when she sees that Changelings are holding modified versions of Isaac’s weaponry. The two call a cease fire until Isaac regains his strength. While Doc is tending to Isaac’s injuries he tell the girls that he killed the ponies in the Crystal Empire months ago for their benefit, before he and the other five men vanish. Isis then reveals that it was Isaac who killed Chrysalis, but gave her the title of Queen by fighting her and he surrendered after she had weakly punched him. The Changeling then goes into vivid detail how Isaac had removed the Changelings’ need to feed off of emotion. The powerful spirit of the first Changeling was locked away in an orb, deep inside the Changeling royal castle. The spirit demanded to be fed emotion so that it can one day return to the world of the living. Using it’s collective power, it makes the new ‘batch’ of Changelings into mindless slaves bent on destruction. Isaac intervenes and tells his allied Changelings to give the emotion’s they’ve collected all at once in order to overload the spirit. Isaac then says that the spirit can have his memories. After they have deposited all of their strength into the orb. The orb shatters revealing that the first Changeling is actually a human. The man had stayed there over two thousand years by consuming the energy from the Changelings collected. Isaac attempts to talk to him, but he has lost his mind and goes on a rampage. Isaac is forced to put him down by stabbing him through the heart. In his dying breath the man asks Isaac to find the truth about what happened to the other human that he met there. The man then dies in Isaac’s arms and Isaac uses the hive mind to tell all the Changelings to return to their home and gives them all free will and that they no longer need to sacrifice their happiness. Isis wisely leaves out the part about the other human’s wish to the Princesses. Celestia is shocked when she hears about the other human and Isaac wakes up. The human then explains that the Changelings want peace with Equestria along with equal rights. Celestia and Luna agree to peace talks after Isaac recovers. During his recovery the six mares question him why he agrees to help the Changelings. Isaac explains that they were only doing what was necessary to survive as a species. After Isaac is discharged, Twilight apologizes to him about what she said before he left the empire and thanks him for saving Shining who is back in his position as Guard Captain and that Orion has been promoted to the head guard stationed at Ponyville. Isaac arrives at the peace talks with Isis along with Celestia and Luna. The three agree upon a peace treaty between their nations and open up a trade settlement. Isaac returns to Ponyville just in time for the yearly heatwave to hit the mares of Ponyville. After escaping the ‘whord’ he is pulled down into the sewer system by Thunderlane along with the other stallions and one drake. The group of stallions quietly made their way towards the man’s home that they would use as a check point before hightailing it to the Everfree. During the trek they loose a few members of the group. Isaac barricades his home and tells the guys to man up and make a stand. They quickly forget the idea when they hear the whord at his door step. Isaac makes a gut decision to lead the group away and distracts them with some knock out bombs which he got from the Changelings. He keeps the mares busy long enough for them to escape into the dark forest. After narrowly escaping the DJ, Isaac climbs into Twilight’s tree house in an effort to escape them. The man hides under the scholar’s bed and is about to leave, but Twilight walks in and starts to masturbate. The human can’t help but get aroused and is surprised when Twilight calls out his name when she reaches her climax. The mare leaves her room and Isaac is about to go out the window he came in, when Twilight teleports back in her room and sees the man. Isaac begs the mare to keep his location a secret. Twilight agrees, but only if he helps her relieve her of her heat. Isaac refuses, but agrees when Twilight threatens to let every mare know his location and throw him to the whored. For the safety of his pelvic bone he agrees and the two have sex. After they’re done, Twilight tell Isaac that she notified the other five mares via telepathic link. The mares then each have a turn with the human and he escapes when the mares fall asleep. He makes it back to his home with the mares hot on his heels. He grabs a few smoke bombs, for a diversion as he escapes into the dark forest. He makes it into the dark forest and most of the mares give up the chase. Isaac knows that they’ll be back and starts to dig in and sets up a perimeter with a few pit traps. He climbs into a tree and sets up camp. Hours later one of the traps goes off and Zecora is caught in the net. Isaac cuts her down and apologizes and explains his situation to the zebra. Before Zecora can try to seduce him, he is saved by Discord who ‘just so happened to be in the area’ and drops him off at the castle. Isaac begins to wander and find the place as empty as a ghost town. A guard grabs him and explains that despite being an immortal Goddess, Celestia goes through heat once every 100 years and becomes a different mare entirely. The human then dubs her ‘Molestia’ and the group is discovered by the sex crazed Princess. While attempting to escape, Isaac is rescued by Luna who knows of her sister’s condition and teleports them both to a fallout shelter that had been created in case of a castle attack. Luna also reveals that Celestia’s heat period will last two weeks, due to her lifespan. The fallout shelter is complete with Luna’s X-Box and games. Isaac introduces her to the Mass Effect series and the two bond over the week and find that they both have much more in common then either of them thought. The two start sneaking out to get food and supplies. One night they press their luck and decide to draw on Tia’s face while she sleeps. This back fires when she wakes up halfway through and the two hightail it back to their lair. At the end of the two weeks, the human then tells Luna that he does care about her deeply and the two make love. During one night, Isaac is greeted by Catalyst who leads him down into the Canterlot Archives. He unknowingly trips an alarm and Celestia’s forces, along with the Princesses go to investigate. They find the human at their parent’s stone coffins and their bodies were preserved by magic. It is then revealed that Celestia and Luna’s mother was in fact a human woman. More specifically, Isaac’s believed to be dead fiance Scarlet. Through a series of memories displayed by Catalyst, it is revealed that before Scarlet swerved off the road and into the river a time gap opened up, like the one Isaac came through and dropped her in Equestria, which is really Earth after the human race had died out over the course of billions of years. Celestia and Luna’s father, Solaris took pity on her and allowed her to stay, keeping her a secret from the public. Scarlet eventually learned how to use magic and watched Isaac through a rift, never allowed to interfere. Scarlet also disguised herself as an Alicorn like Solaris. Eventually a relationship formed between them and they had children. Scarlet died after Luna’s birth and with the last of her magical energy opened up a rift in order to save Isaac’s life from the wolves back on Earth. Before she died, and with Solaris’s help, the two crafted the Element’s of Harmony and an item known as the ‘Prophet’s Stone, which is revealed to be Catalyst and was given instructions by Scarlet to lead Isaac to her grave and show him the truth when he arrived. Isaac is at first outraged at the info, but settles down after Catalyst shows him a recording of Scarlet giving him a final farewell. She let him know that she lived well and was treated with kindness and that he had to find something in life he loved just as much as her. He watches Scarlet’s figure vanish into light and finally forgives himself for not being able to protect her or his friends. After explaining things to Twilight and the others he meets with the Doctor and tells him. The Doctor says he knew but couldn’t tell him, because he was not yet ready. Isaac is outraged and threatens the time lord before being calmed down by the mares. The Doctor states that he cannot bring Isaac back to Earth during the time of humans and he sympathizes with him knowing how it feels to be the last of his kind. The group is then made aware of an odd virus circulating through Equestria. At first it only seems to be effecting ponies, but soon spreads to dragons, Changelings and griffins. Even Luna and Celestia are suffering from the symptoms, while Isaac and Discord remain immune. Further research shows that something buried in the Crystal Empire was breached and is the source of the virus. Isaac is tasked with discovering it’s origin and sets off with Discord. The two find that the cause is actually an ancient human vessel that was carrying disease samples from the human time. Through a series of flashbacks that are triggered by a few head injuries, Discord remembers meeting Scarlet before his imprisonment and that she was his first real friend. Isaac sets the thoughts aside as he continues to search for records of the virus within the ship. It was engineered to wipe out anything other than human DNA during a time of war with another alien race that had long since died out over the course of millions of years. Isaac and Discord race back to Canterlot and tell the Princesses of their findings to see all the world leaders, including Isis all suffering from the illness. After explaining the nature of the illness all hope seems lost. A sickly Isis then says that there may be one option. She reminds them of when Isaac got in the way of the Changeling’s transfer stage and fused his own DNA with the new batch of Changelings who are only suffering minor symptoms. They come up with a plan to transfer bits of Isaac’s DNA using the Hive Mind of the Changelings. To use something on a massive scale would require every being in Equestria to be linked and to use a massive amount of magic to make everyone immune. Celestia orders Twilight and the other five mares to help with their elements and Isis opens up a connection to the rest of the world boosted by their power. As Isaac is about to use the magic it is revealed that he will not survive. The Elements are hesitant to go through with the plan after learning this, but they agree that there is no other way. Only Dash isn’t convinced and Isaac holds up the feather that she gave him so long ago and tells her to trust him. The man absorbs the magic and adds his DNA into the different species. The ponies still have their horns, wings and tails, but are missing their fur and the virus is now gone. Isaac does not survive the ordeal despite their best efforts. In the man’s last moments he thanks them all for their kindness and says that they were the best friend’s he’d ever had. A large funeral is held and he is remembered as a hero. Three years later, Luna is in front of the man’s grave with a little Alicorn girl with blue hair, pale skin, without a tail. She tells her daughter that her father was a great man and eventually found the peace he had been looking for.http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/292885/finding-peace Chapter 1: ArrivalSomewhere I Belong. Chapter 1 Arrival Three months after his rehabilitation with Fluttershy, Discord the God of Chaos and Disharmony is working alongside his former foe’s; Princess Celestia and her younger sister Luna, who were still keeping an eye on him. He became less chaotic and more mild mannered, he still liked to pull pranks now and again, but nothing on an apocalyptic scale. Discord had visited Ponyville once or twice since then, both visits were met with....mixed results to say the least. Twilight and the others didn’t trust him completely, but they gave him some breathing room whenever he needed to ‘unwind.’ Fluttershy was still his favorite out of the six ponies, being that she was the first friend he’d ever had. Since he was staying at the castle most of the time he preoccupied himself with reading ancient books. He was still considered a guest and was forbidden to enter the royal archives that were filled with powerful magic and knowledge. He didn’t care much for magic, being that he already possessed a vast amount of it. Something scratched at the back of the creatures mind like an itch he just couldn’t reach, this feeling had tormented him for years. “GAH! What is it? What could I have possibly forgotten? I spent the last 1,000 years in stone and I still can’t remember!” he cursed at himself as he walked back and forth in the middle of the furnished room. “Okay let’s see..... Tormented ponies, drastically changed the landscape, created complete chaos around the world.....then imprisoned by Celestia for a millennium.” He began to rack his brain with frustration. “Come on! I know something happened during my rule of chaos....Something BIG but I just can’t remember!” he had searched the library from top to bottom in hopes of finding something. An idea struck him and he vanished in a puff of smoke and made his way towards Ponyville. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the center of the quiet sleepy town, Twilight and her friends were having a slumber party at the library and had just reached the truth or dare portion of the night. Twilight took the bottle in her hands and gave it a spin. The five mares watched as the bottle landed on the ornage mare with blonde hair. “Okay Applejack your turn. Truth or dare?” she asked “Dare!” she yelled with confidence. “Okay...I dare you to-” “Kiss Rarity.” another voice said. “What!” the orange and white mare yelled in surprise. The group then hard a familiar laugh coming from the bottle, they looked at the bottle that had formed a pair of eyes and a mouth. Discord flew out of the opening and appeared in front of the mares startling them. “Hello ladies.” He said as he gave them a smug grin. “Discord! What are you doing here?” Twilight said as she levitated her element of harmony on her head. “Hey...hey easy. I’m only here to try to find a book, then I’ll be out of your manes.” He said as he began to levitate the books in front of him. He began to skim the books only to become increasingly irritated. “Well, what are you trying to find?” Twilight asked as she crossed her arms and stared at the creature. “I’m trying to remember something. Something I did 1,000 years ago before Celestia threw me in the hoosegow. I thought that you might have a book that might jog my memory or something.” He said as he quickened his pace. Twilight looked at her friends who looked at her in confusion. “You didn’t find anything in the Canterlot library?” “Nothing and I’m still not allowed in the archives, so my search brought me here.” He finished the last book and yelled in frustration. “GAH! Another dead end! Every time I try to remember it just slips right through my fingers!” he began to levitate objects around the room in anger. Fluttershy stepped forward trying to calm him down. “Easy Discord, just calm down and-” she was cut off by the creature shooting a spell from his palm that hit a nearby mirror. The shiny surface began to glow and ripple, the group looked in amazement as they saw a dark figure becoming clearer and larger at a fast rate. A black mass suddenly shot out of the mirror and crashed into the far side of the wall, the mirror stopped glowing and shattered. The ponies ran over to the object to see that it was moving, they saw that it was wearing clothes and it stood on two feet. It looked strikingly similar to an earth pony stallion only that it’s body was very fair and the only hair the was on it was on top of it’s head. The creature grabbed it’s head in pain and looked at the group of mare’s who had looks of confusion and fear on their faces. “What the-” he was cut off as he felt something hard hit his head, the creature fell to the ground unconscious. The ponies saw that a purple dragon was holding a rather large book in his claws over the creature’s head. Twilight instantly turned to Discord who had the same look of confusion as they had. “Discord! What did you do?” Twilight asked as she narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know! I’ve never seen anything like that thing before!” he said in surprise. Applejack glared at the beat with daggers in her eyes. “He ain’t lying.” She said in a serious tone. “Still, he shouldn’t have-” she was cut off as the god of chaos made himself scarce. Fluttershy walked over to the odd creature and put her hand on his head, the creature let out a groan of pain. “It’s still alive. We need to get it to a hospital.” Fluttershy said in a worried voice. “Right!” Rainbow and Applejack ran over and put the creatures arm over their shoulders. “Jeez this thing is heavy.” Dash complained as they lugged him towards a hospital with the rest of their friends in pursuit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Five hours earlier. Isaac, a twenty-one year old college student with short brown hair was listening to his music and lounging on his bed. He didn’t have many friends, mostly kept to himself, he preferred not to have an impact on anybody’s lives too much for fear that he might screw something up. The only things that kept Isaac company was his music, books and video games. His phone began to ring and vibrate in his pocket, he lifted the devise to his ear and pressed the talk button. “Hello?......Hey what’s up?..........Pool hall?....No thanks man. I have a lot of work to do, maybe some other time......Yeah, sorry.....Say hi to Allie for me. See ya later.” He said as he hung up the phone, he thanked god that he was a master in the art of bull shitting. Mason and Allie were his only ‘real’ friends outside of the barrage of random faces that he saw every day at school and work. He liked to hang out with his friend but....he always felt inferior to them. Mason was taller, faster, stronger, smarter, better looking and always got the girls. Isaac himself was fairly strong and could at least keep up with his friend for a good five minutes before falling behind, he considered himself a nice guy but, he never really liked to be social. Allie was a friend he’d made in high school, she was pretty average in his book, she was short, had jet black hair that only went down to her shoulders and always had the best outlook on life. He turned over on his side and tried to block out the thought’s by blasting his music into his ear drums in hopes of drowning out the voices. Isaac got to his feet and decided to go for a walk down the road. He threw on a jet black T-shirt over his guinea tee, he completed his ensemble with a black hoodie. He grabbed his phone and I-pod with him to keep himself busy, as he left his home he quickly grabbed his survival knife. Isaac lived in a heavily wooded area that and teeming with wolves and bears, he knew that it was better to always be armed out in the wilderness. Isaac had moved there around two years ago, to get away from the flooding he had had to deal with whenever they got a bad rainstorm. As he walked through the woods listening to his I-pod he noticed that it began to rain. He liked the rain, the feeling of it against his skin and the smell of the wet earth just after a down pour. He continued onward until he noticed that he had stumbled onto a wolf den and the adults began to growl at him and bare their teeth. “Shit!” he yelled as he tried to back away from the group. The wolves gave chase and the boy was running for his life. He stopped as he came to the cliffs edge that over looked a pond, the drop was at least fifty feet and he had no idea how shallow the bottom of the lake was. He looked up at the sky to see that the rain had vanished and that a rainbow was forming. Isaac looked ahead to see the wolves starting to converge on him, he backed away from the wolves causing his right foot slip. As he fell his life started to flash before his eyes. He thought that he saw the water glow like a flash light, he felt himself hit a very hard surface. Isaac opened his eyes to see that he was sitting on a wooden floor, as he tried to stand he noticed that he saw a group of strange colored creatures staring at him in surprise. “What the-” he then felt a blunt object hit his head and everything faded to black. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac’s eyes shot open to see a white ceiling above him. He glanced around the room to see what looked like a hospital bed and a small nightstand sitting next to him. He looked to his right to see that his arm was hooked up to an I.V. bag and a heart monitor. I’m alive? He thought as he put his face in his palms as he tried to remember what happened the previous day. Okay...I got home...I went for a walk....got chased by wolves....and....I fell off that cliff. Must be at St. Mary’s Hospital. He looked under the covers to see that his clothes were still on his body. He got to his feet and stood up, making sure not to yank the tube from his arm. He looked around the room and saw that there were no windows of any kind. He looked up at the corner of the room to see a camera watching him. “What the hell?” he said as he walked towards the door. “Locked, typical.” He reached into his pocket to feel that his knife, I-pod, wallet and phone were missing. “Great. Now what?” he tried banging against the door but no one answered. He looked at the I.V. tube and had a thought. “Looks like I’ll have to pull a James Bond move.” He sat back down on the bed and gently removed the needle from his arm. Isaac kept the medical tape over the wound to prevent bleeding. He walked over to the door and slipped the needle end into the lock and began to jimmy it. He kept his ear close to the door and he heard a satisfying click. “Success! Thank you Sean Connery!” he said as he turned the nob. The door opened, he poked his head out to see that the hallway was deserted. He zipped up his jacket and threw his hood over his head and walked down the long white hallway. As he came to the end of the hall way he noticed that there was a bright sign with ‘exit’ spelled across the door. He tried to turn the nob “Locked. Now what?” He looked up to see a ventilation shaft. “Seriously?” he let out a sigh and got on top of the hospital counter, he the took off the end and lifted himself into the small duct. “Good thing I’m not Mason right now.” He army crawled his way through the duct until he saw a light come from the end of the shaft, he looked down to see another white tiled floor. He began to kick the edge until if fell to the floor. Isaac hopped down into a white 20 x 20 room. The walls collapsed to reveal a massive hall with humanoid like creatures staring at him. They looked human, but at the same time they weren't. They stood on two legs had arms and a tail coming from their lower backs. Some of them had wings sprouting from their back or horns sticking out of their foreheads. Their skin color was like something out of a crayon box, one was purple, another was orange and one was lightish blue with rainbow hair. From their physique they appeared to be female. Isaac then noticed the tallest one of the group had snow white skin, equipped with wings and a horn. She was sporting a crown that laid upon her flowing sparkling hair that seemed to move while there was clearly no wind blowing and had a long flowing white dress. She easily stood at eight feet tall and towered over his 5’8” stature. She approached the cage and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “So this is the THING you found?” she asked as the purple girl walked up next to her, she was wearing a dark purplr blouse with a brown skirt the twent to her knees. “Yes, Princess.” she one answered. Isaac saw something reflecting the light in front of him, he walked closer to them and saw that he was in a glass cage. He put his hand on the surface, the creatures looked at him in confusion and tilted their heads. “I think this is one of Discord’s pranks. Even though he claimed that he’s never seen anything like it before.” “Hey! I really don’t appreciate being called IT.” Isaac said as he started to frown. “It-..He can talk?” Celestia said in surprise. “Nice job captain obvious.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Who are you guys and why am I here?” he asked in a demanding tone. The taller white one stepped closer to the glass and looked down at him. “My apologies. My name is Princess Celestia, I’m the reigning monarch of Equestria.” she said in a calm tone. “What’s Equestria?” “The name of this country. You must not be from around here.” “What gave it away? My pasty color, my lack of wings or a horn? Take your pick.” The large woman frowned at him. “Sorry. What are all of you?” “We are ponies.” The lavender girl answered. “Ponies?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Yes.” “But, you have a horn and she has wings.” He said as he pointed to Rainbow that was sporting a hoodie and was standing off to the side. “I’m a unicorn and she’s a Pegasus.” She answered. Isaac’s eye twitched and he fell on the floor in a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?” “Oh man! You guys really had me going there! Who put you up to this? Mason? Allie?” he said through the laughter. “This is no joke.” “Yeah right. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you’re a unicorn and she’s a Pegasus? I must be on Punk’d, wheres Ashton Kutcher?” he said as he looked around the room. The women looked at each other in surprise. “I must say though, very realistic costumes. Where’d you get them?” “This is serious!” the purple girl yelled. “Wait...Aren’t unicorns able to do magic?” Twilight nodded. “How about if you show me some then I’ll believe you.” He said still laughing. Twilight looked at her mentor with a raised eyebrow. She nodded and her horn began to glow. Isaac felt himself being lifted off the ground and being tossed around like a toy by and invisible force. “Hey what the hell is going on?” “You asked me to demonstrate. Believe us now?” “FINE WHAT EVER! JUST PUT ME BACK DOWN!” he yelled. The glow from Twilight’s horn extinguished as he was lowered down on to the ground, he was breathing heavily as he got to his feet. Isaac saw that five more creatures had appeared, including the light blue one. Each a different color they all looked female. “Okay. Let’s say I buy the whole pony thing. What do you want with me?” “Just to talk.” Celestia said calmly. “Well, no offense, but I’m a bit hungry and I’d prefer to have a chat over some lunch. I would also like to be let out of this cage. If this is how you treat your guests then I’d hate to see what you do to your enemies.” He said as he crossed his arms. Twilight looked at her mentor who had an eyebrow raised. She turned to her student and nodded her head. The large woman’s horn began to glow and the cage disappeared. “Thank you.” He said as he stepped forward. “Follow me.” The tall woman ordered. Isaac pulled his hood back and followed her, he glanced from side to side to see the other ponies surround him. He was catching some nasty looks from the blue and orange girl who was sporting a Stetson hat and a leather vest, while the yellow winged Pegasus seemed to be afraid of him. The pink one kept giggling to herself for some reason, he kept feeling the white unicorns gaze on him. “What?” he asked as he looked at the unicorn. “I was just wondering where you got your attire.” She said as she ran her eyes over him. “At Walmart.” “What is a Walmart?” “It’s a convenience store where I buy clothes, food and other items.” “Well, you certainly have.....interesting taste.” She said as she eyed his jacket. Isaac rolled his eyes and kept quiet until they reached the dinning hall. They all took their seats, waiters soon arrived carrying plates of fresh food. He didn’t care what he was eating all he knew was that he was hungry. After he had had his fill he sat up straight and looked at the creatures. “Thank you. You held up your end of the bargain and now I’ll hold up mine. What do you want to know?” “Well, first off, who and what are you?” “My name is Isaac and I’m human.” The ponies jaws dropped at this statement. “Y-you’re a human?” Twilight asked. “Yeah. Why?” “Well, it looks like we owe Lyra twenty bits.” Rainbow whispered to Applejack. “How old are you?” Celestia asked. “Twenty-one.” “I see. How did you get here?” “Don’t know. One minute I’m falling off a cliff and the next I land in a library surrounded by these guys.” He said as he pointed to the other mares. “Strange.” She commented. “You’re telling me. Now it’s my turn for some questions, who are all of you?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” The lavender mare said. “Rainbow Dash.” “Applejack.” “F-Fluttershy.” she said in a timid tone. “Rarity.” “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pink one said in a happy tone. “Nice to meet you all and thanks for dragging my sorry ass to a hospital.” He said with a nod. The ponies returned the gesture. “Which brings me to another question, what was up with that whole fake hospital scene?” “That was for your treatment. I’m surprised that you managed to unlock the door.” Celestia said. “Humans have a habit for getting out of difficult situations.” He said as he put his arms back. “We found these things in your pockets.” Celestia said as he levitated his missing items. “We recognized the wallet and knife but what are these things?” she said as she levitated his I-pod and cell phone over to him. Isaac took the items and displayed the phone. “This is an I-phone. It’s a way for humans to talk to one another over long distances.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “This is an I-pod, another device that allows us to listen to music whenever we want.” “Oh so they’re like a P-pod and P-phone.” Twilight said. He started to chuckle at the statement. “Yeah...what ever you say.” He said as he rolled his eyes. He put the items back in his pocket. “Can I have my knife back?” “Why do you have this?” Celestia said as she levitated the knife. “Back home I have to deal with some.....unfortunate pests.” “Care to elaborate?” “Wolves. I take that with me for protection.” He heard the yellow Pegasus squeak in fear. “I’ve never had to use it. ‘Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.’ An old saying by one of my people.” Celestia levitated the knife and handed it over to him. Isaac put the knife in it’s sheath and the wallet in his pocket. “Well, now that we’re all aquatinted let’s get down to how I’m getting back home.” “We don’t know what brought you here.” Twilight interjected. “So I’m stuck here until you can find out how and then reverse it?” “Yes.” Isaac face palmed at the answer. “So what do I do until then?” “You will go with Twilight and the others to Ponyville.” Celestia answered. “WHAT!” they all yelled in shock. “It only makes sense. Twilight will look after you while I search for a way to send you home.” She said as she looked at her pupil. “Twilight do you still have the guest room in the library?” “Yeah but-” “Then it’s decided.” “I’m not to sure about this your highness.” He said as he looked at the staring ponies. “Well, I can always put you back in that cage.” She said in a joking tone. “No thanks.” He said quickly. “What about money? I doubt the eighty bucks I have in my wallet will count for anything here.” Celestia levitated a small pouch with some odd coins inside of it over to him. “Well, that answers that question....what’s the currency called anyway?” “Bits.” “Thank you Princess.” He said with a smile. “Your welcome. I will send Twilight a message when I have found a solution, until then enjoy your stay.” “Are there any special rules I need to follow?” “I’m sure Twilight and her friends will explain them to you, if you have any questions then feel free to ask her.” She said as she got to her feet and walked away. The group did the same. Isaac put the small bag of bits in his pocket and followed the group of mares outside the grand dinning hall. As he rounded a corner he was grabbed by two sets of hands that forced him against the wall, he opened his eyes to see the orange and blue women with cross looks on their faces. “Can I help you two with something?” he breathed out. “Look here mister! Just because yer a guest here doesn’t mean you’re invincible. If you do anything to hurt Twi or another one of our friends Ah’ll beat you so hard that you’ll feel it eighty years form now! Ya hear?” the orange on bellowed in a thick southern accent. Isaac put his hand on the mare’s wrist that was holding his neck and he started to squeeze it. He forced the hand off his throat and began to talk. “Look cowgirl. I don’t know what your deal is, but trust me if I had wanted to hurt you or your friends you can bet your ass I would’ve already tried too. I just want to get back home, that’s it. So for the remainder of my visit I suggest we at least try to get along. Okay?” he said as he let her hand go. She started to rub the sore spot as Rainbow had let him go and he was now standing up straight. “Fine.” She said as she spat into her palm and offered it to him. Isaac did the same motion and the two shook hands. “Good to know that somethings are universal.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Are you guys coming or not?” Twilight said as she looked back at them. “We’ll be right there!” Rainbow yelled. She then turned back to Isaac and made the ‘I’m watching you’ expression with her two fingers. Isaac rolled his eyes as she took flight and went after her friends. Applejack stayed beside him in case he tried to make a break for it. As they made it outside Isaac put his hood over his head and tried to blend with the group. They arrived at the train station and boarded. Isaac took a final breath as he entered the train, bound for the small town. Author's Note My first human in Equestria fic! Hope you enjoy it! Chapter 6: Truth or Dare?Chapter 6 Truth or Dare? Isaac sat alone at a bar sipping an auburn liquid from his small shot glass. He looked up at the old bartender and ordered another round. He let out a heavy sigh as a girl, brunette, 5’7” and vivid green eyes took the stool next to him. “How can I help ya miss?” “I’ll take a shot of Jack if you don’t mind.” “Coming right up.” He said as he finished up Isaacs order. The woman looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. “Rough day?” “You could say that.” He said as he slammed the drink back. “If you keep drinking like that then you’ll get sick.” “So?” “Fine go ahead and drink yourself into an early grave.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “That’s the plan.” He said as he took another drink. “What’s your name?” She asked as she sipped her drink. “It’s Isaac. Isaac-” Was all he got out before noticing that the girls physical features had drastically changed. Her once dark hair had turned grey, her deep green eyes had turned jet black and blood was beginning to pour out of her mouth. Isaac screamed in horror as the bar around him began to collapse. He felt the creature tugging on his arm preventing his escape. Isaac shot out of his hospital bed covered in sweat and panting heavily. He looked down to see that his hands were violently shaking. Calm down. JUST KEEP IT TOGETHER! His thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Nurse Red Heart with Twilight and her friends.” “Hang on a second.” He said as she put the uncomfortable gowned back on his body. He sat on his bead and took another moment to collect himself. “Okay come in.” The door opened to reveal the six mares with smiled on their faces. “Hey Isaac how-” Twilight noticed his pale face and obvious signs of sweat. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, bad dream that’s all.” He said as he wiped his brow. “What’s up?” “We brought you some clothes to change into.” Rarity said as she laid some clothes on the bed. “Thanks.” The mares then started to leave one by one. “We’ll let you get changed.” Twilight said as she turned towards the door. He nodded and noticed that Rainbow was giving him a weak grin as she left. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the two scars on his back. Isaac threw on the garments to see that it was a deep blue T-shirt with black trim, the pants felt like blue jeans only lighter. Isaac walked over to the night stand and picked up his phone, P-pod, the book that Twilight had lent him and the feather Rainbow had given him. He slipped the feather inside the book so it wouldn’t get damaged on his return trip. He walked out of the room to see the mares waiting patiently in the lobby. The mares smiled at him and got to their feet. The group walked through the doors and made their way back into town. “How are you feeling?” Twilight asked. “A lot better then I was.” He said with a smile. Twilight leaned her head close to his and whispered. “Are you and Rainbow okay?” “We reached common ground.” “Oh that’s a relief. What’s the agreement?” “She never leaves me on a cloud again and she owe’s me a favor.” “A favor?” “She said I could ask her for one thing and she’d do it without hesitation.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the agreement and let out a sigh. Rarity glanced at her watch and her eyes shrank. “Terribly sorry darling but I have to get back to the shop, I must get this order done for a client.” She said with a smile as she hurried back to her shop. “Crap! I’m on weather duty this morning, I’ll see ya later.” Rainbow said as she took flight. “I gotta get back to Sugar Cube Corner, we’re getting a new shipment of flour today YAY!” Pinkie took off like a bullet towards the bakery. “Ugh! Today is re-shelving day at the library.” Twilight said as she and the dragon teleported from his sight. He looked at the yellow Pegasus who flinched and quickly flew off. “Was it something I said?” He asked as he looked at Applejack. “Fluttershy is still adjusting to the fact that you’re a meat eater. Since she takes care of animals and what not.” Isaac nodded as he looked at the mare. “Oh I see. Need some help at the farm?” “Sure. If yer up for it that is.” “Relax my leg is as good as new.” He said as he gave it a tap. “Well, all right. Just don’t hurt yer self. Here, Twi asked me to keep an eye on this for ya.” She said as she tossed him his knife. “Thanks.” He said as he slipped it in his pocket. Isaac noticed that she was sporting her signature Stetson hat along with short denim shorts and a orange flannel shirt. The two continued down the road in silence until they got to the apple farm. The two began to pick the red fruit the “So you have apple trees where you come from?” “Oh yeah, hundreds of them. The first tree I planted was an apple tree.” The orange mare looked up at him in surprise. “Really? You’ve planted trees?” “Yeah. Theres a program on Earth that is dedicated to the preservation of plant life.” He said as he tossed a few apples into the bucket. “What’s Earth?” “Oh, sorry. That’s the name of my planet.” “What’s it like there?” “Can’t complain.” “Is it nice?” She asked. “Crystal blue water covers nearly the entire surface. Snow capped mountains that punch holes in the clouds and rocks big enough to level a house.” “Sounds beautiful.” She said in a curious tone. “Yeah but if you’re not careful it can kill you.” He said as he began to walk with the mare back to the house. “Same goes for here.” She said with a chuckle. “Well, besides me falling from the sky nothing scary has happened to me.” “Just wait. Every once in a while something happens that needs fixing.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “I hope to go home before something like that happens.” He said in a light hearted tone. Applejack lowered her head and looked at him with a sad look on her face. “What’s the matter?” “Yah wanna go home that badly huh?” “Look, it’s like I said yesterday. Your place is here and my place is back home.” “It’s just that.....it sounds like you don’t like being here.” She said as she lowered her head. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile. “Hey, I’ll miss all of you when I go.” “Ah guess ah was being selfish, ya probably got all sorts of human friends back home.” “No. Not really.” He said in a low tone. “Really? Why?” “I’m not much of a socialite back home.” “What about a mare friend?” She asked as a small blush rose to her cheeks. “A what?” “A special somepony.” “Oh, you mean a girlfriend. No, I don’t have one. Why?” “Just curious how human society works.” She said in a nervous voice. Isaac shrugged and the two continued to work on the farm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deep in the Canterlot archives the royal sisters along with Discord began sifting through the priceless collection of knowledge. Luna went off on her own while Celestia kept one eye on her book and the other on the god of chaos. Discord ignored the sun goddess’ observations as he continued to look through the archives. As he noticed a small chest sitting on a pedestal Celestia made a loud coughing noise. Discord looked back at the Princess who cast him an icy glare. “Will you stop looking at me like that.” “I’m making sure you’re not looking at something that-” “That what? Could possibly destroy Equestria? Honestly Tia it hurts that you don’t trust me.” Celestia glared at him as she slammed her book shut. “Fine, be like that. I’m going for a walk.” He said as he vanished in a cloud of smoke. Celestia rolled her eyes and continued to look through the seemingly endless array of books. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac and Applejack were on the last row of trees, as they moved to the next tree Applejack let out a sigh as she looked at the last tree. “What’s wrong?” “This is the tallest tree in the orchard and guess where the apples are.” “At the top?” “At the top.” She said as Isaac began to walk towards it. “What do ya think yer doing?” “Getting the apples, I thought that’s what my job was.” “No way, no how am I letting you climb again after ya got out of the hospital this morning.” She said as she pressed her pointer finger into his chest. “I’ll get them.” “No offense Jackie, but I have a bit more experience when it comes to climbing.” He said as the mare glared at him. “I’ll get them, just you watch.” She said as she walked over to the trunk and tried to lift herself onto the first branch. “Need some help?” He asked with a smirk on his face. The orange mare let out a low growl and nodded. Isaac walked over to the mare and put his hands on her hips, the mare blushed as she felt the human lifted her up. “Can you reach the branch?” “Almost. Just a little more.” She said as she outstretched her arms. Isaac wrapped his arms around her legs and hoisted her higher. Isaac felt the mares tail brush against the back of his neck. “All right Ah’ got it.” She said as she lifted herself onto the branch. Isaac felt himself as he looked up at the mare’s flank that seemed to hug to her denim shirts. “I’ll be right back, be ready fro the apples when ah toss em down to ya.” Isaac nodded and got the barrel ready. As he watched the mare climb higher and higher into the tree his mind began to wander. I guess she is good at climbing after all, she definitely has the body for it. Don’t even THINK about it! About what? You know what! I can’t give her a compliment? You know what I mean, she’s a horse thing! What will happen when you go home? What? I think of AJ as a FRIEND nothing more and ‘when’ is looking more like an ‘if.’ I could be trapped here for the rest of my life. That doesn’t scare you? Why should it? The ponies here are kind and it’s a nice change of pace from the assholes back home. THEY ARE NOT HUMAN! Someone has their racist settings on high today! ....... Look all I’m saying is if we are going to be stuck here we might as well make the best of it. The thought of even dating- UGH! AJ is just a friend and- “You okay down there?” Isaac snapped out to f the trance to see that Applejack was near the top of the tree. “Yeah, just staring off into space.” “You were staring at me.” “You were just in the way.” He said as he tried to lie. “What ever, ready for the apples?” Isaac nodded and held up the bucket. The mare started to toss down the apples one by one into the crate. Isaac felt like she was making him run around on purpose as she threw a few out of his reach. She chuckled as a few hit his head causing him to stumble. Isaac shook his head as she covered her laughter. “Al right I’m coming down.” She said as she started to descend. Isaac put the barrel down and watched as the orange mare slowly made her way through the branches. “Be careful and watch your footing.” He said as the mare looked down to him. “Ah know. I ain’t-” She was cut off as she lost her grip and began to fall towards the ground. Isaac quickly positioned himself in her way and cushioned her fall. Isaac felt the mare collide with his chest and his back hit the ground. As he opened his eyes to see that the mares face was less than two centimeters away. Applejacks face was bright red as she felt the humans nose touch her own. As she moved her leg she felt that her inner thigh was pressing against his stiffening member. The two stared into each others eyes for what felt like an eternity. “Um, could you take your hand off me?” Isaac snapped back to reality and noticed that his hand was connecting with her ample breast. He quickly withdrew his hand and got to his feet. “Sorry, the way you landed was-” “No need to apologize, it was an accident.” She said as she tried to hide her blush. Isaac helped her to his feat as he adverted his eyes away from the mare. “We should probably get these apples back to the barn.” “Good idea.” He said as he picked up the crate. The two made their way back to the barn in silence. Applejack pulled the brim down over her face. Isaac kept looking forward refusing to make any sort of eye contact with the mare. As they made it into the barn an awkward silence fell between the two. “Let’s just pretend that never happened.” She said breaking the silence. “What never happened?” “Exactly.” She said as she handed him a few bits. “Ah can handle the rest by myself. You can go.” “Sure, see you later.” He said as he quickly walked away from the farm with his blush still present. Applejack went into the farm house and laid on her bed, she pulled her hat tight over her face and grunted in frustration. “Damn you hormones.” She said as she chewed on the brim. As Isaac passed the final apple tree and made his way down the road, he didn’t notice a pair of yellow eyes forming on the tree and a smug grin creep across the bark. Isaac made his way past the edge of town and into a small cut out of the forest. He laid back onto a tree that was next to a crystal blue pool. He looked into the small pool to see fish swimming around in it. Isaac’s stomach let out a growl of hunger. He had an idea and began collecting some wood. He withdrew his knife and sharpened the tip of a nearby stick. He rolled up his pants to his knee and removed his shoes as he stepped into the water. He remained still as he saw some fish inspect his feet, he let out a small breath and rammed the sharpened stick through one of the fish. “Success! Good thing I took that hunting class.” He said as he stepped out of the water and laid the fish down on a leaf, he withdrew his knife to reveal a small bit of flint and steel, he began to press the two together to ignite the small bit of kindling. He eventually had a fire going and started to roast the fish over the open fire. He let out a yawn as he sat back against a rock and waited for his meal to finish cooking. He looked up to see a familiar cyan mare rocketing towards him. “Hey!” She said as she landed next to him. “Hey Rainbow.” He said as he smiled at the mare. “What are you doing?” She asked as she looked at the fire. “I’m about to have lunch.” He said as he took the fish off the slick and laid it on a clean leaf. He withdrew his knife and removed the head and scales. Rainbow put a hand to her mouth trying to cover her disgust. “Sorry, but humans need meat.” “Yeah, Twilight told me.” She said with a gulp. Isaac started to cut the meat off the fish and put the pieces into his mouth. “I may not be a master chef but I cook a mean fish, I’d offer you some but since you’re a vegetarian.” He said as he lifted another piece to his mouth. “Where did you get that anyway?” Isaac pointed to the pool of water, the mare looked at him in surprise. “How did you catch it?” “With the spear I made.” He said as he raised the sharpened stick. “Where did you learn to do something like that?” “I took a class on wilderness survival, they teach you how to take care of yourself if you’re ever stranded in the wilderness.” He said as he took another bite from the fish. “Could you tech me?” “To what?” “To fish.” “Why? You’re a vegetarian.” “I know but let’s say there are no edible plants around and I have to eat something, plus I wanna see how you caught that thing.” She said as she looked at the remains of the fish. “Fine, but I’m warning you it won’t be easy.” He said as he got to his feet. He took his shoes off and stepped into the water. He motioned Dash to hand him the spear, she complied and handed the implement to the human who stood as still as a statue. “What are you waiting for? They’re right there.” “Don’t rush me, this takes time and concentration.” He said as he slowly lifted the spear, a small fish was within a foot him. He brought the spear down and impaled the fish through the neck. He picked it up out of the water and showed it to the cyan mare who looked at him in amazement. He laid the fish on a rock and opened the fishes insides. “What are you doing?” “I need to clean the fish before I can eat it.” He said as he shoved his hand inside the fish and removed the guts. Rainbow turned away at the scene. “Yeah this is the grossest part of the job.” The human put the fish on a stick leaning into the flames. “You need to make sure that the fish is cooked, the fire gets all the bacteria the fish may have inside of it because you don’t know if the water is clean or not. That’s rule number one; make sure the source is clean.” He said as the fire crackled as the fluids from the animal dripped into the fire. “Once the fish has been cooked then you’re ready to eat.” He said as he removed the skin and took a bite from it. “Okay, so how about I try to catch one using the spear.” “Be my guest.” He said as he handed her the tool. Rainbow removed her shoes and stepped into the water, a small chill ran up her spine as the cold water touched her coat. She tried several times to get a fish but eventually gave up. “UGH! This is impossible!” She yelled in frustration. “This takes time and practice. It took me years of practice to get this good.” Isaac stood up and walked behind the mare and took her arm in his hands. “Hold the spear so it doesn’t cast a shadow, and be ready to strike at a moments notice.” Rainbow blushed at the humans fingers on her coat. He took her arm holding the spear and raised it over the water. “Stay there for a second.” He said as he got out of the water and walked over to a bush, he pulled a leaf off and returned to the mare still holding the position. He put the leaf down in the water and watched it float in front of them. “Try hitting the leaf.” Rainbow nodded and threw the spear at the leaf which missed by five inches. “UGH!” She said as she kicked the water, she then lost her balance and fell into the pool. “Smooth Dash.” He said with a smug grin spread across his face. “Yeah, yeah help me up.” She said as she outstretched a hand. Isaac grabbed it and felt himself being pulled into the water. He looked at the mare who was laughing at his situation. “I can’t believe you fell for that!” “Laugh it up, your lucky I took my phone and P-pod out of my pocket.” He said as he got to his feet. “Now I gotta dry this or Rarity will kill me.” He said as he took his shirt off and laid it down by the fire. Rainbow blushed at the humans upper body and got out of the water. “What’s with your wings?” “What?” Isaac pointed to her wings which were standing at full attention. Oh Crap! “I’m.....airing them out...I need to do that whenever they get wet.” “Oh, I see.” He said as he leaned against a nearby tree. Rainbow took her shirt off and laid it next to his, he noticed that she was wearing a small sleeveless black shirt that was cut off mid stomach. The fabric clung to her wet body outlining her attractive features. Isaac adverted his eyes away from the mare and felt the warm sun beginning to dry his body. Rainbow was trying to force her wings down but they remained stiff a board. “What’s wrong?” “My wings won’t go down.” She said as she tugged on the appendages. “Need some help?” Rainbows face turned crimson. “I’m assuming that the muscles are locked in place right?” “Y-yeah.” “So all you need to do is relax the muscles.” He said with a shrug. “Y-you could do that?” “I’ve taken a few massage classes, haven’t gotten a complaint since.” Rainbows mind was racing as she thought of the humans fingers running through her feathers. Rainbow nodded and sat in front of the human. Isaac cracked his fingers began to lightly press on the mares wings. Rainbow let out a surprised gasp. “Too hard?” “No, keep going.” She said as she began to lightly pant. Isaac continued applying pressure to her wings, as he moved to the tips the mare let out a light squeak in surprise. As he rolled his fingers at the tips of the wings Rainbow could feel her wings stiffen to their fullest extent. Rainbow felt her face turned bright red and felt her whole body heat up. Rainbow moved closer to him so that her tail was brushing against his lap. Isaac felt his member begin to harden. He started to move back towards the center of the mares wings and began to work in between the appendages. At this point Rainbow’s tongue was hanging out of her mouth and soft moans of pleasure began to escape her lips. “R-right there.” She said in a weak voice. Isaac began to press his thumbs in the pressure point. Rainbow let out a cry of pleasure as the human increased his pressure and speed. Rainbow’s breathing increased and tilted her head back allowing the warm sun to hit her face. Her wings let out a single vibration and went limp against her back. Rainbow began to slow her breathing. She looked back at the human to see that his cheeks were tinted red. She quickly got to her feet and put her dry shirt back on. “Um thanks.” She said as she tried to hide her blush. “No problem.” “Can we keep this between us?” She said in a nervous tone. “Sure, I guess.” He said in confusion. “Thanks, I gotta go.” “Think you could give me a hand with the fire?” He said as he pointed to a bed of coals. “Last thing I need is a forest fire on my hand.” Rainbow nodded and pulled a small storm cloud down from the sky, she kicked it and a small downpour extinguished the bed of coals. “Thanks. I’d better get out of here soon too.” “Why?” “The smell from the fish has probably attracted every animal in the area and are probably closing in on us.” He said as he looked around. Rainbow nodded and took flight away from the human. Isaac looked down to see that his pants had pitched a tent. He quickly jabbed himself in the thigh with his fist, causing the tent to slowly collapse. What was that about them being just friends? Shut up! It was circumstantial nothing more. Sure it was, you’re getting too attached to these things! SHUT UP! He thought as he packed up the second fish he caught in a clean leaf. Isaac made his way back to the small town. As he walked away from the smoldering fire a few coals started to move into the shape of a sly smile. He came across a small cottage and a familiar yellow Pegasus with some small animals standing around her. Oh it’s......Fluttershy? Yeah that’s it. As she saw him approach she cringed back in fear. “Hey.” He said as he threw on a weak smile. She gave no response and started to tremble. “Look, I know that you’re scared that I might try to eat one of your animal friends but I won’t.” “R-really?” “Yes, I may be a meat eater but I can control myself when I need to.” He said as he shrugged. “I’m sorry.” She said in a timid voice. “It’s all right. I realize you’re still getting used to me being here and all.” he said as he scratched his head. “Your names Fluttershy right?” “Y-yes and you’re Isaac right?” The human nodded. He noticed that the small animals began to scurry around Fluttershy and that a small white rabbit was tugging at her tail. “Oh! I need to give Barry his medicine.” She said as she began to follow the rabbit. The mare quickly turned to the human with a shy look in her eye. “I’m sorry to ask this and feel free to say no. Could you help me with Barry? He can be quite a handful sometimes.” “Sure. Lead the way.” He said as he followed the mare. She walked up to a cage, Isaacs eyes shrank as he saw a massive brown bare with a wound on it’s left leg. “Fluttershy! That’s a full grown bear!” “Yeah, his names Barry.” She said with a smile. Seriously? “So what’s wrong with him?” “He got stung by a manticore and I need to give him an antidote.” She said as she pulled out a pill the size of a quarter. “He hates medicine though. I need to give it to him so he can get better.” “How do you plan on doing that?” “I’ll ask him first and then-” The bear let out a roar as he saw the pill. “Um..okay then I guess that wont work.” Isaac suddenly had an idea. “Hang on, give me the pill.” Fluttershy looked at the human with a a raised eyebrow. Isaac pulled out the other fish he caught and stuffed the pill inside the fish and grinned. “Okay, open the cage.” Fluttershy complied and opened the door. “Alright pal, I got a big juicy fish here for ya.” He said as he showed the bear the drugged fish. The bear walked up to him and sniffed the human. Isaac wrapped his right hand around his knife handle as the beast smelt the fish. The bear took it form his hand and began to eat the drugged fish. Isaac motioned for Fluttershy to open the door, she quickly complied and opened the cage. Isaac slowly backed away from the bear and exited the cage. He let out a heavy sigh as he sat down on the ground. “That was wonderful! How did you know what to do?” “Whenever my dog got sick I wrapped the pill in peanut butter and he ate it right up. Oldest trick in the book.” He said with a smirk. “Where did you get that fish?” “You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer too.” He said in a nervous voice. “Good point.” She said in a nervous voice. “You mentioned you had a dog, what’s it’s name.” “Scout. His name was Scout, he’s in a better place now.” He said in a low tone. Fluttershy instantly wrapped her wing around him. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have asked.” She said as she looked down “It’s fine.” “Was he a good dog?” “The best. Always was sniffing around searching for stuff.” He said with a laugh. “He was a bit on an idiot, but he was my idiot.” Fluttershy put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak smile. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “Okay, see you around.” She said with a smile. Isaac returned the gesture and made his way back towards the library. The human felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the screen to see that Lotus was calling him. “Hey Lotus what’s up?” Nothing much. Listen my sister and I need a hand tomorrow at the shop. “Um...Okay, but I’m not a certified masseuse.” We need a hand putting some things away, we’re getting a new shipment in and we need some help with the boxes. We’ll be sure to pay you for it. “Fine by me, when should I meet you two?” Our shop opens at nine o’clock. Don’t be late. “Deal, see you tomorrow then.” Isaac said as he hung up the phone. He looked up to see that he had made it to the library. Isaac opened the door to see Twilight and Rarity conversing with one another. “Hey Isaac.” Twilight said with a smile. “Hello darling.” Rarity said as she waved. “Hey guys, what’s up?” “Just going over plans for tonight.” Twilight said as she looked at a checklist. “What’s special about tonight?” “Twilight is hosting a small get together for our other friends, since you interrupted the last one we had.” She said in an annoyed tone. “So a slumber party?” “No, no one is sleeping over it’s just a small party with the other girls.” Twilight explained. “Oh, I see.” “We’d like it if you joined.” Twilight said with a smile. “Will there be alcohol?” “Yeah.” “I’m there. I’m just gonna take a nap.” He said as he walked upstairs. “That’s fine, everyone should be here by eight.” Twilight said as she returned to her checklist. Isaac laid down on his bed, spreading his legs and arms out. He let out a sigh as he felt his muscles relax from the long day. Isaac heard a loud knock on the door, stirring him from his sleep. “Hey, everyone is here, hurry up or you’ll miss all the fun.” Twilight said as she opened the door. “I’ll be down in a minute.” He said as he got to his feet. Isaac made his way downstairs to see the six mares sitting on the couch. He nodded at them and gave a quick smile. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity and Twilight returned the gesture while Applejack adverted her eyes trying to hide her blush and Rainbow started to whistle a small tune. Isaac sat down next to the yellow mare and the group began conversing. Isaac kept quiet until Spike walked up to him. “Sup man?” He said as they bumped fists. “I found out the authors Rarity likes.” “Good.” He looked around the group to see that they were fully engrossed with one another. “Let’s go somewhere a bit less crowded.” The dragon nodded and the two went into the kitchen. Isaac leaned against the counter and looked at the dragon. “So you found her favorite book?” “Yeah, it’s called ‘Fifty Shades of Hay.’ I started to read it but theres some weird stuff in there.” He said as his body shivered at the memory. “Define weird.” Isaac asked as he raised an eyebrow. The dragon left the room and picked up a copy off the bookshelf. He handed the book to Isaac who began to read the book, he opened up to a random page and read the first paragraph. He suddenly closed the book. “Okay, I did NOT see that coming.” “Yeah me either.” “Find out anything less.....disturbing?” “Well, she likes art.” “Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Have you talked to her about it?” “No, every time I try I always step over my words. I guess I’m too nervous.” He said as he hung his head. “Hey relax, I know plenty of guys that do the same thing when they meet someone they really like.” “Really?” “Yeah, we just need to find a way to make you act less nervous.” He said as he began to scratch his chin. “I think I’ve got- GAH!” He yelled as he felt a par of hands grab his shoulders and pull him into the other room. His gaze fell upon a pink mare with a huge grin on her face. “C’mon you guys it’s time for some games.” She said as the two sat down and the group formed a circle. Isaac sat in between Rainbow and Applejack who refused to make eye contact with him. “Okay, everypony it’s time for Truth or Dare.” Twilight said with a grin. Seriously? Isaac thought as he rolled his eyes. He noticed that Spike hadn’t joined and was sitting in the corner. Twilight summoned an empty bottle and placed it in the center of the group, she gave it a spin and the opened end landed on Applejack. “Okay Applejack Truth or Dare?” “Truth.” “Who was.....your first kiss?” Applejack blushed at the statement. “Ah....Ah never kissed anypony before.” She said as her blush increased. “Really? Wow, I thought you’d at least have a colt friend by now.” Rainbow said as she looked at her friend. “Well, ah haven’t! So there!” She yelled as the blush increased. “Take it easy AJ. Theres nothing wrong with it, I was just surprised.” Applejack let out a huff and spun the bottle, coincidentally it landed on her blue feathered friend. “All right lil Ms. Smart mouth. Truth or Dare?” “Dare!” She said in a cocky tone. “Ah dare ya to tell us about yer first kiss.” “Pfft, that all? Fine, I was in Jr. Flight camp and I accidentally flew into this really cute colt. Light blue coat, strong arms and deep blue eyes. I was testing out a new trick when he got in my way. We collided and I ended on top of him, I guess I had a thick skull because he was unconscious. I saw an opportunity and I took it.” She said with a smug grin. “Wow, who knew you were so sneaky.” Pinkie interjected. “Oh yeah. I’m always the dominant one.” She said as she put her hands behind here head. “That wasn’t the case this afternoon.” A deep voice said. The group looked around at one another until a single book flopped in front of the group. Suddenly the book flew open and a familiar being appeared before them. “Hello gang!” Discord said in a half mocking tone. “What are you doing here Discord?” Twilight spat out as she narrowed her eyes. “I was just in the neighborhood and I couldn’t help overhear Rainbow’s little lie.” He said as he looked at the cyan mare, who’s face turned crimson. “You see, our favorite speed demon had an intimate moment with our guest from another dimension.” The ponies looked at Isaac who had a confused look on his face. “What are you talking about? All I did was give her a massage because her muscles were strained.” “You what? You don’t know, do you? Priceless!” He said as he fell to the floor in laughter. “That’s enough Discord now git!” Applejack said as she got to her feet. “Oh please Applejack like you’re one to talk. Considering what happened in the orchard today.” Applejacks face turned bright red and pulled her hat over her head to hide her blush. “Well, I best be off before Tia wonders where I’ve been. Arrivederci.” He said as he vanished from their sight. The group became silent and their eyes drifted over to the three blushing individuals. “Isaac. What did he mean by those things?” Twilight asked as she stared him down. “Nothing happened. Applejack fell on top of me while she was picking some apples and Rainbow’s wings got locked in place, so I massaged them so they'd fall back in place. That’s it.” The mares all looked at Rainbow who hid her face. “Oh my Luna Rainbow did you pomf in front of him?” Rarity said as she face plamed. “NO! I mean maybe. I don’t know! Mind your own business!” She yelled as he blush increased. “What is going on? You guys are acting like a Pegasi’s wings are some sort of erogenous zo-” He was cut off as he connected the dots in his mind. “Oh my god. That wasn’t a muscle lock was it?” He said as he looked at the cyan mare who nodded in agreement. “You tricked me into relieving your wing boner.” “It only happened because my cycle is starting tomorrow!” “That doesn’t give ya an excuse to use him like that.” Applejack commented. “Oh yeah? Well, what about what happened in the orchard today?” She said as he r eyes narrowed. “Nothing, just like he said. Ah fell on top of him and we landed awkwardly.” “Care to elaborate?” Applejacks face turned bright red. “Mah breast....ended up in his hand and our faces....were less than an inch away.” The mares all looked at Isaac who had covered his face in his right palm. “You got to second base with AJ?” Rainbow asked. “Shut up Dash.” He said as he got to his feet. “I’m getting the booze, anyone else want some?” The mares raised their hand and Isaac walked back into the kitchen. Twilight and the others then converged on the two blushing mares. “Rainbow how could you? Applejacks situation is understandable, but you knowingly took advantage of him.” Rarity spat out. “I was gonna tell him after he finished!” “Well, was he any good?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, he was good.” She said as her blush increased. Isaac returned with two large bottles of liquor and eight glasses. “Spike you want any?” Isaac asked as he looked at the dragon. “No thanks.” Isaac shrugged and put the eighth glass back. He poured the glasses and handed them to the mares. ß“I recommend we get back to the game and change the subject.” He said as he slammed the drink back. His eyes shrank as the auburn liquid connected with his tongue. “Wow, that’s got a hell of a kick!” “Eeyup, family recipe.” Applejack said with a smile. As the night progressed the dares got a little more raunchy and the secrets began to spill out. Spike eventually got bored and made his way upstairs. “That’s why I’m no longer allowed to go to Las Pegasus.” Rarity finished. The group looked at her trying to muffle their laughter. “That is definitely a new meaning for banana pudding.” Applejack said through the laughter. “Laugh it up Applejack, it’s my turn.” She spun the bottle which landed on Isaac. “Truth or Dare?” “After what you just said, I’ll play it safe and chose dare.” He said as he lifted the drink to his lips. “I dare you to kiss Applejack.” The human almost chocked on his drink while the mare blushed profusely and glared at the unicorn. “WHAT?” Isaac yelled. “You have to do it and I’m not talking about a peck on the cheek. On the lips and lasting for one minute.” She said with a smirk. Applejack gulped and looked at the human. “I don’t see what the big deal is AJ, you’ve never been kissed and Isaac has already got to second base with you.” She said with a sly smirk. Isaac looked at the orange mare who’s face was as red as a beat. The two cast another look at the white mare who sat there holding the grin on her face. Isaac moved closer to the mare who’s heart rate began to increase. Their faces were the same shade of red as Applejack felt Isaacs lips connect with her own. Applejack closed her eyes as she felt her body heat up and her heart rate increased. She had almost lost all control as she moved her tongue inside of his mouth, she explored the humans unfamiliar mouth and let out a moan as she brushed her tongue across his canines. Isaac felt the mares tongue starting to explore his mouth, Isaac returned the gesture and darted his tongue inside of her mouth, she tasted like fresh apple cider. As the minute ended the two broke apart and let out a long breath. They looked back at the group who’s mouths were agate. “Well, how was it darling?” Rarity cooed. “It was....nice.” She said as she blushed. “Glad to hear it, Isaac?” “Not bad for your first time.” He said as he took a another drink. “Now it’s my turn.” He grabbed the bottle and gave it a hard spin, he slammed his hand next to it making go off course and land on the white mare. “Okay, since I’m a reasonable guy I’ll tell you what your options are before you make a decision.” The mare nodded as she raised an eyebrow. “If you chose truth, then you tell Spike how you REALLY feel about him.” The mare began to blush at the statement. “Now, if you chose dare you need to go on a date with Spike. A REAL date, go out to see a movie a simple dinner, whatever you classify as a date. Those are your options, the choice is yours.” The group of mares looked at her with a shocked look on their faces. Rarities blush brightened and gritted her teeth. “If you chose neither then I will call Spike in here and I’ll tell him myself.” “You wouldn’t!” “I so would.” “How could you possibly know how I feel?” “I’m a psych minor, I know how to read people or ponies in this case and the answer is written all over your face.” He said as he took a drink. The mare remained silent. “Suit yourself. SPIKE, Come down here for a minute.” The purple dragon came down stairs rubbing his eyes. “What?” “Rarity was-” “I was wondering if.....you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow night.” Rarity blurted out. Spike’s face turned bright red and his mouth was dry as a desert. “Umm. I-” Isaac walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “He’d love to, isn’t that right Spike.” “Y-yeah.” “Good, pick me up tomorrow at eight and don’t be late.” She said as she adverted her gaze. Spike slowly nodded his head. Rarity got to her feet and shot Isaac an icy glare. “Well, I think I’ll head home. It’s getting late and I must get a suit done for a special client. Goodbye.” She said as she slammed the door on her way out. Spike looked at Isaac who had a smug grin on his face. “Your welcome.” He said as he patted Spike on the back. “What did you just do?” Spike yelled. “I just scored you a date with your crush.” “I don’t know what to do on a date! I’ll probably mess up, or make a fool out of myself or-” “Spike! Calm down, I’ll help you out.” He said in a calm tone. “How?” “I have my ways, just leave everything to me.” He said as he poured himself another drink. Spike was about to protest but found no complaint. The dragon hurried back upstairs and went to his room. The mares looked at the human in surprise. “I can’t believe you managed to get Spike a date with Rarity. He’s been after her for years.” Twilight said getting over the shock. “If you want things to happen then you make them happen.” He looked at the clock and got to his feet. “I’m gonna turn in, I gotta help Aloe and Lotus tomorrow.” “Doing what?” Rainbow asked. “They’re getting a shipment in and they need someone to handle the heavy lifting. I’ll see you guys around.” He said as he finished his drink and made his way upstairs. “How did ya know that Rarity would agree to go on a date with Spike?” Applejack asked. “I didn’t.” He said as he made his way upstairs. As he closed the door the mares looked at one another with a nervous glance. “Well, that escalated quickly.” Rainbow said. “I think it’s best if we call it a night.” Twilight suggested. “Good idea, I’ve got weather duty in the morning so I’d better get going too.” “Likewise.” Applejack said as she got to her feet. The other mares nodded in agreement and started to leave. “Applejack hold on a minute.” Twilight said as the others left. “What’s up Twi?” “Do you have a crush on Isaac?” “What? N-no, of course not!” She said as the lavender mares eyes bore through her facade. “AJ you stink at lying.” Applejack had a defeated look on her face and hung her head down. “Ah don’t know Twi, I’m not sure if its genuine or if it’s just my cycle starting.” “I think it might be best if you avoid him for a few days. You know, until your cycle ends.” Twilight said as she put a hand on her shoulder. “Good idea. Ah need to get my head straight, that’s all.” “Just remember AJ, Isaac will have to go back eventually. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” “Ah know, thanks for looking out for me Twi.” She said as she smiled at her. “What are friends for?” Applejack gave a nod and walked out of the door. As she walked home a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. They mostly consisted of Isaac and the kiss they shared. She quickly pushed the memory out of her mind as she walked inside the farm house. A few miles away in a white cloud house Rainbow was struggling to fall asleep as she replayed the nights activities in her mind. Ugh! Why did she have to kiss him? Why do I even care? You like him. What that’s crazy he’s a completely different species then me! So? He’s not staying here forever! That remains to be seen. Just shut up. She said as she pulled the pillow over her face and tried to calm herself down. Isaac splashed cold water on his face and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His mind was raging an all out war with itself over the nights events. You fucking freak. You kissed a horse. It was a dare, nothing more! Bullshit! You liked it. It meant nothing. Doesn’t make it any better, you still did it! I’ve done worse things than kiss a girl. That thing wasn’t a girl. She’s a friend and nothing more! Yeah right. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! He yelled as he slammed his clenched fist into his face. He staggered back and saw his right eye starting to turn purple. He quickly mad his way to his room and closed the door behind him. As he laid down in his bed he pushed the voices out of his head and eventually let sleep take hold of him. Chapter 20: Handguns and Other WeaponsChapter 20 Handguns and Other Weapons Isaac woke up to find that Fluttershy was out and about. The man poked his head out of the tent to see Twilight reading a book. Applejack and Pinkie were chatting as they stirred the pot of food over the fire. Dash was napping in a nearby tree with her arms behind her head. The human threw on a pair of long pants and a white T shirt before making his way out of the tent and into the camp. “Morning.” He said with a nod. The mares returned the gesture and continued to go about their activities. The man picked up his bowl and scooped some of the oatmeal into it. Isaac felt the fresh air enter his nose mixed with the sweet smell of cinnamon from the food. After cleaning his bowl the man walked over to his bag and withdrew his bow. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked. “I’m gonna go practice.” He said as he held up the weapon. “Fluttershy has me beat by a long shot.” He said with a chuckle. “I’m gonna need to practice if I want to improve.” “Yeah, good luck with that.” Dash said with a laugh. “Something funny Rainbow?” “Trying to beat Shy with a bow is like trying to beat me in a flying race. Can’t be done.” “Why’s that?” “Because the bow is Fluttershy’s element weapon!” Pinkie chimed. “Element weapon?” The man said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Oh right, you don’t know.” Twilight said as she perked up. “You know about the Elements of Harmony right?” “You mean the things that you used to save Luna and turn Discord into a lawn ornament?” The mare nodded. “Yeah, why?” “You see, the elements manifest themselves in different forms. For Fluttershy, it’s a bow and arrow.” Twilight explained. “You’re pulling my leg.” Isaac said in a flat tone. “No, I’m not!” Twilight said win a stern tone. “You expect me to believe that Fluttershy would use a weapon? No offense, but she looks like she wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “Ya haven’t seen her when she gets angry sugar cube.” The farmer said. “Okay fine, so what do the rest of you have?” The man asked clearly interested. “I’ve got a staff.” The Unicorn said with a smile. “Axe for me.” Applejack said with a smile. “Oh! I have a hammer!” Pinkie said with a smile. “I’ve got two awesome daggers.” Dash said with a grin. “What about Rarity?” “She’s got a whip.” Isaac nodded in seeing the white mare using the weapon. “Refresh my memory, what are the elements again. I mean their names.” Isaac said with a sigh. “Honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and magic.” Twilight clarified. “So what kind of magic do they produce?” The man asked. “The strongest kind of magic.” Isaac leaned in and cocked an eyebrow in anticipation. “Friendship.” Isaac froze for a second before letting out a loud laugh. The mares looked at one another in confusion as Twilight narrowed her eyes on the man. “Something funny?” “Sorry, it’s just that.....That has got to be the corniest thing I’ve ever heard.” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. The mares all narrowed their gaze on him. “It sounds like something out of a kid’s T.V. show and the whole weapon thing sounds like a rip off of some MMORPG.” “A what?” Twilight asked. “A type of video game.” “Video game?” Twilight said in confusion. “It’s a game you can play on a TV or computer.” “Laugh if you must, but the magic is real. We saved Luna and beat Discord with it.” Twilight said in a defensive tone. “Sorry.” Isaac said with a shrug. “Didn’t mean to upset you guys.” “Speaking of being upset.” Twilight said as she cocked an eyebrow at the human. “Mind telling us why Fluttershy is in a sad mood?” Isaac groaned and looked back at the mares. “Long story short, she wanted to have sex with me and I declined. Simple as that.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “Why?” Dash asked. “Well, I’m sure that it was just hormones.” He said with a sigh. “Do you not think she’s pretty?” Pinkie asked. “I didn’t say that, it’s just that-” “She said that you thought you didn’t deserve us.” Dash interjected. Isaac bit his lip at the mare’s words. “Mind telling us about that?” Isaac groaned as he sat down and ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. “Mind if I ask something?” The mare gave him a reluctant nod. “Why me?” “Huh?” The group said in confusion. “Why, out of every other stallion in Equestria did you pick me to have sex with?” Isaac asked as he looked at the cyan and orange mares. “Well, you were nice, good looking and seemed like an okay guy.” Applejack answered. “Anything else? I mean you barely knew me.” He said in an accusing tone. “We knew each other for like what, a week maybe two?” “Well, I did feel kind of bad for you.” Dash said with a gulp. Isaac’s brain stopped as he processed the words. He felt his fist clenching on instinct. “You felt bad or me?” He asked in a spite filled tone. “Y-yeah. You are the only one of your kind and-” “I DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING PITY DASH!” The man bellowed causing the mares to flinch. “I never asked for you guys to feel sorry for me.” “We’re your friends. What else are we supposed to do? Let you wallow in this cycle of misery you’ve created for yourself?” Twilight asked. “As long as it’s not pity I don’t care.” He said in a stagnant tone. “So why did you agree to have sex with us huh?” Dash asked as she flew up to the man. “You got me while I was drunk. VERY drunk. Applejack practically hogtied me and I wasn’t in a position to say no.” He said in a stagnant tone. “At least the other two were generous enough to give me a warning.” “What other two?” Dash asked. The mares all focused their gaze on the man. Isaac let out a sigh seeing that there was no point in lying to them. “Other than you and AJ, I’ve slept with two other mares.” The group looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces. “Who?” Dash asked getting angry. “Spitfire and Vinyl.” Dash connected the dots and frowned at the man. “So that’s how you got in! I knew that you did something special to get into the Wonderbolts!” Dash yelled in anger. “Hey, I didn’t ask to be put in, but Spitfire was very insistent on it.” He said with a grunt. “I was just being courteous from one military soldier to another. As to the whole sex thing, she practically forced herself on me.” “Wait, I thought that Vinyl was into mares.” Pinkie chimed. The man looked at her in confusion. “Now that I think about it, wasn’t she dating her roommate? The one with the cello.” Twilight said as she put her finger to her chin. “Octavia was her name right?” “Yeah that’s it!” Dash said. “Wait, so Vinyl is in a relationship?” Isaac asked in a surprised tone. “Darn toot’n. Those two are going on three years now.” The farmer said. The human felt sick to his stomach and stumbled to his knees before throwing up his breakfast. “You okay partner?” Applejack asked in a concerned tone. “Does your species learn to be nymphomaniacs or is it just natural?” He said in a spite filled tone. “If you don’t like how we do things then why don’t you just leave?” Twilight yelled back at the man. “Just show me the portal back to my world and I’ll gladly take it.” He said as stormed off into the jungle. “You can’t go out there, it’s dangerous!” Applejack yelled. Isaac held up his right hand and extended his middle finger back at the group as he left the campsite. Isaac went forward into the dark forest and grunted. He made his way into the thicket trying to calm the rage filled storm that was dwelling inside his mind. Isaac walked forward his leg hit something stretched across the path. He heard a snap and quickly spun around to see a log coming towards him the man instantly ducked under the large log. He heard another snap and got ready for another trap. Isaac felt something wrap around his leg and pull him up towards the tree line. The man dropped his knife as he ascended towards the branches. Isaac felt himself bounce a few times from the rope before stopping. “Fuck me. Should have seen that coming.” He said with a groan. “What else can go wrong?” As the words left his lips he heard a growl come from the bushed. Isaac turned to see a full grown manticore glaring at the tied up human. “I hate you god.” He said with a gulp. The manticore licked it’s chops and slowly walked towards the human on a string. The man looked down towards his knife and groaned as he tried to reach for it. The weapon was easily ten feet away and too far from his grasp. The manticore was drawing closer to it’s meal. Isaac calmed his mind and let out a breath. Calm down, panicking won’t help. He thought as he extended his right hand towards the knife. Isaac focused on the handle and concentrated. As the manticore walked closer the knife’s handle started to move slightly. As the beast charged forward Isaac concentrated on the handle of the knife. The knife flew towards the man and made itself into Isaac’s hand. The human immediately bolted up avoiding the manticore’s swipe. Isaac lashed out and cut the rope that was wrapped around his leg. Luke Skywalker would be proud. Isaac fell from the trap and landed on his stomach. He groaned as he looked at the Manticore that was in mid pounce. Shit, no time. The man raised his arms in hoping to defend himself. The beast was then hit by a bright red ball of light coming from the right side. The manticore crashed into a series of trees. Isaac looked to the right and saw a jet black Unicorn stallion with a bright red mane and eyes. The stallion was wearing a dark cloak that covered his bright red mane. His hands and horn was glowing with a bright red aura around them. “You okay?” He asked. “Yeah, thanks.” Isaac said as he got up. “Pardon my intrusion, but what kind of pony are you?” The stranger asked. “I’m not a pony. I’m a human.” He said with a sigh. “Yet you can use magic.” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Only basic things. That levitation thing was the first time I tried it.” Isaac said with a sigh. Blueblood didn’t mention anything about magic. This is gonna cost him. The stallion thought with a grunt. Still, I have no idea what he can do yet. Better play it safe. “So what bring you all the way out here?” Isaac asked. “Oh just passing through.” He said with a shrug. “What about you?” Skull asked with a blank look on his face. “I was camping with some fri....acquaintances of mine.” Isaac said with a sigh. “No friends?” The stallion asked in confusion. “They were. I said somethings that would probably get anyone fuming.” Isaac said with a groan. “Why did you snap at them?” “They tried prying into things that I didn’t want to talk to them about.” He said with a groan. “I doubt you’d understand.” He said as he looked at the stallion with a blank look on his face. Skull looked at the man and scanned his eyes. This thing.......he’s got the same look in his eyes as I do. “Is your secret worth destroying a friendship?” Skull asked in a flat tone. “If they found out about what I did then they’d run away in fear.” Isaac said as he raised his hands. “Take my advice kid, if you’re secret matters more than your friends than you shouldn’t be allowed to walk among the living.” The stallion said as he turned to leave. Isaac stood frozen in the spot where he stood at the stallion’s words. He wanted to argue, but knew deep down that he was right. “Secrets can protect or destroy things. It’s up to you to decide which.” Isaac stood frozen as he rolled the words around in his head. He let out a long sigh as the dark stallion walked away from him with a blank expression on his face. “I’m not sure who you are, but you saved my life and I owe you.” “Forget it.” The stallion said as he teleported away from the man. Isaac walked over to his bow and slung it over his shoulder as he made his way back towards the camp at a slow rate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “C’mon where is it?” Dash yelled in frustrated tone and she went through the human’s bag. The farmer and the other girls crowded around the entrance of the tent and looked at the mare in confusion. “What in tarnation are you doing Dash?” Applejack asked as she walked over to the cyan mare. “Looking for that journal he keeps. It’s gotta be somewhere around here.” She said as she continued to look through his bags. The mare found a small plastic box with a code wheel on it and set it aside. “Um...I don’t think that’s such a good idea Rainbow.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “He’s hiding something and I wanna know what it is.” Dash yelled. “Ah ha!” she said as she pulled out the small leather book from the backpack’s pocket. The cyan mare walked out of the tent with the book in hand. “I don’t approve of this!” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Hey you heard what he called us. Time to see what he’s got in here.” Dash said as she held up the book in her right hand. The Pegasus felt the book being ripped out of her grip by an invisible force. “What the hell Twilight?” “That wasn’t me.” Twilight said with a gulp. The book floated over to the edge of the camp. The mares saw the man standing there with the book in hand and a blank expression on his face. “Need something?” Isaac said as he entered the camp. He put the book in his back pocket and glared back at the mares. “Isaac we’re-” The lavender mare was cut off as the man held up a hand. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one that should apologize.” He said with a sigh. “Sorry I snapped at you all like that.” He said as he sat down. “Why’d you go and call us.....whatever that word was?” Dash asked. “I thought that you guys were just using me as some sort of toy or a slab of meat to vent out your sexual needs.” He said in a flat tone. The mares looked at him in shock. “I’ve been used like that before and I didn’t want to be used again.” “Use you? What gave you that idea?” Applejack said in confusion. “Yeah dude. We care about you.” Dash said as she walked up to the human. “What did you mean by you being used?” Twilight asked as she sat down next to the man. Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the mare. “A few years ago I was seeing this girl. We dated for a few months and we got serious.” He said with a sigh. “I found out later that she was just using me to make her ex jealous.” The mares gasped in surprise. “Once she did, she dumped me like a bag of trash and went back to him.” He said with a sigh. “Bitch!” Dash yelled. “Since then I’ve always been hesitant to let others close. So I started to push them away, it’s a defense mechanism. I can’t really help it.” He said with a sigh. “Which is why, I’ve been so reluctant to tell you things about my past.” Twilight put a hand on his back and nodded. “I see.” “I’ll tell you guys about it eventually, I just need some time.” He said as he stood up. “I know you guys are curious, but that doesn’t give you the right to look through my stuff.” He said as he glared at Dash. “Sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s fine.” The man said with a shrug. “Anyway, the reason why I thought I didn’t deserve your kindness is because-” He was cut off as the group heard a series of growls. The ponies looked around the edges of the camp and saw a pack of Manticore’s glaring at them with hunger in their eyes. The group stood with their backs to each other. As one of them took a step forward Dash leaned over to Fluttershy. “Shy, think you can reason with these things?” The cyan mare said with a gulp. “I’ll try.” The butter yellow mare took a gulp as she stepped forward. “Um, Mr. Manticore is there any reason why you’re disturbing our camping trip?” The beast only roared at the mare. “Such language!” She said in a shocked tone. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes on the manticore. The beast started to shiver in the presence of her eyes. “Nice work Fluttershy.” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. “Now, you all go home right now or so help me then I will-” Fluttershy was cut off as the beast lunged at her. The cyan mare managed to grab her friend by her tail and pull her away from the beast. “Wh-what? No animal has been able to resist my stare before.” “Then we do this the hard way!” Dash said as she cracked her knuckles. “Dash are you nuts? There’s like six of these things!” Isaac said as he glared at the mare. “So then it’s a fair fight.” “Dash, I couldn’t even take one of these things down.” “Just stand back hun and let us handle these things.” Applejack said as she pulled out an orange amulet. Isaac noticed that it was in the shape of an apple and looked similar to Rarity’s. The other mare’s then pulled out one of their own. Each matching their Cutie Marks. The amulets started to glow and shape shift. Isaac looked in disbelief as Twilight’s grew into a purple staff with a circle at the top and a dark purple six pointed star in the center. Applejack had a large double bladed orange axe with a red apple at the top of the handle. Pinkie was donning a pink and white stripped hammer with three balloons going horizontal across the face. Fluttershy’s changed into a bitter yellow bow with a light green handle and three pink butterfly’s engraved into it. Dash’s seemed to split in two to form two small daggers. One of the blades was shaped into a lightning bolt fashion while the other was curved like a cloud. The five mares surrounded the human with their backs to him and held their weapons up in a defensive position. The six manticores circled their pray looking for an opening. “Fluttershy, keep Isaac safe. We can handle these things.” Twilight said as she looked at her yellow friends. “What? I can help I-” “Just leave this to us! We know what we’re doing.” Dash interjected. “I’m not leaving you guys here!” “You’re only going to get caught in the crossfire if you stay!” Twilight yelled. The news hit Isaac like a ton of bricks. The overwhelming feeling of becoming a burden had kicked in. “Now go with Fluttershy once we distract them.” The human formed his hands into fists and cursed himself at his uselessness. One of the manticores lunged forward. Pinkie raised her hammer and brought it down on the beast’s back. The ponies cringed as they heard a few boned being crunched. Fluttershy grabbed Isaac’s hand and the two started to run away from the fight. “Keep running!” Twilight yelled as she used her staff to shoot a bright purple beam at one of the beasts. Isaac and Fluttershy didn’t look back as they ran into the woods, side by side. Applejack was keeping one of the beasts from biting her head off by sticking the handle of her weapon across the monster’s mouth. The orange mare kicked her right leg up into the manticore’s ribs, making the beast retract it’s attack. Fluttershy and the human ran into the thicket desperate to get away from the beasts. After running a good distance away the two stopped to catch their breath. The mare sat down on a log as Isaac sat against a tree. Isaac felt the sweat running down his forehead and felt his legs burning. “Think the others are okay?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “I’m hope so.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. The human put his head against the trunk and let out a sigh. “Any reason why that thing didn’t listen to you?” “No, but it felt like that it was being controlled by something.” The mare said with a sigh. “Mind control?” “Maybe.” The yellow mare said as she sat down next to him. Fluttershy lowered her head and brought her knees to her chest. “You okay?” “I’m just worried.” She said in a low tone. The human put an arm around her and comforted the worried mare. Fluttershy felt her face flare up as Isaac’s arm went over her shoulders and on her left arm. “I’m sure they’re fine.” He said in a warm tone. Fluttershy smiled and rested her head on the man’s shoulder. Isaac blushed and rested his head against hers. “Hey Shy.” “Hm?” “Sorry about last night. I...I wasn’t myself.” He said in a low tone. “It’s alright. I never really thought that I looked that good anyway.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac immediately sat up and looked at the mare. “That is so not true. I meant it when I said that you were beautiful.” He said in a serious tone. The yellow mare’s face was now crimson red. “R-really?” She asked. “Yeah.” Isaac said as he looked away in an effort to hide his blushing face. The man felt a pair of slim fingers come into contact with the bottom of his chin. He let the mare’s fingers turn his head back towards her own. Their eyes met and they saw each other’s bright red faces. The yellow mare slowly moved closer to him. She closed her eyes as she pressed her tender lips against his. Isaac returned the gesture and felt the mare’s tender lips move as he prodded with his tongue. The yellow mare let out a moan as she felt the man’s tongue start to explore her mouth. Isaac moved his right hand onto her back and felt her now stiff wings. Fluttershy let out a moan as he started to rub the stiff extremities. Isaac’s ears twitched and broke the kiss. “Something wrong?” Fluttershy asked. “Feel’s like something’s watching us.” He said as he stood up. The human pulled out his knife and held it firmly in his hand. He heard a rustling from the bushes. The man’s eyes shrank as he ducked to avoid a swipe from one of the beats. “Crap looks like there were seven!” As Isaac took a defensive pose he noticed that this one was different than the others. It had three tails sticking out of it’s back and was a dark red as opposed to the yellow furred ones he’d seen. The beast roared in anger as it got in a pouncing position. The yellow mare stepped in front of the man and tried using her stare on the beast. The manticore growled and charged at the two.The human pushed the yellow mare out of the way of the swipe and ducked just in time to avoid a strike from one of it’s poison tipped tails. The man hit the dirt and rolled away from the four legged monster. As he got to his feet he started to run away with Fluttershy’s wrist in his hand. Isaac looked up and noticed a branch that was level with his head. He stopped as he passed it and grabbed hold of the end. He pulled the branch back as far as it would go and waited for the manticore to follow him. The beast was gaining on the human with rage in it’s eyes. As he saw the piece of meat it’s face was met with a branch, striking it on the nose. “Ha! Suck it flea bag!” Isaac said as he and Fluttershy took off once again. The yellow mare raised her bow and aimed right for the manticore. The mare pulled the bow string and a light yellow arrow made of light formed as she released the string. The arrow hit dead center on the manticore’s head and the beast fell forward. The human stopped running and looked at the mare in shock. “Wow, nice shot Shy.” “Thanks.” As Isaac hesitantly approached the beast he saw that it was still breathing. “It’s still alive?” “Yeah, I hit it with a sleep spell.” “I thought only Unicorns could use magic.” He said in confusion. “Well, yes. But I have an Element of Harmony so-” The mare was cut off as the beast let out a grunt and continued to sleep. “Let’s have this conversation somewhere else.” “Good idea. Just give me a sec.” The man whipped out his phone and got a snapshot of the large beast. “Okay, let’s go check on the others.” He said as the two mad their way back towards the camp. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dash was avoiding the manticore’s swipes left and right as she started to cut the beast across it’s chest. The beast roared in anger as he tried to stab the cyan mare with it’s poison tipped tail. Rainbow brought her blades in a defensive formation and guarded against the large beast. The mare then lashed out. She spun her athletic body in a complete circle, slicing the Manticore’s chest area. Applejack regained her footing and swung her axe at the large beast. The mare’s orange blade connected with the manticore’s fur and saw crimson blood starting to seep from the wound. The beast let out a cry of pain as the sharp bit of metal made it’s way into it’s chest. The manticore fell back and it’s eyes rolled over. “One down!” Applejack yelled. The cyan mare slashed both her daggers in an ‘X’ shape across on of the beast’s chest causing the beast to collapse. “Same!” She yelled as Twilight fired a massive purple salvo bolt at one of the monsters which caused it to collapse. “All clear!” Pinkie finished off the last one and rested against her hammer. “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said with a salute. The four mares caught their breath gave each other a nod. “Think Fluttershy and Isaac are okay?” “Why don’t you ask em?” Applejack said as she pointed with her finger. The mares looked and saw the human and light yellow mare racing towards them. “Hey guys.” Isaac said as he stopped to catch his breath. The man then noticed the manticore bodies. “Jeez, you guys really kicked ass.” He said in a surprised tone. “How are you guys doing?” Dash asked as she flew up to her friends. “Shy totally saved me.” Isaac said as he put an arm around the mare. “Oh, it was nothing.” She said with a blush. “You put it to sleep with a magic arrow.” “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if you hadn’t stunned it with that branch.” The yellow mare said in her usual timid tone. The ponies’s weapons started to glow and they shifted back into their amulet form. The ponies then saw a bright light coming from the slain beasts. The Manticores’s bodies glowed and vanished. The group was dumfounded by what they just saw. “Um, Twilight. Can Manticore’s use magic?” Isaac asked with a gulp. “No. I’ve never seen them do that before.” Twilight said in confusion. Isaac pulled out his phone and selected the picture of the odd manticore. “Ever seen one like this before?” He asked as he handed her the device. Twilight looked over the photo and searched her brain for something. “Sorry, it’s a first for me. We can try looking once we get back to town.” She said as she handed the man his phone. “Oh well, you learn something new everyday.” As the words left his lips his stomach let out a loud growl. “Heh heh, sorry it must be close to dinner time.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. A series of growl’s came from the other mare’s stomachs. “Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks so.” The ponies nodded in agreement and got the pots and pans out for dinner. Isaac walked over to Pinkie and Applejack and set out the pans and cooking equipment. The man helped them chop up the mushrooms and prepare the stew. Dash took her usual spot in a tree branch and rested her head on her hands. The mare looked down and spied the small box she had taken out from the man’s bag while she was searching for his journal. She hopped down from the branch she had perched herself on and walked over to the box. She picked it up withe her hands and shook it. “Hey Isaac, what’s this thing?” She asked as she held up the box. “What thing?” He said as he lifted the spoon out of the soup and tasted it. “This small black box with the combo lock.” The man’s eyes shrank and he spit out the spoonful of soup in surprise. “You okay?” Isaac walked over to the box and inspected it. “How the hell did this thing get thrown in my bag?” He said as he scratched his chin. “I swore I left it in the war room.” “War room?” Twilight asked as she perked up. “I’ll show you when we get back.” “So what is that thing?” Dash asked. “I don’t want to-” “Don’t give us that! You said that you’d start telling us things about yourself.” Twilight said as she teleported in front of the two. “So start talking.” Twilight’s violet eyes started boring holes through the man. “Fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said as he put in the combination. The mare’s heard a metallic click noise and the man lifted the lid open. The mares all cocked their head in confusion as the man brought the odd object out. It was made mostly of a shiny metal that was melted into the shape of a barrel with an odd cylinder near a rubber hand grip. There was an odd shaped piece of metal sticking out near the top of the grip. “So what is it?” Twilight asked. “This is a .44 Magnum Anaconda II. One of the most powerful handguns from my world.” The man said as he lifted it up. “Handgun?” Pinkie asked in confusion. “It’s a gun that fit’s in your hand.” “Gun?” Twilight asked. Isaac face palmed and looked at Applejack. “Do we have any spare cans left over?” “Eeyup. Ah didn’t want to litter so ah saved all the cans we used for the soup.” She said as she walked over to her backpack and pulled out one of the tin cans. “How many do we have?” “Ah’d say about eight.” “Can you get me six?” The mare nodded and started digging though her bag. She handed them to the man who proceeded to rip the labels off and put it in his pocket. He walked over to a log that was a good distance away from the camp and them on top. Isaac went back into the box and pulled out six small brass objects that fit into the slots inside the mechanism’s cylinder. “Everyone stay behind me.” He said as he closed the cylinder and threw a small switch on the gun. “You might want to cover your ears.” He said as he aimed at the cans. “Why?” Dash asked as the others put their hands over their ears. The man took a deep breath and focused down the sights. The man pulled the trigger. The mare’s heard an incredibly loud bang noise come from the man’s machine along with a metallic ping sound. They looked up to see that one of the cans had been knocked off the log. The man lowered his weapon and threw the switch. Isaac walked over to the can and held it up so the mare’s could see a large hole going straight through the can. “That. Is. AWESOME!” Dash yelled. “What kind of magic is that?” Twilight asked. “No magic, human innovation.” He said as he pulled out the weapon. “You see there’s a compound in theses brass cylinder’s that is extremely flammable.” He said as he removed one of the bullets. “When this piece called the ‘hammer’ strikes the firing pin that’s located in front of the hammer, it sends a tiny spark into the brass casing causing a small explosion and forcing this small metal ball called the bullet out of the casing, down the barrel and into or through whatever I’m pointing at.” “Wow.” Twilight said as her eyes boggled. “Can I try?” Applejack asked. Isaac thought for a moment and let out a sigh. “Okay fine, but just one shot and be careful!” The orange mare nodded as Isaac handed her the weapon. “Okay, how do ah work this thing?” Isaac stepped behind her and lifted her arms up. “Look down the sight. It helps if you close one eye.” Applejack shut her left eye and focused on the can. “Make sure you have a steady grip, the recoil is pretty strong on this thing.” “Recoil?” “It’s the force that blasts back after the bullet is fired.” He said as he switched the safety off. “Safety is off and you’re hot.” “Don’t need to tell me.” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. “I mean you’re ready to fire and keep facing forward!” Applejack took a deep breath and focused on the can. She pulled the trigger and felt the force coming from the barrel. The bullet hit the side of the can making it fall on it’s side. “Wow, that’s got some kick!” Applejack said in amazement. “You get used to it after a while. Anyone else?” “Me!” Dash yelled as she flew up. Isaac handed her the weapon. The cyan mare looked down the sight and fired randomly missing the target. “What the hay?” “It takes time to get used to it.” He said as he took the weapon from her. “Hey Twilight, think you cold throw one of those cans up with your magic?” “I guess I could why?” “Moving target.” The mare shrugged and levitated the can up. “When I say pull throw the can with your magic.” The lavender mare nodded and got ready. Isaac dropped the weapon to his side and let out a sigh. “Pull!” The lavender mare threw the can forward with her magic. As Isaac raised his weapon time seemed to slow, while he stayed the same speed. He focused his sights and flocked on o the can. He fired the remaining three bullet’s into the can which caused it to spin in mid air before dropping to the ground with three holes in it. “Ho wee! That there is some skill!” Applejack said as she held up the can. “So awesome!” Dash said while scrunching her cheeks. Twilight walked over to them in amazement and looked at the weapon. “That could kill somepony.” Twilight said as Isaac emptied the spent rounds. “That’s what it’s supposed to do.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “It’s for personal protection and it can easily go through someone in less than ten seconds.” He said as he put the gun back in it’s case. “How would you know?” Dash asked. Isaac got up and pulled the right side of his shirt down to show a small circular scar near his shoulder. “I’ve been shot before.” He said in a flat tone. The mares all put their hands to their mouth in shock. “Have you ever shot anyone?” Pinkie asked. Isaac gritted his teeth and let out a sigh. “Yes, I have.” “Did they die?” “Yes.” The mare’s stood frozen at the man’s words. Twilight felt a small wave of fear creep up her spine. “Why?” Twilight yelled. “When someone is shooting at you, ya have to shoot back and make sure that you’re better at it then they are.” He said as he put the box back in his bag. “How many guys have you-” “Does that really matter?” He asked in a flat tone. “Looks like the soups done.” Isaac said as he walked over to the pot. The mares all gulped and walked over to the man and sat down across from him. The rest of the night was spent in close to complete silence. Until Applejack broke the silence. “So Isaac, was that the only time you’ve been shot?” “Nope, I’ve been shot.” He stopped as he took a moment to think. “Around ten times, but it’s probably more since I covered their scars.” The mares looked at him in shock. “How’d you do that?” Twilight asked. “Surgery. After the wound healed and left a scar the doctors took a piece of skin from another part of my body and patched it over the scar, hiding it.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “So why didn’t you hide that one?” Dash asked as she pointed to his shoulder. “This one is....special.” “How so?” “It was the last time I was ever shot and I hope to keep it that way.” He said in a flat tone. “Wait how did you survive getting shot?” Twilight asked. “Just because someone get’s shot doesn’t mean they’ll die.” He said with a sigh. “If you get yourself help then it’s treatable. Doctors open up the wound and remove the bullet, or if it goes straight through then they can just close it.” He said with a yawn. “It also depends on three things.” He said as he held up three fingers. “Where you’re hit. What kind of weapon was used and what kind of bullet it is.” “There’s more than one type of gun?” “Oh yeah. The Anaconda is small compared to the stuff I’ve shot in the Marines.” He said with a small chuckle. “My personal favorite is Sniper Rifles.” “Sniper Rifles?” Isaac pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos until he came to an odd looking machine with a long barrel. “They’re designed for taking out targets at long ranges.” “That looks badass.” Dash said with a smile. “I’ll gladly show you guys it once we get back to my place.” “You have one?” “Yeah, I managed to strike a deal with the brass which allowed me to keep the weapons I used while I was in the field.” He said as he sat back. “Not everyone can do that?” “Nope. Most of the time soldiers have to give up their weapons at the end of their tour.” “So how did you keep yours then?” Pinkie asked. Isaac’s eyes shrank as the words left her lips. “I helped them out with a small problem that they couldn’t handle on their own.” He said in a low tone. “That and when you’re the General’s son you get some leeway.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “I said I had a military upbringing.” “You’re dad was a General?” “Yup, one of the best.” He said with a yawn. “I’m going to bed see you guys tomorrow.” He said as he walked over to his tent and laid down to rest. The mares huddled together and whispered to one another. “I can’t believe that he’s killed someone!” Twilight said in surprise. “I’m sure he had a good reason to.” Applejack said in a defensive tone. “Like what?” “He said that someone was shooting at him. What was he gonna do? Let the guy kill him?” Dash said. “If someone was trying to kill me then you can bet your flank that I’d get out of there no matter what.” “That’s no excuse! You should never take a life.” “Let’s all just simmer down. We don’t even know the whole story yet.” Applejack said with a sigh. “Look, Isaac has had plenty of chances to try to hurt us and he hasn’t, so ah highly doubt that he’ll start to now.” “Fine, but I’m writing to the Princess about this when we get back.” Twilight said as she walked back to her and Pinkie’s tent. The other mares did the same as they returned to their tents for the night. As Fluttershy crawled inside the tent she saw that Isaac was asleep. The mare let out a sigh before crawling inside her own bag and fell asleep in it’s embrace. Go ahead. Shoot me! I can’t! Do it! Isaac woke up in a cold sweat and sat straight up as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The man looked at his watch and saw that it was 2:35am. Isaac got to his feet and walked outside the tent with a towel and a flashlight. He tip toed past the other tents making sure not to make any noise. The man walked down the path until he got to the water fall and pool. He slipped off his shoes and pants, only keeping his boxers on as he entered the cool water. He felt the cool water meet his skin which sent a small shiver up his spine. As he adjusted himself to the waste he stuck his head in the waterfall allowing the cool rainbow water to wash over his muscular body. The man heard a small splash and spun around to see Fluttershy on the edge of the pool. “Oh, am I disturbing you?” “Not really. Mind telling me what you’re doing out here?” He asked as he walked over to her. “Well, I saw you leave the tent so I followed you to make sure you were alright.” She said as she stepped into the rainbow colored water. “I’m fine I just needed the cold water to clear my head and the fact that I smelled like a pig.” He said with a faint laugh. Isaac sat down on the shore edge so his lower body was submerged n the water. He tilted his head up and looked up at the stars. “Beautiful night.” “Yeah, it sure is.” The yellow mare said as she laid down next to him. She felt a small shiver run up her spine as she sat down and rested her head on his shoulder. Isaac felt something lightly poking his arm. He tilted his head to see that the yellow mare’s nipples were tightly pressing against her light green shirt. Fluttershy’s face went bright red as she looked up at the man who smiled at her. She gazed into his crystal blue eyes and drew closer. The two locked lips and embraced one another. After three minutes of the act Fluttershy broke the kiss and re positioned her self so that she was sitting on top of Isaac facing him. The mare carefully removed her dark green short shorts and he light green shirt. The man’s eyes widened as her yellow breasts stood at attention from the cold and arousal. Isaac felt himself becoming hard, even in the sixty degree water as the mare brought him into another kiss. As they broke Isaac looked at the mare and gulped. “Shy, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want-” He was cut odd as the yellow mare put a soft finger on his lips. “I do want to and I want this.” She said as she reached down and pulled the man’s boxers down, revealing his shaft. “Just be gentle.” She said with a gulp. Isaac nodded and slowly he slid himself inside the mare. A low pitched moan came from the mare and a tear formed in her eye. “Are you okay? Want me to stop?” “I’ll be alright. I just need to get used to it.” She said as she slid down more in the man’s cock. Fluttershy lifted her self up and moaned as she slowly slid down again. Isaac felt the mare’s tight walls envelope his shaft as the mare continued the motion. Isaac saw that her breasts were bouncing freely with each thrust. The human grabbed the two soft breasts and gently rolled them which caused a loud moan of pleasure to escape the mare’s mouth. “Oh yes, like that.” Isaac continued the rotation and started to suck on the right nipple. Fluttershy gasped at the action and started to quicken her thrusts. Isaac matched her and quickened his hand motions. He used his right hand to reach around her back and stroke her wing. Fluttershy was lost in pleasure as she felt herself coming to her climax. The mare seemed to double her pace and her moans became louder. The human felt the mare’s walls clench around his shaft as she continued to move up and down his rod. “Isaac I’m-” “Me too!” The man gave one last thrust before the pressure he felt building in him was finally released. The mare arched her back and her eyes rolled back as she felt her juices release and the man’s fluids shoot into her body. The two let out a moan of pleasure before their muscles relaxed and the mare slumped on top of the man. Isaac panted heavily as the mare slid herself off the man and rested her head against his chest. “That was wonderful Isaac.” She said as she kissed his neck. “You were amazing.” He said with a pant. The two stayed there for a few minutes longer just holding one another. The man got to his feet and dried off before getting his clothes on. “We should probably head up, wouldn’t want the others finding us like this come morning.” “Good idea.” The mare said as she put her pajama’s back on her body. The two walked back up to their tent and crawled inside. The man slipped inside his sleeping bag and moved over to make room for the butter yellow mare. Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around the man as she used his chest for a pillow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours earlier. Skull looked over the manticores’s bodies and let out a sigh. “What a waste.” He said as he snapped his fingers and the bodies turned into piles of ash. The human seems to be the weakest out of the others. Killing him should be a cinch. The creature understood the weight of killing. He deserves a fair chance. Nobility is over ratted. No! Everything deserves a fair chance. I just need to separate him from the mares. The barrier? If we’re able to trap him then yes. The stallion’s horn glowed and four copies of himself appeared. “We’ll get everything ready then.” One of the clones said before vanishing in a flash of red light. The original took one of the clones aside and handed him a letter. “Deliver that to the residence of the lavender mare. She has some sort of assistant there who should be able to send it to them.” The clone nodded and vanished with a snap of it’s fingers. Tomorrow, we’ll see weather this human is either prey or hunter. The stallion thought as he laid down to rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The clone appeared just outside of the small town and made his way towards the library. The clone’s horn glowed and his dark attire shifted into a mail pony uniform. His coat shifted from jet black to a light tan color and his mane turned brown. The clone walked up to the door and gave a hard knock. “Mail call.” The clone shouted out. The door opened to reveal a purple dragon wearing a light blue apron. “Can I help you?” “Letter for you sir.” He said as he handed him the letter. “This late?” “It was marked ‘urgent’ by the Princess.” The false messenger lied. “Why didn’t she just send me it via magic?” “I just deliver the messages pal.” He said with a shrug. Spike pulled out two bits and paid the stallion before closing the door. The clone grinned and vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Sorry this took so long! Chapter 28: Fall of a ChampionChapter 28 Fall of a Champion The next day started out with a hard knock on the human’s door. Isaac put down his bowl of cereal and walked over to the door. What he found was an unfamiliar maroon mare donning a white blouse and a brown skirt that went down to her knees. She looked like she was in her early thirties or late twenties. “Can I help you Miss?” He said as he rubbed his eyes. “Yes, I don’t believe we’ve met.” She said as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Ms. Cherilee.” The name clicked in the human’s mind. “Oh, You’re Applebloom’s teacher.” He shook her hand and smiled. “Name’s Isaac.” “Yes, I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” She smiled. “I just wanted to talk to you about something.” “No problem. Would you like to come in?” He said as he held the door open for the mare. Cherilee nodded and made her way past the man and into his home. “Sorry I was just having breakfast.” He said as he sat down in a chair. “So what’s up?” “This.” Cherilee said as she held up the book he had lent to the fillies. “They said that you lent them this book.” “Yeah why?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Honestly letting girls their age reading something this....horrible!” She stammered. “How is it bad? Thats a best seller back where I’m from.” “I’m talking about the story.” The words clicked in the man’s mind. “Oh, I see. You mean the content.” “Exactly!” She said with a sigh. “I don’t know how you humans get your kicks from fictional horror stories but-” “Okay, first off that book isn’t fiction.” The mare blinked. Twice. She looked down at the book. “That is based off of a real fourteen year old girl’s diary during the Holocaust that occurred in World War two.” “This actually happened?” She asked in a shocked tone. “Unfortunately yes, not one of humanity’s finest moments.” He said with a sigh. “Look I told those girls that there may be some content in that book that they may not be ready for.” “That’s still no excuse. Now the girls won’t calm down about it.” “How so?” “They want to know what happens next and frankly so do I.” “What are you talking about?” “What happened?” “What do you mean what happened? Anne Frank died in a concentration camp.” Cherilee face palmed. “I mean, what happened to the war?” Isaac cocked and eyebrow and looked at the mare. “Look, if I’m going to talk about World War two then I’d better start at the beginning of human history.” “Excellent.” She said as she stood up. “I’ll see you on Monday morning at eight o’clock in my class room.” “Wait what?” “I want you to teach my class and myself about this topic.” Isaac looked at the mare in surprise. “I look at it as new knowledge and I’m always interested in learning knew things.” “You and Twilight must get along.” Cherilee chuckled and nodded. “Okay, mind if I bring some visuals?” “By all means.” “Just a heads up. It isn’t pretty and contains several things that are explicit.” Cherilee gulped. “More than what was in that book.” “I see. Try your best to limit it.” “I’ll try.” He said as he shook her hand. “Splendid. I’ll see you then.” She said as she handed the book back to him. “See ya then. Oh and how did the CMC do on their report?” “They each got a B+.” Isaac smiled and waved as she exited his home. The human yawned and finished his breakfast. The man cracked his neck and decided to head into town. The human made his way through the quiet town and stopped in the library. The librarian was at her desk with the small silver sphere Isaac had taken from the castle. “Hey Twilight.” He said as he walked in. “Oh hey Isaac. How are you feeling?” She asked with a smile. “Been worse.” He said as he looked at the ball. “Why do you have that thing?” “Celestia asked me to examine it.” “I thought that she was supposed to give it to some smart pony.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight frowned at him. “Oh lighten up. You know I’m kidding.” He chuckled. “Ha-ha.” She said sarcastically. “Somehow this thing is connected to the Elements of Harmony so who better to study it than me?” “So find anything out about this thing?” He asked as he looked at the sphere. “Only that it’s incredibly strong and light. I hit it with a hammer and it didn’t even leave a scratch.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the object. “I then had Spike breathe fire on it and there were no scorch marks.” “Jeez whats this thing made out of?” He said as he picked it up. The markings on the ball stared to glow and Twilight gasped. “What?” “Look!” She said as she pointed at the markings. Isaac immediately dropped the sphere. “Why’d you drop it?” “Last time that happened it felt like I was getting electrocuted.” He said as he put it back on her desk. The door then opened to reveal the other five mares. “Hey guys.” He said with a smile. “Sup dude?” Dash said as she fist bumped him. “What are you doing here?” “Oh right.” He said as he turned back to Twilight. “I need your help next Monday.” “With?” Twilight asked. “Cherilee wants me to teach a class about human history and I may need your help.” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” She said with a wide smile. “Okay easy Twilight. I still need to get the materials together.” He said with a sigh. “Hang on a second.” Twilight said as she pulled out a piece of paper with some words on it. “Why couldn’t the book stand up for itself?” “Why?” Isaac asked as he rolled his eyes. “It didn’t have the spine.” A dead silence fell over the group. The guests all face palmed. In the distance a dog barked. “What? You don’t like it?” “You’d hear crickets chirping, but they all stayed silent to avoid how awkwardly bad that joke was.” Isaac said as he shook his head. “Are you saying I’m not funny?” She asked. “No, I think you are very amusing when you’re an anal OCD train wreck. So long as you stay your usual self its fine.” “I don’t get it.” Isaac groaned and looked at the group of mares. “Everyone is funny in their own way.” He said as he stood next to the cyan flyer. “Dashie here sells it with her cocky attitude.” “I am the best.” She said as she struck a pose. “Rarity is funny when she’d being sarcastic or is up on her high horse.” The mare pouted. “Applejack is funny when she tries to tell a lie and her face betrays her. Fluttershy is hilarious when she’s so timid and hides from her own shadow.” The yellow mare blushed. “Discord is funny because quite frankly he’s as crazy as I am.” He said as he pointed to himself. “But there is one person in this town who is funny, no matter what she says.” He said as he cleared his throat. “Drum roll please.” Dash grabbed a nearby hard covered book and started rapidly tapping on it. “ And the award goes to, Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie bowed. Isaac then put his hands together in a praying formation. “So please for the love of God, Celestia, Luna, Discord and any other all powerful beings out there. Don’t tell anymore jokes.” Twilight frowned and groaned. “Oh yeah and why are you trying to tap the funny bone today?” “Don’t you know dude?” Dash said. “Its prank day.” “Prank day?” He said in surprise. “Jeez you need to get up on the times.” Pinkie said. “Prank day is a holiday where we all pull pranks on each other.” “Oh its like April Fools’ Day.” “Eeyup and speaking of which.” Applejack pulled out an egg from her pocket and smashed it on his head. The girls laughed at it. “Why would you waste an egg like that?” Isaac said with a grunt. “It was rotten.” The smell hit the human like a freight train and he grabbed his nose. “Nice AJ, real nice.” He groaned. The human then turned to leave only to be met with a plate of white cream to the face. Dash was on the floor in tears as the tin plate fell to the ground. “Well, you can’t beat the classics.” He said before wiping the cream off his face and storming out. “I’d be careful Dash.” Twilight said. “Oh come on Twilight its the holiday.” “I’m just saying you know how quick tempered he is.” Dash rolled her eyes and calmed herself down. The human used Twilight’s hose to wash the egg and cream off his face and head. The man shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair. Isaac continued on his way through town and he spied a familiar grey Pegasus mare with a blonde mane. “Oh hey Isaac.” Ditzy said with a smile on her face. The mare was holding two ice cream cones in each hand. “Morning Ditzy.” He said with a smile. The man flinched as he saw the ice cream. “You’re not gonna hit me with one of those are ya?” “What? No, I’m not much of a prankster.” She giggled. “So why do you have two?” “Oh this ones for Dinky.” She said as a grey Unicorn filly with a similar blonde mane walked up to her. “Here you go Dinky.” She said as the filly smiled. “Awe cool, I didn’t know you had a little sister.” “She’s not my sister silly.” The filly chimed. “She’s my mommy.” Isaac felt his right eye lid twitch as he looked at the two. “Sorry, I just assumed.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “Its fine you’re not the first to make that mistake.” She said with a smile. “Her name is Dinky.” “Hi.” She said with a smile. “Nice to meet you.” Isaac said before she ran ahead. “Hey Ditzy,” The mare turned her head and looked at him. “feel free to not answer this but, why does she have a horn?” “Oh, well Dinky isn’t really my filly.” She said as the two started to walk down the road. “I was running a long delivery in Manehattan a year ago when I found her in a dumpster looking for food.” Isaac’s jaw dropped in shock. “She told me that she ran away from the orphanage and had been living on the streets for about two weeks.” “Jesus.” He said in a low tone. “I couldn’t leave her there so I took her back with me, filled out the paperwork and we’ve been living here ever since.” Isaac was dumbstruck at the story and looked at the grey mare in amazement. “Remind me to nominate you for mother of the year.” He said with a genuine smile. “Awe thanks.” “Well, I’d better get going. I gotta find something to do else I’ll die of boredom.” He said as he waved goodbye to the mare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human stormed into his home hours later soaking wet after being drenched by a cloud filled with sugar water. Courtesy of the cyan flyer. He quickly changed his clothes and walked over to a black wooden box. “Those guys want a war? I’ll give em a war.” He said with a sigh. The human dialed a number on his phone and put it to his ear. “Hey Luna? Its Isaac.......Yes we’re still on for later. Look I need to talk to Discord for a second......Yo D, wanna cause some chaos?...Good. How fast can you get to Ponyville?” A bright light then filled the man’s room. “This fast enough?” Discord said with a smile. “Excellent.” “I should have you know that Tia has banned me from playing pranks on ponies today.” “You won’t be doing the pranking. I will. I just need your help with a few things.” “What’s your idea?” Isaac whispered to the god of chaos who laughed. “You are truly a crazy creature.” “Coming from you that means a lot. Now lets get to work.” He said with a wicked smile and grabbed an empty jar. The two ran off towards the Everfree forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around nine o’clock Rarity was working in her shop only to see a bright blue light fill the room. She blinked twice to see the Lunar Princess appear in her room. Luna looked around and yawned. She blinked as she realized where she was. “Oh we apologize Rarity. We were planning to teleport into Isaac’s home.” She said with a weak smile. “It takes a bit for us to focus on almost no rest.” “Oh its no trouble.” The seamstress then formed an idea in her mind. A smirk slowly spread across her face. “You and Isaac are doing that...competition tonight correct?” “Yes, even though we have practiced for days we are sill very nervous.” Luna said with a gulp. “What does the bet entail?” “The loser must do what the winner wants without question for twenty-four hours.” Oh this is perfect. I’ll have to see what Luna does to him. She giggled. Sorry Isaac, but payback is a bitch and so am I. “You know, I do know a strategy that could aid you in your victory.” Luna’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “If you want to know then I could teach you.” “Please! We need every advantage we can get.” Rarity smirked and cracked her neck. “Right then. Lets begin.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac sat in his home with a triumphant look on his face. Discord had long since left after they had set their job in motion, all that required was patience. The human made himself dinner and decided to practice some Halo before going up against the lunar Princess. He easily cleared the firefight mission with a score in the hundred thousands. Sorry Lulu. You are going down. He thought with a chuckle. Don’t be so sure whelp! The man jumped out of his seat in fright. The room was filled with bright blue light and the form of the Alicorn Princess was standing before him. She was wearing a dark shroud that covered most of her body. “Whats with the get up?” “Are you mocking my fashion sense?” Luna narrowed her eyes on the man. Isaac gulped in fear at the mare. “No, just never seen you wear something like that before.” He said with a sigh. “You ready for a beat down?” “It is us who will have the last laugh mortal.” She said as she summoned her blue controller. Isaac popped in Halo: Reach and the two started the competition. Isaac started out in the lead with five kills on the mare before she got one. When the two got into the teens, Luna was gaining the upper hand. “You’ve gotten better I’ll give you that.” He said as his character picked up a sniper rifle. He quickly spun around and no scoped the blue elite. “Sadly, not good enough.” He grinned as Luna’s cheeks flushed red with anger. Isaac managed to air assassinate the Princess for the final kill. “GAME OVER!” The electronic voice said. “Sorry Lulu, but I told you that-” “Double or nothing!” She yelled. Isaac raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Really Luna? Is that courage or desperation?” The Princess frowned at the human. “Think you can handle two days in my debt?” “Good thing I won’t have too.” “You’re writing checks your ass can’t cash.” He chuckled as he selected a different map. “You’re on!” “The stakes have been doubled!” She yelled in delight before getting up. “May I use your restroom?” “Sure. Know where it is?” The lunar Princess nodded and made her way towards the restroom. After she closed the door, the Princess looked at her self in the mirror and hung her head. Am I really going to do this? The Princess then remembered the words of the white hooded assassin. Everything is permitted. With new courage the mare smirked and cracked her knuckles. Isaac decided to have some fun and change the color scheme on Luna’s avatar from dark blue to bright pink. “Cease thy actions wretch!” Luna yelled. “Oh calm down Lu-” The man stopped dead in his tracks as his throat dried up at the sight. The Lunar Princess was donning a jet black corset and thigh high black stockings. The mare also had on black eye liner that made her light blue eyes stand out even more. Isaac gulped as he felt his face blush as she sat down next to him. “Why are you staring at us like that?” She asked in an innocent tone. “Wh-whats with the get up?” “Are though disrespecting our fashion sense?” She growled. “No, lets play.” He said as sweat formed on the man’s brow. As the match began he saw that Luna had switched from using her hands to her magic. “Why are you using magic?” “Our hands are starting to hurt from over use.” She said as she stretched her arms. Isaac gulped as he saw her breasts bounce as she raised her arms. The man quickly looked away and tried to focus on the game. His left eye kept looking at the Princess who hand now crossed her legs. Luna was gaining ground and the two were even as they hit the mid way point. The lunar Princess then stood up with her magic still making the controller move. “Where are you going?” “All that inactivity, has given us a sore back.” She said as she bent backwards. Damn that’s hot. Shut up idiot! Remember she can read minds! Crap! He thought as he focused on the game. Luna smirked as she heard the thoughts. I can’t believe this is actually working.Rarity you are indeed crafty. Luna giggled. The two were neck and neck as they neared the final three points. The man gulped as he felt the alicorn’s chin rest on his head. He could almost feel the sweat from her chest on the back of his neck. “Wh-what are you doing?” “Using you as a head rest.” She said in a seductive tone. Luna went in for the kill and lightly nibbled his ear. Isaac immediately shot up and looked at the Princess. “Don’t get any ideas!” He yelled with a blush strewn across his face. “I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to-” He was cut off as he heard a spartan scream as it was killed by a rocket. “GAME OVER!” Isaac froze in his tracks and slowly turned around to look at the screen. Luna: 50 kills. Isaac: 49 kills. “Ha-ha! We are victorious!” Luna yelled as she snapped her fingers and the outfit was replaced by a normal dress. “That was a dirty trick Luna!” Isaac yelled. “Is someone trying to back out of our deal?” She said with an evil smirk. Isaac grunted and hung his head in shame. “No, if I’m nothing else, then I’m a man of my word.” He said in defeat. “Good and since I doubled the bet, I own you for forty-eight hours.” She said with a wicked grin. “Crap. What are you gonna have me do?” He said as he waited for the crushing words. “We are not sure. We will let you know when we think of something.” She said as she yawned. “Now we must sleep.” “I thought you were nocturnal.” “Normally yes, but we spent all day practicing.” She said as she rubbed her eyes. “Well, if ya want then there’s a guest room.” He said as he walked up stairs and changed into a pair of gym shorts and a plain T-shirt. The man crawled into bed and started to fall asleep. Ten minutes later he felt something in his bed and looked over his right shoulder. His eyes shrank as he saw a pair of cyan eyes looking at him. “Holy crap!” He said as he almost fell out of bed. He looked again and saw Luna settling herself under the covers. “What do you want Luna?” He asked in a groggy tone. “We are going to sleep.” “Why are you doing it in my bed?” He asked hiding his blush. “Its warmer.” “You’ve taken my dignity. I’m not letting you take my bed.” He grumbled. “I’m not telling you to leave.” She said as she turned over and rested her head on the pillow. “Fine.” He grumbled. “By the way when does your sister raise the sun?” “I think its around seven in the morning. Why?” “No reason.” He said as he grabbed his alarm clock and set it. The man closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The next morning he woke up to the sound of his clock blazing and a weight on his chest. He looked down and his face immediately turned scarlet. The alicorn Princess was using his chest as a she softly snored. The man tried to move but felt the Alicorn wrap her arms around his torso and squeeze him like a pillow. Despite her physique the mare was surprisingly strong. The man chocked in pain as she squeezed harder. “Luna.” He said as he tapped her arm. “What?” She asked as she stirred. “Spine.....crushing.” He said as the woman opened her eyes and immediately let go. The man inhaled and sat up. Luna hung her head. “We are sorry, we thought you were a pillow.” “That kinda explains the drool on my shirt.” He said as he hid his blush. The man grabbed a change of clothes and made his way into the bathroom. The man quickly got changed and saw that the Princess was still waking up. “Get up you don’t wanna miss this.” He said as went into his bedroom window and climbed onto the roof. “Miss what?” “My revenge.” He said with an evil smirk. As luna changed into a dress and followed the human she saw Discord with a box of popcorn and a lawn chair. “Oh Luna, how good of you to join us.” He said with a smile. Isaac sat in one of the chairs and looked out towards the town. “What are you doing here Discord?” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “I could very well ask you the same thing.” He grinned. “A royal sister of Equestria caught in bed with a being from another dimension? Scandalous!” The two immediately blushed. “As to why I’m here, I can never miss out on a display of utter chaos.” “What are you talking about?” Luna asked. “Wait for it.” Isaac said. The three then heard a scream come from the library. Soon the boutique and Sugar Cube Corner followed suit and the two partners in crime barreled over in laughter. Luna looked at them in confusion then back at the town. “Oh Isaac you area genius!” Discord cackled as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I try.” He said as he saw Twilight storm up to his home. Isaac almost barreled over again as he saw the lavender Unicorn’s limp horn. “Discord!” She yelled as the other element bearers approached them. The six pulled out their elements and got ready to turn him back into a statue. Discord teleported down in front of the mares and sighed. “You said you wouldn’t pull any pranks!” “Now before you go and start lecturing me.” He said as he held up a claw. “If you’re looking for the real culprit look no further.” He said as he pointed up. Isaac stood up and took a bow. “Isaac?” Twilight yelled. “Having trouble keeping that thing up Twi? Relax it happens to the best of us.” Twilight’s face went bright red. “Well, not me, but you? Yeah I can see that happening.” The apple farmer and the yellow Pegasus looked un-touched while the cyan mare had a set of small orange wings. Pinkie was now a grey color and Rarity’s mane and tail were now swamp green. “You will pay for this you cur!” Rarity yelled. Isaac fell over again and pulled out his phone. The human took a quick snapshot of the mares as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “You mess with the bull you get the horns.” He said with a grin. “Consider this payback for the pie in the face, egg on my head, hot sauce in my coffee and trying to de-fabricate my clothes in the middle of town yesterday!” He bellowed. “How did you even get us?” Pinkie asked. “I just treated your water supplies with some liquified poison joke I got from Zecora.” The mares gasped. “Why didn’t you do anything to these two?” Dash asked as she pointed to her two untouched friends. “AJ’s water supply comes from an underground well, like the hospital has its own water supply. Shy gets water from the Everfree forest which I'm guessing she has a filter for.” He said with a chuckle. “What about me?” Dash yelled. “Ah yes, I poured some into a cloud and had Discord replace one of your cloud pillows with it.” He chuckled. The four mares still gave him the death stare. “Oh calm down I have the cure right here.” He said as he pulled out some water balloons. “Don’t you-” The mare was cut off as the man threw four water balloons at the mares which hit their marks. The wet mares grumbled as they felt the effects of the plant go away. “What about the rest of town?” Twilight yelled. “I took the liberty of isolating your water supplies from the rest of the town’s.” Discord chuckled. The chaos lord said as Celestia appeared in front of them. “Discord!” She yelled. “I specifically told you no pranks were to be done.” “It wasn’t him Princess.” Isaac stated. “I’m the mastermind behind this little fiasco.” The white Alicorn looked at the man in shock. “I figured I’d celebrate the holiday.” Celestia looked at the picture the human took and couldn’t help, but giggle. “Princess!” Twilight yelled. “Oh calm down Twilight, there’s no harm done.” She giggled. “Glad you fee that way Celestia.” Isaac said as he quickly pulled out a bucket from his room and drenched the Princess in some spare joke water. Silence fell over the group as the white Alicorn’s coat turned pink. Luna, Discord and Isaac were in hysterics as the six mares felt lumps form in their throats. “That was for going into my head.” Celestia was glaring at the human with rage in her eyes before letting out a deep breath. “Honestly, you three are worse than Blueblood!” She yelled. “Awe come on Princess. You can’t rope us in with that martian.” Isaac said as he calmed down. “Our shenanigans are fun and cheeky.” Discord chuckled. “His shenanigans are cruel and tragic.” Luna stated. “Which really doesn’t make them shenanigans at all.” Discord concluded. “They’re evil shenanigans!” The human yelled. “I swear to the maker that the next one of you that says shenanigans will receive a one way trip to the moon!” Celestia barked. The three pranksters fell silent until Isaac thought of another idea. “Hey Pinkie,” The pink mare perked up. “what was that diner you were telling me about in Trottingham with the awesome bread sticks and all that goofy crap on the walls?” “Oh you mean Shenanigans?” The three barreled over in laughter again as Celestia face palmed and gritted her teeth. Isaac calmed down and tossed her one of the water balloons. The white mare caught it in her telekinetic grip. “There’s the cure. No harm done.” “Would you kindly explain why Luna didn’t come home to the castle last night?” She asked in an irate tone. The human felt his joy fade away. He’d already pissed the Alicorn off and he didn’t want to do it more by telling her that he had slept with her sister. Even if it was in a totally platonic way. “We were too tired from last night’s competition to teleport home.” Luna stated. “Isaac was kind enough to allow us to stay over until we recovered our strength.” She smiled. “How did that go by the way?” Rarity asked. “We emerged victorious!” Luna yelled in delight. The human muttered something under his breath and groaned. “We must thank thee Rarity. If thou had not suggested such a strategy then we would have surely failed.” The human glared at the white mare who smirked. “So what are you going to have him do?” Dash asked as she wickedly grinned at the human. “The stakes were doubled after I beat her the first time.” Isaac said with a groan. “So now I have to do what she says for two days. Two long, agonizing, dreadful days.” He grumbled. “We have not decided yet.” Luna said with a smile. “We will get back to you on that,” she said as she looked at the human. “for now we must return to the castle for royal business.” She said before teleporting beside her pink sister. “I must leave as well.” Discord grumbled. “I must say that it was quite fun while it lasted Isaac. I look forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve.” “Don’t get any ideas.” Celestia barked. Isaac sighed and climbed down from the roof. “Sorry Princess.” The man said not wanting to make enemies with the white Alicorn. “Oh calm down, I enjoy a good prank as much as the next pony.” She said as she extended her hand to shake. Isaac happily shook it only to be met with a large electrical shock ripping through his body. Celestia smirked and showed a joy buzzer in her palm. “Oldest trick in the book.” Isaac said as he shook off the shock. “You got me.” He said as the Alicorn chuckled. “We cool?” “For now.” She said in a flat tone. “I will be keeping a close eye on you Isaac.” She said before vanishing in a flash of light with the other two immortal beings. As Luna vanished, Isaac could have sworn that she winked at him. The man pushed the thoughts out of his mind and cracked his neck. He gulped as he saw the four frowning mares in front of him. Dash and Applejack cracked their knuckles while Rarity and Twilight’s horn glowed. “You are so dead.” Dash said as she got in a charging position. “I regret nothing!” He yelled as Twilight wrapped him in a magical aura and dragged him towards the library.
Chapter 2: New SurroundingsChapter 2 New Surroundings Isaac sat alone at a window seat, away from the group of mares that were sitting a few rows behind him. They huddled together and began to discuss their plan. “Okay so what should we do about our ‘guest?’” Rarity asked. “He doesn’t seem that scary or mean.” Pinkie said with a smile. “I don’t know Pinks. He seems kind of....weird.” Rainbow said. “Well, imagine how he feels. Thrown into a world he has no connection to, surrounded by strange creatures and the only one of his kind.” Twilight added. The other ponies adverted their eyes. “All I’m saying is we should at least give him a chance before we outcast him.” “You sure Twilight?” “Think about it! We’ve finally reached another form of intelligent life, there’s so much to learn!” she said in a happy voice. “Yeah....who knows, he could have some really interesting stories.” Pinkie added. “Well, we ain’t gonna find anything out sitting on our flanks now are we?” Applejack interjected. “Okay....so who’s going first?” Rarity asked. The ponies adverted their gaze. Rainbow then stood up. “I volunteer.....Twilight.” “Ah second that.” Applejack said. “What? Why me?” “You’re the smartest one here and you’ve held a conversation lasting more than five minutes with him.” Rarity said. “Fine.” She said reluctantly. She got to her feet and walked over to his seat, she quickly hurried back to her friends. “He’s asleep. I’m sure that there will be plenty of time to talk to him once we reach Ponyville.” she said as she breathed a sigh as the others shrugged and sat back down. “Last Stop Ponyville!” the conductor announced over the loud speaker. Twilight hung her head as she and the others got to their feet. When they reached his seat they found that he had already left the train and was waiting for them outside. The six of them hurried up to him. He put his hood on and looked at them with a blank stare. “So this is Ponyville?” he said as he looked at the small town. “Yeah. I guess we’ll show you around then.” Twilight said as she took the lead. Isaac noticed that the mare’s were only about an inch or so shorter than him, he didn’t dwell on it as he walked through the small town. They stopped in front of a massive tree that looked hollowed out into a house. “This is the library, you’ll be staying with me for the time being.” Twilight said in a nervous tone. He nodded and the ponies continued through the town keeping silent as they stopped in front of a pink building that had the smell of baked goods secreting from it. “Oh! Oh! This is Sugar Cube Corner! The local bakery where I work!” Pinkie said with a smile. As they began to walk inside Isaac was bombarded by a light green blur. He got to his feet he noticed that it was a mint green unicorn that had a lyre tattoo on her shoulder. “I’m terribly sorry, I was so lost in thought that I didn’t see where I was going.” She said as she rubbed the back of her head. Isaac offered to help her up, the mare took his hand and got to her feet. “No, it was my fault, just goes to show what happens when you stop moving in front of a building.” “Thanks, my names Lyra Heart-” she stopped as a gust of wind blew his hood off the top of his head to reveal his complexion. Lyra’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Okay this is going to sound completely crazy but...you look like a human.” “Well, I should. Considering I am one.” He said as he brushed the dirt off his pants. Lyra’s face contorted and she began to hyperventilate. “You all right there miss?” she then collapsed on the ground. Isaac knelt down and tried to nudge her awake. Twilight and the others soon came out to see where he was. “What happened?” she asked as she looked at him. “I don’t know. One minute I’m talking to her and then the next she’s down on the ground,” the ponies looked at the mare and let out a synchronized ‘oh.' Lyra’s eyes snapped open to see that the human was looking down ant her with a raised eyebrow. “You all right?” the mare suddenly jumped to her feet and began to cheer. “I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT! I KNEW HUMANS EXISTED!” she yelled. “Um yeah. I’m surprised you know about-” he was cut off as the mare put her hands on his face. “It’s all there, the furless skin, the small patch of hair on the head. Everything I’ve described in my writings! I WAS RIGHT!” “Please let go of my face.” He said in an annoyed tone. “Oh sorry.” She said as she let go. Isaac rubbed his face that was now red from the mare’s grip. “Thank you. Now who are you?” “Oh my gosh! A human want’s to know my name! It’s Lyra, Lyra Heart Strings.” She said as she outstretched a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Isaac.” He said as he shook it. The mare squeed in delight. “That’s it? No last name?” “Well, my last name is unpronounceable to most people.” “Try me.” As he told her his last name someone had dropped a dish inside the restaurant. Lyra looked back at him in surprised. “Wow, you’re right. Weird name.” “Yup, don’t sweat it.” “I still can’t believe that I’m talking to a human. I have so many questions!” Twilight then jumped into the conversation. “Easy there Lyra. He just got into town.” Twilight said. “You’ll have plenty of time to interrogate him after he gets settled.” “Totally fine. Do you have a phone?” she said as she turned back to him. “Yeah, but I’m not sure if it’ll work here.” He said as he lifted the device up. Lyra took it from him and her horn began to glow, the phone began to shine and move in her palm. She handed it back to him. “Try it.” He scrolled down to Lyra’s entry and pressed the talk button. He heard her phone ring in her pocket. “Sweet! I’ll call you later.” She said as she ran off in the other direction. He stood there with a confused look on his face. “What just happened?” “Lyra just gave you her phone number.” Twilight said. “How did that work?....Oh right, magic.” He tried to call Mason’s or Allie’s number but got nothing but static. “Well, I gotta go to work.” Rainbow said as she took flight. “Ah’d best get back to Big Mac, he’ll need a hand with the apples.” “I’d better go as well. I still have that order to fill for that pony in Manehattan.” “I...had better go and check on Angel.” “I’d love to stay but the Cakes need me to work the counter.” The ponies all left except for Twilight who let out a heavy sigh at her abandonment. “Well, that was quick.” He commented. “C’mon, I’ll show you the library.” She said in a grumble. Isaac pulled his hood over his head and followed the lavender mare back to the tree. “Spike? Spike?” she called out as they entered the library. Suddenly a teenage sized purple lizard came running down the stairs. “What’s up Twi-AH! ZOMBIE!” he yelled as he looked at the human. “Spike, how many times have I told you? There’s no such things as ZOMBIES!” she yelled. “He’s just a human.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Twilight, do NOT joke about zombies around me, okay?” Twilight and Spike looked at him in shock. “You believe in zombies too?” the tiny purple lizard asked. “Oh yeah.” “Good grief, you two are unbelievable.” Twilight said as she face-palmed. “Look Twilight. There are two kinds of people in the world, those who have a plan when zombies take over the world and those who don’t. I call the last people; meat shields.” He said as he walked over to the couch. “Who is he anyway?” he said as he pointed to the scaled one. “I’m Spike. Twilight’s number one assistant.” “So you’re....a lizard I’m guessing?” “NO! I’m a dragon!” “Really?.....I guess it makes as much sense as everything else in this crazy world.” He breathed out. “Names Isaac by the way.” “Nice to meet you.” “He’s going to be staying with us for a while, I need you to get the guest room ready.” She said as she looked at Spike who nodded and quickly hurried up the stairs. Twilight then turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “Sorry just still getting used to the fact that theres another creature living with me.” She said in a low tone. “I can kinda see that. Can I ask something?” “Sure.” “You and you’re friends are all girls right?” “Yeah, why?” she said as she glared at him. “Just making sure so I don’t say anything offensive, plus I haven’t seen to many guys around. I’m assuming you call them stallions.” “Yes, and there are stallions around, most of them are just at work.” “All right then,.....I’m gonna go walk around town for a bit.” He said as he got to his feet. “WHAT?” “Since I’m gonna be staying here for a while I figured I should familiarize myself with the town.” She looked at him with a concerned look on her face. “I promise I won’t cause any trouble. Scouts honor.” He said as he raised his right hand. “Fine, just be back here in an hour, okay.” “Deal.” As he walked out the door, he let out a small snicker. “Like I’m a scout.” He said in a sarcastic tone. He flipped his hood over his head and began to walk into town. “Let me go!” Isaac looked over to see a grey Pegasus mare with blonde hair being harassed by two stallions. “Why should we?” the red stallion said as he ripped her messenger bag out of her hands and threw it to the ground and spilling what looked like letters? “Just leave me alone!” she pleaded. “Shut up!” the blue stallion said as he slapped her across her face. “HEY!” Isaac bellowed as he walked over to the group. “There a problem here?” he said as he glared at the pegasi. “None of your business!” the red one yelled as he raised his hand. Isaac caught it and stepped in between the stallions and the mare. “You got some nerve!” “How about picking on some on your own size!” he said as he said as he flipped the stallion over his back, he slammed him against the ground and delivered a quick jab to his face. The blue stallion aimed for his head, Isaac dodged it and delivered a quick upper cut to the Pegasus, sending him to the ground. The two stallions got to their feet and backed away from the hooded stranger. “Beat it!” he barked. The stallions complied and walked away from the two. Isaac turned around and saw that the mare’s eyes were off center, her golden eyes looked at him in amazement. Isaac crouched down and began to help her put the letter back in her bag. “You okay?” “Y-yeah.” “Why were those guys giving you trouble?” “Oh.....because my eyes are different.” She said as few tears escaped her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being different.” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “How would you know?” she said in a low tone. Isaac removed his hood, the mare let out a gasp at his appearance. “Oh trust me, I know.” He said as he helped her to her feet. “My names Isaac, what’s yours?” “It’s Ditzy Do, but some call me Derpy.” “Well, it’s nice to meet you Ditzy.” he said as he shook the mare’s hand. “Hey do you have a phone?” Isaac nodded and gave her the devise. She pressed a few buttons and handed it back to him. “Here’s my number, call me if you want to hang out sometime.” “Thanks. See you round.” He said with a smile on his face. Ditzy took flight and continued on her way. He looked around to see a few ponies staring at him, Isaac quickly put his hood over his head and continued walking. He pulled out his I-pod and turned it on, the screen started to flicker and freeze. “Son of a-” he cut himself off when he heard a steady electric beat coming from a nearby shop. He made his way inside and saw odd shaped devices that looked similar to I-pods. He started to look around. “Need help with anything?” a calm voice said over at the register. He turned around to see a white unicorn mare with an electric blue hair and vibrant red eyes. He pulled his hood down over his head and approached the counter and pulled out the I-pod. “Yeah, I’m not sure if you have this model but-” the mare grabbed the device and started to examine it. “WHOA! Never seen a P-pod like this before.” She said in excitement. “Well....It’s not, it’s an I-pod.” “Never heard of a-” she then noticed his hands. Isaac let out a breath and pulled his hood back. She looked at him in amazement and tiled her head. “You must be the human Lyra was going on about.” “Yep.” “Honesty I thought she was busting, looks like I lost a bet. So what can I do for you.....what’s your name?” “Isaac.” “Odd name, I’m Vinyl by the way.” She said as she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, I don’t suppose you know how to fix this?” “Sorry, never seen this type before.” She said with a weak grin. “There goes my music.” He said in a defeated tone. “I can’t fix it, but I can transfer the music to a P-pod.” She grabbed a black P-pod from the shelf and set the two devises next to each other, a small magical cable connected the two devices and the two pieces started to glow. Within ten-seconds the connection disappeared. “There you go.” Isaac turned on the P-pod and skimmed the screen. “Sweet, it’s all there.” He withdrew the bit bag the Princess gave him. “How much do I owe you?” “Free of charge. So long as you agree to let me hear some of your music from time to time.” She said with a smile. “Deal.....hey what the-” he said as he felt his phone being levitated out of his pocket the mare put it in her palm and entered her number. She handed the device and gave him a smile. “Here’s my number, give me a call sometime.” She said with a wink. Isaacs face blushed a little. “Sure. I’ll see you later Vinyl.” He said as he left the shop. He plugged in his head phones and selected a song to play. He walked into the park and saw some birds flying. Isaac climbed a nearby tree and began to doze off. His mind drifted back to his friends and family. “HEY!”a voice shouted. Isaacs eyes snapped open, he almost fell out of the tree as he stared into a pair of magenta eyes. It was the cyan Pegasus from before. “Yeah, what?” he retorted. “Easy, I just came to say hi.” She said as she sat on the branch. “Rainbow right?” “Yep, best flyer in Equestria.” she said in a cocky voice. Isaac hopped down to the ground, a small cloud of dust was kicked up as he landed. “So....you’re a guy right?” “Yeah. Why?” he said as she landed next to him. “Just making sure. You are the first human I’ve met so I have no idea what you’re girls are supposed to look like.” Isaac pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photo’s until he came across one of him Allie and Mason. “Who’re those guys?” “That’s Allie and Mason.” “Your siblings?” “Nah, my friends. Wonder if I’ll see them again.” He said as he hung his head. “Hey relax, Celestia’s looking into it she’ll find a way to send you back.” She said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. Every vote of confidence helps.” He said with a smile. “So what’s your job?” “I’m the weather manager for Ponyville.” “So you predict the weather?” “No, I control the weather.” She said with a smile. “Control it? How do you do that?” “Watch.” She took flight and began to move the clouds around in the sky. Isaac looked in amazement as she zipped through the sky. “Awesome huh?” Isaac nodded. “So how do humans control the weather?” “We don’t. All we can do is predict it and even then we suck at it.” “So how does the weather work?” “The clouds move on their own.” “So what do the humans with wings do?” Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Humans don’t have wings.” She let out an audible gasp. “What about-” “Nope, no horns either. Just our hands and feet.” “That’s gotta suck!” “It’s not perfect but we make due.” He said with a shrug. “So...humans don’t fly.” “No humans can fly, only with the help of machines.” “What machines?” “They’re called airplanes. Big metal tubes with a stiff wing on each side. A person sit’s inside and can control the speed and height it flies.” “Awesome! How big are the planes.” “They can vary from small one person planes, to massive military craft’s that can hold easily two hundred people.” “How fast can they go?” “Fastest one I think can go Mach 10.” “That’s breaking the sound barrier!” she said with a smile. “Yeah many planes do that.” He said in a relaxed tone. “Have you ever been in one?” “A plane? Yeah lot’s of times.” “When?” “Well, when I went on vacation and when I was-. Never mind.” “What tell me?” “Ancient history. Not important.” He said in a low grumble. “Fine.” She said in a defeated tone. Suddenly he saw a familiar grey Pegasus fly over head. “Hey Ditzy.” Rainbow said with a wave. “Hey Rainbow Dash, what’s.....Oh it’s you!” she said as she waved to the man. “You know him?” Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah he totally saved me earlier!” Rainbow looked at him in shock. “WHAT?” “Some assholes were giving her trouble and I took them down a couple notches.” He said as he shrugged. “Who was it?” “I don’t know, two Pegasus stallions. One was red and the other was blue.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Oh THOSE two.” She said in a grumble. “You know them?” “Just two punks who think they’re better than ever-pony else.” “Did you just say ever-pony?” he said with a chuckle. “Yeah? Why?” “Oh nothing.” He said as he adverted his eyes. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “I’d better get back to the library before Twilight gives me an earful. See you two later.” The two mares waved goodbye. Isaac scrolled through his phone and looked at the contact lists. Hm..day one and I’ve already got three girls numbers. Mason would be proud. DUDE! They’re mutated horse...things. So? They seem cool. Just don’t get to comfortable. I know I have to go back, I have no intention on staying. Good. Isaac walked into the library and let out a yawn. “Twilight? Spike? I’m back.” He walked around the library and sat down on the couch. “Just a second.” Twilight said as she came down the stairs. “Hey, good timing. I was just about to head to Sugar Cube Corner. Wanna come?” “Uh...sure.” he said as he got to his feet. The two walked out of the library and ventured out into the town. “So how was you’re walk around town?” “Interesting. I got a P-pod, talked with Rainbow and I beat the living crap out of some guys. The usual.” Twilight looked back at him in surprise. “WHAT! You said you wouldn’t cause any trouble.” “Look, some stallions were picking on Ditzy and I put them in their place, that’s it.” “You met Ditzy?” “Yeah along with Vinyl. They seem nice.” “You still said you wouldn’t cause trouble!” she said in an annoyed tone. “You said scout’s honor.'” “I wan’t gonna sit idly by and let some jerks push Ditzy around.” He said in a stern tone. “Sounds like a personal obligation.” “Trust me I’ve been pushed around enough to recognize it. I was just trying to be nice.” He said as they got in front of the bakery. Twilight rolled her eyes and walked inside, the interior was dark when Isaac stepped in, suddenly the lights turned on to reveal a large amount of ponies with grins on their faces. “SURPRISE!” Isaac stood there stunned. Suddenly Pinkie came running up to him. “Well, what do ya think?” “What is this?” “Your ‘Welcome to Ponyville party!’ Do you like it?” “Y-yeah. Looks great.” He said with a weak smile. “YAY!” she said in excitement. “Let’s PARTY!” she yelled. Isaac sat down next to Twilight and the others and watched as the party went into full swing. The ponies danced and gossiped about current events. Isaac remained quiet and out of sight, trying not to draw attention to himself. A familiar mint green unicorn then walked up to him. “Hey!” “Hey Lyra, what’s up?” “Just wanted to introduce to some-pony.” She said as a cream colored mare with pink and purple hair joined them. “Bonbon this is Isaac. Isaac this is my roommate Bonbon.” “H-hi.” She said in a nervous tone. “Hi.” “Lyra can I talk to you for a quick second?” Bonbon said as she pulled her aside. “What are you doing?” “What? This proves that I’m right!” “I still doubt that he’s genuine!” “What could be more genuine?” Lyra said in an annoyed tone. “I’m just saying....don’t get your hopes up Lyra. I know how you get.” “Bonbon. For the past few years ever-pony said I was crazy for believing in humans and now that I finally have some proof you’re telling me NOT to use it!” she said as she crossed her arms. “We don’t know anything about that.....thing. He could be dangerous!” “I’m willing to take that risk! He is going to accelerate my research ten fold!” “I suggest you do one thing before you start your questions.” “What?” “Find him.” Lyra looked behind her to see that the seat he was sitting in was empty. Note to self. Humans are sneaky. She thought as she made her way through the party. Isaac had made his way away from the mares and found a booth to relax in. Soon a familiar white mare came over to him. “Sup?” she asked. “Not much, you?” “Enjoying the party?” “I guess.....I’m not much for the party scene.” “Why?” “To be honest...this is my first one.” He said in a defeated tone. “WHAT?” “Yeah.” He then noticed that two familiar pegasi were making there way through the crowd and over to his table. “Oh great, the welcoming committee.” He said as he got to his feet. “Can I help you two with something?” “Yeah. Time for some payback.” the red stallion said as he cracked his knuckles. “I’m sorry have we met?” “You don’t remember this afternoon?” the blue Pegasus interjected. “Nope, I’ve got a weird medical condition. I can’t remember those who are weaker than me.” Vinyl chuckled at the statement. “Oh that’s a riot!” the red stallion said as he closed the gab between the two. “You’re invading my personal space.” He said in a calm tone. “Look sorry about earlier. C’mon, this is a party let’s bury the hatchet eh?” he said as he offered them a drink. The stallions knocked the cups out of his hands, causing the ponies to look and stare at the group. “That was rather rude.” The blue stallion then punched him in the side of the cheek. Isaac looked back at the two pegasi with a blank stare. “You see, when you do something like that it’s gonna get your asses kicked.” He said as he quickly kicked the two into the middle of the room. He took out his P-pod and handed it to Vinyl. “Vinyl be a sport and play track number six.” Vinyl took the device and plugged it into the speakers and a song began to play. He quickly took off his jacket and walked forward where the stallions had gotten back on their feet, he noticed that a dark brown Pegasus had joined the group. “Ladies first.” He said as the red stallion threw a few quick jabs which he blocked. He grabbed the stallions hand and threw him into a nearby table. The blue stallion ran forward, Isaac grabbed a nearby plate and threw it, the plate hit the stallions leg causing him to drop to one knee, the man quickly ran forward and launched himself off of the stallions knee and delivered a kick to the stallions face. As he landed he felt him self being grabbed by the brown Pegasus and being thrown into a corner. He quickly got to his feet and put a finger to his lip to feel himself bleeding. He smiled and wiped the blood from his face. “Okay. Enough warm up.” He up to the large stallion who grabbed a nearby plastic tray and held it in front of him trying to protect himself. The human placed the tips of his fingers on the tray and gave it a quick jab causing it to crack and break in half. “Nice try.” He then delivered a quick kick to the stallions gut and finished with a quick punch to the back of the stallions head, knocking him out. Isaac looked at the other two pegasi and grabbed them by the arms. He made his way towards the door and threw them out into the street. The two pegasi began to stir just in time for the large Pegasus to be thrown on top of them. They let out a cry of discomfort, Isaac crouched down next to them with a flat expression on his face. “Next time be sure to mind your manners. I’ll be here in case you need a reminder.” He said as he patted the red stallion on the head. As he made his way back inside the ponies looked at him in amazement. “Sorry about that.” He looked over to Mr. & Mrs. Cake and handed them the bag of bit’s he’d gotten from the Princess. “That should be enough to cover the damage and...keep the rest.” He said with a smile. Isaac walked over to th speakers and removed his P-pod, he looked back to the ponies who’s jaws were hitting the floor. He grabbed his coat and began to walk back towards the library. Once he was there he made his way up to the guest room, he opened the door to see a medium sized bed with fresh sheets. “Not bad.” He hung his coat up and laid back in the bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.
Chapter 3: Job HuntingChapter 3 Job Hunting Isaac had woken up later than usual, he put his shirt back on and looked outside to see that the sun was shinning brightly. He made his way down stairs to see Twilight at the front desk stamping some books. “Morning.” He said as he yawned. “Good morning. Sleep well?” She asked in a cheery tone. “Yeah.” He said as he got to the ground floor. “How are you feeling? Y’know since the fight.” “Fine. Why?” “I’m just surprised how you can just walk away from that.” She said in amazement. “I’ve had closer calls.” He said as he made his way into the kitchen. “Hey you wouldn’t happen to know anyone who’s hiring would you?” Isaac asked as he walked into the kitchen. “Why?” “Well, since I gave all my bit’s to the owners of the bakery, I need a source of income.” He said as he sat down with an apple in his hand. “Hmmm.....Oh! You could probably help AJ on the farm.” “She’s the orange one right?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah well....She doesn’t exactly like me.” “Why?” He shrugged at the question. “Well, just tell her I sent you, she’ll understand.” “Fine. Where’s the farm?” he said as he walked towards the door with a groan in his voice. “Just keep going up the road, you can’t miss it.” She said as he left the library. Isaac plugged in his P-pod and walked by the bakery, he poked his head in to see the Cakes. “Hey.” He said. “Oh...it’s you.” The mare said in surprise. “Yeah...sorry about last night, were the bit’s I gave you enough to cover the damage?” “Oh yes. Thank you.” The woman said with a smile. She tossed him the bit bag. “There’s you change.” “No, you keep it I-” “We just don’t feel right taking money that you don’t owe us.” The mustard yellow stallion said. “Well,...Okay. If it’s not enough then just tell me.” He said as he put the bag in his pocket. “Of course. What’s your name?” “Isaac. Glad to meet you two.” He said as he shook their hands. Isaac soon left the shop and continued on his way towards the farm. As he approached the settlement his eyes fell upon hundreds of rows filled with apple trees, the morning sun was just peeking over the mountain in the distance making the light reflect on the red delicious fruit. He continued down the path until he felt something hard hit the back of his head. Isaac instantly hit the ground and cried out in pain. “What the hell was that for?” He looked up to see a frowning red stallion with blue overalls on glaring down at him. “Who and what the heck are ya?” He said as he cracked his knuckles. “Whatcha doing over here Mac?” a familiar voice said. “Oh it’s you.” She said in a less than pleased tone. “Nice to see you too AJ.” he said in a sarcastic tone. Isaac looked up to see the orange colored mare sporting cowboy boot’s, short denim shorts, a light orange flannel top and a brown Stetson hat. He got to his feet he noticed that the red stallion spoke in the same accent as the orange mare.. “You know him sis?” “Yeah, he’s the guy that clobbered those three pegasi last night.” The red stallion looked back at Isaac in confusion. “Ah don’t know why he’s here through.” “Twilight sent me over to give you a hand.” He said as he brushed the dirt off his pants. “Oh..ah see.” She said as she bit her lip. “Look I know that you’re not to fond of me, so let’s try to keep things civilized for the time being.” He said as he looked at the two. “Fine. Follow me.” She said as she turned around and started to walk down the path. She stopped in front of a row of apple trees. “So what are we doing AJ-” she instantly grabbed him and forced him against the tree. He stared back into her rage filled emerald green eyes. “Listen here! Only mah family and friends can call me AJ. Since you ain’t neither ah suggest you don’t call me that!” “Fine. Let me rephrase that, what are we doing here Applejack?” She released her grip and took a step backwards. “We’re apple picking.” “Easy enough.” He said as he started to climb the tree and pick the apples off the branches. “Ah think you got the hang of it, when yer done the row come and see me for the next job.” “Roger.” He said as he climbed the next tree. Applejack left him to it and walked down the road. Isaac continued with his task. As noon slowly crept around he finished off the last tree. He started to walk up the road when he saw the red stallion walking up to him. Isaac got into a defensive position as the red stallion raised his right hand. “Ah don’t want any trouble, just here to apologize for earlier. Ah thought you were an apple thief.” “It’s fine.” He said as he relaxed his stance. “What’s your name?” “Macintosh, some call me Big Mac.” “Nice to meet you Mac. My name is Isaac.” He said as he shook the stallions hand. “Lunch is being served at the farm house.” Isaac nodded and walked down the dirt road until he reached the farm house, he made his way inside to see an elderly green mare in the kitchen. Applejack came down stairs and looked at him. “You finish with the trees?” “Yeah.” He said in a less than enthusiastic tone. “Good.” She said as she walked in front of him. He took a few steps inside until he was stopped by an orange hand on his chest. “Where do ya think you’re going?” “I WAS about to get some lunch.” He said as he narrowed his eyes. “Not in here yer not.” “Okay now your just being unreasonable!” He said in a stern tone. Applejack took his hand and pulled him outside. “Look it’s not that ah want to, it’s just that-” “It’s just what?” “You see that old woman in there?” she said as she pointed into the kitchen. Isaac gave her a nod. “That’s Granny Smith, she’s getting along in her years and the last thing she needs is to be scared by some human.” “How am I scary?” “You clobbered three stallions last night!” she exclaimed. “Ugh! Still with this? It was self-defense. They hit me and I hit them back.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “Ah still don’t see why-” “Who’re you talking to honeybun?” and elder green woman said as she looked at the two. Applejack’s eyes shrank at the mare. “Who’s this then?” she said as she looked at the stranger. “Hello ma’am. My names Isaac, I was helping out Applejack and Macintosh in the field today.” He said with a weak smile. The green mare looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow. “Why didn’t you tell me we had company?” she yelled at the cowgirl. “Well, um.....” “It was really lat minute.” He interjected. “Sorry for not telling you earlier.” “Oh don’t fret there boy, c’mon inside and get yer self some food. Y’all can call me Granny smith.” She said as she walked back inside. Applejack looked back at him in shock. “Looks like your grandma doesn’t scare so easily.” He said with a smirk. Before she could retaliate he quickly stepped inside and sat down at the table. Applejack sat next to Mac and glared at the human. “So sonny, Ah’ve never seen any-pony like you before.” “That’s because.... I’m from out of town.” “Really?” “Yeah, Twilight’s an old friend of mine and she’s letting me crash at the library while I’m staying here.” He said in a calm tone. “Oh, well where did you grow up?” “New Jersey.” “Ah think he means New Jersneigh, right?” Applejack said quickly. “Oh, well that’s interesting.” Granny Smith said. Isaac was trying to muffle his chuckles. “Yeah.....it has it’s perks.” He said with a smile. “You ever been to Detrot?” she asked. Isaac bit his lip to muffle the laughter. “Nope, never been there.” The group continued to eat in silence until it was time to work again. Applejack led him out tot he barn, he began to laugh hysterically. “What’s so dang amusing?” “New Jersneigh? Detrot? You guys have got to be kidding me!” he said as he tried to calm himself down. “Big deal they’re cities.” “Oh you’re serious? HA!” he said as he calmed himself down. “What ever. C’mon we gotta bail some hay.” She said as she walked over to the massive pile of hay. Applejack looked over to see the humans sheathed knife “Why in the hay do you have something like that?” “Like I said I have to deal with pest’s where I live.” He said as she cut open the bag. After she gave him back his knife the two began to pile the hay. Isaac looked over to her and noticed that her denim shorts clung to her well toned body. “Just what are you staring at?” she said as she narrowed her eyes. “I was wondering how you ponies can deal with having tails.” He said as he pointed to the blonde extension. “Oh, ah guess you just get used to it.” She said as she shrugged. “Does it do anything?” “What are you talking about?” “Like does it serve a purpose, or is it just there because it it’s part of your physique?” “It has some uses.” She said as she moved closer to him. “Like what?” the mare’s tail quickly wrapped itself around his leg and pull it out from under him. Isaac fell onto his back with a loud thud. “Like that.” She smile as she helped him to his feet. Isaac brushed the dirt off of him and continued working. “Listen. Ah want to apologize for mah behavior earlier.” She said as she rubbed her arm. “It’s fine, tell you the truth I’m still wrapping my head around the whole ‘ponies being the dominant species’ thing.” He said as he kept his work ethic. “Ah suppose that’s fair. It’s only your second day and Ah’m surprised that you’ve adjusted to us so well.” She said as she returned to shoveling the hay. “It helps that you guys look somewhat human, apart from the fur and the tail you seem pretty normal by my standards, plus I’m used to being the outcast.” He said as he continued to bail the hay. “What do you mean yer used to it?” “If you must know I’m not the most popular guy around back in my world. In a way, I’ve always been on my own.” Applejack fell silent and searched her mind trying to change the subject. “Why did those two stallions pick a fight with you yesterday?” “Cause I beat them up.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Why?” “They were picking on Ditzy so I defended her.” “Why would they go and pick on Ditzy? I mean she can be a bit goofy sometimes but she would never hurt another pony’s feelings.” She said with a raised eyebrow. “They were making fun of her eyes.” He said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Well, that’s mighty sweet of ya for helping her out.” “I just can’t stand guys like that. They REALLY get under my skin.” “You’ve dealt with guys like that?” “All my life.” “Sorry to hear that sugar cube.” Sugar cube? “Thanks Jackie.” He teased. “Why you!” she pushed him up against the wall again. Isaac looked into the mare’s eyes which were burning a hole through his own. There was also a hint of redness under her cheeks. Is she blushing? She slammed him again to snap him out of his dazed state. “Now listen here you-” she was cut off by a loud cracking noise, Isaac looked up to see that one of the beams had been compromised a large crate was falling towards them, he grabbed the mare and jumped out of the way just in time. The crate smashed on the ground sending splinters and Isaac was on his back with the orange mare lying on his chest. “What are you trying to pull?” he pointed over to the smashed crate. “We would’ve been crushed.” “Oh...thanks.” she said as she looked down at him. “Um..could you please get off-” “OH MY GOSH!” they both looked up to see Rainbow standing in the door way with her cell phone drawn. A light on the cell phone flashed as Rainbow started to walk away. Applejack and the human quickly gave chase, Rainbow looked behind her to see Isaac gaining on her. She quickened her pace and began to fly away, Isaac launched himself at the mare and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to the ground. “Get off of me!” she yelled. As he pulled her back on the ground and subdued her. “Give me the phone!” He ordered. “No!” She said as she stuck her tongue out at him. “Rainbow!” Applejack yelled as she caught up with them. Isaac put the cyan mare in a full nelson and held her still as Applejack took the phone from her and started to scroll through the photo’s. “Hey! Don’t go through my stuff!” she said as she squirmed. “Found it?” “Yeah......and deleted.” She said with a grin. Isaac released the Pegasus. She looked back at him with a frown on her face as Applejack handed her phone back to her. “Kill joy.” Rainbow spat out. “You didn’t give us much choice.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. “Hey, not my fault you guys tried to get it on in the barn.” She said with a smirk. Applejack’s face turned crimson. “That ain’t what happened! He saved me from a falling crate.” “So that’s how you were thanking him?” she cooed. “Keep talking Rainbow.” Isaac said as he gritted his teeth. “It’s like Applejack said I just pushed her out of the way otherwise we would have been smashed. We even have proof.” He led her back to the barn and showed her the smashed crate. “Yeah, yeah what ever. I know what I saw.” She said in a cocky tone. Isaac looked down at his shirt and saw a massive hole in it. “Oh hell.” He said as he examined the hole. “What?” “This is my only shirt.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Relax, I’m sure Rarity can fix it.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes. “She’s the one with the purple hair right?” “Yeah.” “I’ll head there after I’m done here.” He said as he looked at the crate. “Don’t worry about it, Mac will take care of it.” Applejack said. “You sure?” “Yeah. I’ll be fine, thanks for your help.” She said as she walked back inside the barn. “See you later Applejack.” “Y’all can call me AJ.” she said with a smile. Isaac looked at her in surprise and gave her a nod. “So where is Rarity’s shop anyway?” “I’ll show you.” Rainbow interjected. “Follow me!” she said as she took him by the arm and led him away from the barn. Isaac shook free from the mare’s iron grip and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “Why would you automatically assume that Applejack and I were....you know.” “Hey I just walked in on you guys, she was on top of you, in the barn, no pony around. You do the math.” “Ugh, you have an over active imagination Dash.” He said as he continued walking. “So what were you and AJ doing?” “Picking apples and bailing hay.” “Why did you go there?” “I needed a job. In case you forgot that I gave away most of my bit’s to the Cakes.” Rainbow remembered the events that occurred the previous night. “Oh yeah. You really beat the living crap out of those guys. Where did you learn how to fight like that?” “I been doing MMA since I was ten.” “MMA? “Mixed Martial Arts. It’s a fusion of some of the most lethal, and well executed fighting styles on the planet.” He said as he put his hands to the back of his head. “Are you any good?” “I’m average.” “You pulverized those guys last night.” “I just did a few punches, kicks and grapples. Basic stuff.” He said as he shrugged. “Wow. We should totally spar sometime!” “What?” “I can hold my own in a fight.” She said a she struck a kung-fu pose. “Two things Rainbow. One I’m not gonna hit a girl and two, MMA isn’t a game. If I hit you the wrong way you could be seriously hurt.” “You’re just scared that I’ll beat you.” She teased as they stopped in front of a shop. “This is the place.” She said as she walked inside. “Rarity? You in here?” she yelled. “Yes, I’ll be with you in one minute Rainbow!” a voice said from up stairs. Isaac looked up to too see the white unicorn wearing a sleeveless purple blouse with a dark blue skirt. “Now what is so.....Oh you brought him along.” She said with an eyebrow raised. “Yeah, I need my shirt fixed.” He said as he pointed to the hole. “Let me see.” The human took his shirt off and handed it to the mare. Rainbow looked at the humans well chiseled body with her mouth agate. Rarity levitated the shirt in front of her and examined the hole. “Nothing too bad. I can probably fix this in five minutes.” “Thanks, that’s the only one I’ve got.” Rarity looked at him in surprise. “You meant that you only have ONE outfit?” “Yeah, I didn’t exactly have my wardrobe on my when I came here.” “I will have to remedy that.” she said in a bold tone. “You don’t have to do that, I can manage.” “I insist, you are a guest after all!” her nose suddenly wrinkled as she smelt a faint odor. “Um, I don’t wish to offend anypony but what is that smell?” “Sorry, probably me. I was working with Applejack today on the farm.” He said as he scratched his head. “Oh,....I see. You can use the bathroom upstairs if you want to wash up.” She said as she pointed to the stair case. “I couldn’t intrude like-” “I insist. Besides it’ll be easier to work without that....aroma looming in the air.” She said in an annoyed tone. Isaac narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Where's the bathroom again?” “Upstairs, third door on the left.” “Thanks.” He said with a nod. As he made his way upstairs he felt eyes on him, he turned around to see that Rainbow quickly adverted her gaze and began whistling a tune. He shrugged and continued upstairs. He opened the door to find the well furbished restroom complete with bath salts, scented candles and a large assortment of soaps and conditioners. “What is this? A day spa?” he said as he removed his clothes. Back down stairs Dash and Rarity were waiting for their guest to come back down. “Honestly Rainbow how could you befriend that thing?” “So what if he looks weird. Besides he and AJ REALLY hit it off.” She said with a chuckle. “What do you mean?” “Check your phone.” She said with a laugh. “You sent me a picture...... OH MY CELESTIA!” she said with shrunken eyes. Rainbow started to laugh hysterically. “Are they-” “No, he pushed her out of the way of a falling crate and she just landed on top of him. I couldn’t resist!” she said as she clutched her sides. “It is rather humorous.” Rarity said as she smirked. The door opened to reveal a mint green unicorn mare. “Hello Lyra.” she said with a wave. “Hey guys.” “Did you need something darling?” “I just wanted to pop in and-” her eyes then fell upon the shirtless human descending the stairs. “Oh hey Lyra.” he said with a nod. “What is going here?” she asked as she looked at Rarity. “Rarity allowed me to use her shower while she fixed up my shirt.” He said as he came to the bottom of the stairs and stood next to the mare. “Oh....for a second there I thought that something else was going on.” She said with a laugh. “What else would be going on?” Lyra pulled out her phone and showed him the picture Rainbow had sent her. “RAINBOW!” he yelled at the laughing Pegasus. “It’s not what it looks like. I pushed AJ out of the way of a moving crate and she accidentally landed on me. Rainbow just happen to walk in at the wrong time and she assumed that-” “Relax Isaac, I saw the falling crate.” “Then why did you take that photo?” “For fun.” She said with a smile. “You’re killing me Dash.” He said in a smug tone. He then noticed that Lyra was looking him over. “Why are you staring at me?” “Oh....um, just the first time I’ve seen a human’s upper body.” She said trying to hide her blush. “I guess I can understand that. Any major differences?” he asked. “Not really, apart from the fur.” “You’re shirt will be ready shortly.” The white mare said with a smile. Isaac then noticed that she had a tattoo of three bright blue gems on her shoulder. “Hey what’s with the tattoo?” “My what?” “The mark on your arm.” He said as he pointed to her shoulder. “Oh! That’s my Cutie Mark.” “A what?” “A Cutie Mark shows what your special talent is.” Rainbow said as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a thundercloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt shooting out of it. “Cool huh?” She said in a cocky tone. “Where’s yours?” Lyra asked. “Don’t have one.” “Why?” “Um.....I’m a human.” He said with an eyebrow raised. “So how do you know what your special talent is?” “I don’t have a special talent.” “WHAT!” the three mares exclaimed. “Most humans go through their life not knowing what it is.” “So how do you find work?” “We take what we can get and make the best of it.” “Wow that must-” the group was cut off by three small girls entering the boutique. One was a white Unicorn with a light purple mane, another was yellow with a deep red hair being held by a red bow and the last was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane. “C’mon girls theres gotta be something we haven’t-” the white unicorn stopped as she saw the group of adults. “Hey Rainbow Dash, hi Ms. Lyra.” she said with a smile. Her eyes then fell upon the tall stranger. “Who’s he?” “This is Isaac, he’s visiting for a few days.” The human gave a nod at the three girls who looked at him in amazement. “Hey! He doesn’t have a Cutie Mark either!” the yellow one said with a smile on her face. “That’s because I’m not a pony.” He said in a flat tone. “Then what are ya?” “I’m human.” “No way.” The orange child said as she rolled her eyes. “He’s telling the truth squirt.” Rainbow interjected. The girls looked back at him in surprise. “Wow! I’ve never seen a human before. I just though that Ms. Lyra was crazy and-” the white filly shut her mouth as Lyra looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Uh..sorry.” she said with a sheepish grin. “Well, we have some work to do.” She said as they made their way upstairs. “Done. Here you are.” Rarity said as she levitated the shirt over to him. Isaac put the garment on and smiled. “Thanks. How much do I owe you?” He said as he withdrew the coin pouch. “Three bits will do.” Isaac handed her four. “This is four-” “Think of it as a tip, for fixing it on such short notice.” “Any time darling.” She said with a smile. Rarity glanced at the clock and realized how late it was. “I’m terribly sorry dear but I must get this order done by tonight. Could you come back tomorrow and I’ll make you some more clothes.” “I couldn’t-” “I said that I would and I meant it!” “Um...okay. At what time?” “Ten o’clock sharp would be divine.” “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He said with a smile. As Isaac walked out the door Lyra and Rainbow looked at one another in shock. “Wow.” “I know right.” Rainbow said with a smile. “Oh will you two please control yourselves!” Rarity said as she rolled her eyes. “C’mon Rarity, even you have to admit he looked good.” Rainbow said with a smug grin. “I’ll admit he knows how to take care of himself physically, but he’s still a brute for attacking those poor stallions last night.” “Those stallions started the fight and he defended himself.” Lyra interjected. “Yeah and he defended Ditzy from the same goons yesterday!” Rainbow said as she stared at the mare. “Physical ability is only half the battle Rainbow Dash. What truly matters is if he is courteous and kind to a mare. Which is what I will be assessing during his fitting.” She said as she walked back upstairs. Rainbow and Lyra rolled their eyes and let out a sigh. As they left the shop the mares felt three small fillies squeeze past them and run out into the street. The three fillies suddenly ran into a hard object causing them to fall over. “Ow, what did we-” the yellow filly was cut off as she saw the human lying on the ground in front of them. “Sorry about that mister.” “It’s fine.” He said as he got to his feet. Rainbow caught up to the small fillies and landed in front of them. “Where are you three going in such a hurry?” “We’re going into the Everfree Forest to see Zecora.” The white filly said with a smile. “Are you three crazy? That place is way too dangerous for you three.” “We’ve been to Zecora’s hut before and I know the way like the back of my hand.” Sweetie said in a an annoyed tone. “No way am I letting you three go into that place alone.” “I’ll go with them.” Isaac interjected. “WHAT?” The group said in surprise. “I don’t mind.” “That place is really, really creepy!” Dash said. “I’m sure I can handle a forest Dash.” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll come too.” She said with a grin. “It’d suck if you got killed on your second day here.” “All right! Lets go!” the orange Pegasus said as she and the other two girls ran ahead. “Kids, what can you do?” he shrugged. “Tell me about it.” “I take it that the yellow one is AJ’s sister?” “Yeah that’s Applebloom and the unicorn is Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister.” she said as she pointed to the girls. “I see and the Pegasus?” “That’s Scootaloo.” “Let me guess. You’re sister?” “No, but she looks up to me like one. What about you?” “Nope, it’s just me.” The two suddenly came upon the forest’s edge and ventured in after the fillies. Isaac felt the forest engulf him and the others as they made their way through the maze of trees and shrubs. As they went deeper into the brush Isaac felt Rainbow grab his arm once or twice when she heard a noise or saw a bush move. “Here we are!” Applebloom said as they stopped in front of a hut. “Hello? Are you there Zecora?” The door opened to reveal a slightly taller pony with stripes running across her body, tail and mane which was styled in a mohawk fashion. Must be a zebra. Isaac thought. “What have we here? Why it’s Applebloom my dear.” She said with a smile. The zebra then noticed the familiar cyan mare and the guest. “Who stands before my hut? Rainbow who is this nut?” “This is Isaac.” “Hello.” “I have never seen another pony like you. This is true.” She said as she looked at Rainbow. “Well, I’m a human.” Isaac said with a weak grin. Zecora nodded and the ponies went inside and started to chat. Isaac explained his trip into the magical land and what had happened to him since his arrival. Rainbow glanced at her phone and her eyes shrank. “Uh-oh I gotta go! See you tomorrow Isaac.” She said as she raced out the door. “C’mon girls it’s time to go.” “Awwe, do we have too?” Sweetie Belle whined. “Sorry but yes. Your sisters will kill me if you weren’t home on time.” The fillies sighed and got to their feet. Isaac said goodbye to Zecora and the group walked out of the forest in silence. As they reached the edge Sweetie Belle let out an audible gasp. “What’s wrong?” “I left my bag back at Zecora’s hut.” She said as she face palmed. “Can we get it tomorrow?” “No. My bag has our school project that we’ve spent weeks working on.” Isaac scratched his head and let out a heavy sigh. “All right. I’ll go back and get it. You three head home, tell the other where I am and if I’m not back in an hour then bring the Calvary.” He said as he made his way back into the forest. Luckily it was still somewhat light out and he could see the path way with ease. He soon reached Zecora’s hut and knocked on the door. “What a surprise, what brings you before my eyes?” “Sweetie forgot her school bag here and I came back to get it.” The zebra nodded and handed him the small back pack. “Thanks.” He said as he began to walk away from the hut, as the sky got darker it became increasingly difficult to see the path in front of him. He tripped over a log and fell into a patch of plants, he quickly got up and continued on his way. As Isaac neared the exit to the forest he heard a few familiar voices coming from it. He emerged from the forest to see Rainbow, Rarity, AJ and Twilight with worried looks on their faces. Isaac walked up to them with a raised eyebrow. “Sup?” “You’re okay!” Rainbow yelled as she flew up to him. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “That place is dangerous!” Twilight exclaimed. “Seems like your average forest to me.” He said as he handed Rarity the bag. “I’m terribly sorry about this Isaac.” She said in a sad tone. “It’s fine, nothing too bad in there.” He said as he walked past the mares and made his way back into town. The mares quickly caught up to him and the group waked until it was time to go their separate ways. Isaac walked into the library and let out a yawn. “Well, night Twilight. I’m gonna hit the hay early.” “Okay, see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile. Isaac retuned the gesture and entered the guest room. As he removed his shirt three blue petal fell to the floor. Isaac picked them up and threw them in the garbage can. He felt a little odd as laid his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 4: A Prank Too FarChapter 4 A Prank Too Far Twilight woke up to an ear splitting scream coming from the hallway, she looked out of her room to see Spike standing outside Isaacs door. She threw on her robe and hurried over beside the purple dragon. “Spike what was that?” “I don’t know, I was just walking back from the bathroom when I heard a scream coming from his room.” He said with a shrug. Twilight hurried over to the door and knocked three times. “Isaac? Are you okay in there?” “GO AWAY!” he bellowed. “What’s wrong?” “DID YOU HEX ME OR SOMETHING WHILE I WAS ASLEEP?” He yelled. “What? No.” “Well, SOMEONE must have!” “Why? What’s wrong?” “I can’t say!” “How can I help you if-” She was cut off by someone knocking at the door, Twilight motioned for Spike to deal with the visitor, Spike opened the door to see Rainbow standing there with a concerned look on her face. “Hey Spike, what was that scream I heard?” “Somethings wrong with Isaac.” “What?” “He refuses to come out of his room for some reason.” He said with a shrug. Rainbow made her way inside and met up with Twilight outside the door. “Oh good. Thank's for the help Rainbow.” She said with a sigh. “Isaac? You okay in there?” Rainbow said as she put her ear to the door. “NO!” “Come out and we’ll help you.” “NO WAY IN HELL!” “Are you sick?” “No.” “So what’s wrong?” “I DON’T KNOW!” There came another knock on the door, Spike opened it to see the white unicorn standing with her arms across her chest with an annoyed look on her face. “What is that horrendous shouting?” She asked in an annoyed voice. Rarity made her way upstairs to see Twilight and Rainbow. “Somethings wrong with Isaac and he won’t tell us.” Rarity walked over and gave a small knock. “Isaac dear, what’s wrong?” “YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!” Another knock from the door was heard. Spike let out a heavy sigh and saw the orange cow girl standing there with a worried look on her face. “Howdy Spike.” “Hey AJ.” “Whats all the hollering about?” Spike pointed to the upstairs where the other three mares were standing. “Look Isaac, why don’t you retrace your steps and we’ll see if anything seems out of the ordinary, okay?” Twilight said in a concerned tone. “Okay. I went to work with AJ, had lunch, then went to Rarity’s shop to get my shirt fixed. Then Rainbow, the girls and I went into that forest to go see Zecora. Rainbow left on her own then I took the girls back. I went back in to get Sweetie Belle’s bag, I came back out and went to sleep. The end.” “Did you touch anything while you were in the forest?” “No....Wait, I tripped and fell into some kind of bush.” “What bush? What did it look like?” AJ asked. “I don’t know it was too dark to see, but when I got back here my back was covered in blue petals. They looked like they came from a flower.” The mares looked at one another in surprise. “Do you still have them?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, hang on a second.” The girls heard the sounds of walking and something sliding on the floor. The door opened and the trash can slid out into the hall way. Twilight levitated the contents and saw three blue flower petals. “Is that-” “Yup.” Twilight said as she remembered the blue colored petals. “Isaac, I’ve got good news. I know what caused your problem.” “What?” “You must have fallen into a patch of Poison Joke.” She said as she examined the petals. “POISON WHAT?” “It’s like Poison Oak, but instead of making you itchy it plays a small prank on you.” Rainbow added. “This does not qualify as a SMALL PRANK!” “There’s a cure for it. All you need to do is take an herbal bath.” “Good, do you have the recipe?” “No. Somepony checked the book out two days ago and I don’t remember the recipe off hand.” Twilight said with a defeated look on her face. “So we just wait until they come back?” he said in an annoyed tone. “We could do that or we go to Aloe and Lotus.” Rarity interjected. “Who are they?” “They run the local spa and Zecora gave them the recipe for the cure.” “Will it even work on me?” “It’s worth a shot.” Rainbow said. A long silence hung over the group. “Okay, I’ll come out just try not to laugh.” He said in a low tone The door opened and the mare’s jaw dropped at the sight. Isaac stood there with significantly longer hair, a much more curvy physique and a set of breasts. Isaac’s face turned bright red as he looked at the mares. Applejack was covering Rainbow’s mouth to prevent laughter. Isaac let out a sigh at the mares’ state. “Just get it out of your system.” He said with a hand raised, Rainbow exploded in laughter and fell to the ground clutching her sides. “It turned you into a mare? Priceless!” she said as she began to cry. “Laugh it up Rainbow.” He said as he reached inside the trash can and rubbed the petals in her hair. Rainbow shot back just in time to start feeling a chain reaction occur. The ponies looked in surprise to see her vibrantly colored hair turn white as snow. Rainbow looked in the mirror and yelled in surprise. “Looks like we’re in the same boat.” “Why did it work so quickly? It usually takes hours for it to take effect.” Twilight said in surprise. “Probably because of my oil.” “What oil?” “Humans secrete a type of oil from their skin which tends to spread the oils produced by Poison Ivy and Poison Oak, looks like it does the same with Poison Joke. Hey, I can do this rhyming shit too.” Isaac said with a smirk. Rainbow glared at the human with daggers in her eyes. “Let’s get you two to the spa.” Rarity said as she walked past the group. Isaac threw the hood over his head, Rainbow did the same with her cyan hoodie. The two followed the group of mares out into the street. As long as no pony sees us we should be- “Hey guys!” the group looked over to see Vinyl rush over to them. Goddamn it! “Hey have you seen Isaac?” Rainbow had a sly grin on her face. Isaac made the ‘slicing throat motion’ with his thumb. “N-no. Ah haven’t seen him all day.” AJ said as she threw on a bad poker face. “Then who’s that?” she said as she pointed to the dark hooded figure. “Um-” Twilight didn’t finish as Rainbow ripped the hood off the human’s head. Vinyl let out a gasp at the now female human. Isaac quickly threw the hood back on his head and looked back at the mare with a cross look on his face. “What....was....that?” “Isaac fell into a patch of Poison Joke and well...” Twilight said. “So it turned him into a mare?” the others nodded in agreement. Vinyl then saw the human lower his head. “Sorry Isaac, if it’s any conciliation I turned pink when I got hit with that stuff.” “Why were you looking for me anyway?” he said as he kept his face covered. “Wanted to see if I could listen to some of your tunes.” “Fine. Just wait until I fix this and please don’t tell anyone about this.” “Deal.” She said with a smile. “Meet me at the shop when you’re done.” Isaac nodded as she walked away. “Didn’t see that coming.” AJ said. “Let’s just get this over with.” He said in a low tone. Rarity led the group into the spa and they were greeted by two mares, one pink and the other was bright blue. “Hello girls.” Rarity said with a smile. “Good morning Ms. Rarity. How can we help you today?” “My two friends here had a little Poison Joke accident. We were wondering if you had the recipe.” “Of course. Just give us a few moments to get it ready for Ms. Dash and...who is your friend?” “Oh..this is.....An acquaintance of mine from out of town.” “Very well right this way.” She said as she led the human and cyan mare into the bath house. “You can use the baths at the end of the row, we’ll also need your clothes.” Lotus said as she pointed to a basket. “Why?” “We need to soak them in the water so the toxins get washed out and don’t cause the same problem when you’re done.” Aloe said. “They’ll be ready when we get done?” Rainbow asked. The blue mare nodded and handed each of them a towel. Isaac quickly took of the garments and wrapped the towel around his body. He adverted his eyes as Rainbow undressed. Isaac made his way over to the bath and submerged himself from head to toe. He felt his skin begin to tingle and his bones reshape to their original size. Isaac stuck his head out of the water just below his eye level, he looked up to see the cyan mare get into the tub next to him. He quickly submerged his head and held his breath. Okay don’t panic. Theres an extremely attractive- Don’t even finish that sentence! She’s not a girl, she’s a THING. Not cool. You know I’m right, she’s a mutated horse. So? Back home theres speculation that humans are monkeys. That’s not the point! She’s not human she- Her name is Rainbow! Like it matters. It DOES. They’ve shown me nothing but kindness since I’ve arrived here and have treated me with more respect than I ever got back at home! Rainbow is a friend and-. He stopped as he realized he had spent all his stored air. Isaac grabbed the sides of the tube and brought his normal upper body to the surface. He sat up panting and taking in the sweet smelling air. “You okay?” Isaac looked over to see that Rainbows hair was starting to return to it’s normal six color spectrum. “You were down there for so long I thought you drowned.” She said as she put her arms back over her head. Isaac felt himself blush and quickly adverted his eyes. “Sorry for turning your hair white.” He said still looking away. “Sorry I laughed at you.” She said with sympathy in her voice. “It’s fine, I’m used to it.” “What do you mean?” she asked as she rested her chin on her hands. “I’m not exactly the most respected member of my group of friends.” He said as he laid the back of his head on the tiled edge. “Why? You’re a nice guy.” “That doesn’t count for much back on my world.” “They’re not friendly?” “Not really, save a few.” He said as he felt his hair grow back into it’s proper size. “But you showed me a picture of those other humans.” “Those two are the exception and even then they get on my nerves sometimes.” He said in a low grumble. “How?” “The other guy I showed you is my oldest friend, but he’s a massive show off.” “So am I.” she said in a cocky tone. “Yeah but you’re not a show off all the time.” He said as he looked at the mare. “He is constantly going off on how he’s the best at everything. It get’s old really quick.” He said as he let out a grunt. “What about the girl?” “Allie? She’s nicer and a bit more down to earth. However she has horrible taste in guys.” “How so?” “She always goes for the big strong dumb as dirt jocks. Things are great for the first three months then he goes and cheats on her with his ex or some other girl and guess who has to be there to pick up the pieces.” He said as he pointed to himself. “It’s unfortunate, but she never learns.” He said in an annoyed tone. “Okay, no offense but that’s kinda mean.” “I was very sympathetic at first, but over the years she turned me into a cynic with her constant ignorance and stupidity.” He said as he leaned his head back. “OH GOD!” he said as he felt a blunt pain below his stomach. “What?” “I think I just got my family jewels back.” He said as he looked into the water. “Yeah, I did.” “Your what?” “It’s......um.” he tried to find the right words. “Relax I know what you mean.” She said with a laugh. The two looked over to see the two spa ponies came into the room with smiles on their faces. “How is every-. WHO ARE YOU?” The blue mare yelled as she looked at Isaac. “He was the girl that came in with me.” Rainbow interjected. “You mean to tell me that the hair loss wasn’t the Poison Joke?” “The Poison Joke made me gender swap.” Isaac explained. “So what are you?” “Oh right, you two don’t know. I’m a human.” The ponies looked at one another in confusion. “Looks like we owe Lyra an apology.” The pink one whispered to her sister. “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.” Isaac said with a sigh. “Can I have my clothes back?” “Y-yes. I’ll go get them.” Lotus said as she hurried away. “Your clothes are ready Ms. Dash.” Aloe said as she walked out of the door. “Awesome!” she said as she hopped out of the tub. Isaac looked away as she rose from the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. “I’ll meet you out front.” Isaac gave her a thumbs up as he still looked away from the mare. He heard the door close and he let out a sigh as he got out of the tub and put the towel around his waist. The pink sister then came out of the back room and led him to the stallions changing area. Isaac found his clothes neatly stacked on the bench, as he picked up his shirt two notes fell to the floor. He picked one up and saw that the penmanship was very refine. Isaac, Don’t worry about the cost, my treat. ~Rarity. He gave a smile and folded the note into his pocket. The other note was considerably messy and the penmanship looked like that of a ten year old. Isaac, Heres my # Call me later. ~Rainbow Isaac entered the number in his phone and grinned. As he put his shirt back on he noticed that a blue blur ducked behind the door. Isaac rolled his eyes and made his way out into the lobby where the cyan mare was waiting for him. “Bout time you got out here.” She said in an impatient tone. “Calm down, I’m here now aren’t I?” he said with a smug grin on his face. “What ever.” She said as she got to her feet. Her hair was still fairly wet and clung to her light bluecoat with a strong grip. Isaac couldn’t help but notice that her tail began to swish as she took a step with her well defined hips. He felt himself blush and quickly adverted his eyes away from the cyan mare. “Please come again.” The blue sister said with a smile. “Just be sure to use the correct changing room next time.” The pink one added. “Sorry about that. What are your names?” “I’m Lotus.” The blue one said with a smile. “I’m Aloe.” “Nice to meet you two. My names Isaac by the way.” He said as he shook their hands. The two mares smiled at him. Isaac quickly made his way out the door and rejoined Rainbow who was leaning against the building tapping her foot. Isaac reached down into his pocket and let out a groan. “I’ll be right back I forgot my phone inside.” Rainbow rolled her eyes at the statement. Isaac walked back inside the counter to see Lotus holding up his device. “Sorry Lotus.” “Its quite alright.” as he took the phone she drew his head next to her mouth and began to whisper. “Theres a new number in there if you’re interested.” Isaac felt himself blush again as the mare backed away from him. She began to giggle as she turned around and walked back into the room. Isaac silently turned around and walked back out to the busy street. “There you-....You okay? Looks like you just saw a ghost.” “Yeah. I’m fine.” He said as he shook off the shock. “So what do we do now? I got the day off. What about you?” “I gotta grab some bit’s from Twi’s place, then I gotta head to Raritys shop for some new clothes and Vinyl wanted to listen to some of my music.” Rainbow let out a groan at the statement. “You’re free to come along if you want, I’m not much of a fashion guy so it’ll be nice to have a second opinion.” The cyan mare smiled and the two began to walk back to the library. “Wanna race?” she asked. “I’m at a huge disadvantage for that.” He said as he pointed to her wings. “I won’t fly, I promise.” “In that case....you’re on!” he said with a grin. The two drew a line in the dirt and began to stretch. “Ready.....Set-” “GO!” Isaac yelled as he sprinted forward. He looked back to see that the cyan mare was gaining ground and had a hungry look in her eye. Isaac quickened his pace as he felt the speed demon come up behind him. “LOOK OUT!” she yelled. Isaac looked ahead to see a parked cart in the middle of the road, he couldn’t slow down in time or swerve out of the way. Isaac increased his speed and leaped over the cart, as he performed a quick summersault as he landed. Rainbow stared at him in amazement, Isaac gave her a sly grin and resumed running towards the library. As he saw the library, Isaac knew that the door would slow him down. His eyes searched for another entry point, he veered off to the right a few feet and aligned himself with the open window. Rainbow had caught up to him and had no intention of loosing as Rainbow reached the door she saw the human vault into the library causing Twilight to jump in surprise. Rainbow burst through the door panting heavily. “I believe the score stands one to zero.” He said as he caught his breath. “That doesn’t count! You cheated!” “How?” “You used the window!” “So? You never said I couldn’t.” He said with a smile. Twilight looked at the two with a raised eyebrow. “What is going on?” “We were racing.” He said with a smirk. “Why did you jump through my window?” “Would you prefer it if I broke your door down?” “No.....but still-” “Fine I won’t jump through the window anymore.” “Thank you.” “I just need to grab my bit bag and then we’ll leave.” Isaac said as he and Rainbow hurried up the stairs, he opened the room to see that his bit bag and knife were on the night stand. Isaac attached the knife on his jeans and put the pouch in his pocket. “Okay we can go now.” “Why bring that thing?” she said as she pointed to the knife. “You never know when you might need it.” He said as he walked back into the main room of the library. “So where are you two going?” Twilight asked. “Carousel Boutique, Rarity wanted to make me another set of clothes.” “Oh good. Spike is over there by the way.” “Why?” “He helps Rarity from time to time, mostly because he has a crush on her.” Rainbow added. “Ah. I see.” He said as he nodded his head. “Well, I’ll see you later Twilight.” He said with a wave. He and the cyan mare made their way onto the streets of the small town. Isaac was still catching glances from some unknown mares and stallions. He looked to his side to see Rainbow quickly turning her head away from him. “So.....How long has Spike had the hots for Rarity?” “Since he met her.” “Is Rarity stringing him along?” “No....Well....Maybe. I’m not the best when it comes to that kind of stuff. I think she knows he likes her but doesn’t know how to tell him without breaking his heart.” “Ah, that old problem. Has Spike tried to win her over?” “No, he’s usually too nervous to even form complete sentences.” “Interesting.” He said as they arrived in front of the shop. The two made their way inside and looked around the posh shop. “Rarity? You in here?” Rainbow yelled. “Come upstairs darling.” The two looked at each other and complied with the order. Rainbow opened the door to see the white mare at her sewing machine and Spike sweeping up some fabric scraps. “Hello you two.” She said with a smile. “Hi.” Isaac said with a wave. “Thanks for covering our spa visit Rarity.” “Oh think nothing of it darling, Glad to see that you’re back to normal.” “Thank you.” He said with a warm smile. “So how can I help you?” “I was thinking on getting some new clothes.” “Ah, say no more! I will begin making the measurements!” “If you’re too busy then I can come back later and-” “It’s perfectly all right, it’s a slow day anyway. Spike, would you be a dear and fetch me some white fabric from the top shelf.” She said in a sweet tone. Spike gave a quick nod and appeared ten-seconds later with the fabric. “Thank you dear.” The dragon had a massive grin on his face. “So what kind of clothes were you looking for?” “Just something casual I can use around town.” “Anything specific?” “Something lightweight and comfortable.” “What about a suit?” “No thanks. I don’t wear suits on a regular basis.” “I trust you’ll want to wear something nice for your return trip.” “No. I’m guessing that no one even knows that I’m gone.” He said as he took off his jacket. “What about your family?” “Parents are dead and I’m an only child.” Rarity looked at him in regret. “Oh....I’m terribly sorry dear. I didn’t know.” “It’s fine.” “What about your friends?” “Don’t have many.” Rainbow put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak smile. “Except for you guys of course.” He said with a smile. “Thank you dear. What do you think about a shirt in white?” “Sounds good, why not make the trim in black?” “Darling that idea is completely-.” Her eyes shrank at the thought. “Genius. I didn’t know you had fashion insight.” “I don’t. I just know that black and white go well together, as it does with red, blue and dark green.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “I took a few art classes in high school.” He said with a shrug. “It’s just surprising.” Rarity commented. “I had no idea that humans were so fashionably inclined.” “Oh yeah. People make their whole careers around making clothes and designing different types of fashion for all different kinds of people.” Rarities eyes boggled at the information. “What kinds of fashion?” She asked as her eyes grew wide. “Not really sure, I never paid attention to it that much.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Why not?” she said in an annoyed tone. “Never need too. Not my area of expertise.” He said as Rarity wrapped the measuring tape around his right arm. He then noticed that Spike was sweeping up some fabric scraps in the corner with a blank look in his face. “Hey Rarity, on my way over here Rainbow was thinking on upgrading her wardrobe.” Rainbow shot him a confused glance. “Really? Odd she usually never wants to do something like that.” “I don-” Isaac quickly covered the mares mouth. “She just didn’t want to look like a posh pony, you know how she is.” He said as he let go of the angry mare. “OH! Come along darling I will help you once I’m done with-” “Spike can help me out.” He interjected. The dragon looked at him in confusion. “Besides we haven’t really had a chance to talk.” He said with a smile. “But I need to help Rarity with-” “Oh don’t worry Spike. I’m sure I can manage.” She said as she took Rainbow into the next room, the cyan mare shot the human a dirty look. Spike looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. As the two mares left Isaac looked back at Spike with a grin. “Good now we can talk.” “About what?” “I know you like Rarity Spike.” The dragons face turned bright red at the statement. “How did-” “Rainbow told me and you were making it obvious.” He said with a shrug. Spike face palmed in defeat. “So tell me how long have you had feeling for her?” “What do you care?” “I’m gonna help you out.” “Why?” “I was in your position one time and no one helped me out. Long story short, it sucked and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let it happen to you.” “How do I know you won’t try to steal her from me?” “Two things Spike. One, Rarity is not my type and two, I am many things, but I’m not a cock blocker.” “A what?” “It’s a human term. The point is, I have no interest in Rarity. So I’m going to help you out.” “Thanks. What should I do?” “First off, tell me three things you don’t like about her.” “What?” “Just do it.” He said as he sat down in a chair. “Well, she can be a bit fussy sometimes, Rarity also has this habit of making mountains out of mole hills and she can be a bit selfish.” He finished. Isaac smirked at the dragon. “Congratulations Spike you passed the first test.” “What test?” “We now know that this isn’t some type of school yard crush. You recognized her flaws and are willing to accept them, if you were just after her body then you wouldn’t have paid attention to them.” “Oh I get it!” he said as his head perked up. “Now, what does Rarity like to do in her off time?” “I help her jewel hunting, she likes to come up with new designs for outfits and she reads a lot.” “What kind of books does she read?” “Romance novels mostly.” “Okay, now we have a place to start. My suggestion is find out her favorite Author’s and stories. Come see me again when you do.” He said as he began to try on the shirts Rarity made him. He pulled the black T-shirt with deep red sleeves over his head and looked at himself in the mirror. “What do you think?” “Looks cool.” He said with a shrug. “Think the white will look better?” he asked. “I guess.” “Hey can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “What can you tell me about Twilight and the others, I’m still fairly new here and I’m trying to adapt to this place.” “Well, Twilight runs the library and is Princess Celestia’s private pupil.” “She’s the Princess’s personal student?” he said in surprise. “I see. So that’s why she told me to live with her. What about Rainbow and AJ?” “AJ runs the apple farm at the edge of town. She’s cool, level headed and can’t tell a lie to save her life. Rainbow is very cocky and rash.” “So I’ve heard.” Isaac said as he rolled his eyes. “She’s also very loyal which makes up for her boisterous attitude.” He said as he shrugged. “What about the pink one?” “Pinkie? You can’t really explain her, she has this habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.” He said as he quickly glanced around the room. “She’s very random and unpredictable.” “I see, what about the yellow one?” “That’s Fluttershy, that pony is scared of almost everything. She’s really good at taking care of animals though.” “She’s really that shy?” “Oh yeah. She flinches like a cat to a water pistol, just don’t get her angry or she’ll use ‘the stare’ on you.” “The what?” “It’s this thing she can do that will make any animal or pony freeze up in fear. Twilight said that she used it on a fully grown dragon once.” “Fully grown dragon?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m only seventeen. Full grown dragons can grow to be as big as a house.” “That also brings up another question, why do you live with Twilight are you two like adopted brother and sister or something?” “No. I’m just her assistant.” “Are you her assistant by choice?” “Yeah, Twilight hatched me when she was filly and-” “She what? How did she hatch you?” He said with a raised eyebrow. “She went nuts with magic during an entrance exam, my egg got zapped and I hatched from it.” “Oh. So that’s how it works. Mind if I open a window? It’s getting stuffy in here.” He said as he moved over to the window. “Sure.” The dragon said with a shrug. “Cool.” He said as he opened the window. “One other thing I’ve been wondering about. What’s the typical diet for ponies?” “Diet?” “You know, what do they eat?” “Fruit, vegetables, grain, hay, stuff like that.” Isaac let out a sigh. “I was afraid you might say that.” “Why?” “Humans are carnivorous.” Spike looked at him in surprise. “But, I saw you eat vegetables and fruit the other day at Sugar Cube Corner.” “Most humans are omnivores.” “Omni what?” “I can eat both meat and vegetables to sustain myself. It’s just that meat tastes better in my opinion. What about you? I’m assuming you’re a carnivore as well.” “Nope. Vegetarian and some gem stones every now and then.” “Gem stones?” “You know, ruby’s, sapphires, emeralds. Stuff like that.” “How does-....Never mind. So there’s no place to buy meat around here?” “Nope. Sorry.” “Oh well, can’t be helped I suppose. How much do I owe you?” Isaac asked as he pulled out a bit bag. “That’ll be sixty bits.” Isaac nodded and handed the dragon the money and picked up his new shirts. As he did the door shot open to reveal a very angry Rainbow Dash who was wearing a dress that was causing her some discomfort. “Uh-oh.” “YOU ARE SO DEAD!” She bellowed. Isaac quickly grabbed the shirts “Time to go!” he said as he ran towards the window. Isaac jumped out of the shop and onto the ground. He looked up to see Rainbow staring at him in surprise, he quickly high tailed it back towards the library. As he reached the door he saw a familiar white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane. “Hey Isaac! I was just coming to see if I could-” “Yeah sounds great let’s go!” he said as he began to walk at a fast pace. “Where’s the fire?” “Let’s just say I need to DASH off.” “What?” “I’ll explain once we’re at the shop.” He said as he ran off with Vinyl in hot pursuit. Once they reached the shop Isaac took a moment to collect his thoughts. He then explained what had happened at the boutique. “Ah I see. Good thing you were able to get out of there.” “Yeah, me too.” He said as he sat down. “So you want to listen to some music?” “Sure!” she said as he withdrew his P-Pod. Vinyl took it and plugged it into her speakers. She shuffled the music and rock music began to blast through the speakers. The mare sat next to the human and smiled. “Interesting taste in music.” “I like a to have a variety.” He said with a grin. “Thanks for letting me hide out here to avoid Rainbow.” “No problem. What are friends for?” she said with a grin spread across her face. She then noticed the humans white shirt with the dark blue sleeves and stripe going down the center. “Cool shirt by the way.” “Thanks. Rarity just made it.” The human then noticed Vinyl’s low cut top and jet black jeans that seemed to hug her figure. “You look good too.” “Awwe. Thanks.” She said as her cheeks blushed. “So how did you get Poison Joke on you anyway?” “I accidentally fell in a bush when I was in the forest.” “Oh. That place is covered in it.” She said as she slid closer to the human. “So what type of music do you listen to?” “Mostly rock, electric, alternative stuff like that. What about you?” “Electric and Dubsteb.” “Really?” “Yeah it helps with my DJ skills.” “You’re a DJ?” “Yep.” She said as she let out a yawn. “Sorry, I had a late night.” “If you want to take a nap I can leave and-” “Nah, it’s fine. I’m used to being tired.” She said as she rested her head against his arm. Isaac noticed the mares motion and started to blush at the mares action. Isaac felt his eyes become heavy and he soon drifted off to sleep with the white mare resting on his shoulder. Isaac was awoken by a loud knock at the door, he looked over to see the Vinyl was fast asleep on the couch, he gently slipped his arm from her grip and made his way over to the door. “Who is-” was all he got out before being grabbed by a familiar pair of cyan hands, Rainbow pulled a small pill from her pocket and shoved it in the humans mouth, Isaac swallowed the pill in surprise and yelped as Rainbow jumped behind him and locked her arms around the front of his chest, the two took flight towards the sky. “Are you crazy?” he yelled as they flew higher. Rainbow tightened her grip and zoomed towards the clouds, Isaac looked up at the cyan mare who had a devilish grin spread across her face. Rainbow stopped just above a cloud and loosened her grip on the human, who was holding on for dear life. “RAINBOW DON’T!” “Sorry.” She said as she let go of him. Isaac yelled in fear as he felt himself plummet towards the ground. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact. His body fell on what felt like a soft pillow. He opened his eyes to see the cyan mare laughing hysterically on her back next to him. “Oh man! You should have seen your face! Priceless!” “THAT WASN’T FUNNY! I COULD HAVE DIED!” He yelled. “I’d be able to catch you.” She said as she sat up. “That’s so comforting.” He said with his voice dripping in sarcasm. “How am I not falling through the cloud?” he said as he looked over the edge and saw the busy town below. “That pill I gave you allows non-Pegasi to walk on clouds for a day.” She said with a smile. “Where did you get it?” “Twilight made them so she wouldn’t have to use magic every time they came to my house.” “Your house?” “Yeah, I’m a Pegasus. I live in the clouds.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Okay. Why did you drag me up here anyway?” “Payback.” she said as she began to fly away. “I’ll pick you up later.” She said with a sly grin. “WHAT? NO! You can’t leave me up here!” he yelled as Rainbow snickered and flew back towards Ponyville. GODDAMN IT! Isaac thought as he looked at the shrinking blue dot. He laid back on the cloud and stared up at the sky to see a familiar grey mare coming towards him. Is that Ditzy? as the mare came closer Isaac could make out her yellow mane. “Hey over here!” he yelled as he waved his arms. The grey mare heard the yells and flew over to the human. Isaac saw that she had a tan messenger bag and a tan collard shirt with long khaki pants that stretched to her ankles. “Hey Isaac. What are you doing up here?” She asked as she landed next to the human. “Rainbow dropped me here for payback.” He said with a grumble. “How are you not falling?” “She gave me this pill that allows me to walk on clouds for a day.” The grey mare gave a nod and pulled out a tin box. “What’s that?” “My shift just got over, so I’m having lunch. Want some?” she asked as she pulled out a muffin. “I couldn’t take your food.” “It’s fine, I have another one.” She said as she handed it to him. Isaac took the muffin and smiled at the mare. “Thanks, what’s your job anyway?” he asked as he took a bite. “I’m a mail mare.” She said with a grin. “Oh a postal worker, I guess that explains the letters I saw the other day.” “Yep. What about you?” “Well, I’m freelancing around town for the time being.” “What about back where your from?” “I was a college student and I was working for a military antique dealer.” “That sounds cool.” She said as she finished her muffin. “Yeah, not the best job in the world, but it puts food on the table.” He said as he took the final bite of his muffin. “Hey can I ask you for a favor?” “Sure.” “Think you could get me down from here?” “Um, I can’t carry anything over one hundred pounds, I’m scared I might drop you.” She said with a weak grin. “Wouldn’t want that now would we?” he said in a light hearted tone. “Yeah, if you want I could probably go get some other pegasi-” “It’s fine. Rainbow said this pill lasted all day and I’m sure that she won’t leave me up here until the pill wears off.” He said as he laid back on the cloud. “True. Rainbow likes pranks but she’d never hurt anypony on purpose.” She said as she looked back at the human. The two continued to chat as the afternoon crept around. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow landed in front of the library after finishing her afternoon shift, she walked in to see Twilight and Applejack sitting on the couch. Twilight waved to her feathered friend and made room on the couch for her. “Hey Rainbow what’s up?” “Nothing just got done with my afternoon shift.” She said as she stretched her arms. “Have you seen Isaac?” Applejack asked. Rainbow let out a giggle at the question. “I haven’t seen him since I dropped him on a cloud.” Applejack and Twilight looked at her in horror. “YOU DID WHAT?” The mares yelled in shock. “Relax, I gave him that cloud walking pill.” “That’s not funny Rainbow!” Applejack yelled. “Just imagine how he feels, the poor fella is probably scared out of his mind.” “Seriously Rainbow, that’s crossing the line! I demand you go get him down now!” Twilight yelled. Rainbow rolled her eyes and got to her feet. “Fine.” As she walked towards the exit the door burst open to reveal an out of breath orange Pegasus filly with a helmet on. “What’s up squirt?” “Isaac......hurt bad......near.......Everfree Forest.” She said as she caught her breath. “What happened?” Rainbow asked in a concerned tone as she crouched down to the fillies eye level. “I don’t know, he just told me to get help, Ditzy is with him now. We’d better hurry!” She said as she got on her scooter and rocketed down the street with the mares following close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac and Ditzy were having a lengthy discussion about the postal business. “So that’s who delivers the mail pony’s mail, I’ always wondered how that worked back in my world.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Yeah, it’s a very complex system.” She said with a smile. “Sounds like it.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “Great, my legs fell asleep.” “Oh I hate it when my wings do that.” Isaac nodded and cracked his back, as he looked back at the mare who stretched her arms. It looked like she was she was growing taller. Isaac looked down to see that his legs were quickly sinking into the cloud. “DITZY HELP!” The mare looked down to see the humans head disappear underneath the cloud. She looked off the edge of the cloud to see the human falling through the air at a break neck pace. Ditzy zoomed towards the human and outstretched her hand. Isaac could see the buildings becoming clearer and clearer as he fell towards the ground. “SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!” He yelled as he fell through the air. He looked up to see the grey mare trying to reach him, he outstretched his and trying to grab onto her. Ditzy increased her speed and grabbed the humans arm, she began to pull up as they closed in on the ground. Isaac could feel tears running down his face and fear course through every fiber his body. As Ditzy started to slow down she felt the strength in her hands beginning to fade. She lost her concentration and the human slipped from her grasp. Isaac felt his bones splinter as he landed on the hard ground, Ditzy had slowed him down considerably lessening the damage. She had only dropped him ten feet from the ground but it felt like eighty to Isaac. Ditzy hurried to him with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” “No.” As he tried to sit up he felt a wave of pain rip through his body, he looked down to see that his right leg was broken and was pointing in an odd direction. Ditzy looked away in disgust as he yelled in pain. Ditzy looked over to see three fillies rushing towards them. “Ditzy what happened-” Applebloom stopped talking as she saw the human. The three looked away form the mangled human. “Girls...listen.” Isaac said as he coughed up some blood. “Which one of you is the fastest?” “I-I am.” Scootaloo said still looking away. “I need you to go get Twilight or one of the others tell them I’m hurt and please hurry.” He said as he coughed again. Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and rocketed off towards the library. “Sweetie Belle, Applebloom I need you two to find two flat pieces of wood, the same size as my leg. Can you do that?” “I think so.” The white filly said through the tears. “Good, and if your able to find me a big stick, something I can use as a crutch.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded and ran off towards a tree. “Get it and bring him with you.” Applebloom nodded with tears running down her face and took off towards the farm. “What about me?” Ditzy asked. “I need you to straighten my leg out.” Ditzy looked at him in horror. “It has to be done, in order for this to work my leg needs to be straight.” “I-I can’t it’ll hurt you and-” “DITZY THERES NO TIME TO ARGUE! JUST DO IT!” He yelled. Ditzy wiped the tears from her eyes and put her hands on his injured leg. Isaac let out a cry of pain at her touch. “Ready?” Isaac but his hand in his mouth and let out a grunt of approval. “Okay, Three, two, one. NOW!” Ditzy pulled the limb so that it laid straight Isaac bit into his hand hard and let out muffles of pain. He tasted the blood from his hand in his mouth, he looked at Ditzy to see that she was crying. Isaac looked over to see the two fillies running towards him with wood in their arms. “These were all we could find.” Applebloom said in a sad tone. “Good.” He said as he fought through the pain. “Put the two smaller pieces by my right leg, one on each side.” The filly complied and laid the wood next to his leg. Isaac reached for his knife and handed it to Ditzy. “I need you to cut my shirt off into two pieces and tie the pieces of wood to my leg. Tightly!” Ditzy nodded and cut the fabric off his body, she tied the wood around the injured leg. Isaac bit his hand again to smother the whimpers of pain emanating from him. He looked over to see Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow rushing towards him. “ISAAC!” Twilight yelled as she crouched next to him. “What happened Ditzy?” “I-I don’t know, one minute were sitting on a cloud the next minute I see him falling through the air. I managed to slow him down but I lost my grip and-” She put her hands over her face and started to cry. Applejack trotted over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Shhh, it’s all right sugar cube. You did all you could.” Isaac coughed up some more blood as Twilight finished the knot. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she levitated Isaac off of the ground, Sweetie Belle handed him the stick and backed away from the human as he used it as a crutch. He let out a cry of pain as he put some weight on it. “Oh no you don’t partner, ya ain’t going anywhere with that leg.” She said as she rushed over to him and put his arm over her shoulder. Rainbow walked over to Ditzy with a look that could kill a dragon. “What were you thinking Ditzy? You just had to lose your grip and-” “SHUT UP RAINBOW! DITZY SAVED MY LIFE, IF THERES ANYONE TO BLAME HERE IT’S YOU!” Isaac yelled as he looked at the mare with daggers in his eyes. “That pill you gave me wore off! That’s why I fell!” Rainbow looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Bringing me up there was scary enough, but trying to kill me is crossing the line!” “But...I didn’t-” she tried to say through the tears. “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!” He yelled as he coughed up more blood. Rainbow was about to rush over when he stopped her by raising his hand. “Just stay back, you’ve done enough damage for one day.” Even with his fading vision he could make out the tears running down the her face. Applejack and Twilight exchanged looks of worry as Isaac lost consciousness. “Oh no! Isaac stay with me!” Twilight said as she hurried over to him. “Give him to me, I’ll get him to the hospital. You get the others and tell them what happened.” “What about Dash?” Applejack asked as she put the humans arm over the unicorns shoulder. “I don’t know, just hurry!” Twilight said as her horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of light. Applejack hurried over to the crying Ditzy and helped her to her feet. She walked over to Rainbow who was still frozen in a catatonic state with tears running down her face. “You okay RD?” “He’s right....It’s my fault....He almost died because of me.” She said as she lowered her head. “Hey don’t talk like that, the pill probably doesn’t work as well on humans as it does on ponies.” She said as she put a hand on her friends shoulder. “He was probably talking out of pain and his head wasn’t in the right place.” “Y-yeah. I guess you’re right.” She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “That a girl. C’mon let’s get the others.” She said as she and the grey mare started to walk past her. “Hey Ditz.” “Y-yeah?” “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” “It’s okay, you were upset and I know that you’d never hurt somepony on purpose.” She said with a warm smile. Dash looked back at the mare with a smile and gave her a hug. “Thanks, your a real friend.” She said as she broke the hug. “Um girls, hospital.” Applejack said trying to get them back on topic. “Oh right!” Rainbow said as she flew off towards Ponyville with the other mares and the three fillies in hot pursuit. Twilight arrived in the hospital lobby with the bleeding human on her shoulders. She looked at his face to see that he was still unconscious. “Somepony! Help!” She yelled, as a nurse hurried over to her with a stretcher. “What happened?” The nurse asked as she laid the human down. “I don’t know, but I think his leg is broken.” She said as she looked at his leg. A unicorn stallion came over to the them and started to examine the human. His horn glowed and a horizontal line appeared on Isaacs body, the line moved up and down his body twice and vanished. The doctor looked at Twilight in amazement. “This thing is incredible.” The doctor said as he lifted his glasses. “Does that really matter? He’s hurt!” She yelled with a frown on her face. “Right sorry, looks like his right leg and a few ribs are fractured, he has a internal bleeding and a concussion.” Twilight let out a gasp. “Will he be okay?” “We’d better get him into surgery.” The doctor said as he and the nurse began to wheel the human into the OR. Twilight sat down in the lobby processing what had just happened. Soon her friends began to arrive. “How is he?” Rarity asked. “They just took him into surgery, his leg is broken, he has internal bleeding and is currently unconscious.” The group gasped at the news, Rainbow hung her head in shame and stared at the floor. Rarity walked over to Twilight and pulled out a clean shirt. “What’s this for?” Rarity motioned to Twilights shoulder to point out a blood stain on her shirt. Twilight quickly threw the blood stained shirt off and put on the clean garment. “Thanks.” “Any time darling.” She said with a smile. The mares looked up to see the doctor walking up to them holding a clip board. “How is he doctor?” Twilight asked. “He should make a full recovery. We managed to heal the bone and stop the bleeding. He’ll have to remain here for a few days, just to make sure there are no complications.” The ponies let out a sigh. “Can we see him?” “He’s still unconscious and even if he does wakeup the drugs we have him on will make him, for lack of a better term ‘loopy.’ I’d say come by tomorrow, he should be awake by then.” “Thanks anyway doctor.” The lavender mare said as the group turned around and exited the hospital. The group walked back into town in silence, Luna’s moon was shinning brightly. The mares said good bye to one another and made their way to their respected homes. As Twilight walked in she picked up a quill and began to write a letter to the Princess describing the days events. As Spike sent the lengthy letter Twilight made her way upstairs and began to drift off to blissful sleep.
Chapter 5: RecoveryChapter 5 Recovery. Back in Canterlot Luna and Celestia were going through every book at their disposal while Discord lounged on the couch. He snapped his fingers and materialized a colorful drink with a toothpick umbrella sticking through an orange slice. “I already told you two, I’ve been through every book in here and found nothing.” He said as he sipped his drink. “There has to be something here about humans!” Celestia said as she breezed through another book. “I hate to say it Tia, but Discord has point. We’ve been in here for days and have found nothing about him or his kind.” Luna said as she threw another book into the massive pile. “Well, there is one place we haven’t checked yet.” Discord said as he got to his feet. “NO! You are not allowed in the archives!” Celestia said as she frowned. “All I’m saying is we haven’t checked there and why would I be interested in old magic? I already have all the power I need.” He said as he made the couch disappear. Celestia shot a nervous look at her sister. “It is not a bad idea Tia and if Discord does get out of hand we can certainly handle him.” Discord gulped at the though of becoming a lawn ornament again. Celestia let out a sigh and looked at the god of chaos. “Very well, we shall check the archives next.” Celestia said as she levitated the pile of books and put them in their proper places. Her concentration was broken as a piece of parchment appeared before her. She opened the letter and let out a small gasp. “What is sister?” “Isaac has been badly injured.” Luna looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow. “Will he be all right?” “Yes, Twilight said that he only has a broken leg and some minor internal bleeding.” She said as she made the parchment vanish. She began to walk towards the door. “Where are you going?’ Discord asked. “We are going to see him.” “We?” “Yes, all three of us.” She said as she looked Discord. “You brought him here, it’s only fair that he meets you.” Discord rolled his eyes and he followed the white Princess with Luna close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac looked out the door of the plane to see the small town below. He let out a heavy sigh and looked back to the six other adults in the plane. He looked at the pilot to see him moving his index finger in a circular formation. Isaac nodded to the others who put on their helmets. “Okay! We’er at the drop zone! Remember stay together and we’ll meet up at the hotel later on!” He said as he flipped the face shield down over his face. The others nodded and got to their feet. “Okay! Geronimo!” Isaac yelled as he jumped out of the plane, he opened his wing suit and began to soar through the sky. He looked up to see the other six people fall out of the plane and follow him, as he passed the cloud barrier he noticed that another person was neck and neck with him. He focused on the woman’s hand, that was trying desperately to pull the parachute chord. He saw her hand jerk outward and saw that the chord was malfunctioning. She began to scream in terror as she saw the ground become clearer. Isaac leaned to the right and outstretched his arm for her to grab on. She quickly wrapped her arm around his as he pulled the parachute chord. He felt a massive jerk and began to float to the ground with ease, he looked down to see that the woman was holding onto him for dear life. Isaac focused on the wind patterns, a massive gust coming from the West made his chute turn rapidly. He quickly looked down to see that the woman was now clutching his legs. As he tried to reach for a her hand the chute dropped in altitude and began to spiral out of control. Isaac put his hand back in its proper place, just as another gust of wind crashed into the two. The woman’s grip loosened and he felt her arms slide down to his ankles. Isaac looked down with tears in his eyes and another gut of wind hit them, He saw her pale blue eyes for one final second before her grip failed and disappeared from his sight. Isaacs woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around the room to see a white ceiling and a sterile hospital room. Isaac turned his head to see that he was in a white tiled hospital room with the sun pouring through the window. Again with this? He thought as he tried to move his body. A small wave of pain washed over him as he sat up, He looked under the covers to see that his right leg was in a cast and that there were several bandages on his chest and stomach. What the hell? Isaac put his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling in boredom. Was it all a dream? He thought as the door opened to reveal a woman with snow white fur covered by a white nurses outfit her mane was tied in a bun and was holding up a white nurse cap with the red cross stitched into it. “Oh good you’re awake.” She said with a warm smile. Nope, not a dream. He thought to himself. “Where am I?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “Ponyville hospital. You were brought in yesterday afternoon by Twilight.” “Right, now I remember. How’s my leg Doc?” “Well, firstly I’m a nurse, Nurse Red Heart if you want. The bone itself is healed, but it needs to be immobilized while the spell completely takes effect.” She said as she looked at the chart. “How long will that take?” “It should be done by this afternoon, but we’ll keep you overnight just to make sure there aren’t any complications. This is the first time we are performing this spell on a human after all.” “Sounds reasonable.” He said as he let out a sigh. “You have some visitors waiting in the lobby, if you feel like having company.” “Who is it?” “Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie.” She said as she reached for the door. “Sure, send them in.” “I’ll get them for you.” She said with smile. Isaac laid back and let out a sigh. The door opened to reveal the four mares with smiled on their faces. “ISAAC!” Pinkie said as she hugged the human in a bone crushing hug. “Pinkie.....can’t breathe!” He wheezed out. “Oops, sorry.” She said with a sheepish grin. “How are ya feeling partner?” AJ asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t really complain. All things considering that is.” He said as he looked at his leg. “Still, it must have hurt.” Twilight said as she looked at the cast. “It’s not the first time I’ve broken a bone.” “What were the other times?” Applejack asked. “Fights, work accidents, stuff like that.” He said as he shrugged. “I’m impressed that your doctors were able to heal me this fast. It usually takes months for a bone to heal on it’s own and even after that theres still a ton of physical therapy to go through. The doctors back in my world would make a killing.” He said as he stretched his arm. Twilight reached into her purse and pulled out a book. “I figured you could use something to pass the time. It’s an adventure book I’d thought you might like it.” She said with a sheepish grin. “Thanks, I thought I might go crazy with boredom.” Isaac said as Twilight handed him the book. “‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue.’ Looks like an Indiana Jones spin off.” He said with a chuckle. “A what?” “Nothing, it’s a human thing.” “Rainbow recommended it and-” She was cut off as Isaac cracked his neck in frustration. “Look, I know your upset with her-” “Upset? I almost died because of her stupid prank!” He bellowed. “She didn’t know that the pill would wear off so quickly and-” “Stop trying to defend her Twilight. You know I’m right.” “I’m her friend what do you expect me to do?” “Let me ask you this, has she ever done anything that to either of you?” He asked as he looked at the pack of mares. “Um....” “That’s what I thought.” He said as he laid his head back on the pillow. “I know that she’d never do it on purpose, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was HER screw up.” “Now listen here-” The farmer was cut off by a blinding light filling the room. Isaac looked to see Princess Celestia, a younger and darker looking mare with wings and horn and a creature that looked like it was created by jamming a bunch of different animal parts together. The mares quickly bowed their heads at the royal sisters. “Hello everyone.” She said with a warm smile. “How are you feeling Isaac?” “I’ve been better.” He said as he looked at his leg. “Who are they?” He asked as he looked at the two strangers. “This is my younger sister Princess Luna.” She said as she looked at the blue Alicorn. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She said with a smile. “Your majesty.” He said as he gave her a nod. “What about him?” “This is Discord, he’s the one who brought you here.” He looked at the creature with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t mean to offend, but what is he?” “I’m a Draconequus and I’m God Of Chaos and Disharmony.” He said as he approached the bed. “I’ve never heard of a Draconequus before.” “If we may ask, what happened to you?” Luna asked as she looked at the wound. “What a coincidence, we were just talking about that.” Twilight’s eyes shrank at the thought of Rainbow in a prison cell. “I was climbing a building and I fell off.” He lied. The mares looked at him in confusion. “Why in Equestria were you climbing a building?” “Theres this sport back in my world called Parkour, it’s like racing with a ton of obstacles in your way and the competitors have to find different and creative ways to ver come them.” “Do those ‘obstacles’ include buildings?” Celestia said as she raised an eyebrow. “Most of the time.” “You humans are crazy.” Luna interjected. “Oh you don’t even know the half of it and what’s life like without a little bit of crazy every now and then?” “I like this guy.” Discord said with a smile. “Don’t get any ideas.” Luna spat at the creature. “Enough, the point is that our guest is all right.” Celestia said as she looked at the human. “How goes the progress on getting me back home?” “We’re still looking. Our next search area is the archives.” Luna said. “Excellent. Don’t let me keep you then, the sooner I get home the better.” “Goodbye. I will send Twilight a letter if we find anything and please try to be more careful.” She said as her horn glowed and the three figures vanished from sight. Twilight and the others looked back at the human with a dumbfounded expression on their faces. “What?” “Why didn’t you tell the Princess the truth?” Twilight asked as she walked over to the bed. “Look, I have no idea how your judicial system works. Rainbow may have injured me but she doesn’t deserve to be executed or thrown in prison or whatever you guys do to ponies that hurt other ponies.” “SHE DIDN’T MEAN TOO!” Applejack yelled. “I know, but it was her fault that I was put in that predicament.” “Will you ever forgive her?” Pinkie asked. “We’ll see.” He said in a stagnant tone. “So, you’re that eager to leave are you?” Rarity said in a snooty tone. “Look, I belong back in my dimension and you belong in yours. Simple as that.” “That doesn’t mean you have to hurry back.” “I prefer to leave before certain individuals become ‘attached’ to me.” “Like who?” “I don’t know, besides the sooner I’m out of your hair the sooner you all can go back to living normal lives.” He said as he grabbed the crutched by his bed side and propped himself on them. “Trust me, the less humanity interacts with this world the better.” “Why?” “We’re a violent race.” “You don’t seem that bad.” Pinkie said with a raised eyebrow. “That’s because you don’t know much about the human race.” “Like what?” “Well, I’ve killed animals.” The ponies cringed back in fear. “Why?” “Food. Humans are carnivores.” “But I saw you eat an entire salad the other day.” Rarity chimed in. “Most humans are omnivores.” “What in the hay is that?” Applejack asked in confusion. “An omnivore is a creature that can eat both meat and vegetables.” Twilight added. “Exactly and while I don’t mind fruit and vegetables, meat holds protein that humans need to survive and it tastes good.” “H-have you ever eaten...pony meat?” Pinkie asked as her teeth were chattering in fear. “No and I don’t plan too. Most of the meat I’ve eaten comes from cows, goats, pigs and fish.” The ponies let out a half sigh. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but as the only omnivore in a vegetarian society I thought it might be considered a crime to eat meat.” “Th-theres no law against it but, there’s no one around here who eats meat. You’d have to talk to a Griffin about that.” Twilight said. “There are Griffins here?” “Yes, but most of them live far away from here.” “Oh well, can't be helped I suppose.” He said as he sat back on the bed. The door opened to reveal the same nurse as before. “Hello.” “I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to give you a physical.” She said as she withdrew a stethoscope. “Fine by me.” “We’ll see you later Isaac. I need to get back to the library.” Twilight said as she left the book on the table. “Cool, say hi to Vinyl and Ditzy for me.” He said with a wave. “I’ll throw you a get well party when you get out.” Pinkie said with a smile “Just keep it small Pinkie, I’m in no condition for a big party.” “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she gave him a hug. “Sorry I cut up your shirt Rarity.” “It-it’s perfectly all right darling, I’ll whip up some new ones in a jiffy.” “If you have the time, then I’d appreciate it.” He said with a smile. “Of course darling.” She said with a smile. Applejack approached him and whispered to him. “Ah’ll see if ah can sneak ya some apples in here. The hospital food ain’t that good.” She said with a grin. “Thanks.” He said as she gave him a quick hug. The ponies began to leave the room as the nurse untied his hospital gowned, out of the corner of her eye Twilight noticed a small circular scar on his right shoulder and a larger scar on his left. She dismissed the thought as she followed her other three friends. The put the cold stethoscope on the humans back, sending a shiver up his spine. “Your heart seems to be intact as do your vital organs.” She removed the instrument and brought out a tongue depressor. Isaac opened his mouth and the nurse pressed the wooden object on his tongue. “Say ah.” The human complied and made the noise. “Quite the pair of canines you have there.” She said as she looked at his teeth. “They come in handy.” He said as she removed the piece of wood from his mouth. “I’ll check your wounds out now.” She said as she removed the bandages. “No infection, they seem to be healing nicely.” She said with a smile. “That’s good, I guess I’ll be out of here in no time.” “We still want to keep you over night to make sure your injuries are fully healed.” “Fine, but if I wake up on a lab table with doctors looming over me with scalpels in their hands I’m gonna sue somebody or somepony in this case.” He said with a chuckle. “Relax, we may be curious about your species but we won’t dissect you. So long as you’re alive that is.” Isaacs face turned pale at the thought. “I’m kidding, don’t you humans have a sense of humor?” “That wasn’t funny.” He said as he let out a breath. “I’ll check on you later and see how you’re feeling.” She said as she “Thanks.” He said as she left the room. Isaac looked over to the window to see the sun shining through his window. His eyes wandered over to the book that Twilight left him. He let out a heavy sigh and picked up the book. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash was sitting at a bar with a clear liquid sitting in her glass, her eyes were bloodshot red with tears. As she threw back another shot the door opened to reveal an orange mare. “There ya are, we’ve been looking all over for ya.” Applejack said as she and the other five mares entered the bar and took a seat next to her. “Just leave me alone AJ.” She said as the bartender refilled her glass. “Can’t do that RD.” She said as she took the glass from her friends’ hand. “I almost killed him, he probably hates me.” “Isaac just needs some time to cool off.” Twilight said as she sat down next to her friend. “He’s awake if you want to apologize.” “I doubt he’d accept it.” She said in a low tone. “It doesn’t hurt to try.” Rarity said. “He’s angry now, but he’ll come around eventually.” “You didn’t see the look in his eyes, he looked like he wanted to kill me.” She said as a few tears dribbled down her face. Applejack put a hand on her friends shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Well, if it makes you feel any better he saved yer hide from the Princess.” Rainbow looked up at her in confusion. “Celestia Luna and Discord dropped in for a visit. When they asked about the accident he told them he fell off a building.” “Why?” “I guess he was being kind.” “It makes no sense! If he hates me the why did he go and save me from the them. What’s up with that?” She said as she raised her hands in the air. “Ah don’t know sugar cube, but theres only one way yer gonna find out.” “Yeah I’ll go talk to him.” As she got to her feet she stumbled to the floor. “Maybe you should sober up first before making your apology. I doubt that he’d forgive you if you barfed on him.” Pinkie said as she helped her friend up. “Good idea.” “You can rest at the library if you want.” Twilight said as she set a few bits down on the table for the bartender. “Thanks guys.” She said as AJ put her arm around her friend and walked her out of the bar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was engulfed in the book that Twilight had left him. His concentration was broken when he heard a knock on the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Ditzy.” “Come on in.” He said as he set the book down on the night stand. The grey mare walked inside with a tan messenger bag and gave him a weak smile. “How are you feeling?” “Better, thanks to you.” “But I dropped you and-” “If you hadn’t slowed me down I’d be dead. It was a freak accident.” He said as she walked over and sat on the bed. “I just want you to know that Rainbow would never do that on purpose.” “I know, I was just angry. I still am, but I think I can forgive her.” “Really?” “I can try, but no promises.” He said as he leaned his head back. Ditzy reached inside her bag and pulled out a muffin. “I figured that the hospital food wan’t any good so I snuck this in for you.” “Thanks.” He said as he set the muffin aside. Ditzy bit her lip at what she was about to say. “I think I know somepony who can get you back home.” Isaac looked at her in confusion. “Really? Who?” “The Doctor.” “Doctor who?” “Just the Doctor. He says that he’s a time traveler and can fly through space.” Isaac threw on a nervous grin as he looked at the grey mare. “Okay, have you considered that he might belong in a mental institution?” Isaac said as he raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, but he may be the best way to get you home.” “Worth a shot I suppose. Where is he?” “I don’t know, he comes and goes as he pleases.” She said as she scratched her head, “Oh well. If he shows up before I leave then tell him to meet me.” “Sure.” Ditzy looked at the clock in surprise. “Sorry I have to go. When are you getting out?” “Doctors are letting me out tomorrow morning.” “Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She said as she hurried out of the door. Isaac laid his head back and picked the book back up and started to read. He was interrupted as another series of knocks hi the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Lyra and Vinyl.” “Come in.” The mares entered the room and hurried over to him. “Sup?” “How are you feeling?” Lyra asked as she sat down on the bed. “I’ve been better.” He said as he looked at his leg. “What happened? I heard that Rainbow dropped you or something.” Vinyl asked. Isaac continued to tell the two what had happened the previous day. By the end Vinyl and Lyra were fuming with rage. “That bitch! I swear to Celestia I’m going to-” “It wasn’t her fault, not entirely.” “She’s the one who put you up there!” Lyra exclaimed. “I know.” “So why are you so lenient on her?” “Theres a saying where I come from, ‘shit happens.’” “You’re just going to forgive her just like that?” “No, I’m still wondering if I should forgive her.” He said as he put his head back. “Oh right before I forget, you left your phone and P-pod at my place.” She aid as she withdrew the devices and handed them to the human. “Thanks.” “Why do you have those?” Lyra asked as she looked at the white mare. “We were hanging out yesterday and they must have fallen out of my pocket before I was abducted by Dash.” He said as he scratched his head. “Oh, I see.” Lyra said as she bit her lip and looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll see you later Isaac, Bonbon and I are catching dinner at Sugar Cube Corner.” “Are you and Bonbon...together?” “Yeah, three years now. Is that a problem?” She asked as she glared at the human. “No, I know plenty of humans who’re gay. Makes no difference to me.” “Phew, that’s a load off. I thought that humans might be prejudice about that.” She said as she wiped her forehead. “Some are, but most are very accepting of things like that.” “I’ll add it to my research! See ya!” The green mare said as she hurried out the door. Isaac looked at Vinyl who gave a shrug. Vinyls phone began to vibrate in her pocket, she looked at the screen and her eyes shrank. “Sorry Isaac, I gotta go. My manager just said he got me a gig in Trottingham.” “It’s fine. See you when you get back.” Vinyl gave him a quick hug and hurried out the door. Isaac leaned back and picked up his book and started to read the book. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open to see a wooden ceiling above her. She felt a sharp pain rip through her head. “Oh, I’m never drinking again.” She said as she sat up right on the couch in Twilight’s library. She scratched her head as she saw the other five mares sitting down in some other chairs. “We’ve all been there sugar cube.” Applejack said as she walked over to her friend. “Feeling better?” “Yeah. I think so.” She said as she sat up on the couch. “So what should I do to apologize to him?” “Maybe bring a peace offering?” Twilight suggested. “Could work. What’s his favorite food?” “Um...we just found out that humans are meat eaters.” Rainbow’s eyes shrank at the news. “Well, that rules food out. Maybe take him to a Wonderbolts show?” Twilight face palmed at the suggestion. “Two things Dash. One, he doesn’t know who the Wonderbolts are. Two, the last thing he needs is another flying incident.” “Good point.” She said as she lowered her head. “Maybe just a sincere apology would suffice?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll think of something on my way over there.” She said as she got to her feet. “Want us to go with you sugar cube?” Applejack offered. “No, I have to do this on my own.” She said as she ran out the door and took flight towards the hospital. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was in the middle of his physical with Nurse Red Heart and Dr. Syringe. The doctor examined the human and gave him a smile. “So how’s my leg?” Isaac asked as he looked at the doctor. The unicorns’ horn glowed and a small beam of light scanned the humans leg. “It’s fully healed and safe to walk on.” He said as he made the cast vanish. “That’s good. Thank you.” “Think nothing of it. I wan to keep you over night so there aren’t any surprises. Since you’re a completely different species I’m not sure how the magic will react to your body in the long term.” “Fine by me.” He said as he scratched his leg. “By the way, how much is this going to cost me?” “The Princess has covered your bill.” “Remind me to send her a thank you card.” He said with a chuckle. The two ponies smiled at him and opened the door to leave. “If you need the bits, we offer good pay for medical experimentation subjects.” The doctor said with a laugh. “No thank you. Been there, done that, not doing it again.” The ponies gave him a nod and closed the door. Isaac took a few moments to stretch his newly healed leg by doing a few basic exercises. As he was on his tenth jumping jack he heard a light tapping noise. He stopped his movement and zero’d in on the window. What? Who could possibly-. His brain stopped as he looked out side to see Rainbow Dash with a sad look on her face. “Hey.” “.....” He remained silent. “Can I come in?” “If you want to.” He said as he opened the window to it’s fullest extent. Rainbow flew inside and looked at the human with sadness in her eyes. “How’s your leg?” She asked as she sat on the bed. “Fine, the doctors are letting me out tomorrow.” He said in a flat tone. “Good.” A long silence crept into the room until Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. “Listen I know that no matter what I say you won’t care. I hurt you and you have every right to be mad at me.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the statement. “So, to make up for it. I owe you a favor.” “A favor?” “Name it and I’ll do it. No hesitation.” “Anything?” “Yep, anything.” She said in a defeated tone. Isaac bit his lip as he adverted his gaze from her. “I knew that you wouldn’t be interested, I’ll just leave you alone.” She said as she started to walk towards the window. “Wait.” The mare stopped in surprise and turned around to face the human. “A wise man once said, ‘What’s the point of having a heart if you cant be a bit forgiving every now and then.’” Rainbow looked up at him in surprise. “I’m not saying I forgive you.....Not completely anyway. I guess what I’m saying is..I believe in second chances.” Rainbow’s face lit up with a smile. “I’ll consider forgiving you on two conditions.” “What?” “Number one, you still owe me a favor.” Rainbow nodded at the request. “Number two, If you EVER do that to me again then that’s it, no more chances, I will never speak to you again. Are we clear?” “Yeah.” Isaac stuck out his hand and the mare shook it happily. “Good, see you when I get out.” He said. “Hang on a second.” Isaac looked back to see that Rainbow had pulled one of her feathers out of her wing. She walked over to him and handed it to the human. “What’s this?” “When you tell me it’s THE favor then you give that back to me.” She said as she pointed to the feather. “So it’a contract?” “Yeah, it’s some old Pegasus tradition. Just don’t lose it.” She said as she scratched her head. “Fine, see you tomorrow.” He said as he walked over to the bed. “See ya.” Rainbow said with a smile as she flew out of the window. Isaac looked down at the cyan feather and set it on the night stand next to him. Isaac turned out the light and laid his head on the pillow. You shouldn’t have let her off so easy. I was being nice. A little TOO nice if you ask me! Good thing I’m not asking you then. You’re getting too close to these..things! Shut up, they’re nice people...or ponies in this case. Don’t get too comfortable here! You heard Celestia, there might not even a way for me to get home. If that’s the case then I don’t want that many enemies here. Face it, you were lenient because she reminds you of ‘her’ doesn’t she? Leave her out of this! Why? Because it was your- SHUT UP! Fine. What was with that thing that was with the Princess anyway? Discord was his name right? Yeah and I don’t know, he had this weird vibe to him. I’ll worry about it later. He thought as he let out a yawn and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Canterlot Celestia, Luna and Discord stopped in front of an old wooden door that reached the ceiling of the large hallway. Celestia looked at Discord who let out a yawn. “Let’s get one thing straight here Discord, if Luna or myself catch you looking at anything-” “Oh calm down Tia.” He said in a mocking tone. “If I had wanted to get into the archives I would have done it a long time ago.” Celestia let out a grunt as she levitated an old key into the lock and opened the door to reveal thousands of racks filled with ancient books and scrolls. “Let us begin.” She said as she walked inside the ancient room of knowledge.
Chapter 7: TrustChapter 7 Trust Isaac woke up with a pounding head ache as the sun slowly creeped into the window of his room. As he walked out of his room he bumped into a familiar purple dragon, Isaac never gave Spike a second thought. He noticed that the dragon, although claiming he was only seventeen easily had a good two inches on him and could probably break Isaac over his knee if he wanted to. Not to mention the fire breathing aspect which could easily turn him into a pile of ash. “Sup Spike?” “What’s up? I’ve got a date with Rarity tonight and I have no idea what to do!” He yelled. “Easy, I said that I’d help you out and I will.” “How? Rarity probably doesn’t even like me in the same way I like her!” “There’s only one sure way to find that out.” He said as the two walked down the stairs. “Yeah right, how could she possibly like me like that?” “If you know that she doesn’t like you then why do you have a crush on her?” He said as he looked at the dragon. “She’s the funniest, prettiest, smartest and nicest pony I know. I’d do anything for her, even if she just sees me as a friend it’s enough.” Spike said as he grabbed the humans shirt and drew him closer to the dragon, Isaac could see small trails of smoke leaving the dragons nostrils. Isaac stood his ground and stared back at the purple beast. “Easy, this is a way for you to find out how she really feels about you.” “That’s not the point! I want Rarity to go on a date with me because she wants too, not because of some dare!” Isaac felt something click in the back of his mind. I want her to like me for me! Not because of the lies you told her! Isaac felt the memory echo through his mind. “You’re.....right. I shouldn’t have forced her into going on a date with you. I’ll go tell her the deal is off.” He said as he walked past the dragon. “Thank you. I appreciate what you tried to do but, I want to be the one who wins her over.” Spike said as he let the human go. “I can respect that. Trust me, I know how it feels to be jerked around like that and it wasn’t fair to you or Rarity.” He said as he walked down stairs. He pulled out his phone and dialed the spa ponies number. “Hey Lotus it’s Isaac.......Listen I’m gonna be a little late getting to the spa...... I have a personal matter that needs to be addressed........You’re sure it’s fine?.....Okay I’ll see ya at nine-thirty then.” He ended the call and grabbed an apple on his way out the door. Isaac walked through the streets in silence. As he ate the apple his mind began to wander. I’m not better than him am I? In a way you’re similar. Ugh! Kill me now. I can’t believe I almost did that to them. It was the alcohol.....you weren’t thinking straight. Bullshit. I knew what I was doing and now I’m gonna fix it. That pony won’t even listen to you. Probably, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Isaac threw the apple into a nearby trash can as he approached the posh shop. He opened the door and let the assorted perfumes fill his nose. “Hello? Anyone home?” “One moment.” A voice said as Isaac took a seat on the nearby couch. “How can I help.... Oh it’s you.” She said in a less than pleased tone, Rarity crossed her arms over her chest and threw a frown across her face. “What do you want?” “I came by to tell you that the date’s off.” Rarities jaw hit the floor at the information. “I realized I shouldn’t have forced you into something like that and Spike agrees with me.” “He-he turned me down?” “No. I shouldn’t be telling you this but, he want’s to ask you out on his own terms. Not because of some stupid dare and I support his decision.” Rarity sat down on the adjacent chair and leaned her head against her palm. “Oh....I see.” Isaac looked at the mare in confusion. “You seem sad. I thought you’d be relieved that you wouldn’t have to go out with him.” “It’s not that I don’t like Spike, he’s very sweet and always helps me out when I’m in a jam. I do care for him but...I’m just not sure about how much.” Isaac’s eyes widened at the statement. “Tell Spike that our date is still on and that he’d better be here on time.” She said with a smile. Isaac got to his feet and gave her a nod. “Again, I’m sorry for my behavior.” “It’s alright. I’m sorry for forcing you to kiss Applejack last night. I’m more angry that you almost gave away my feelings.” The white mare said as she glared at the human. “To tell you the truth Rarity, I bluffed. I failed my Psychology course in school, I couldn’t read a person to save my own life. I just threw on my best poker face and said the first thing that came to mind.” He said with a sheepish grin. Rarity rolled her eyes and smiled. “So we’re cool?” “I suppose I can forgive you, you did the right thing after all.” She said as she shook the humans hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get back to work.” “Same, I’m helping Aloe and Lotus out with shipment.” “Those two are simply delightful. Very friendly girls.” “Do you have Spike’s number?” “Yes, let me see your phone for a minute.” She said as she levitated the phone from Isaacs hand and pressed a series of numbers. “Please don’t tell him about my feelings, that will my job for the evening.” “Deal.” Isaac quickly dialed the number and walked out into the busy town. “Hey Spike It’s Isaac.....Rarity gave me the number, listen I’ve got news for ya.....Yes, I told Rarity she didn’t have to, but get this, she still wants the date....I know I didn’t see it coming either.....You meet her in front of the shop at eight, I gotta go. See ya and good luck.” He ended the conversation on that note and hurried over to the spa. Isaac looked at his phone and saw that it was nine twenty-five. He gave a light knock on the door which was soon opened by a pink mare with light blue hair. “You must be Isaac.” The human gave her a smile and a nod. “I’m Aloe, Lotus’s sister, we met the other day.” She said as she led him into the spa. “The delivery just arrived so you didn’t miss much. Lotus, your friend is here.” Isaac looked at the smiling blue mare, Isaac noticed that the two were wearing identical outfits. Short skirts that stopped at their mid thighs and identical strapless tops. Lotus’s matched her pink mane color while Aloe’s was bright blue. “You two really take the whole identical twins thing seriously huh?” Isaac said as he began to move the boxes. “Yes, is that a problem?” Lotus asked in a teasing manner. “No, of course not. I know plenty of people that do that.” He said as he set another box down. “Did you get any other stallions to help out?” “No, it’s just us.” Aloe commented. “Why?” “Just wondering why you didn’t ask for more help.” “Well, there aren’t that many decent stallions in Ponyville.” Aloe said in a low tone “We usually have to do it ourselves so we can save money and it takes forever with just the two of us.” Lotus said as she put a box down. “That’s a shame. Y’know other than Big Mac and those three Pegasus jerks, I haven’t seen too many other males.” “That’s because the ratio stands at ten mares for every one stallion.” Isaac looked at the mares with a confused look on his face. “Really?” The mares gave him a nod. “I guess the pickings are slim around here.” He said as he went to get another box. “You have no idea.” The two said in a grumble. “If there are so few stallions then how does your species......you know. Keep going?” “Unicorns have developed a way to create a fetus inside a mare. It’s not traditional but it works.” Aloe added. “Although eight times out of ten a filly is produced, it’s very rare that a colt is made with magic.” “What about donations from stallions?” “That is extremely expensive and unaffordable for most ponies.” Aloe said as she took another box from the pile. “Are there are more mares than stallions from where you’re from?” The blue mare said as she tilted her head. “Yeah, the numbers are always changing but, it's nowhere near the difference here though.” “What’s the ratio for where you’re from?” Aloe asked. “I’d say it’s almost Fifty-fifty, I think.” The mares jaws dropped as they looked at the human. “The women must love you then.” Lotus said with a smirk. “No, most women don’t like nice guys.” He said as he took a seat. “That’s their loss.” The blue mare said with a sly grin. “That’s sweet of you to say.” He said as he gave them a smile. The three continued to unpack the massive pile of boxes. Isaac noticed that the more boxes he put away the closer Lotus would get to him. “Oh Isaac, could you come here for a moment?” Lotus said in a sweet voice. Isaac walked over to see that the blue mare was trying to reach for something on a high shelf. “Could you be a dear and get that jar on the shelf?” She asked as she made a pouting face. Isaac smiled and rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to make a cute face to convince me.” He said as he walked up next to her. Isaac reached up and found the jar as he wrapped his hands around it he felt the mares tail wrap round his leg and move up to his thigh. He turned back around to see the blue mare pressing up against him. She quickly let her tail drop and turned away from the human giggling to herself. Isaac shook off the notion and continued to unpack the boxes. After the last of the supplies were put away Isaac noticed that it was almost one o’clock. “Thanks for your help Isaac. We really needed the extra pair of hands.” Aloe said with a smile. “No problem. I’m alway happy to help.” He said as he rubbed his right shoulder. “Something wrong?” “I twisted my shoulder yesterday at Sweet Apple Acres, nothing too bad.” He said with a smile. “Unacceptable! Let’s take care of that for you right now!” The two sisters grabbed the humans arm and led him to the massage area. “You two don’t have to-” “We insist.” “Consider it a thank you, for all your hard work.” Aloe said with a smile. “What about other clients?” “We closed the shop so we’d have enough time to put the shipment away. We have all day.” Lotus said in a seductive tone. He made his way down the hall until he reached the massage rooms. Isaac saw a sign hanging on the room at the end of the hall. Isaac, Use this one. It’s...bigger. “Bigger?” Isaac opened the door to reveal a fully furnished room with a large bed in the center. He looked over to see Aloe with her hair down and stretching her arms. “Sorry I think I’ve got the wrong room, I’ll just-” As he began to back away he felt fur against his back. He turned around to see Lotus with a lustful smirk on her face and wearing nothing but a towel. She placed a finger in the center of his chest and began to push him back towards the bed. Isaac felt himself being forced down on the edge of the bed and a pair of hands slowly rubbing his back. “Ready for your massage?” Lotus cooed and she started to take long strides making her hips sway. Isaac felt his member stiffening and press against his pants, he tried to ignore the blue beauty that was slowly making her way over to him but the massage he was receiving was making it very difficult. “Look ladies, you’re both are very beautiful and any stallion would be lucky to spend time with you but-” He stopped as he let out a small moan from the massage. “but, we’re a completely different species and-” “I see no problem with it. Our cousin is engaged to a griffin and they’re happy.” She said as she crouched down so their eyes met. “Rarity told us about that little kiss you and Applejack shared.” “But-” Lotus put her index finger on his lips silencing him. “Relax, we’re not looking for anything serious we just need to relieve some pent up stress.” Aloe said as she applied more pressure. “What if you get-” “Pregnant? Relax we’re both on the pill and we can always go to a unicorn for the morning after spell.” The blue mare said as she tapped on the humans nose. Isaac was about to protest but was stopped as the blue mare locked lips with him. Isaac felt the mares tongue exploring his mouth and began a small wrestling match with their tongues. As she broke the kiss Lotus raised her arms allowing the towel to fall to the ground. The human boggled at the mares shiny blue coat and ample breasts that looked like they were begging to be held. Isaac felt the hands behind him disconnect with his back. The pink mare had removed her towel and stood in front of the human next to her sister. The two mares slowly closed in on the human with seductive looks in their eyes. Isaac felt lost in their gaze. He quickly snapped out of the trance and got to his feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t, it’s not you two, it’s me.” He said as he quickly side stepped the stunned mares. “I appreciate the massage and I’ll see you two around.” Isaac closed the door and remained silent until he exited the building. “I need a fucking drink and a cold shower.” He said as he slugged himself in the thigh causing his erection to fall. Isaac quickly made his way to Sugar Cube Corner and sat down at the bar, he was soon greeted by a familiar pink and lavender mare. “Hey Isaac, what can I-.....Are you okay?” Pinkie asked as she looked at the humans’ pale face. “Do you guys sell alcohol here?” “Nope, sorry. I can get you some water if you want.” “That’d be great.” He said as he laid his head on the table. Pinkie quickly fetched him a glass of water and sat down next to him. “What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Twilight asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t want to know.” He said as he gulped the water down. “What happened?” Isaac let out a sigh and started to tell Pinkie about his run in with the spa ponies. By the end the mares mouths were agate in shock. “OH MY GOSH!” “Yep.” “So did you....y’know.” Pinkie asked. “No. I didn’t.” “I still can’t believe that those two would try to seduce you like that.” Twilight said. “Who’d thought?” The door opened to reveal a familiar cyan mare with a rainbow mane. “Hey guys what’s up?” Rainbow asked as she walked over to the trio. Isaac let out a low grumble. “What’s his deal?” “The spa ponies tried to seduce him.” Twilight said. Rainbow’s jaw hit the floor and looked at the human. “What?” She said in aggravation. “Well, did-” “No, I didn’t.” He said as he looked at her. Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. “Why didn’t you? Are you not into mares?” “NO! I’m just in control of myself.” “Oh, I’ll go have a small chat with them about this.” Rainbow said as she cracked her knuckles and turned to leave. “Oh no you don’t.” He said as he grabbed the cyan mares tail. “Relax Rainbow, they were just sexually deprived, they saw an opportunity and took it. Sound familiar?” He said as he raised an eyebrow and let go of the mares tail. “They tried and failed, I’m flattered they think I’m attractive but I’m not the type of guy who goes around having sex with every girl he sees.” “But they still-” “Calm down, from what they told me the pickings are very slim around here.” He said as he looked at the mares who had a small blush strewn across their faces. “I’m gonna head out, I’ll see you guys later.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Want some company?” Twilight asked in a low tone. “Nah, I’m better on my own.” He said as he walked out of the door. The mares looked at one another with a nervous look in their eyes. “You think he’s okay?” Pinkie asked. “He seemed kinda down.” Twilight said as she scratched her chin. “I’m gonna go check on him.” Rainbow said as she got to her feet. “Be careful Rainbow, we still don’t know that much about him.” “So? How are we gonna find out if we just sit here?” She said as she crossed her arms. “Good point, I’ll come to.” Twilight said as she got to her feet. “I’d love to go but I have to work.” Pinkie said as she shrugged. The two mares made their way out of the bakery and looked around to see that the human had vanished from their sight. Isaac plugged in his P-pod and selected one of his favorite song. He saw the forest and started to walk into the wooded area. He saw the patch of poison joke he must have stumbled in. He went deeper into the forest until he came to a crystal blue pond. Isaac went up to a random tree and punched it hard, Isaac felt some of the bark break off as his fist disconnected with the trunk. He sat against a tree and stared up at the sky. I can’t become attached to them, I just....can’t. As his music blasted through his head phones he saw a bright yellow comet rocket through the clouds. His eyes squinted as the object started to grow and become clearer. Isaac got to his feet and saw the object land in the pond in front of him. The object caused a huge splash that almost reached the human. Isaac saw that the golden object was a Pegasus in a blue uniform. “Hey! Are you okay?” He shouted at the floating object. Isaac squinted and noticed that the pony was slowly sinking into the water. Isaac dropped his phoned and music player and dove into the water, the human swam at a breakneck pace towards the object. Isaac grabbed the mares arm and started to swim back towards the surface. As his head broke the surface of the water he let out a gasp, he wrapped an arm around the mares body and began to make his way to the shore. Isaac walked out of the pond with the unconscious mare in his arms. He laid her on the ground and put his ear to her chest. “Shit, she’s no breathing.” He placed his hands on the mares chest and began to press in a steady motion. He closed her nose and transferred the oxygen he stored in his lungs into her causing the mares chest to rise. Isaac continued the actions until he saw the mare cough up the water she had swallowed. Isaac let out a sigh and laid back in relief. “Hey are you-” He was cut off when he noticed that the mare was still unconscious. Isaac walked over and retrieved his items, he looked at his phone to see that the he had no service. “Great, just perfect.” He said in aggravation. He walked over to the mare and noticed that her left wing was bruised and her left leg was black and blue. Isaac hoisted the mare onto his back in a piggy back fashion and ran back towards the town. The golden mares eyes fluttered open and saw trees flying by her and her body being carried by a stranger. “What the?” She said as she looked around. “Oh good, you’re awake.” Isaac said as he slowed down and looked back at the mare. “What happened?” “I don’t know, one moment I’m relaxing under a tree and the next thing I see is you crashing down into the pond in front of me. I pulled you out and gave you CPR.” He said as he slowed to a walking pace. The mare rested her head against the back of his neck and tightened her grip around him. “Thank you. What’s your name?” “Isaac and you’re welcome.” “Isaac? Odd name for a pony.” “Well, that’s because I’m not a pony.” The mares eyes shrank as she looked at the human’s bare neck and arms. “What are you?” “I’m a human.” The mare felt a small wave of pain as she tried to flap her wings. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, your left wing looked banged up as did your leg.” He said as he looked back at the mare who had an uneasy look on her face. “Relax, I don’t bite.” “Where are we?” “In the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville.” He said as he stepped over a fallen tree. “How far away are we?” She asked as she looked around the dark forest. “Around five minutes. I didn’t get your name by the way.” “It’s Spitfire.” She said with a smile. “Nice to meet you, what were you doing up there anyway?” “I was trying out a new trick when I twisted a muscle and started to fall.” “So you’re some kind of performer?” “Um Yeah! I’m Spitfire Captain of the Wonderbolts.” “The who?” “Jeez man what planet are you from?” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Not this one. Remember?” “Oh right, sorry.” She said in a low tone. The two remained silent as they exited the forest and the small town came into view. She rested her chin on the humans shoulder and smiled. Isaac quickly made his way to the small town to see a familiar lavender mare run up to him. “Isaac there you are! We were worried and-” She stopped as she saw the golden mares head. “Is that who I think it is?” “You know Spitfire?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Not professionally, but Rainbow Dash is-” She was cut off as a bright cyan mare landed in front of the group. “There you are! I’ve been tearing through the skies looking for..... Oh my Luna!” She yelled as she saw Spitfire hanging onto his back. Spit fire let out a sigh and gave her a weak smile. “What are you doing with Spitfire?” “She crash landed while I was in the forest and I helped her out. I was on my way to the hospital just now, her wing and leg are injured.” He said as he looked at her right leg. “Speaking of which, please hurry up! This is painful ya know.” The mare said in an agitated tone. “Sorry, I’ll explain later, we need to get to the-” He was cut off as Twilight put a hand on his shoulder and vanished in a flash of light. Isaac opened his eyes to see that he and the mares were outside the hospital. “....hospital. Thanks Twilight, just warn me the next time you do that.” He said as he entered lobby. “Hey! We got an injured Pegasus here!” He yelled as a doctor came up to him with stretcher. Isaac placed the mare down on her right side so her injured wing was up. The doctors rushed the mare inside, leaving Twilight and Isaac in the lobby. Isaac noticed that the purple mare was beginning to stumble, he quickly rushed to her side and sat her down. “You okay?” “Yeah, I guess teleporting a different species takes a bit more magic.” She said as she wiped her brow. “What were you doing in the Everfree forest anyway?” She asked as she looked at the human. “Just, letting off some steam.” He said in a low tone. “Oh really? Then what’s wrong with your hand?” She asked as she saw his bloodied knuckles. “Like I said, letting off some steam.” He said as he rubbed his hand. “By punching things?” “Hey, cool it. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.” He said as he looked at her. “You need to find a way to channel your emotions in a positive way.” “Stop acting like you’re my therapist Twilight, you have no idea how I feel.” He said as his eyes narrowed. “Well, just trust me and-” “Trust you? Why in the hell should I trust you?” Isaacs eyes narrowed on the mare. “Why shouldn’t you? You are staying in MY house.” The mare said in a challenging voice. “Let’s go down the list. You throw me in a cage, borderline interrogated me, I fell to the ground from easily five hundred feet in the fucking air and to top it off I was almost raped this morning. Stop me if I missed anything.” He said in a cold tone. Twilight immediately backed off and tried to find an argument but found none. “That’s what I thought.” “I don’t see how anyone like you could possibly have friends.” She said in a cold tone. “I HAD friends Twilight. We were inseparable, thicker than blood and despite everything we went through together they still lied, cheated and tore each other apart.” He said as his anger peaked. “So let me ask you this, how the hell am I supposed to trust a bunch anthropomorphized ponies when I couldn’t trust the people I cared for the most?” Twilight’s mind drew a blank at the question. “I figured as much.” Isaac said as he got to his feet and walked towards the door. A tan unicorn stallion walked up to him holding a clip board. “Excuse me are you Isaac?” The doctor asked. “Yeah. How's Spitfire doing?” “Perfectly fine, she has a sprained wing and has a bruised thigh muscle.” The doctor said as he looked at the chart. “She’s awake and would like to see you.” “Why?” “She wouldn’t say.” Isaac let out a sigh and cracked his neck. “Lead the way doc.” Isaac said as he followed the pony in the white lab coat. “Wait, I have to know something.” Twilight said as she stood up and faced the human. “How can you be a total jerk one minute and then sympathetic the next?” “Beats me, I’m only human.” Isaac said as he followed the doctor, leaving the dumbfounded purple mare standing in the center of the lobby. Twilight looked towards the door to see that her other friends had arrived and hurried over to her. “Twilight! Hows Spitfire doing?” Rainbow asked. “She’s fine, but we have a bigger issue that needs addressing.” She said in a stern tone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac opened the door to see the golden mare happily eating the hospital food the nurse had just dropped off. She smiled at him and quickly waved him in. “Hey!” She said as she swallowed her food. “How are you feeling?” Isaac asked as he sat down in a chair. “A whole lot better, thanks to you.” “It was nothing.” “You saved my life, I owe you big time.” “You don’t owe me a thing, anyone else would have done the same for you. Especially since you’re famous.” He said as he leaned back. “That’s the point. You didn’t know who I was, why did you save me?” She asked as she tilted her head. “I wasn’t going to let an innocent pony drown in front of me.” “There has to be some other reason, than that.” “Like?” “I don’t know, you tell me. Why would you risk your life for a complete stranger?” Spitfire asked as the door burst open to reveal three Pegasus ponies wearing a similar blue suit. The stallion in the center was light blue and had bright green eyes “Spits! Are you okay?” He said as he ran over to the mares side. “Relax Soarin, I’m fine. Thanks to Isaac here.” She said as she pointed to the human who sat in the corner. Isaac gave a slight wave at them. “Who and what is he?” The stallion asked. “His name is Isaac and he’s a human.” The stallions eyes shrank. “I heard rumors that a human was in Equestria, I just thought somepony was pulling a prank or something.” He said as he looked at the human. “What happened anyway?” “I was testing out a new trick and my wing cramped up, next thing I know Isaac is carrying me through a forest.” She said with a smile. “Your girlfriend landed in a pond in front of me, I got her out and brought her into town.” He said as he got to his feet. “ Soarin and the other Pegasus’s looked at the human in confusion. “Girlfriend?” “Mare friend, what ever you call each other.” Isaac said as he stretched. “Spit isn’t my Mare friend, she’s my boss.” He said with a chuckle. “Oh, sorry. I just assumed that-” “It’s alright, we get that a lot.” Spitfire said with a grin. “Well, I see that Spitfire is in capable hands. I’ll take my leave now.” Isaac said as he moved towards the door. “Wait, you still didn’t answer my question. Why did you save me?” Spitfire said as she looked at the human. Isaac stopped moving and refused to turn around. “You remind me of someone I used to know.” Spitfire was about to comment but Isaac had already left the room. The human looked in the lobby to see Twilight talking to the other five mares, he doubled back and went out the side exit. Isaac let out a sigh and put his P-pod and blasted a song that fit the mood. He made his way back to the library in silence, as he opened the door he saw Spike with a green collard shirt on and a new pair of slacks. “Getting ready for your date?” “Yeah, thanks again for this. I can’t believe that she wants to go on a date with me.” The dragon said with a smile. “No problem, just remember to be yourself and it’ll be a breeze.” Isaac said with a fake smile. “Rarity is at the hospital with the others.” “Yeah, I heard that you saved The Wonderbolt captain.” “I just brought her into town, thats it.” “I heard that you brought her back to life.” Spike said as he raised an eyebrow. “So? I just did what anyone else would do.” Isaac glanced at he clock and then back to the dragon. “You should get going, it’s almost eight and Rarity will probably be back any minute.” “Oh man! You’re right, see ya later Isaac.” He said as he ran out the door. Isaac walked up stairs and laid on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling until he felt sleep take him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the hospital Twilight had just finished telling the others about her conversation with Isaac. “That much sums it up.” “He doesn’t trust us?” Applejack asked in a sad tone. “Well, considering what he’s been through it’s understandable. Imagine if you were in his position.” Twilight said in a sympathetic tone. “I still can’t believe those two would try to do something so....uncouth.” Rarity said in a stern tone. “They were in heat and hadn’t hit it in a few months.” Rainbow said with a shrug. “That’s still no excuse.” “Where is Isaac anyway?” Fluttershy asked. “He went in to see Spitfire a while ago and hasn’t come back out yet.” Twilight said as she looked at the three Wonderbolts walked into the lobby. Rainbow walked up to the blue stallion with a worried look on her face. “How’s Spitfire doing?” “She’s going to be fine, just a sprained wing.” He said with a smile. “That’s good.” Rainbow looked over his shoulder to see the other two Wonderbolts. “Where’s Isaac?” “The human? He left like an hour ago.” Soarin said as he walked past the group of mares. Twilight walked up to a nearby nurse with a determined look in her eye. “Excuse me Nurse Red heart, could I ask you something?” “Sure.” “Have you seen Isaac?” “Oh the human. He left through the side exit around an hour ago.” She said as she turned back to her chart. Twilight looked back to the group of mares with a confused look on her face. “The nurse said he left an hour ago.” The mares looked at her in surprise. Rarity looked behind her to see Spike walk through the door. “Oh, Spike I’m so sorry. I completely forgot about our date.” She said as she face palmed. “It’s fine. Isaac said you guys were here.” The mares stared at him in surprise. “You know where he is?” “Yeah, I just saw him at the library.” The five mares quickly ran past the dragon and out back towards the town. “What’s with them?” He asked as he looked at the white mare. “I’ll tell you over dinner.” She said as she wrapped her hand around Spike’s causing the purple dragon to blush. The two walked out of the hospital with smiles on their faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was standing in the bathroom looking himself over and noticed that a small layer of hair had started to grow around his face. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small bottle that Aloe and Lotus had given him. The concoction felt similar to shaving cream, he felt the hairs on his face stand at attention. He lifted his knife to his face and slowly moved it across his flesh. “ISAAC STOP!” He looked over to see five mares running towards him, he felt the knife being ripped out of his hands by a purple aura. “We know you’re sad but suicide isn’t the answer!” Twilight yelled. “Suicide? I wasn’t killing myself.” He said in confusion. “Then why were you holding your knife to your throat?” Applejack said trying to hold back tears. “I was shaving. See?” He said as he pointed to the bald patch on his face. “What?” “Ugh! Human males grow hair on their face, some can grow a full beard while others like to shave it off.” He said as Twilight levitated the knife back to him. “Watch.” He said as he pressed the knife against his skin and moved the blade down his face, cutting the hair off his face. “See.” “Doesn’t that hurt?” Pinkie asked. “No, it’s like getting a hair cut, you just have to have a steady grip.” He said as he continued. “Why did you guys think I would try to kill myself?” “You seemed really sad and Twi told us about your conversation at the hospital.” Rainbow said. “I figured that’s what you guys were talking about.” He said as he washed the blade in the sink. “You saw us?” Twilight said in surprise. “Why didn’t you use the normal exit?” “I didn’t want to get in another argument and you made your opinion about me quite clear.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight lowered her head in sadness. “I just wanted to shave before I left.” “Where were you going?” Twilight asked. “I was planning on just slipping out before you got back, but now that plan is ruined.” He said as he wiped the cream off his face. The mares looked at him in surprise. “I came her to apologize for my comment, I guess I didn’t realize how much stress you were under.” She said in a sad tone. Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not your fault, I admit that I have trust issues.” “Why is that, if you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy asked in a timid voice. “The last friend I had stabbed me in the back. Literally.” He said as he turned around and lifted his shirt revealing the small scar on his right shoulder. He heard a collective gasp come from the group of mares. “What happened?” Rainbow asked as she felt the scar. “We got in a fight and he pulled a knife on me. I tried to calm him down and he stabbed me.” He said ina low tone. “What about the bigger one?” “That was intentional. Tattoo removal is really painful.” “What’s a Tattoo?” Pinkie asked. “Think of it as an artificial Cutie Mark. Humans can get art done on their bodies by drawing below the skin layer. Once it’s done the skin heals and the image is permanent....well, almost permanent.” He said as he pulled his shirt back down. “How did you remove something like that?” Applejack asked. “Either pay thousands of dollars for surgery or just do what I did and burn it off.” The ponies cringed back in disgust. “It would have hurt either way, my method was quick and cheap.” “Why did you want to burn it out?” Twilight asked. “It was a part of my life I wanted to forget.” He said in a low tone. Twilight went forward and hugged the human. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pestered you about it.” She said as tears began to pool in her eyes. “It’s fine.” He said in a forgiving tone. The other mares joined the hug and smiled at him. Isaac rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “Sorry for making you guys worry.” He said as he broke the hug. The mares looked back at him and smiled. “Look, it’s been a long day. How about we just calm down and sweep this under the rug.” The mares gave him a smile let go of the human. The four mares nodded and walked out of the library, Rainbow stopped at the door and turned to face the human. “Hey can I ask you something?” “Sure.” He said with a shrug. “Did your friend really try to kill you?” “No, it was a stupid fight that got taken over the edge.” The human said in a low tone. “Was he your only friend?” She asked in a saddened tone. “No, I had many friends...once.” Isaac said ina low tone “What happened to them?” “They leave, because they should or they find someone else and some of them...forget me.” He said in a low tone. “I suppose in the end...they break my heart.” Rainbow looked back at him in confusion. “All in the past now.” “What will you do when you go back?” “To be honest, ‘when’ is starting to turn into an ‘if.’” “What?” “If Celestia can’t find anything, I’ll probably have to stay here.” Rainbow felt her heart beat rise at the though of the man staying with her. “Well, if that happens then you can always crash at my place.” “I’ve had enough crashing for a while thank you very much.” He said in a stern tone. “No! I meant that.....um....” Isaac let out a laugh and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just kidding Dash, I know what you meant and thanks for the offer.” “Ha-ha. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and went back inside the massive hollowed out tree. He sat down on the couch and reopened the Daring Do book he had at the hospital. After he got through three chapters the door opened to reveal a pale faced Spike. “Hey Spike how did the date go?” “It went....AWESOME!” “How so?” “We went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, went for a walk in the park and I walked her home.” He said as he sat down. “Cool anything else?” Spike looked around the room to see if Twilight was around. He motioned for the human to come closer. “I kissed her goodnight and we’re going out again next week!” He said with a laugh. “Spike, I request the highest of fives.” Isaac said as he raised his right hand. The dragon slapped it with a deafening force. “Hell yeah!” He said as he rubbed his hand in pain. “Ow.” “Sorry, blame the scales.” “It’s fine.” “Thanks again man.” He said as he patted the human on the back. “For what?” “The whole date thing. If it wasn’t for you then I wouldn’t have gone out with Rarity.” “You did that on your own, I just gave you a shove. It’s what a wingman does.” Isaac said as he put his heads behind his head “What’s a wing man?” The dragon said in confusion. “A wingman is a person, or pony in this case that helps a friend get some pony to like them in a romantic way.” “Oh, thanks again.” He said as he walked upstairs. “Anytime.” He said with a wave. Isaac pulled the feather Rainbow had given him out of the book and examined it. Why would she give me this? This must have a deeper meaning then just a bargaining chip. Don’t know. I’ll worry about it later. He thought as he slipped the feather into his pocket. Isaac made his way to his room and laid down to rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Outside of the small town a strange blue box had appeared out of nowhere and was making an odd noise. The box was tall and had the words ‘police box’ written on the borders. A tan earth pony stallion in a suit with a bow tie around his neck stepped out of the box and looked around. “Oh, I’m back here again. Brilliant.” He pilled out a small metal wand with a green tip and pointed it at the box. The light on top flashed twice and it slowly faded. “Right, now to find Ditzy.” He said as he hurried towards the town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Applejack kicked the dirt with her boot and let out a long sigh as she walked past the entrance sign to Sweet Apple Acres. Her mind was flashing with images of the human. She lightly tapped her head in frustration. “Ugh! Shut up brain, he’s a completely different species then I am and he has to go back where he belongs.....far away....from me.” A small tear rolled from her eye. She quickly wiped her tears away as her cyan friend landed next to her. “Howdy Rainbow. What’s up?” “Nothing, I’m just happy.” “Why?” “Isaac said he might stay.” She said with a smile. Applejack couldn’t help but smile. “R-really?” “Yeah, if he can’t find a way home, he said he’d stay.” The orange mares smile vanished and stared back at the pegasus. “What?” “That implies that Celestia doesn’t find a way to send him back.” She said as her eyes narrowed. “Yeah, but it means he’s considered the thought of staying. All we have to do is show him how good it is here and he won’t want to leave!” Applejacks jaw dropped at the information. “How in the hay are we gonna do that? He told me about his planet and it sounds spectacular, how can we compete with that?” AJ asked in annoyance. “I don’t know but we’d better think of something if we want him to stay.” “Wait a second, why do you want him to stay?” Applejack asked as she eyed the cyan mare. Rainbow blushed at the question. “He’s fun to hang out with.” “Ah think it’s more than that.” “Well, why do you want him to stay?” Applejack instantly recoiled. “H-he’s a good friend is all.” “Right, it has nothing to do with the kiss you two had?” “NO! It was a dare, that’s it!” She said with a bright blush on her face. “Sure it was, I’ve seen how you look at him.” “Ah can say the same about you.” The orange mare said in a stern tone. Dash immediately backed off. “Let’s just focus on trying to get him to stay here.” Rainbow said trying to calm her friend down. “And I think I have a good idea how to do that.” She said with a sly smirk.
Chapter 8: Party TimeChapter 8 Party Time Isaac woke up to feel the warm sun crashing through the window and covering him in it’s warm embrace. He let out a yawn and looked at his phones screen to see an odd message pop up. “Oh great. It’s THAT day.” He said in a grumble. He got to his feet and slowly made his way down stairs. Twilight was sitting at the kitchen table eating a fresh egg with a side of toast. “Morning Isaac.” She said with a smile. “Morning. What’s up?” “Just having some breakfast before I start studying. Want some?” “Sure. I take it Spike made theses?” He asked as he took some of the food from the frying pan. “Yeah, I’m not much of a cook.” She said with a blush. “I heard you almost burned down the library.” “It was an accident!” “Five times.” Twilight’s blush brightened and gave a scoff. Isaac chuckled and continued to eat his food. “I got here seven days ago right?” “Yeah why?” “Just curious.” He said as he shrugged. After he put his dishes in the sink he felt his phone vibrate in his pants. He took the device from his pocket and touched the screen to see a new text message. Hey, What’s up? Who’s this? Spitfire from yesterday. How did you get my number? I asked Rainbow when she came by this morning. Kinda stalkerish. Most stallions like having a mare’s number in their phone. ;) No complaint here. How are you feeling? Better. Food sucks though. >:( Yeah, been there. So what’s up? I’m bored, no pony to talk to. What about that blue guy, Soarin? Filling in for me. Manager gave me R&R for a few weeks. FML >:( Want some company? Sure, I’m getting out at noon. I’ll see ya in a few. Okay bye. Isaac closed the message and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The man got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. He looked over to see Twilight starting to work. “Where are you going?” She asked. “Going to visit Spitfire. She’s held up in the hospital with no one to talk to. Might as well keep her company.” He said as he put his jacket on and made his way towards the door. “Mind if I ask something?” “Sure.” “What if Celestia can’t find a way for you to go home?” “I’d stay here. Find a house, I don’t know. Just live out the rest of my days.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Theres just one thing I don’t get. From what you’ve told me your life back home was less than charming. Why do you want to go back?” Isaac stopped as he reached for the door knob. “I mean why would you go back to a place you can’t stand?” “I’ve been asking myself that my whole life and I still don’t know.” He said as he walked out the door and made his way through the small town. As he closed the door behind him he decided to run to the hospital. He took out his P-pod and selected a song to get him in the mood. He quickly pulled his hood over his head and began his morning run. His pace doubled as he saw two familiar spa ponies entering their shop. He quickly ducked behind a building and waited until they were inside. As he got to the hospital he saw a familiar Pegasus mare sitting in the lobby. “Hey!” She said as she waved him over. “Yo. Hows your wing?” He asked as he looked at the bandaged appendage. “Fine. I can take the bandages off later on today.” She said as she got to her feet. As the two exited the hospital Isaac took his jacket off and handed it to the mare. “What’s this for?” “I figured you’d want to lay low. Since you’re a celebrity and all.” She smiled and quickly put the jacket over her blue uniform. “Thanks, you have no idea what it’s like to be hounded by fans everywhere you go.” She said as she put the hood over her head so it covered her mane. “That’s why I’m not a movie star.” “Lucky you.” She said with a laugh. “So what exactly do the Wonderbolts do? Is it strictly stunts or do you compete against other teams?” Isaac asked at the two made their way through town. “We’re a special branch of the Equestrian Air Force.” Isaac’s eyes shrank at the information. “You’re in the Military?” “Yeah, we’re the best fliers in Equestria our main job is to boost moral by performing stunts.” “OH! Like the Blue Angels.” “The what?” “Theres something similar to that where I’m from. The only difference is we use big flying machines called airplanes.” The mares jaw dropped at the information “Awesome!” Isaac then scanned the mares light blue suit. “Now that I think about it the color scheme is the same too. Blue with yellow trim.” “Weird.” She said as she looked at her outfit. “Yeah, I guess you guys copied something from my universe.” The mare gave him a punch on the arm. “Ow! Jeez, you hit hard.” He said as he rubbed the sore spot while Spitfire stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. “C’mon let’s find a place to eat. That hospital food could kill a manticore.” She said as she made a sick face. The two made their way into Sugar Cube Corner and grabbed a nearby booth and sat down. Isaac was greeted by a familiar pink mare with a smile on her face. “Hey Isaac what can I get you and Spit-” The golden mare instantly put her hand over the pink mares mouth. “We’d appreciate it if you didn’t broadcast our presence.” Pinkie nodded and Spitfire removed her hand. “I’ll have the hay fries and a dandelion sandwich.” Spitfire said with a smile. “I’ll just go with some fruit.” Isaac said as he handed her the menu. Pinkie jotted the orders down and hurried back into the kitchen. “Fruit? That’s it?” “Humans don’t eat hay or dandelions.” “What do you eat then?” She asked as she sipped her water. “Meat, vegetables and fruit.” “Oh you’re a carnivore then.” She said with a nod. “You don’t mind?” “Nah, my roommate in college was a Griffin. There was always some meat in the fridge. Not the best tasting stuff but passable.” She said with a shrug. Isaac looked at her in confusion. “Wait, ponies can eat meat?” “Yeah when we have to. It’s kinda uncommon but not illegal.” She said as Pinke arrived their food arrived. “Sweet, finally some real food.” She said as she began to eat her sandwich. Isaac did the same with his fruit salad. The human looked over to see Rainbow walk in with a smile on her face. “Heads up, here comes Rainbow.” He whispered to Spitfire who almost chocked in surprise. She quickly made the slicing throat motion but the motion came to late as Rainbow sat down next to Isaac. “Hey Isaac who’s.....Oh my gosh!” She yelled as she saw the golden mare. “Rainbow keep it down, we’re trying to AVOID drawing attention to ourselves.” Isaac said. “Sorry.” She said in a hushed tone. “What are you two doing here?” “Having lunch.” He said as he continued to eat his food. “What were you guys talking about?” “Food.” Spitfire said in a cheery tone. Rainbow let out a grumble and slid down in her seat. The golden mare turned her attention back to the human. “So can humans fly?” “Not on their own like you can, we need either a plane or a flight suit.” “What’s a flight suit?” She asked in confusion. “Have you ever seen a flying squirrel?” The two mares nodded. “The suit is based off that. Humans glide through the sky with it.” “Have you ever done it?” “Yeah it’s a lot of fun. I love being up in the sky.” He said as he sipped his water. “Why did you freak out when I brought you up on a cloud then?” Rainbow asked. “I usually have a parachute attached to me Dash.” He said as he deadpanned. “Oh sorry.” She said with a sheepish grin. The three continued to eat their meal in silence until they were interrupted by Pinkie who’s right eye was twitching spastically. “Twitch. Twitch, Twitch!” She yelled as the motion continued. “What’s wrong Pinkie?” Isaac asked. “My eye is twitchy!” She said as she pointed to her eyelid. “So?” “That means it’s somepony’s birthday today!” She said as she pulled out a small note pad with names on it. “How did you come to that conclusion?” Spitfire asked. “Pinkie sense.” Rainbow breathed out. “What’s that?” Isaac asked as he sipped his drink. “Pinkie get’s these ‘twitches’ in her body which mean different things. Like if her tail starts to twitch it means somethings going to fall.” On cue Pinkie’s tail started to move on it’s own. The pink mare immediately jumped to the right to avoid a falling flower pot. “Where did that even come from?” Isaac said in surprise. “I have no idea.” Pinkie said with a smile. She closed her note book and let out a sigh. “Ugh! It’s no ones birthday today in Ponyville. Unless...” He gaze instantly shifted to Spitfire who was a step ahead of her. “Not me. Mine was five months ago.” She said as she drank her water. “Not you huh. Then who could-” Pinkie turned her head to see the human avoiding eye contact and going back to his salad. Her eyes narrowed on the human and began to rub her chin. “Fine! You caught me, I’m twenty-two today.” The mares looked at him in surprise as Pinkie grabbed the human and began to shake him violently. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” Pinkie yelled as she stopped shaking the human. Isaac shook his head and collected himself. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.” “Not that big a deal? It’s your birthday!” “So? It’s just another day to me back home.” He said in a blank tone. “You don’t throw a party?” Rainbow asked. “I haven’t had a party since I was ten.” He said as he sat back. The ponies looked at him in confusion. “So what do you usually do on your birthday?” Rainbow asked. “Go to work, go home and go to sleep.” He said flatly. “That’s kinda sad.” Spitfire commented. “I don’t see the big deal. Why should my day be any different on my birthday?” “We have to fix that!” Pinkie said as she zoomed off. Isaac was about to protest but shrugged off the gesture as got to his feet and stretched his back. “Where are you going?” Spitfire asked as she and the cyan mare got up. “Dunno, I just like to keep moving. What about you two?” “I gotta go get some pain killers for my wing.” She said as she pointed to the appendage. “My lunch break is almost up so I gotta get back to work.” Rainbow said as she flew out the door. “See ya.” Spitfire said as she walked out of the bakery. Isaac shrugged and walked towards the park. He made his way through the park and came across a good sized tree. Isaac got put his arms on a nearby branch and pulled himself up and leaned his back against the trunk. He plugged in his music and listen to a relaxing melody as sleep eventually took hold of him. “HEY!” He was awoken by a high pitched yell coming from bellow him. He unplugged his music and looked down to see Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looking up at him in confusion. Isaac made his way down the tree and hopped in front of the three fillies with a yawn. He noticed that the top of their heads were in line with his shoulders. “What’s up?” “Rarity needs your help with something.” Sweetie Belle answered. “What?” “She wouldn’t say.” Applebloom said with a shrug. “Thanks.” He said as he and the three girls made their way back into town. Isaac noticed the three fillies had disappointed looks on their faces. “What’s eating you three?” “We thought we’d get out human finding Cutie Marks.” Sweetie Belle said with a groan. “What would that even look like?” Scootaloo asked. “No idea.” “What’s so special about these ‘Cutie Marks?’” Isaac asked. “Everyone at school has one except for us!” Sweetie whined. “How old are you three?” “We’re fourteen. Most ponies get theirs by twelve or thirteen.” Scootaloo answered. “So you guys are late bloomers, nothing wrong with that.” He said with a smile. “How would you know?” “I was always the shortest kid in the class until Junior year of High School. I got picked last for sports and everything else. Then I hit a growth spurt and all that waiting paid off.” He said as the girls looked at his height. “The best things come to those who wait.” “That’s what everypony keeps telling us! We’re tired of waiting!” Scootaloo said with grumble. “We’ve tried everything!” “I know how you feel, but trust me it’ll all pay off in the end.” He said as the three got to the boutique. Isaac made his way upstairs and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Rarity said in a charming voice. Isaac poked his head in to see Rarity sitting at her sewing table. “Ah Isaac, just the human I wanted to see.” “Your sister said you needed a hand with something?” “Yes, I need you to help me go jewel hunting.” “What?” “I ran out of jewels for an outfit I’m working on and I need someone to help me dig up more.” She said as she got to her feet. “Couldn’t you get Spike to help you?” “Unfortunately no. He’s helping Twilight with a massive report for the Princess.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “If you’re too busy then-” “I don’t mind. Do you have a shovel or a pick axe?” “We can borrow one from Applejack, so we’ll have to stop there.” “No problem. Are they going to help?” He asked as he looked at the fillies. “Yes, is that a problem?” “No, just curious.” He said as the group left the boutique. As they made their way past the library Isaac stopped for a moment. “Hang on I need to grab something from the library.” He said as he walked over to the door. He gave it a hard knock, the door opened to reveal the purple dragon with a worried look on his face. “Hey Spike, mind if I come in?” “Sorry Isaac. Twilight is in the middle of a serious study session.” He said in a nervous voice. “I just need to grab something, I’ll be in and out in no time.” He said as he started to step inside only to be blocked by the dragon. “Trust me Isaac you don’t want to mess with Twi when she’s in the zone. Last time that happened she accidentally turned me int a cactus.” Isaac immediately stepped back and gulped. “I’ll take your word for it. Can you grab my knife for me? It’s on the nightstand in my room.” Spike nodded and shut the door. Isaac peeked through the window to see movement from several different figures. It was too dark to make out any specific details but he swore he saw the silhouette of a Pegasus. He heard the door open and he quickly got back in front of the door. “Here ya go. What do you need it for?” “Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Applebloom and I are going jewel hunting.” “Why do you need that thing?” He asked as ho pointed to the weapon. “Better to have it and not need then to need it and not have it.” He said as he clipped the weapon onto his pants. Spike shrugged and closed the door as Isaac walked back towards the group. “It’s rude to keep a lady waiting Isaac.” Rarity teased. “Relax, I just needed to grab my knife.” He said with a smile. As the group walked towards the farm Isaac noticed that the orange filly had a folded up scooter attached to her back. “Can you do any tricks on that scooter?” “Yeah, but it gets boring.” She said with a sigh. “Why?” “I’ve already mastered this thing and I still don’t have a Cutie Mark.” “Can I see it? I may be able to help you with that.” The group looked at him in surprise. Scootaloo shrugged and handed him the object. Isaac looked it over and noticed that it’s base was made out of wood, the wheels itself were plastic and the handlebars were connected by two bolts. “What are you thinking of?” “I’ve got an idea. I’ll show you when we get to Sweet Apple Acres.” He said as he handed the scooter back to the orange Pegasus. The party soon found themselves in front of the barn where the orange mare was tying up a bale of hay. She quickly pulled her hat down to hide her blushing cheeks from the human. “Hey AJ, Rarity said you guys have a pick axe, some shovels and a cart we could borrow?” “Y-yeah, they’re over there. Just bring ‘em back when yer done.” She said as she tried to calm her fast beating heart. The orange mare pointed to the far corner, Isaac saw four shovels and a pick axe leaning against a two wheeled wagon with a pole slid horizontally in front of it. “Thanks, mind if I use your work bench for a quick second?” “Go right ahead. Ah gotta get back to work.” She said as she quickly walked out of the barn. Isaac walked over to the work bench and laid the scooter down unfolded. He took a nearby screw driver and removed the handlebars from the base. “You broke it!” Scootaloo yelled. “I modified it into a skateboard.” He said as he put the object on the ground in front of him. “How an I supposed to move it?” Isaac rolled his eyes and put his right foot on the board and pushed with his left. He skated out of the barn and back inside. “Like that.” He said as he handed her the board. The filly looked at him in amazement as she took the board. “Awesome! What’s this thing called again?” “A skateboard. It you want to turn it back into a scooter then just ask.” He said as he picked up four shovels and a pick axe. He put them in the cart and pulled the carrier out of the barn. The three fillies ran ahead with Scootaloo testing out her modified machine. Rarity walked up next to him and smiled. “How did you do that?” “I worked in a skate shop during my High School days. I got pretty good at modifying the equipment in there.” He said with a grin. “That was very sweet of you to help Scootaloo out like that.” “It was nothing. I figured she might enjoy something like that. I know I did when I was her age.” He said with a shrug. The group walked in silence as they came across a flat dirt plane. “This the place?” “Yes, give me a moment.” She said as her horn and hands began to glow. She waved her hands in a horizontal motion and levitated a stick and began marking the dirt with X’s. “There we are.” Isaac picked up the shovel and started to dig. When he got ten inches down he hit something hard, the human scraped the dirt away and saw a cluster of bright shinning gems. “Jackpot.” He said as he lifted the bundle out of the ground. “What do you use these for anyway?” He asked as he started another hole. “I make outfits and jewelry out of them. What do humans use them for?” “Same reason. Except for diamonds, we sometimes use those to make tools.” Isaac said as he lifted another pile out of the ground. “Really?” She said as she levitated the pile into the cart. “Yeah, hang on a second.” The human got out of the hole and pulled out his knife. “The core of the blade is mixed with a diamond. Hardest rock on earth.” He said with a shrug. “Why is the edge black?” She asked as she took the knife from his hands. “The edge is lined with obsidian, the sharpest rock in the world.” The three fillies walked over to them with bundles of jewels. “What’s obsidian?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Obsidian is volcanic rock that’s been hardened and melted down. Think of it as volcanic glass.” He said as he put the knife back into it’s sheath. “Where’d you get it?” “I made it while I was visiting Pompeii. A city notorious for it’s volcano and is loaded with the stuff. I was helping some miners move some rocks when I found a diamond cluster. I took it as payment and melted it down with some iron, fused it with a few obsidian shards and presto.” He said with a smile. “I got one of the strongest knives ever made.” He said with a smile. “Where did ya learn how to make things like that?” Scootaloo asked. “I took a blacksmithing class and learned how to make weapons, armor and all other things like that.” He said as he picked up the shovel and started to dig. He soon hit a hard surface and scraped the dirt away. His eyes grew wide as he saw the massive gem. “Rarity you gotta see this.” “By the goddess! That’s the biggest amethyst I’ve ever seen!” She yelled as the three fillies trotted up next to her. Their jaws dropped as Isaac began to dig around it. “It must be at least three feet long!” Isaac grabbed the pick axe and shoved the end underneath the space he had made. The three fillies hopped down with shovels in hand and helped the human rock the jewel from it’s place. “Okay girls together on three. One.....Two......Three!” He yelled as the four of them made the massive rock come loose. “Hey Rarity, can you lift this thing up with your magic?” He asked at he and the three fillies began to pant. “I’ll try.” She said as her horn flared and she raised her hands. Isaac felt the massive rock shift and rise from the hole. Rarity struggled to concentrate and dropped the rock just outside the hole. “There, but I won’t be able to get it back to town like this.” She said as she panted and leaned against the gem. Isaac and the girls got out of the hole and walked over to the white mare. “Good thing we got the cart then.” He said as he walked over to the wagon. “Can you handle that thing? I don’t want you to strain your back.” The white mare said in a nervous voice. “Nah, humans are durable. I may need a hand getting it moving though.” He said as he picked up the handle and started to push. The three fillies did the same on the rear end and eventually got the cart rolling. Isaac let out a sigh as he found a steady pace and walked back into town. As they found them selves surrounded by familiar building Rarity walked up next to the human. “Do the males in your world wear jewelry?” “Some do. I wear my watch and class ring if I’m going to meet with someone important.” He said as he let out a breath. “What type of gem is in the ring?” “My birthstone; Amethyst.” Rarity blinked and looked back at the massive rock and then back to the human. “Birthstone?” She said in confusion. “For every month theres a gem that coincides with it. Emeralds are for May, Amber is for August and Amethyst is for February.” “Does it do anything?” Scootaloo asked. “Not really, some believe that they’ll bring good luck or something like that. It’s mostly a guideline to figure out your Zodiac.” “What’s a Zodiac?” Applebloom asked as she joined the conversation. “It’s a star sign. Every birthday is born under a different star sign where I’m from.” “Cool so what’s yours?” “Mine is a little tricky because I’m born on a cusp.” He said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “A what?” “It’s when one sign ends and another begins. So I guess I have two.” “What are they?” “Pieces and Aquarius.Think of the Zodiac signs as Cutie Marks, they help describe someones personality.” He said with a shrug. “That’s cool!” Sweetie Belle said as they pulled beside the fancy boutique. Rarity levitated the large rock off of the cart and into her house. She cam back out with a smile on her face. “I can’t thank you enough darling.” “It’s no problem.” He said as he cracked his back. “Oh no. I wouldn’t have been able to get that monster out of the ground without your help. I insist that... IDEA!” She said as she raced back into the boutique leaving the human standing at the door. She returned with a nice white collard shirt and a par of jet black pants. I was working on these for a client and he canceled at the last minute, they’re not fit to your size specifically but it’s close enough. She said with a warm smile. “Thanks Rarity, I appreciate it.” He said as she put the clothed in a bag and handed them to the human. Isaac gave her a smile and put the bag i the back of the cart and started to head back towards the farm with Applebloom riding in the back. “Can ah ask you something?” She said as she looked at the human. “Sure, what’s up?” “Are you mah sisters’ boyfriend?” Isaac looked at the filly in in surprise. “No. What gave you that idea?” “She talks about you a lot.” “To who?” “That’s the weird thing, she talks to herself.” She said as she shrugged. “So? Everyone does that.” “She just sounds weird when she does it though.” Applebloom said as she scratched her chin. “The other night I heard her talking to her self and some loud moaning coming from her room. I listened closer and I swear I heard her say your name. I wanted to see if she was okay but her door was locked.” Isaacs face turned crimson as the image of the orange mare pleasuring herself to him filled his mind. “Hasn’t she told you that eaves dropping is rude?” “Yeah, I know. She’s just been acting weird is all. Do you know why?” “Nope, no idea. It’s probably a personal issue.” He said as he stopped in front of the barn where he saw Mac about to close the massive doors. “Hey Mac, just returning some tool I borrowed.” He said as he picked up the muddy shovel and made his way into the barn and left the tools in their proper places. As he walked by Mac the red stallion smelled the humans odor. “Um Isaac ah don’t mean to cause offense but ya need a shower.” Mac said as he closed his nose with his fingers. “Sorry, jewel hunting is hard work.” He said with a weak grin. “Ya can use our shower if ya want.” Mac said as he pointed inside. “I couldn’t ask ya for-” “It’s no trouble. Do ya have a change of clothes?” “Yeah, Rarity just gave me some.” He said as he held up the bag. “Good, upstairs last door on the hall.” He said as Isaac nodded and made his way into the house. As the human walked upstairs his mind was filled with thought’s fighting with one another. She likes me like that? Shut up. Don’t even think about it! But do I- NO! She’s a Pony for Christ sakes. So? Aloe and Lotus said their cousin is dating a Griffin. Spike and Rarity seem to be doing fine so why the HELL shouldn’t I at least try to have a relationship? THEY AREN’T HUMAN! I noticed, but they do have human features and-. He was cut off as he opened the bathroom door and saw the soaking wet orange mare step out of the shower. Applejack’s face turned crimson and her brain seemed to stop. Isaac had never seen her with her hair down. The water made her golden mane stick to her orange body. The humans face turned bright red and his jaw hit the floor. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YA DOIN HERE?” She yelled as she reached for a towel. Isaac snapped out of the trance and slammed the door shut. “Sorry!” He yelled as he walked back down the hallway. He took shelter in the kitchen until he heard the bathroom door open and close again. He snuck by the orange mares room and quickly made his way into the bathroom. He started it off cold to smother his arousal and started to switch it to warm water. He let out a sigh as the warm water washed away the layer of dirt that he had accumulated from his jewel expedition. As he dried himself off he looked over the ensemble Rarity had given him. A white short sleeve collared shirt with red stripes reaching from the shoulders to the sleeve ends. The pants were dark blue with a red stripe going down the right leg. He threw on the apparel and stuffed his dirty clothes in the bag and walked out of the hose in silence. As Isaac cleared Sweet Apple Acres a familiar cyan blur landed next to him. “Hey dude, hows your birthday been so far?” She asked with a smile. “Can’t complain. Went jewel hunting and got some new clothes.” He said as he looked at his ensemble.Isaac smiled at her and noticed that she was wearing a sleek black dress that ended at her mid thighs. She was wearing a pair of black shoes the reached up to her ankles. “Why are you so dressed up?” He asked as he looked at her outfit. They Pegasus’s face instantly turned bright red. “What I don’t look good?” She asked as she struck a pose. “No, you look great.” He said as he hid his blush. “Thanks. You look nice too.” She said with a small grin. “Where are you going anyway?” “The library.” She said in a flat tone. “Why?” “Um...Twi’s got the new Daring Do book and I wanted to get an early copy.” “And you got all dressed up for that?” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “So?” The mare tried to think of something clever but just let out a sigh as they neared the massive tree. As the two entered the lights flicked on to reveal a group of mares with smiles on their faces with a banner in the back round reading ‘Happy Birthday.’ The ponies yelled the phrase as Isaac felt a smile creep across his face. He looked over at Rainbow who had a smug grin on her face. “Let me guess, Pinkie?” “Yup.” “So that’s why Rarity needed my help with jewel hunting. Should have seen that one coming.” “Okay enough talking you two LET’S PARTY!” She said as the music flared and the drinks began to flow. Isaac noticed that Soarin, Big Mac and a few other stallions had shown up to the humans surprise. The human let out a sigh and made his way over to Applejack who had a mug of cider in her hand. She quickly pulled her hat down over her face to hide her blush. “Hey AJ can we talk?” “About what?” She asked as she sipped her drink. “About what happened at the farm.” He said with a small blush. Applejack spat out the drink in surprise. Isaac gave her a napkin and she wiped her face. “Thanks.” “I just want to apologize for walking in on you like that. I should’ve knocked.” He said as he wiped his face with a towel. “It’s fine. Ah know you’d never peep on me like that. It did take you a while to close the door though.” She said as she glared at the man. “I was like a deer in headlights!” He protested. “What?” “Human term. I mean I was just shocked and my brain froze.” Applejack had a sly grin creep across her face. “So I’m that bad to look at am I?” Isaac felt his face flare up. “No, you didn’t look bad. I was just surprised how you looked so-” Isaac paused before he continued. “So what?” She asked as she leaned in and tipped her hat up. “Human.” He said as he let out a gulp. The farmer felt her heart skip a beat and her face turned bright red. “Th-thanks. Ah think.” “Again I’m sorry-” Applejack put a finger to his lips before he said another word. “It’s alright sugar cube. No harm done, just be sure to at least buy me a drink first next time.” She said with a wink. The mare removed her finger and walked over to Rainbow and Ditzy. Isaac’ brain seemed to go blank as he slowly walked over to Twilight who was chatting with Lyra. “Hey Isaac enjoying the party?” Lyra asked. “Yeah it’s great. I’m a little surprised to see so many stallions here though.” He said as he looked around the room. “Why?” Lyra asked as she sipped her drink. “Aloe and Lotus told me that the ratio was one stallion for every ten mares.” The two unicorns looked at one another and started to giggle. “What?” “Man those two must have wanted you bad.” Lyra said with a laugh. “While this is a matriarch society the ratio isn’t that drastic.” Twilight said with a smile. “What?” “The ratio is more like seven to three.” “Then why haven’t I seen too many stallions around town?” “They just left because most of the mares go into heat around this time.” “I keep hearing that term. What does ‘heat cycle’ mean?” He asked as he made quotation marks with his fingers. Lyra started to whistle to herself while Twilight rubbed her head. “Okay, once every few months mares go through their heat cycle. It makes them more sexually active than usual. So most stallions skip town and try to avoid being hounded by all the mares in Ponyville.” Isaac nodded his head. “Wait, why didn’t most of them go after me then?” “Probably because you’re a different species and you intimidated them.” Lyra explained. “Apparently not everyone feels that way.” He said as the memory of his session with the twins came back to him. He looked over to see the two spa ponies make their way to him. “Speaking of which.” He said as he looked at them straight in the eye. “Look Isaac we just wanted to apologize for our behavior the other day.” Aloe said in a low tone. “Our heat cycle was particularly bad this year. It was extremely unprofessional and we shouldn’t have tried to force ourselves on you like that.” Lotus said as she adverted her eyes. “Twilight also tells me that the ratio is seven to three, when you said it was nine to one.” “Did we say that? Again, we’re sorry.” Isaac let out a sigh and nodded his head. “It’s fine you two weren’t the first ones to try to get me into bed against my will.” He said as he poured himself and the mares a drink. The spa ponies smiled at him and took the glasses. “Let’s just bury the hatchet.” He said as they clanged glasses and drank. The drink continued to flow as Isaac challenged Soarin to an arm wrestling match which Isaac won but lost miserably to Big Mac. Isaac introduced the ponies to beer pong which ended with the human and the cyan mare beating the farmer and party animal. Soon the ponies began to leave the library leaving Isaac and the other mares in a drunken state. Isaac slowly got to his feet and smirked at the sleeping mares. He walked over to Twilight’s desk and withdrew a black marker. “I really shouldn’t, but on the other hand I’ll never get another chance like this again.” He said as he drew a monocle over Pinkie’s right eye. When he was done he capped the marker and marveled at his work. Twilight had a tic tack toe board on her right cheek. Spike had a French mustache drawn over his scales while Rarity who was asleep on his chest had a drawn on unibrow. Fluttershy was left untouched while Applejack had a goatee on her face. As Isaac stepped away Twilight had turned over and wrapped her arms around the orange mare. Isaac pulled out his phone and took a quick snapshot. As he made his way upstairs he looked back at the five mares and dragon. He rubbed his eyes and recounted. He shrugged as his brain tried to recount the graffitied mares. He opened his door and removed his shirt as his brain clicked. “Wait. Wheres Rain-” He was cut off as a soft object tackled him on the bed. He looked up to see the cyan mare straddling him and looking at him with a seductive look in her eye. “What are you-” He was cut off as she pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt the mares tongue feel around inside of his mouth. Isaac returned the gesture and felt his member pressing against his jeans. Rainbow broke the kiss and let out a breath. “Wow AJ wasn’t kidding you are good.” She said as she got off of the human. “Thank’s not so bad yourself.” He said as he tried to sit up but his arm slipped and fell on his back against the bed. He looked up to see Rainbow removing her sleek dress and throwing it on the floor. Isaac felt his jaw drop at the mares toned body and felt his heart rate increase as she walked closer and crawled over his body like a cat. She locked lips with him a second time and let out a moan of pleasure as her wings stood at full attention. Rainbow broke the kiss and reached down and stroked his clothed member. She smirked and unbuttoned his pants making his member pop out of his boxers. “Looks like someone wants to get naughty.” She said in a seductive tone. Isaac could barely keep focus as the mare positioned herself above his groin. “Rainbow I don’t think that-” He was cut off as the mare started to massage his shaft. “I don’t see the reason why we shouldn’t you’re hot, I’m hot and don’t act like you’re not enjoying this.” She said she stopped rubbing the shaft. “But, you’re a pony and-” “So? Spike is a dragon and he’s going out with Rarity.” She said as she positioned herself over his erect cock. “But-” He was cut off as the mare slowly slid his shaft inside of her. Rainbow let out a moan of pleasure as she slowly began to move up and down. Isaac could feel his member being squeezed by Dash’s tight slit. He returned the action with an upward thrust causing Rainbow to cry out in ecstasy. “Oh fuck that feels good.” She said as she began to thrust harder. Isaac smirked and flipped the mare on her back so he was on top of her. He pressed his lips against her and pushed his tongue into her wanting lips. He began to caress her breast in his palm making her go wild in passion. He pushed deeper inside of the mare who was close to a climax. “Please don’t stop.” She said in a pleading voice. Isaac continued the motions as he felt her walls clamp around his member trying to squeeze out it’s prize. The mare wrapped her legs and hands around the human as she flipped so she was back on top of him. Isaac placed his hands on the mares waist and began to thrust faster. “Isaac I’m gonna-” Her words came to late as her slit grew tighter and Isaac felt the mares fluids coat his shaft. He increased his thrusts and felt a pressure build inside of him. “ Just like that. Harder!” Rainbow said as she began to pant. “Dash I’m gonna-” “Don’t stop!” She said as she felt her eyes roll back. Isaac doubled his rate. Isaac felt instinct took over and gave a final thrust as he released into the mare causing her to cry out in passion. Rainbow slid herself off the man and collapsed panting on his chest. Isaac looked down and saw that there was blood coming from the mare’s pussy. “Dash are you a-” “Not anymore.” She said as she nuzzled his chest and closed her eyes.Rainbow smiled and drifted off to sleep in the man’s embrace. Isaac felt the adrenaline wear off and felt his body beginning to relax. His eyes felt heavy and let sleep take him with the cyan mare in his arms. Rainbow's eyes opened for a second and let out a sigh. "Too bad I can't have you all to myself." She said as she felt sleep take her.
Chapter 9: The EncounterChapter 9 The Encounter Isaac’s eyes snapped open to find himself in a barren wasteland. He got to his feet and looked around the desert. The skies were filled with black clouds as thunder and lightning boomed through the landscape. As he turned around he felt something collide with his face sending him back to the ground. Isaac looked up to see a dark hooded figure staring down at him with hateful red eyes. “You fucking freak.” The figure said as he kicked Isaac in the ribs causing him to cough up blood. “I can’t believe that you would go and do something like that.” “I always knew you were a waste.” Another apparition formed, this time in the shape of a woman with black hair and bright green eyes. She walked over to him and pulled out a night stick and began to beat the injured human with it. Isaac felt his bones splinter and crack with each blow. He got to his knees to see the two figures each pull out a hand gun and point it at his head. He closed his eyes and waited for the deafening sound to seal his fate. As the hammer on the pistol was cocked a bright light filled the desert. “Shit, looks like we have company.” The two ghosts vanished leaving the bloodied human laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He looked up to see a winged figure approach him. He felt a hand on his head as he tried to see the stranger. “ISAAC!” The dream collapsed and the light of the morning sun burned his eyes. The sound of his own name being yelled felt as if someone drove a spike through his head. He shot up from the bed to see the mares and dragon looking at him in shock. He let out a chuckle as he saw the drawings on their faces which were stricken with confusion. “What?” He asked as Twilight pointed to the stirring cyan Pegasus mare in his bed. Isaac immediately jumped out of bed holding a pillow to cover his exposed area. “Oh dear god. It wasn’t a dream.” He said as he looked at the mare who was holding her head in pain. Isaac reached for his pants and quickly put them on. He grabbed his head as his hangover started to kick in. “Oh Christ, this is just like Vegas all over again.” He said as he let out a groan. He felt vomit making it’s way up to his mouth. The human quickly side stepped the group and ran into the bathroom to return the drinks he had last night. The group then looked at Rainbow who was in a similar state. “Have you guys seen your faces?” She said as she began to laugh. The group held their stare at the mare who let out a sigh. “Okay fine, I slept with him big deal.” “Big deal? Rainbow! He’s a completely different species!” Twilight yelled. “So? Look at those two.” She said as she pointed at Spike and Rarity. The group was about to protest but found no argument. “That’s what I thought, I don’t judge you two so why should you do that to me?” She said as she slipped her crumpled dress on. “We don’t know anything about him Dash! He could have some weird genetic defect to him!” Twilight yelled. Dash began to laugh again as she saw the artwork. “Sorry Twi but I can’t take you seriously like that.” She said as she held up a mirror. Twilight looked in shock at their faces. “How come he didn’t do anything to you or Fluttershy?” Applejack asked as she spat in her palm and wiped the marker off her face. “I don’t know.” She said with a shrug. The group left the room as Dash finished dressing except for the farmer who had a sour look on her face. “Look AJ I know that-” “You didn’t respect the dibs rule!” She yelled. “Easy AJ, it’s not like I own him.” “Still, we agreed that I’d get first dibs.” “Excuse me?” The two mares looked towards the door to see the man frowning at them. “What did you mean by ‘first dibs?’” He said as he walked over to the mares who had a blush on their faces. “Well, Applejack had first dibs on you and since you and I-” “DIBS?” He yelled as he walked over and pulled his shirt over his body. “For the record I was drunk off my ass last night.” “So you’re saying you didn’t enjoy it?” She said with a smirk. Isaac felt his blood boil and his right knuckles cracked as he made a fist. He grabbed his wrist with his opposite hand and let out a sigh. Isaac looked back at the mares with daggers in his eyes. “Look I just need some time to process this.” Isaac said as he grabbed his hoodie and marched out the door without making eye contact. Isaac ran down the stairs and slammed the door shut as he walked outside making the other ponies look at one another in confusion. Isaac made his way through the street without making eye contact with any one until a familiar grey mare with a blond mane flew up to him. “Hey Isaac how.....Are you okay?” She asked as she saw the humans disheveled state. “I just have killer hangover and a migraine. So if it’s something important tell me later because I can’t think straight right now.” He said as he looked at the mare with a flat expression. “Oh I see. You might want to head to Zecora’s place. She’s got all kinds of potions for stuff like that.” She said with a smile. “Even a hangover cure?” “I’m not too sure. She’s probably your best option.” She said with a shrug. “Thanks Ditz. What did you want to tell me?” Ditzy gulped and shrugged her shoulders. “Never mind, I’ll see ya later.” She said as she took flight. Isaac shrugged and made his way towards the Everfree forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the library Rainbow had just finished explaining what happened the night before between the human and herself in detail. By the end Applejack and the other mares had a bright blush on their face and were shifting uncomfortably in their seats. “Then he ran out the door without looking back.” Dash finished as she took a drink from her water. The mares looked at her in shock while Applejack frowned at the mare. “So was he good?” Rarity asked in an innocent sounding voice. “Oh yeah he was good. I wonder if all humans can last that long?” She said with a smirk. “DASH!” Twilight yelled. “We don’t know anything about his kind, you could be infected with some weird other worldly disease!” She stammered. “Can’t you just use your magic to see if there’s anything wrong with me?” She asked as she lifted an eyebrow. Twilight’s horn glowed and she waved he hand over the Pegasus. “I can’t find anything.” “See and while your at it Twilight could you-” “Morning after spell?” She said in a condescending tone. The Pegasus nodded as the mares horn glowed and let out a sigh. “Done.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Oh lighten up Twi. So I had a little fun with him big deal.” “We have no idea how relationships from his world work. For all we know you could have just made yourself a slave!” Rainbow looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “Okay I know that sounds a little farfetched but it could mean something else.” “C’mon Twilight. He may be different but he’s not dangerous.” Pinkie interjected. “I agree with Pinkie.” Rarity said with a smile. “He’s shown no behavior to be unsavory, he may seem odd but let’s not forget that he’s from another world and will want to return when he gets the chance.” She said as she looked at Rainbow and Applejack. “Not if we convince him to stay!” Rainbow protested. “So is that why you slept with him? To bribe him to stay?” Twilight said in a frustrated tone. “Maybe and there’s the fact that I like him.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Be realistic here Rainbow, he’ll want to go back eventually. It’s his home.” Rarity said as she got to her feet. “What if Celestia can’t bring him home? What then?” Applejack asked. “I don’t know. He said he’d try to settle down here.” Twilight said as she let out a sigh. “There’s also the possibility that he won’t want to leave.” Rainbow interjected. “It’s possible, but unlikely.” The lavender mare said in a stern tone. The group was interrupted by a hard knock on the door. Twilight opened it to reveal Princess Luna wearing a dark cloak covering her wavy blue mane. “P-Princess Luna. What are you doing here?” “We are here to speak with the human. I was told that he was staying here.” She said as she made her way inside. The other ponies looked in shock at the royal sister. “He’s out right now. I’m not sure where he is. Why do you need to see him?” “It’s a personal matter.” She said as she looked at the group of mares. “Are we interrupting something?” “We were just talking about-” Pinkie’s mouth was covered by a lavender hand. “Nothing Princess just some gossip and current events.” Twilight said as she threw on a fake grin. “I see, don’t let us keep you then, we shall find the human on our own.” Luna said as she threw the hood back over her head and exited the library. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as the Alicorn left the group of mares. “Pinkie! We can’t tell anyone about this!” “Why not?” “Yeah why not?” Rainbow said in confusion. “He’s a completely-” “I don’t care about that! He’s a nice guy and I like him, deal with it!” She said as her eyes narrowed. “But-” “Why do you care so much Twi? I don’t judge you and I’m not the only one here who has a crush on him.” She said as she looked at the orange mare. Applejack covered her face with her hat to hide her vibrant blush. “Ah have to agree with Dash on this one Twi. He’s a good stall....human.” She said as she looked back at the lavender mare. Twilight face palmed and let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s just calm down and talk this out.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zecora was sitting by her cauldron mixing some soup for herself. As she added another ingredient she heard a loud knock on the door. She got to her feet and made her way to the door. The zebra looked in surprise as she saw the human standing in her door way. “Sorry to barge in like this Zecora, but I need a cure for a hangover. I was told you could help me.” He said with a small smile. “Of course my friend, come inside and I will heal that pounding head.” She said with a smile. Isaac gave her a friendly nod and entered the Zebra’s hut. Isaac sat down on one of the zebra’s stools and waited while Zecora mixed the ingredients. Isaac took a moment to look around the Zebra’s home, which was decorated with all sorts of masks and ingredients hanging from the ceiling. Zecora poured the concoction into a clay cup and handed it to the human. “Thank you.” He gave a sniff of the liquid and struggled to keep a straight face. He let out a sigh and gulped the mixture down. He made a sour face as the foul tasting substance. Zecora let out a small laugh at the humans’ expression. “Ugh, it’s got an after taste.” He said in a disgusted tone. “The fool is you for allowing the drink to make you it’s tool.” She said as she shook her head. Isaac nodded and felt the pain leave his mind. Zecora squinted her eyes at the human. “The pain in your head is gone. Yet I sense that something else is wrong.” Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not gonna lie I’ve got a lot on my mind.” He said as he sat back. “Part of me is trying to get home and the other part wants me to stay here.” “You sound like a fickle, I must say you are in quite pickle.” She said as she put a hand on the human’s shoulder. “Tell me about it.” He said with a sigh. “I have no idea what to do.” He said as he let out a sigh. Zecora scratched her chin and thought for a moment. “I just need a quiet place to think things out.” Zecora perked up at the human’s words and a smile spread across her face. “Follow me and you will see a place your mind can be at ease.” She said as she got to her feet. Isaac looked at the mare in confusion as she withdrew a long brown cloak that covered her striped body. Isaac got to his feet and followed the zebra back out into the dark forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Princess Luna discretely made her way through the small town in search of the human. She had cast an illusion spell that changed her coat color to a bright teal and she kept her wings hidden underneath her cloak. As she walked through the busy town she accidentally knocked into a grey Pegasus mare. Luna noticed the mare had a brown messenger bag over her shoulder. “Sorry ma’am.” “No, the fault was ours. We were so busy looking for someone that we weren’t watching where we were going.” She said as she helped the Pegasus to her feet. “It’s alright. Were you looking for your special somepony?” She asked with a smile, causing Luna to blush. “No. We do not have a special somepony.” She said in a low tone. “Oh, sorry I asked.” Ditzy said with a sheepish grin. “We hate to take up more of your time, but have you seen a tall creature with no fur on his body walking around?” “Oh! You mean Isaac!” Luna’s eyes grew wide at the name. “Yes, that’s his name.” “He went off to the Everfree forest an hour ago.” Luna looked at the mare in shock. “Why in Equestria would he go there?” “To meet with Zecora for a hangover cure.” “Zecora? She is the potion maker is she not?” “Yep, just follow the path and you’ll be there in no time.” Ditzy said with a smile. “We thank thee.” Luna’s coat returned to it’s normal color. The Princess spread her massive wings and took flight towards the forest. Ditzy’s eye twitched in surprise as her brain put the pieces together. As Luna soared through the skies she thought about the dream the human’s mind had created. Why would he dream up something like that? Who were those two other humans? As protector of the night it’s my duty to protect my subjects. She thought as she reached the edge of the forest. His dreams were just like mine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac followed the Zebra through the dark forest keeping his hand on the handle of his knife in case of an emergency. Zecora pushed aside some vines to reveal a crystal blue waterfall pouring into a pond that had a small island in the center. “This place is much better than a bed, take all the time you need to clear your head.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and made his way to the small island. He sat Indian style and put his hands on his legs. He let out a deep breath and allowed his mind to wander freely. Isaac found himself in a barren wasteland where a familiar form was waiting for him. The figure was the same height as the human, wore the same attire and had the same dark brown hair. The difference was the figure was wrapped in shadow and it’s eyes were glowing bright red, unlike Isaac’s crystal blue eyes. “Long time no see, whelp.” The figure spat out. “I’m just here to talk.” “Finally you start listening to reason.” “No, I’m here to say I’m staying.” The dark figure looked at the man in confusion. “WHAT?” “They’re good people...or ponies in this case.” He said in a calm tone. “Exactly they’re ponies! You even slept with one!” “I was drunk and yet.....I don’t feel bad.” The figure walked forward and slammed his fist into Isaac’s face. Isaac stood there with a blank look on his face as he bled from his mouth. “How can you say that?” “Eventually humanity will reach out amongst the stars and explore new worlds. Humanity will have to repopulate and expand their race. I’m just a man ahead of his time.” He said with a smile. The figure looked at him in confusion and rage as he let out another barrage of fists that impacted the man. “What will the others think?” He yelled. “They’re not here, they were never there for me and now that I finally find some friends who actually give a damn about me you suggest that I abandon them?” He said as he held his ground. “How could they possibly care about a coward like you? ” The figure said as he continued to beat the human. The image of a group of ponies and a dragon appeared before he felt himself fade into darkness. Isaac heard a faint scream and snapped back to reality. He opened his eyes to see Zecora looking back towards the path. Three fillies cam charging out with tears in their eyes. Isaac rushed over to them and stopped next to the Zebra. “What happened?” “We were going to Zecora’s hut to see if she could help us get our potion making Cutie Marks. We know she likes this place so we made our way here.” Scootaloo said as tears formed in her eyes. “But we-” She was cut off as the group heard a loud growl coming from the bushes. The zebra and human turned around to see a lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail glaring at them. “Is that....A manticore?” Isaac said in disbelief. He looked behind him to see the three fillies cowering in fear. Isaac let out a breath and withdrew his knife. “Zecora take the girls and get out of here. I’ll keep this thing busy.” “Have you gone mad?” She said as she looked at the human. “There’s no time to argue GO!” He said as he held his knife up and got in a defensive position. “We’ll bring back help!” Applebloom said as the fillies and the Zebra ran off into the bush. The large manticore looked at the group and felt something hard hit it’s face. The creature looked back at the human who was holding another rock. “I’m over here fur ball.” He said as he raised his knife. The beast charged as Isaac ran towards the beast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Princess Luna made her way through the strange forest until she reached the hut. Even though she was Princess of the night this forest still gave her unsettling memories. Not to far from here stood the castle where the elements of Harmony had defeated Nightmare Moon and had saved her from herself. As she was about to knock on the hut she heard rustling from the bushes just ahead of her. She focused her magic and prepared herself for what ever may be lurking in the brush. She was shocked when she saw the zebra and three fillies stop in front of her. “Princess Luna! You’ve gotta help us!” Applebloom yelled. “What is wrong?” “Our friend Isaac is keeping a Manticore busy and-” “WHERE?” She yelled. “Just up ahead in a clearing!” Sweetie Belle said. “Go inform Twilight Sparkle, I will go ad the human.” The dark Alicorn said as she ran down the path. The fillies and the zebra looked at one another and ran back towards the town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight and her friends were in a stalemate over Isaac. Twilight let out a sigh and got to her feet. “Okay, maybe I overreacted to you and Isaac sleeping together Dash.” “Ya think?” Rainbow said as she cocked an eyebrow. The group was interrupted by Zecora and the three fillies barging through the door. “What’s up guys?” “Isaac......help......Manticore....Princess Luna.......Everfree Forest.” Applebloom said as she tried to catch her breath. The ponies looked at one another in shock and quickly got to their feet. Spike belched out a letter and skimmed it. “SPIKE! THERE’S NO TIME FOR THAT NOW!” Twilight yelled. Spike held up the letter and the mare’s eyes watered at the contents. “Change of plans off to the hospital!” Rainbow yelled as she flew out the door with the other mares following close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac dodged the beast’s attack and sliced it’s arm. The beast let out a roar of pain and swiped the human with it’s tail. Isaac dodged the blow and jumped back from the beast. The manticore charged a second time and made it’s claw connect with the humans right arm. Isaac let out cry of pain as he felt the beasts claws tear his arm. Isaac randomly lashed out with the knife in his left hand and felt it connect with the manticore’s hide. The beast reared back in pain and agony at the wound the human inflicted on it. Isaac smiled as he looked at the injured beast. The manticore was about to strike the human with it’s tail but was knocked aside by a blast of blue energy. Isaac turned his head to see the dark Alicorn with her hands and horn glowing with a magical aura. The dark alicorn raised her hands sending the beast away from the human. Luna hurried over to the human who was on a knee clutching his arm that was bleeding heavily. “Are you alright?” She asked with worry in her voice. “Yeah, thanks to you.” He said with a smile. Luna’s hands glowed and put them on the humans right arm. “Hold still we will-” Luna was cut off as Isaac pushed her aside and outstretched his arms. Luna looked in horror as the manticore’s tail impaled the man. Isaac let out a cry of pain as the manticore lifted him off the ground and threw him against a nearby tree. Luna’s eyes glowed with rage and magic. She lifted the creature off the ground and sent it flying into a patch of trees. Luna heard the creatures spine snap against the hard wood and hurried over to the injured human. Luna looked at Isaac and realized he had been poisoned and he was loosing a lot of blood. The Alicorn took human in her arms and teleported them to Ponyville hospital. “THIS ONE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION!” She yelled using the Royal Canterlot voice. The doctors and nurses took the human and placed him on a stretcher. “What happened?” The doctor asked as he looked at the Princess. “Manticore attack, he’s been poisoned and is loosing blood.” She said as she walked next to the doctors. The doctor looked at the human who was slowly losing consciousness. “Isaac I know you’re tired right now, but just hold on. What’s your blood type?” The doctor asked as he tried to keep the human awake. Isaac tried to speak but felt the poison taking hold. He slowly motioned to his right pocket. The nurse noticed and took out the black leather wallet. She looked through the paper bills and plastic cards until she came to his blood donor card. She glanced at it and her heart sank. “What is it nurse?” “It’s O positive.” The ponies looked at her in shock and then back at the human who was now unconscious. “Damn it!” He said in frustration. “What is wrong?” Luna asked. “He has a rare blood type and it’s impossible to find a donor in time.” Luna bit her lip and looked at the stallion. “We happen to have a large supply of O positive blood.” She said in a stern voice. “But, your highness-” “I am giving you a direct order doctor! Save him!” She yelled. The ponies looked at one another and gave a gulp. Luna summoned a quill and parchment and scribbled a quick message on it. The mare made it vanish in a brilliant blue flame and turned back to the doctors who had the transfusion equipment ready. “We’re ready ma’am.” The doctor said as the mare was hooked up to the machine and the needle was inserted into her arm. Luna bit her lip at the discomfort. “We’ve neutralized the poison and the wounds have pressure on them, but he won’t last long without the blood.” The doctor said as they rolled the two of them into surgery. Twilight and the others burst into the hospital and ran towards the front desk. “Nurse is there a human here?” Twilight asked as she and her friends caught their breath. “Yes, they just got him and Princess Luna into surgery.” “The Princess was injured?” Twilight said as she let out a gasp. “No. Your friend lost a lot of blood and the Princess has the same blood type so she volunteered to be the donor.” She said as she glanced at her clip board. “How bad are his injuries?” Rainbow asked with tears in her eyes. “His right arm was clawed, he’s poisoned and his chest cavity was punctured by the Manticores tail. We’ve given him an antidote and he’s receiving the transfusion before he goes into surgery.” She said as she looked back at the stunned group of mares. The ponies waited eagerly in the lobby hoping for the best. Celestia herself was there with them waiting to hear the news. The doctor came out wearing a pair of green scrubs with a bit of blood splattered on them. “How are they doctor?” Celestia asked. “Princess Luna is fine, just a little woozy from the transfusion.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. “What about the human?” “The antidote worked and his wounds are all but healed. We’re waiting to see what happens.” He said as he looked back at the Princess. “Princess Luna is awake if you want to see her.” The ponies nodded and followed the doctor to a hospital room where the blue Alicorn was sitting up with an I.V. attached to her arm. Celestia rushed over to her sister and wrapped her in a hug. “Sister we are fine.” Luna said as she rolled her eyes. Celestia hugged her tighter as she smiled. The ponies then noticed the human in the opposite bed hooked up to a series of monitors and machines. The mares ran over to him with worry in their eyes. “I hope he will be alright.” “If the manticore didn’t kill min then the transfusion might.” Celestia said in a low tone. “What?” Twilight asked. “Alicorn blood is extremely unstable and holds old magic. If a normal pony were to receive any it would cause the body extreme amounts of pain. THe body can only take so much.” Celestia said as she looked at her sister. “What was I supposed to do? Let him die? He needed blood and I will protect my subjects, even if they aren’t the same species.” She said in a stern tone. “Luna, there’s something you’re not telling us.” Celestia said as her eyes focused on her sister. “I saw his mind, he’s confused and hurt.” She said in a low tone. “It reminded me of myself before I became Nightmare Moon.” Luna said as she lowered her head. The ponies looked at the sleeping human in surprise. “I wanted to talk to him about it which is why I was looking for him.” “So he’s dangerous?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know. His nightmare was very odd and disturbing. It took me quite a bit of work before we could enter his dream.” å “So that’s what you were doing in the forest.” The mares looked in surprise as they saw the human sit up and look at them. “Two days later and I’m back here again.” He said as he looked around the hospital room. The six friends made their way over to him and gave him a hug. “Easy girls still injured here.” He breathed out. Isaac looked back at the Princess with a stagnant expression on his face. “I don’t like it when other people get inside my head Princess.” “We apologize for the intrusion, but it looked like you needed help.” She said in a low tone. “I appreciate the gesture but-” He felt a wave of pain rip through his body. He grabbed his side and started to shake. The ponies quickly crowded around him. “What the hell was that?” He said as the pain subsided. “Probably the result from the transfusion.” Celestia said as she examined the human. “What transfusion?” He asked in confusion. “You were injured by the manticore and you needed blood.” Isaac noticed the dark Alicorn was adverting her eyes. “YOU?” “Yes, we’re sorry.” She said as she lowered her head. “Why would you say you’re sorry? You saved my ass back there.” He said with a smile. “The pain you just felt is our blood mixing with yours.” “You’re blood is O Positive right?” “Correct.” “Then I don’t see the issue.” He said in confusion. “Alicorn blood is unstable.” Luna said in a low tone. “To ponies. Humans are annoyingly hard to get rid of.” He said with a weak smile. The group was interrupted by the nurse opening the door and poking her head in. “Sorry to disturb you your majesty. I need to examine his injuries.” Nurse Red Heart said as she walked over to the human. Isaac removed his shirt to reveal a massive scar from the manticore’s tail. “Dude, that looks awesome.” Rainbow said as she looked at his chest and tried to hide her bright blush. “Cool.” Isaac said as the nurse looked at his wounds and smiled. “The poison is neutralized and the injury itself is almost healed. We just want to keep you under observation for the night to make sure there aren’t any....side effects.” “You mean from the transfusion?” The mare nodded. “Fine by me.” He said as he shifted his gaze to the two Alicorns. “This may seem a bit off topic but how goes the search for sending me home?” The two sisters hung their heads in defeat. “We’re sorry Isaac. My sister and I searched every inch of the archives but found nothing about trans dimensional spells.” Isaac let out a sigh and looked back at the Princess’s. “Maybe we missed something or-” “It’s fine Princess. You two have a country to run and you can’t spend all your time on me.” He said with a warm smile. “I was actually going to ask if it were possible for me to stay here.” The mares looked at him in surprise. Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister who had the same look of confusion on her face. “We would be honored to have you say.” She said with a warm smile. “Thank you your highness I’m grateful.” He said with a smile. “It’s no trouble. I’m sorry Luna but I must get back to the castle.” She said as she walked out the door. The mares smiled and crowded around the human with looks of confusion and joy on their faces. “So you’re gonna stay?” Rainbow asked. “Looks like you guys are stuck with me.” He said with a chuckle. “So what did you guys do today?” “Dashie told us about how you lasted five minutes in bed and-” She was cut off as Twilight’s horn flared and changed Pinkies mouth into a closed zipper. Isaac felt his face flare up at the memories. The mares looked at him with an uneasy look in their eyes. “Really now?” He said as he face palmed. “Is it true?” Twilight asked. “Is what true?” “That you lasted five minutes?” “I know what you’re thinking, ‘he must suck at sex.’ Keep in mind I was very drunk and I was going through a bit of a dry spell. So I was a little out of practice.” He said with a sigh as The mares looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “That’s probably the shortest I’ve ever gone.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “You mean you’ve gone over eight minutes?” She said in surprise. “Um, yeah. I can usually go for at least thirteen minutes at a time.” He said as he raised an eyebrow. “Why?” “The healthy stallion can only go for two and a half minutes before reaching their climax.” Luna interjected. “Seriously?” He said as he looked at the shocked mares. “Unfortunately yes. Some of the stallion’s I’ve been with have climaxed before I’ve even begun to enjoy myself.” Rarity added. The mares looked at her in shock as Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Even ladies have needs every now and then.” She said as she blushed. The group was cut off as the nurse opened the door and walked inside carrying a clip board. “Okay everypony these two need their rest. You can visit them tomorrow.” The mares nodded and began to leave after they each gave Isaac a hug. Rainbow hanged back for a moment and drew the curtain across so Luna couldn’t see. Rainbow sat on the humans bed with an uneasy look in her eye. “Listen...I wanted to thank you for.....ya know.....last night.” She said with a smile. “Dash, I was very drunk. Don’t get me wrong I like you and all, but I still need to think about how this relationship will-” “Relationship? Who said anything about a relationship?” She said in confusion. “I figured since we had sex that you-” The mare burst out in a small giggle fit. “Look pal, I know a one night stand when I see one and I’m totally cool with that.” She said with a smile. “Huh?” “Yeah, I’m not into that whole mushy, gushy couple stuff anyway. I was wondering if you would.....I don’t know....want to do it again?” She asked with a blushing smile. “Let me get this straight. You don’t want to be in a relationship but you still want to have sex?” He said as he scratched his head. “Yup.” Isaac’s mind was going crazy. He let out a gulp and weighed his options. “Um...” He was cut off as the mare pressed her lips against his and moved her tongue inside his mouth. Isaac let out a small moan of pleasure as the taste of raspberries filled his mouth. Rainbow broke the kiss and smiled back at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She said as she zoomed out the door. The force from the mare managed to knock the curtain back into place. Isaac looked over at the blue Princess who had already fallen asleep. He let out a sigh and turned off the light that was on his night stand. Isaac let out a sigh and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10: Apple Picking and The DoctorChapter 10 Apple Picking and The Doctor. Isaac felt himself in a familiar desert surrounding. “Back here again? What the hell?” The familiar shadow of himself came alive and looked at him with daggers in his eyes. “Okay, now what? You heard Celestia they didn’t find a way to bring me home. So now were stuck here. I say we man up and deal with it.” Isaac said as he rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t give you permission to become fuck buddies with the locals!” The shadow spat out. “So Rainbow likes me, big deal. Like I said, humanity will eventually branch out and-” “Do you honestly believe that?” He said with a scoff. “We’re on another world right now! Care to explain that?” The shadow was about to protest but was cut off as a blue beam pinned him to the floor. Isaac looked up in confusion to see the dark Alicorn Princess flying down to him. “I thought I made it clear that I don’t like other ponies getting inside my head?” He said as he frowned. “We apologize, we wished to speak with you without the other’s hearing.” She said in an apologetic tone. “What is it?” He said as he rolled his eyes. The landscape shifted so two chairs appeared before the two. Isaac took his seat as did the Princess. “It’s about theses dreams. They remind me of myself before I became Nightmare Moon.” She said in a low tone. “Nightmare Moon?” He said in confusion. “One thousand years ago we tried to overthrow our sisters rule. We failed and were banished to the moon for one thousand years.” Luna said as she held her head in shame. “Back up for a second. One thousand years ago? Are you pulling my leg?” “Why would we joke about this?” She said in an irritated tone. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Celestia looks like she’s only thirty-two maybe thirty-five and you look only a few years older than me. I’m guessing twenty-four, twenty-six maybe.” The dark Alicorn felt her cheeks turn red at the compliment. “Y-you think we look youthful?” “Yeah, why?” “No pony has ever given us such a compliment before.” Luna said as she cleared her throat. “However, we are still as old as we claim.” “You’re not joking are you?” Isaac said as he raised his eyebrows. “I’m so sorry I didn’t think that you could be that old.” “We are still far younger than Celestia.” She said with a smile. “Why did you try to overthrow your sister?” Isaac asked in an uneasy tone. Luna let out a sigh and looked the human in the eyes. “We were envious of our sister and how our subjects reacted to her day, while they slept through our night.” She said in a low tone. “The ponies showed no appreciation for our hard work while our sister was praised.” She let out a sigh and calmed herself down. “We grew frustrated and angry, eventually all of that emotion was too much to bare and we lost control.” “So she sent you to the moon....for a thousand years?” “She was given no choice. Nightmare Moon had all of our strength and my sister was forced to use the Elements of Harmony to stop us.” “The Elements of what?” “Ancient artifacts that hold the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, you’ve met the users.” She said as she waved her hand and an image the six mares appeared before them. “Twilight and the others?” Luna nodded. “Still, sending your own sister to the moon for one thousand years is a bit extreme and how did you get out?” “Three years ago, during the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon escaped and returned to Equestria. Luckily, Twilight and her friends stopped us from doing any real damage. Nightmare Moon was defeated and we were free from her influence.” “So you’re better now right?” “We still feel guilty about what we’ve done and will carry that with us for as long as we live. Even our subjects are scared of us.” She said as a small tear formed in her eye. Isaac looked at the mare and pitied her. “Trust me I’ve done things I’m not proud of either. If it’s any consolation, I’m not scared of you.” Luna looked at the human in surprise. “ Truth be told I always preferred the night to the day.” He said as he leaned back. “W-why?” Luna asked in confusion. “I always liked the night sky. I could look upon it freely, when I tried it during the day I’d always be blinded by the sun.” He said with a smile. “Th-thank you.” The mare said as she blushed. “You’re welcome and here’s some advice. If you live too long in the past then you’ll miss your future.” He said as the landscape started to change. The ground shifted from sand to concrete and large buildings rose from the earth. Isaac got to his feet as the Alicorn mare looked in amazement at the passing people and cars buzzing through the street. “Welcome to my world.” The Princess looked at the human with wonder as he made his way through the street with the Alicorn following close behind. “What is this place?” The two stopped in front of an old apartment building that was connected to a bar. The building was wedged between two other buildings and a dark alley on either side. “My childhood home.” Isaac said as he stepped inside. The Alicorn followed him, as she entered the door one of the human images phased through her body. Luna felt a shiver run down her spine as the image left her body. “We’re the ghost’s in here.” “What is this? It doesn’t feel like a dream.” “It’s a memory.” Isaac said as they walked up the stairs and made his way into a room where a man and a woman were sitting on the couch. The apartment was average size with a kitchen, the adults sat in front of a small flickering box where a man sitting behind a desk was talking about the weather. Isaac side stepped them and entered a smaller room that had a twin sized bed against the far wall. On the bed was a small human in a dark red hoodie holding a book in his hands and the dark red hood over his head. “That’s me at eight years old. No friends, I kept to myself and my books were my only company.” He said as he sat down on the bed next to himself. The adult man snapped his fingers and the scene collapsed back to the desert. “Why did you show us that?” She said as tears started to form in her eyes. “I know what it’s like to feel alone and unwanted. In a way, you’re like me, someone who feels like that one piece in the puzzle that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere.” He said in a low tone. Luna looked in shock as the realization hit her. A small ripple went through the land scape. “Times up.” He said as he raised his fingers in a snap position. “We appreciate you allowing us to see this. Would though like to do this again?” She asked in a nervous tone. “Sure, why not. See ya then.” The human snapped his fingers and the image collapsed. Isaac woke up and noticed that the blue Alicorn mare that was sleeping in the hospital bed was gone. Isaac stretched his arms and let out a yawn. The door opened to reveal a smiling white mare. “Morning Isaac.” She said with a smile. “Morning, what happened to the Princess?” “She left an hour ago on royal Canterlot business.” Isaac gave a nod and quickly got to his feet. “Am I free to go?” He asked as he cracked his back. “Yes, you have somepony waiting for you downstairs.” She said with a smile. Isaac looked at her in confusion and made his way through the hospital. As he reached the lobby he saw the friendly orange mare waiting for him with a smile on her face. Isaac thanked the nurse and walked out of the building with Applejack by his side. “How do ya fee partner?” “Better. A little weird but it’ll pass.” He said with a smile. “Where’s everyone else?” “Twilight got some new project from the Princess to work on, Rarity is filling out at least a dozen dress orders. Rainbow is covering for three Pegasi sick with the feather flu, Fluttershy is taking care of a sick bear and Pinkie Pie is watching the shop while the Cakes are visiting family in Fillydelphia. So you’re stuck with me.” She said with a smug grin. “Aren’t I lucky?” He said in a teasing tone. AJ slugged him in the arm and chuckled. “Geez! I just got out of the hospital.” “Ah know. You up for working the farm today? Ah could use the help.” “Sure. I don’t mind.” He said as the two made their way to the farm. As Isaac and the orange mare made their way through town Isaac was catching glances from mares who were looking him over and smiling. “AJ, mind if we stop at Sugar Cube Corner real quick?” “Sure ah guess. Why?” “I just need to ask Pinkie something.” He said as the two made their way inside the sweet shop. Isaac noticed that a few mares looked at him as he entered. Pinkie was behind the counter with a smile on her face. The two walked up to the counter and had a seat. “Hey Pinkie.” “Hey! How are you feeling?” “Better. A bit odd, but that’s expected after a transfusion.” He said as he looked at the menu. “That’s good. What can I get you?” “I’ll have an egg and a quick cup of coffee.” He said with a smile. “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as she walked back into the kitchen. Isaac tilted the spoon next to him and looked in the reflection to see a group of mares pointing at him and whispering to one another. “Here ya go!” Pinkie said as she handed him the food on a plate. “Thanks Pinkie.” Isaac finished his food quickly and noticed that another group of mares were making the same gesture’s as the others were. He glanced over at AJ who was giving them a stare that could kill a dragon. The pink mare returned to the two with the check in hand. “That’ll be eight bits.” Isaac handed her the bits and motioned for her and AJ to come closer in a huddle. “Hey Pinks. Did you tell anyone about the conversation we had yesterday?” “What conversation?” She asked in confusion. “The one about my....’endurance.’” He said as he blushed and made quotation marks with his fingers. “You’re....OH! I told no pony about that.” “You’re sure?” “I Pinkie Promised. I NEVER break a Pinkie Promise!” She said in a proud tone. “Why are ya asking that sugar cube?” AJ asked as she raised an eyebrow. “See those group of mares over in the booth?” He said as he motioned with his head. The mares looked over at them to see them whispering to one another. “They’ve been eyeing me since I walked in, same goes from when we were on our way over here.” He said as he looked at the two mares. “Ah’d never tell anypony something that personal.” AJ said as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. I don’t think Twilight would either and Fluttershy would be too embarrassed to talk to someone about that.” He said as he scratched his chin. “So that leaves Rarity and Rainbow.” “Rarity does like to gossip about juicy stories.” Pinkie added. Isaac let out a sigh and got to his feet. “I’ll figure it out later. Right now I just want to get out of here.” “Ah here ya. Let’s scram.” AJ said as the two hastily made their way out the door. Isaac threw his hood up and kept a low profile as the farmer led him towards the orchard. Isaac had just noticed that Applejack was wearing a pair of blue denim shorts that stopped at her mid thigh, brown cowboy boots, a brown and white checkered shirt that exposed most of her well toned stomach and finally her signature Stenson hat. Isaac noticed the mare was walking a bit differently than before. She was swaying her hips from side to side in an almost seductive manner. Isaac dismissed the thought as the two reached the farm. Isaac noticed that some of the apples were grey. “What’s up with those apples? They seem different.” “Those are Zap apples. They grow once a year and it’s not their time to be picked yet.” She said as they walked towards the barn. The two gathered a few barrels and started to pick the ripe red fruit. As they started to pick the apples Isaac noticed that the mare was looking at him with a bright blush on her face. “Dang it!” Isaac looked over to see that AJ had dropped a barrel of apples, spilling them on the ground. “Sorry, ah lost my grip.” “It’s fine I got it.” Isaac bent down and stated to pick up the fruit. “Hey Isaac.” The human, still bent over turned around just in time for his face to hit something soft yet firm. He pulled back to see that the farmer had bent over and her ass was sticking out. Isaac felt his face flare up in embarrassment as the mare looked at him in confusion. “S-sorry about that AJ I-” He was cut off as the mare pushed him up against the tree and bore holes through him with her deep green eyes. The mare had a sly smile on her face and pressed her body up against the human’s. “I’m done beating around the bush.” She said in a slow and sultry tone. “Come again?” He said in confusion as he felt the mares breasts press up against his chest and her waist pressed against his. “Ah need a good rut and yer gonna give me one.” She said in a commanding tone. Well, this is escalating quickly. He gulped as the mare rand her hand over his chest “Um..I-” He was cut off as he felt the mare’s hand rub against his clothed erect member. “I guess I got my answer.” She said as she drew her face close to his. Isaac felt the mares warm breath on his lips and could feel her legs shifting. “Ah could lose control if ya waned me to. Let ya fuck me in the dirt right here, right now.” Isaac had just noticed that the two top buttons on her shirt were open revealing her orange ample breasts. The mare’s face drew closer to that their noses were touching. “But, it’s almost lunch time and we need to finish up gathering these apples.” She said as she backed away from the human. Isaac’s face was bright red and stricken with confusion. Applejack buttoned her top and walked back to the farm house with a barrel of apples in her hands while whistling a tune. Isaac gulped and snapped out of the trance as Applejack left his view. What’s with these mares? He thought as he picked up the apples and made his way back to the farm house. As he dropped them off in front of the barn he took a moment to look at the orchard with the sun shinning high above. Isaac felt something wrap around his feet and pull him into the barn. He looked down to see that he’d been lassoed. He felt his body hit a pile of what felt like hay. Isaac looked up to see Applejack removing her red ribbon she used to keep her hair tied and let the golden locks of hair drop to her shoulders. She then started to slowly unbutton flannel shirt. “Like what ya see?” She asked in a seductive tone. Isaac nodded slowly as the mare slipped off her pants revealing her toned thighs. “Yer gonna have to work long and hard today partner.” She said as she untied the rope that was holding him. The mare grabbed the humans shirt and ripped it off his well toned body. “Y-yes ma’am.” He said as the mare removed his pants and crawled on top of him. Isaac pressed his lips against hers as she let out a moan. The human snaked his hand down to her waist and started to caress her already soaked slit. Applejack let out a cry of ecstasy as the human continued the motion. Isaac saw an opportunity and rolled over so that the mare was on her back. Isaac removed his fingers and started to massage the mares right bosom, while Isaac started to make tiny circles on her left with his tongue. The orange mare started to moan heavily as he started to suck on the mares pink nipple. “Sweet Celestia.” She said as she felt the sharpened canines starting to lightly nibble at her tit. Isaac removed his mouth and stuck out his tongue against her body as he started to move lower, creating a small trail of wet fur leading from her breast to her wanting slit. His eyes widened as he saw the mares dripping sex before him. Isaac leaned his head in and started to lick the soaked surface. Applejack’s breathing quickened as the human slid his tongue inside her and started to wiggle it around inside her slit. “Ah can’t take much more of this.” She said as she began to massage her own breast. As Isaac backed off the mare got on her hands and knees, Applejack let out a sigh as she turned around and faced the wall of the barn. “Please.....I need it inside me now!” She said as she tried to control herself. Isaac smirked and put a hand on either side of the mares thighs and slowly inserted his fully erect member into her cunt. The mare let out a cry of passion as the human slowly started to move in and out of the farmer. After a good ten minutes of the motion the farmer was reaching her climax. “I’m.....I’m....I’m coming!” Applejack had hit her peak and felt her pussy clamp around the large rod and her juices slide out onto his shaft. Isaac felt the mare’s walls start to relax and quickened his pace. “How.......can you.....keep.....going?” She said in between the thrusts. “Human......endurance.” He answered as AJ flipped him onto his back and slid herself off the man. She turned around so that her ass was resting on his chest. “Ready for a ride?” She said in a lust filled voice. Isaac felt the mare’s folds envelope his member once more and began to slide up and down. As he tenderly groped her muscular ass Isaac noticed that the pony’s Cutie Mark was also on her thighs. He lightly smacked the mark with his palm causing her to stop for a moment. “Did I hit you too hard?” He asked in a worried tone. “Ya didn’t hit hard enough.” She said as she licked her lips. Isaac complied and put a little more force behind his next slap making the mare cry out in passion. Isaac felt a massive pressure building in his loins. “AJ I’m gonna-” “Me too!” Isaac gave one last thrust as he felt the mares slit clamp around him once again. Applejack let out a loud moan as she felt the humans juices shoot up into her. The two felt their muscles contract and each let out a cry of passion. Applejack slid her self off the human and laid her head on his chest. “That....was.....the best.....ah ever had.” She said through the panting. “That.....was........amazing.” He said as he kissed her forehead. “Listen, Rainbow told me about your agreement.” Isaac face grew red at the conversation they had the night before. “Ah want in.” She said in a calm tone. “Really?” Isaac said in confusion. “Isn’t that like illegal?” “Who told ya that?” She said as she cocked her head to the side. “Polygamy is illegal where I’m from.” He said as he threw his shirt back on. Applejack let out a burst of laughter. “That ain’t how things work here darling. It’s very common for a stallion to see more than one mare. Considering the ratio and all. Plus, how can I give up something like you?” She said as she kissed his cheek. Isaac smiled and threw his pant’s back onto him. The mare grabbed his arm and looked at him with a pleading look in her eye. “Why don’t you stay a while?” “Little AJ wanna snuggle?” He asked in a teasing tone. Applejack had a wide grin on her face and nodded. “Okay, let’s just get dressed first. I wouldn’t want to be caught by Big-” He was cut off as Applejack’s face turned pale and her eyes shrank to the size of pin tips. Isaac felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He let out a sigh and looked at the orange mare. “He’s standing right behind me isn’t he?” “Eeyup.” A familiar deep and spite filled voice said. As Isaac turned around to see the large red stallion with a look that could make a rhino shit bricks. The large stallion cracked his knuckles and swung at the human. Isaac side stepped the blow and jumped back from the stallion. Big Mac grabbed a nearby shovel and charged at Isaac with rage in his eyes. The pony felt himself fall as he felt a rope tie around his feet. Isaac looked back to see Applejack struggling to hold the other end of the lasso she had used to wrangle him into the barn earlier. Isaac brushed himself off and looked at the mare with a smile. “GO! This won’t hold him for long!” “Now for my next impression, Jessie Owens!” He said as he ran out of the barn at full speed. As he cleared the first row of trees he heard a rope snap and looked back to see the enraged stallion exit the barn. Isaac quickened his pace and vaulted over the fence to the orchard. He didn’t dare look back at the stallion. Isaac put all his strength into his legs as he got to the park. The human looked back to see a shrinking red dot. Isaac then hit something solid causing him to fall on his back. He looked ahead to see a blue police box appear before him. “What the hell? What is this 1963?” He looked back to see the red dot approaching him at a fast rate. Isaac quickly got to his feet and banged on the door to the box. He pulled the handle to find it open and he quickly hid inside. “Thank god.” He said as he closed the door and sat down. As he caught his breath he noticed that the inside was bigger than the lobby in the library. He peered out the window to see Big Mac run past the box and down the road. Isaac looked at the interior and approached the center console that had all sorts of bells, whistles and buttons attached to it. The man then noticed a couch and happily laid on it. He let out a sigh as he felt the adrenaline wear off and his body tire out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across Ponyville Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting in the Golden Oaks Library for some afternoon tea when an exhausted orange mare burst through the door. “Have y’all......seen.....Isaac.....around.....here?” She asked as she tried to catch her breath. “No, why?” Twilight said as she walked over to her friend. “I just wanna find him before Mac kills him.” “Why would Big Macintosh wan to kill Isaac?” Rarity said with a laugh. AJ’s face lit up as the memories of the human came rushing back. “Um.....Ya see....” She was cut off as Rainbow flew into the room with a smug grin on her face. “AJ got a little frisky with our human friend.” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. Applejack bit her lip and her blush intensified. The mares looked at the farmer in shock while Rainbow looked at her friend with a smirk. “So....how was it?” “It was.......um....Oh to hell with it, it was spectacular.” She said as she sat down on the couch. “Was he telling the truth, did he last ten minutes?” Rarity asked. “No.” “I knew he was lying!” Rainbow yelled. “Let me finish, he lasted for twenty.” She said in a satisfied tone. The mares jaws dropped. “You’re lying!” “I’m not!” The farmer stammered Rarity matched her eyes with the orange mare and took a moment to examine her gaze. “She’s....telling the truth.” Rarity said in amazement. “Oh....my.” Fluttershy said as she blushed. “So how was it?” Twilight asked. “It was wonderful. Like seeing the first apple of the season fall from the tree......and then Mac showed up.” The mare’s let out a collective gasp. Rainbow was on the ground in a fit of laughter. “Mac walked in on you guys while you were-” “No, he didn’t see that, but he put the pieces together.” She said as she let out a sigh. The ponies were interrupted by a familiar grey Pegasus mare walking into the library with a tall tan earth pony stallion wearing a brown suit and a bow tie. “Howdy Ditzy.” “Hey guys. Have you seen Isaac?” “No, we were just gonna go look for him. Why?” Rainbow interjected. “I have someone he needs to meet.” “Hello, I’m the Doctor.” The tan stallion said with a smile. “Doctor who?” Twilight asked. “Just the Doctor and I understand that there’s a human living here?” “Yeah why?” “He’s an expert on humans.” Ditzy added. The stallion sat down in a nearby chair and smiled. “Really? You’ve met humans before?” Twilight said in excitement. “Yes, such an interesting race they are.” “What can you tell us about them?” “What do you want to know?” “Everything.” The Doctor looked at the mare in surprise and got to his feet. “Be careful around them.” “Why? Isaac is cool.” Rainbow said with a grin. “Still, humans are chaotic by nature and can become extremely hard to handle when they’re enraged.” He said with a sigh. “They can be very persistent.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “No matter how far or how ever far they fall they will never give up. They can fall from heights that would seem impossible and then rise higher then ever before. Figuratively speaking that is.” “They’re that strong?” Applejack asked. “You have no idea. If anything they’re resourceful. Making things you can’t even begin to imagine. It’s their greatest strength and greatest curse.” “Tell me how all of this started.” Twilight said as she leaned her head in. “Alright, let’s start at the- OUCH!” He said as he reached inside his breast pocket and withdrew a small glowing key. “Oh, that’s not good.” “What’s wrong Doctor?” Ditzy asked. “Something’s gotten into the TARDIS.” He said as he pulled out a metallic rod with a green tip and pointed it at the key. “Luckily, I have remote control. You all might want to stand back.” The mares got to their feet and stepped to the far side of the room. An odd noise filled the library as an outline of a blue box started to appear in the center of the room. The box stopped flashing and the stallion withdrew the key and inserted it into the key hole. As he opened the door the ponies looked in shock at the massive interior. The stallion rushed in to see and unconscious human laying on the ground. The stallion rushed to his side and withdrew the metal rod. The green light flashed as he waved it over the human. Isaac’s eyes snapped open and instantly got in a sitting position. “Are you alright?” The Doctor asked as he looked at the human in confusion. “I guess. Where am I? Who are you?” “You can call me the Doctor and you’re inside the TARDIS. Speaking of which, how did you get in here?” He asked as the human stood up. “I opened the door.” “But I locked and cloaked it.” “Right I ran into it while trying to run away from somepony. I decided to lay low for a while.” He said as he looked around the room. “It’s bigger on the inside.” “I love it when they say that.” The doctor muttered to himself. The stallion immediately pulled out an odd machine and scanned the human. “What’s that?” “This is my timey-whimey detector. It goes ding when there’s stuff.” He said as he scanned the human. Isaac looked at him in confusion. Suddenly a small green light appeared on the screen. “Oh brilliant! Do you know what you are?” “Human.” “Yes, but you’re something more! You’re a Prime!” He said as he giggled. “A what?” “An original DNA strand. A fusion of DNA unlike I have ever seen!” He said as he pulled out the wand again. “Is that some type of probe?” Twilight asked. “Looks more like a screwdriver to me.” Isaac said. “Finally, someone gets it right!” The doctor said as he scanned the human. “Looks like a bit of Human and Pony.” He said as he took a step back. “So you’re a pony?” Isaac asked. He pointed the wand at the console and a hologram of a tall man wearing a suit appeared before them. “That’s what I used to look like.” “You look human.” Isaac said in amazement. “No, you look Time Lord. We came first.” He said with a smile. “So what now? Ditzy said you could supposedly take me home.” “Sorry, I can’t.” “Why?” “You’re a fixed point in time. Nothing can interfere with it, not even me.” He said in a low tone. “If I try to bring you home then, not only will you become an anomaly in your world, but we could make a hole in time and space the exact size of.....Belgium.” Isaac’s face turned pale. “Okay then. Wouldn’t want that now would we.” The Doctor started to look over the console holding the implement. “Well, get over here. You broke my machine, it’s only fair that you help me fix it.” The doctor said with a grin. “Um ladies, if you’d be so kind as to give us some privacy.” The Stallion said as he looked at the mares. “Why?” “Were about to start some serious science and I don’t want to run the risk of blowing you all up.” He said as Isaac walked up next to him. The mares gulped and made their way out of the TARDIS. Isaac looked at the stallion in confusion. “You do realize that I have no idea how to fix this thing right?” “I figured as much, I just need you to go around and scan the systems with this.” He said as he handed Isaac a small silver rod with a blue light at the end. “Just start over there and tell me if something happens.” He said as Isaac took the implement. The human pressed the button and the end started to glow. “So tell me Isaac, how did you get here anyway?” “Honestly I have no idea. One moment I’m falling off a cliff and the next I land in Twilight’s library.” He said with a shrug. “You probably hit a rift.” “A what?” “A small rift in time and space. They pop up every now and again. Send’s things all over the place. Never seen a human go through one before.” He said as he pressed a few buttons. “What did you mean before when you said I was a fixed point in time?” “You’re here for a purpose. I don’t know what, but it must be important.” He said as he crossed a few wires. The room dimmed and them flickered back to life. “There we go!” He said with a smile. “So you’re a traveler then?” “Yep, been all around time and space.” He said with a grin. “One last thing. You said you locked this thing. If that’s true then how did I open it?” The Doctor looked at Isaac in confusion as he scratched his chin. “I don’t know. The TARDIS wanted you to come inside. You were meant to find me and this world.” He said as he bit his lip. “So destiny?” “I suppose.” The stallion said with a shrug. “Sorry, but this is where I take my leave. Nice meeting you Isaac.” He said as he offered him the implement. “Keep it. You never know when you might need it.” The stallion said with a smile. Isaac looked at him in confusions. “Think of it as a late birthday present.” Isaac looked at him in shock. “How did you-” “Spoilers.” He said with a smile. Isaac nodded and slipped the small tool into his pocket as made his way to the exit of the machine. He opened the door to see the other mares sitting down on the couch. Their heads perked up as the human exited the machine. “Hello.” He said with a smile. “How are you feeling?” Twilight asked. “Can’t complain.” The group looked behind them to see the blue box making an odd noise as beginning to fade. After it had disappeared from the library. Isaac sat down on the couch with a quizzical look on his face. “Whats wrong?” Rainbow asked. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.” As he finished his statement the door opened to reveal a familiar red stallion. “Oh right now I remember.” “Found ya!” He said as he walked into the library. Rainbow and Applejack got up and blocked the stallions advance. “Mac, calm down. Let me explain something to ya-” She was cut off as the human walked in front of them. “Ladies it’s okay.” Isaac turned to face the red stallion. “Mac you have every right to be mad at me. So as conciliation you can hit me.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “Once in the face, so make it a good one.” The human put his hands over his groin and closed his eyes. “Dash, AJ don’t interfere. This is my choice.” The stallion cracked his knuckles and brought back his right arm. Isaac felt the solid fist connect with his face, the human staggered backwards and prevented himself from falling. Isaac grasped his face in pain. “Good hit Mac. Good hit.” “Ah’m surprised you let me do that.” “It’s a custom where I’m from and it hasn’t been the first time someones done that to me.” He said as he looked at the stallion. “We cool?” “Just a warning, hurt mah sister and I’ll snap ya like a twig.” “Noted.” He said as the stallion let out a huff and walked out of the library. Isaac rubbed his face. Applejack walked over to him and gave him a weak smile. “Ah’m mighty sorry about that.” “It’s fine.” He said with a smile. “So what did you and the Doctor talk about?” Twilight asked. “Oh, human stuff.” He said with a shrug. “By the way Dash, did you tell anyone about my ‘stamina?’” He asked as he looked at the cyan mare. “Maybe.” She said with a smirk. “Damn it Dash. Fighting off Aloe and Lotus was hard enough. Now I gotta deal with a whole town of mares?” He said in an irritated tone. “Jeez I didn’t know being liked by every mare in Ponyville would be a problem for you.” She said with a shrug. “Relax, I know how to handle this. I just need to lay low for a few days and this whole thing will blow over.” He said as he let out a sigh. “I still can’t believe you and AJ-” Twilight began to say. “For the record, she lassoed me into the barn!” He said as he glared at the lavender mare. “I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but she came onto me. Same with Rainbow, she got me while I was drunk.” Twilight looked at her friends in confusion. The two mares started to blush and adverted their eyes from her. “I’m just asking for a little consideration. I’m not some toy to be used at your convenience.” He said in an aggravated tone. “You okay Isaac? You seem kinda....stressed.” Twilight said as she looked at the human. “I’m fine. I just need to relax for a bit.” He said as he started to make his way upstairs. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Rainbow and Applejack get to their feet. “Alone.” Isaac said as he looked at the two mares who had a disappointed looks on their faces. The human shook his head and walked into his room. He saw a small note placed on the nightstand. Isaac, Have sex in this bed again and I’ll turn you into a sheep. ~Twilight. Isaac crumpled up the note and threw it in the waste pan. He laid on the bed and let out a sigh as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 11: OutcastChapter 11 Outcast The human found himself in a familiar forest resting by a pool of crystal blue water. He got to his feet and saw something shinning behind the waterfall. Isaac pulled his hood over his head and made his way through the pond. He passed through the cascading water to find a dark cave. As he took a step inside the walls were lined with lit torches. He took one from the wall and made his way through the cave to find a shinning bright ball sitting on a pedestal. The human cautiously made his way to the shinning sphere. Isaac examined the ball with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell is this thing?” He said aloud. Isaac picked up the sphere in his right hand and felt it sink beneath his skin. He started to yell in agony as the sphere moved up his arm and into his chest cavity. Isaac felt blood fill his mouth as he collapsed on the ground. His body was shaking as some unknown force coursed through his body. He felt his muscles beginning to tear and his insides beginning to liquify. Suddenly the pain was gone and he felt a euphoria take hold of him. He felt the dream collapse as he heard someone call out his name. Isaac woke up in a cold sweat with his heart beating like a drum. He looked to his right to see Twilight looking at him with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay? I heard you screaming.” “Nothing, just a bad dream.” He said as he sat up. “That didn’t sound like a normal dream.” “I don’t know what qualifies as normal anymore.” Isaac cracked his back and rubbed his left shoulder. “So what’s up?” “I just wanted to come and apologize.” Twilight said as she sat down on the bed. “For what? The note?” “What note?” Isaac walked over to the trash can and pulled out the crumpled note. “Oh that.” She said in a low tone. “While I don’t mind you staying here. I don’t appreciate you having sex with two of my best friends, especially in my house.” She said as her eyes narrowed. “Like I said, Rainbow surprised me while I was drunk and Applejack didn’t give me much room to escape the situation.” He said with a sigh. “However, I do see your point. I’ll start looking for a place of my own.” Twilight looked at him in surprise. “I’m not trying to chase you out the door or anything. I’m just looking out for my friends.” “I understand. Frankly I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole ‘open relationship’ thing. Honestly, I have never been put in a position like this before and the attention I’m getting from the mares in this town isn’t making it any easier.” He said with a sigh. “I can see how that would be frustrating. How do relationships in your world work anyway?” “Most of the time they’re monogamous.” He said as he sat down on the bed next to the mare. “Really?” “Yeah, considering the ratio is almost even where I come from and polygamy is frowned upon in most areas of the world.” “What happens to those who are polygamous?” She asked as she tilted her head. “Nothing too bad. Mostly looked down on to those who don’t practice it. I just don’t care. Who am I to judge their lives?” “What if someone cheats on their wife or husband?” She asked. “Depends. Most of the time divorce follows afterwards, sometimes they talk out their problems and stay together.” He bit his lip at the next part. “Sometimes the cheated kills the cheater.” Twilight looked at the human in shock. “It’s unfortunate but it happens.” “What happened to the killer?” “That is left up to the courts. Most of the time it’s a prison sentence and some of them get away with it.” “What?” “No court system is perfect.” He said with a shrug. “What else can you tell me about your people?” She asked as she leaned her head in. “If I’m going to talk about humans then I think we should get Lyra over here. No doubt she’d be interested.” “Good idea.” Isaac pulled out his phone and selected the contact. Hello? “Hey Lyra it’s Isaac.” What’s up? “I’m going to teach Twilight about human culture. Thought you might be interested.” YES! What time? “Um....How about twelve o’clock at the library?” Perfect! I am so there! “Great see you then.” He said as he hung up the phone. “Get that Twilight?” “Yep.” She said with a smile. “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go get something.” The human said as he made his way towards the door. “What are you getting?” “Just something I left behind.” Isaac said with a grin. The man put on his jet black shirt and made his way out the door. The human moved through the town keeping an eye out for a cyan Pegasus and an orange Earth pony. As he reached the edge of the forest he saw a familiar yellow Pegasus mare. She was wearing a white dress that cut off at her knees and a brown sleeveless top. Isaac made his way over to her with a smile on her face. “Hello Isaac, what brings you here?” “I’m going into the forest. You?” The mare looked at him in surprise. “Th-the forest? It’s dangerous in there.” “I know but I forgot something and I aim to get it back.” He said as he started to walk into the forest. “Wait. I’ll go with you.” She said in a timid voice. Isaac looked at the mare in confusion. “You sure? I don’t want to take up any of your time.” “Oh it’s alright. I need to go in there anyway to get some plants.” She said with a smile. The two made their way into the forest and walked down the dirt path. Even though Isaac had been in there before the place felt different. As they made their way through a bush rustled causing the mare to grab Isaac’s arm as she let out a small yelp. The human looked at the bush and saw a small squirrel come out. The human chuckled as he looked bak at the mare who had a bright blush on her face. She immediately let go and gulped. “S-sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said with a smile. The two came to the clearing. Fluttershy let out a gasp at the sight of the dead manticore. Isaac approached the beast and looked over it’s body. “Ah ha! There you are.” He said as he saw the knife sticking out of the manticores jaw. Isaac wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled the knife from the manticores body. Isaac looked over the blade and wiped the blood on the grass next to him. He turned back around to see Fluttershy with tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” “Y-you killed the manticore?” “No, I only stabbed it. That’s when Luna came along and threw it against the tree.” Fluttershy wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and let out a sigh. “If she didn’t then it was going to kill me.” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “It’s alright. I understand.” She said with a sigh. As Isaac got to his feet he heard an odd noise. He turned his head towards the waterfall. As he looked at it time seemed to stop and the area became quiet. He then felt a hand on his shoulder snapping him out of the trance. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah. I just spaced out for a second.” He said with a weak grin. The mare nodded and made her way back to the cottage. Isaac looked at the waterfall one last time and caught up to the mare. The two made their way down the path. As they made their way through the forest Isaac noticed that the yellow mare was staring at him. “What’s up?” “N-nothing.” She said in a timid tone. “C’mon Fluttershy I know that something’s bugging you. What is it?” “I was just wondering.......how man animals have you killed?” Isaac gulped at the question. “Well...Quite a few fish, two deer and-....never mind.” He said in a low tone. “What?” Isaac took a deep breath and looked back at the mare. “I.....I had to kill a dog in self defense once.” Fluttershy looked at him in horror. “Wh-what?” “The dog was infected with rabies and he was going to kill me.” He said as he hung his head low. “He was bitten by a raccoon, that’s how he got it. I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. Haven’t had a dog since then.” Fluttershy’s eyes shrank as she connected the dots in her head. “Y-you mean that Scout was...” Isaac gave her a reluctant nod. “Yeah.” Fluttershy wrapped him in a tight hug. Isaac blushed and returned the gesture. Get down! The voice blazed in his mind Isaac grabbed Fluttershy and ducked just in time to avoid a wooden wolf from bitting them. Isaac pulled out his knife and got in a defensive position. “What the hell is that thing?” “A Timber wolf!” She yelled. Seriously? He thought. “Fluttershy go, I can-” He was cut off as the mare stepped in front of the human. The wolf growled at the two creatures. Fluttershy frowned and took a step forward. “How dare you scare us like that!” She yelled. The wolf tried to move, but found itself become paralyzed by the mares gaze. “I have half a mind to find your mother and tell her what you’ve been up to.” The human looked in amazement as the large wolf started to whimper and lower it’s head. “Oh it’s okay. Run along now.” The mare said with a warm smile. The wolf then ran back into the brush. Fluttershy looked at Isaac who’s mouth was agate. “How did you do that?” “I can talk to animals. It’s my special talent.” She said with a smile. “Good thing too. That thing would have probably killed me.” He said as they continued on their way. As they walked through the forest another bush moved causing the yellow mare to grab the humans arm again in fright. Isaac looked down and saw that the mare’s large breasts had enveloped his arm. Isaac felt his face blush and cleared his throat. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and staggered for a moment. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, I just need to rest for a minute.” He said as he sat down against a nearby tree. Fluttershy knelt next to him with a worried look on her face. “Mind if I ask you something?” “S-sure.” “How did you stop that Timber Wolf from tearing me apart?” He asked as he took a deep breath. “I used my ‘stare’ on him.” “The what?” “It’s um...a little trick I can do. It makes the animal I’m looking at freeze up and do what ever I say.” She said in a low tone. “That must come in handy.” “Well, I can’t control it. It just happens.” She said as she lowered her head. “It’s still surprising and I’m a bit relieved.” “Why?” “Just imagine if that gift got into the wrong hands. It’s reassuring that a nice pony like you has it.” Fluttershy’s face turned bright red at the humans words. “Thank you.” She said as she gulped. Isaac got to his feet and the two continued down the path way with Fluttershy following close behind. The two found themselves back in front of Fluttershy’s cabin as noon approached. Isaac stopped in front of the cottage with the yellow mare. “Thanks for coming with me Fluttershy. I’m not too sure how things would have turned out with that wolf if you hadn’t come with me.” He said with a smile. “N-no problem.” She then heard her stomach growl. “S-sorry, it must be getting close to lunch time.” “Yeah it is. Hey listen I’m gonna give Twilight and Lyra a lesson on humans at the library. You want in?” the mare smiled and gave him a nod. Isaac smiled and made his way back to the library with the yellow mare following close behind. As they walked back Isaac noticed that the mare was looking at him with a bright blush on her face. Isaac opened the door to the library to see Lyra, Twilight, Vinyl and the other four mares waiting for them on the couch. “Oh good you’re back.” Twilight said as she grabbed a notebook and quill. “I was going to ask if you minded Fluttershy joining in, but I guess we’re past that point.” He said as he sat down. “When did you get back Vinyl?” “Just got in this morning.” The mare said as she sipped an energy drink. Isaac nodded and then turned his attention to the group. “So what do you want to know?” “Everything.” Lyra answered. “Well, that sure narrows things down.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Let me just get my thoughts together.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Okay, granted I don’t know everything about humanity but I’ll give it a shot.” He got to his feet and cracked his back. “Are we sitting comfortably?” The mares shifted slightly in their seats and nodded. Isaac started his lesson with a brief explanation of dinosaurs and the cave men. Fluttershy raised a hand. “Yes?” “What did they look like?” She asked in a timid tone. “Massive lizard like creatures. Hang on I think I have a video of them.” He said as he pulled out his P-Pod. He scrolled through the menu and selected his movie folder. “We depicted them as this.” He said as he handed her the device. Fluttershy gave a yelp in fright as she saw the T-Rex. “Why don’t you just put it on projector mode?’ Vinyl asked. “Projector mode?” Vinyl took the device and pointed it at the far wall. An image shined against the wall showing the massive dinosaur. “Man, wish I knew about that earlier.” Isaac continued to ramble on about the massive creatures. “What happened to them?” Twilight asked. “Wiped out by a comet that blocked out the sun in a cloud of dust and ash. Causing them to become extinct. I’m fuzzy on the details but that’s what scientists say.” He said with a shrug. “So how did your people get started?” Twilight asked. “That is still up for debate. There are theories that an all powerful being created us or that we evolved from apes.” The mares looked at him in confusion. “There’s scientific proof that humanity shares DNA with monkeys, but a lot of people don’t believe that.” He said with a sigh. “Honestly I don’t care and the debate itself is getting tiresome.” “Why? What’s wrong about having different points of view?” Lyra asked. “Nothing at all, but humanity has had enough bloodshed over this argument.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Countless wars have been fought over this topic and it’s getting old.” “Wars?” Lyra asked. “Yeah, religion although it inspires hope, it’s also a cause of great violence and despair.” “I’m not following.” “Lets say that you like ice cream while Twilight prefers cake. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you insist that Twilight is wrong and you’re constantly trying to change her mind.” He said with a sigh. “Eventually Twilight gets angry enough and tells you off. You become angry with her and you stop being friends. Soon, the rest of the cake eaters ban together and decide to take their cake loving global and decide that anyone who doesn’t like cake is a deviant and should be punished.” “That’s insane!” Twilight yelled. “That’s escalation and it’s happened countless times in my peoples past. We’ve gotten much better at accepting each other but we still have a long way to go.” He said as he sat back in a chair. The mares looked at him in confusion. “It’s not pretty but it’s how we’ve evolved as a species. We’ve made mistakes and we learn by them.” “What other wars have your people had?” “Most I don’t know about. How about we start with the founding of my country?” He said as he scrolled through his device and found a map of the continent. Isaac stated how it began; the leaders, the locations and the government structure. He was cut off as Ditzy came running inside out of breath. “What’s up Ditzy?” “Somebody is causing trouble in town. Some Griffin, she sound like she knows Rainbow.” The mares looked at the cyan Pegasus and gave her a nod. “Gilda.” Rainbow said in a reluctant tone. “That’s her name.” Ditzy said as Rainbow got to her feet and barged out the door. The other mares soon got up and followed her. “Who’s Gilda?” Isaac asked. “She’s an old ‘friend’ of Rainbow’s. She acted like a total jerk and blew everypony off last time she was here.” Pinkie added. “So?” “She has a really bad temper and isn’t afraid to smack a few ponies around.” Applejack said as the group gave chase. The clouds outside were starting to turn dark and a light sprinkle was starting to cover the land. Isaac noticed a large group of ponies and shouting coming from the center. Isaac and the mares forced their way through the crowd to see a large griffin and the cyan Pegasus arguing with one another. The griffin then rolled her right claw into a fist and punched the mare in the face sending her staggering back. As the Griffin tried to land another blow her wrist was caught by the human who had a cold look in his eyes. “Who the fuck are you?” She yelled as she broke the man’s grip on her. “Back the fuck off.” Isaac ordered. “This doesn’t concern you.” “You just nailed my friend in the face. That makes it my business” “I can handle this myself Isaac.” Rainbow said as she stumbled. Pinkie walked over to her and pulled her off to the side. “I’m giving you one chance to walk away.” Isaac said as he stared at the Griffin who easily stood a foot above him. “You got guts. Nice to see somepony in this town with a spine.” She said with a smirk. She quickly swung at the humans face. Isaac dodged the blow only to be met with a kick to the stomach. Isaac felt his rib crack and cried out in pain. As he looked up he felt his face take a blow from the creatures left claw. Isaac felt his face swell up and his left eye swelled shut. He staggered backwards and smiled at the beast who looked at him in confusion. “What the fuck?” “That all you got?” The griffin charged at him and landed a few kicks to his stomach. Isaac coughed up more blood. The griffon then felt a rope being wrapped around her. She looked to her left to see Applejack with rage in her eyes and the other end of the rope in her hands. Gilda quickly grabbed the rope and threw the farmer into the charging cyan mare, sending them both to the ground. Twilight’s horn suddenly glowed and shot out a bolt of magic at the Griffin. Gilda dodged it and the bolt which connected with the human, sending him to the ground. Twilight immediately stopped her barrage and was met with a quick jab to the face from the feathered being. The beast was then shot off the mare by an invisible force. She looked in surprise as she saw the human get to his feet. The Griffin lunged at the human with a fist clenched. As she closed in on her target the human dodged her attack and felt something catch her tail. The human gripped the appendage and slammed her into the ground. The Griffin let out a cry of pain and quickly got to her feet. The Griffin took flight and launched herself at the human. Her claw clamped around his neck and she took towards the sky. “You may know how to fight. Lets see if you can fly!” She said as she let go of the man. Isaac felt a familiar sensation of falling as the clouds passed around him. He felt himself collide with the hard earth and darkness take hold of his body. The Griffin landed next to the human and smirked. The group of mares got to their feet and charged at the the feathered beast. Gilda turned around to face her attackers only to see the looks of shock and fear strewn across their faces. The Griffin turned around to see the heavily bleeding human on his feet and looking at her with a malicious grin strewn across his face.”Now this is where the fun begins.” Isaac said in a dark tone He slapped the Griffin with the back of his hand sending her crashing against the building’s outside wall. Isaac quickly grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground above him still holding the smile. The light drizzle had turned into a downpour which was making the blood from the human and Griffin run down their bodies. He started to squeeze and felt the mare claw at his arm. Isaac felt the pain and immediately let go. The Griffin jumped behind him and brought her arm around his neck. Isaac still held the smile on his face. The human opened his mouth and bit down on the beast’s arm. Isaac felt his mouth fill with blood as the griffin cried in pain and let the human go. She felt a fist collide with her face. Gilda felt the force break her beak and instantly slumped to the ground in pain. Isaac walked over to the Griffins damaged body and smirked. He raised his right hand which lifted the Griffin off the ground by an invisible force. Isaac stuck out his thumb and index finger in a squeezing motion. The griffin felt her windpipe being crushed by the unseen force. “Mercy!” She chocked out. “Sorry didn’t catch that. Cat got your tongue?” He said as his grip tightened. “MERCY! PLEASE!” She yelled. Isaac dropped his arm and the Griffin fell and started to breath heavily. Isaac grabbed the feathers on top of her head and picked her up so their eyes met. “Pull anything like this again and I’ll send you home in a coffin.” Gilda nodded as she looked at him in fear. Isaac let go and dropped the Griffin on the ground again. As he started to walk away he looked at the mares who had tears in their eyes. As he took a step forward the group cringed back and Twilight’s horn flared. “J-just stay back!” Isaac looked at her in surprise and took another step forward. Twilight acted on instinct and fired a bolt from her horn. Isaac raised his arms and felt the bolt knock him on the ground. The human looked at the mares who had fear in their eyes. Isaac quickly got to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. Twilight looked closely and saw that his injuries were healing themselves. “J-just go away!” Twilight yelled in fear. The words tore at Isaacs heart and he got into a squatting position. He launched himself over the group of mares and landed behind them. He turned back and looked at them one more time before running off. Isaac quickly made his way into the library to retrieve his knife and his jacket. He pushed the weapon into his pocket and threw the hoodie over his body. Isaac then heard the door open to reveal a purple dragon with a confused look on his face. “You okay Isaac?” “I’m fine Spike.” He said in a cold tone. “You sure? You look like hell.” The dragon then burped up a letter. “Hang on a second.” He said as he unrolled the letter and turned away from the human. The dragon unrolled the letter and had a look of confusion on his face. SPIKE DO NOT LET ISAAC LEAVE! “What the?” The dragon was cut off as he felt a blunt force strike the back of his head. The human put the large book down as he caught the dragon and dragged him over to the couch. Isaac took one last look at the library before he took off towards the forest.
Chapter 12: House ShoppingChapter 12 House Shopping “What the fuck were you thinking Twilight?” Rainbow yelled as some paramedics arrived and put the Griffin on a stretcher. “Y-you all saw him!” She exclaimed. “So you shot him with your magic after he saved our flanks?” Rainbow yelled. “I-I panicked! I didn’t know what he was going to do!” “Ya shouldn’t have done that Twi.” The orange mare said with a sigh. “I know and I feel terrible. Hopefully, Spike was able to keep him at the library so I can apologize.” She said as the mares entered the library to see the purple dragon asleep on the couch. “SPIKE!” Twilight yelled. “What? OW!” He yelled as he grabbed his head in pain. Rarity rushed over to him and put her hand on his head. “Oh my little Spikey-wikey. Are you okay?” She asked as the dragon sat up. “Yeah, I think so.” “What happened?” Twilight asked. “I remember seeing Isaac. He looked pretty roughed up. Then I got your letter and then nothing.” Twilight looked around the room and found a note. I understand that I freaked you all out. I’m sorry. I honestly have no idea what happened. You won’t have to worry about it happening again. Spike, sorry for knocking you out with a book. Consider it payback for doing it to me when I got here. P.S. Send the Griffin my regards and tell her I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that but she gave me little choice. Twilight put the letter down and looked back at her friends. Rainbow and Applejack had daggers in their eyes. “Nice one Twi. Real nice.” Rainbow said in a stern tone. The mare got to her feet and walked towards the door. “Where are you going?” Rarity asked. “To go find him. Duh! It’s crazy out there and who knows what could happen to him.” She said in a stern tone. “Coming AJ?” “Right behind ya.” The farmer said as she walked up to the cyan mare. “Um...I’m going too.” Fluttershy said in a timid voice. “Wait for me!” Pinkie chimed in. “WAIT!” Twilight bellowed. “No! He’s our friend, he defended us. I’m not leaving him out there. I’m the element of loyalty for a reason!” Rainbow yelled. “I was going to say that we wait till the storm calms down. Isaac is smart, he’s probably gone to find shelter. Maybe he even went to Zecora.” She said as she let out a sigh. “All I’m saying is that we give him some breathing room before we go looking for him, plus I also need to figure out my apology.” She said in a low tone. “Wow first you shoot him, now your complimenting him. Way to flip flop Twilight.” Dash exclaimed. “I overreacted!” She yelled. “Now you know how we felt when you charmed the smarty pants doll.” Rainbow said in a stern tone. “That was totally different! I wasn’t trying to kill somepony!” “Neither was he. He let Gilda go. I’m pretty sure if he wanted to kill her then he would have.” AJ interjected. “Isaac was only trying to defend us.” Twilight looked at her two friends in disbelief. “We’ll all meet back here in the morning, then we’ll go look for Isaac. Agreed?” She asked as she glanced at the mares who gave a nod. Twilight let out a sigh and complied. The mares got to their feet and went their separate ways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac ran faster than he had in his entire life through the poring rain and dark forest. He felt the wind whip at his face and felt the rain sting his skin like needles. He stopped when he came to an odd ruin. An old decrepit castle long abandoned. A lighting strike from the storm struck a nearby tree setting it ablaze with fire. The man picked up a flaming piece of timber and made his way inside the old building. The interior was pitch black but dry. Isaac removed his hoodie as he set the burning piece of wood in front of him and left to collect a few more pieces from outside the castle. Isaac put the pieces next to the blazing branch to dry out. He did the same with his now soaking wet hoodie. He sat down with his back against the stone wall. He looked into a puddle next to him and saw his blood covered reflection. The human quickly splashed the water in his face washing away the crimson fluid. Isaac looked down at his shaking hands and tried to stop his panting. What the fuck happened back there? We went all Jedi on that Griffon’s ass! I almost killed her! So? It was self- BULLSHIT! I knew what I was doing and I couldn’t stop myself. No thanks to you! Oh so you’re gonna pin this on me? Who got involved in their lives while I wanted to leave them alone? ....... That’s what I thought! I am so sick and tired of your bullshit! I know. I’m just....tired of all this. Now I have powers? If I sprout wings I’m gonna jump off the nearest cliff and pray that they don’t flap on instinct. What will you do? No idea. He thought as he rested his head on the partially dry jacket and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight found herself before the man she had shot that day with her magic. The man looked back at her with an icy glare. Twilight gulped and walked in front of the human with tears in her eyes. “Isaac....I’m-” The human raised his hand. “Save it for someone who cares!” “I care! I’m sorry! You just really freaked me out and I didn’t know what to do!” She said as the tears started to flow. Isaac turned his back to the mare and started to walk away. Twilight rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. The human stopped moving as he felt the mares tears seep through his clothing. “Please don’t go! We want you to stay! I want you to stay.” She said as she let go. Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Sorry Twi. It’s too late.” The human wrapped his hand around Twilight’s throat and started to squeeze. Twilight was struggling to find air as she felt the man lift her off the ground. The man let out a cry of pain as his arm was cut in half by an unknown force. Twilight fell to the ground and looked up to see the image of Princess Luna. “P-Princess Luna? What are you doing here?” “As Princess of the night it’s my duty to ensure the citizens of Equestria sleep peacefully.” “I’m dreaming?” She said as the image of the man vanished. “Yes, your mind is creating this nightmare. Tell us, why are you so afraid of the human?” The Princess said as she looked at the mare. Twilight told Luna what had happened that afternoon between Isaac and Gilda. “I see. So you acted out of fear.” “Yes and I feel terrible about it.” She said as she hung her head low. “I have visited Isaac and his dreams. While I was there I saw a much darker side of his personality. I’m assuming that being in that injured state triggered it.” The mare said as she scratched her chin. “I didn’t know humans could use magic.” Twilight said as she let out a sigh. “They can’t. I’m assuming that when my blood mixed with his, a bit of my magic was transferred into his body.” “Why didn’t he use it before then?” “You said you shot him with a bolt of magic correct?” “Twice. The first was by accident and the second was intentional.” She said in a low tone. “I see. That first bolt must have acted like a key that unlocked the magic within him. It’s unstable and he was acting on instinct, which caused the personality flip.” She said as she let out a sigh. “Now I assume he’s even more confused that you attacked him.” “It was an accident! I over reacted.” She stammered. “I was scared okay!” She said as she sat down and buried her face in her knees. The lunar Princess walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I understand Twilight. The real question is; Why are you scared?” The lavender mare looked up at the Princess with tears in her eyes. “What?” “I know for a fact that Isaac would never do anything to hurt you or your friends. So, what are you really afraid of?” She said as the image of her collapsing. Twilight let out a sigh wiped the tears away as got to her feet. The dream started to collapse and fade. Twilight woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of pounding at her door. She threw on a purple blouse and a brown skirt. The mare walked down stairs and saw that the others had already gathered in front of the door. “About time! We’ve been banging on the door for like five minutes.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes. Twilight noticed that Applejack had brought her dog with her. “Why do you have Winona?” Twilight asked. “If she can track down Pinkie during a sugar rush ah’m fairly certain she can track Isaac.” Twilight nodded and levitated one of the human’s shirts over to the hound. The brown dog gave a sniff and took off with the mares following close behind. The group stopped as they reached the Everfree forest. The dog sniffed around the area and let out a small whimper. “Dang it. His scent’s gone cold.” “Now how are we going to find him?” Pinkie asked. The ponies saw a shadow beginning to widen. The mares looked up in surprise as they saw Discord descend in front of them. “Hello ladies.” He said with a smug grin. “We’re not in the mood Discord. Scram!” Rainbow yelled. “Hey, hey easy. I’m here to help you find the human.” He said as he teleported next to the dog. “Why do you care?” Applejack asked. “It’s rare to meet another being that’s as chaotic and unpredictable as me.” He said with a grin. “I also happen to know where he is.” “What?” The group yelled. “Yes, I saw him napping in the old castle in the forest.” He said with a shrug. “I suggest we hurry, who knows what could be creeping up on him.” He said in a flat tone. “How can we trust you?” Twilight asked as she glared at the chaotic lord. “Are we going to stand here talking all day or are we going to go find him?” He said as he flew into the forest with the group of mares close behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac awoke to the sound of birds chirping and bugs buzzing. He got to his feet and cracked his back as he let out a yawn. He looked down at the small pit of coals and noticed that a few were still glowing. He picked one of the burning coals up and placed it in the center of his right palm. Isaac gritted his teeth as he felt the burning piece of wood scorch his skin. The human dropped the coal back into the bed of ashes and looked at his palm which now had a small burn mark in the center of it. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw the small wound begin to heal itself at a fast rate. After the wound was closed and new skin had replaced the old he felt the spot where the coal had been. Not even a scar. Am I even human anymore? He thought to himself as he laid back against the stone wall. “Isaac?” The human perked up as he heard the familiar voices of the mares from Ponyville approach the ruins. “Are you here?” Isaac heard the lavender unicorn’s voice yell. He let out a sigh and sat still. Twilight and the others made their way into the old castle. “This place gives me the creeps.” Applejack said as she looked at the stone. “I know what you mean. This place is absolutely dreadful.” Rarity said with a scoff. “Well, this is the place where we all became friends.” Pinkie interjected. “True, but that doesn’t change the fact that this place feels weird.” Rainbow added. “Doesn’t seem too bad to me.” The mares looked up ahead to see the human sitting against the stone wall in front of a pile of ash. The mares hurried over to him as he got to his feet. Twilight hung back as the other mares hurried up to him with worried looks in their eyes. “Guys I’m fine.” He said as they wrapped him in a hug. “We were worried about you idiot!” Rainbow said as she slugged him in the arm. Isaac let out a groan as he rubbed the sore spot. He noticed that Twilight hung back and was hanging her head in shame. The mare let out a sigh and walked towards the human. “Isaac I-” “It’s okay Twilight, you don’t have to say anything.” He said as he led up a hand. “NO! I’m so sorry I hurt you. I shouldn’t have acted that way.” She said as tears formed in her eyes. “I would have acted the same way. To be honest I have no idea what happened.” He said with a shrug. The lavender mare walked forward and wrapped her arms around the man. Isaac felt the tears seep through his clothes. “I feel horrible! I’m so sorry.” Isaac returned the gesture and smiled. “Oh gag me.” Discord said as he stuck out his tongue and pointed into his throat. “Be careful what you wish for Discord.” The group looked up to see two large winged figures approach them. Twilight gulped as the two Alicorn Princess’s landed in front of them. Twilight broke the embrace and bowed to her mentor. “Hello Twilight.” “Princess.....I can explain this-” She was cut off as the white Princess raised a hand. “I’m not here about that. I’m here about Isaac.” She said as she walked up to the human. Isaac gulped and stood up straight. “My sister tells me that through her blood you’ve gained some odd abilities.” “I guess that explains the telekinesis.” He said with another gulp. “It intrigues me.” “That I’m the first human with powers?” “That her blood and magic didn’t kill you.” The ponies looked at the Princess in surprise. “Let me explain.” The Alicorn said in a calm tone. “Alicorn blood holds massive amounts of magic and almost no pony can control it.” “What happens if a pony were to receive Alicorn blood?” Isaac asked. Celestia bit her lip and let out a sigh. “Their bodies would combust with the raw power.” Luna answered. “Then after that happened any remaining cells would break down and detonate a second time.” The dark Princess said in a low tone. “So they’ll explode twice?” Isaac said as he raised an eyebrow. The two gave a reluctant nod. “Looks like I owe Spike ten bits.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “Now I have three questions. Is that happening to me?” He asked as he looked at his hand. “No, it would have already occurred.” Luna said. “Well, that’s a relief.” He said as he let out a sigh. “My second question is this, am I immortal like you?” “No, you haven’t absorbed enough magic to become that strong. We are not sure what you can do.” Celestia said in a relaxed tone. “What’s your final question?” “Can you take these powers away from me?” The non-humans looked at them man in confusion. “If it is possible then consider it a request.” The creatures jaws dropped in shock. “You WANT me to take your powers away?” Celestia asked. “If it’s possible.” He said in a calm tone. “Might I ask why?” “I’ve survived this long without them and I can’t really control them.” He said as he Shrugged. A nearby pillar was hit with an invisible force causing it to fall. The creatures looked at the pillar and back at the human in shock. “See? It’s too much power for someone like me to have. If I lose control.....I’m scared of what I might do.” The two Alicorns looked at one another in confusion. “Hold still.” Celestia said as she walked up to the human. “I have never been asked by somepony to remove their own powers.” The goddess said as she put her hands on either side of the man’s head. The Alicorn closed her eyes and focused, her hands and horn started to glow. Isaac felt an odd sensation flow through him. Celestia took a step back and let out a sigh. “It appears that not even I can remove something like that. Other than the obvious way.” “Which is?” “I end your life.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac bit his lip at the statement. “Well, I was hoping for something a little less.......lethal.” He said in a disappointed tone. “Oh well, you gotta deal with the cards your dealt I guess.” He said to himself as he let out a sigh. “We can’t have you running around with no control on that power of yours.” Celestia said as she summoned a small box. She opened it to reveal a necklace with a purple gem in the center. “What is it?” Isaac asked. “That will keep your powers in check as your body gets used to them.” She said as she handed the gem over to Isaac. “Princess, may I ask something?” The human said as he looked into the Alicorns eyes. “Of course.” “While I don’t mind living with Twilight I feel like I’m mooching off her and I would like to find a place where I can call my own.” “I’m sure something can be arranged.” Isaac gave her a bow. “Thank you your highness. I’ll look around Ponyville and I’ll see if I can find something that catches my eye.” He said in a humble tone. The white Alicorn smiled and turned back to her sister and the chaos lord who was still glaring at the man in confusion. “Good luck to you all, we must return to Canterlot.” She said as the three took flight, leaving Isaac and the other six mares alone in the ruins. Isaac turned back to the mares who had a massive grin on their faces. “Alright. let’s head back then.” He said as the group walked out of the large ruins. The mares followed close behind the human as they left the old palace. “So what is this place?” “It was the old palace of the royal sisters.” Twilight answered. “Celestia and Luna used to live here?” The ponies nodded. “Yeah, it’s also where we defeated Nightmare Moon.” Pinkie added. “So this is where you used the Elements of Harmony on Luna then?” “Yeah. Wait, how did you know about the Elements?” Twilight asked. “Luna told me about it when she visited my dreams.” He said as the ponies gave a collective ‘oh’ sound. “Hey, this may sound out of the blue but what happened with that Griffin?” “Gilda? She’s in the hospital.” Rainbow added. “I should probably go apologize to her. I didn’t know what I was doing.” “She doesn’t deserve it.” Twilight said. “Maybe not, but I still feel bad. Speaking of which, you told me that Griffins don’t live around here. So why did she come stirring up trouble in Ponyville?” He said as he looked at the mares. “She was making a delivery to Cloudsdale when she heard somepony talking about me and she started drinking. One thing led to another and then she came here and started shooting her beak off.” Rainbow answered. The group looked at her in surprise. “How do ya know all that?” Applejack asked. “I went to go visit her after I left the library yesterday.” The mares looked at her in confusion. “I wanted to see if she was okay....ya know. For old time sakes.” She said with a weak grin. “Dang it Rainbow. She nearly killed Isaac!” AJ stammered. “Yeah, but she was drunk and wasn’t in the right mind. We’ve all done things that we regret.” She said as she remembered the falling incident. Isaac stepped between the two mares. “Let’s all just calm down. Yes, Gilda hurt me and I’m a little pissed at that, but I’ve also seen how someone gets when they go into a drunken rage.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Let me just find a place to stay and THEN I’ll go talk to Gilda. Okay?” The farmer let out a sigh and gave him a nod. The group made their way out of the dark forest and into the outskirts of town. As they came to the outskirts Pinkie noticed that Isaac was unusually quiet. “You okay?” Pinkie asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, it’s just that.....never mind.” “What? You can tell us.” Rarity said with a reassuring smile. Isaac let out a sigh and stopped walking. “Buying a house here is finally making me realize that I won’t be able to leave here.” “What’s wrong with that?” Rainbow asked. “It’s just that...” He hesitated and let out a sigh. “When my folks died they left a lot of things for me in their will. A lot of sentimental stuff, not to mention valuable. Now I’m worried about what might happen to it all.” He said in a low tone. “I’d hate to think that my family’s prized heirlooms would end up in a pawn shop somewhere being sold for less than it’s worth.” He said as he continued walking. “What kind of things?” Twilight asked. “Photo’s, family history, books. Things that took generations to collect and now it’s all gone. I can’t help but feel I’ve disappointed them in some-” He was cut off as he felt something collide with his face sending him back onto the ground. “Son of a bitch!” He yelled as he grabbed his now bleeding nose. The ponies crouched down beside him and helped him to his feet. Twilight looked ahead and saw something flicker. Isaac looked in the same direction and saw a familiar blue police box. The door opened up to reveal the tan earth pony stallion in a suit and red hat on his head. “Ah Isaac, good to see you again.” He said with a smile. “Okay, Doc. You need to stop cloaking that thing. This is the second time I’ve run into it.” He said as he felt his nose bleed. “Sorry.” He said as he scratched his mane. “How long has it been?” “Two maybe three days.” “Really? Time flies I suppose.” He said with a smile. Isaac cracked his neck and looked at the Doctor with a flat expression. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Nothing I-” “Isaac is just bummed out that he left all his valuable family heirlooms behind. That he’s the only one of his kind in this world and-” The pink mare was silenced as Applejack put an orange hand over her mouth. The stallion looked at the man who was bitting his lip. “I see. Ladies if you don’t mind I’d like to talk to Isaac alone for a bit.” He said as he looked at the mares. “A-alright.” Twilight said as she and the other mares left the two. The Doctor led him into the TARDIS and the two sat down. Isaac let out a sigh as he sat down on the couch. “Look Isaac. I know how you feel-” “How could you know that? You’re a time traveler. You can go where ever whenever you want.” “True, but I know what it’s like to be alone.” He said in a low tone. “I’m not just a Time Lord Isaac. I’m the last of the Time Lords. My planet is long gone, along with it’s people.” Isaac looked at the stallion in shock. “This box is all I have left. My family, my friends are lost to me.” “Couldn’t you just go back and-” “No. I can’t ever go back. I...locked them in a time void. Nothing can get in or out.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You and I are the same. We’re both travelers and we’re both alone in this world.” The stallion said as he put a hand on the humans shoulder. “It’s just that.....Since I arrived here I feel like I’ve become less human.” He said as he looked at his right palm. He removed the pendant and watched as the opposite couch was levitated. The stallion looked in surprise at the human as he put the pendant back on and the couch dropped to the floor. “Don’t act too impressed. I can’t even control it.” “That is a lot of power.” “I know. I even asked if Celestia could take it away from me. Apparently there are somethings she can’t do.” He said as he cracked his wrist. “Why would you want to give up power like that?” “No real reason. I don’t need it.” “There has to be more reason then that.” “There isn’t!” Isaac said as he stood up. “You’re lying!” The Doctor said as he matched the humans eye level. “Tell me why you don’t want that power!” “I’m scared! Happy?” Isaac yelled. “What if I can’t control it? I almost killed someone yesterday! I could barely stop myself.” He said as he hung his head. “I know what you’re thinking; ‘he must be pathetic.’ Am I right?” “Quite the opposite in fact. Fear is a basic emotion and it shows that you’re still plenty human.” He said with a smile. “Look Isaac, I know that things are different but one of the most admirable things about humans is their ability to adapt to new surroundings.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Isaac said as he let out a sigh. “I’d better go house shopping. Thanks for the advise Doc.” He said as he walked towards the doors, but stopped as he walked past the console. “Hey Doc, think I could see what happened to my house?” “Sure let me just.” He said as he flipped a few switches as Isaac typed in his address. The stallion saw the screen flicker. The stallions face changed to one of despair. “Oh dear.” “What?” “Your house......it burned down.” He said in a reluctant tone. Isaac felt his heart sink into his stomach. “I’m so sorry Isaac.” Isaac sat down on the couch in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. Everything.....gone.” The stallion looked closer at the screen which portrayed a massive burn mark in the center of a square connected to a smaller square. “Does it say when?” “Why do you-” “Just tell me!” He said in a stern tone. The stallion pressed a few buttons. “February 12, 2013.” Isaac’s jaw dropped and hung his head in shame. “What’s wrong?” “That was the day after I came here.” He said in a low tone. “One day......one fucking day I’m not there and I lose everything!” The human yelled. The Doctor let out a sigh and looked at the monitor. The stallion looked closer at the screen and smiled. “Oh time! You’re bloody fantastic!” He yelled. “I don’t see what’s fantastic about my house-” He was cut off as the doctor grabbed his arm and led him towards the door. “Hey what are you doing?” He protested. “I’ll be back in five minutes!” He said as he threw Isaac out of the box. “Five minutes to you could mean ten years for me!” He yelled as the doors closed with Isaac on the outside. “Damn you Doctor!” He yelled as the blue box started to vanish. Isaac lowered his head and felt a small tear run down his right cheek as he turned and walked away from the spot. He pulled out his P-pod and selected a random song. The music echoed through his head as his mind tried to process everything that had happened. He let out a groan as he laid his head back. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. “Gotcha!” The voice made him jump from his seat. Isaac looked around to see Vinyl with a grin on her face. “Oh man your face!” She said with a laugh. Isaac remained silent at the mare’s action. Vinyl’s grin slowly faded and was replaced with a look of concern. “You okay?” “No.” “What’s up?” “I really.....really don’t want to talk about it. At least not without alcohol.” “That I have back at my place.” Vinyl said with a weak smile. “Okay then. Let’s go.” He said in a reluctant tone. The two made their way out of the park and back onto the street. Isaac glanced at the mare who was wearing a apr of black shorts that cut off at her mid thigh and a black strapless shirt that left her shoulders exposed and ended just below her breasts, leaving her white stomach exposed. “Hey can I ask you something?” Vinyl said as Isaac quickly adjusted his gaze. “Sure.” “Mind telling me what happened yesterday? I didn’t know humans could use magic.” She said as she looked at the man. “Oh that.” The human let out a sigh and cleared his head. “Let me star at the beginning. While you were at your gig I got attacked by a Manticore and almost died.” Vinyl let out a gasp. “Fortunately, Princess Luna was in the area and killed it before it could kill me. Bad news, I was already badly injured and lost a lot of blood. Luna teleported us to the hospital and she volunteered for a transfusion, being we’re the same blood type. Apparently some of her magic got transferred into me when that happened.” The mare’s jaw dropped. “The only problem is that it’s unstable and I can’t control it.....right now anyway.” “Awesome! Maybe I could teach you a few tricks.” She said with a small chuckle. “Any help would be appreciated, but I’m not sure how well that will work out.” “What do you mean?” “I learn more by doing than I do by learning. I HATE studying. I’m a lot better with my hands than I am with my brain.” “From what I’ve heard around town that sounds accurate.” She said in a seductive tone. Isaac blushed at the statement and gulped. “Oh calm down, almost everypony knows about your......stamina.” “Damn you Rainbow.” He said as he let out a groan. The two soon arrived in front of the DJ’s shop and made their way inside. “My apartment is upstairs.” She said as she pointed to a staircase in the back of the store. The two made their way up the ladder and into the mares living quarters. It was medium sized, a sofa was in the center of the living room in front of a Television and a turn table hooked up to two massive amps. Isaac saw a cello off on the corner laying against a chair close to a window. “You play the cello?” “Nah, my roommate does. She’s in Fillydelphia right now visiter her folks.” She said as she walked into the kitchen. Isaac followed and saw her withdrew a bottle of hard cider. She poured them each a glass and set it on the table. Isaac picked the glass up and slammed it back. “So what’s bugging you?” “Just....having trouble adjusting to things around here. So much has changed for me and I have no control over it.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Trust me I know how that feels.” She said as she took a drink. “I may not be from a different universe but I know how it feels when your life gets out of control.” “To top it off even if I do get home I don’t have a house to go back to.” “What are you talking about?” “I just found out that my house burned down the second day I was here.” He said as he shot back another drink. The mare looked at him in surprise and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s okay, it’ not your fault. I don’t even know how it burned down.” He said as he let out a sigh. The man got to his feet and poured himself another drink. The two were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Isaac and Vinyl got to their feet and looked out the window to see Lyra and Bonbon. “What’s up guys?” Isaac said as he opened the window. “Didn’t you hear? Some crazy building just popped up out of nowhere on the edge of town!” Bonbon yelled. “Crazy building?” Vinyl asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Looks like some weird house. We’re gonna check it out. Coming?” “Sure I need to get my mind off certain things anyway.” Isaac said as he closed the window and made his way out onto the street. Lyra smiled at him and the group made their way to where a large group of ponies had gathered. Isaac’s jaw dropped as he saw a rather large two story white house with bright red front door. Isaac made his way through the crowd to see a familiar tan stallion smiling. “Ah Isaac, just the man I wanted to see.” The doctor said with a smile. “How....when did......WHAT?” Isaac said as his brain tried to form words. “Yeah, I took a closer look at the screen and the burn marks weren’t from a fire. It was from Temporal Displacement.” The doctor said in a matter-of-fact tone. “What?” “Time travel.” The doctor said with a sigh. “You mean my house didn’t burn down?” He said as his brain connected the dots. “Nope, what we saw was just seconds after I teleported it here.” “But....how come it just got here and we didn’t see it before?” “Because I didn’t do it yet.” The human had a confused look on his face. “But....Screw it I am WAY to excited to try to understand this right now.” Twilight and the five others made their way up to the human. “Isaac, what in Equestria is that thing?” Twilight asked as she and the five other mares looked at the building. “This is my house! The one I had back on Earth!” He said in excitement. The mare’s jaws dropped at the information. Isaac walked up to the door and tried to turn the handle to find it locked. “Damn it. The doors locked.” “Hang on.” The doctor said as he pulled out the metal rod and pointed it towards the lock. Isaac heard a small click come from the door knob. Isaac tried it again and felt the knob turn to his satisfaction. Isaac made his way inside and found that all of his possessions were just as he left them. The six mares made their way inside and started to look around. The main hallway was quaint and a stair case that led upstairs that seemed to jut out from the wall. “Cool. Humans have TV’s.” Rainbow said as she saw the 48’ flat screen in the living room. “Yeah. I never saw one at Twilight’s place though.” He said as he looked at Twilight. “It’s in Spike’s room. It posed too big of a distraction for me.” Twilight said as she sat on the black leather couch. Isaac picked up the remote and flipped through the channels that seemed to only show static. “Looks like I’ll have to upgrade a few things.” He said as he turned the screen off and remote down. Pinkie and Applejack had made their way into the kitchen and were starting to look through his fridge. “Hey Isaac, what’s this?” Pinkie asked as she held up a red and white soda can. “That is Co Ca Cola. It’s a type of soda.” Pinkie cracked it open and took a sip. “WOW THAT IS GOOD!” She yelled as she chugged the rest of it. “Easy, I only have a few cases of that stuff.” “So this is what a human house looks like. Very.......homely.” Rarity added. “Thanks. I think.” He said as he walked over to the ponies sitting down on the couch. "You guys want a tour?” The mares smiled and got to their feet. “What’s this thing?” Pinkie asked as she picked up a white box. “Gah! Carful with that.” “What is it?” “It’s an X-Box 360. It’s a game console and a DVD player.” “DVD player?” “Movies on disks.” He said as Pinkie put the electronic devise down. Isaac walked through the house with the mares. The group walked into a study with the walls lined with books. Twilight’s jaw dropped and she started to drool. “Um Twilight. You’re drooling on the carpet.” “Sorry. There’s SO MANY BOOKS!” She said in excitement. “Yeah, my dad was huge book worm.” “If you don’t mind me asking darling, where did you get the money to pay for this?” Rarity asked. “Well, when my folks died they left me this house.” He said in a flat tone. Rarity gulped. “Oh.....I’m sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s fine. On with the tour.” He said as he walked out of the room. He grabbed Twilight’s arm and dragged her out of the study. The group followed the man upstairs. The mares walked into a room with papers and other things strewn across the floor. Isaac rubbed his head and chuckled. “Sorry, I should probably clean this place up.” “It’s not too bad.” Rainbow added. “Well, considering your room Rainbow you’d think a pig stye was neat.” Applejack said with a smirk. “Hey! I clean when I have guests over.” She protested. The mares looked around the room to see posters and pictures hanging up on the gray walls. A bed and book shelf leaned against the far wall. Isaac walked out of the room and led the group back downstairs where the tan stallion was waiting. “Is everything where it should be?” He asked with a smile. “Yeah, it’s all here. Doc, I can’t thank you enough for this.” “Oh relax.” “No really, if you need anything. Anything at all don’t hesitate to ask.” The stallion smiled and patted him on the back. “Can I ask you something?” “Shoot.” “Why do this all for me? I know we’re friends and all but, bringing my house from another dimension? Don’t get me wrong I’m very grateful, but I can’t help wondering how you did it and why.” He said as the mares looked at the stallion. The Doctor let out a sigh and looked at the mane. “Trust me Isaac. I know what it’s like to not have a home to go back too and that’s something no one should go through. In a way, you remind me of myself.” “Well, if you find yourself in this dimension my door is always open.” He said with a smile. The stallion smiled and shook the humans outstretched hand. “Now if you need me, I’ll be in the 1960’s.” He said with a grin. “Say hi to JFK for me.” Isaac said with a grin. The stallion let out a chuckle and walked out of the house into a his blue box. The human gave a final wave as the box started to vanish. He turned back to the stunned mares and grinned. “Now then, who wants dinner?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The six mares sat at the dinner table and watched as the human chopped up fresh vegetable and threw them in a stir fry pan. “You guys are lucky that I dated a vegetarian for two months.” He said as he finished and put the vegetable and noodles on their plates. “Um..what is this?” Twilight asked. “Stir fry noodles and vegetables.” He said with a smile. Twilight gulped and looked at her friends who had the same look of uncertainty on their faces. They all took a bite at the same time. Their eyes shrank at the flavor in their mouth. “What you don’t like it?” “It’s great!” Rainbow yelled as she scarfed the rest of it down. “Yeah this stuff is a delicious!” Pinkie said with a smile. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” Rarity asked as she took another bite. “When you live on your own, you need to learn how to cook for yourself.” He said as he ate his pile. The group soon started to chat about the other adventures they’ve had. Through out the conversations Twilight looked at the man with a suspicious look in her eyes. “Something wrong Twilight?” Isaac asked as he noticed the mares expression. “Can I make an observation?” “Sure.” “Since you’ve been here your personality has changed quite a bit. I guess all I’m saying is that...I’m a little surprised to see how relaxed you are.” “Well, when I first got here I was WAY out of my comfort zone and to be honest I was little freaked out. So I naturally kept my distance.” He said as the mares looked at him in shock. “Now that I’ve actually gotten to know you all I’m a bit more relaxed, not to mention having some familiar ground to stand on.” He said with a grin. The mares smiled warmly back at him. Rarity let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Well, this has been fun, but a lady does need her beauty sleep.” She said as she got to her feet. “I’ll do some digging and I’ll see if I can find any fashion magazines around.” “Thank you darling. Ta-ta.” She said as she left the house. “Ah’d better get home soon. Mac will be wondering where I am.” AJ said with a grin. She gave the human a hug and left the odd home. “Ugh! I just remembered the Cakes need me to watch the twins!” Pinkie said as she charged out the door. “I’d better get home and feed Angel bunny.” The timid mare said as she left the home. “I have weather duty in the morning, see ya later.” Rainbow said with a wink. Isaac walked back into the study and came out with a book in his hand. “Hey Twilight, here.” He said as he handed her the book. “It’s a book that overviews human history. Not everything is in there but enough to give you a basic understanding.” He said with a grin. “Thank you and Isaac I’m really, really sorry about-” “It’s fine Twilight we all act crazy when we get too emotional. If I cut off a friend for every time they over reacted I’d have no friends at all.” The mare smiled and gave him a hug before she left. Isaac closed the door behind her and let out a satisfied sigh. He made his way upstairs and laid down on his old bed. “Man it’s good to be back home.” He said with a smile. The human drifted off to sleep in his familiar surroundings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the Doctor vanished inside the TARDIS d hung his head in shame. He pulled something up on the screen and let out a sigh. He bashed his fists down on the console and groaned. “NO! He can’t know, not yet.” The stallion said as he threw a few switches and sped off through time and space. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac awoke to find himself in a plain white room with a familiar AlicornPrincess smiling at him. “Princess Luna?” “Hello Isaac.” She said with a grin. “What are we doing here?” “While my sister’s intentions are good. We believe it’s better to learn how to control power rather then seal it.” She said as she approached the man. “I’m not following.” “We will train you to control your magic.” Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Who better to teach you then the one who gave you that power?” “Good point. I’m just worried that I’ll go out of control again.” He said in a low tone. “That won’t happen with my guidance.” “How will this even work? I mean I’m dreaming right?” The mare gave him a nod. “So how will any of the things you’re going to teach me stick?” “You’re forgetting that we can manipulate dreams. We casted a spell so you will remember what we’ve taught you when you wake.” She said still holding the smile. “This is of course voluntary. Should you not wish us to be your mentor then we completely understand.” Isaac bit his lip and weighed his options. “Okay. So what should we do first Master Luna?” He said with a bow. “Thank you for allowing us to teach you and we would like to keep this just between us.” “Why?” “My sister might not approve and we fear that Twilight Sparkle will become jealous.” “I understand. I won’t tell a soul.” He said with a smile. “Splendid. Lesson one; Levitation.” Author's Note Sorry for the long delay everypony. I neede to get my thoughts together and finals are starting to creep up again.
Chapter 13: RewardChapter 13 Reward The next few days went by fairly quickly as Isaac finished with the seemingly endless amount of paperwork for purchasing the property his house had ‘landed’ on. The Princess was kind enough to help out with the expenses and she managed to get a local construction crew to connect the water pipelines and the solar panels to his house. Isaac helped the crew with placing the panels on the roof of his house to help soak up suns energy the ponies used to power their electronic equipment. Luna was steadily teaching Isaac the basics of magic. He had gotten the hang of telekinesis quickly and practiced it quite often around his home. Isaac stood at his stove with two eggs in the pan and bacon sizzling in the other. He looked at the clock and realized it was around 8:30am. He turned away as he heard a knock on the door. The human hurried over and opened it to see Spitfire smiling at him. “Hey Spitfire what’s up?” “Nothing much, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I’d stop in and say hi.” He said as she walked inside. Isaac noticed she was wearing a pair of royal blue shorts and a grey Wonderbolt T-Shirt. “So this is what a human’s house looks like.....Cool.” “How do you know where I live?” “I heard a rumor going around that some weird house came out of nowhere and landed in Ponyville. I figured either you or one of your friends had something to do with it.” She said with a chuckle. She then sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?” “I was just having breakfast. Want some?” “Sure, I haven’t eaten yet.” She said as she followed the human into the kitchen. She sat down across from the human as he put a plate down in front of her on the circular table. “What’s sizzling?” “That is bacon.” “Can I try some?” She asked. Isaac looked at her in surprise. “Sure, I guess. You should know that it’s made from pig.” “Ponies can eat meat remember?” “Just wanted to let you know.” He said as he handed her a strip. The mare sniffed it and took a bite from the strip of meat. Spitfire’s eyes widened at the flavor. “This tastes awesome!” She said as she devoured the rest of her food. Isaac did the same to his and put the dishes in the sink. “So did you wanna do something?” “Yeah, I kept thinking of a way to pay you back for saving me and I think I’ve got something.” The human groaned. “Spitfire you don’t have to do anything for me.” “I still feel like I owe you something and trust me you’re going to love it!” She said with a grin. Isaac looked at her with a blank expression on his face. “Just hear me out first okay?” “Fine.” “How would you like to be a Wonderbolt?” The human looked at her in confusion. “Um don’t I need to have wings to become one?” He asked as he pointed to the mares wings. “You’ll become an Honorary Wonderbolt. You’d be considered a Wonderbolt in title, but you won’t have to go to any of the shows or do stunts.” Isaac thought to himself for a moment. “I am the Captain and I’m sure my manager would agree to it.” “How many ‘Honorary Wonderbolts’ are there?” “Not that many. Honorary Wonderbolts still have to prove themselves on the training course and pass a series of tests.” Isaac raised his eyebrows at the mares words. “And if you don’t pass then there’s no repercussions.” “And if I do pass?” “Then you get a Wonderbolt uniform fitted to your body, a badge that will get you into all the exclusive places we get into and the title itself.” She said with a grin. “What are these tests?” “Physical strength, speed, maneuverability, combat and a few others.” She said with a shrug. “Why not? I had nothing planned today anyway.” “Awesome!” She said as she got to her feet. “Let me just check something.” He said as he started to walk upstairs. “Can you go get a cloud and bring it down here?” Spitfire nodded and flew out the door into the sky. Isaac walked into his room and opened the closet. He pulled out a black bag and removed the contents. A black sleek backpack that had a hard plastic surface on the outside and draw strings on the shoulder pads. He put the object on his back and walked back down to see the golden mare waiting for him. Isaac gave her a nod and saw that the white fluffy cloud was right beside her. The human took a breath and climbed on top of the cloud and stood on it. Looks like I got Luna’s cloud walking powers too. “I thought you said that humans couldn’t walk on clouds.” Spitfire said as she looked at the human. “Twilight put a spell on me that allows me to do so.” He lied. The mare nodded her head and noticed the pack on his back. “What’s that thing?” “Insurance.” He said as he hopped off the cloud. “Dumb question; where is the training course?” “In Cloudsdale.” She said as she pointed towards the sky. “Right, how am I going to- GAH!” He was cut off as Spitfire grabbed Isaac under the arms and took flight. Isaac held on to the mare for dear life as she picked up speed. The two quickly made their way towards a cluster of clouds that seemed to take the shape of a city. The two by passed it and landed on a cloud that was significantly longer and was complete with a terrace and an air strip. Spitfire set the human down on the cloud. “Don’t. DO THAT!” He yelled as he caught his breath “Oh suck it up you big foal.” She teased we’re here. As she started to walk up the steps to what looked like an office. Isaac pulled his hood up and followed the mare inside. Isaac kept his head held low and avoided any unwanted attention. Spitfire stopped and unlocked a door to reveal a lounge area with several other blue suited Pegasi. The golden mare walked up to Soarin with a smile on her face. “Hey Soarin.” “Hey boss what’s up?” He asked. “I was thinking we put Isaac here through the ringer and see about making him an Honorary Wonderbolt.” She said as the other bolts looked at the human. “Um, what is he?” One of them asked. “He’s a human. The one I told you about.” Their heads immediately perked up. “You’re the guy that saved Spit?” “Yeah.” Isaac said as he removed his hood. The other ponies looked at him in surprise and amazement. Soarin scratched his chin and gave a shrug. “You got my vote. All he has to do now is pass the tests and he’s in.” “Sweet. Let’s get you some gear.” Spitfire said as she took him by the arm and pulled him out of the room and back down the hall. Soarin looked at the other bolts and smirked. “He’s gonna get burned isn’t he.” One of them chimed. “Oh yeah. He’s doomed.” Soaring said with a smile. Isaac followed Spitfire into a workout area that was complete with weight machines, treadmills and several other devices. Isaac removed his hood and the bag he had on his back. Spit fire walked over to one of the machines and pressed a few buttons. “Stretch out while I set this thing up.” Isaac nodded and did a series of pushups, jumping jacks and crunches. “Okay this thing is ready for you.” Isaac nodded and walked over to the mare. Isaac laid down on the bench press and put his hands on the bar. “The minimum to lift is eighty-five pounds.” “That’s it?” “Hey, Pegasi may be fast but we’re not as strong as Earth Ponies.” She said as she spotted the human. Isaac lifted the bar off the stand and started to lift the weight with ease. “You’re stronger than you look.” Spitfire said sounding impressed. Isaac set the bar on the holder and got to his feet. “Thanks I-” He was cut off as he felt dizzy and stumbled. Spitfire caught him and eased him down on the bench. “You okay?” “Yeah, must be the thin air. Not used to being up this high.” He said as he slowed his breathing. “Right I totally forgot that non Pegasi have issues with the altitude.” She said as she face palmed. “Sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said as he caught his breath. “Take five. I’m gonna stretch out.” She said as she walked over and grabbed yoga mat. Wait what? He thought as he looked over and saw the orange mare remover her grey shirt to reveal a tight fitting black sports bra. Isaac’s jaw dropped as she started doing splits. As her legs spread apart she bent her back so that the base of her wings were touching the mat. Isaac felt his face flare up as the mare tilted her head back and looked at him. “What?” “N-nothing. Just surprised to see how flexible you are.” He said as he adverted his eyes. “Were you thinking dirty thoughts?” She teased. “NO!” Yes. “Whatever.” She said as she got to her feet. “You passed the strength test, now onto the sparring training.” She said as she slung the grey shirt over her shoulder and led the man out of the room. As they walked through the hallways Isaac noticed that several stallions and mares wings spring up as they saw Spitfire walking down the hall with Isaac following. As they walked down the hallway Isaac couldn’t help but notice that Spitfires tail was swishing from left to right each time she took a step. The two walked into a padded room where Soarin and a few other trainee’s were sitting down as Soarin lectured. He saw Spitfire enter the room and gave her a wave. The two made their way over to the group who looked at Isaac in surprise. “Hey Soarin what’s going on?” “We were about to test hand to hand combat. You want in?” “Maybe later, but Isaac could use the practice.” “What?” The human said in surprise. “You need it on the check list.” She said with a smug grin. Isaac let out a groan and walked up to Soarin. “Okay everypony this is Isaac. He is the one that saved Spitfire from drowning last week.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “So what are you guys doing?” “Submission grapples.” Isaac gave him a nod. “Fire Wind, show him what you got.” A yellow Pegasus stallion with a red mane got to his feet. The two got in a fighting position. “Okay, no kicks, punches or biting.” He said as the two gave a nod. “Okay, go.” The yellow stallion lunged at the man. Isaac grabbed his right arm and brought it behind his back. Isaac then took his other hand and grabbed the back of his neck and forced him to the ground. The yellow stallion grunted and tapped on Isaac’s arm. The human let go of the stallion and backed away as he cracked his back. “Wow.” He heard one of the trainees say. “Impressive. Mind showing us any more other moves?” Soarin asked as he entered the small ring. “Sure.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. The two circled the mat as a brown Pegasus stallion entered the room. His eyes narrowed on the human. “YOU!” He yelled. “What a pleasure to see you again.” Isaac said in a sarcastic tone. Soarin turned around and saw the trainee. “You know him Thunder Kicker?” The stallion asked as the Pegasus approached the human. “Yeah.....he...um.” The stallion immediately shut his mouth. “What he means to say is that I cleaned his and his other two friends clocks last week.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. The ponies looked at the brown stallion who was gritting his teeth. “You told us that it was five on three!” One of the trainees yelled. “Shut up!” The brown stallion yelled. “Look, how about we just for get this whole-” Isaac was cut off as the stallion punched him in the face. Soarin immediately stepped between the two. “This is FAR from over.” He yelled. Isaac cracked his neck and looked at Soarin. “Soarin, permission to use him in the demonstration?” “Permission granted.” Soarin said as he stepped to the side. The brown stallion grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Same rules; no kicks, no punches or biting.” He said as he stepped out from between them and sat down next to a nervous Spitfire. The stallion immediately started to circle Isaac who stood as still as a statue. Some of the trainees were cheering Thunder on while the others stayed silent. “Payback time asshole.” He said as he lunged at Isaac’s back. The human side stepped him and stuck his right arm out. The stallions chest collide with the appendage making him fall back. His right leg went upwards towards the ceiling. Isaac caught the leg and gave it and extra force. Making the stallion do a complete back flip and landed on his chest. The ponies in the room let out a collective ‘ouch’ as the stallion hit the mat. Isaac raised the pointer finger on his still outstretched arm. “Rule number one; Never be too eager to rush your opponent.” The stallion got to his feet and tried to jab at Isaac. The man caught the stallions fist and started open the fingers and apply pressure to the stallions’ palm. Thunder’s face contorted in Pain as Isaac forced him onto a knee. A series of cracks came from the stallions hand which sent shivers down the Wonderbolts spines. “From this position it’s very easy to manipulate your opponents’ movements.” He said as the stallion got to his feet. “For example.” Isaac said as forced the captured hand close to the stallions armpit and positioned the elbow in an odd angle. The stallion cried in pain at the action. “This is called the chicken wing.” Some of the recruits let out a chuckle. The human then forced the arm up into a right angle. “The crowbar.” The stallion grunted in pain. “And my personal favorite.” Isaac noticed that the stallion was trying to sat something. He quickly made the stallions ring and pinkie finger crunch against his palm leaving his index and pointer finger exposed. Isaac then forced the two fingers inside the stallions mouth. “The Pacifier.” He said as he gave an upward thrust, sending the stallion onto his back. The Wonderbolts started to clap for the human as he took a bow. Isaac looked over at Soarin and Spitfire who’s jaws were hitting the floor in shock. “Let’s um...take a five minute break.” Soarin said as he side stepped the human. Some of the Wonderbolts helped the injured Pegasus to his feet and walked towards the door. “Sorry about that.” Isaac said as the Pegasus limped by him. The stallion let out a grunt and joined the other trainees that followed the blue stallion out of the room. Spitfire looked at him still in shock. Isaac sat down on the ground and caught his breath. Spitfire walked up next to him and sat down next to him. “That was pretty impressive.” She said with a smile. “Thanks.” “Where did you learn those moves?” She asked. “My dad taught me.” “Why?” “I don’t know. My dad was in the Marines, wanted me to carry on the tradition.” “Did you?” “Yeah, only for four years though.” He said with a sigh. “What was it like?” “Hard as hell.” He said as he got to his feet. He helped Spitfire up and smiled. “Mind teaching me some of those moves?” “Well, Spitfire-” “Dude, you don’t have to use my full name all the time. I don’t call you Isaac....what’s your last name anyway?” “Trust me, it’s unpronounceable Spit.” He said hesitantly. “There ya go.” She said with a smile. “As I was saying. I only use those moves when I have too and you need to be pretty strong in order to-” He was cut off as the golden mare kicked his legs out from under him and pinned him to the floor. Isaac tried to struggle but Spitfire had a hand on each of his wrists and was sitting on his groin area. “You were saying?” She teased. Spitfire drew her face closer to the humans and made her chest press against his. “Nicely done.” He wiggled on arm free and reversed their positions so he was now on top of her. “But not good enough-” He was cut of as the golden mare pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt her tongue prod it’s way into his mouth and explore the foreign orifice. Isaac looked at her in shock as she broke the kiss. The mare wrapped her tail around the humans leg and managed to break free. She grabbed one of the humans arms and pushed it up against his back. The mare then forced the human’s upper body and face to the mat. “No fair!” “You gotta do what it takes to win.” She cooed. The mare let go of the human and helped him up. Isaac discretely slugged himself in the leg to smother his stiffening member. “Having a malfunction?” Spitfire teased. “No, looks like you are though.” He said as he pointed to Spitfires erect wings. The mare started to blush brightly and took a few deep breaths. The mare cleared her throat and walked over to the door. Isaac picked up his coat and bag before he followed her. “C’mon we still have to test your speed.” She said as she adverted her eyes from the human who was concealing his blush. The man followed the mare until she stopped in front of a door. “I just need to get changed. That okay?” “Sure.” He said as he leaned against the wall. Spitfire nodded and walked inside the mares room and closed the doors behind her. Isaac leaned up against the wall and waited for the mare to walk out. As he waited several ponies were looking at him in surprise and amazement. As he waited several thoughts went through his mind. Why did dad teach me all this stuff? I mean, I’m not complaining, but just why? There MUST have been a reason. I guess we’ll never know. He thought as the door opened to reveal the orange mare in her skin tight blue uniform. Isaac felt his face flare up as he saw the tight blue suit hug her body. Making her curves more apparent. “You ready?” “Yeah.” He said as he followed the mare down the hallway. “So what rank were you?” She asked as she looked back at the man. “I was a Sergeant.” He said with a shrug. “Was it tough? The training I mean.” “Oh yeah. I’ve never hurt more from working out in my life.” “What was the group called again?” “Marines, they’re a fusion of out Navy, Army and Air Force. The best of the best.” “So why did you join?” “Mostly to help pay for school.....Which really doesn’t matter now that I’m here.” He said as the two walked outside onto the field with a quarter mile track ring in the center.. “So what are we doing now?” “Speed test. Normally we’d test your wing power, but since you don’t have any wings. We’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.” She said as she held up a stop watch and a clip board. Isaac set his belongings down and took his position at the starting position. “GO!” She yelled as Isaac took off. Spitfire watched Isaac as he picked up speed and ran past her. She felt the force created by the man hit against her fur. As Isaac rounded the final turn he put everything he had into his legs and shot forward like a manticore was chasing him. He overshot the finish line and started to slow down. Spitfire looked at the stop watch and recorded the results. “How’d I do?” He asked as he supported his weight on his knees. “Six minutes, seventeen-seconds. That’s a new academy record.” “Really?” “Nope.” She said in a teasing tone. “Why do you torture me like that?” He said as he caught his breath. “It’s fun.” She said with a smile. “But, you are on your way to breaking a record.” “What?” “First human to complete the Wonderbolt Training course.” “Like that’s and achievement.” He said in a flat tone as he stood up. “Hey! I’ve seen some of the strongest ponies fail this course.” She said as the human go to his feet. “It’s a pretty big achievement in this world.” She said in stern tone. Isaac looked at the mare who had a serious expression on her face. “Sorry, I meant no offense.” He said in a low tone. “It’s okay I guess I see your point. You are the only human here after all, so there’s no real competition.” She said with a shrug. “What’s next?” “I just need to fill out some paper work and then we’re good.” She said as she led him back inside the building. As the two went past a number of doors Isaac caught himself staring at the mare’s flank which was magnified by her tight blue uniform. He instantly adverted his eyes as the mare’s head turned back to him. “What’s up?” “Why wear that thing when you’re off duty?” “Well, it’s really comfortable and light weight.” She said as she looked at her arms. “Not to mention it looks cool.” She said as Isaac eyed her figure. The two made their way into a large office with a large desk in the center and a lounge chair in the corner. “Now where did I out that paperwork?” She asked as she started to search her desk. “Search the drawers.” “What does it look like?” “You’ll know it when you see it.” She said as she bent over the desk and started to look through the papers. Isaac sat in the chair and started to rifle through the drawers. Isaac noticed that Spitfire was whipping her tail as she looked for the papers. “Ah ha! Gotcha.” She said as she held up the piece of paper. She put the paper on to her desk and grabbed a pen. “I just need your signature here.” She said as she pointed to a line. Isaac picked up a nearby pen and scribbled his name down onto it. “Here and here.” She said as she pointed to two more spots. The human signed his name and handed her the pen. Spitfire picked up the paper and read the name. “Wow you were right. Odd name.” “Don’t beat yourself up. Almost no one get’s it right.” He said with a smile. “So what now?” “Now we get you a uniform.” She said as she walked over to a supply closet and withdrew a bright blue uniform with yellow stripes. The mare handed it to Isaac who started to look it over. “Right one question. How do you get it on and off? Is there a zipper in the back or something?” “Oh that’s easy theres a zipper near the neck.” Isaac watched as the mare pulled the zipper down her mid section revealing her golden cleavage. The man felt his face heat up and his member become hard. Spitfire’s face instantly went red as her brain clicked at what she just did. A snide smile then spread across her face. “Oh you’re good.” “Um, what?” He asked as the mare walked up to him taking long strides with her hips. “Oh don’t play dumb with me Sarge. I’ve seen how you look at me when you think I’m not looking.” She said as she pulled her arms through the outfit revealing her ample golden breasts.Isaac tried to back up but found that the desk was blocking his escape. “Look Spitfire, you’re very attractive but-” He was cut off as the mare started to massage his stiff member. “Wow, I haven’t been this fired up in a while.” She said as she removed the rest of her outfit. “As your Captain I am giving you a direct order.” She said as she unbuttoned Isaac’s pants. “What if someone walks in and-” “So what?” She said as she removed his shirt and forced him down against the desk. “I just remembered something.” “What?” He asked as the mare crawled on top of him. “We still have to test your endurance.” She said with a sly grin. Spitfire positioned herself above the man’s fully erect shaft. The mare let out a gasp as she lowered herself on to the tip of the phallus. Isaac let out a moan as he felt the mare’s soaking wet slit envelope his stiff member. “Oh....sweet Celestia.” She said as she pressed her lips against his. Isaac wrapped his hands around the mares back and started massaging her wings. The mare cried in ecstasy as she felt the man’s fingers rub her stiff wings. “Oh.....Fuck.” She said as she slowly started to slide herself up and down on the man’s shaft, lubricating it. “Oh god.” Isaac said as he started to match her rhythm. The mare cried out in pleasure as she sat up, taking the rod deeper within herself. Isaac started to massage her breasts in a circular motion. “Keep going...........That’s an order.” She breathed out between the moans. “Yeah....here’s the thing......Spit.” He said as he started to sit up. “I hate taking orders.” With one quick motion he reversed their positions on the desk and started to pound into her. Spitfire was going crazy. She enjoyed sex when she was the dominant one, but when she was dominated she loved it. “Oh my Luna.” She breathed out as the man started to make his motions more fluid and swift. “Let’s see.....how....flexible.....you are.” Isaac took each of the mares muscular legs and spread them apart. The mare bit her lip as she felt her muscled being strained and pleasured at the same time. Spitfire could feel the burning fire growing in her loins starting to peak. Isaac felt the mare’s walls starting to grip around his stiff member. The human smirked and pulled himself out of the mare. “Don’t!” She whined. “What? Couldn’t catch that.” He said in a teasing tone. “I NEED YOU INSIDE ME I’M SO CLOSE!” She yelled. Isaac smirked. “What’s the magic word?” “PLEASE!” She yelled. Isaac smiled and plunged his rod into the mare’s waiting folds. Spitfire cried out in passion as she felt the man’s rod hit her back wall. “I’m.....I’m coming!” She yelled as she wrapped her arms and legs around the man’s body. Isaac felt her walls clam on his cock like a vice. Isaac continued to quicken his pace as he felt the mare’s juices flow onto his shaft. “Harder!” She yelled. Isaac felt a familiar pressure building up inside his body. “Spit I’m gonna-” “Keep going!” She moaned. Isaac thrusted harder and faster than before until he released inside of her. The mare let out a cry of passion as she felt the man’s juices flow into her. Isaac felt his muscles contract and relax. The golden mare wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in to a kiss. Isaac returned the gesture and prodded his tongue inside her lips. “That......was.....amazing.” She said as he slid out of her. “Like wise.” He said as he caught his breath. “I can honestly say I’ve never had sex at 20,000 feet before.” “We’re actually at 35,000 feet.” She said as she started to put her uniform back on. “Even better.” He said as he put his clothes back on. “Listen I understand if you don’t want me to talk about this with anyone. You’re a celebrity after all.” “Doesn’t matter to me. So long as you don’t get all obnoxious about it.” She said as she zipped her uniform back up. “Relax, I’m not like that.” He said with a smile. “Oh right, before I forget.” She said as she opened a drawer and pulled out a golden badge with the wonderbolt insignia on it. “That’s your badge. Ponies will recognize you as an Honorary Wonderbolt. Congratulations.” She said with a smile. “Thank you.” He said as he shook her hand. “Don’t mention it.” “Just one more question.” The mare looked at him as he pulled the uniform out of the navy blue gym bag. “What about the wing space? I don’t have wings so it would look kinda silly.” He said as he pointed to the costume. “Each suit is enchanted to fit the owners body. It’ll adapt once you put it on. So the wing space will probably disappear.” She said as Isaac put the suit in a bag. “That’s handy.” He said with a smile. He put the badge in his pocket. The two walked out of the office and made their way outside. Isaac looked at his phone and saw that it was late in the afternoon. “I should probably get back the others are probably getting worried about me.” “Want a lift?” She asked as she outstretched her hand. The man nodded and took hold of the mares arm as she took flight towards the small town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the small town Rarity and the other girls were sitting outside Sugar Cube Corner. Twilight was nose deep in the book Isaac had given her while the other girls were small talking. Rarity had a disappointed look in her eyes as she looked at her friend. “Please Twilight.” Rarity whined in a pleading manner. “Sorry Rarity, but I just got to...” The lavender mare took a moment to glance at the book she received from the man. “The Egyptians and I am NOT stopping.” She said as she returned to her book. “Fluttershy, please?” She asked with a smile. “Sorry Rarity, but the bunny I’m looking after could have her babies any day and I have to be there for her. Sorry.” She said in a timid tone. “It’s alright darling. Rainbow? Applejack?” “No way, no how.” The farmer said as she shook her head. “Why don’t you ask Sp-” She was cut off as Twilight’s horn flared and turned her mouth into a zipper. The mare shook her head with a worried look in her eyes. The mare made the zipper vanish. “Okay never mind.” “Thank you Twilight.” Rarity said as she let out a sigh. “I still need to find a plus one for the event. Do you know anyone who I could go with?” The mares gave it some thought until Rainbow perked up. “Look Rare’s, a date isn’t come falling out of the sky just because you have some fancy art show to go to.” She said with a sigh. “I’ll have you know that several brilliant painters will be there. Not to mention-” “TWITCHY TAIL!” Pinkie yelled as her tail started to shake. The ponies immediately ducked under the table and looked towards the sky. “Wait! Twitchy tail, achey knee and floppy ear.” She said as she got to her feet. “What? What’s gonna fall?” Applejack said as she panicked. “Not what. Who.” “INCOMING!” The mares looked up to see Isaac falling from the sky with a parachute coming from his backpack. The mares looked at him in shock as he landed in front of them. The parachute landed behind him and he held a clenched fist raised. “Still got it!” The mare’s quickly rushed over to him as he started to fold the parachute up and packed it into the bag. “WHAT WERE YOU DOING?” Twilight yelled. “I can tell you what I wan’t doing. I WASN’T trying to recreate one of the best stunts from the James Bond films.” He said with a smile. “What?” “Never mind.” He said as he continued to pack up the parachute. “Where were you today?” Rainbow asked. Isaac froze as he remembered the day. “I was hanging out with Spitfire and I brought the parachute incase I fell off a cloud.” He said with a sigh. The mares looked at him in shock, while Rainbow was fuming. She grabbed the mans shirt and started to shake him. “WHY DIDN’T YOU INVITE ME?” She yelled as she let go of the man. “Easy there Dash.” AJ interjected. “So what did you and Spitfire do?” She asked as they sat back down at the table. “We just hung out. Shot the breeze. Stuff like that.” He lied. “What did she want to talk about?” Twilight asked. “I mostly asked about the Wonderbolts, flying that sort of thing.” He said in a flat tone. “Did you mention me?” Dash asked in enthusiasm. “No, you didn’t come up at all.” The cyan mare hung her head in disappointment. “Well, if you need me I’ll be heading home. It’s been a long day and I’m bushed.” He said as he yawned and got to his feet. Rarity’s eyes lit up at a realization. “Isaac wait.” The human looked back at the mare who had a smile on her face. “Theres an art show in Manehattan that I would just love to go to. I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.” She said with a smile. “What like a date?” The mare blushed at the statement. “No, just a social engagement that is no fun to go to alone.” She said in a flat tone. “Everyone else is too busy.” She whined. Isaac thought for a moment and shrugged. “Fine, only on one condition.” He said in a stern tone. “What?” “I get to wear what I want to wear.” The mare’s right eye twitched. “Relax I own two suits that look good. I’ll bring those.” Rarity bit her lip and thought for a moment. “Very well. Be at the train station tomorrow at Eight o’clock.” She said with a smile. “I’ll be there.” He said with a wave as he continued on his way. Rarity looked back at her friends with a smile on her face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac walked into his home and threw his bag on the couch and made his way upstairs. When he got to his room he climbed out of the window and walked up to the chimney that had a bright blue gym bag hanging from it. He opened the bag and saw that the suit and other items were in there. He took a moment to look towards the sky and let out a sigh. “Hey Spit, can you drop this bag off on my roof for me?” He said as the two stopped on a cloud just above the town. “Why?” She asked in confusion. “If Rainbow see’s this stuff she’s gonna flip and I am way to tired to deal with that right now.” He said as he handed her the bag. “How are you going to get down?” “The old fashioned way.” He said as he jumped off the cloud and pulled the parachute cord, making the parachute erupt from the bag and slowed his descent. Isaac snapped back to reality and went back inside his house. He quickly withdrew a jet black suit with a red tie and white shirt along with a navy blue jacket with a silver tie. He packed them in a bag and threw a few more items back inside. The human laid on his bed and closed his eyes as he felt the day’s activities take their tolls.
Chapter 14: ArtChapter 13 Art Isaac sat across from the white mare inside their train booth. The human was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a white T-shirt with a black leather jacket on. Isaac looked over at the mare who was wearing a white blouse along with a pair of purple jeans that matched her purple glasses and mane. The human noticed that the mare’s eyes were darting from left to right and she seemed to shift in her seat. In an effort to break the silence Isaac started a conversation “So Rarity, why did you pick me to go on this event?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “Well, everyone else didn’t want to go.” “Why?” “Rainbow Dash and Applejack have no appreciation for the fine arts. Fluttershy hates large crowds and would probably spend the whole event hiding in a bush or under a table.” She said with a sigh. “What about Twilight? Wouldn’t she want to go?” “Twilight is the smartest mare I know and while she is cultured, she lacks the creative point of view.” “I can see that. What about Pinkie?” The mare looked at him with a blank expression on her face. “Right, never mind. Wait, why not take Spike?” “Spike unfortunately has a small cold.” “So?” “Sneezing dragons and priceless works of art don’t mix.” The human nodded his head in agreement. “You should know that I’m not very artistic and can’t throw my two cents in if we get into a conversation.” He said as he sat back. “I figured.” She said as she looked at the man. “So why bring me then?” “I hate going to these functions alone and you haven’t seen much of Equestria, aside from Ponyville that is.” She said with a smile. “How long is this event?” “We’ll be staying there for two nights.” She said as she turned back to her magazine. The human let out a sigh and pulled out a small leather bound book. Isaac pulled a pen out of his backpack and started to scribble some words down. Rarity looked up and cocked an eyebrow at the humans action. “What are you doing?” “Writing.” He said in a flat tone. “I meant why.” “Just a habit I guess. I did it all the time back in my world and I aim to continue it here.” “So it’s a diary?” “Journal. Diary sounds too......pretty.” He said as he put the book away. “How long is the train ride?” “We’ll be there in two hours.” She said as she looked at her watch. The human let out a groan and pulled out his Laptop. “What in the name of Equestria is that?” “This is a laptop. Mac Book Pro.” “What does it do?” She asked as she sat next to the human to look at the screen. “Almost anything. Right now I’m going to watch a movie. You want in?” He asked as he plugged in his headphones. “No thank you darling I-” She was cut off as she saw the movie poster appear next to the description. “That dress is marvelous! That hair is so...unique!” She said with a gasp. “Reconsidered have we?” He said with a grin. Rarity pulled out a earphone splicer and connected it to the machine. Isaac pressed play and the two watched the flick. Isaac had noticed that the mare started to rest her head on his shoulder. The human payed no mind to it as he watched the film. By the time the movie had ended the train had pulled to a stop and the two grabbed their belongings and made their way off the train tracks. “That film was spectacular! I had no idea that humans were so creative!” “We’re full of surprises.” He said as he and the mare waited for the cart filled with Rarities belongings. The small cart seemed to be overflowing with bags filled with god know what. “Thinking of setting up a vendor booth Rare’s?” He said with a smirk. “Ha, ha. Very funny.” She said in a sarcastic tone. “Let’s head to the hotel.” She said as she waved over a carriage. Isaac looked in surprise as it was being pulled by two Clydesdale horses. “Something wrong dear?” Rarity asked as she stepped inside the carriage. “There are horses here?” “Yes, why?” She asked as she levitated the bags on top. “To the Diamond Palace sir.” “Right away ma’am.” The grey pony said with a smile. He slapped the reigns and the horse pulled the carriage. Isaac looked at Rarity with a raised eyebrow as they continued along the streets. “Why are you staring at me?” Rarity asked. “Just amazed that there are horses here.” He said as he looked at the animals. “Why?” “I just figured since ponies are like humans, I just assumed the same for horses.” “No. We use them for pulling carts and what not. What about on your world?” “Same reason. I’m just still surprised.” He said as he sat back. “What’s so surprising?” “You may not know this, but on my world ponies are just distant cousins of horses.” “I know.” She said in a calm voice. “So why do you make them pull carts?” “Well, they can’t communicate, shop or get jobs. I guess they’re considered pets.” Isaac held the stare and let out a sigh. “I guess I can see that. Humans do the same thing to monkeys by putting them in zoos’.” He said as the cart stopped. The two got out of the cart and with their belongings. Isaac let out a groan at the mountain of bags Rarity had in a pile outside the cart. Isaac tipped the stallion and gave him a nod. Isaac and the mare walked inside and stopped at the desk. The receptionist was a green unicorn mare with glasses. “Good afternoon.” She said with a smile. “Hello, I have two rooms under Rarity Belle.” “Okay let me just check.” The mare said with a smile. She started looking through the files. She pulled one out and bit her lip. “Sorry Ms. Belle, but we only have one room under that name.” “Oh silly me. I must have forgotten. Can you just add one to the bill then?” “Sorry, no vacancy.” Rarity’s smile faded and hung her head. “How many beds are there?” Isaac asked. “One. There is a sofa in the main living area.” The receptionist said as she adjusted her glasses. “Well, looks like Rarity will have to take the couch.” He said in a light hearted tone. The white mare slowly turned her head slowly and gave him a look that could kill a manticore. “Jeez Rarity, I’m kidding. That will be fine.” Isaac said with a grin. The mare handed him the room keys and smiled. Rarity walked over to the luggage cart where a tan stallion was waiting next to Rarity’s mountain of bags. “Sir, please take these up to room 618 on floor ten.” She said with a smile. “Ma’am the weight limit on the elevator won’t take all of this baggage.” “So make multiple trips.” She said in a flat tone. “I don’t know Miss I-” Rarity let her hair down and made a pouting face. “Please?” She asked as her lip quivered. What ever resistance the stallion had crumbled right there. “As you wish.” He said in a flat tone. “Thank you.” She said as she walked towards the elevator. Isaac walked over to the stallion who silently cursed himself. “Need a hand?” “Thank you!” He said as he handed Isaac some bags. The two made their way towards the elevator. The stallion pressed the button and leaned against the elevator wall. The two let out a sigh as they rose. “So are you and her....together?” “No, just friends.” He said as the elevator stopped moving. The two grabbed the bags and made their way down the hallway. Isaac stopped at the room number and inserted the key into the slot and opened the door. The two walked inside and dropped the bags off. Isaac reached into his wallet and withdrew twenty bits. “Here you go.” “Thank you sir.” He said as he left the room. Isaac looked around the room and whistled. A complete kitchen, with living room, a Queen sized bed and shower. The man threw his backpack and single bag onto the couch. He walked over to the fridge and withdrew a bottle of bottled water. He looked over to see Rarity with a smile on her face. “Ah good the luggage arrived.” “Yeah, what do you keep in here rocks?” “Diamonds to be more specific.” She said as she reached in to reveal a diamond necklace. “So when does this art thing start?” “Tonight at seven o’clock.” She said as she adjusted her hair in the mirror. “Well, it’s only noon. So what do we do?” “SHOPPING!” She said as she levitated her purse over to her. Isaac face palmed. “I knew you were gonna say that.” “Come along Isaac. We have much to see.” She said as she walked out the door. Isaac grabbed his jacket and reluctantly followed the mare. The two walked down the city street as Isaac kept his hood up to avoid attention. The two walked into a department store and started to look around the small shop. Isaac waited patiently as Rarity tried on outfit after outfit. The human withdrew his music player and selected a random song to help pass the time. “Well, how do I look?” Isaac looked up to see rarity in a very small bikini swim suit. The top was just two small triangles colored white that made her look like she was wearing nothing at all. Isaac felt himself blush at the sight. “You look.....great.” He said with a gulp. “Do you think Spike will like it?” She asked as she turned around. Dat ass! Isaac quickly slapped himself in the face. “Yeah I think he’ll approve.” He said as he discretely took a snapshot with his phone. The mare walked back behind the curtain. That’s Spike’s girl! Since when do you care? I may not like the fact that your having sex with theses things but you took the Bro Code Oath! What’s bro code article one? Bro’s before hoe’s. Correct. So control yourself! Isaac snapped back to reality as Rarity exited the changing room in the clothes she wore into the store. The white mare paid the cashier and the two made their way back onto the city streets. Isaac pulled out his phone and selected Spike’s contact. He pressed a few buttons and sent the text. Yo Spike. Sup? Not much. How are you feeling? Lousy :( Maybe this will cheer you up >:) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Ponyville the dragon was lying in bed with the phone in his claw. “What could he mean by that?” He said as the human sent him the picture he had just taken of the white mare. The dragons jaw dropped and a small dribble of blood came out of his nose. The dragon saved it in his phone and started to text. What are you two doing? Rarity wanted to go shopping, so she dragged me along for a second opinion. Oh. That makes sense. Yeah, I’m bored out of my skull here. Likewise. Crap, Rarity is about to buy something completely stupid. Better stop her. See ya. Peace. The dragon exited out of the message and stared at the picture of the white mare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the busy city the two friends sat down at a nearby coffee shop. Isaac quietly sipped his drink as the white mare glared at him. “Oh don’t give me that look. That hat was hideous.” He said as he put his cup down on the table. “I would have made it work!” “Look Rare’s, your an excellent designer, but there are somethings you just can’t fix. Like that hat. I’ve seen water buffalo that look more subtle than that thing.” He said as he finished his coffee. “I suppose you’re right.” She said as the two got to their feet and walked out of the shop. Isaac threw his white hood over his head and walked beside the mare who was staring at him. “Honestly Isaac why do you insist on keeping that hood up?” “I don’t want to end up on the six o’clock news with the title ‘New species discovered.’ I’m pretty sure I’d get a bag thrown over my head and hauled off to get dismantled and experimented on.” He said with a groan. “If something like that did happen I’m sure Celestia and Luna could clear things up.” She said with a smile. The human nodded and continued walking until an old shop caught his eye. The small building was wedged between two tall skyscrapers and looked like it was made when the city first started. “Isaac?” “Hang on, I want to see something.” He said as he walked towards the shop. “You can’t be serious. That place sells trash.” “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He said as he went through the door. The inside smelled of burning herbs and spices. He looked around at the antiques until he noticed an old mare with a cane and a pair of thick dark glasses on her nose. “Hello there. What can I do for you?” She asked in a sweet tone. “I was just looking around your shop.” “Wish I could.” She said as she pointed to her glasses. Isaac immediately gulped. “It’s alright dear. I’m used to it. You must have a knack for the strange and mysterious if this shop caught your eye.” “You could say that.” He said as a young green unicorn mare with brown hair came from the back. “Hello, need help finding anything?” She asked in a cheery tone. “No thank you. We were just leaving.” Rarity said in a flat tone. “You can if you want.” “Come on Isaac this place is boring.” “Hey you dragged me to all those clothing stores, now it’s my turn.” He said as he eyed the mare. The white mare put a pouting face on and whimpered. “That look doesn’t work on me. Save it for Spike.” He said as he looked around the shop. The mare let out a sigh and stood by the counter. Isaac made his way through the shop and looked at the various items. The man’s eyes shrank as his eyes fell upon a certain item. “Ma’am where did you get this?” He asked in a flat tone. “That?.....Hm.....Don’t know. Just found it here one day. No idea what it is though, no pony will buy it.” The young mare said with a shrug. The man picked it up and placed it on the counter. “How much?” “Seriously?” The mare said in surprise. “Yeah.” “That’ll be fifty bits.” She said with a smile. “Fifty?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Yup.” “No problem.” He said as he pulled out the bit bag. Clearly these guys don’t know what it this thing is. If they did they’d most likely destroy it. And they’d most likely hurt themselves. I won’t let that happen. He thought as he paid the mare and put the item in his bag. The elderly mare suddenly got to her feet. “We have a special on this week. A free fortune reading with every purchase.” She said with a smile. “You’d better take her up on the offer. Granny’s predictions are pretty good.” The mare said with a smile. “How will that work? I mean you’re-” Rarity was cut off as the mare chuckled. “There are many ways to see the world dear.” She said with a smile. Isaac shrugged and followed the mare into the back room. The room was small with a single table in the center. The two sat down on either end. “Okay, now I need something that holds sentimental value.” She said as she stretched out her hand. “Why?” “The spell need something to lock onto.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac rifled through his pockets and sighed. His gaze then fell upon his arm which had a wooden beaded wristband with carvings into each bead. The man reluctantly pulled it off his arm and handed it to the mare. “Thank you.” She said as she rolled it around in her palm. “Good, now give your right hand.” Isaac complied and outstretched his hand. The elderly mare took it and quickly pulled out a pin and plucked it into his flesh drawing blood. “JESUS! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?” He yelled as he tried to withdraw his hand from her grasp. “Payment.” She said as she squeezed and a small drop of blood fell on the wooden wristband. The mare let go and Isaac immediately pulled his hand away and rubbed the sore spot. The mare’s horn glowed and the wristband was levitated and started to spin. Isaac looked in surprise as the mare’s eyes started to glow. A beam of light connected their foreheads. “I can see it now.” Her voice changed from her usual cheery voice to one that sounded like she was possessed. “You’re a traveler. A long, long, long way from home. You are like a coin; two sides. Two voices with the same goal.” She said as she looked at the man. “Be wary. Your song will end soon.” “What are you talking about?” “It will knock four times.” Isaac’s mind was going crazy as he felt the foreign influence flash multiple pictures. “Take up arms old soldier there is still a battle to be fought and a choice must be made.” Rarity poked her head into the room and let out a gasp at the sight. “Know one last thing child. You are not alone.” The glow from her eyes left as the connection was severed. She sat back and breathed heavily. The mare looked at the man who’s face had lost all it’s color and had the look of pure fear. “So sorry dear, did I say something?” She said in her normal tone. “You don’t remember?” Isaac said as he caught his breath. “Sorry, I don’t remember the fortunes. They just come and go.” She said with a smile. Isaac quickly got to his feet. Hurried over to Rarity and grabbed her hand. As he left the shop the younger mare hurried after him with a bag in her hand. “Sir you forgot your item.” She said the human stopped. “Okay no offense, but your grandmother is-” “Crazy?” She said as she bit her lip. “For lack of a better term; yes.” He said as the mare handed him the bag. “Tell me do all her predictions usually come true?” He asked in a nervous tone. “Sometimes.” She said in a low tone. “I’m sorry about your hand, it’s just how it works.” “It’s fine.” He said as he raised his right hand to show that the wound was healing. “See good as new.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. “Right, oh here’s your bracelet back.” She said as she tossed him the wooden bracelet. Isaac nodded and put it around his arm. “Hope you come again.” She said with a wave. “Hopefully next time we skip the bleeding.” He said as he walked away from the shop. Rarity looked at him in confusion as the two hurried away from the shop. “Isaac what’s wrong?” Rarity asked. The man remained silent as they hurried through the streets. Isaac felt a mixture of emotions flood through him. Curiosity, anxiety and fear. As the two entered a wooded park. Rarity ripped her hand from the man’s tight grip. “ISAAC!” The man snapped back to reality and looked at the mare who had a look of fear on her face. “Sorry Rarity. I just.....had to get out of there.” He said as he sat down at a bench and caught his breath. The mare sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “That mare was obviously crazy.” She said in a reassuring voice. “I mean she thought you were a soldier.” “I was. Once.” He said as he looked down. “I felt her crawl into my mind. She saw my memories, my thoughts....everything.” He said as he held his head. The mare rubbed his back and comforted him. She then noticed the item in the bag. “What is that thing anyway?” She asked. “Nothing just a trinket.” He said as he grabbed the bag. “Isaac....What is it?” Isaac let out a sigh and looked back at the mare. “It’s something from my world.” “What? How is that possible?” “The Doctor told me that I came here through a rift.” “A what?” Rarity said in a confused sounding voice. “Think of reality and time like a piece of fabric. Tightly woven together. There are these little gaps in the material that can let things fall through.” The mare nodded her head. “I fell through one of them.” “So other things can fall through them too?” “Yeah.” “Other humans?” “Possible, but unlikely. The Doctor said that if a living thing were to fall through there’d be no way of knowing when or where they’d end up.” He said with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “It’s getting late we’d better head back and get ready.” He said as he got to his feet. The mare nodded and the two made their way back to the hotel. The two walked through the streets in silence as they made their way through the busy crowd of ponies. They entered the lobby and made their way upstairs. Rarity was going through her purse and let out a gasp. “What?” “I left my key inside the room.” The man face palmed. “Great.” He said with a groan. “Wait a second.” His head perked up and he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the silver rod the Doctor had given him. “Let’s hope this works.” He said as he pointed it towards the key hole and pressed the button. After a few seconds the two heard a satisfying click come from the lock and they made their way inside. “Now I see why he carries this thing around with him.” He said as he slipped the instrument back into his pocket. The man pulled out his suitcase and threw on his collared white shirt, jet black pants and jacket along with a red straight tie. He looked at his watch and let out a sigh. He laid back on the couch and dozed off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “That eager for our lessons?” A voice said in the man’s head. Isaac looked up to see Princess Luna smiling at him. “Might as well get a lesson in while I wait for Rarity. God knows that could take hours.” He said with a chuckle. The mare smiled. Her expression then turned flat as a shiver ran down her spine. “Is something wrong?” “I sense that there is something wrong with you.” “How do you know?” “I’m in YOUR head remember?” She said as she cocked an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lied. The dark Princes glared at the man who held a bad poker face. “Isaac. As a friend we ask that you be truthful with us.” She said in a stern tone. “Fine. Sorry for lying it’s just that I can’t seem to make much sense of it myself.” The man then told the Princess about his fortune being told. “That’s when Rarity and I high tailed it out of there.” He said with a sigh. The mare put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I’m sure she was just another so called ‘fortune teller.’ They can’t even predict the weather without a Pegasi’s help.” “Thanks Luna.” He said as he got to his feet. “So what’s this lesson?” “We are going to teach you how to deflect offensive spells.” She said as a glowing blue ball appeared in her right hand. “Wait a second. I don’t even know any spells.” He said in a surprised tone. “Oh well. On guard!” Isaac looked up to see the Lunar Princess charge at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the room Rarity had finished preparing and walked out of the room to see Isaac asleep on the couch. She tapped him on the forehead and drew her face closer to his ear. “Wake up Isaac!” She said in a high pitched sing sone voice. “AHHH!” He said as he instantly sat up. “Jeez Rarity. Couldn’t you have just nudged my shoulder or something?” Isaac looked at the mare who was sporting a sleek strapless red dress with matching shoes. She was also wearing a pair of red gloves that creeped up to the middle of her upper arm. Here eyelashes were curled and were lined with a lightish red eyeliner and ruby red lipstick. “Well, how do I look?” She asked as she spun around. Isaac gulped and felt his face flare up. “You look fine.” He said as he gulped. “Just fine?” She asked with a pouting look on her face. “Stunning, hot, sexy. Take your pick.” He said as he got to his feet. “What was that last one?” She asked as she blushed. “Nothing. We’d better get going.” He said as he walked over to the door only to have it shut in his face by a white aura. “Hold it right there mister!” The mare said in a commanding tone. “You’re not going out there like that!” “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He asked. “It’s a formal event!” “The deal was that I could wear what I wanted and this is the nicest suit I own.” The mare remembered the deal she struck with the man. “Very well. I suppose it’s passable. Just be on your best behavior.” “What are you my mother?” He said in an aggravated tone. “Oh hush and don’t forget the room key.” She said as she walked towards the door. Isaac walked over to his bag and removed a medium sized black cylinder with a grip. He put the object in his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He walked out of the room taking his key. The two made their way to the lobby and hailed a carriage. Isaac felt the cart roll against the cobble stone road and hit a few pot holes. Isaac felt the carriage pull to a stop and he stepped out first holding the door open for the mare. “Why thank you kind sir.” She cooed. Isaac reached into his pocked and withdrew a handful of bits to pay the stallion. He looked at the building in surprise. “Something wrong Isaac?” “This place looks a lot like a museum from my world.” He said as his eyes looked at the architecture. There were two stone griffins out front on pedestals. Rarity wrapped her arm around Isaac’s and the two of them made their way up the stone steps to the museum entrance. Two white pegasus guards in golden armor and holding spears stood at the entrance checking invitations. The two guards looked at the human with a raised eyebrow as Rarity withdrew their invitations. The two stallions shrugged and let the white mare inside. As Isaac stepped forward they crossed their spears. “Sir, he’s my plus one.” Rarity said with a smile. “Sorry ma’am but you’ll have to leave your pet outside.” The guard said in a flat tone. Pet? “Can’t you let him in?” Rarity said in a begging voice. The guards gulped as the mare traced a finger over one of their golden chest plates. “You know I love a stallion in uniform.” She cooed. Both guards felt their faces heat up but soon shook it off. “Sorry ma’am but-” “Rarity!” The mare looked behind her to see a white unicorn stallion with a flowing blue mane and a monocle over his left eye accompanied by a slim pink unicorn mare. “So good to see you again my dear.” “Fancy, Fleur. So good to see you again.” She said as she shook their hands. “Maybe you can help me. The guards are giving my date a little bit of trouble.” “No need Rarity.” He said as he reached into his pocket. Hope this works. He thought as he pulled out the golden badge Spitfire had given him. Both guards immediately retracted their spears. “Sorry sir. We didn’t know you were a Wonderbolt.” They said as they let the man pass. “Perfectly fine.” He said as he rejoined a now dumbfounded Rarity. “Ready to go?” “Where did you get that?” Rarity asked. “Spitfire made me an honorary Wonderbolt yesterday as payment for saving her.” He said as he put the badge away. “Don’t tell Rainbow Dash.” “I understand.” The mare said as she looked back to her two friends. “Oh yes, Isaac, I’d like you to meet Fancy Pants and his wife Fleur de Lis.” “A pleasure to meet you.” Fancy said with a smile. “Like wise.” Fleur nodded. “Might we inquire to what you are?” “I’m a human.” He said with a smile. Both of their jaws dropped. “Looks like the rumors are true.” Fancy said as he cleaned his monocle. “Well, any friend of Rarity’s is a friend of mine.” He said as he shook the man’s hand. “Come along you two, lots to see.” He said as the group made their way through the crowd. Isaac could feel multiple eyes on him. “Don’t mind them old boy. Just not used to seeing someone like you around.” “Relax I’ve been getting looks like that for over a month now.” Isaac said with a grin. “So....Isaac was it?” Fleur asked. The man nodded. “What do you do?” “I’m a freelancer.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “I go from job to job. Recently I’ve been helping a friend of mine who runs a farm.” “My friend Applejack.” Rarity added. “Oh she was running the apple cart at the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago.” Fancy said as they stopped in front of a painting of a landscape. “What about where you’re from?” “Let’s just say that I’m a long way from home.” He said as he crossed his arms. “What was your occupation?” Fleur asked. “Solider.” He said in a flat tone. “Really now?” The stallion said in a surprised tone. The group continued to go through the museum and look at the different types of art put on display. After an hour had passed The group started to mingle and talk amongst themselves. “So Fancy, what do you do?” “I’m a share holder in a series of banks.” He said as he sipped his wine. “Interesting. What about you Fleur?” “I’m a model for a number of magazines.” She said with a smile. “Oh excuse us.” She said as she and the white stallion departed and vanished into the crowd. Isaac looked at Rarity who was smiling. “They seem nice.” “Oh yes Fancy is such a generous stallion.” “Looks like it.” The man then saw the color from the mare’s face fade away and she quickly turned around. “What’s wrong Rarity?” He asked as he looked at her. “Over three tables to the right.” She said as she pointed over her shoulder. Isaac followed the finger to see a pink Pegasus mare with a blonde mane surrounded by several stallions. “Who’s that?” He asked. “That is Angel Beats. That mare, for lack of a better term; is a grade A bitch.” She said in a cold tone. “How so?” Isaac asked. “She always flaunts her eyelashes and thrusts her chest out in order to get ahead in life.” Isaac looked at the mare with a raised eyebrow. “What?” “No offense Rarity, but you do the same thing.” The mare’s jaw dropped. “Like when?” She stammered. “Whenever you need Spike to do something for you. At the hotel with the butler and at the front gate with those guards.” He said as he sipped his water. “I only use that for trivial tasks. I have never, nor will ever do that to get ahead in the fashion business. I prefer to be recognized for my skill.” She said in a proud tone. “I see. My apologies.” He said with a nod. “It’s alright darling. Back to the topic at hand. That mare is without a doubt the most insufferable, inconsiderate mare in all of-” “Rarity! Darling!” Isaac looked up to see the pink mare make her way over to him and the white mare. “Angel! How are you dear?” The visible rage was quickly hidden by a flawless smile The white mare gave the pink Unicorn and air kiss on either cheek. “How goes your business dear?” “Excellent as always. I still can’t believe that you’re still in that backwater town.” She said in a smooth voice. Isaac saw Rarity’s right eye twitch. “It has it’s charms and I draw so much inspiration from the ponies there.” She said with a smile. The pink mare’s eyes then fell upon the man in the suit. “Who’s your friend?” She asked as she batted her eye lashes. “This is my date.” She said as she wrapped and arm around his. “Isaac this is Angel Beats, Lingerie designer.” She said still holding the fake smile. “Nice to meet you.” Isaac said with a grin. “Charmed. I’m so sorry.” “For what?” Isaac asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “What ever accident you were in that made you lose all of your fur. You poor stallion.” Isaac bit his lip and let out a sigh. “Actually, I was born like this and I’m not a pony.” He said with a fake smile. The mare looked at him in confusion. “Oh...You must be that human that Fleur was going on about. Quite honestly I thought she was kidding.” She said with a sigh. “Well, why are you with Rarity?” She asked. “Excuse me?” Isaac said as he narrowed his gaze. “I’m just asking why someone like you is with a mare so plain.” Isaac could feel the rage as Rarity’s grip tightened on his arm. The man cracked his neck and glared at the mare. “Plain? She is anything but plain.” He said in a flat tone. “Rarity is the nicest and most generous mare I’ve ever met.” He said as the pink mare gulped. “Unlike you, who have to resort to cheap underhanded tricks to get ahead in life because you can’t rely on your skill as a designer.” “How dare you!” She said as she slapped him across the face causing Rarity to gasp. “How about that. You even smack like a bitch.” The now flustered pink mare stormed off back to her table. Isaac let out a sigh and walked over to the bar. “I’ll take a shot of Scotch.” He said as he put a few bits on the bar. Rarity followed him and ordered a drink of her own. Isaac looked to his right to see Rarity staring at him. “Sorry about that.” “Don’t be. I still can’t believe that you stood up for me.” “‘Course I did. You’re my friend.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Not to mention that I hate people or ponies in this case, like that.” “You’ve dealt with people like that before?” She asked as her Champaign arrived. “Yup, all through High School.” He said as he sipped his drink. “Likewise. My school days could have gone better.” “How so?” He said in a confused tone. “You seemed like the prom queen type.” “Oh I was. I was the most popular mare in school and everypony wanted to be by my side.” She said as she stared off into space. “Then I realized that my friends really weren’t my friends.” “What happened?” Isaac asked. “A few of the girls started picking on a mare who was different. When I defended her they all turned on me. My status plummeted and I was thrown into the same social group as her.” She said as she sipped her glass. “Was it worth it?” “Definitely. I’m a better mare for it and Applejack an I are the best of friends.” Isaac looked at the mare in surprise. “What about you? What social class were you in?” “None. I was usually on my own safe for Mason who got along with almost everyone.” He said as the bartender refilled his drink. “Mason. I recall that you said that he was stronger than you.” “Yup.” “He must be something special then.” She said as she looked at the man. “What do you mean?” He asked in confusion. “Well, you are something else and if he's better than you then that means he must be very special.” “Mason and I were equal in physical ability, but he has this...driving force that always keeps him going. No matter what the world throws at him he takes in stride.” He said in a low tone. “You don’t?” “I’m the guy that always prefer to just deal with thing rather than change them.” “You said that you were a soldier?” The man nodded. “Why did you decide to do it?” “Didn’t really have much choice. Family tradition and all. My dad was pretty strict about it. Told me to ‘carry on the warrior gene.’” He said with a sigh. “Warrior gene?” “I come from a long line of soldiers. My mom traced our ancestry back to ancient times. I honestly think that she may have had too much to drink one night and started reading about roman mythology.” He said with a shrug. “So what did the ancestry thing turn out as?” She asked. “No idea.I can look it up when we get back home. I’m pretty sure that my mom saved the family tree.” He said with a shrug. “What about your folks?” The two continued to talk late into the night. By the time the exhibit was over the white mare had downed two bottles worth of champaign and was barely standing on her own. “Then....that...crazy mare turned my hair green! GREEN!” She yelled. Isaac looked at his watch and then back at the mare. “C’mon Rarity. Time to go.” “Why? We’re having fun!” She whined. “Well, you’re drunk and I’m almost right behind you. So I say we head back to the hotel before on of us does something stupid.” He said as he paid the bartender. The white mare was pouting and pushing her lower lip out. “That look doesn’t work on me.” He said as he helped her to her feet. “Oh you’re no fun.” She said as the two made their way out of the art museum. Isaac hailed a carriage and the two slowly made their way back to the hotel. Isaac managed to keep the mare from tripping over herself. As Isaac fumbled with the key card he felt the mare rub her head against his back and let out a sigh. Isaac ignored the action and made his way into the roon with the white mare following close behind. The man sat on the couch as the mare walked into the bedroom. The man leaned back and let out a sigh until he heard a voice. “Isaac, could you help me with something really quick?” Isaac got to his feet and walked into the room to the the mare sitting down on the bed. “I hate to ask this, but could you undo the zipper on the back of my dress? I’d do it my self but magic and alcohol don’t mix well.” She said in slow tone. “No problem.” He said as he sat behind her. The mare pulled her mane out of the way so that the man could get to the zipper. “What word did you use to describe me before we left?” She asked in a playful tone. “I used three words, try to narrow it down. I can’t rightly remember.” He said as he blushed. “It was a four letter word and it started with an S.” She said as the human took the zipper down. “If you must know then the term was....” The mare turned around and smiled at him. “Say it.” She said in a seductive tone. “Sexy.” As the man started to get up the white mare tackled him onto the bed and passionately pressed her lips against his. Isaac felt the mare’s body latch around him and start to move in a steady rhythm. The man felt himself becoming aroused by the mares action. The man quickly sat up and gently pushed the mare off him. “Sorry Rarity, but no.” “Why not?” She whined. “You’re drunk. I can taste the Champagne on your lips. I won’t take advantage of you like that.” He said as he tried to get up only to be tackled again by the white mare. Rarity pinned him to the bed and straddled his chest. “Rarity, get off me.” He said in a flat tone. “Why? Let’s have some fun” Her horn glowed and the bed sheets tied Isaac’s wrists to the frame. The mare’s breath reeked of alcohol. The man let out a sigh and looked back at the mare. “Fine.” He said in a flat tone. “Just let me get my hands back. This is a bit uncomfortable and I’ll need them to pleasure you.” He said in a sultry tone. “As you wish darling.” She said as her horn glowed and the bed sheets removed themselves from his wrists. The man took a moment to gently rub his once tied hands. He gently removed the top half of the mare’s red dress revealing her pristine white ample breasts. The man slowly moved his hands up her torso and caressed them making the mare moan in pleasure. “Oh Isaac. That feels marvelous.” She breathed out. “How does this feel?” He asked as he moved his hand in a circular motion. “Simply divine.” She moaned. “What about this?” The man moved his right hand up to the spot where her shoulder met her neck and applied pressure. The mare felt dizzy for a moment and collapsed on the human’s chest. Isaac gently lifted the mare off his body and rolled her over on her back. He took the front of her dress and put it over her bust. Isaac then maneuvered the covers so that they covered the mare’s body up to her neck. “Thank you Leonard Nimoy.” He said in a low tone. The man walked over to the bed room door and closed it. Isaac then took a shower and changed into a Guinea T and a pair of baggy gym shorts. He pulled the bed portion out from the couch and laid down to rest. Author's Note I'm Back! Inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. Honestly finishing this chapter is what the difficult part was. I'd like to thank all those who gave me their support to help me get back on track.
Chapter 15: Have I Been Here Before?Chapter 15 Have I Been Here Before? Rarity woke up with a bounding headache and a bad taste in her mouth. As she pulled the covers off she realized that she was still in her dress from the night before. The mare quickly threw on a bathrobe and smelled something coming from the opposite room. She opened the door to see the man sitting down eating at the table in the kitchen portion of the room. “Morning.” He said with a grin. “Ugh, my head.” She said as she sat down. Isaac walked over to his bag and withdrew a small vial of purple liquid. “What’s that?” “Hangover cure from Zecora. I figured that at least one of us would get blitzed so I asked her to cook up a few batches before we left.” He said as he poured the liquid into a glass. The mare stared at the glass and gulped. “It may taste bad but it get’s the job done.” The mare took the glass and drank the liquid. Her face contorted and she stuck her tongue out. “Better?” “A little. Mind telling me why I woke up in my dress from last night?” She asked as Isaac got up. “You don’t remember?” Th mare shook her head. Isaac thought for a moment of the events that occurred the previous night. “You got drunk and passed out on the bed.” He lied while putting on his best poker face. “Did I do anything embarrassing?” She asked. “Almost, but I stopped you from making a big mistake.” “What mistake?” “You almost slept with the bellhop.” He lied. The mare’s face turned bright red and hung her head in shame. “Thank you. For stoping him.” “Well....It was more you than him.” He said as he washed his plate in the sink. The mare grabbed her head in pain. “Yeah the headache still remains, but the nausea disappears.” The man walked over to his bag and withdrew a black hooded sleeveless sweat shirt making the white T-shirt he had on stick out. The man walked over to his back and retrieved the black cylinder from before. He slipped it into his right pocket along with his P-pod and phone. The man made his way towards the door. “Where are you going?” She asked. “Sight seeing.” “Wait, I’ll go with you.” “I think it’s better if you stay here and rest. That potion can affect you pending on how much you drank.” “Your point?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow. “I had three shot’s of Scotch while you drank almost two bottles of champagne. The potion will take longer to disperse the alcohol and I don’t think that you want to be going around a loud and noisy city with a migraine.” The mare was about to protest but found no argument. “I move faster on my own anyway.” He looked at his phone to see that it was nine o’clock. “I’ll be back around three at the latest.” He said as he walked out the door. He walked over to the elevator and selected the main floor. He walked out into the street listening to his music. He kept his hood up and made his way through the crowd. He looked into an alley and found a fire escape. The man ascended the metal structure until he got to the roof. He looked out to the other buildings. Isaac walked over to the edge and rested his right foot on the edge. Let’s see I managed to jump over Twilight and the others. So that was a good ten feet. This should be easy. If I’m wrong? Then we don’t have to live in this place anymore. Win, win in my book. He thought as he took a few steps back. Legs don’t fail me now! He thought as he ran and jumped off the building. He outstretched his hands. Isaac felt his feet hit the roof next to his jump point and he quickly went into a roll. Okay that was easy. This calls for some awesome running music. He thought as he selected a song and started running. The man then broke into a sprint and ran along the roof tops scaring the crap out of some pigeons and Pegasi. After he cleared a twenty foot gap he stopped and caught his breath. As he looked down he saw a familiar white mare with an electric blue mane. He quickly pulled out his phone and selected the contact. He looked down to see the white mare put her phone to her ear. “Hello?” “Hey Vinyl, it’s Isaac.” “Hey what’s up?” “Where are you right now?” He asked. “In Manehattan. Why?” “See the store with the blue banner out in front?” He said as he looked down towards the banner. “Yeah why?” “Look up towards the roof.” The white mare followed the banner to see a hooded figure on the roof waving to her. “What the hell are you doing up there?” She asked as her jaw dropped. “Sight seeing. I’ll be down in a minute.” The man said as he hung up. Isaac walked over to the edge and descended the fire escape. The metal frame stopped ten feet above the ground. Isaac hopped off the structure and onto the black top. He crossed the street to where the DJ was waiting for him. “Sup?” “Not much. Why were you on the roof?” “Like I said; sight seeing. The best place to look at things is from above.” He said with a shrug. “Why are you in the city?” “I’ve got a gig tonight.” She said with a smile. “What about you?” “Rarity is going to this art thing and she dragged me along for company.” He said with a shrug. “Ouch. That must suck.” “Yeah, of course that wasn’t the weirdest part of my visit.” He said as the two started to walk down the road. The two walked towards a coffee shop and sat down as Isaac finished his story. “And then I knocked her out.” He said as the mare stared at him. “Wow, you have the craziest adventures.” Vinyl said as she sipped her drink. “Yeah, aren’t I lucky?” He said in a sarcastic tone. The human felt a small shiver run down his spine. He looked over his shoulder to see a figure in a white hood staring at him. Isaac rubbed his eyes for a second and the figure vanished. “You okay?” “Yeah, just tired.” He said with a yawn. “So what should we do now? I got the day off. Know any cool things to look at?” “I guess....Oh I know a place!” She said as she got up. “C’mon it’s not to far from here.” The mare grabbed the man’s hand and led him through the streets of the bustling city. “Can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “Why didn’t you sleep with Rarity?” The human looked at her in confusion. “She was drunk and I didn’t want to take advantage of her like that.” “That’s nice of you, but I know that it’s not the only reason.” The human looked at the mare who was making a pouting face “Fine. Spike is seeing her.” He breathed out. “So? You know that it’s not illegal for a mare to see more than one stallion or vice versa.” “Yeah I know, but Spike is a friend and I said that I wouldn’t do anything with Rarity.” He said with a sigh. “I stick to my morals and I know that Spike would probably try to kill me if I did.” “You really think that?” “I would if I were him.” “Why?” She asked. The man stopped walking and let out a sigh. “Back on my world relationships are usually between two people. My first girlfriend broke my heart.” The mare put a hand to her mouth in shock. “What happened?” Vinyl asked in a low tone. “I caught her in bed with another guy.” He said in a low tone. “So?” The man cracked his knuckles. “You don’t get it Vinyl. I respected her, I put up with a lot of her shit and she goes behind my back and cheats on me? With someone I hate no less.” He said as he felt rage burning up inside of him. “Look, even if Spike said he was okay with it I’d know that he’d just be suppressing a growing rage. Eventually it would explode and who knows what will happen if a dragon goes on a rampage.” “I think I’m starting to see the picture.” “Not to mention that I consider Spike a Bro and I follow the Bro Code.” “The what?” “A code that bro’s follow. Think of it like a set of rules for bro’s to abide by. For example; Bro Code Article one, Bro’s before Hoe’s.” “Huh?” “It means that your friend comes before your girl or boyfriend.” He said with a smile. “Oh! I guess that makes sense.” “Right. So you see that I am not willing to jeopardize my friendship with Spike just because a mare is shaking her ass.” He said in a proud tone. The mare nodded and led him to the sidewalk near the shore. Isaac’s jaw dropped as he saw a massive green statue of Celestia holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left. “Vinyl. What the fuck is that?” “The statue of Libertneigh.” Isaac face palmed so hard he left a red mark on his forehead the size of his palm. “Where did the city get it from?” “Prance I think.” Vinyl said as she scratched her head. The man face falmed herder than he'd ever before. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He said with a groan. “What?” She said in an aggravated tone. “Okay. There’s coincidence, then there’s downright plagiarism. I’m gonna have to sue somebody.” He said as he raised his arms. “Why?” “There’s a humanized version of that statue back in Manhattan. The human version of this place.” He said as he pointed to the ground. “Just when I thought this place couldn’t get stranger.” “Welcome to Equestria.” She said with a smile. A low grumble came from the mare’s stomach. “Heh, heh. Sorry I skipped breakfast. Want some lunch?” “Sure. This may sound odd but, are there any places that sell meat around here?” Vinyl gulped. “I think there are a few in Little Griffonia.” She said as she led the way through the busy streets that soon turned into large alleyways. Shops were stationed on either side of the road with the large Griffins standing behind. “This place looks good.” She said with a smile. The two sat down at a table. A female Griffin walked up to them and handed them each a menu. Isaac read through the menu while Vinyl looked at it in confusion. “Um...I can’t read this.” “Really? Clear as day to me.” He said as he looked at the menu. “Here’s a salad dish.” He said as he pointed to an oddly worded name. “How can you read that?” “It looks like English to me.....OH!” He said as he made a connection. “What?” “Do you know the Doctor?” “You mean that tan stallion that travels around in a police box or something? The one that Ditzy keeps going on about?” “Yeah him. Ditzy told me that his police box....or ship, has a psychic translator built into it.” The mare nodded. “Apparently if you go into the box, then you automatically have a psychic link with the machine. Hence I can translate.” “That makes no sense.” “This coming from a magical pony who’s also a DJ.” He said with a laugh. “Touche.” She said as another Griffin came to their table. Isaac gulped as he saw Gilda with a note pad in her claw. “Well, look who’s here.” She said in a stagnant tone. “Look Gilda I don’t want any trouble. If you want us to go then we’ll go.” Isaac said as he closed his menu. “It’s fine. Since you gave me that recipe our business has been booming. So I’d say we’re even.” She said with a small grin. “So what can I get you?” “I’ll just have a salad.” Vinyl said with a grin. “Got it. What about you?” She asked as she looked at the man. “I’ll see how you guys used the recipe.” He said with a smile. “I’ll be back out in a second.” As the Griffin walked away Vinyl looked at the man who let out a sigh of relief. “Who was that?” She asked as she cocked her eyebrow. “You heard that I got in a fight right?” “Yeah, with some Griffin......HER?” “Yup.” He said as he sipped his water. “After a few days I visited her in the hospital. At first she was scared shitless of me. After we both calmed down she apologized and I to her. We called it even after I gave her a meat recipe from my world.” “What’s it called?” “A Hamburger. It’s a slab of meat that’s in patty form and fit’s on a two pieces of bread.” He said with a smile. “It’s quite delicious if you make it right.” “I still think that eating meat is weird.” She said with a sigh. “There are plenty of humans that are vegetarians and I guess it’s an acquired taste.” He said as their food arrived. Isaac’s eyes boggled at the slab of meat in the pieces of bread in front of him. The man picked it up and took a bite from it. “Awesome.” He said with a satisfied grin. Vinyl ate her salad as Isaac happily ate his burger. “Can I try a bit of that?” Vinyl asked. “Sure.” The man took his fork and knife and cut a piece off for the mare. Vinyl sniffed it and gulped. “What kind of meat is this?” “Beef.” He said as the mare looked at him in confusion. “Cow.” “Okay. Don’t knock it till you try it.” She said as she took a bite. The mare slowly chewed the meat and swallowed. “Not too bad I guess.” She said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. Gilda came by and handed him the bill. “Hey Gilda, Rainbow told me that you work for Griffin Air Mail. Why are you here?” “My uncle owns the restaurant and I help out on the weekends.” She said with a shrug, Isaac nodded and paid the bill and left ten bits as a tip. The two walked out of the restaurant and made their way back to the city street. “So Vinyl. How did you get into the music business?” He asked. “Well, I’ve always liked music. When I was a filly I accidentally scratched a record on a turn table and I liked the noise. I started to practice it and the rest is history.” She said with a smile. “Interesting. So when is this gig you’re performing at?” “It’s tonight at eleven. You should totally come by!” She said with a smile. “I don’t know Vinyl. I have to go with Rarity to this Art thing.” “Oh come on. Please?” She asked as she made a pouting face. How can I resist that face? He thought to himself. “If I leave early or the event ends then maybe I’ll swing by.” He said as the mare cheered. “Just so you know I’m not a club person and I’d most likely stick out like a sore thumb.” “Relax I’ll get you in.” She said with a smile. The two continued to make their way through the busy street as the day went on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity sat in the hotel room as she flipped through a magazine. The mare let out a groan as she threw the magazine on the table. Ugh, I’m so bored. She thought to herself. The mare looked through her dresses for the tenth time and came up with the same outfit every time. The mare groaned and paced around the hotel room. She walked over to Isaac’s bag and withdrew his laptop. “How does this thing work?” She then started to press random buttons. Rarity smiled as the screen flickered on showing a text box with the word; password. “Password hmm?” She said as she scratched her chin. “Umm.....Rainbow Dash.” She typed. The screen showed a big red X and the word vanished. “Okay....Applejack.” The mare typed out and was met with the same result. This time, two X’s appeared on the screen. “That didn’t work......Earth?” She typed. Three red X’s blinked on the screen and the mare saw a sudden flash come from a small circle that was just above the laptop’s screen which quickly turned to black. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! I broke it!” She said as she started to panic. “Calm down Rarity. I’ll just put it back.” She said as she slipped it back into his bag. As she slipped the device back inside she picked up the small leather bound book. “Oh I really shouldn’t snoop.” The mare said as she went to put the book back. “Oh I just can’t resist!” She squealed as she opened to the first page. As the mare got through the first page the door knob slowly stared to open. The mare quickly levitated the book back into Isaac’s bag and grabbed the nearby magazine. The door opened to reveal the man with a smile on his face. “Hello Isaac. How was your walk?” She said sounding as innocent as possible. The mare noticed that the man had a few black marks on his face and on his arms and was missing his black sweatshirt he had left with that morning. “Good. How’s your head?” He asked as he closed the door. “Much better. That potion Zecora made sure does the trick.” She said with a smile. The man nodded in agreement and pulled out his laptop. “W-why are you pulling that thing out?” “Just want to check the system and-” His face turned to confusion as he screen showed three red X’s and a photo of the mare’s face. “Rarity, why did you try to get into my laptop?” “Wh-what are you talking about?” “I programed the computer to give me three tries to get the password right. If the correct password isn’t put in then the computer locks down and takes a snapshot of the person in front of the screen as it shuts down.” He said as he eyed the mare. “So it isn’t broken?” “No, it’s just locked like a door. It just need a key.” He said as he cracked his knuckles. Isaac typed a series of keys on the screen and the picture of a mountain range a number of files appeared on the screen. “Okay running a system check and......done.” He said as he shut down the computer. “If you want to go on it then just ask me next time.” He said as he put the laptop away. “I’m sorry. I was just getting so bored. There isn’t much to do around here.” She said in an apologetic tone. “This hotel has a pool right?” “Yes, why?” “I don’t know about you, but I’m going swimming.” He said as he walked into the bathroom with a pair of swim shorts. In ten seconds flat the man walked out wearing a pair of white swimming trunks that went down to his knees. The trunks also had green palm trees on them that sprouted from the bottom edges. “Wait, I’ll join you. A dip in the hot tub is just what I need to feel rejuvenated.” She said with a smile. “Sounds good to me.” He said as he grabbed a towel. Isaac waited for the mare to finish changing. The white mare walked out wearing a bathrobe with a elegant purple R stitched into it. “Ready to go?” The mare nodded. The two walked down the hallway to the elevator and took it down to the ground floor. “Oh yeah. Guess who I ran into on the street?” “Who?” “Vinyl.” “Really? What’s she doing here?” “She has a gig in the city.” He said as the elevator came to a halt. “So what did you two do?” “We went sigh seeing and then stopped for lunch at a Griffin restaurant. That reminds me I ran into Gilda in Little Griffonia.” The mare put a hand to her mouth in shock. “You didn’t get into any trouble did you?” “No, we’re cool now.” He said with a grin. “So why did you come back so early?” Rarity asked as they walked through the lobby. “Vinyl had to go and check in at the club where she’s performing. So I came back here.” He said with a shrug. The two walked into the empty pool house and let out a sigh. The pool was twelve feet long and was ten feet deep at the far end. The hot tub was only five feet wide and three feet deep. It sat on the right side of the pool. Isaac set his towel down on a chair and table and removed his black T shirt. Rarity felt herself blush at the man’s well built muscular frame. The man let out a sigh as he sat in the warm water. “Oh that feel’s nice.” He said with a smile on his face. The white mare nodded and removed her robe revealing a tight fitting black bikini that was barely held together by a few draw strings. Isaac gulped and blamed the hot water for making his face turn red. The mare sat across from him and let out a satisfied sigh. The mare then noticed that the man had several fresh burn marks on his chest and arms. “Isaac what happened to your body? Those burns look new.” “These? Oh um.....funny story about that-” He was cut off as a teal Pegasus mare with a blue mane and a bandage on her forehead along with an orange Unicorn stallion with his right arm in a sling accompanied by a small red Pegasus filly, no older than five years old with a bandage wrapped around her right leg. The family suddenly noticed the man and hurried over to him. “Hey it’s you!” The filly said as she ran up to him. “Oh, what are you guys doing here?” Isaac said as the family approached him. “Our daughter said you took off in this direction and we followed her.” The stallion said as he scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry if we’re disturbing you.” “It’s alright.” “We just wanted to thank you for saving Sunny.” The mare said with a smile as she looked at the filly. “No need. I’m content with knowing that you made it out safely.” Isaac said with a smile. The filly then trotted over to her mother’s bag and withdrew a beaten up and burnt white sweatshirt. “I also wanted to give this back to you.” The filly said with a smile. Rarity looked at the damaged black sweatshirt. The article of clothing had several burn holes on it and looked like it was trampled by a horde of Rhino’s “Thanks. I think we’re even since you saved my sweatshirt.” He said with a smile. “Is there nothing we can do for you?” The mare asked. “It’s fine. Just work on finding a new home.” Isaac said with a smile. The filly smiled and gave him a hug before she and her parent’s left the pool area with smiles on their faces. Isaac gave a final wave as they left. He looked back to Rarity who had a very confused look on her face. “Isaac start explaining.....now.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Okay, fine.” He said as he took a breath and started his story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Sorry Isaac, but I’ve got to go check in at the club.” Vinyl said as she scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to the man. “What’s this?” He asked as he looked at the piece of paper. “It’s where the gig is. Come by if you get a chance.” She said with a smile. “Okay see ya later.” He said as the mare hailed a carriage and waved as the carriage took her down the street. Isaac looked across the street and saw a white hooded figure staring at him. “Hey you! Stop!” he said as the figure tuned and ran down the alley. Isaac ran to the middle of the street. He looked to his right to see a carriage charging towards him. Isaac acted on instinct and jumped over the two horses and landed on top of the carriage. “How’d you do that?” Isaac looked behind him to see two Earth pony colt’s staring at him in surprise. “Um....Study hard in school. Work out. You know, eat your green vegetables.” He said as he hopped off the carriage. “That’s what my grandma always says. I just never believed her.” One of the colt’s said. “That’s what I used to say too.” He said as he took off into the alley after the figure. The alley way was deserted as he looked around. “Where did he go?” He was thought as he felt a small pebble hit his head. The man looked up to see the figure looking down at him. “Hey get back here!” Isaac yelled as he started to climb the fire escape after the figure. As he got to the roof he looked around to see that the figure had vanished again. “Gah! Where did he go?” He yelled. As he looked around, Isaac saw the hooded figure staring at him three building away. Isaac took chase after the figure who seemed to move faster than a ninja. As he started to gain on him Isaac noticed that a large cloud of smoke coming from a house. The man stopped running and saw bright red flames coming from the windows. “That doesn’t look good.” Isaac looked ahead to see that the figure had stopped running and was now watching him. Isaac looked at the burning building and back at the figure. Isaac saw a group of ponies now crowding around the blazing inferno. The man bit his lip and jumped onto a nearby fire escape and ran towards the burning building. Some ponies in police uniforms were holding a teal Pegasus mare and an orange Unicorn stallion. “Please! My daughter is still in there!” The mare yelled. “I’m sorry ma’am but the fire is too out of control and-” The police stallion was cut off as another blaze of flame shattered a window. Isaac clenched his fists and walked up to the couple. “What floor is your daughter on?” He asked. “She’s on the fifth but-” The stallion was cut off as the man ran towards the adjacent building. He raced up the stairs as several ponies were running down the stairs. “Are you crazy?” A stallion yelled as Isaac ran past him. “A little. Yeah.” He said as he reached the fifth floor. He was standing in a long hallway next to the blazing building. Isaac opened the window and took several steps back. The man broke into a run and jumped through the window and into the blazing inferno. Isaac immediately felt the heat of the fire and pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth in an attempt to filter out the smoke. “Hello is anyone up here?” He yelled. The man opened the door to the first apartment only to see a giant wall of flame. The fire from the sudden oxygen intake made the flames erupt towards the man causing him to hit the wall behind him. Isaac looked up to see a falling beam. He managed to dodge the piece of burning wood. Isaac pressed onward calling out. “Hello? If anyone is here then say something!” He yelled as he could feel the oxygen slipping away from him. “Help!” The man’s eyes shrank as he heard a voice come from inside one of the rooms. Isaac bashed in the door to see another wall of flames. “Is anyone out there?” He heard a young girl’s voice yell out. Isaac took a deep breath and jumped through the fire. He felt the flames lash at his legs and body. The man entered the room and looked around to see a the living room and the flames dancing in front of the kitchen. “Where are you?” Isaac yelled as he coughed. “In here...The bedroom.” The voice cried out. Isaac ran towards the voice and kicked in the door. He looked around the room but saw no one there. He heard a faint cough coming from underneath the bed. He looked underneath the bed to see a red Pegasus filly coughing in the corner. “Give me your hand! I’m here to get you out.” Isaac said as he extended his hand underneath the bed. The foal looked at it in hesitation. She heard another beam fall and saw the man swivel out of the way of the falling debris. “Your parent’s are waiting for you just outside.” The filly perked up hearing this. The man stuck out his hand one last time. He felt the filly grab his arm and held on as Isaac pulled her out from the bed. He noticed that the filly’s right leg was burned. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around the filly’s body. Isaac picked her up and charged out of the room. He stopped as the floor in front of him collapsed. Isaac looked down into the swirling inferno and swore that he saw hell itself. He took a few steps back and vaulted over the hole. As he landed on the other side the floorboards gave out and the man grabbed onto the edge and held on for dear life. Isaac looked up and saw that the filly was looking at him with tears in her eyes. The man mustered his strength and lifted himself back onto the floor boards. The filly smiled as Isaac got to his feet. The foal looked up to see a beam coming down. She closed her eyes and waited for the crushing pain. The filly looked up to see the pieces of wood floating above her head and the man with his hand outstretched. “Move!” He ordered. The filly quickly got out of the way as Isaac moved underneath the floating pieces of wood and let the pieces fall after he went underneath them. Isaac felt something running down his face. He put a hand underneath his nose and saw blood as he looked at his finger. He ignored it for now as he picked up the filly and ventured back out into the blazing hallway. Shit the exit is blocked. No way out. He thought as the walls started to come down. The man looked down at his left hand and saw what looked like small strands of electricity flashing between his finger tips. “What is this?” He said aloud. He heard the filly yelp in fear. Isaac looked up just in time for a piece of wood to hit him in the back and knock him out. Isaac opened his eyes to see the small filly punching his arm and trying to rouse him. The man also saw a shadowy figure pointing towards the end of the hall where the window facing the street was. Game’s not over yet kid. The man heard a familiar voice echo through his mind. Now get up. Isaac caught a second wind and slowly got to his feet. The filly looked at him in wonder as he wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. Isaac looked behind him to see a small explosive force come from the other end of the hallway. The man bolted towards the window with newfound strength. “Hang on!” He yelled as the filly tightened her grip. Isaac could feel the heat whipping at his legs as he closed in on his target. With one last burst of effort he jumped through the glass window and into the city air. As he was in mid air he stuck his hands out and felt his descent slow until he was three feet above the ground. His concentration dissipated and he landed on his hands and knees. Several ponies in fire fighting uniforms rushed over to them. Isaac watched as the filly ran over to her parent’s who were crying tears of joy. Isaac had a blanket thrown over him and was given an oxygen mask. As one of the paramedics came over to him Isaac shrugged him off. “Hey, will the filly be okay?” “She has a small burn on her leg that’s about it.” He said as he looked Isaac over. “Well, whatever you are. You’re a hero.” The pony said with a grin. “No, I’m not.” He said as he pulled the fire blanket over his head and discretely made his way through the crowd. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac had finished telling his tale to Rarity who was in complete shock. The man decided to keep the bit about the individual in the white hood to himself. “Then I walked three blocks. Threw the blanket in a trash can and came upstairs.” He said as he dunked his head into the warm water. “That is amazing! Why didn’t you stick around and talk to the press?” The white mare asked. “I don’t like drawing attention to myself.” He said in a flat tone. “Still you saved a filly’s life. That must do something right?” “I just did what I thought was right.” He said as he stretched his arms. The man got out of the hot tub and threw a towel over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go lie down in the room for a bit.” “Okay. I think you deserve some peace and quiet.” “That makes one of us.” He said under his breath as he left the pool room. Rarity squinted and swore she saw something on the man's left shoulder, but dismissed the thought as Isaac left the room. The man made his way back to the elevator in silence. The man got to his room and hastily entered the shower to wash of the chlorine and chemicals from the pool. He let the warm water pour over his body that was still recovering from the fire he had thrown himself into. The man turned the water off and stepped out and looked at himself in the mirror. The man let out a scoff as he saw the burn mark healing itself. “So much for staying human.” He said with a sigh. The man changed into a pair of baggy gym shorts and a T shirt. He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. The man found himself on a familiar white room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Quite the day you’ve had Isaac.” The man looked up to see Luna with a blank expression on her face. “Running into a burning building? That is either brave or stupid.” “How did you know about the fire?” He asked. “We’re in your mind remember. My sister and I also received a notification from the city an hour ago. That a strange bipedal bald creature ran into a burning building and puled a filly out.” She said as she walked over to him. “Do you wish to talk about it?” “I don’t know.” “Why not? You saved a filly’s life.” She said as she sat next to him. “I didn’t save everyone.” The mare looked at him in confusion. “There was someone trapped on the sixth floor. They didn’t make it out.” He said as he hung his head in shame. Luna put a hand on his shoulder trying to offer comfort. “You did all you could.” “It wasn’t enough. I could have gone back inside, I could have saved her.” “You would have been killed!” She stammered. “So? I’m not someone important. I was thrown here by accident. That’s all I am, one massive accident.” He said with a groan. The lunar Princess then slapped the man across his face. “That’s enough!” She yelled. “You shouldn’t think that your life is meaningless.” “Say what you want. It doesn’t change anything. I failed.” He said as he hung his head. “If it’s one thing I learned in my years of living it’s that you can’t save everyone.” “Trust me I’ve learned that the hard way.” He said as he got up. “By the way something weird happened while I was in the fire.” “What?” “I felt this surge of strength flow through me and I floated down to the ground. Mind telling me what kind of spell that was?” The blue Princess thought for a moment. “We can’t think of any. We do have a hunch of what might be happening.” “Let’s heat it then.” “Magic is different for everypony and can take many forms. The way magic is presented is based upon the individual.” “So what your saying is whatever I think qualifies as magic the power will adjust itself accordingly?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Correct. Although....” “Although what?” “You are from a different plain of reality so it’s uncertain to know how your body will react to such strength.” That probably explains the nose bleed. “Thanks for clearing that up Luna. I’d better get going Rarity and I gotta get going.” The blue mare nodded and vanished from the man’s mind. Isaac looked to his right to see a copy of him with white hair and glowing red eyes. “Oh great what do you want?” “You heard what that thing-” “Her name is Luna.” Isaac said as he narrowed his eyes. “Fine whatever. I suggest we practice some of this new strength. We both know who’s voice that was before in the fire.” The image said with a grin. “I’m pretty sure that was the after effect of getting hit by a burning piece of wood.” “Still just imagine to have that guy’s strength. You heard what she said, anything we deem as magic will appear as so.’” The image said with a smile. “I think that might be too much power.” “No such thing.” The clone said with a wicked grin. “That’s where you and I differ.” “We should still practice.” “Fine, let’s get this thing started.” Isaac said as he took a fighting pose. The clone took the same pose. “Let’s get the blood pumping a bit now shall we.” The image snapped it’s fingers a and music started to blaze around the two.
Chapter 16: Raves and HoodsChapter 16 Raves and Hoods Isaac felt himself fly off the couch and onto the carpeted floor. He looked up to see Rarity wearing a slim black dress with one strap going over her shoulder. “Finally! I thought I was going to have to pour a bucket of water on you!” She yelled. “Jesus Rarity. You could have nudged my shoulder.” “I did. You must have been in quite the dream.” “You have no idea. What time is it?” He asked as he got to his feet and stretched. “We’ve got ten minutes before the art show starts.” “Plenty of time.” He said as he went over to his bag and withdrew a navy blue suit with a red tie. The man went into the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth and put on some fresh deodorant. He changed into his suit and exited the bathroom. “Alright I’m all set.” He said as he joined the white mare. The two arrived at the museum and got in without a hitch. They were soon joined by Fancy Pants and Fleur once again. “Ah so good that you two could join us.” Fancy said with a smile. “Of course Fancy we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Rarity said with a smile. “I heard the strangest news on the T.V. today.” Fleur said. “What?” Isaac asked as he handed Rarity a drink. “There was a fire downtown and they said that some type of creature saved a small filly.” Isaac gulped as Rarity looked at him. “They didn’t get a good look at him although it appeared that he used a weak levitation spell after he jumped from the fifth floor.” She said with a shrug. “Yeah, I heard about that too.” Isaac said as he sipped his drink. The four of them stopped in front of a portrait of a white Unicorn stallion with a long blonde mane. “What’s your opinion of this one Isaac?” Fleur asked. “I’m far from an art expert Fleur.” The man said with a shrug. “Oh don’t be shy.” Fancy said in an encouraging tone. “Alright I’ll take a crack at it.” The man reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a pair of fake glasses with a thick black rectangular rimmed glasses and threw them over his eyes. “Looks like someone has either very poor taste, or has a god complex that needs to be sorting out.” Rarity let out a giggle at the comment. “There’s no....passion in the painting. It’s just too in your face.” “Who are you to decide that?” A regal sounding voice said. Isaac turned around to see a tall Unicorn stallion with a long, straight blonde mane. “I wasn’t deciding anything. Just giving my honest opinion.” The man said as he folded his arms. “Keep your opinions to yourself mongrel.” He said as he stuck his nose up in the air. Mongrel? “Who asked for your opinion anyway?” “I believe I did Blueblood.” Fancy stepped forward. “Isaac is a friend of mine and I was asking what he thought of this painting from the human perspective.” He said with a flat expression on his face. “Oh I see.” Blueblood said as he rolled his eyes. The stallion’s gaze then fell upon the cross purple maned mare. “What are you doing here cretin?” “I am here to admire the fine artwork of ponies with talent and fines.” Rarity said trying to suppress her rage. “Two qualities which you will never have.” She said with a smirk. Like pro. Well done Rarity. Isaac thought with a laugh. “Why you insolent little tramp!” Blueblood said as he slapped the mare across the face. Rarity stumbled back clutching the right side of her face. Isaac clenched his fist and put his glasses back into his pocket. “You dare insult me? I have half a mind to-” The stallion was cut off as Isaac grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up off the ground. “Listen here you spoiled brat. I don’t give a fuck if you insult me, but you made this personal when you dragged my friend into this.” Isaac said in a spite filled tone. Soon a crowd of ponies gathered around them. “Now I’m fully prepared to either kick your ass seven ways to Sunday, or I’ll let you go if you apologize to both Rarity and myself.” He said as he lowered him so their eyes met. Three guards holding spears surrounded the two with the metal end pointing towards them. “Hey you! Put down the Prince now!” One of the guards barked. “Prince? This guy?” Isaac said as he looked at the whimpering stallion. “That’s right I am Prince Blueblood. Beloved nephew of Princess Celestia.” Isaac’s jaw dropped. “You’re Luna’s kid?” “No, but my family has been at Celestia’s side for generations.” He exclaimed with a smug grin on his face. Isaac frowned at the stallion. “What’s the matter? Scared that my aunt is a Princess of Equestria?” He asked. That’s it! “I don’t care if she’s your fucking grandmother!” Isaac grabbed the stallion and banged their foreheads together. Blue blood staggered backwards before falling down on his back. Isaac took several steps back before rubbing his head. The three guards surrounded the human with spears drawn. “ENOUGH!” Isaac and the guards looked over at Rarity who made her way over to the man. She reached inside of her purse and withdrew what looked like a golden encrusted amulet with three diamonds in it. The guards immediately gulped and stepped back. “I’m assuming that you recognize this?” “Yes ma’am.” “Good, then I should have you know that this man is a personal friend of mine and the other Elements as well.” Rarity said as she put the item back in her purse. “Not to mention that he has connections with both Princess Celestia and Luna.” The crowd started to mutter amongst one another. “It would not look good on your records to arrest such a stallion. Unless you want the wrath of both Princess’s breathing down your necks, not to mention the other Elements as well.” The guards looked at one another and gulped. The three withdrew their spears and backed off. “We’ll over look it. Provided that you both leave here immediately.” One of the guards barked. “Fine by me.” Isaac said as he cracked his jaw. “This place was a little too proper for me anyway.” Isaac said as he made his way through the crowd with Rarity following close behind. The guards escorted the two out of the museum. “Nice meeting you Fancy, Fleur.” He said with a wave. As the two exited the museum Rarity was staring at him. “Okay, have at it.” He said with a sigh. “What ever do you mean?” She asked. “I thought that you might be pissed for me getting both of us thrown out of that party.” He said as the two started walking back towards the hotel. “I’ll admit it was a little....shocking. However seeing the look on Blueblood’s face was definitely worth it.” She said with a laugh. “Serves that plot hole right!” “I take it that you’ve met him before?” “Unfortunately yes. A few years ago at the Grand Galloping Gala I was trying to woo him.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the mare. “I then found out that he is the most inconsiderate, uncouth and rudest stallion in Equestria!” She said as her face started to get flustered. “I mean he used me as a shield against a flying cake!” “Pinkie Pie?” Isaac guessed. “It wasn’t her fault.” She said with a sigh. “By then the entire gala was a total disaster and we all got out of there as soon as possible.” “Sounds like my Junior Prom.” He said with a groan. “So what should we do now? It’s only ten o’clock.” He said as he looked at his watch. “I just want to go to bed.” She said with a sigh. The two made their way through the lobby and to the elevator. “Mind if I ask something?” “You don’t need my permission to ask me a question.” He said with a smile. “Were you really going to beat up Blueblood?” “If he continued to shoot his mouth off, then yes.” He said with a yawn. “I just hate people like that. Thinking that they’re better than everybody else because of their connections.” He said as the elevator stopped at their floor. “You would have been thrown in prison!” “True, but I was willing to take that risk.” He said with a shrug. The two entered their hotel room and let out a sigh as they sat down on the couch. Isaac noticed the red mark on the mare’s cheek. “Here let me see.” The man gently put his hand under her chin and slowly turned her head. “Put some ice on it and it should help with the swelling.” “What about your head?” She asked as the man walked over to the refrigerator and withdrew a glass with three ice cubes in it. Isaac looked in the reflection of a spoon and saw the large red spot on his forehead. “I’ll live. I’ve taken worse hits.” He said as he handed her a glass of water. The mare let out a sigh and put the glass to her cheek. “I look awful don’t I?” She said in a low tone. “You look the same as ever.” The mare bit her lip and felt a blush creep across her face. “So you still think I’m beautiful?” She asked. “Sure I do. Why wouldn’t I-” The man was cut off as the mare wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. The man felt her tongue prod against his and she let out a moan of pleasure. Isaac snapped out of the trance and broke the kiss. “Rarity? What the hell?” “I..I thought that...... Oh I’m such a fool!” The white mare put her head in her hands and started to sob. Isaac let out a sigh and put a hand on her back. “Look Rarity, it’s not that I don’t think you’re unattractive. It’s just that you’re with Spike and you’re both friends of mine.” The mare looked up at him with tears rolling down her face. “What relationships allow here aside; you and Spike have something good going and I don’t want to interfere with it.” He said with a sigh. “Even if Spike gave the okay I know that it would break his heart and I know for a fact that you wouldn’t want to do that to somebody that cares that much about you.” “Is that why you knocked me out last night?” She asked. The human gulped and cringed back. “I’m not angry if that’s what you’re wondering. I wasn’t myself.” “I’m more curious as to how you remembered.” “Memory spell. I use it whenever I have too much to drink just in caseI missed something important.” “Sorry, but you gave me little choice.” He said with a sigh. “It’s alright dear and I apologize for my behavior last night.” “It’s fine. We’ve all done stupid things when we’re drunk.” He said with a smile. The man got to his feet and grabbed a change of clothes. “What are those for?” She asked. “Vinyl has a show in the city. Might as well see her play. You’re free to come along if you want.” He said with a smile. “No thank you. I think I’ll just relax here.” She said as she took her shoes off. The man shrugged and went into the bathroom to change. He removed his white collard shirt and threw on a dark blue T shirt and jet black jeans. The man threw on his shoes and some fresh cologne along with his blue hooded sweatshirt. “Okay Rare’s I’m heading out.” He said as he walked by the mare. “Remember to be back here by nine to pack your things. Our train leaves at ten.” “Got it.” He said as he left the room. The man made his way out of the hotel and back out into the busy night life of the city. Isaac pulled out the address Vinyl had written him. The man made his way through the busy streets until he came to a dark bricked building with a long line out in front. The man got on line and tapped the stallion in front of him on the shoulder. “Hey is Vinyl playing tonight?” The stallion turned around to reveal his light blue coat and white mane. “Shit yeah man. That mare has the finest piece of ass I’ve ever seen!” He said with a smile. Isaac gave him an uneasy nod and waited until he stood in front of the bouncer. He was a tall red Earth Pony stallion with a jet black mane. He was holding a clip board and had a serious look on his face. “Name?” “Isaac.” The man said. The stallion looked at the clipboard and stared back at the man. “You’re not on the list.” He said as he crossed his arms. “But Vinyl is-” “You’re not on the list.” The stallion said as he cracked his knuckles. Isaac now noticed two other stallions each holding a bat in their hands. Isaac put his hands up and slowly backed away from the bouncer who returned to his checklist. Isaac started to walk away when a familiar white Unicorn mare came to the doorway and waved him over. “Hey you made it!” She said with a smile. “Yeah, I’m just having some trouble getting in.” He said with a shrug. Vinyl nodded and walked past him towards the door. As she walked by Isaac noticed that she was wearing a skin tight black shirt that ended just below her chest and a pair of skin tight black jeans. He sunglasses rested right above her horn. Isaac followed her up to the entrance and stopped when he saw the bouncer grunt at him. “It’s cool guys. He’s with me.” Vinyl said with a smile. The mare grabbed the man’s arm and led him inside. The guards looked at one another in amazement. As Isaac stepped inside he could feel the electronic music beating relentlessly against his eardrums. The interior was only lit by neon lights on the walls, the strobe lights and the lasers that were in tune with the music. Isaac looked across the room and saw several pegasi and Unicorn mares in giant bird cages dancing in very exotic lingerie. Each cage was equipped with a pole running vertically from the top to the bottom. Isaac felt his face flare up as the dancers started doing very flexible dance moves. “So looks pretty cool huh?” Vinyl said with a smile. “Y-yeah. Looks very.....interesting.” He said with a gulp. “Go and enjoy yourself. I gotta get on stage.” She said as she started to make her way through the crowd. Isaac shrugged and pulled his hood up over his head and headed over to the bar. The music was causing the man’s drink to ripple in his glass. The light’s started to dim and everyones attention turned towards the stage. A small layer of smoke covered the area as the white mare appeared behind the turntable. “EVERYBODY READY?” She yelled. The crowd cheered in response. Isaac clasped his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to drown out the sound. “I’M ABOUT TO DRAOP THE BASS!” She hit a switch and the speakers flared to life. The music and lights were in perfect sync. Isaac went to a nearby table and sat down. The man closed his eyes as he rested his head on his hand and started to drown out the music until he felt someone knock the table. His arm slipped and he felt his head bash against the table. Isaac looked up to see a Vinyl with a smile on her face. “Oops. Sorry dude.” She said in an apologetic tone. “It’s fine. What’s up?” He asked as he sat up. “Do you wanna dance?” she asked with a small blush on her face. “I suck at it.” He whined. “Come on. Please.” She said as she made a pouting face. Damn you Vinyl. Why do you use that look on me? “Fine, but just-” He was cut off as the mare grabbed his arm and made her way through the crowd. As they reached near the turn tables The mare let go of the man’s wrist and started to dance around him. Isaac just stuck to the one two step. Vinyl giggled at the man’s moves and turned her back to him. The mare then started to grind up on him. Isaac blushed as he felt the mare’s ass connect with his groin. The man could feel her well toned body lean against his. Isaac went with the flow and put his hands on Vinyl’s hips. The man felt the Unicorn’s tail wrap around his waist holding him against her. Vinyl started to pant as the music flared and her body started to move to a steady rhythm. Isaac matched it and started to move his hips and synchronize with her rhythm. The man felt himself stiffening as the mare continued to grind against him. Vinyl took the man’s hand and moved it up to her right breast. “Vinyl what are you-” He was cut off as the mare let out a moan. Vinyl quickly spun around and pressed her lips against his. Isaac froze at the mare’s action. Instinct took over and he returned the gesture. Vinyl broke the kiss and looked back at the man as she started panting. “Hold on tight.” Her horn flared and a white light enveloped the two. Isaac opened his eyes to see a hotel room with a single bed.Vinyl smirked and gently pushed him down onto the bed. Vinyl slowly removed her top causing her ample white breasts to bounce. “Like what you see?” She asked in a seductive tone. “Very much so.” He said with a smile. The man said as he removed his shirt. Vinyl’s horn glowed and Isaac felt his trousers starting to slide off his legs. The mare jumped on him kissed him passionately. “Ready for a ride?” Vinyl said as she sat up. The mare positioned herself over the man’s now fully erect member and dropped down taking his full length within her folds. “By Celestia.” She breathed out. The mare then started to slide up and down the shaft lubricating it. Isaac thrusted upwards causing the mare to scream in pleasure. Isaac reached around and grabbed the mare’s ass and gave it a hard squeeze. Vinyl smirked at him and slid herself off of the man and turned around. Isaac then face to face with the white mare’s dripping slit. Vinyl lowered her head and licked the length of the man’s shaft which made his eyes roll back in his head. “Oh fuck Vinyl.” The mare wrapped her lips around his shaft and started to bob her head up and down. Isaac leaned forward and ran his tongue over her moist slit. The motion sent a shiver down the mare’s spine. The mare’s tongue wrapped itself around the man’s shaft and she started to suck on the man’s phallus. The mare increased the rhythm and felt the man’s shaft touch the back of her throat. Isaac used his hands to apply some pressure to the Cutie Mark on her thigh. Vinyl let out a moan of pleasure at the motion. “Vinyl if you keep doing that then I’m gonna-” The mare stopped and positioned herself back over the man’s phallus. The mare readjusted herself so that her slit was above his phallus. The mare plunged the man’s rod into her once more and slid up and down until she felt a familiar pressure build in her loins. “Isaac I’m gonna-” “Me too.” As the words left his lips he felt the pressure that was building in his shaft release. Vinyl arch her back and felt the fluid enter her system. The mare collapsed on the man’s chest and was panting heavily. “That......was...... awesome.” She panted. “AJ and Dash weren’t kidding when they said you were good.” “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” The mare let out a yawn and rested her head on his chest. The mare started to snore loudly as she adjusted her head. Isaac felt the day’s activities beginning to take their toll and he set his head back against the pillow. The man woke up hours later. He looked at the clock and saw that it was close to two in the morning. Isaac carefully got up and made sure not to disturb the sleeping mare. The human got to his feet and threw his pants back on his body. Isaac got to his feet and looked out the window. Against the rain and bolts of lightning that were raining from the sky Isaac saw something that caught his eye. His eyes shrank when he saw a familiar white hooded figure was staring at him from the adjacent building. The man quickly threw his shirt and other pieces of clothing onto his body, including his blue hooded sweatshirt and climbed out of the window onto the fire escape. The man felt the gusting winds and the torrential rain hit the skin on his face as he ascended the fire escape. Isaac looked up and saw the white hooded figure looking down at him. The man gave chase across the roof tops. The crashing bolts of lighting striking nearby houses and power lines creating sparks. The target was running out of roof and stopped as it reached the end of the building. “No where left to run now pal.” Isaac said as he caught his breath. “Who’s running?” The voice said in a cocky tone. The hooded figure cracked it’s knuckles and took a fighting stance. Isaac took a stance and the two started to move in a circular pattern. A bolt of lighting struck between the two signaling the fight to begin. Isaac threw the first punch only for it to be blocked by the hooded figure. The stranger then took the human’s arm and flipped him down onto his back. Isaac felt his bones crack from the force and coughed up blood. This guy’s stronger than me? He thought as the hooded stranger crouched down next to him. “You’d better get back in shape kid. Otherwise we’re all screwed.” The figure said with a small laugh. “Who the fuck are you anyway?” Isaac asked. “I’m just something you helped make.” The figure raised both his arms and smiled. As he brought his hands down a massive bolt of lighting came down from the dark sky and struck the man square in the chest. Isaac felt the searing pain course through his body. As the bolt ended Isaac could feel his skin burning and the residual electricity flow through his body. “That should be enough to get ya started.” The figure said as it started to walk away. “Looks like my time is up.” He said as Isaac looked over he saw that the figure was starting to disintegrate and was soon taken by the storm. Isaac slowly got to his feet. The man staggered towards where the figure once stood. Isaac felt the rain against his skin and slowly made his way back to his and Rarity’s hotel room. The man made quick stop at Vinyl’s hotel and left a small note on the coffee table before venturing back out into the night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac looked out the window at the passing landscapes. The train ride back was taking longer than it should have due to some ticket forgeries.The mare rolled her eyes and continued to tap her thumbs together as she looked at the man. “What?” He asked. “Just worried.” She said as she sipped her glass of water. “About?” “You.” “Why?” “You head butted a Prince.” She said in a flat tone. “I’m not saying it wasn’t fun to watch but there are bound to be repercussions.” “How much influence does Blueblood have anyway? Is he involved with politics at all?” He asked as he crossed his arms. “No, he just parades around Canterlot with his nose stuck in the air.” She said with a scoff. “So I see no problem. I’m sure that if something did come up then I’d just explain it to Celestia and Luna. They’re reasonable, I’m sure they’d understand.” He said as he sat back. “Hows your cheek?” The man asked as he looked at the mare’s purple swollen cheek. “It’s.....fine. Still hurt’s a little but I’ll manage.” The mare’s horn glowed and the injury was covered up by an illusion. “See, good as new.” She said as the train came to a halt. The two got to their feet and walked out of the train car and onto Ponyville platform. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw Princess Celestia with three white Pegasus guards accompanied by the other five mares. “Ah Isaac. Just who I wanted to see.” Celestia said in a stagnant tone. “Aw fuck me.” Isaac said with a gulp as the three ponies drew their swords. “Meet me in the library, we have something to discuss.” She said as she vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Sorry for the delay everypony. I recently started a full time job giving me very little time to work on this.
Chapter 17: ConfrontationChapter 17 Confrontation Isaac reluctantly made his way through the street’s of Ponyville with the six mares crowding around him. “You head butted Blueblood? Awesome!” Rainbow said as she high five’d him. “This isn’t a joke Dash.” Twilight interjected. “Sure Blueblood is an ass, but he’s royalty none the less.” The lavender mare then turned towards the human. “Why did you hit him anyway?” She asked. “I’ll explain that when we get there.” He said as he opened the door to the library. The ponies’s eyes shrank as they saw Celestia, Luna, Discord and Prince Blue Blood waiting for them. Isaac gave Luna a friendly nod as he stepped inside. “Nice to see you Luna.” “Likewise.” She said with a nod. “Can we please get down to business?” Blueblood said with a scoff. “Late for a shirt stuffing?” Dash retorted. Twilight quickly covered the mare’s mouth with her hand. Celestia let out a sigh and turned her attention to the human. “My nephew claims that you attacked him at the Art gallery. Is that correct?” She asked in a flat tone. “Yes, but-” “You see he admit’s it!” Blueblood yelled. “To the dungeon! Guards!” The white stallion’s started to move only to be blocked by the white Princess’s hand. “I give the orders around here Blueblood. Not you.” She said as she narrowed her eyes on the white stallion. “I had a good reason your highness.” The mares all turned and looked at the man. “Blueblood attacked Rarity and I defended her.” “WHAT?” The ponies all yelled as Rarity’s horn flared and the illusion around her face collapsed revealing the bruise. Isaac looked over at Spike who had pure rage in his eyes. As the dragon exhaled a small bit of fire escaped his lips. Rainbow nudged the lavender mare’s shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. “Um Twilight maybe you should-” “Easy Spike. Calm down.” Twilight said as she hurried over to her assistant. “I’m fine.” He said as he gritted his teeth. Celestia and Luna turned back to the white stallion who had a blank expression on his face. “You didn’t mention that Blueblood.” Luna spat out. “What does it matter?” He said with a scoff. “WHAT DOES IT MATTER?” Luna yelled in her royal Canterlot voice. “THOU HAS LIED TO US. THOU SAID THAT ISAAC ATTACKED YOU UNPROVOKED!” She yelled. Celestia put a hand on her sister’s shoulder and calmed her down. “So you acted in self defense?” Celestia said as she looked at the man. “Yes, I did it to protect a friend.” He said as he crossed his arms. The white Alicorn let out a sigh and looked back at her nephew. “I see. It looks like I need to educate my nephew on a few things.” She said in a stern tone. The mares let out a sigh of relief. “However, you still attacked a member of the noble branch and will have to be punished.” “What?” The ponies yelled in shock. “Sister you can’t be serious.” Luna protested. “As much as it pains me. I’m bound by law.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I am willing to drop the charges if....the human apologizes and bows to me.” Blueblood said with a snide grin. “And if I chose not to?” Isaac asked. “Then you will be punished.” Blueblood said with a grin. Isaac weighed his options and let out a sigh. “Prince Blueblood.” The man said as he gritted his teeth. “Go fuck yourself.” The mares looked at him in shock as Blueblood’s face turned to one of anger. The man then turned towards the two shocked Alicorns. “You see, I’ll apologize if I accidentally bump into someone. I’ll say I’m sorry if I’ve unknowingly insulted someone. However, I will not apologize for defending a friend for whatever the reason.” He said in a bold tone. The man then outstretched his arms. “Go ahead! Do your worst.” “Oh this is getting good.” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and materialized some popcorn. The white Alicorn cocked an eyebrow at the man. “So you’re willing to go to prison for a friend?” She asked. “I’d die protecting someone I consider a friend.” He said as he stood his ground. The white Alicorn smiled at the man. “You can learn from this human Blueblood.” She said with a smile. “WHAT?” He yelled. “Now for your punishment.” She thought to herself. “If my memory serves you are a Wonderbolt are you not?” The man instantly felt Rainbow’s gaze on him. “That’s correct. I’m an Honorary Wonderbolt.” He answered. The five mares jaws dropped in shock. “Yes, Spitfire was very impressed with your physical ability.” Luna said with a smile. “She’s just being nice.” He said with a blush on his face. “As punishment I will suspend your status for.....one week. Is that alright by you?” Celestia asked. “Fine by me.” Isaac said with a nod. “It is done. We hope that our next visit is a bit more civil.” Luna said with a smile. “But Auntie-” Blueblood tried to protest only to be stopped by the white Alicorn’s icy glare. “My decision is final.” Celestia said as her horn flared and she vanished in a flash of light. Blueblood turned towards the human and grunted. “You will rue this day ape.” He said as he vanished from sight. “Pay him no mind Isaac. It’s embarrassing enough that I’m forced to be in the same room with Blueblood.” Luna said with a groan. “Well, you know what they say. ‘You can chose your friends, but you can’s chose your family.’” He said with a shrug. “We thank thee and we look forward to seeing you again.” Luna said with a smile. “For the record, it’s nice to see that sneaky little leech get some well deserved punishment.” She said with a smile. The mare’s horn glowed and she vanished in a veil of blue light. The lord of chaos then approached the man. “My how entertaining you are.” He said with a smirk. “I’m not here for your amusement Discord.” He said in a flat tone. “Hey, hey easy. I’m merely stating that your actions please me.” He said as he held out his fist. Isaac looked at it for a moment before fist bumping the god’s hand. “Well, I’m off. See you later gang.” He said in a teasing tone before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Isaac turned back around to see the six mares staring at him. “Wonderbolt?” Dash said as her eyebrow twitched. “Right about that.” The mare quickly flew up to hims and started to shake his shoulders. “How? When? Why?” She asked. “I passed the physical requirements. Spitfire wanted to thank me and it happened the day before Rarity and I left for the art show.” He said as he gulped. “I can’t fucking believe this!” She yelled. “Dash I’m only an honorary Wonderbolt.” “What’s the difference?” Applejack asked. “I don’t actually perform any stunts. I’m only a Wonderbolt in title.” He said with a sigh. “Plus, I prefer to keep a low profile. Last thing I need is more publicity.” “Well, considering your actions that may be hard to do.” Twilight said as she levitated him over two newspapers. “Aw crap.” The man saw a snapshot of himself head butting Blueblood on the front page of one news paper and the other showed the burnt down apartment Isaac rescued the filly from. “Great.” Isaac said ina sarcastic tone. The man started to walk towards the door. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked. “I think I’ll go camping for a bit. Until I’m out of the news.” He said with a sigh. “If I’m not back in a week then I’m most likely dead.” He said with a wave. The man was stopped by a purple aura closing the door in front of him. “Hold it right there mister.” Twilight said in a flat tone. “I’m coming with you.” Rainbow gave a small snicker at the mare’s answer. “Something funny Dash?” “You? Camping? No offense Twi, but you’re not really the outdoorsy type.” Dash said with a laugh. “Have you ever been camping?” “No, but I’ve read several camping books and I’m interested to see how humans survive in the wild.” She said with a smile. “Fine by me, just don’t start complaining about being tired or anything like that.” He said in a flat tone. “Hold up there partner. Ah’m coming too.” The farmer said with a smile. “Ah could use a vacation.” “Fine. Anyone else?” He asked. Pinkie raised her hand. “Me! Party in the woods!” She yelled as Dash raised her own and Fluttershy’s hand. “We’re in.” She said in a cocky grin. “WHAT?” Fluttershy squeaked. “C’mon Shy. You have a gift with the animals so you can keep them off our backs.” Dash said with a wink. “Oh....I don’t know.” She said in a timid tone. “No one’s forcing you to go sugar cube.” The farmer said with a sigh. “Please Fluttershy. It’ll be loads more fun with you there!” Pinkie chimed. The yellow mare looked at her friends who all had smiles on their faces. “Well.....Okay.” She said with a sigh. “It’s gonna be awesome Shy. I know this wicked awesome spot where rainbows come down from the clouds and form a waterfall.” Dash said with a smile. “Not coming Rarity?” Isaac asked. “No thank you darling. I don’t prefer to get all.....icky. Not to mention the large amount of orders I need to complete.” She said with a sigh. Spike walked over to Twilight and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey Twi is it okay if-” “You don’t have to come Spike.” She said with a nod. “Okay fine. Pack your gear and be at my place by eight o’clock.” He said with a sigh. “Why so early?” Dash asked. “The faster we move the more time we’ll have to hang around camp.” He said with a shrug. “See you guys tomorrow.” He said as he walked out of the library. The man walked back to his home with haste and walked inside. Isaac walked over to his closet and pulled out a framed backpack. The human started to pack his belongings when he remembered the item he had bought in the shop. Isaac walked over to the bag and removed the fire arm. He took a moment to admire the detail on the handle. He took the weapon into his father’s study and walked over to a cabinet. He pulled out the drawer and put the weapon inside. After he closed it her withdrew a set of keys and locked the cabinet. As he continued to pack he came across his compound bow and set it aside with it’s quiver with at least twenty arrows in it. Isaac packed his trail mix, beef jerky and his Dutch oven. The man finished packing his tent and sleeping bag and attached them to the bottom of the backpack by a pair of straps. The man also withdrew his carving knife and packed it in his bag. As he set his bag down on the tile floor near the door. The man sat down on his couch and groaned. “So bored!” He said to no one. The man turned the television on and walked over to his movie cabinet. As he ran his finger across the titles he heard a knock on his door. Isaac walked over and looked through the peep hole to see Twilight standing with a book in her arms. The man opened the door and smiled. “Hey Twi what’s up?” “Just returning this book.” Isaac smiled as she walked inside. “No problem. Enjoy the read?” “Oh yes! The ancient Greeks sound amazing! To see the Trojan war would be something.” She said as she sat on the couch. “What if I could arrange something like that?” He said with a smile. “What?” She asked in confusion. “In my time there have been several movies made off that time period and I have them in my collection.” He said with a smirk. “Hang on a second.” She said as her horn flared and she vanished in a flash of light. Isaac let out a sigh and sat down on the couch. Another flash of light filled the room and Twilight landed on his lap. The man let out a groan as she landed square on his crotch. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry.” “It’s fine.” He said as he took a breath. “What did you do?” “Oh I invited the girls to watch.” As the words left her lips the door opened to reveal the other five mares and the dragon. “Ever heard of knocking?” Isaac asked in a flat tone. “Nope.” Dash teased as she took a seat next to him. “So what movie are we watching?” “Troy.” He said as he got up and put the disk in the player. “Now I’m warning you, this get’s violent so if you can’t handle it then you might want to leave.” “Please, I’m sure I can handle anything you humans can.” Dash said in a cocky tone. “Fine don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said as the title menu popped up. The man sat between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Rarity squealed in delight as she saw the Princess’s outfits. As the beach scene showed on the screen Isaac heard several ‘oohs and ouch’s’ come from the mares. By the end the ponies were in awe at the movie. “That.....was.....AWESOME!” Dash yelled. “It’s amazing how you humans can come up with such interesting tails.” Rarity said. “That was not fiction. That actually happened.” The color from the mare’s faces drained away except for Twilight. “R-really?” “Well, not exactly like that. It happened over two thousand years ago, so the story itself is....edited. The main battle of the Greeks vs. Trojans is fact.” The mares all gulped. “And that was long before the founding of my nation.” He said with a sigh. “Anyway it’s getting late and we have an early start tomorrow.” He said as he got up. “Right. See ya later then partner.” Applejack said as she and the other mares got up and exited the human’s home. Isaac closed the door and made his way upstairs and laid down in his bed. As he stared up at the ceiling he let out a sigh and let sleep took him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A white cloaked Blueblood made his way through the dark streets of Canterlot. He came to a dark building and knocked on it three times. A slot on the metal door opened and a deep voice answered. “Password?” The cloaked stallion held up three fingers. The slot closed and the large door opened. “I’m looking for Skull. Is he here?” The door stallion pointed with his finger towards the corner. The cloaked stallion made his way over to the corner where a jet black Unicorn stallion with a red mane drank from his cup. The black stallion looked up and grinned. “Never thought I’d see you here again.” “You should have known better.” The stallion said in a rough tone. “What do you need?” He asked as he sat back. “I need a thorn in my side removed. With extreme prejudice.” “I see and who is this thorn?” “More of a what than a who.” The white stallion said as he showed him the newspaper. “Front page. Everywhere across Equestria ponies are laughing at me! I’ll show them what happens when the mess with a stallion of my stature.” He said with a scoff. The dark stallion picked up the paper and raised his eyebrows. “A human huh?’ Never hunted one of those before.” He said as he put the paper down. “It’ll cost more.” The white stallion threw down a large bag of bits in front of the stallion. “You’ll get the other half when you bring me his head.” Blueblood said with a grin. The dark stallion smiled and took the bits. “Where can I find him?” “He was with that repulsive seamstress. She resides in some dirt hole town called Ponyville.” He said with a scoff. “I’ll see it done sir.” “Good and remember it has to look like an accident.” Blueblood said as he walked out of the establishment. The black stallion nodded and raised a glass at the Prince.
Chapter 18: CampingChapter 18 Camping Isaac waited patiently for the other five mares to arrive outside his door. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive followed by Pinkie, Twilight and Fluttershy. The morning dew was starting to shine as the sun rose. “Everyone ready?” Isaac asked. “Yup.” Pinkie said as the rest nodded. “Okay Dash, since you know where we’re going then you lead the way.” Isaac said as he threw his bag on his back. “Right.” She said as the ponies entered the woods. Dash was in front followed by Twilight who had a map. Applejack was behind Isaac and Fluttershy was bringing up the rear. The timid mare seemed to jump every time someone stepped on a twig. Isaac let out a sigh as they stopped for the eighth time. “Okay everyone, hang on.” Isaac said as he stopped. “What now?” Dash asked in an impatient tone. Isaac looked back towards Fluttershy who was struggling to keep up. “Ugh! Come on! It’s gonna take us forever to get there.” Dash complained. Isaac removed his bag and walked down towards the mare. “I-I’m sorry Isaac.” Fluttershy said as she hung her head. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll get there.” The man then noticed the mare rubbing her shoulders as she bit her lip. “Is your pack too heavy?” He asked. “N-no. I can mange. I-” Before she could react the human grabbed her pack and strapped it to his own. “Y-you don’t have to do that Isaac. You’ll hurt yourself!” “I’ll be fine.” Isaac said with a smile. “How much farther Dash?” “It’ll take us another two days to get there, but there’s a rest stop just up ahead where we can camp for the night.” “You sure?” “Eeyup. Dash, Rarity and I took the CMC up there a few months ago.” Applejack said with a smile. “Good, then let’s get going.” Isaac said as he continued forward. As the day went on it only got hotter and more humid. Isaac was carrying the most weight and kept the best pace. The group stopped as they came to an opening in a field. There were three logs around a stone fire ring. “This is it.” Applejack said with a smile. “Good then let’s unpack.” Isaac said as he threw his bag down and cracked his back. The yellow mare took her bag from the man and had a guilty look on her face. “Fluttershy I’m fine. I’ve carried heavier things than your backpack.” “I just feel bad.” Applejack came over and lifted the bag with one arm. She looked at the yellow Pegasus in shock. “What do ya got in here Shy? This thing is lighter than air.” She said as she set it back down. “Where’s your tent?” “I....um....don’t have one.” She said in a timid tone. “What?” The group said in unison. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Dash asked. “I was afraid to.” The cyan mare then face palmed. Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the other four mares. “Can she bunk with one of you?” “Sorry, I’m bunking with Pinkie.” Twilight said. “Dash and I could probably-” Isaac was cut off as the cyan mare held up her hand. “I’m bunking with AJ.” She said in an almost angry tone. “Okay then?” Isaac said as he cocked an eyebrow. “My tent holds two. So you’ll be bunk with me.” The yellow mare’s face turned red. “A-are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.” She said in a timid tone. “It’s fine. It’s only for a few nights.” He said as he started to set up the tent. When they were done Isaac had stashed his and Fluttershy’s bags inside the tent. “Okay now that thats out of the way we need to get cracking. Twilight, I want you and Dash to go find some sticks for the fire.” “On it.” “AJ, Pinkie. I need you two to look at our food supply and be ready to start cooking once the fire is made.” “Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie said with a salute. “What about you then hot shot?” Dash asked. “Shy and I are going to go find some water and purify it.” He said as he held up a bag. “Oh before I forget.” He said as he went over to his bag and pulled out five knives. “Take these.” “Why?” Dash asked. “Better to have one and not need it then to need it and not have one.” He said as he withdrew his own knife. Unlike the one the mare’s had seen this knife was a bit more worn and had a sleek black leather sheath. The blade had a few nicks in it and was a bit rusted on the edge. “If it needs sharpening then just come and see me.” He said as he and the yellow mare walked away from the campsite towards the sound of running water. As the two made their way deeper into the thicket Isaac heard the sounds of the rushing water getting louder. Once they got to the stream the human filled the odd bag with some water and the two started to make their way back to camp. He saw that Dash and Twilight had returned with the fire wood. “Hey Twi can you light this?” Dash asked. “Sorry, I don’t know any fire magic.” She said with a shrug. “Relax, I got this.” Isaac said as he went over to his pack and withdrew a box of matches. He lit the kindling and the fire was started. Soon the farmer and the pastry chef started to cook. “So how did the inventory go?” “By my count, we got plenty of food till we get there plus the return trip.” The farmer said with a smile. “Excellent.” Isaac said with a grin. The orange mare then opened the pot to see the stew peaking. “Soups on everypony.” Applejack hollered. The group then sat around the fire place and started to eat. As the sky grew darker and the fire seemed to get brighter the ponies started to tell stories. Fluttershy gulped and grabbed Isaac’s arm as Dash finished her story about the Headless Pony. “And they were never heard from again.” She said in a creepy tone. The ponies gulped as Dash made a spooky laugh. Fluttershy instantly ducked behind the log and started to shake. “Not bad Dash.” Isaac said with a grin. “Think you could do better?” She asked in a cocky tone. “I’m not one to boast but....yes.” “Prove it!” She yelled. “Okay, this is the story of Slenderman.” As Isaac told his tale the mare’s all leaned in closer. The man could see the worried looks on the mare’s faces as he came to the climax. “So if you ever feel a shiver run down your spine. Chances are that he’s creeping up behind you....watching, waiting for the opportune moment.” A leaf from the over head tree drifted down from the branch and touched the cyan mare’s shoulder. “AH SLENDER MAN!” She yelled as she jumped twenty feet in the air. Fluttershy screamed as well. Applejack and Pinkie started to laugh while Twilight tried to contain her composure. “You okay Dashie?” Pinkie said through the giggles. “I-I’m fine. The leaf just surprised me!” She stammered. “It’s okay to be scared by something like that Dash. Hell, I couldn’t sleep for days after I heard that story.” Isaac said with a yawn. “Well, it’s getting late and we have a full day of hiking to do tomorrow. Good night.” He said as he walked over to his tent with a trembling Fluttershy in hot pursuit. Twilight and Applejack stomped out the fire before heading to their tents. Inside the human’s tent, Isaac had removed his shirt and slipped into his sleeping bag. As the man tried to fall asleep he felt the yellow mare shaking. “You okay Fluttershy?” He asked. “I-I was just wondering. Is that story....true?” She asked in a timid tone. “Doubtful and if it does exist then it would live in MY world.” He said with a smile. “S-sorry for troubling you.” She said in a low tone. Isaac sat up and looked at her. “Look Shy, it’s perfectly natural to be scared of things. I’m scared of things too.” He said in a reassuring tone. The mare still had a sad look on her face. “Look if you’re ever scared just call out my name and I’ll be there.” He said with a smile. “Promise?” she asked. “Promise.” He said with a smile. The mare felt a wave of relief wash over her as she laid back down to sleep beside the man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up to find himself in a pitch black forest completely alone with nothing but the small fire burning brightly in front of him. Isaac clutched the hunting knife in his hand waiting and listening. He looked passed the fire and saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The man’s eyes snapped open from the dream and felt something against his chest. He looked down to see that the yellow mare had rested her head on his chest. The top of her light pink hair was just below his chin. Isaac attempted to move his right arm but felt that it was caught between something. The man slowly adjusted his head and saw that his arm was elbow deep between the mare’s breasts. Isaac blushed in realizing that Fluttershy was significantly more developed then her friends. The man gulped and slowly slid his arm out from between the two soft breasts. The man gently rolled the yellow mare off his body and threw a shirt on before walking outside the tent. He grabbed his compound bow and his quiver and made his way away from the camp. He stood in front of a standing tree and aimed for the center. He drew the arrow back and released it. The arrow went to the far right and missed the target. “Damn it.” He said as he shot another. The arrow went too far to the left and missed. The man groaned and withdrew a third arrow. The man took a deep breath and concentrated. He focused and felt something inside of him burn. As he released the arrow he saw it fly through the air. As it his it’s target he saw the arrow pass through the tree and land in the rock behind it. The arrow was stuck in the rock causing a massive crack in the hard surface. “What was that?” He asked as he looked down at the bow. The man heard something to his right as he drew another arrow. Isaac turned to face a deer. It was a doe. Isaac looked at the timid animal with his arrow drawn. The man’s hand holding the arrow was shaking as he frowned. The deer didn’t move an inch. The human squinted his eyes trying to remain focused. The man grunted and dropped the weapon. Isaac fell to his knees and cursed himself under his breath. The deer cocked it’s head to the side in confusion. “Just....go.” He said as he looked at the deer. The animal backed away and ran off in the other direction. The man closed his eyes and remembered a conversation he had a long time ago. You’re too soft. I didn’t see the point in killing it. Whatever, you’ll never make it as a soldier if you hesitate like that. Otherwise it’ll cost you your life. It was defenseless! Looks like I was right, you’re nothing like- “Isaac?” The man opened his eyes to see Fluttershy staring at him from afar. “Is everything okay?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He said as he stood up and picked up his bow. “What were you doing?” She asked in a timid tone. “Practicing.” He said in a flat tone. The yellow mare then saw the doe looking at them before running away. “Are the others up?” He asked as he retrieved his arrows. “Y-yes, Applejack is cooking breakfast right now.” She said with a gulp. “Good we’ll need our strength for the walk ahead.” He said as he and the mare made their way back to camp. The man had his weapon over his shoulder and the quiver in his hand. He saw the orange mare over the fire cooking while the other mares broke down their tents. Isaac packed up his things and started to disassemble the tent. Once he was done he joined the mares in their meal. “How’d you sleep Isaac?” Twilight asked. “Good, you?” “Just fine.” She said with a smile. “Good, we’ll need the energy.” Dash said with a smile. “How long a walk is it to the next checkpoint?” “I’d say five miles.” She said with a shrug. Isaac walked over and scooped some of the oatmeal into a bowl. “Not too bad. After we’re done here we should be able to reach it by late afternoon.” He said as he took a bite from his meal. After the dishes were done and the group was packed up they continued through the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seven hours earlier. Back in the town of Ponyville a jet black Unicorn stallion with a vibrant red mane made his way through town with a large over coat on. It was almost three o’clock as he approached Carousel Boutique and made his way inside to see a purple dragon stacking boxes of fabric. “Can I help you?” Spike asked. “Yes, I’m looking for a Ms. Rarity Belle.” Skull said with a smile. “Rarity, some stallion wants to talk to you.” Spike said as he called up the stairs. “Coming~” She said in a sing song voice. The stallion looked up to see the white unicorn mare with a wavy purple mane and donning a white dress. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique. How can I help you?” “I’m looking for an odd creature and sources say you might know where he is.” He said as he withdrew the paper with Isaac’s picture on it. “Yes, I know him.” “Do you know where he is?” The stallion asked. Rarity looked at the stallion and got an odd vibe from him. “No, he’s out of town on business.” She said with a shrug. “Do you know when he’ll be back?” He asked. “No.” She said in a flat tone. “I see. Sorry for troubling you.” He said as he turned and left the establishment. The dark stallion made his way through the small town grumbling to himself. He heard three fillies talking amongst themselves. “Why can’t we go see Isaac again?” Sweetie Belle asked. “He’s camping with Dash, Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy.” Applebloom said in a flat tone. “Where are they going?” Scootaloo asked. “They were heading up to that rainbow waterfall they took us to a few months back.” The farmer said. The stallion’s ears perked up at the words. He then approached the fillies with a smile on his face. “Excuse me, did you say rainbow waterfall?” He asked. “Sure did. Why?” “Well, I’m a traveler and I’m on the look out for beautiful landmarks.” He lied. “Do you know where it is?” “Sure do ah got a map to it back at the farm.” Applebloom said with a smile. “Can I see it?” “Sure, I know ah’d hate to get lost in a place like that.” The farmer said with a grin. The large stallion followed the three fillies to the farmhouse where the farmer dug out a map. “This her is the most direct route and will take you three days to get there.” “I see. Sounds like quite the trek.” Skull said in surprise. “It is so worth it though!” Sweetie said with a smile. “It is so beautiful.” “Do you mind if I copy this map?” “Sure.” The farmer said with a smile. The stallion’s horn glowed and a duplicate of the map was made in his hands. He handed the original back to the fillies and smiled. “Thank you very much. You three have been a huge help.” He said in a kind hearted voice. The stranger then got to his feet and walked out the door. “No problem mister. If you see Isaac or the others tell them we said hi.” Scootaloo said as she waved goodbye to the stallion. “Oh trust me, I will.” He said keeping his eyes front and his evil smirk hidden from the fillies. The stallion quickly made his way into the forest and pulled out a spell book filled with odd symbols. He put the book on the ground and placed his palm on top of one of the seals. The circle started to glow and a black puff of smoke came out. Through the smoke a pair of bright red eyes stared at him. “He’s traveling with five mares, don’t let them see you.” The beast roared and charged down the path after the group. “Time to see if this human is either prey or hunter.” He said with excitement in his voice.
Chapter 19: Marco PoloChapter 19 Marco Polo The group stopped at the next checkpoint which was a large hollowed out cave. “A c-cave?” The man asked with a gulp. “Yeah, what’s up?” Dash asked as she looked at the human. “Nothing.” Isaac got a fire going while the other mare’s set up their tents. The man got to his feet and let out a sigh. “I’m going for a walk.” He said to the group. The mares nodded as the man walked past them with his bow and quiver and made his way out into the open air. He walked a good three hundred feet away from the camp and started shooting the arrows at a nearby log. The man heard something snap a twig behind him. Isaac turned with his weapon drawn to see the yellow mare with a frightened look on her face. “Jesus, Shy. You can’t sneak up on a guy with his weapon drawn.” He said as he lowered the bow. “I’m sorry.” She said as she lowered her head. “It’s fine. Did you need something?” He asked. “I was....just wondering, what you were doing.” She asked in her timid tone. “Practicing with my bow.” He said as he held up the weapon. “Want to try?” “Oh....I don’t know.” She said with a gulp. “I guess I could give it a shot.” She said as she walked beside the human. Isaac handed her the bow.The mare held the bow in her left hand as she pulled the arrow back with her right. He left hand was shaking in anxiety. Isaac put his hand on hers to help steady the bow, causing the yellow mare to blush. “Just pull the arrow back and take a moment to focus.” He said in a hushed tone. The mare nodded and let out a sigh. She released the arrow which hit the center of the target. The man looked at the mare in surprise. “You’re a natural.” He said with a smile. Fluttershy smiled at his kind words. She pulled back another arrow and let it fly. The arrow didn’t only hit the center of the target but split the other one right down the middle. “I-I’m so sorry Isaac! I didn’t mean to do that!” She said in a sad filled tone. “Don’t be. That was awesome!” He said as he approached the target. “How did you do that?” “I-I don’t know. You’re not mad?” “No, I’ve got other arrows back at my house.” He said with a nod. “Where did you get this thing?” Fluttershy asked. “My grandpa got it for me when I was fifteen.” He said as he retrieved the arrows. “Oh that’s nice.” She said with a smile. The two made their way back to camp. As they made their way back Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept adverting her eyes as Isaac looked back at her. The man pushed the thought out his mind as they entered the cave. Isaac felt a small wave of fear creep over him as he entered the dark place. “Isaac are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Y-yeah, it’s just been a long day.” He said as he walked over to his tent and set his bow down. The man joined the other mares around the fire and sat down as he opened a leather bound book. He withdrew a small pencil and started to write in the book. “What’s that?” Twilight asked. “Just a journal I keep.” He said in a flat tone. “Can I see it?” She asked. “No.” Isaac said as he put the book away. The man looked around the cave as he ate. A long silence fell over the group as they ate until AJ broke the silence. “So Isaac, who taught you so much about camping?” The farmer asked. “My dad, my grandpa and my uncle.” He said as he sipped his water. “They taught me how to survive even if their methods were.....extreme.” He said in a flat tone. “What do you mean extreme?” Pinkie asked. “When I turned thirteen my dad had the idea of dropping me in the woods for a week with three days worth of food and water along with this knife.” He said as he withdrew the old weapon. Twilight spat out her drink in surprise at the man’s words. “WHAT? That’s insane!” She protested. “It made me stronger so I can’t complain.” He said with a shrug. “How did you survive?” Pinkie asked. “I hunted, I tracked and I made my way out of the woods.” He said with a sigh. “If memory serves I came out by a small town and I managed to find a nearby Army base and they called my folks.” He said with a sigh. “So you had a military upbringing?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, when your dad is in the armed forces you get moved around a lot.” He said as he sat back. “How often did you move?” Dash asked. “Longest place I stayed was for about two years. That was when I was twelve.” “Two years!” Twilight said in surprise. “So how did you make friends?” Pinkie asked. “I made a few close friends when I was a kid and closer friends when I served in the Marines.” He said with a sigh. “How many friends?” Applejack asked. “I guess my squad that I stuck with.” He said with a laugh. “We were more like family then teammates.” He said with a smile. “Wait, when you first came here you said that you barely talked to anyone.” Twilight said. “Yeah, what’s your point?” He asked “Why din’t you talk to them when you got out of the service?” The man bit his lip at the next part. “The dead aren’t much for conversation.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight held her head in shame. A long silence fell between the group of friends. “I’m sorry....I didn’t.” She stopped as Isaac raised his hand. “It’s fine it’s in the past now.” He said as he got up. “It’s supposed to get cold tonight.” Dash said. The man waved as he walked back over to his tent. Isaac laid on top of his sleeping bag and let out a sigh as he yawned. The man felt sleep take him. An hour later he heard Fluttershy enter the tent and crawl into her sleeping bag next to him. As the man tried to fall asleep he heard a faint sneeze come from the yellow mare. “You okay Fluttershy?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as the man felt a shiver come from her body. “Are you cold?” He asked in a concerned tone. “N-no I’m fine.” Isaac could see his breath outside the sleeping bag and hear her teeth chattering. “No, you’re not. If you get to cold then you’ll get sick.” He said with a sigh. Isaac slipped out of his sleeping bag and felt the cold air bite at his skin. “Must be forty degrees here.” He said as he rubbed his arms. “Hang on I have an idea. Get out of your sleeping bag for a second.” “What?” “I could zip our sleeping bags together and our combined body heat will be enough to keep us both warm for the night.” He said as they both blushed. “If you don’t want to then-” “A-Alright.” She said with a gulp. “You sure?” “Yeah, it’s only for one night anyway.” She said as she got out of her bag. Isaac turned on his flashlight and saw that the yellow mare was wearing a tight green shirt that seemed to be a size too small for her. The mare was also wearing a pair of yellow short shorts. The man gulped and lowered his head as he zipped the two bags together. Isaac held the enlarged opening. Fluttershy got inside trying desperately to hide her blush as the man faced the opposite direction from the mare. Fluttershy gulped as she felt her wings starting to extend. She faced the man’s back and moved closer to him, allowing her wings the room they needed. The mare managed to control her wings and eventually drift off to sleep. The human woke up early in the morning to see the yellow mare sleeping next to him with her mane over her face. The man gently pushed the strands of pink hair out of her face before discretely sliding out of the bag and getting his shoes on. The man noticed that none of the other mare’s were up and decided to go for a walk. The man walked down one of the pathways and found what looked like a stream bed. He crouched down and scooped up a handful of water. As he splashed the cold liquid in his face he felt as though he was being watched. Isaac slowly stood up and looked around his surroundings. The human felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He looked to his right to see a large black wolf with bright red eyes glaring at him with a malicious stare. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw that the wolf was at least five feet long and looked like it weighed over one hundred pounds. It’s teeth were bigger than any other wolf he’d seen. The man slowly reached for his knife only to have the beast run at him with lightning speed. Isaac pulled his knife out just in time to dodge and slash it across the side of it’s body. The man managed to avoid the attack and got in a defensive position. The two moved in a circular formation. The man stared into the wolf’s red eyes and it stared back into his. The two both charged at one another the wold baring it’s teeth and the man tightening his grip on the knife’s handle. The human managed to slash the beat a few more times making blood spill on his body. The wolf swiped the man’s hand which made him cry in pain and drop the knife, before the man could react the wolf was on top of him. The beast knocked the knife away with it’s paw and tried to bite the man’s neck. Isaac’s hands shot out and grabbed the wolf’s jaw and snout. He could smell the beast’s vile breath breathing on him. The beast was obviously stronger than he was and was starting to over power him. The man gather his strength and gave a sharp twist. The human heard a snap come from the wolf’s neck and the beast’s body fell limp. Isaac pushed the wolf’s body off him and got to his feet. Isaac took a moment to collect himself before walking over to his knife and putting it in the sheath. The man walked over to the brook and looked at himself in the water’s reflection. He quickly washed the blood off his face and hands. He heard a noise come from behind him. He turned around to see that the wolf was cloaked in shadow and was more menacing looking than before. The beast howled and charged at the man. The wolf jumped aiming for it’s prey’s neck. Isaac quickly withdrew his knife and ducked to the left. The wolf bit down hard on the human’s shoulder and felt it’s blood fill it’s mouth. Isaac cried out in pain as he slammed the blade into the wolf’s skull. The beast felt it’s life leave it’s body. The man pried the beast’s jaws open and release his arm. Isaac grunted in pain and pulled out his knife. He stabbed the beast three more times just to make sure it was dead. The man looked at the beast’s coat which was jet black. The man saw the shadowy aura around the body leave and fly back into the jungle. The man let out a sigh and looked down at the beast. He walked over to it and saw that it’s eyes shifted from a dark red to a light blue and it’s coat was pristine white. The man let out a sigh and sat down next to the wolf. He patted it on the head and closed it’s eyes. Isaac got to his feet and made his way back towards the camp. As he came into view he saw Twilight taking down her and Pinkie’s tent. “Hey Isaac where did-” The mare stopped as she saw the man’t bleeding shoulder. “Oh my Celestia! What happened?” She yelled as the other mares ran towards him. “Wolf attacked me.” He said as he sat down. The man removed his shirt as Twilight’s horn and hands glowed. “I’m fine.” He said in a flat tone. The mare watched as the bite marks started to heal on their own. “What wolf got ya?” Applejack asked. “Follow me and you can analyze it.” He said as he got up. “Are you okay to walk?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, I’ve been through worse.” He said as he walked back towards the brook. The white wolf’s body laid there motionless. Fluttershy walked over and inspected the body. “So what is it?” “It....It’s a Dire wolf.” Fluttershy said as the mares gasped. “What?” “Dire wolves are extremely rare and are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Equestria.” Twilight clarified. “Really?” “Yeah, no one has seen one in over ten years.” Dash said. “Great, so I just killed an endangered species?” “No, they’re just not native to Equestria. My brother see’s them all the time in the Crystal Empire because of the colder temperatures.” She said with a sigh. “Well, since this thing gave me so much trouble I think I deserve a little reward.” He said as he pulled out his knife. “What are you doing?” Applejack asked. “I’m gonna take the pelt and some meat while I’m at it.” He said in a flat tone. “WHAT?” They all yelled. “Look, human’s need meat. It’s a fact.” He said as he let out a sigh. “It’s custom where I come from.” As he walked towards the wolf he felt something tug on his arm. He looked back to see Fluttershy holding his wrist and some tears flowing down her face. “P-Please don’t. It’s already dead.” She said as she hung her head. Isaac looked at the wolf and then back at the mare. He let out a sigh and gave her a nod. “Fine.” He said with a sigh. The man got up and started to walk back to camp with the group following. The man packed up his things and the group continued the trek. Isaac kept his bow out in case of any more wild animals. “Why do ya have that thing?” Applejack asked as she looked at the weapon. “In case something tries to attack again.” “Fluttershy could probably handle it.” Twilight said with a nod. “No offense, but I think not. That wolf wasn’t natural.” “What makes you say that?” “I had to kill it twice.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “I broke it’s neck and when I was getting my knife it came back to life and I stabbed it in the skull.” The mares cringed at the thought. “I don’t know if that’s something the Dire Wolf race can do but I had to do something else I’d be that thing’s lunch.” He said with a sigh. “If it’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that hesitation leads to disaster.” “That’s a little extreme.” Twilight said with a gulp. “That it may be but it’s the truth. I don’t hesitate when I defend myself or friends. No matter who or what I’m fighting.” He said in a low tone. The group continued the trek in silence as they walked along the wooded path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The dark shadow moved through the woods until it found the black unicorn stallion sitting indian style in front of an open book. The shadow made it’s way into the stallion’s body as his red eyes opened. Well, it looks like this human is no stranger to combat. This should be fun. He thought as he got up. Those mares on the other hand could pose a problem if they get in my way. A distraction is required. The stallion opened his spell book and started to glance through it. He stopped as he found the page he was looking for. Let’s see how they deal with this. He thought as he placed his hand on the seal and a massive spell circle formed on the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac stopped as he set his eyes on a massive waterfall with all the colors of the Rainbow pouring down into a pool of the same colors. The lavender and yellow mares shared the shame shocked expression. “You guys should see your faces.” Dash said with a smirk. “C’mon theres a camping spot at the top of the water fall.” She said as she spread her wings and took flight. The ponies took the path on the right hand side and made their way up to the camping spot. The group set up their tents and started to lounge about. “Hey is this water safe to swim in?” Isaac asked. “Yeah it’s fine.” Dash said with a smile. The man nodded and went into his tent and changed into a swim suit. “How deep is the water at the base of the falls?” He asked as he walked to the edge. “Don’t know.” Twilight said with a shrug. “Only one way to find out then.” “DON’T EVEN-” The lavender unicorn was cut off as the man jumped off the edge. “Geronimo!” He said as he dove off the edge. The man felt his body hit the water. He opened his eyes to see that the floor was easily twenty feet below him. He swam to the surface to see the five mares looking over the edge with concerned looks on their faces. “It’s fine. It’s at least twenty feet deep.” He said with a grin. “Well, in that case.” Dash said with a smirk. “Heads up!” Dash said as she jumped off the edge. The cyan mare made herself into a cannon ball and landed next to the human. “Really Dash?” He said in a flat tone. The human looked at the mare with a blank expression on his face. “You do realize you just jumped in the water with your clothes on right?” The mare stopped laughing for a moment and glared back at the man. “Crap.” She said as she flew out of the water and back up to the camp. Five minutes later the rest of the group got changed and were relaxing by the water’s edge. Isaac sat in the rainbow water so that it covered his chest and lower half of his body. Twilight was wearing a black one piece with book in hand. Applejack had an orange poke a dot bikini top and a pair of short cut denim shorts. Rainbow was wearing a dark blue string bikini and was sunbathing on her Wonderbolt Towel. Pinkie was donning a dark red swimsuit with a dress like frill on the bottom and was bouncing an inflatable beach ball to Applejack. Fluttershy was wearing a forest green bikini top that went over her neck and back down the other side, the two pieces of fabric were connected by a metal ring in the center of her chest. The yellow mare was quietly splashing her feet in the water. Isaac laid his head back and let the sun hit against his body. I guess......It’s not so bad here. Glad to see you finally came around. Isaac thought to the other voice in his head. I just hated being the one who bitched all the time. We’re stuck here so we might as well accept it. We have to deal with the cards we’re dealt. Spade said that all the time. The man’s eye snapped open and walked over to his blanket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to the calendar and let out a sigh. “What’s up sugar cube?” The farmer asked as she looked at him. “Nothing. Just checking the date.” He said as he put the phone on his blanket. The man let out a yawn and laid down on his towel. After a good five minutes of shut eye until his face was hit with a rubber ball. “Hey!” He said as he sat up. “Oh don’t be such a party poop’r! C’mon in.” Pinkie said with a smile. Isaac rolled his eyes and jumped in the water with the other five girls. “You guys ever play Marco Polo?” “What?” Twilight asked. “It’s kind of like tag, only the person that is it has their eyes shut. Whenever they say Marco the other players say Polo and who ever Marco get’s is the new Marco and a new round starts.” He said with a smile. “Sounds like fun!” Pinkie said with a smile. The group nodded and started the game. Twilight went first and managed to tag Pinkie. The hyperactive pink mare managed to tag Applejack without breaking a sweat. The cyan mare was next to find the others. Dash managed to catch the human by barreling into him at full speed. “Was that really necessary Dash?” He said as he sat up. “Nope.” She said with a smile. Isaac closed his eyes and heard the splashing from the mares. He stared to walk around aimlessly and called out at random. He tried to zero in on the voices. As he stepped closer the other ponies decided to stay just out of reach of the man. The cyan mare stuck out her leg and made the man trip. Isaac fell forward and tried to grab onto something as he fell. His hand came into contact with something soft and large. As he fell forward he felt his face hit a pound of fur. Isaac opened his eyes to see that his had was on the yellow Pegasus’s right breast. The yellow mare’s wings instantly sprang up like they were spring loaded. “Oh....my.” Fluttershy said as her and Isaac’s face turned bright red. The man quickly removed his hand and stood up. He looked back to see Applejack and Twilight blushing brightly while Dash and Pinkie were on their backs laughing. “Let’s.....um.....get dinner ready.” Twilight suggested trying to make the conversation less awkward. “Good idea.” The human said as he gulped. As the other mares packed up their things Isaac helped Fluttershy to her feet. The two collected their things in silence and made their way back up to camp. As the group ate their meals, Isaac noticed that Fluttershy kept glancing at him and turning away. The man ignored the gestures and continued eating his food. “So Isaac, who came up with the whole Marco Polo game?” Twilight asked. “It’s named after a famous explorer from my world, his name was Marco Polo. He was known for his expedition to Asia.” “Asia?” Twilight asked. “I’ll tell you about it when we get back to Ponyville.” He said with a smile. “The man was genius. He traveled a far and wide and made friends along the way.” “Kinda like you?” Pinkie asked. “No, he meant to go places. I landed here by accident.” He said in a flat tone. “But didn’t that Doctor guy say that you were a fixed point or something like that?” Dash asked. “Yeah, but I have no idea what my purpose is yet.” He said with a shrug. The man sat back against the tree that was behind him and watched as the ponies conversed with one another. He noticed that once in a while Dash was giving him an angry look. Isaac ignored it for the time being and zoned out the chatter until he heard a loud banging noise next to him. “GAH!” He yelled as he jumped to his feet. Isaac looked to his left to see what looked like fire crackers next to him. He cast a glare at the group of mares who were trying to hold back their laughter. His gaze focused on the cyan mare who was rolling on her back in a fit of laughter. The man let out a groan and got to his feet. “Hey where ya going?” Dash yelled through the laughter. “Just getting some smoke free air.” He said as he walked away from the campsite and into the woods. After he walked a good way in the man let out a sigh and looked up at the starry sky to see the moon. The man then heard a rustling noise behind him and quickly turned around to see Fluttershy trying to hide behind a tree. “Need something Shy?” “I just wanted to apologize for Rainbow Dash. You know how she gets.” She said in a timid tone. “Yeah, I know.” He said as the two started to walk back towards the camp when a thought made it’s way into the man’s head. “Hey, sorry about earlier.” The man said in a flat tone. “For what?” “When we were playing and I kinda grabbed your......ya know.” He said as his face turned red. Fluttershy remembered the incident and lost her balance. Isaac rushed to catch the mare only to trip over a large tree root. The man felt himself hit the dirt and a patch of moss. The man opened his eyes to see that Fluttershy’s lips were less than an inch away and she was panting heavily. As Isaac tried to hide his blush he felt the mare’s lips connect with his own. The Pegasus’s lips were soft and she tasted like fresh vanilla. A soft moan escaped the mare’s mouth as she felt the man’s tongue enter her own mouth and started to explore. The yellow mare soon let her body rest on top of the man’s and felt her wings unfurl. As the two broke the embrace Isaac noticed that the mare was panting heavily. The mare got up and had tears forming in her eyes. “I-I’m sorry!” She said as she turned away. As the mare tried to leave the man grabbed her wrist and turned her around. “It’s just that..” She said with a sniffle. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack said you were really good. So I got curious. I know you probably don’t think I’m attractive so I didn’t really-” “Back up a sec there Shy. Who said you’re not attractive?” “Well, colt’s always teased me when I was younger so I just assumed that.” She said as she held her head in shame. “That’s crazy! They were just being a bunch of bullies, trying to get you riled up.” “Really?” “Trust me I’ve seen girls that look WAY worse than you.” He said with a smile. “So you wanted to see if what Dash and Applejack said was true?” The mare nodded and bit her lip in embarrassment. “Look Shy, it’s not that I don’t find you attractive it’s just that.” He started as Fluttershy looked up at him. Damn that cute look. He thought. “Look sex is fun, but it should be with someone special and someone you really care about. Dash got me while I was drunk and Applejack practically hog tied me. Then there was Spit.....never mind. Point is it should be with someone you care about.” He said with a sigh. “I know and....I care about you.” She said as her blush brightened. The man thought for a moment and sifted through his mind. “Look Shy, the truth is....I don’t deserve to have somepony like you, Dash or AJ.” He said in a flat tone. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life and I’ll never be able to redeem myself for what I’ve done.” The man started to walk back towards the camp ahead of the yellow mare. “I’m truly sorry, but it’a fact.” He said as he entered the campsite without a word to any of the other ponies. The man quickly went over to his tent and crawled inside his own individual sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep. Author's Note Wow, over 300 paged in my doc. Longest story I've ever written.
Chapter 21: The Most Dangerous Game (Re Edited)Chapter 21 The Most Dangerous Game Isaac opened his eyes to see the yellow mare sleeping soundly next to him. Her eyes fluttered open showing their teal color. “Morning.” She said with a small kiss. “How’d you sleep?” Isaac asked as he sat up and stretched. “Just wonderful.” The mare said with a smile. The two then heard a tapping on their tent. “Rise and shine you two.” A familiar southern accent said in a tired tone. “Twi’s got something important she want’s to tell us.” The farmer said as she left. “We’ll be right out.” Isaac said as she slipped out of his sleeping bag and threw on a pair of camouflage jeans and a dark green T shirt. He stepped out of the tent to see the mare’s starting to break down their tents and pack up. “Did I miss something?” He asked as Twilight walked up to him. “I just got a message from Spike saying that we need to return to Ponyville immediately.” She said in a serious tone. “Why?” Fluttershy asked as she stepped out of the tent. “He got a letter from the Princess. Only he said it looked weird.” She said with a shrug. “You do know that it took us like three days to get here right?” Dash said as she rolled up her sleeping bag. “That’s why I have this.” Twilight said as she pulled out a piece of paper with an odd symbol in it. “What’s that?” “It’s a warp gate. It acts like my teleportation spell, only it’s for long range.” “So why didn’t you use that to get us up here?” Isaac asked in a confused tone. “It only works one way and the other end is in the library.” She said with a sigh. “So hurry up and get packing.” “Yes, ma’am.” Isaac said in a half mocking tone. After packing up his things and folding the tent up Dash walked over to Fluttershy with a smile on her face. “Hi Rainbow Dash, what’s up?” Fluttershy asked in her usual timid tone. “Oh don’t try to act innocent on my Shy.” Dash said with a smug grin. “How was it?” “How was what?” “You know.” The mare said as she waggled her eyebrows and glanced towards the human. The yellow mare’s face turned scarlet and felt her stomach jump into her throat. “H-how did you know?” “On account of we heard ya last night.” Applejack said as she walked up to her friend. The yellow mare pulled her pink hair over her face in hopes of hiding from the embarrassment. “Easy there sugar cube. We don’t blame ya.” “Yeah Isaac is a really cool guy.” Dash said with a smile. “I was just curious.” The mare said as she put a hand on her friends shoulder. “C’mon guys. We need to get back to Ponyville pronto!” Twilight said in an impatient tone. “Calm down Twilight.” Isaac said as he finished packing. “Celestia is a reasonable mare. She won’t be angry if we’re tardy.” The lavender mare’s eye twitched and glared at the man. “I have NEVR been tardy and I don’t want to start now!” She said in a half crazed tone. “Twi, take a chill pill.” He said with a sigh. The lavender mare put the piece of paper down on the ground and waited for everyone to step on it with their bags. “Everyone ready?” Twilight asked. The group nodded and the mare’s horn glowed a faint purple along with the seal. The group saw a flash of purple light and then found themselves inside the library. The lavender mare’s horn stopped glowing and started to collapse. Isaac and the cyan mare caught their friend before she hit the wooden floor. “You okay Twilight?” Dash asked. “Yeah, it’s just that this spell takes a lot of power.” She said as they sat her down on the couch. The purple dragon walked up to her with a glass of water. “Thank’s Spike. Now what’s so interesting about this letter?” She asked before taking a sip of water. “Well, it arrived here by a mail pony not magic.” He said with a shrug. “That’s odd.” Applejack said as she scratched her head. “Maybe she couldn’t. Is there a range where she can’t send letters?” Isaac asked. “No, she sent me one while she was in Gryphonia and that’s like on the other side of the world.” Spike said with a shrug. “Maybe she was too tired?” Pinkie asked. “Raising the sun everyday has to take a lot out of you.” “Doubtful.” The door suddenly opened to reveal the white unicorn mare. “Oh, I didn’t know that you all got back.” Rarity said in surprise. “We just did.” Applejack said still shaking off the teleportation. “Anyway that’s not the only thing that’s weird.” Spike said as he pulled out the letter. Twilight gave it a read and passed it around. Twilight, I must speak to you and your friends on the outskirts of Ponyville immediately. P.S. Bring the human as well. ~Princess Celestia. “That does seem odd.” Rarity said as she scratched her head. “Not to mention that she didn’t use my name, just ‘the human’” Isaac said as he scratched his chin. Twilight got to her feet and let out a pant. “You sure you’re okay? We can go tell Celestia that you weren’t feeling well. I’m sure she’d understand.” Isaac said as he looked at the mare. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” She said as she sat back down. “How about this, the rest of us go drop our stuff off and when we come back then we’ll meet Celestia okay? We ditch our stuff and Twi rests a little. Everybody wins.” Isaac said with a shrug. “Sounds good to me.” Dash said with a smile. “I’m fine with it.” AJ agreed. “Alright. Just hurry back.” Twilight said in a flat tone. The group nodded and made their way back to their houses. Isaac walked along the road and he scowled as a familiar white Unicorn mare with an electric blue mane walked up to him. “Yo, Isaac what’s up?” She asked with a smile. “Something you want to tell me Vinyl?” He said in a harsh tone. “Sheesh, what’s up with you?” “How about not telling me about your girlfriend?” Vinyl bit her lip at the words. “Yeah about that.” She said with a gulp. Isaac stood still with a blank expression on his face. “Look, I’m not a complete lesbian. I’m bi.” “Is that supposed to make me feel better? You used me to cheat on your girlfriend.” He said in a rough tone. “Tavi knows. I told her that morning and she’s totally cool with it.” “Really? Even though I’m a completely different species?” He said in a sarcastic tone. “I didn’t tell her that you were a human.” “I think that that’s a major detail you left out.” He said with a grunt. “Look, when does this....Tavi girl come back?” “She should be back in two days. Why?” “We and by that I mean you, Tavi and I are going to have a little chat and resolve this like mature adults.” He said as he walked passed her. “Call me when she get’s back and we’ll discuss what happened then.” “Alright.” She said as she hung her head in shame. The man side stepped the saddened mare and continued making his way down the street with his bag latched onto his back. Isaac kept walking down the road when he was approached by a familiar teal Unicorn mare. “Hey Lyra. What’s up?” He said with a smile on his face. “Not much. I haven’t seen you in a few days. Where’d you go?” She asked as she started to walk next to him. “Camping with Twi, Dash, AJ, Pinkie and Fluttershy.” He said as he got to his home. “How was that?” Isaac to moment to chose his words. “It was....fun.” He said as he walked inside. “Want to come in?” “YES!” She said with a wide smile. The two entered and Lyra immediately started examining things. “Wow, this is so cool!” “I’ll be right out. I just need to grab a few things and put some stuff back.” He said as he walked down the hallway. Isaac made his way towards a jet black door and went inside. The room was large and circular. The walls had pictures of several men in uniform. He pulled out the black box and put the handgun on the side as he pulled out a brown leather hip holster. Isaac pulled out the foam holder inside the box and loaded the gun and a speed reloader before putting it in the holster. He looked around the room and saw several glass boxes line in a row. Each had a folded American flag inside and a series of medals. He stopped next to the last one and saw a golden medal. Isaac was so engrossed with the medal that he didn’t notice Lyra had entered the room and started to look around. “What’s this-” “GAH!” Isaac said nearly jumping five feet in the air. He spun around to see a startled Lyra staring at him. “Oh sorry Lyra, I didn’t hear you come in.” He said in a flat tone. “What is this place?” “My dad called it the war room. It’s a collection of my family’s military records.” He said with a sigh. “My family dates back to the founding of my country. We've fought in almost every war since then." Isaac said as he started walking out of the room with the teal mare following close behind. The man rifled through his bag and withdrew his knife and clipped it on his belt. "Doubt that will happen again." “What do you mean?” “I don't have a way back remember?” He said in a flat tone. “Oh....I’m sorry.” She said as she held her head low. “It's fine. I've come to accept things as they are.” He said as he walked towards the door. “Where are you going?” “For some reason Celestia sent Spike a message wanting to meet Twilight, me and the others on the outskirts of town.” “Why?” “No idea, but my gut is telling me that things are gonna go south.” He said as he turned to face Lyra. “Mind doing me a favor?” “Sure, what?” “Follow us, but stay in the shadows and if things go bad get to Spike and tell him to send a letter to Luna. Can you do that?” The teal mare nodded and ignited her horn and her body turned invisible. “How’s this?” She asked. “Wow, that works perfectly.” He said with a nod. “Okay, keep that up for as long as possible. If things go well, which I highly doubt, then you can just step out. I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t mind.” “Got it. Lead the way.” Isaac nodded and made his way back towards the library. The man motioned Lyra to hold back as he entered the tree to see the other mares waiting for him. “There you are. What took you?” Dash asked. “Sorry, I had a little chat with Vinyl.” He said in a rough tone. He then turned his attention to the lavender mare. “You okay to go?” “Yeah, I’m feeling much better.” She said as she got to her feet. “Let’s go. Celestia is waiting for us. Spike stay here and watch the library.” “You got it Twilight.” He said with a salute. The group made their way out of the library and made their way towards the outskirts. Isaac looked behind him and saw that a faint shimmer was following them. “Hey Isaac.” Twilight said as she looked at the man. “Why do you have your gun?” “Well, knowing you, I figured that you’d want to tell Celestia about it sooner or later. Since we’re meeting with her I figured I’d skip a step and show her myself.” “What if she tries to take it away from you?” Dash asked. “I doubt that will happen.” “How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked. “Once she hears how dangerous it is-” “Don’t lecture me Twilight. I’m sure should the argument come up then she’ll take my side over yours.” Twilight was taken back by the ma’s words. “What? I’m Celestia’s private pupil and I’ve known her my whole life. While you have known her for barely a month!” “True. However there’s something both of us have done that you haven’t.” He said as he looked at the lavender mare. “What’s that?” “We’ve done what’s necessary for the benefit of others. That includes killing.” Twilight looked at him in shock. “Can you honestly say that Celestia has never sent somepony to death row or killed for the benefit of her country?” The lavender mare was speechless. “I thought so.” “But you’ve killed people and-” “I don’t expect you to understand Twilight. The only ones who can are those who’ve been out in the trenches and have fought the enemy, who or what ever it may be.” He said in a rough tone. “Besides, do you honestly think that I would kill an innocent civilian?” “Well-” Isaac looked at her in complete and utter shock. “I gotta say Twilight. I’m extremely insulted by that. I’ve only killed in self defense. Whether it was for my protection or my friend’s.” He said in a rough tone. “There’s always an alternative to-” “No, you don’t get it. I didn’t grow up in the same happy atmosphere where everyone is your friend. You have to do what’s necessary to move forward.” He said in a rough tone. “I don’t like killing, I hate doing it, but I will if I have to.” Twilight blinked twice and gulped. “Bottom line, I’m keeping my weapons and there’s nothing that you or anyone else can say to change that.” He said as he continued to walk towards the outskirts of town. The mares all gulped and looked at the lavender mare in shock. “He does have a good point Twi.” Applejack stated. “You’re siding with him?” “Yeah seriously Twilight. Thinking that he’d kill on a whim is pretty low.” Dash said in a low tone. “You always told me not to judge a book by it’s cover. Isaac is just another book. An extremely hot book from another dimension with a crazy past, but a book none the less. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.” “But he’s-” “We turned Discord to stone, your brother and Cadence kicked Chrysalis and every other Changeling out of Canterlot and let’s not forget about the Crystal Empire thing, not to mention those manticores we had to take down yesterday.” Pinkie added. “We’ve done a lot too and we saved all of Equestria and each other by doing those things.” Pinkie said as she scratched her mane. “Isaac did the same, just in a different way.” “Pinkie that.....actually makes sense.” Dash said in surprise. The mares and human were all dumbfounded at Pinkie’s spark of intelligence. “Thank you Pinkie.” The man said with a nod. “If Pinkie can understand it then why can’t you? I mean I thought you were the brains of this outfit.” He said as he looked at the lavender mare. “What do you mean the brains?” Twilight asked. “In every crew there’s the brains, the looks, the muscle and the wildcard.” He said in a flat tone. “You’re the brains, Shy and Rarity are the looks. Dash and AJ are the muscle and Pinkie is definitely the wildcard.” “So what does that make you?” Twilight asked. “Me? No fucking idea. I’m just along for the ride.” He said as he shrugged. “Eh, I’ll buy it.” Dash said with a shrug. “Now that that’s settled we’ve got someone waiting on us.” Isaac said as he continued to walk forward towards the edge of town. The mares followed him as Twilight kept her mouth shut and processed the information. As the group got to the edge of town they saw the white goddess waiting for them. The lavender mare immediately rushed forward. “Princess Celestia, it’s nice to see you again.” She said with a smile. “Twilight Sparkle, my prize pupil. I was wondering when you were going to get here.” She said as she waved her hand for them to come closer. “Is there something-” The lavender mare felt something grip her tail and pull her back towards the group. She looked back to see that the man had the end of her tail in his hand. “What are you doing?” “Twilight, we’ve been had.” The man said as he focused on the white Princess. “What?” Isaac walked forward and ran his hand over a wire. He pulled out his knife and cut it, causing the ground to open up in front of the group into a deep pit. The mare’s jaws dropped and looked down to see that it was easily twenty feet deep. “Looks like someones been setting booby traps.” He said in a flat tone. The group of ponies then heard a clapping sound coming from the Princess. “Impressive.” The Princess’s voice shifted from her warm and angelic sound to a rough and harsh tone. The white goddess’s body burst into smoke to reveal a black unicorn stallion wearing a black hood and a silver mask. “No ones ever been able to spot one of my pit traps before.” “I’m going to assume that you were the one who set up that rope trap in the forest.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. “Correct. I’m also the one responsible for that manticore incident.” The mare’s eyes shrank at the stallion’s words. “It was all a test to see if you were worthy enough to face me head on and you passed. I’m actually impressed.” He said with a chuckle. The man then saw a cyan blur fly over his shoulder and towards the stallion. “I’m gonna squish you into cider!” Dash yelled as she stuck out her leg for a kick. The stallion dodged the mare’s attack and grabbed her by the throat. The stallion’s horn started to glow and a small red beam sent the mare back flying into the group of mares. Isaac’s eyes shrank at the collision and bore holed through the stallion’s eyes. The stallion them pressed his hands on the ground and a magical red cage trapped the mares. “You’re after me then.” The stranger nodded as he removed his cloak. “Mind if I ask why?” “Business.” “An assassin then.” The stallion’s horn glowed and a four massive red magical walls surrounded the two warriors. “Insurance so nothing can interfere with our spat.” The stallion’s horn flared and Isaac felt his gun fly out of it’s holster and into the air. The weapon teleported outside the barrier. “Right then. Let get down to business. My name is Skull Crusher.” “Isaac. A pleasure.” He said in a sarcastic tone as the stallion charged forward and threw a punch at the human. Isaac caught the stallion’s attack and elbowed him in the ribs. The masked stallion let out a grunt of pain and sweep kicked the man causing him to fall on his back. The stallion followed up with a punch only to be caught by the man. Isaac used his free right hand to grip the stallion’s chest Isaac gave a sharp tug and ripped the stallion’s cloak along with a tuff of fur. The assassin took a step back and looked down at his now ripped fur. Isaac got to his feet and dropped the ball of fur in front of him and let out a breath. “No sense in wearing this thing anymore.” The stallion said as he removed his torn garment. Isaac’s eyes shrank as he saw the stallion’s muscular body riddled with scars. “Must be some interesting stories behind those scars.” Isaac said as he cracked his knuckles. “You have no idea.” The assassin took a deep breath and focused his sight on the man. “Enough warmup. Time to fight.” The stallion said as his horn glowed and a sword made of red magic appeared in his right hand. Isaac withdrew his hunting knife and took a defensive stance. “You’re going to fight me with that small thing.” “The size of the weapon is irrelevant. What matters is how you use it.” “Wise words.” The stallion lunged with the blade held high. The assassin swung the blade only for it to be blocked by the man’s small knife. The two stood in dead lock for a good forty seconds before breaking apart. “C’mon Twilight! Isn’t there some type of spell you can use to bust us out of here?” The cyan mare said as she banged against the magical wall. “I’m still worn out from that spell. I need a little more time or Spike to get me some boosters.” “On it!” The six mares heard a familiar voice say. They turned to their right to see Lyra appearing before them. “Lyra? What in the name of Equestria are you doing here?” Rarity asked. “Isaac asked me to tag along in case things went bad.” “He knew?” Dash yelled. “I don’t think he expected this, but definitely something.” The mint green mare said. “I’m going to go get Spike so he can call in for back up.” She said with a smile. “Good, now go!” Applejack yelled. Lyra nodded and took off towards the town. “So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. “We hope that she get’s back here soon and that Isaac can last long enough for us to help him.” Twilight said with a gulp. “C’mon Isaac! Kick his ass!” Dash yelled. The two fighters exchanged blows with their blade free hands. The stallion saw an opening and slashed the man across his stomach with his magical blade. Isaac jumped back and clutched his side. The stallion panted as he waited for the man to attack. Isaac let out a sigh and removed his green shirt to show the cut mark across his abdomen. Isaac grinned and traced a finger across the wound. He lifted his blood tipped finger up to his mouth and lightly touched it with his tongue before wiping the rest of it off on his pant leg. Isaac took a defensive stance and made the ‘bring it on’ sign with his left hand. The stallion grunted and charged forward with sword in hand. Isaac brassed himself and caught the stallion’s armed hand with his left. Skull did the same with the man’s right hand and the two entered a power struggle. “Well, I’d say that this is where the fight ends.” The stallion breathed out. “How so? You’re not looking much better than I am.” Isaac said and he felt his muscles starting to strain. “You’re forgetting that I have magic on my side.” Skull’s horn glowed a deep red and two puffs of red smoke appeared. Out of the smoke came two copies of the assassin each with a sword of their own. Isaac immediately backed away and dodged the two attackers. “I thought this was a fair fight.” “It is. Magic is allowed remember.” He said as his horn flared. “Granted your power level is under five hundred. Hardly worth the effort.” “Then why use them then?” Isaac asked with a pant. “I like to mix things up a little.” He said with a smirk. The three stallion’s charged at the man who brassed himself for the oncoming pain. Twilight and the mares watched helplessly as their friend was losing ground. Dash kept hitting against the magical barrier hoping to see a crack. “Break damn you!” “Dash that won’t do anything!” Twilight yelled. “We have to do something! Isaac isn’t gonna last much longer!” She yelled. Twilight perked up seeing a familiar purple dragon and mint green unicorn running towards them. “Bout bucking time!” “Spike did you send Celestia a letter?” Twilight asked as spike pulled out a purple vial. “Yeah, she’s on her way with Luna and the royal guard.” He said as he breathed a breath of lavender flames and the vial disappeared. Inside the prison, the vial appeared in Twilight’s hands. The mare quickly drank the liquid and closed her eyes. “Everypony stand back.” The mares backed away from her friend as she started to glow a vibrant purple color. The air around her crackled with magic. Her eyes burned white with energy and her horn shot out a massive purple salvo at the far wall of the prison. The red walls started to crack and break. The mares instantly leapt out and pounded against the prison where the warriors were fighting. “C’mon Twi. Think you can do that again?” Dash asked. “I can’t.” She said with a pant. “That potion I took only works once and-” She was cut off as she felt a small wave of pain. “I’m almost out of magic.” She said as she sat down. “Lyra, Rarity, think either of you can do something?” The two unicorn’s looked at one another and shrugged. “Sorry Dash, but this is way to advanced for somepony like me.” Lyra said with a shrug. “Likewise.” Rarity said as she tapped on the red surface. “So we just sit here and do nothing?” AJ yelled. Dash yelled and her amulet morphed into the two daggers and she started to slash against the shield. The mare kept slicing at the shield in hopes of seeing a crack. Isaac was dodging left and right from the clones’s attacks. The man took a moment to collect himself. He dropped to one knee and examined his beaten body. The slice mark that had formed across his chest hadn’t stopped bleeding. The original stallion stepped forward and held up his sword. “These blades are laced with my own magical energy which is preventing your blood from coagulating.” He said with a smirk. “You have two options, one; give up or two you bleed to death.” He said with a chuckle. “The I’ll just have to end this quickly.” The man said with a chuckle. Isaac lunged forward with the knife in his hand. One of the clones scoffed and lunged forward with the sword aiming for the man’s chest. Isaac quickly side stepped the sword and slashed the clone across it’s chest causing it to turn into a cloud of smoke. “Well, look who’s finally getting serious.” The stallion mocked. He snapped his fingers and ten clones appeared beside the stallion. Each with their own sword. The human gulped and was fighting to keep himself awake. He took a defensive stance as the group of clones charged at him with murder in their eyes. The mares summoned their Element weapons as started to beat against the red wall. Pinkie gave a massive swing with her hammer and a small crack appeared on the surface. “Hey! A crack look!” The mare’s stopped their attacks and looked to see the small crack. “Okay, everypony, focus on that weak point.” Twilight said as she focused what little magic she had left. The group all took turns enlarging the crack. The group then saw a flash of blue light. The looked to their right to see Princess Luna in a flowing blue dress. “I apologize for the late arrival everypony. My sister and I were meeting with the Griffin King. What is the emergency?” She asked as the mares pointed inside the prison. Luna’s eyes shrank and she quickly walked over to the side of the prison. Her horn and right hand clenched into a fist started to glow a dark blue and she slammed it into the fractured wall. A large crack sprouted up the wall and spread out to the others. Inside the prison Isaac was getting beaten left and right by the copies. Isaac panted and felt his vision starting to blur. Shit, blood loss, not good. He thought as he was given an uppercut. Isaac coughed up a mouthful of blood. Two copies slammed the back of his knees which mad him drop to the ground in pain. The human fought to keep conscious as the copies took turns kicking him. They stopped as the original stepped forward and his horn glowed. Isaac felt himself being lifted off the ground by an invisible force. “I have to say, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would.” He said with a smirk. Isaac spat a mouthful of blood in his face and smirked. Skull wiped the blood off his face and slammed his fist into Isaac’s stomach. The stallion looked closer at the man’s exposed body and cocked an eyebrow. “Looks like you’re hiding a few things. Let’s see those nasty scars of yours then.” The Unicorn’s horn started to glow and Isaac felt a burning sensation wrap around his body. The ponies watched in horror as bits of his flesh was being ripped off of him. Skull’s eyes shrank as the spell ended. Isaac’s chest had a massive scar running from the top of his right shoulder down to his left leg. A series of healed cuts coated his arms and burn marks were placed all over his body. What in the name of Celestia happened to this thing? Skull thought in disgust. Isaac lifted his head up with a defiant look in his eyes. Skull then noticed that the man had a large scar over his right eyelid. Isaac’s stare bore holes through the dark Unicorn. Skull felt a small wave of fear creep over him as he heard a banging noise. The mares continued their bombardment and the prison was cracking apart. Isaac’s mind clicked at the noise. “They will knock four times.” He remembered the mare’s words and grunted. The stallion snapped his fingers and a glowing red blade appeared in his hand. The stallion let the man go from the grip so that he stood on his two feet while his hands were being held by a copy. “Sorry Isaac, but this is the end.” Time slowed. Isaac’s eyes shrank as the blade shot forward. Isaac heard a loud breaking noise and looked up to see the red prison collapsing as he felt an incredible pain. The man looked down to see the blade of the red sword enter his chest. The human heard the angry cries of the six mares and the lunar Princess. The man looked forward and time slowed down. He felt nothing, no pain, no death. Isaac felt his strength leave his body. His mind was losing focus. He looked forward to see the white hooded figure from before. The figure shook it’s head and looked at him with a scowl on his face. “Honestly, you’re pathetic. Getting your ass handed to you by this chump?” He said as he looked at the black stallion. Isaac kept coughing up blood as the figure started at him. The white hooded figure then saw the purple crystal necklace that Celestia had given him. “For fucks sake no wonder you’re so weak.” The figure said as he looked at the bleeding man. “I think I’ll take this.” He said as he wrapped his hand around the necklace and ripped it off him. “Time seemed to shift back and the figure put a hand in Isaac’s shoulder. “You’ll thank me later.” The black stallion groaned as he saw the red wall collapse and he was staring down six enraged mares and one furious Alicorn Princess. As he tried to pull his sword out from the man he felt something grab his arm. He looked forward in horror to see the human latched onto his sword arm. “Impossible!” He said as he felt him squeeze on his wrist. “Wh-what are you?” “You wanna know what I am?” The man said as a dark blue aura started to seep out of his body. “I’m not telling!” As the man looked up Skull saw that his crystal blue eyes were spliced and had a crazed look behind them. The man clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it into the stallion’s jaw. Skull staggered backwards and regained his balance. The mare’s looked in shock as the man lashed out a clone making it puff into smoke. The human looked down at the magical blade and wrapped both hands around the hilt and pulled it out of his chest. Skull felt nauseous as he watched the red blade exit the man’s chest. The human’s body started to steam and his wounds started to rapidly heal. The man took the blade in his hand and smirked. “Nice sword. I think I’ll take it.” He said with a grin. The man’s body seemed to be wrapped in dark blue shadows. The sword morphed from it’s broad physic to a smaller, narrower blade. Isaac looked at the group of black stallion’s who gulped. “Now we’re gonna have some fun!” The man bent his knees and he launched himself with the sword drawn at the group. One of the copies froze as Isaac appeared in front of him and slashed it across the chest, causing it to disintegrate. The human looked ahead at the other eight stallions. “Who’s next?” He asked as he raised the blade. The stallion started to chuckle and soon broke into a laugh. His horn glowed and the eight copies vanished. “Now this is a fight! It’s like hunting!” He said as a sword formed in his hands. “As Richard Connell stated; Man in the most dangerous game.” He said as he ran forward swing ing the sword rapidly at the stallion. The other mares, including Luna were frozen in shock in fear as they saw the man fighting the stallion that had almost killed him. The lunar Princess then felt a familiar chill run down her spine. “Wow, look at Isaac go.” Pinkie said in a cheerful tone. “Kick his ass Isaac!” Dash yelled. “Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said as she looked at the lavender mare. “Yes Princess?” “Get ready to use the Elements on Isaac.” She said in a serious tone. The mares all cast a look of shock at the dark blue Alicorn. “Why? We don’t even know what they would do to him!” “I know this magic it’s foul and dark, like evil itself.” “What?” “Isaac has a good amount of my magic stored in his body.” She said with a gulp. “Yeah so?” Dash asked. “Who else’s magic does he have then?” She said in a fear filled tone. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the realization. “Nightmare Moon.” She said softly. Luna nodded as the mares gasped. “I’ve been visiting Isaac in his sleep and through his dreams I’ve seen an...alternate side of him then you have not yet witnessed. A much darker, darker side.” She said with a sigh. “I only hope that it doesn’t come to that.” She said in a low tone. Isaac and the stallion locked blades again. The stallion could feel his legs starting to buckle and being forced back. “What’s wrong? What happened to all that talk earlier?” Isaac said in a malicious tone. The man’s blade started to glow and a dark blue blur could be seen from the man’s sword hand. The blast knocked the stallion back a good thirty feet. Skull felt himself tumble on the ground. Isaac grinned and raised the blade. Skull got to his feet and realized that he was low on magic. He heard a cracking sound and realized that his mask was starting to crack. Isaac lunged forward with the sword in hand. Skull looked forward at the oncoming creature. “I am no match for this human.” He said in a defeated tone. The man ran towards the stallion with murder in his eyes. As the mask cracked in half showing his face, the stallion closed his eyes and waited for the eventual pain. Skull felt a small pinch on his neck and opened his eyes to see the man standing right in front of him with the tip of the blade just touching his neck. The stallion also noticed that the man’s eyes shifted back to their original shape and the dark blue shadows that once danced across his body vanished. “That was you in the forest wasn’t it?” Isaac said keeping the blade on his neck. “Yes.” “Why didn’t you kill me then? I was an easy target, dangling by a piece of rope attached to a tree branch with a manticore only ten feet away.” He said in a cold tone. “Why didn’t you just let me die right then and there?” He asked. “Too underhanded for my taste.” Skull said in a rough tone. “I like to give my prey a chance to escape. I can honestly say that you are the first to best me like this.” He said with a small grin. “So go ahead, claim your trophy.” He said as he closed his eyes. The man looked down at the blade and back at the stallion. He raised the sword up and slammed the butt end of the blade into his stomach. Skull gave a sharp cough and fell forwards onto his knees. As the sword vanished in a flash of blue light, Isaac started to walk away fro the stallion when he heard a cough come from him. “Why? Why spare me?’ Skull asked in a defeated tone. “A life for a life.” Isaac said as he looked at the defeated stallion. “My debt is repaid.” He said as he continued walking. “Wait.” Skull said as he slowly stood up. He was panting heavily and a trail of blood could be seen coming from his mouth. “As leader of the Red Talon Assassination Society I hereby grant you the name, ‘The Predator.” He said with a sigh. “You have my word that neither I nor any other members of my guild will ever set foot in this town again.” He said as he placed his right hand over his heart. “Thank you.” Isaac said with a nod. “Should you ever need a hand with something. Don’t hesitate to look us up.” He said as he tossed him an amulet with an eagle talon etched into the stone. skull’s horn flared and his body vanished in a puff of red smoke. Isaac let out a sigh of relief. He walked over to the broken mask and picked the two pieces up. The man was then bombarded by a pink blur that tackled him to the ground. He looked up to see a sobbing Pinkie Pie wrapping him in a death gripping hug. “Ohmygoshweweresoworried! Wethoughtyouweredead. Thenyouwhenyougotstabbedandthenyouwentallglowyand-” “PINKIE PIE!” Dash yelled. “Let him breath for Celestia’s sake.” She said as she pointed to the man’s blue, oxygen deprived face. “Sorry!” Pinkie said as she let the man go. Isaac took several deep breaths and looked up at the mares. Twilight walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Isaac, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I was out of line.” Twilight said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s fine.” He said with a sigh. The ponies then noticed the man’s now heavily scared body. “What did that guy do to you?” Lyra asked as she crouched down next to him. “All those scars.” “They were always there. I just hid them with plastic surgery.” He said with a sigh. “Why?” “I was ashamed of them along with everything else.” He said as he hung his head in shame. “Like what hun?”Applejack asked. Isaac bit his lip and let out a long drawn out sigh. “I lied to you guys. I’m not twenty-two.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “My real age is twenty-six.” “WHAT?” Pinkie yelled. “Humans have four birthdays in just two months!” The ponies looked at her in confusion. “No Pinkie. I just lied about my age.” He said in a shame filled tone. “Now why did ya go and do a thing like that?” The farmer asked. “I was ordered to by my Government when I was discharged. You see I-” He was cut off as a massive wave of pain ripped through his body and he started to cough up blood. “Isaac! Are you okay?” Luna asked as she knelt next to him. The ponies looked in amazement as bright blue magical sparks started to shoot out his mouth and into the air. “What’s happening to him?” Spike asked. “Magic backlash.” Luna stated as she scanned the human with her magic. “What’s that?” Applejack asked with concern present in her voice. “It happens when a Unicorn or, human in this case uses too much magic at once.” Twilight clarified. “Judging from what happened I’d say Isaac used more magic than what his body could handle.” “Will he be okay?” Fluttershy asked. “He should be fine. He just needs to rest for a while.” She said in a calm tone. The ponies all let out a sigh of relief. The mare’s then scanned their eyes over his scared body. “I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s been through.” Rarity said as she buried her face in Spike’s shoulder. The dragon put an arm around her and comforted the white mare. “We will take him home.” Luna said as she lifted the man’s arm over her shoulder. As she turned around the mares all let out a gasp. Luna looked at the man’s back and her eyes shrank as she saw a massive image of crossed swords. One was jagged, curved and dark red while the other was light blue and straight. The two swords crossed behind a shield with a seven pointed star painted on the shield. Luna’s horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of blue light. The mares looked at one another with worry. Spike helped Twilight to her feet and the group started to walk back towards the small town. The lunar Princess found herself inside the man’s home and laid him down on the couch in the living room. He was still holding the two pieces of the mask. She gently took it from the human’s hands and set the pieces on the table in front of the couch. The Princess snapped her fingers and a blanket appeared over the man’s body. Luna looked at the man and let out a sigh. “You have many secrets Isaac.” She said as her hand started to glow. “I’m sorry, but I must learn more about you.” The blue mare gently put the glowing appendage against the man’s forehead. She closed her eyes and focused her magic. Luna saw several images flash into her mind. The Princess covered her mouth to muffle her gasp at the images she had seen. If the human suddenly woke up she would wrap him in a comforting hug. Like a mother would hold a child after they had scraped their knee and reassuring them that everything would be okay. “You poor, poor man. You have seen horrors that even I dare not think of.” Luna said as a small tear rolled down her face. The Princess exited the home and teleported back to the pristine white castle of Canterlot. She quickly made her way into her sister’s bedroom to see the white Goddess brushing her hair. “Ah Luna, what happened in Ponyville?” She asked in a concerned tone. “An assassin was paid to kill Isaac.” Celestia’s eyes shrank at the news and stood up. “He is fine and defeated the assassin.” “So Isaac killed him?” “No, he let him go.” Celestia looked at her sister in confusion. “I don’t understand it either sister, but there is something we must discuss.” She said as she sat down on her sister’s bed. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and sat next to her sister. “The assassin used a time spell to revert the human’s body back.” She said as she hung her head. “He has many scars and a symbol on his back.” She said as her hands shook. “What symbol Luna?” She asked as she wrapped an arm around her sister. “A pair of crossed swords, one good and one evil behind a shield.” Luna said in a low tone. “A star was portrayed on the shield.” “What is troubling about this?” “It was The impossible star.” Luna said as Celestia’s eyes shrank. “A seven pointed star.” The white Princess pulled her sister into a warm hug. “I....I saw into his mind and I saw terrible, horrible things done to him.” She said as he horn flared. A projection showing several images flashed across the room. Images of men and women falling to the sound of gunshots and screams of pain filled their eyes. A single tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek as Luna’s eyes were filled with tears. “We must speak with him and the other Elements as soon as he awakens.” She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Luna looked at her sister in surprise. She walked over to a chess board and looked at it with a blank look on her face. Six white pieces stood on the board. Each shaped like the Element bearers. “It is time for the final piece to take it’s place on the board.” She said as she held up a single black piece that was in the shape of a man and had no definitive features to it.
Chapter 22: Threesome?Chapter 22 Threesome? Isaac awoke inside the familiar white room that he had visited Luna in many times before. As he looked around his ‘roommate’ hurried up to him with a worried look on his face. “Isaac, I know you’re confused right now, but you have to listen to me!” “What?” “We’re in terrible, terrible danger.” He said as he looked around and started to pant. “It’s coming!” “Slow down there, what’s going on?” Isaac asked as he got to his feet. The man then grabbed Isaac’s face towards a dark blue shadow creeping towards them. “What the fuck is that?” “Fuck should I know! You’re the one who’s embraced their society.” The double said in a grumble. “Oh don’t start that shit again!” Isaac yelled. “Fine! Point is we got a big problem!” The double said as he looked at the dark cloud. The cloud then morphed into a few odd creatures. “Oh fuck.” He said as the beasts charged forward. “Well, shit.” Isaac groaned. “Um got any ideas?” “Me? This is your fucking head jackass! Think of something!” “Um okay. Exit stage left!” Isaac then started to vanish from sight. “Oh don’t you dare you fucker!” The man said as Isaac vanished. The beasts then converged on the personality. “Well, if you want something done right. Then you gotta do it yourself.” He said as he snapped his fingers and a shotgun appeared in his hands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up with a pounding headache and two crystal blue eyes looking down at him. “Hey! You’re up!” Isaac immediately sat up and stared at the pink mare in surprise. “Jesus Pinkie!” Isaac said as he glared at the pink mare who sat Indian style. The girl was donning a dark pink T shirt with bright blue shorts. “How did you even get in here?” “Rainbow Dash found an open window and unlocked the door from the inside.” The man cocked an eyebrow at the mare. “We’ve been staying over in shifts.” “Shifts?” “Yup, first it was Dashie, then AJ. Twilight was supposed to go next but she had to talk to Princess Celestia about something. So I came here in her place.” The mare said with a smile. “Why would you guys need shifts?” He asked with a groan. Isaac then looked around to see that he was in his bedroom and was wearing a different set of clothes. “How long have I been out?” “I’d say around three days.” Isaac gave a dead panned look at the grinning mare. “Three days?” “Yup, three days. You are a really sound sleeper.” She said as she patted him on the head. “Mind telling me where the clothes I was wearing went?” “Oh that, Rarity used her magic to put some new clothes on you while you were asleep.” She said in her usual perky tone. “Then I think she had one of my hot sauce cupcakes cause her face was pretty red.” Isaac shrugged and quickly got out of bed. The man stretched and grabbed a new set of clothes. “How are you feeling anyway?” “Fine, all things considering.” He said as he grabbed a towel. “I’m gonna take a quick shower. Make yourself at home.” “Okie dokie lokie!” She said as Isaac chuckled and closed the door to the bathroom. As Isaac took his shirt off he saw the scars that covered his body. He grunted and stepped inside the shower. He turned it on and let the warm water wash over his damaged body. Once he was done he threw on a pair of pants. The man then realized he had forgotten his shirt. He threw the towel over is neck and made his way back to his room. He looked to see Pinkie sitting on his bed looking at some of the movie and video game posters he had set up. Pinkie’s eyes shrank as she saw the man’s scar riddled body. “Sorry Pinkie, forgot my shirt.” He said as he walked over to his dresser. As he put a dark red shirt on, he heard a deflating sound. As he turned back around he saw that the pink mare’s hair was straight and a tad darker than before. Her face also had a glum look to it. “You okay Pinkie?” He asked in a concerned tone. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” She lied as she tried to smile. “I....um....gotta go to work. See ya later Isaac. I’ll let the others know that you’re up.” She said before zooming out of the room. Isaac heard the front door slam and shrugged. As Pinkie got outside, she leaned against the front door and sniffled as she remembered the scars strewn across her friend’s body. The baker then slowly made her way back towards the bakery with her head held low. After the human had a simple bowl of cereal he sat down in his living room and popped in Dead Space 2 into his console. His character was in the Sprawl and was facing off against the boss when he felt something tap his shoulder. The man jumped high enough to hit the ceiling. As he landed on the couch clutching his head in pain he looked up to see Twilight looking at him in confusion. “Damn it Twilight! You never sneak up on a person playing Dead Space!” He said in a rough tone. The mare rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Sorry, Pinkie told me that you were awake and I came over to see how you were doing.” She said as he sat up on the couch and rubbed his head. “Apart from the possible concussion, I’m fine.” He said in a calm tone. “I also came over to find out something.” “What’s that?” “Why is Pinkie sad?” The man looked at the mare in surprise. “Pinkie? Sad?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “The only way those words match up is if you have ‘is never’ in between them.” “Not true, when Pinkie gets sad there are clear visible signs.” Isaac connected the dots and his eyes shrank. “Would those signs include her hair going straight and darkening?” “You saw it?” “Yeah, I just thought it was one of Pinkie’s Pinkie senses or something like that.” He said with a shrug. “What did you do to make her sad?” Twilight asked as she looked at the man. “Nothing!” He said in a defensive tone. “I got up, saw that Pinkie was here and took a shower. When I went in my room to get my shirt and.....Oh.” He said as he face palmed. “You know what’s wrong?” “Yeah, she must have seen my scars.” He said in a low tone. “I see. That’s another thing.” She said as she sat down next to him. “What happened to you?” “Which one?” He said in a flat tone. Twilight gulped and looked at his right eye. “The one over your eye.” “This eye is a transplant after my original one was lost.” Twilight let out a gasp. “How is that possible?” “The eye itself was damaged, the optic nerve itself was intact. Luckily when I got back to base they had one that matched my blood type.” He said in a flat tone. “Now back to Pinkie, I think I know a way to get her back to her old self.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “What are you going to do?” “Simple, I’ll just talk to her. This isn’t the first time someone has reacted this way to my....collection.” He said as he made his way towards the door. Twilight got to her feet and followed the human out of his home. “How did you get in my house anyway? I didn’t hear you come in.” “Teleportation spell.” “Honesty do any of you ever knock?’ He asked. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned. “By the way what were you doing?” “Playing Dead Space 2.” He said with a shrug. “It’s a video game.” He said as he was tackled by a familiar cyan Pegasus mare. Isaac looked up to see Dash smiling at him. “Dude you’re finally up!” She said in a happy tone. “Yeah, mind getting off me?” He asked. “And here I thought you liked me being on top of you.” She said with a sly grin. Twilight blushed and face palmed. Isaac blushed as she got off him. “What are you two doing out here anyway?” “Long story short, Pinkie is sad and I’m going to go talk to her.” Isaac said as he got up. “What made her sad?” Dash asked. “I mean it takes a lot for Pinkie to get sad.” Twilight then gulped and looked at the man. “It’s kind of my fault. Not directly anyway, relax I’ll fix it.” He said as he walked off towards the bakery shop. The two mares followed him until they got to the door. Isaac stopped and turned around to face the mares. “Look guys this is my mess and I know how to fix it.” “So what do we do?” Dash asked. “Nothing. Go back to what you guys were doing. I’ll take care of this.” He said in a calm tone. “Listen pal. Pinkie is one of my best friends and I’m not gonna leave her like this!” Dash said as she poked his chest. Isaac groaned and let out a sigh. “Fine, you two can wait down stairs if you want. But leave the talking to me.” He said in a flat tone. The two mares looked at one another and shrugged. “Deal, but if she’s not better by the time you’re done talking then you’re dead.” Dash said in a menacing tone. “Noted.” He said as he walked inside. The three friends then saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake behind the counter. “Hey guys.” “Oh hello, how can we help you three?” Mrs. Cake asked with a warm smile. “Is Pinkie here?” Twilight asked. “Yes, she ran upstairs a few minutes ago.” Mr. Cake said. “She seemed kind of down.” Isaac lowered his head. “Yeah, that’s why we’re here.” He said in a low tone. “I’ll go see if I can get her down.” Isaac said as he ascended the staircase. Isaac walked up to a bright pink door and let out a sigh. He gave it a few taps. “Who is it?” Pinkie asked in her typical cheery tone. “It’s Isaac.” The man then heard the same deflation noise from before. “Can I come in?” Isaac waited two long minutes before he heard the door click. The human turned the knob and opened the door to see Pinkie sitting on her bed with her hair straight. Isaac let out a sigh and closed the door behind him as he entered. Isaac sat down net to the pink mare and let out a sigh. A long silence fell between the two until Isaac finally piped up. “I’m sorry.” Pinkie cocked her head in surprise at the man’s words. “What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the one who’s probably overreacting.” She said as she hung her head. “No, you acted like everyone else who’s seen my scars.” He said with a shrug. “I was careless and I should have kept them covered.” Pinkie sniffled and rested her head against his shoulder. “What happened?” Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the mare. “Look Pinkie, what happened to me wasn’t a pleasant experience.” He said in a flat tone. “It’s.....painful to talk about.” The pink mare then wrapped him in a warm hug and cried into his shoulder. “There’s no reason for you to be sad.” “B-but you’re so hurt.” She said as she cried. “Not your fault.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m not angry at you if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m used to people looking at me in that way.” Isaac said as he held his head. “The surgery I had to cover up my scars felt like I was erasing a huge part of my life. I didn’t want to scare any of you guys off.” Pinkie then looked at the man in surprise. “Scare us off?” “My scars aren’t the most pleasant thing to behold, I’ve had people run away in pure fear and disgust of me.” Pinkie gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “But they’re a part of who I am whether I like it or not.” “I guess you think that I’m like that then?” She said as she held her head low. “No, you’re too good a pers....pony to think like that.” He said in a reassuring tone. “I’m certain that you were just caught off guard and thought that you offended me. Am I right?” He asked as he stared into her crystal blue eyes. Pinkie gave him a hesitant nod. “It’s fine. You didn’t offend me and even if you think you did then I’d forgive you.” “Really?” She asked in a hope filled tone. Isaac nodded and smiled at the mare. Pinkie’s mane seemed to explode and return to it’s ‘normal’ curly and lighter form. “You okay?” “Yup! Thanks.” She said as she gave him a light peck on the cheek. The action caused the man to blush a deep red color. “No problem.” He said with a smile. “C’mon we better let Dash know that you’re better before she kills me.” Pinkie giggled at the remark before the two left the pink mare’s room. The two walked down stairs to see the other two mares talking amongst one another. The two perked up as they saw the pink mare back to her usual self. “Hey guys. You okay Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “Yup. It was just a big misunderstanding.” Pinkie said with a smile. Isaac then felt his phone ring. He lifted it up to his ear and pressed the talk button. “Hello?” “Yo Isaac, it’s Vinyl.” The man rolled his eyes at the name. “Just letting you know that Tavi got back last night and wants to talk.” “Okay, I’ll be there in a few. Your place right?” “Yup, see ya then.” She said before hanging up. Isaac let out a sigh and said his goodbyes before making his way out of the bakery and heading towards his home. Vinyl sat on her couch twiddling her thumbs in anticipation for the man’s arrival. The DJ then heard a heavy knock on her door and immediately got up to answer it. She opened the door to reveal the man with a folder in his right hand. “Sup dude. How are things?” She asked as he stepped inside. “Oh you know, got stabbed, almost died. The usual.” He said with a shrug. “Yeah I heard about that. How are you feeling?” She asked as the two sat down on the couch. “Better, where’s this Tavi person at?” “My name is Octavia.” The two then turned around to see a very proper looking mare with charcoal fur and dark brown hair that hung down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a similar colored sports jacket and slacks. She was also donning a pink bow tie. “You must be Isaac.” “Yeah.” The human said in a nervous tone. He immediately got up and moved onto the opposite couch as Octavia sat next to Vinyl. As Isaac looked at the two he could only chuckle. “Something funny?” Octavia asked as she narrowed her eyes. “Just seeing the irony here. Vinyl is a DJ while you’re a Cellist.” he said with a small snicker. “Shall we get down to business?” She said in a tone that could freeze a volcano. Okay, ouch. The man thought as he let out a sigh. “Fair enough. I’m assuming that Vinyl told you about the night we spent together in Manehattan correct?” Isaac asked in a flat tone. “Yes, and I’m far from happy about it.” She said as she cast an icy stare at her mare friend. “If you’re looking to blame someone then blame me.” Isaac perked up. The two mares looked at him in confusion. “I’m fairly sure that Vinyl was drunk since she had been DJ'ing long before I got to the party and I took advantage of that.” He lied. “Hey I was stone cold sober!” Vinyl yelled. Isaac glared at her and made the throat slicing gesture with his thumb. “Vinyl may be a party animal, but she never drinks while she’s working. Apart from those disgusting energy drinks.” Octavia said as she rolled her eyes. There goes that plan. “Look, it was a mistake on both our parts.” Isaac said with a sigh. “I honestly had no idea that she was in a relationship with you. Had I known that, then I wouldn’t have slept with her.” Octavia looked at the man in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m not angry that you slept with her.” Isaac’s face contorted in confusion as he looked at the charcoal mare. “Wait what?” “I’m angry at Vinyl because she didn’t invite me to join!” She sad as she glared at the white Unicorn mare. Isaac’s brain had stopped working as the words left her lips. “I was in Manehattan and you were in Trottingham!” Vinyl argued. “It’s not like I can teleport from that far away. Besides, I didn’t even know that Isaac was there until that day.” “And you decided to sleep with the thing that head butted Prince Blueblood?” Octavia said. “Okay that I had a good reason for.” Isaac spoke up. “He attacked a friend of mine and I defended her.” “Ah yes I believe that it was Rarity correct?” Tavi said as she relaxed her posture. “Yes, he slapped her across the face hard enough to leave a large bruise on her cheek. I wasn’t about to let a friend suffer while I stood by and did nothing.” “But, he’s Celestia’s nephew!” “I don’t care if he was her son for Christ’s sake!” He said in a stern tone. “Plus, I’m on good terms with her for the moment along with Luna, Twilight and her friends. So I guess I have some leeway. Not a lot, but some.” He said with a sigh. “Now back to the matter at hand. You said you’re angry because Vinyl didn’t invite you?” Octavia gave him a nod. “Wait I thought that you were a lesbian?” “We’re both Bisexuals.” Tavi corrected him. “When we started our relationship we made an agreement that if one of us would sleep with a stallion then we’d both be involved.” Isaac’s right eye twitched as he processed the info. “Oh. I see.” Isaac said as he blushed brightly. “So what happens now?” He asked as he gulped. A long silence fell over the room until the white Unicorn piped up. “Threesome?” The two looked at her in shock and had a deep blush on their faces. “What? Everypony wins. Isaac get’s laid, I get laid and you get laid.” She said as she looked at her mare friend. “I doubt that two minutes of pleasure is worth me getting all undressed for.” The Cellist said. “Hey, I go for at least ten minutes.” Octavia blinked twice and looked at Vinyl who nodded. “Is this true?” “He’s being modest. He went for at least twenty.” Vinyl said with a wink. Octavia gulped and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “C’mon Tavi, you know you want too.” Vinyl cooed as she lightly blew into her ear. “I..I suppose. Only if he’s comfortable with it.” She said with a gulp. “I can honestly say that I’ve never been in this situation before so I have no idea what to say.” Isaac said with a gulp. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Vinyl said as she grabbed him and her mare friend and teleported up to their bedroom. Isaac gulped as he saw the massive bed before him and tried to predict what would happen next. Vinyl took hold of Tavi’s shirt and ripped it clean off her body. Her light pink bra showed and the charcoal mare blushed. “Vinyl!” “Oh come on. I know you love it when I do that.” She said as she took her shirt off. Isaac was now completely stiff as he saw them undress the rest of the way. The two mares crawled onto the bed and looked at him with half lidded eyes. “Well? Are you coming?” Vinyl said as she motioned him over with her pointer finger. The man gulped and removed his shirt. Before it was over his head he heard a blood churning scream come from the cellist and an audible gasp come from the DJ. Isaac rolled his shirt back on his body. He looked at the to mares who had the look of pure shock strewn across their faces. “I think I’d better go.” He said as he turned around. “N-no Isaac we didn’t mean-” Vinyl was cut off as the man stormed out of the room and left the DJ’s home. The man cursed under his breath and made his way towards his own house. He inserted the key into the lock and felt the tumblers turn. As he entered his home he froze as he saw a sleeping Princess Luna lounging on his couch. The dark blue mare turned on her side and was softly snoring. She does look cut like this. He thought as he looked at her. Isaac then gently nudged her shoulder. Luna’s eyes snapped open and her horn shot out a magical blue bolt that struck the human in the chest. Isaac was instantly pinned on the ceiling and was held there by the magical force. “What?” Luna said as she sat up. “Who goes there?” “The owner of the house you’re sleeping in.” Luna looked up and gasped as she saw the man pinned to the ceiling. “Our apologies Isaac. We thought that you were a burglar.” She said in embarrassment. “Why would I break into my own house?” He said in a flat tone. “Valid point.” Luna said with a sigh. Isaac rolled his eyes and blushed as he noticed that he could see down the dark Alicorn’s shirt. “Mind letting me down?” He asked as he hid his bright red cheeks. Luna snapped her fingers and Isaac felt himself falling. The man felt himself land on something soft yet firm. His face felt like it was in between the couch cushions. He instantly picked his head up and saw that his face was right in the Princess of the night’s cleavage. Isaac’s face turned crimson as Luna frowned and blushed at the man. “Insolent pervert!” She yelled in her Royal Canterlot voice. “It was an accident. I swear!” Isaac said as he immediately got off of her. “You didn’t move when you let me go from the ceiling and I kind of....well, landed on you.” The Princess of the night took a moment to collect herself and straightened her blouse. “I..suppose it was an accident.” She said with a sigh. Is she blushing? Well, I did just practically motorboat her. I should be grateful that I’m not a pile of ash right now. “It’s fine. Mind if I ask what you’re doing here?” “Our sister received word that you were awake. So we came to see how you were feeling. When we found that you weren’t here we decided to wait for your return.” She said with a smile. “And why were you sleeping on my couch?” “Being Princess of the night tends to make one nocturnal.” She said as she sat down on the couch. “Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. I was chatting with a friend about.....something.” He said not wanting to relive what had just happened. “It is quite alright. Might we ask one thing of you?” Isaac cocked and eyebrow as Luna got up and stood next to his game console. “What is this contraption?” “An Xbox 360. One of my video game consoles.” He said in a flat tone. “Video game?” She asked in confusion. Isaac ran a hand through his hair and thought. “How can I explain this? Okay, you have seen movies right?” “Of course.” “Well, video games are kind of like that, only you take control of the main character using a game controller.” He said in a flat tone. “That sounds intriguing.” She said with a smile. Isaac nodded and started up the console and withdrew two controllers. He pulled out HALO: Combat Evolved Anniversary and put the campaign disk into the disk drive. He sat down next to Luna and handed her the controller. “How do we use this?” She asked as she looked at the strange device. “There’s a tutorial program. It’ll show you the ropes.” He said as he started a new game. The two played through the campaign until they reached the Covenant carrier mission. Isaac then introduced Luna to multiplayer. Every time Isaac scored a kill off her Luna grew more and more frustrated. “I demand you let me win!” She yelled in her royal canterlot voice. “Sorry Lulu, but I play to win.” He said with a smug grin. “Wh-what did thou just call us?” She asked as her cheeks turned red. Daww she’s blushing. How cute. Wait she can’t read minds can she? “Lulu. it’s a nick name. Rainbow Dash had Dash, Applejack has AJ and so on.” He said with a shrug. “Why? You don’t like it?” “N-no it’s fine.” She said as she stood up. “We apologize, but we must return to Canterlot. Our duty as Princess of the night calls.” She said with a smile. “We will return and you will fall to our might!” She said in a challenging tone. “That’ll be the day.” He said with a snicker. “Oh trust us, the day is coming.” She said as she opened the door. “Oh and for the record the answer is yes.” “Yes to what?” You know. Isaac heard the Princess’s voice inside of his mind. The human gulped as the Princess giggled. The mare then closed the door and left the man alone in his home. Isaac looked at the clock and decided to make himself some dinner. After doing the dishes the man yawned and walked into his room and laid down on his bed before drifting off to sleep. Hours later two black clothed ponies made their way to the side of the human’s home. One of them had wings sprouting from their back. The Pegasus flew up to the window and quietly unlocked it before going inside. The pony looked to her left and saw the sleeping human in his bed. She tip toed down stairs and unlocked the front door and let the other pony inside. The two then made their way back up the stairs. The Pegasus slowly opened the door and saw that the bed was empty. The two immediately barged in and looked at the bed in confusion. The two then heard a clicking noise and gulped. “Hands on your head and turn around slowly.” The two looked behind them to see the man standing in the doorway with a dark red gym pants on and a a sleek handgun gripped in his right palm and aimed right at their heads. “Easy there partner.” A familiar Southern accent said. Isaac looked at the two in confusion. “Applejack?” He said as he flipped on the light. The man then saw that the Pegasus had a rainbow colored tail and cyan wings. “Rainbow?” He said as the other figure nodded. “What the fuck?” “Mind pointing that thing somewhere else.” Dash said as she eyed the gun. “Sorry.” He said as he removed the clip and the bullet that was in the chamber. The man then walked over and put it back in his nightstand. “Why are you two in my house?” “We figured that we’d surprise you.” Dash said as they took off the black masks that covered their faces. “Dash, you never surprise someone who’s had to wake up to mortar shells being fired.” He said with a groan. The mares looked at one another and shook their heads. “Why do you have that thing?” AJ asked as she looked at the gun. “Some crazy stallion just tried to kill me three days ago. Forgive me for being on edge.” He said as he sat down on his bed. “So why are you two here again?” The two mares looked at each other and grinned. “We just wanted to see if you were tired.” Applejack said in a sultry voice. “Not now. Why do you-” The two mares then took the zipper of the sin tight black suits and slowly unzipped them. The two then freed the top half of their bodies from the spandex prison. Isaac felt his jaw dropped as his eyes took in their now wet bodies. “Don’t tell me that you forgot about us.” Dash said in an innocent tone. “N-no, I’m just a bit surprised.” He said as they both tackled him and forced him down onto the bed. The two mares then took off the rest of the stealth suit and looked down at the trapped man. Dash slowly removed his gym shorts and grinned. The farmer and the flyer then climbed off of him and focused their attention to his now rock hard member. The human then felt two wet object move up and down the entire length of his shaft. He lifted his head up enough to see that the two mares had each taken a side. Dash was on the right and AJ was on the left. “Oh dear god.” He said as his member stiffened harder. When the licking stopped Isaac felt as though his cock was between a few soft pillows. He looked again to see that the two were pressing their boobs together and were bobbing up and down with his dick in between their joint cleavage. Isaac’s eyes rolled back as the two quickened their movements. “Girls if you keep doing that then I’m gonna-” His words were ignored as he felt the mare’s tongues starting to lick the tip of his shaft. The human felt a familiar pressure building in his loins. Both mare’s were moaning in passion as they continued to play with themselves. The man couldn’t hold it any longer and felt the pressure exit his body. Isaac slowly looked to see the two mares crawling towards him in a cat like manner. He could see the fresh spunk glistening on their breasts. A sly smile spread across the Pegasus’s face as she hovered her already dripping sex above the man’s still hard shaft. “Looks like we’ve got a long way to go before you’re tired.” Dash said with a smug grin before slowly sliding herself on the man’s cock. Dash’s eyes rolled back in her head as she felt the man’s shaft grow even harder. “Fuck. I almost forgot how good you feel inside of me.” She said as she started to slide up and down his rod. Isaac looked to see that dash was using her arms to support her as she leaned back. he could see the fine wall of muscle that made up her athletic midsection as she continued the motions. The man the felt a pair of strong orange hands grab him and force his back down on the bed. He looked up to see a pair of lust filled emerald eyes staring at him. “Don’t think you’re forgetting me partner.” Applejack said as she put either leg beside his head and leaned forward. He could feel the heat coming from the farmer’s soaking slit. Isaac lifted his head up and started to lick it resulting in a loud moan coming from the mare. He then heard Dash let out a long lust filled moan as she sat up straight and felt his cock hit her back wall. Isaac glanced at the mirror that was sitting in the corner of his room and saw the orange farmer licking the semen off of the cyan mare’s chest. Dash moaned as she felt her friend’s tongue start to move between her breasts. The man then turned his attention back to the mare who was on his face. He then started to nibble at her button which resulted in a loud gasp from the farmer. Applejack the grabbed a tuff of the Pegasus’s seven colored mane and pressed her lips against hers. Rainbow felt the mare’s spunk coated tongue swirl around in her own cave and let out a moan as her climax approached. “Isaac I’m gonna-” She said as the man felt her inner walls tightening around his shaft. Isaac and the farmer each felt their peak rising and quickened their motions. He felt the pressure building up inside of his shaft again and Dash’s inner walls clamping like a vice. As he released his fluid he was met with the same result from the Pegasus and the farmer. The to mares both panted heavily and lumped forward. Dash slid herself off the man and laid down next to him. Isaac then felt the farmer climb on top of him and smile. “My turn now.” She said as she easily slid herself down on top of the man’s shaft. Isaac could almost feel the bruises starting to form as Applejack rode him like a horse. The human gripped the mare’s muscular ass and squeezed it, resulting in several moans of pleasure coming from the mare. “You got a good handle?” “I have appreciation for a lady’s ‘assets.’” He said with a smirk. “Maybe you’d like to show your appreciation even more then.” Isaac gulped as the mare got off of him and turned around. She flicked her tail out of the way to reveal her glimmering ass. Isaac got to the foot of his bed and stood up so that he was even with the farmer’s ass. He put each hand on her thigh, right above her Cutie Mark and thrusted forward. Applejack let out a low scream of pain and passion as the man inserted himself into her back door. Isaac groaned as he felt the wall of muscle squeeze against his cock. “Fuck AJ, your ass is amazing.” He said with a groan. The mare then felt added weight to her back. She then felt a few feathers tickle the middle of her spine. “D-Dash, what are you doing?” She said through the thrusts. “I-I’m not done yet.” She said as she laid on her friend’s back and used her legs to pull the man into her crotch. Isaac didn’t resist as he started to eat the mare out. Dash erupted in a series of moans and groans of passion. Applejack was nearing her climax and motioned for the Pegasus to move. Dash complied and quickly flew off her friends back. The farmer slid herself of her lover’s rod and laid on her back. Isaac then moved forward and entered her soaking slit. Dash then flew on top of her friend, still keeping her feet on the man’s shoulders and bringing his head between her legs. Applejack felt the cyan mare playing with her breast as Isaac rammed his cock into her. “Just like old times. Huh AJ?” Dash said between the moans. The two were too captivated in the moment to hear the cyan Pegasus’s comment. Applejack was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Dash’s face contorted as she felt her climax coming on. Isaac gave one last thrust into the mare before blowing his load and making the two mares squeal in passion. The three collapsed on the bed. Their energy was spent and they were all panting heavily. Isaac felt as though Mike Tyson had used his groin as a punching bag. He climbed over to his pillow and got under the covers in between the two mares. He felt their fur warm him as they each put an arm around him and drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in the eerie streets of Canterlot. Blueblood was donning his pristine white hood and barged into the bar where a battle scarred Unicorn assassin sat. The arrogant Prince took a seat in front of him and grunted. “You were supposed to kill the rat.” “You didn’t mention that he could use magic.” The stallion grunted. “How am I supposed to know what his species can and can’t do?” Blueblood said with a sigh. “At least now you’ll have heads up for next time.” “There won’t be a next time.” Blueblood looked at the assassin in confusion. “I refuse to kill a being with such honor and one that has seen many battles.” “If you don’t kill him then there’s no pay!” “Take it.” Skull said as he tossed him the bit bag. “I didn’t spend a cent of it.” “If you don’t do it then I’ll call the guards.” He said in threatening tone. “You go and do that.” Skull said in a flat tone. “When I’m captured, I’ll have a nice long chat with Celestia about all the deals you’ve made with me and the other groups as well.” The Prince felt his face turn pale. “Plus, you know how ponies like me deal with squealers.” Blue blood gulped and took the bag of bits. “Never come back looking for me again, or you’ll leave in a body bag.” The stallion said as he vanished in a puff of black smoke. The Prince grunted in rage as he made his way back towards the Castle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac found himself in the same room as before. His ‘roommate’ was sitting on the floor, panting with the gun lying next to him. Isaac walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Where the fuck were you?” The tired out man said. “Busy. How many waves?” “Twenty-seven.” He said with a grunt. Isaac then saw several other creatures appear out from the cloud of darkness. “Take a break dude. I got this.” Isaac said as a light blue sword formed in his hand. With a smirk the man charged towards the horde and lashed out. Author's Note Hope you liked it!
Chapter 23: The WagerChapter 23 The Wager It had been a week since Isaac’s night with AJ and Dash. The human found himself wandering the streets of Ponyville bored out of his skull. The man shrugged and made his way towards the library. As he opened the door he saw the six friends siting at a table with tea cups in hand and gossiping. “Hello Isaac.” Twilight said with a smile. The other girls gave him a nod while Dash gave him a wink. “Morning. What’s going on here?” “Oh we’re just having our monthly tea party.” Rarity said as she sipped her cup. “Care to join?” “No thanks. I plan on keeping my dignity at least until noon.” He said with a chuckle. The man then spied the dragon wearing a pink apron and serving some cupcakes. “Oh lord. What have you done to Spike?” He said as he looked at the dragon. “He’s our butler.” Pinkie said. “That’s the lamest I’ve ever heard.” Isaac said as he face palmed. “What? You try serving these crumpets without getting crumbs on your scales.” The dragon argued. “Lamest until I just heard that.” He said with a groan. “I can feel my testosterone melting away.” Isaac said with a chuckle. “Why do you force him to do this Twilight?” “I didn’t force him.” She said with a grunt. “Is there something you wanted?” “I was going to see if any of you wanted to hangout, but since you’re all having a tea party and Spike is playing bellhop my search continues.” He said as he got up and walked out the door. As the human made his way through town he felt something sprinkle on his head. Isaac looked up to see a pink cloud that was spewing brown colored rain. He stuck his tongue out and looked at the cloud in confusion. “Is that...chocolate milk?” “I find that it takes the edge off things.” A familiar voice said coming from behind the man. Isaac spun around to see a grinning Discord looking at him. “Discord? What are you doing here?” “I believe that it’s Tia’s time of the month again and I really don’t feel like getting turned into a bird bath.” He said with a shiver. “So I came here.” He said with a sigh. “Good call.” Isaac thought for a moment and grinned. “Since you and I are both stuck here we might as well make the best of it.” Discord cocked an eyebrow at the statement. “Want to do something stupid?” “You have my attention.” The chaos lord said with a grin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the girls sat in the library Twilight heard a knock on the door. The lavender mare got to her feet and opened it to see the familiar mint green Unicorn mare. “Hey Lyra, what’s up?” “Don’t you know? Discord is here.” She said with a concerned look on her face. “Is he causing trouble?” “No, Isaac is with him.” The ponies all gulped and cocked their heads. “Yeah, weirder thing is they’re getting along.” “What?” Dash yelled. The other girls looked at one another in confusion. “Getting along?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, they were even joking around together.” “This ah gotta see.” Applejack said as she stood up. The others nodded and walked out of the library and followed the mint green Unicorn out into the street. The group then made their way towards the park and saw the chaos lord along with the human talking to one another. The group hid in the bushes and listened in. “Okay so all we need is some concrete, some pipes, and excavator and-” The human was cut off as the chaos lord held up an arm. “Or I could just get the blue print from your head and transport it out here.” The being said as he rolled his eyes. “Wait, you can do that?” “I’m a god. What do you expect?” “True, I just don’t know about you going inside my head.” He said with a grunt. “Oh please, you’ve let Luna go inside.” He said with a smug. “Fair enough. Just nothing personal.” Discord nodded and put a hand on the man’s head. Isaac felt a foreign presence enter his mind. “Really spacious in here.” The voice said. “Fuck you.” Isaac said. “Find it yet?” “Yeah hang on.” Discord exited his mind and shook his head. “Man you should organize.” “Oh just make the fucking court.” Isaac said with a frown. Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A large portion of the grassy surface was replaced by concrete and two large poles with some netting around the opening. Some paint line were also visible on the hard surface. “Perfect. Now all we need is some players.” He said with a grin. “Want to volunteer Dash?” The group of mares then poked their heads out of the bush and walked up to the two. “What in the hay are you doing with him?” AJ asked. “Well, since you all were busy, Discord and I decided to have a little fun. So I asked him to make a basketball court.” “Basketball?” Dash asked. Isaac face palmed. “Okay if you all weren’t from another dimension then I’d slap you. Basketball is a sport people play in my dimension.” He said with a sigh. “I was hoping to find some people to play a few rounds.” “I’m in.” Dash said with a smile. “Ah could go with a round.” The farmer said as she cracked her knuckles. “Cool! A new game!” Pinkie chimed. “This is so going down on my notes.” Lyra said as she summoned a note pad and pencil. “This could make a very interesting letter to the Princess.” Twilight said as she sat down. “Okay, now we need an even number of players on each team. Two on two.” He said as he looked at the three mares. “Okay, Pinkie and I will be on Team A and you two are on team B. That okay?” The mares nodded in approval. “Good, now to even the playing field. Discord, do it.” The chaotic being smirked and shot the cyan Pegasus with a blast of magic that made her wings disappear. “What the buck?” She yelled. “You’re forgetting that this is a human game Dash.” Isaac explained. “So?” “Human was the key words in that sentence. No wings or magic allowed and knowing you, I figured that you might be tempted to use them.” “What gave you that idea?” “You’re competitive attitude, quick blooded temper and the fact that AJ told me about the last time you two did a so called ‘Iron Pony’ competition.” Dash grunted at the memory. “Relax Discord will give them back.” “He’d better.” The Pegasus grunted. “Okay, now there are rules. Since I don’t know all of them I’ll just give you the basics.” He said as he pulled out an orange ball. “Your objective-” “Objective?” Dash asked. “Your goal is to get this ball into our basket and defend your own while Pinkie and I try to get to it.” After going through the basic rules the two teams nodded. Isaac dribbled the ball and made his way past the farmer. After dodging the wingless Pegasus he dunked the ball into the net. “Score is one zip.” He said as he passed the ball to the farmer. “Alright big shot. No more messing around.” She said with a smirk. The next hour was spent with the group playing against one another. Twilight and Fluttershy kept score as Lyra took notes. As noon crept around the group of friends took a break. A loud growl came from the pink mare’s stomach. “Heh-heh. sorry it must be close to lunch time.” The baker said with a smile. The group then got to their feet. “What do humans usually do after a basketball game?” “Me and the guys usually would grab a slice of pizza.” “What’s pizza?” Lyra asked. Isaac looked at the mares with an ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He said in a shocked tone. “Pizza is only one of the most delicious culinary creations created by humans.” An idea suddenly formed in the man’s head. “Hey Pinkie, is the bakery open today?” “Yeah why?” “Meet me there in a few minutes, I need to grab some stuff.” He said before walking away from the group. Discord shrugged and accompanied the group. “Hey!” Dash yelled. “Forgetting something?” She said as she pointed to her wingless back. “My apologies I forget these things sometimes.” He said as he snapped his fingers. A pair of small white wings appeared on the cyan girl’s back. “I think this is more interesting.” He said with a chuckle. Dash growled at the chaos lord. “Sheesh, take a joke Dash.” He said as he gave her back her normal wings. The mares all narrowed their eyes on the odd being. The group then found themselves in the bakery and waited for the human to return. Isaac made his way into the bakery with a paper bag stuffed with supplies. “Right then, Pinkie with me.” He said as he motioned towards the kitchen. The pink mare smiled and followed the man inside. After nearly an hour of waiting the human pushed a chart out with two large dough circles with what looked like melted cheese. “Dig in!” Isaac said with a smile. “Um....how do we eat it?” Twilight asked. Isaac rolled his eyes and cut himself a slice of pizza. “Like this genius.” He said as he picked it up and took a bite from the slice. Twilight gulped and looked down at the odd food. The group all shrugged and took a slice. As they bit into the odd food their eyes shrank. “What? You guys don’t like it?” He said in surprise. “No!” Dash yelled. “This is awesome!” She yelled as she gobbled the rest of her slice down. “What’s this stuff called again?” “Pizza.” Isaac said with a grin. The group eagerly dove into the pizza. “Where is this recipe from?” Lyra asked. “Italy.” He said with a shrug. The room was then filled with a bright white light and the group shielded their eyes. As the light died they saw Princess Celestia and Luna glaring at the chaos lord. “Oh great, the buzz killers.” He said with a groan. “There you are Discord.” Celestia said in a flat voice. “Where did you go?” “Calm down Celestia,” Isaac interjected. “we were just shooting some B-ball and now were grabbing a slice.” Celestia’s right eye twitched in confusion at the words. “What?” “We were playing a game and now we’re eating.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “Help yourself.” He said as he slid them each a plate with a slice on it. Luna shrugged and levitated the piece of food to her lips. Her taste buds tingled at the taste and smiled. “This is amazing! Who is responsible for this?” She said with a smile. The group all pointed to Isaac and smiled. “Sister, thou must try this!” She said as she handed her sister the morsel of food. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and looked at the slice. She took a small bite and smiled at the taste. “I must say that this is delectable.” “So did you two need something?” Isaac asked as he looked at the Princesses. Luna smirked and glared at the human. “We request a rematch in the virtual realm!” She yelled. Isaac rolled his eyes and groaned. “Again? You lost last time.” The girls looked at him in confusion. “This time will be different! We will emerge victorious!” Isaac grinned and got to his feet. “Feeling confident eh? Anytime, anywhere.” “Here and now.” “What are you two talking about?” Twilight asked. “Long story.” Isaac said with a sigh. “You guys are about to see a Princess lose in the art of war.” The man walked out of the building with the Princess and the others following. The group walked inside the human’s home and watch as he booted up the game console. Isaac handed Luna the controller and popped in Halo: Reach. “This one is a bit different then the other one, but it’s the same basic principle.” He gave a brief explanation of armor abilities and the control layout. The two played a quick round of firefight to let Luna get accustomed to the control layout. The girls all gulped as the two easily went through the endless hordes of enemies. Afterwards the man selected the Covenant cruiser for the match. Isaac chose a DMR and a magnum with Sprint for the first match. Luna selected the hologram, assault rifle and a shotgun. The match started out evenly, but the human soon gained the upper hand as he switched tactics and switched to cloaking. Little by little Luna was getting frustrated. As Isaac started to sneak up on her Spartan, he felt a small tingle in his head. The avatar spun around and blasted him with the shotgun. Isaac chocked it up as screen peeking. Slowly the Lunar Princes was gaining the advantage and the feeling in the man’s head was slowly growing. He thought for a moment and Luna’s face contorted in shock before Isaac sniped the Spartan through the visor. Now I get it! He thought as he looked at Luna who gulped. Mind reading? That’s cheating! You need to allow me some advantage! Fine, but two can play at this game! Isaac smirked and concentrated. Luna then heard a completely different dialect fill her head. ¿Qué tiene de malo? No hable español? *What’s wrong? Don’t speak Spanish? Luna was slowly losing ground as the odd language filled her head. The Lunar Princess saw his avatar in the sniping position and ran up to assassinate him. As she made contact her eye shrank and the hologram vanished. She then saw the small cutscene of his avatar assassinating her character. “Game Over!” The electronic voice said. Luna’s jaw dropped and glared at the human. “Sorry Lulu, I told you that ya can’t beat me.” He said with a smug grin on his face. “I shall never admit defeat!” The Princess yelled. Celestia and Discord giggle seeing Luna so flustered. “Another match?” “Yes, one week from today and I will beat you!” “Care to put your money where your mouth is?” Luna cocked an eyebrow at the words. “Why would I put coins in my mouth? That is most unsanitary.” Isaac and the others face palmed. “I mean let’s make a bet.” “What kind of bet?” Luna asked. “The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day.” The group of visitors gulped. Isaac grinned as he outstretched his hand. Luna grinned and shook it. Her horn glowed and a copy of the game console appeared on the table. “This will be easier then shooting fish in a barrel.” “Don’t be too sure human.” Luna spat out as she duplicated his game collection. “Next time we will be ready and you will fall.” “Then I’ll rise higher than ever.” He said in a challenging tone. Isaac chuckled and looked at the group who was staring at him in shock. “What?” “You just challenged Princess Luna to a match and you offered yourself as payment if you lose!” Twilight said. “That’s only if I lose.” He said with a smirk. “And what will happen if you do lose?” “I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.” He said as he shut down the television. “Might I ask what that match was?” Celestia asked. “Think of it as a virtual simulation stationed in a time of conflict.” “And those things were robots?” “No, genetically altered humans.” He said with a shrug. “Do they actually exist?” Lyra asked. “Not in my timeline,” Isaac said with a shrug. “but humans are persistent and it could happen.” Celestia gulped at the response. “But that is a very long way away. I mean go back forty years and we only discovered space travel.” “Space travel?” Luna yelled. “Yep, humans have gone to space.” He said in a flat tone. Luna walked up to him and glared. “Show me!” “Okay, jeez. Let me find the recording.” Isaac spent the next ten minutes rummaging through the endless videotapes in his collection. “Ah ha! Here we go 1969 Moon landing.” He said as he plugged in his VHS player and inserted the tape. The group looked in astonishment as they saw a white suited man stand on the moon. “This is one small step for man.....One giant leap for Mankind.” The figure then planted the flag in it’s position. “Cool eh?” Isaac said with a smile. “Is this fake?” Lyra asked in wonder. “Nope, that is one hundred percent real footage. My father recorded it when he was younger.” He said with a smile. “Humans have sent hundreds of satellites since then and have started to explore the cosmos.” “How many planets are in your solar system?” Celestia asked. “Well, at first it wan nine, but then we found out that the last one was actually a large moon orbiting Neptune.” The man said with a shrug. “Well, this has been very interesting,” Lyra said as she finished taking notes. “but I have to go see Bon-bon. I’m late as it is.” She said as she ran off. “This has been very....educational Isaac and I would love to hear more about your people,” She said as she looked at the clock. “but Luna, Discord and I must return to Canterlot.” “Of course Princess.” He then looked at Luna and grinned. “I’ll see you in a week missy and give me some challenge next time.” “Oh trust us, we will not disappoint.” Luna said with an evil grin. The three immortals then vanished in a flash of light. The man then looked towards the group of mares who were still mesmerized by what they saw. “So awesome!” Dash yelled. “Have you ever been there?” “The moon?” The mare nodded. “No, but it would be a sight to see.” He said with a smile. “Have any other movies about space?” Twilight asked. “Fiction or non-fiction?” “Fiction! I want to see some action!” Dash yelled. Isaac smirked and pulled out a stack of DVD’s. “I think it’s time I introduced you all to Star Wars.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celestia paced back and forth with her sister watching. Sh bit her lip as she thought about the footage she had been shown. “There’s no questioning it now.” She stated. “Sister, if he was dangerous then he would have done something already.” Luna said with a sigh. “What happens if he does do something?” Celestia asked. “What if he goes on a rampage and-” “Sister, he’s one person and a kind one.” Luna stated. “He’s only attacked in self defense or if the others were threatened.” Luna said trying to calm her sister. “I know, but it still worried me.” She said as she sat down. “I should go read the tombs to double check this.” She said before vanishing in a flash of light. Luna shrugged and plugged in her new game console. She selected Halo: Combat Evolved and started to hone her skills on the ring world of Halo. Author's Note Sorry for the delay.
Chapter 24: False Past and Broken PromisesChapter 24 False Past and Broken Promises There was a knocking on the man’s door as he sat down on his couch. Isaac walked over and opened it to see three familiar fillies. “Hey girls. What’s up?” “We need a hand with something.” Scootaloo said. “With what?” He asked as he let the girls inside. “Ya see, Ms. Cherilee assigned us a book report and we need a book.” Applebloom started. “Why not go to Twilight?” He asked. “Twilight would recommend that we do it on Star what his name,” She said with a groan. “and we kinda want to really impress her.” “So we thought that we’d do it on a book that no pony has ever read.” Scootaloo added. “Since you’re from another dimension, we figured that you might have a book we could borrow.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “I’m sure I have something you might be able to find interesting.” The man then led the small fillies into his study where all the books were kept. “Are you three working on this project together?” “Eeyup!” Applebloom said with a smile. “Okay, so what are you three looking for?” “I want something with action!” Scootaloo said. “Something romantic.” Sweetie Belle said. “Something ah can relate to.” The farmer said. Isaac ran a hand through his hair and thought for a moment. “Let me see what I can find.” He said with a gulp. The girls started looking around the bookshelves. One book in particular caught Applebloom’s eye. “Hey girls check this one out.” She said as she held up the book. The two fillies made their way over to their friend and looked at the cover. “The Diary of a Young Girl.” The girls read the synopsis as Isaac walked back into the room. “Sorry girls, but I couldn’t find much.” The three fillies then ran up to him with the book in hand. “What about this one?” Isaac looked at the cover and gulped. “Um...look girls there are some....complicated things in this book and-” He was cut off as the girls all put on their best puppy dog face. “Fine, just be careful with it. It’s the only copy I have.” “Thanks!” As Sweetie Belle raised her hands in victory the rumored ‘Curse of the Crusaders’ struck. The book flew out of the mare’s hand and hit one of Isaac’s glass fitted pictures of him and his parents. The photo fell to the ground and the glass shattered. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry Isaac!” The filly yelled as tears formed in her eyes. “It’s alright Sweetie Belle, just some broken glass.” He said as he walked over to the photo. As he cleaned up the glass something was attached to the back of the picture. The three fillies stood on their tip toes but could only make out a few words. Sweetie noticed that the man’s hands were shaking and his face was contorting as he read the piece of paper. “You okay Isaac?” She asked with a gulp. “I’m....fine.” He managed to say. “Girls, you’d better get started on that report.” He said in a flat tone. Applebloom walked over and picked up the book. “Are you sure you’re-” “Just go!” He yelled. The three girls immediately jumped at the volume of the man’s voice. The trio charged out the door and ran outside. Isaac stood frozen as he looked down at the sheet of paper. He set it down on the desk and slammed his fist into the wall making a hole in the wall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight was sitting in the library talking with Rarity. “You’re seriously going to go through with it?” Twilight asked. “Yes,” She said with a sigh. “I do care for him, just not in that way and I tried Twilight, I really did.” Twilight let out a sigh and looked at her friend. “It’s okay, I guess you gave him a shot and that’s all that counts.” The mare was then cut off as the door opened to reveal the three young fillies. “Sweetie Belle, did you get started on that book report yet?” Rarity asked as she eyed her sister. “We just got the book.” She said as she showed them the novel. The group then saw Spike come down from upstairs and yawned. Rarity gulped as she saw the young dragon. “I don’t think I’ve read that one before.” Twilight said as she looked at the cover. “Did you three get this from Isaac?” “Yeah and ah think somethings bugging him.” Applebloom said. “What makes you say that?” Spike asked as he descended the stairs. “Well, he was acting weird.” Sweetie Belle said in a low tone. “One minuted he’s his usual happy self then the next he yells at us for no reason.” The filly said with a groan. “I mean, what’s up with that?” “No reason?” Rarity asked as she cocked an eyebrow. “Well,” Scootaloo said as she rubbed her head. “we kinda did break a photo.” “Girls! That photo was probably important!” Twilight said with a sigh. “Curse of the Crusaders strikes again.” Spike said with a chuckle. “Yeah, but he found some weird piece of paper behind the photo.” Applebloom said. “It looked like some sort of official document ya see in town hall.” The two mares looked at one another in surprise. “Did you see what it said?” Rarity asked. “I couldn’t get a good look at it, but I did see one word that looked familiar.” Sweetie Belle said. “It was a long word and it started with an A.” “It had some fancy lettering on it too.” Scootaloo said. “Hmm.” Twilight said as she put a finger to her lips. “Some sort of document with a letter A.” She sighed. “Anything else you can remember?” “It looked like it had the ‘tion’ ending. Like in action.” Sweetie Belle said. “Adaptation?” Rarity asked. “Closer, but no.” The farmer said. Twilight thought for a moment and gulped as the word came to her. “Adoption?” “Yeah! That’s it!” Scootaloo yelled. Both mares looked at one another and gulped. “I thought Isaac said that he was raised by his parents?” Rarity asked. “Who hides an adoption form?” “If the child doesn’t know.” Twilight said. Rarity’s eyes shrank as she made the connection. “Rarity get the others and-” The mare was cut off as they heard a deafening noise come from outside. The group rushed out just in time to see the human wearing a black leather jacket with red trim, a black helmet that covered his head with the visor pulled down riding an odd machine with two wheels. The human also had a backpack strapped to his body. The mares looked in awe as the machine rocketed down the street with a cyan blur chasing after it. Dash flew along side it and tried to get the driver’s attention. Isaac didn’t even look as he twisted the throttle and he shot forwards, leaving the mare in the dust. Dash slowed down and came to a stop as the human drove off down the road. Twilight, Rarity and Spike then came running up to her. “Can somepony tell me what the buck I just saw?” The cyan mare asked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The man drove far out of town and cut off on a dirt road. He stopped as he spied a cave and slowly drove into it. He stopped the cycle and threw his helmet off. Isaac grunted and threw the helmet to the dirt floor as he sat down and leaned against a rock. They lied all those years. My entire life. All they did was lie. “Who am I?” Isaac yelled as he fired a bolt of blue magic from his palm. The rock across from him instantly shattered as the bolt hit the hard surface. The man looked in horror at the shattered remains of the rock. He looked at his palm and saw a dull blue light glow underneath his skin. “What am I?” His vision started to alter and he found himself back in his mind. He looked ahead to see a dark cloud of blue smoke in front of him. “Great now what?” He asked as he got in a fighting stance. The smoke the started to colonize and take form. Once it was done, a tall dark blue Alicorn mare stood before him wearing odd armor. She rivaled Celestia in height, but looked more like Princess Luna. Her fur was jet black and her hair was like the night sky. “Luna?” He asked as he relaxed his stance. “Close, but no.” The being said as it slowly walked towards him. “I’m not as nice as her.” She said with a wicked laugh. “Okay, so who are you?” He asked as he watched her like a hawk. “That depends on what you say to my offer.” She said as she circled around him taking in his full body. “I can show you how to use my magic.” “Your magic?” He asked as he looked at her. The beings eyes were light cyan and were spliced. “Did you honestly think that you were a natural at magic only after you got some of our blood?” Isaac connected the dots and his eyes shrank. He immediately backed away from the shade. “That makes you Nightmare Moon then.” He said with a gulp. “Well, it looks like you have some brains after all.” She said with a chuckle. “That’s right, I’m Nightmare Moon, but you can just call me Moon.” The dark girl said with a grin. “Getting pretty friendly all of a sudden.” He said as he frowned. “Well, we are considered roommates.” As Isaac turned to walk away, the shade appeared before him. “I can help you, you know.” She said with a smile. “How?” “I will teach you magic that no one, not even Celestia or Luna know about.” She said as she got closer to him. “Just imagine it, the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want.” “And you’re just going to teach me just like that?” He said in a suspicious tone. “Well, I do require one thing from you.” She said with a smug smile. “That would be?” The dark mare leaned so that she was next to his ear. “Pleasure.” She said in a soft tone. Isaac’s eyes shrank as she extender her tongue and licked his ear. “It get’s lonely on the moon.” She said in a pleading tone. Isaac gulped and backed away. “Forget it!” He bellowed. “No way in hell.” He said as the dark mare pouted. “Oh well, can’t blame a mare for trying.” She said with a coy smile. The shadow then grabbed his hand in a shockingly strong grip. Isaac grunted and tried to break free. He felt a burning sensation on his hand and the mare let go. “When you decide you desire my power, just ask allow some blood to spill on the seal.” “Don’t hold your breath Moony.” He said as he clenched his fist. “We shall see.” The dark mare said with a smile. “Until next time.” She said as she gave him a wink and blew a kiss. Isaac rolled his eyes as the dream world collapsed and he looked at the cave once more. He looked out in the cave entrance and saw that it was getting dark out. The man heard a few rocks being crushed under feet and immediately stood up. “Who’s there?” He yelled. Nothing but silence filled the cave. “I’m warning you, I’m in no mood for games. Show yourself!” He said as he got into a fighting stance. “P-Please, don’t hurt me.” A shaken voice said. Isaac looked to see a cloaked figure standing in the cave. “Mind if I see you’re face.” “You’ll just run away and scream.” Isaac registered the voice as a girl’s. “Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things these past few months.” He said as he relaxed his stance. “I give you my word that I won’t run away.” The hooded figure stepped forward. As she stepped into the light Isaac saw that she possessed no fur and that her skin was Ivory black. A jagged horn also sprouted from her forehead. The creature’s hair was a light blue as was her tail She also seemed to have a pair of wings coming from her back. Unlike Dash’s and Fluttershy’s wings, hers looked more insect like. The creature’s eyes were light blue and spliced. “Who and what are you?” He asked in a calm tone. “M-my name is Isis, I’m a Changeling.” She said in a frightened tone. “Who and what are you?” “Isaac, Human.” He said as he walked closer. The creature then felt lightheaded and started to fall. Isaac rushed forward and caught her. “You okay?” “I’m just weak.” She said as he gently sat her down on a rock. “I haven’t eaten in a few days.” “Hang on.” Isaac walked back over to his bag and pulled out some food he hastily put in his bag before riding out. “Here.” He said as he handed her an apple. The Changeling let out a sigh and reluctantly ate it. “Don’t like apples?” “It’s not that,” She said with a sigh. “Changelings can sustain themselves on food, but it doesn’t give us as much sustenance.” She said in a flat tone. “What do Changeling usually feed on?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Love.” “How do you feed on love?” “It’s.....complicated.” She said with a sigh. “I’m just gonna chock it in with magic.” Something then rose from the back of his mind. “Wait, a friend of mine told me that Changelings attacked Canterlot.” “Yeah, that’s why I’m here in this cave.” She said with a sigh. “Hiding from the cops?” “That and my own people.” She said with a sigh. “Your own people?” He asked in confusion. “Yes, I hide from them.” She said in a low tone. Isis lowered her head and sniffled. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’m sorry.” He said in a serious tone. “It’s okay.” “Why are you hiding from them?” He asked as he sat closer to her. “I opposed the attack on Canterlot.” Isaac looked at her in shock. “I didn’t think it was right so now I’m banished.” She said with a sigh. “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” She said with a sniffle. “I chose this path, it was either exile or death, which is the same thing to a Changeling.” “How so?” “When a Changeling is exiled their link to the hive is cut off and we are branded as traitors.” The woman rolled up her sleeve to reveal an odd symbol branded into her skin. “Changelings will eventually die if they do not feed on love regularly.” She said with a cough. “How long ago did you feed?” He asked. “A week, a record amongst most Changelings.” “I can get you help! My friend is a Unicorn and can-” “No! They’ll have me killed!” She said in a scared tone. “You didn’t even take part in the attack.” He fired back. “I’m on good terms with both Princess’s I can help you.” “It doesn’t matter.” She said as a few tears formed in her eyes. “Changelings were always despised and treated like dirt, even before the attack.” Isaac moved closer and comforted her. “Any Changeling sighted is to be arrested, detained and deported.” She said with a cry. “They’ll kill me if I return.” Isaac put an arm around her and sighed. “I can never go back.” “That’s something we have in common.” He said as the Changeling looked at him. He said with a sigh. “I just found out that I was adopted and I’ll never know who my real parents were.” Isis saw the sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that. At least you were loved.” “That’s debatable.” “They raised you as their own, even though you weren’t theres to raise.” She said with a frown. “What about your parents?” He asked. “Changelings are born in a hive system.” Isis groaned. “We’re taken when we are young to serve the hive.” She said in a low tone. “I never knew my parents, I was taken at the age of six and put in deployment as a low level drone.” She said with a shrug. “So how do you feed on love?” “We impersonate somepony they love and feed off the emotions.” “Okay that’s a bit underhanded.” “We do what we have to do in order to survive.” She said in a cross tone. “What happens to the one you impersonate?” “I’ve never killed anyone if that’s what you’re wondering.” She said in a rough tone. “I usually knock them out and cocoon them.” “Cocoon them?” He asked as he immediately stood up. “I don’t have the strength for something like that.” The changeling then cringed and immediately started coughing up green liquid. “Are you alright?” “I’m at my limit.” She grunted. “I’ll die soon.” “Wait, there has to be something I can do.” He said in a concerned tone. “There isn’t.” She said as she felt herself becoming weaker. “Except.” “Except what?” “I feed on you.” Isaac cringed as the thought of her using him for a food supply. Isaac bit his lip as the woman collapsed on the ground. “Okay,” The Changeling looked at him in confusion. No one had ever willingly offered to provide her with love. “how does this work. Do you bite my neck like a Vampire or something?” “A what?” She asked. “Will I turn into a Changeling if you feed on me?” The woman shook her head. “Okay, fine. What do I do?” “Why are you trying to save me?” She asked as she coughed again. “We’re alike. I’m from another dimension with no way back.” He said as he crouched down and slowly lifted her head. “I can never go home and the fact that you spoke out against violence proves that you are a kind soul.” “But what I’ve done-” “Is nothing compared to what I have done.” He said in a flat tone. “So just shut up and do what you have to.” Isis gulped and focused the last bit of magic she had. A bright light filled the cave and Isaac shielded his eyes. When he opened them again he saw the form of a young human woman with crimson red hair and light green eyes. Oh god, anything but her. He thought. The figure then started to glow bright red and Isaac felt some of his strength being sapped away. Isis felt bad for the human and put a hand on his back. The man refused to look at the impostor and held his head in shame. Isis felt rejuvenated and quickly returned to her original form. “Isis, do me a favor.” He said with a pant. “What?” “Never, ever take that form again!” He said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I automatically take the form of the most loved one of whoever I’m feeding on the most.” She said with a gulp. “Thank you.” Isaac stood up and turned away. “If you ever decide to move out of this cave.” He said with a sigh. “Then my door in Ponyville is open.” “You don’t have to do that.” She said with a sigh. “It’s the least I can do for a friend who’s down on their luck.” He said with a weak smile. “F-friend?” She asked. “Well, considering I just let you use me as food I’d say that makes us something.” He said with a shrug. “Plus, I can tell that you’re a good person or Changeling in this case.” Isis gulped and shook his hand. “Hopefully, we can skip the feeding next time we see each other.” Isis said with a chuckle. Isis gave her a quick hug before walking back to his vehicle. He put the helmet on his head and started the engine. He looked towards the sky and saw that it was starting to rain. He revved the engine twice before speeding off back towards his home. An hour later he came across the familiar small town. He looked at his watch and saw that it was close to ten o’clock. He cut the engine and kept it in neutral. As he rolled by Carousel Boutique the door opened and a voice called out. “Isaac is that you?” Isaac removed his helmet and squinted as his eyes got use to the light and saw the robed figure of the white Unicorn mare. “Hurry and get inside before you catch a cold.” “I’m fine. My house is just-” He was cut off as he saw the mare’s sapphire like eyes pierce him. The man let out a sigh and rolled his vehicle towards her. After the man covered it with a black tarp he had packed in his bag he made his way inside. “What in the name of Celestia were you doing out there?” She said as she put her hands on her hips. “I was just coming back from a ride.” “On that...what did you call it?” “A motorcycle.” He said as he sat down on the couch. “I do that whenever I’m stressed out and I needed to clear my head.” Rarity then remembered what the CMC had said earlier that day. The seamstress sat down next to her friend and wrapped him in a hug. “Sweetie told me. I’m so sorry Isaac.” She said as the man returned the hug. “It’s fine I-” “No, it’s not.” She said in a strong tone. “If you keep bottling these emotions up then eventually you’re going to explode and do something you’re going to regret.” “Well what should I do Rarity?” He yelled. “It’s not like I can go talk to them or anything!” The mare gulped. “I can’t find out who my real parents are, or go to my fake one’s graves! I’m stuck here with nothing!” “Your house is-” “Can you really call a house a home when the people you love are gone?” Rarity ran out of words. “That’s what I thought.” He said as he sat down. Rarity gulped and bit her lip. “I know that you’ve felt alone since you got here, but you need to see that you’re not.” She said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I know that we can never fill that place in your heart, but we’re trying to help you as best we can.” “I know. It’s just,” He started with a sigh. “nearly all my life I’ve followed the path that was set out for me and I was betrayed at almost every turn.” Rarity gasped. “I do trust you guys, but I can’t help but keep my guard up. It’s a defense mechanism and it’s not fair to you.” “Or to yourself either.” The mare said in a soft tone. “You have a lot of ponies who care about you.” “You mean Dash, AJ and Shy?” The white mare nodded. “Yeah I know.” “I was talking about me.” Isaac’s eyes shrank as he stared into the mare’s crystal blue eyes. Rarity put her hand on his and slowly closed the gap between them. She softly pressed her lips against his and moaned. The man was stunned at the action. His mind was in confusion as it is. He acted on basic instinct and returned the kiss. Rarity broke the kiss and stood up. Isaac’s eyes widened as she opened her robe and revealed her naked white form. Her breasts were like two orbs that were begging to be held. The mare gently kneeled so that one leg was beside his. Isaac slowly reached inside her robe and ran his hand through her pristine fur. Rarity locked lips with the man again and slowly moved her tongue inside his mouth. The man slowly moved his hands up her hourglass form and found themselves on the mounds. Rarity gasped as he slowly started to squeeze them, making her moan. Rarity broke the kiss and looked into the man’s deep blue eyes. “Let’s...take this upstairs.” She said as she panted. Isaac quickly got to his feet and scooped the mare up in his arms. “What about your sis?” “Sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres.” She said as she put her arms around his neck. “So we have all night long.” She said in a lust filled voice. As the two got to her door Isaac balanced on one foot and used his right to kick in the door. “You beast!” She said in a playful tone. Isaac then saw that around her room were several half burnt down scented candles. As they got into the room, Isaac spun around and ganged the mare’s position so that she was upright. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her back was flat against the wall. “Oh Isaac~” She purred. The human started to smother her neck and chest with passionate kisses. The mare could feel his clothed member stiffening and press against her marehood. Isaac then balanced the mare and wrapped his arms around her back. He held on to her as he neared the bed. He gently laid the mare down on her back and took a moment to thoroughly look at her. Her hourglass figure accented her snow white fur perfectly. The mare slowly sat up and let the open robe slide off her majestic body. As she laid back down she motioned with her pointer finger to join her on the bed. Isaac slowly crawled on top of her and pressed his lips against hers. Rarity’s horn glowed and the man felt as though his clothes had become ghosts and phased off his body. “I’m glad Twilight taught me that de-fabrication spell.” The man could smell the lust coming from the mare’s nether regions and slowly snaked a hand down. The mare squealed in delight as he started to play with her button. Isaac used his other hand to cup her breast. The smell from her snatch and the candles were intoxicating. Rarity was moaning more than ever as she was reaching her climax. Isaac felt the mare’s walls clamp around his finger and a familiar wetness coat them. He looked up at the red faced mare who was panting. “Please, I can’t wait any longer.” She begged. Isaac moved so that he was directly over the mare. His rock hard cock poked at her moist entrance. As Rarity moaned Isaac pressed his lips against hers and forced her mouth open. As their tongues danced, Isaac slowly slid his rod into her moist caverns. He wrapped his left hand around the mare’s body to give her back support and used his right palm to massage one of her breasts. The mare wrapped her arms and legs around the man’s scared body. Her tail was firmly gripped around the man’s right leg. Rarity was in pleasure as the man picked up speed and increased his pace. Rarity could feel the man’s pillar poking at her womb. Rarity was now gripping tight enough to draw blood from the man’s back. Isaac felt a familiar pressure building in his rod. “Isaac, I’m-” “Me too.” He said as he gave one last thrust. Rarity clamped her eyes shut as she felt the overwhelming pleasure course through her body. Isaac soon felt the day’s events take it’s toll and he slowly climbed off the mare and laid on his back next to her. The mare smiled and used her magic to pull the covers over their bodies. Rarity rested her head on the man’s chest and the two soon drifted off to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac woke up with the sun shining on his face. As he slowly sat up he felt something pull him back down. The man froze and looked to see the white mare smiling at him. “Morning dear.” She said with a smile. Oh no. The man thought. No, no, no, no, no! He yelled at himself. Isaac quickly jumped out of bed and looked at the mare in fear. “Isaac? What’s wrong?” “We....you and I....last night.” He was too freaked out to form proper words. “Best night I’ve had in a very long time.” She said with a giggle. The mare sat up taking the sheet with her so she covered her exposed areas. Isaac felt himself becoming ill and his face turned almost as white as Rarity’s fur. “Are you alright dear?” “I broke my promise to Spike.” He said in disgust. “I had sex with you.” Rarity saw the dilemma and summoned her robe. She wrapped the soft garment around her body before she walked over to his side. “Spike and I are no longer together.” She said with a sigh. Isaac looked at her as though she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. “When and why did you break up?” “I broke the news to him yesterday and I realized that I do care about Spike, but in a more...big sister little brother way. Like what he and Twilight have.” She said in a low tone. “How’d he take it?” “I explained myself and he seemed to accept it, but he was very unhappy.” The mare said with a sigh. “He is a kind dragon and will make somepony happy.” “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He asked as he walked over and pulled his pants on. “How do you think he’s going to react when he finds out about this?” He said as he made gestures between them. Rarity bit her lip at the words. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make you feel bad when I’m the one at fault and-” “Your fault?” She said in a perplexed tone. “It’s nobody’s fault. We are two adults that were both in an emotional state and acted on it.” “Exactly.” He said in a flat tone. “Now you’re confusing me Isaac.” She said with a groan. “I’m not supposed to get emotional.” He said in a flat tone. “Emotions are just an obstacle to overcome and should be stowed.” “What idiot told you that?” “My fath....The man who raised me.” Rarity gripped her hair and let out a sigh. “I made the choice to sleep with you just as you did with me. We have an equal share of the blame.” The man finished getting dressed and made his way towards the door. “Where are you going?” “To get what’s coming to me.” He said in a cold tone. “I hope to see you again Rarity.” He said with a small nod and smile. Rarity stood frozen as the door closed. Isaac started up his motorcycle and quickly sped towards the library. He stopped his vehicle outside the tree and stormed in to see Twilight at her desk. The lavender mare instantly ran towards him. “Isaac, I heard what happened and-” She was stopped as he raised a hand. “We’ll discuss that later. Where’s Spike?” The lavender mare saw the seriousness in the man’s eyes and gulped. “He’s upstairs. I take it you heard about him and Rarity?” “Something like that.” He said as he walked past her. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she smelled a familiar scent brush across her nose. The mare connected the dots and glared at the human as he hurried up the wooden steps. “Spike?” He said as he knocked on the door. The wooden door opened to reveal a drowsy dragon. “What?” “Mind if I come in?” Spike shrugged and opened the door for him. Isaac closed it behind him and thought of how he should tell him. “I....heard about you and Rarity.” He said as the sick feeling creeped back into his system. “Yeah.” Spike said with a shrug. “What exactly did Rarity say?” “That she does like me, just in a more ‘friend’ way,” He said as he hung his head in shame. Isaac felt a small light of relief shine on him. “and that she’s interested in some other guy.” The light then vanished and guilt crept over him. “Why are you asking?” “Spike,” Isaac started. “it pains me to tell you this but,” He said as he hung his head. “I’m the other guy.” A long silence fell between the two Isaac could see the rage boiling in the young dragon’s eyes. “Last night....Rarity and I......I swear if I could change what happened then-” Was all he could get out before the dragon threw a punch at the man. Isaac dodged it and wrapped the dragon in a full nelson. Spike was about to scream but his mouth was quickly covered by a fleshy hand. “Look Spike, you’re pissed I get that.” Isaac said in a hushed tone. “You have every right to hate my guts, but this isn’t the time, or the place to settle this.” The dragon squirmed in the hold. “I’m gonna let you go and we’ll decide when and where we can settle this.” The human let the dragon go. Spike’s eyes were like daggers that pierced the man’s soul. “Now we can either talk about this or we settle it with our fists like a man and dragon.” “I’ll take the second option.” He spat out. “When and where?” “It’s ten o’clock right now right?” Spike asked. Isaac looked at his watch and nodded. “You know where Rarity goes gem hunting?” The human nodded again. “Be there at noon.” “Public or private?” “Definitely private.” “Hand to hand?” The man asked. “Doesn’t matter. Just none of those gun things.” “Knives?” Isaac asked. “If you want, won’t do you much good though.” “First to surrender or first to be knocked out loses?” “Yup.” Spike said in a flat tone. Isaac shook the dragon’s claw and felt the density of the scales. Isaac walked out of the room and saw Twilight waiting for him. She quickly walked up to him and slapped him across the face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” She yelled. “They just broke up!” “I found that out this morning.” He said as he rubbed the sore spot. “Did you two work things out?” She asked in a hopeful tone. “We came to an understanding.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight sighed and returned to her work as the man walked out of the library. As he approached his motorcycle he looked back at the upstairs window to see the dragon glaring at him.Isaac gave him a small nod before speeding off towards his home.
Chapter 25: Fight!Chapter 25 Fight! Isaac walked along the path towards the meeting point with the dragon. As he looked towards the crystal blue sky he tried to focus on the challenge that lay ahead of him. He’d never even met a dragon before coming to Equestria much less know how to fight one. The man ran through several scenarios in his mind. He looked towards the clearing to see Spike sitting on a rock waiting for him. The dragon was chewing on a shard of sapphire. “You’re late.” He spat out. “Had to sneak by Dash.” He said in a flat tone. Spike spat out the rock and got to his feet. The two stood, face to face. Isaac was only a little taller than Spike. Isaac used his foot to draw a line in the dirt. “Okay, so we’re here to settle the incident with Rarity right?” “Correct.” Spike said. “Okay, first to surrender or to be K.O.’d loses.” Isaac said with a sigh. The man spit over the line he had drawn and the dragon did the same.The two circled one another for two turned before Spike lunged at him. Isaac rushed forward and slammed his fist into Spike’s face. The dragon didn’t even budge as the man felt pain in his hand. He looked to see his that his knuckles were bleeding. “Thick scales idiot.” Spike said as he slammed his fist into the man’s gut. Isaac felt his bones creak at the hardness of the scales. The man staggered back and pulled out his knife. The man threw it at the dragon who kept still. As the metal blade came into contact with Spike’s arm, the metal snapped in half. “My turn.” Spike said as he arched his fingers. Isaac gulped as the dragon’s nails grew longer and looked like sharpened knives. The dragon lunged forwards and slashed the man across the chest. Isaac could feel the nails dig into his skin. The human quickly backed away and withdrew the knife he had entered Equestria with. He took it by the handle and aimed right at the dragon. Isaac threw the weapon. The blade spun end over end as it got closer to the dragon. Spike grunted and caught the diamond blade between his teeth. The dragon applied more pressure to the bite and broke the blade between his teeth. Isaac stood stunned as he watched the teenage dragon chomp on the remains of the blade. The man gulped and panted. Isaac charged and slammed his fist into the dragon’s under belly which caused Spike to curdle a little bit. So that’s your weak point. He thought as the dragon stood back up. The dragon jumped and tried to slam both clenched fists down on the man. Isaac caught the arms at the wrists and was struggling to hold him. Spike wasn’t stronger than him but his scales were definitely thick enough to stop a knife. As the two were dead locked Isaac noticed the drake’s cheeks becoming larger and a small trail of smoke was coming from his nostrils. He put the pieces together and leaned back, just in time to avoid a massive ball of green flame. He could feel the heat coming from the fire ball. As Isaac leaned back he rolled over and took the dragon with him. Spike grunted as he was flipped onto his back and the man delivered a quick elbow drop to his ribs. Isaac quickly got to his feet and heard a whooshing sound from above. He squinted enough just to make out the shape of a familiar grey Pegasus mare with a messenger bag rocketing towards Ponyville. As he looked ahead he saw that Spike had regained his ground and was now fuming with rage. Isaac got in an offensive position and charged. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight sat with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity at Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight face palmed as Rarity finished her story. “Oh my Celestia Rarity what were you thinking?” Twilight yelled. “You had just broken up with Spike and then you just sleep with Isaac!” “Yeah Rare’s.” Dash said. “I mean, you could have given it a little more time.” “You think that breaking up with Spike was easy?” The mare protested. “I was in a very emotional state.” “What about Isaac?” Applejack asked. “The poor guy just found out that his folks adopted him and never said a word. He was probably in a more sensitive state then you were.” The farmer said with a frown. “Hey Twi, where’s Spike at anyhow?” “He asked for the afternoon off. I figured that he wanted some time alone.” She said with a sigh. “Twilight!” The lavender mare’s ears perked up and looked up to see a familiar grey mail mare racing towards them. Ditzy landed in front of the group and panted. “You.....gotta...listen.” “Slow down there sally.” The farmer said as she handed her a bottle of water. “Deep breath.” The grey mare hastily drank the water and collected her thoughts. “You gotta come quick it’s an emergency!” She yelled. “What’s wrong?” “Isaac and Spike are going head to head in the gem field!.” The four mares gasped and looked at one another. “I was just coming back from dropping off Fluttershy’s mail when I saw them going at it. You gotta come quick.” “Mac!” Applejack yelled. The hulking red stallion hurried out of the barn. “Spike and Isaac are butting heads and we need yer muscle.” “Eeyup.” The cyan mare then took flight and followed the mail mare as the group ran towards the fields. “Think Spike will be okay?” Applejack asked. “I’m more concerned about Isaac.” Twilight said. “Why?” Dash said as she flew down, keeping pace next to her friends. “We’ve seen Isaac fight.” “Yes, but Spike is a dragon. His scales are thicker than steel.” The mares all gulped. “Not to mention he can breathe fire.” “I doubt Spike would go that far.” Rarity said. “Wrong.” Ditzy said. The group all looked up at the grey mare. “When they were deadlocked Spike almost burned Isaac’s face off.” That was all the motivation Dash needed to book it and rocketed towards the fields. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac was panting heavily. His shirt had been torn to shreds by the dragon’s claws and was bleeding profusely. Thanks to dragon’s natural resistance to magic his healing ability’s were slowed exponentially. The man was also severely burned on his right arm and upper chest area. His left eyes was black and blue from Spike’s dense fists. Spike’s under stomach was heavily bruised and he had some blood coming from his mouth. The two charged at one another again and slammed their fists against each other. Spike twirled around and tried to strike the man with his tail. The man grabbed the appendage and threw Spike against the ground. The dragon quickly got up and fired a few fire balls at the man. Isaac quickly dodged them and picked up a nearby rock and chucked it at the dragon. Spike slammed his fist and shattered the rock just in time to see Isaac’s hand glow a bright blue and slam him in the face. The force sent the dragon back a good three feet before regaining his balance. I told you to stay out of this! He yelled at himself. You need my power if you want to win. Moon's voice said. I’m not trying to win. Now scram. He yelled as he dodged another blast of green fire. The two looked to the right and saw the group of ponies running towards them. Twilight gasped as she looked at her dragon assistant. She’d never seen him so ferocious. The hulking red stallion charged forward trying to separate the two. “Stay out of this!” The two combatants yelled as they each delivered a powerful punch to the stallion’s gut. Mac felt the force and grunted as he was thrown back towards the group. “Mac!” Applejack said as she helped her brother sit up. Applejack was about to charge in but was stopped by the red stallion grabbing her arm. “AJ, these two need to settle this.” “Are ya crazy?” “Look at how Isaac is fighting.” He said as he pointed towards the human who got slashed by another claw. Twilight struggled to watch and noticed that the human was acting strangely. “He could have easily dodged that, but took it anyway.” “H-he’s letting Spike hit him.” The scholar said. The red farmer nodded as he slowly stood up. Isaac felt his vision starting to blur and something screamed int the back of his mind. Words. Words he knew only form one place. Spike started to fill his cheeks with green flame when Isaac felt the magic inside him well up and was ready to be unleashed. The young drake let loses a massive fireball at the man. “FUS ROH DAH!” The man yelled. A massive shockwave hit the fireball and extinguished the flames while sending the dragon flying back. The group of mares felt the force from the blast and struggled to stay on their feet. Isaac looked down at his hands and saw that they were glowing bright blue. He shook off the magical energy and watched as Spike got to his feet. Isaac felt as though someone had poured acid down his throat and started to cough. Spike and the human locked eyes and gave one last charge. The dragon and human clenched their fists and landed the blows right in each other’s faces. The force from the punches launched both fighters back. The two fell down on their back and panted as they looked up at the sky. The human slowly got to his feet and hobbled over to the dragon. Twilight and the others ran forwards to hopefully stop the man. Spike shut his eyes as he waited for the man’s finishing blow. He opened his eyes to see the man offering his hand. The dragon was confused as he took the hand. Isaac helped him up and panted. “You okay?” “Yeah, you?” Spike asked. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened.” Isaac said with a sigh. “I’d change it if I could.” Spike shrugged and grunted. “I know you would.” Spike said with a sigh. "But you still broke your promise to me." Isaac hung his head in shame. "I just...I just need to think things over." The man nodded in agreement as they walked back towards the group. Twilight ran up to them and slapped them both across the face. “Jeez Twi, I’m beaten up enough. Show some sympathy.” Isaac said as he rubbed the red handprint on his face. “What is wrong with you two?” She yelled. “I said that we worked something out and low and behold, we did.” Isaac said as he crossed his arms. Twilight gripped her mane and glared at the dragon. “You are in a lot of trouble mister.” She scolded. “I can’t believe that you used fire against him!” “Twi if it means anything then I challenged him.” Isaac stated. “I figured I’d let him get his emotions out rater than bottling them up and the best way to do that is to beat the living shit out of something.” Twilight glared at the human who gulped. “Please don’t kill me.” He quickly stated. “Seriously Spike. Overkill.” Dash said. “Dash, lay off.” Isaac said as he glared at the mare. “Spike was in the right and I deserved every bit of pain I got.” He said with a sigh. “But-” “I’ll admit that it wasn’t all my fault.” He said as he glared at the white mare. “Me?” She asked. “Yes, you.” He said as he frowned at he mare. “I willingly opened up to you Rarity and you used that to get me into bed. I gotta tell ya, that is low.” He said as he shook his head. “Oh and you’re Mr. Perfect is that it?” She yelled. “I’m far from perfect Rarity. I know that and I will admit that in my younger days I did some stupid shit to get laid, but I have never manipulated people’s feelings like that.” The white Unicorn gulped. “If that’s who you really are, then I think that it’s better if we just remain acquaintances.” The group fell silent as the man walked by the group. “See ya around Spike.” He said with a wave. The dragon just grunted at the words. As Isaac continued to walk away he felt the pain from the small match take it’s toll. The man stumbled forwards and struggled to keep his balance. Twilight hurried up to him and her hands glowed a faint purple. “Hang on.” Twilight said as the two vanished in a flash of purple light. The two appeared outside Isaac’s home. “Thanks for the lift.” He said as he walked up to his door. The mare vanished in a flash of light. As he opened the door he saw the familiar form of Princess Luna napping on his couch. Oh this is too perfect! He thought with a mustache twirling grin. He quietly made his way into the downstairs bathroom and pulled out a can of shaving cream and a long feather. He silently put the white cream in the mare’s left hand and started to tickle her nose with the feather. The mare lightly brushed her nose with her bare hand. The man frowned and tickled her again. This time the mare flat out slapped herself in the face with the cream covered hand. Luna’s eyes snapped open and heard the man roar in laughter. “Oh you can’t beat the classics!” “Wretch!” She yelled as she levitated the man up by his ankles. “Prepare to face our-” The lunar Princess then noticed the man’s mangled appearance. “By our sister’s beard! What happened to you?” “Mind putting me down?” The Princess did and looked at him with worry in her eyes. “What happened?” “Spike and I got into a little scuffle.” He said with a sigh. Luna looked at him in surprise. “It’s a long story.” The blue mare walked over and wiped her face off with some paper towels. “You can tell me as I heal you.” Isaac was about to protest but was shot down as he looked into the lunar Princess’s piercing blue eyes. He let the mare use a few healing spells on him as he told her about his parent’s secret, how he broke a promise to the young dragon and the fight. He decided to keep the bits about the Changeling and Nightmare Moon to himself. “Why did you let Spike beat you up?” She asked as she continued to pour her magic into him. “He needed to take out his aggression on something.” Isaac said. “I figured since I was the root of the problem that it would be the best for him.” “He could have killed you.” She protested. “Nah, Spike may have been pissed, but I doubt that he wanted to kill me.” He said as his black eye vanished. “Besides, I broke my promise. The least I can do is give him the pleasure of kicking the shit out of me.” “You got hurt!” “Believe me, I’ve been through worse.” He said as he stood up. Luna looked at his exposed chest and placed her hand on it to heal the newly formed cuts. Isaac felt the tingling sensation on his skin and bit his lip. He saw the mare’s eyes looking over his mangled body. “I was captured.” “Huh?” She asked. “During my time in the Marines, we were fighting some rebels.” He said with a sigh. “My squad and I were captured and they tried to force information out of us.” The mare gasped at the words. “Needless to say, we made it difficult for them.” “So they,” The mare could barely form the words. “tortured you?” “Yeah,” Isaac said. “I was the only one who made it out alive.” He then gave a small chuckle. “Figures, the talentless hack is the one who made it.” “What?” “Each member of my team had something that made them special. Gizmo could hack through anything. Kickback was a genius with explosives. Hawk eye was our sniper and could shoot the wings off a fly. We had this medic who’s name was Dufresne, but we just called him Doc. He could patch up anything from a papercut to a blown of leg.” He said with a small chuckle. “Then you have me.” He said with a sigh. “I was known for stepping on a land mine and almost blowing my balls off.” “They had some odd names.” Luna said as she moved to heal his back. “They were just nicknames we called each other around the base.” “What was yours?” “Zerum.” He said in a flat tone. “Sounds interesting.” “It’s Latin for zero, meaning nothing.” Luna gulped. “I was the General’s son so everyone expected a lot from me and when I couldn’t meet the expectations I got called Zero. My Drill Sargent had a thing for the Latin language so he called me Zerum, the name stuck.” “They hated you?” She asked in shock. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say hate.” He said as she put a hand on his right shoulder. “Mostly just.....resented the fact that I didn’t earn my place.” Luna cocked an eyebrow. “My dad got me in and gave me....special treatment and I hated him for it.” “Why?” “I didn’t want his help. I wanted to prove it to myself that I could do it on my own.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m sure he did it out of love.” “That’s debatable.” He said with a sigh. “On a side note, what are you doing here? Our match isn’t for another couple of days.” The mare bit her lip and let out a sigh. “We need your help.” “With?” “We request your help with becoming better at this Halo game.” “Asking your opponent for advice?” He said with a smug grin. Luna blushed and snarled at the man. “Fine, let me start it up.” He booted up the game and got two controllers. Luna snapped her fingers and a customized navy blue controller with her Cutie Mark on the right handle. “Where’d you get that?” “Thou are forgetting that we are a goddess. Manipulating colors on a device such as this is trivial.” She said with a grin. “Okay.” He booted up a custom map labeled, ‘Training.’ “First off, what’s your controller sensitivity on?” “Ten, so that we may earn the most points!” Isaac face palmed and sighed. “My god you’re a noob.” “A what?” “A newbie, rookie, beginner. Take your pick.” Luna frowned at the words. “Bank the sensitivity back down to three.” “That’s the default! What’s yours on?” “Four, but I am more experienced and I’m more comfortable using it.” Luna grunted and did as he asked. The training started. “Good, now go pick up a sniper rifle.” Luna’s avatar was a purple female Spartan with the recon helmet equipped. “See if you can shoot the cones off the crates without using the zoom.” Luna missed the first several shots and went through four clips of ammo before hitting the crate. “Ugh! This is impossible!” She yelled. “Princess of the night giving up?” He said with a grin. “Never!” She yelled as she threw her controller down and crossed her arms. “Look, It’s been a really, really long day for me.” He aid with a sigh. “Think we could do this another time?” “Very well, we hope that you manage to patch things up.” She said with a nod. The lunar Princess then vanished in a flash of blue light. Isaac walked up to his bathroom and took a steaming hot shower. He let the warm water wash over his damaged body. Luna may have closed the wounds but the pain was still faintly there. He laid down in his bed and let sleep take him.
Chapter 26: To Dungeons DeepChapter 26 To Dungeons Deep It had been a few days since the fight with the young dragon. The two males kept their distance from one another. Isaac had come close to cutting all ties with the white mare, but only stayed in contact for the Elements’ sakes. The man woke up and groaned. Isaac walked inside the bathroom and turned on the shower. The man let the warm water wash over his body. The man wrapped a towel around his naked form and saw his phone vibrating. He picked it up and saw that he had at least ten voice mail messages from Twilight. All within five minutes of one another. The phone started to vibrate again and showed the lavender mare’s name. Isaac groaned and pressed the call button. “Hello?” “Finally! I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for like ten minutes!” The voice yelled. “So I’ve seen.” Isaac said in a flat tone. “What’s up?” “You need to get to the library now!” “Why? What’s wrong?” “Just get here!” “Fine I’ll be there in five minutes.” Isaac said. “No, we need you right now!” “Who’s we?” “Just get here!” “Jeez, give me five fucking minutes I need to,” He was cut off as he felt a lavender aura ensnare him. He saw a flash of light and saw the familiar walls of the library. He turned around and saw the six girls and the two Alicorns. Twilight, Fluttershy and Luna’s faces all turned bright red while Applejack, Pinkie and Dash all laughed. “get dressed.” He finished in a flat tone. Rarity had an evil smirk at the man’s uncomfortable position. “Why didn’t you tell me you just got out of the shower?” Twilight yelled. “You didn’t let me!” Isaac said with a grumble. The man firmly gripped the towel around his waist. “So what is so important?” “I have something to ask.” Celestia said. Isaac sat across from the group. Luna’s cheeks turned bright red. Isaac followed her gaze and crossed his legs. Celestia chuckled as Luna hid her blush. “So what’s up?” Dash asked. “I need you all and Isaac to retrieve something from the ruins in the Everfree forest.” Celestia said. “An old relic that is said to hold great power.” Celestia said. “So why don’t you get it?” He asked. “I mean you are the Princess. Couldn’t you just walk in there and take the thing?” “Unfortunately no.” Celestia said. “There is old magic that resides within the catacombs of the old castle. Magic that is unknown to either Luna or myself.” “So why send us?” Dash asked. “Though we don’t know exactly what is down there.” The lunar Princess began. “We know that it involves the Elements of Harmony.” The flyer nodded. “So why do we need him?” Rarity asked in an almost spiteful tone as she pointed to Isaac. “Rarity don’t-” Twilight said with a grunt. “No Twi, it’s a good question.” He said as he held up his hand. “Like you said Princess, this is Element business. Why should I go?” “We have no idea what is inside.” Celestia said. “So? I’m sure they can handle whatever is in there.” The man said. “I need you to lead them in there.” She said in a stern tone. The girls all looked at the goddess in shock. “Why? I have the least amount of knowledge of this place. Twilight should lead.” He said as he looked at the scholar. “They work the best with her and they’ll follow her.” He said in a flat tone. “There’s no reason for me to go. Besides, I’m not a leader.” He said as he stood up. “You held the rank of Captain did you not?” Isaac’s face went pale and he cracked his knuckles as he made a fist. “How did you know that?” Celestia gulped as she looked at the man’s eyes that looked like they could go through steel. “No one, and I mean no one knew that!” He said in an angry tone. Celestia gulped. “Oh, I get it.” He said as he shook his head. “Going into my mind without my permission is an extreme invasion of my privacy.” “I was just-” Isaac held up his hand. “I’m only gonna say this once.” He said as he stood up and intensified his glare. “If I find you or any of you poking around in my head without my say so. Then I’m going to make things very uncomfortable for you in there.” He said in a dark tone. “Are you threatening me?” Celestia said. “All I’m saying is that it’s unwise to piss off a man who’s sole occupation for most of his adult life has been killing.” Celestia’s eyes shrank. “As to your request, I’ll go along as back up. Only if you give me your word as a Princess that you stay out of my head.” He said in a flat tone. Celestia bit her lip and hesitantly shook his hand. “Thank you. Now before we go rummaging through some abandoned ruins that will most likely contain several deadly traps I gotta do something.” “What?” Luna asked. “While I am enjoying the gentle breeze that is gracing my undercarriage,” He said as he bit his lip. “I would like to get on some proper clothes before I go.” He said as he crossed his arms. As he did, the towel fell and the man’s face along with several others turned bright red. Isaac quickly wrapped the towel around his lower half and groaned. “I’d like to that soon if you don’t mind. Twilight, send me back and I’ll meet you guys in front of Fluttershy’s cottage.” “Sorry Isaac.” Twilight said as she still adverted her eyes. “That was a one way teleportation spell.” “I am not walking through town like this!” He yelled. “Want me to give you a lift?” Dash said as she barreled over in laughter. “No! What happens if a kid looks up and sees something they can never un-see?” Luna walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Isaac blushed at the Princess’s touch. “We shall teleport you home.” Luna’s horn flared and the two vanished in a flash of light. The two found themselves in the human’s home. Isaac quickly made his way up to his room as Luna waited outside his door. “We apologize for our sister’s behavior. She had no right to look into your mind.” “Whatever. Whats done is done.” He said through the doorway. Isaac walked back out wearing a tan long sleeved collared shirt with a pair of brown pants. The man walked over to his closet and pulled out a roll of climbing rope with a hook on the end. The next thing he grabbed was a small tomahawk and secured it to his belt. He grabbed a handgun and holstered it on his belt. “Wait almost forgot.” He said as he grabbed a black leather hat and put it on top his head. “Okay, I’m ready.” “Why are you wearing that? You look like Daring Do.” Luna giggled. “I prefer Indiana Jones. I’m not a Pegasus mare.” He said with a sigh. Luna rolled her eyes and put her hand on his shoulder and the two vanished in a flash of light. The two appeared outside of Fluttershy’s cottage where the rest of the group were standing. Dash walked up to the human and laughed. “Dude what is with the get up?” “What? Every adventure needs someone looking badass.” He said with a shrug. “And the rope?” “People in action movies always have rope. You never know what they need it for only that they always need it.” He said as he adjusted the rope. “This isn’t a movie Isaac.” Twilight said as she leaned against her staff. He looked at the staff and twirled it in his hand. “Oh is that right Gandalf?” He said as he examined it. “Hey be careful with that!” Twilight yelled. “Oh calm down Twi. Whats the worst that could-” The man was cut off as he twirled the staff and accidentally shot a fire ball at a nearby tree from the staff’s end. “Um....my bad.” He said with a weak grin. Twilight frowned and held out her hand. Isaac quickly gave it back to her and she extinguished the flames. “Thank you.” She said with a sigh. “Now from what I’ve managed to gather,” She said as she pulled out a map. “the quickest way to get there would be through the Everfree Forest. There’s an old path that leads directly through the forest and into the castle.” “Didn’t we take that route when we fought Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie asked. “Sort of, but I managed to find a shortcut.” She said as she made the map vanish. “How long will getting there take?” Pinkie asked. “Not too long although it depends on our pace.” Isaac then looked up at the two Alicorns. “So what exactly does this relic look like?” “Its a small sphere. No bigger than what you can fit in your palm.” “I take it that we’ll find this thing in the bottom of the castle correct?” The two Princesses nodded. “So what’s the history behind this thing? If I’m gonna play grave robber I at least want to know what it is I’m robbing.” “One thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon stole something from our scholars.” Celestia said. Luna held her head in shame. “We have just recently discovered it’s power signature emanating from deep within the castle. Unfortunately she placed wards preventing myself or Luna from reaching it.” The man nodded. “So what is this thing supposed to do?” Dash asked. “We are not sure. Our scholars were researching it when Nightmare Moon stole it.” Celestia said. “All we know is that it is important enough for Nightmare Moon to steal.” “I see and now you want it back to keep researching it.” Celestia nodded. “Alright sounds easy enough. Think Nightmare left some surprises in store for us?” “Most likely she left deadly traps.” Luna said. “Going into an abandoned castle left by a power crazy goddess of darkness that may or may not contain some ancient treasure.” He said with a chuckle. “Where’s Harrison Ford when you need him?” He said under his breath. “What are we waiting for then?” He asked as he cracked his neck. “Good luck.” Celestia said as she and Luna vanished in a flash of light. The man shrugged and walked back towards the group. “Ready?” Twilight asked. “Lead the way.” Dash said as the group started to follow the lavender mare. The group went through the path in relative silence. “So Isaac, Celestia said you were a Captain of a boat?” “Not that type of Captain.” He said as he pushed a branch aside. “I was leader of the squad I once had. Never wanted it.” “Why not?” “Dear old dad,” He said in a sarcastic tone. “used some of his influence to promote me. I didn’t earn it,” He said as he continued onward. “and I didn’t have a choice.” He said with a sigh. “Why not?” “I wasn’t in a position to refuse.” He said with a shrug. The group fell silent and continued forwards. The man kept his eyes focused on the thick brush that lied ahead. “I heard Spitfire mention that you were Sergeant.” Dash said. “Why lie?” “Sergeant I actually earned through blood, sweat and tears.” He said with a sigh. As the group continued forward Isaac heard the familiar voice of Nightmare Moon in his head. So what is this damn thing we’re looking for? How should I know? Moon spat out. You stole it. I’ve done a lot of things I don’t remember. You’re a lot of help. Isaac said in a sarcastic tone. Watch it mortal. I’m in your head and I can do some serious damage. Bullshit. You wouldn’t dare hurt the body thats housing you, which I’m only doing until I can find a way to get rid of this magic. You heard Celestia. There’s no way to remove it. If there’s a will there’s a way. Yeah good luck with that. “Um Isaac.” Isaac turned his head towards the purple mare. “You okay?” “Yeah, why?” “You look kinda off.” “Just thinking.” “Were you serious? About what you said to Celestia.” “If she tries to go poking around in my head then yes.” “B-but she’s the Princess!” Twilight yelled. “I don’t care who she is. I do not appreciate anyone going in and fucking with my head.” He said with a grunt. “How would you feel if someone broke into the library and read your diary?” The lavender mare gulped at the thought of her secrets being revealed. “Not a nice thought is it?” The man said with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t like Celestia. I think she’s a great leader. Sure beats the hell out of the idiots running my world.” He said with a sigh. “That still doesn’t give her the right to go into my head.” “Still, I don’t think I’ve seen the Princess get that angry at one of her subjects before.” Fluttershy said. “I’m not her subject. No one has the right to rule over another person.” “So if you’re not a subject, then what does that make you then hot shot?” Dash said with a grumble. “Civilian, acquaintance, hell I’d even settle for punkish rogue, but not subject.” “You do realize that she could have sent you to the moon right?” Applejack said. “Yeah right.” He said in a mocking tone. “From what I understand she did that with the help of the Elements which are now in your possession, so I think that she doesn’t have the ability anymore.” The girls all gasped. “Not to mention the guilt that she’d feel from exterminating the only human here might haunt her.” “What are you talking about? You’d just be imprisoned on the moon.” Twilight said. “The moon, at least from where I’m from has no oxygen. The second I reach orbit my lungs would collapse on themselves and my head would explode from lack of air.” The mares all gulped. “I think that the only reason Luna was able to survive up there so long was because she was an immortal Princess.” He said with a shrug. “I’m not immortal and I’m glad I’m not.” “Why? Living forever would be awesome!” Dash said with a smile. “No, if anything then it would be curse.” He said as he turned to look at the cyan flyer. “How? You could do so much stuff.” “Okay lets role play then.” He said in a flat tone. “You’re immortal. Nothing can kill you, completely unstoppable.” “Oh yeah.” She said with a smile. “What would you do with all that time on your hands?” The cyan mare fell silent. “What would you do after the rest of us all die?” Dash cocky grin melted away at the thought and scratched her head trying to think of something. “When it comes down to that the only person thats left is yourself and no matter how fast your wings can carry you, there’s no escaping that truth. I’m surprised Celestia is able to keep it together for this long. One thousand years is a long time Dash.” He said with a sigh. “I know that I would go crazy.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Well, more crazy than I already am.” “What about you then?” Dash asked. “What would you do if you got immortality?” “Try to find a way to kill myself.” The mares all fell silent at the words. “Living forever isn’t the problem. Its living with yourself forever. That is something I can’t do.” “You aren’t afraid of dying?” Twilight asked. “Everyone dies. Its a fact. I’ve just come and accepted that at any moment I could die. That’s one of the reason’s why Celestia is jealous of us.” The mares all looked at him in shock. “What?” Twilight yelled. “Think about it. Every beginning has an end.” He said in a flat tone. “The ability to die is what keeps the world going. If everyone were to live forever then the world would become a stagnant swamp.” The ponies all gulped as they processed the man’s words. “Just my opinion though.” He said before walking down the path. “C’mon, I wanna find this thing and get back home before dark.” The mares let out a sigh and continued to make their way towards the structure. The group got to a familiar bridge and crossed it one at a time. Darkness filled the interior of the castle, the man pulled out a flashlight and started to look around. The pink mare found a staircase leading down the steps. Twilight snapped her fingers and a bright purple ball formed in her hands. The ball floated above the groups’ heads and illuminated the cave in a bright purple light. “So this is where Lu...Nightmare Moon was held up?” Isaac asked. “Yeah, kinda creepy.” Dash said. The way was spent in silence. The group reached the bottom of the staircase. A long hallway laid before them and a low fog covered the floor. The group continued forwards. As Fluttershy stepped on a panel her foot sank. “Um, Twilight.” The mare said. “Hm?” “I think I stepped on-” She was cut off as a large spike sprouted up from the floor in front of her. The woman yelped as she saw a skeleton on the spike. “No one move!” Twilight yelled. “It’s a pressure spike trap!” “What?” Applejack asked. “Pressure slabs in the floor that shoot spikes up from the ground.” Twilight yelled. The room started to shake. Pinkie looked behind her to see several spikes shooting up from the ground. Twilight looked ahead to see a large slab of stone covering the exit. “Run!” The group charged forwards. Several spikes shot up from the ground. “Just keep running!” The man barked. As he looked back he saw the image of the seamstress being impaled. “Rarity stop!” “Huh?” The woman stopped just as a spike shot up in front of her. The man shook his head and continued running. He the farmer and Dash made it to the exit. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity still had halfway to go. Isaac looked up and saw the slab coming down. Isaac extended his hands and tried to keep the slab from closing. He looked at the three to see them impaled. “Twilight! Bank right! Shy one step back! Rarity go left!” “Why should-” “Just do it!” The three altered their course and dodged the spikes. Isaac was forced to one knee as the slab kept pressing. Applejack was beside him along with Dash. Dash looked to her left and saw a stream of blood coming from the man’s right eye. The man kept barking orders at the girls who kept dodging the spikes. Isaac was forced to his hands and knees as the slab was slowly crushing his spine. “Hurry up!” Dash yelled as her muscles strained. The two mares were soon on their knees as they tried to keep the slab open. Twilight ducked and slid in between the farmer and human to safety. Next was Fluttershy who accidentally tackled the cyan flyer. The two grunted in pain as the weight pressed down on them. The man saw another vision of the mare being impaled. Rarity was less than two feet away and Isaac saw the spike protruding from the ground. He acted on instinct and outstretched his right arm. Rarity grabbed it as she felt something warm splash across her face. She looked down to see the spike going clean through the man’s arm. Isaac screamed in pain as he gripped the designer’s arm. He mustered what was left of his strength and recoiled his arm. The spike broke just below the man’s appendage as he pulled the mare inside. AJ was at her limit and let the slab fall as Rarity got her tail out of the death trap. Isaac laid on the ground and panted heavily. “Okay, who’s not dead? Sound off.” He groaned. “I’m good.” Dash said. “Same.” The chef chimed. “Like wise.” Shy said with a pant. “Ah’m okay.” The farmer said. “I’ve been better.” Rarity said. “I’m fine.” Twilight then turned her attention towards Isaac’s arm. “You’re hurt!” Isaac then looked at his arm. “Looks like it.” He said as he sat up. “Hang on, I know a healing spell.” Isaac raised up his hand. “No, we may need your magic for the road ahead.” “But what about-” The woman was cut off as Isaac rilled the sleeve from his shirt at the seam and set it on the ground next to him. He placed his hand on the spike and quickly pulled it out. The man grunted in pain as he quickly tied the bandage over the wound. “It should hold for now.” He said as he got to his feet. “Dude you need to rest and-” The cyan flyer was interrupted by his gaze. “We still have a job to do.” He said with a sigh. The mares looked at one another and continued down the corridor. As the group continued onward Rarity walked up to the man and sighed. “Why did you do that?” She asked. “You may be a massive thorn in my side as of late, but that doesn’t mean I want you to die.” He said with a groan. “Still you shouldn’t have let that spike stab you.” “Its just an arm. I’ve got two.” He said with a sigh. “Well, thank you.” Rarity breathed out. Isaac nodded with a neutral look on his face and kept going forward. “Hey Isaac,” The man turned towards the lavender mare. “How did you know where the spikes would shoot up?” Isaac thought for a moment and sighed. “I don’t know. I just got these visions of you three getting impaled and I just yelled out where it was safe.” He said with a sigh. “I don’t know how it works.” “Sounds like foresight.” “What?” “You can see small bits of the future. “Fan-fucking-tastic.” He groaned. “What’s wrong? That’s awesome!” Dash yelled. “Dash I don’t want these powers!” “Why not?” Applejack asked. “I’ve survived this long without them and I don’t want anymore. It just makes things complicated.” He sighed. The mares looked at one another and shrugged. “C’mon we gotta keep going.” He said in a flat tone. The next room they were in was large and circular. Six stones were in a circle and a pedestal in the center. Twilight walked up to one of the slabs and saw that one of them had an image of her Cutie Mark. “I think this is it.” Twilight said as the other’s walked up to the slabs and found a few gem sized holes. “I think that we’re supposed to put them in the slots.” The group shrugged and put their gems into the carved out portions in the stone. The images started to glow and a handprint glowed on the face of the slabs underneath the gems. The six looked at one another and put their hands on the slabs. The six felt a small tingling run through their bodies. The man looked in surprise as a pillar in the center of the six rose from the ground. Resting on top was a small metal orb the size of a softball. The metal was silver and had several carvings in it. “It that it?” Dash asked. “Must be.” As Twilight went to move her hand, the plate deactivated and the pillar closed up. The mare quickly put her hand back on the plate and the sphere showed up once again. “I’ll get it.” Isaac said as he walked up to the sphere and started to reach for it. He stopped as a thought came to him. “When I grab this thing, get ready to run.” “Why?” “C’mon Dash. In every single book, video game or movie involving a temple and ancient treasure there’s always some massive trap when someone picks up the treasure.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “This is real life Isaac. Just pick the thing up so we can get out of here.” “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said with a gulp. The man hesitantly reached out and picked the sphere in his right hand. The small ball seemed to weigh a little less than ten pounds. The six mares waited and listened to see if anything would happen. Twilight sighed and smiled. “See there’s nothing to-” She was cut off as Isaac felt a splitting pain run up his right arm. The human fell to his knees and saw bolts of magic tearing at his skin. “Isaac!” As the mare charged forward the floor opened up underneath the man. Isaac felt the scholar grab his left arm and tried to pull him out of the pit. Isaac tried to drop the ball but his arm wasn’t obeying his commands. The other girls soon grabbed his arm and started to pull. Isaac felt himself being lifted out as something from below wrapped around his leg and pulled. The group almost fell into the pit but still continued to pull. The man could feel that whatever was pulling his legs was a lot stronger than the six mares. The human sighed and looked at the mares. No....not again. He thought as he focused whatever willpower he had back into his right hand. Through the pain, the man flung his arm and connected it with the scholar’s. A small jolt of magic made the scholar let go. Time seemed to slow as the man was swallowed by the darkness. The floor closed up as Dash tried to reach for him. “We gotta go after him and-” Dash was cut off as a hole opened up from beneath her and an invisible force dragged her down. The cyan mare grabbed the edge and pulled herself up long enough to see her friends suffer a similar fate. The flyer could feel the force dragging her down and her hand was slipping. Rainbow gave one last cry of strength as she pulled up on the stone. The wall edge cracked and the cyan mare was ripped down into the pit as the stone slab overhead covered the hole. Author's Note Sorry for the break needed to get my thoughts together and midterms taken care of.
Chapter 27: Caverns OldChapter 27 Caverns Old Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open to see darkness all around her. As she sat up, the Pegasus felt a familiar pain in her left wing. She looked and saw her wing quivering as she tried to move it only resulting in pain. “Great.” She said to herself. The mare got to her feet and looked up to see the stone ceiling. Dash looked ahead and saw a small flickering blue light. As she walked closer she saw that it was a small blue fire. A figure sat alone in front of it. “Isaac? That you?” The figure turned around and Dash gulped as she saw it wearing an odd ski mask. The mask was jet black. “Who are you?” The voice was deep and masculine. “Name’s Rainbow Dash. Who are you?” “You can just call me Swift.” He said as he sat back down. The cyan mare noticed that he had two odd items by his side. “So what brings you down to a place like this?” “I was with my friends when the floor opened up and.....Oh man! I gotta get going!” The figure grabbed her tail before she could run off. “Hey what gives?” “Look ma’am. I’ve been stuck down here for almost three months and this place is like a fucking maze.” Dash grumbled. “Now believe it or not, I’m looking for my friends too. We should stick together and see if we can find them. Deal?” “Deal.” Dash said as she shook the stranger’s hand. “Good.” He said as he kicked the fire apart and picked up a burning stick. The two continued down the dark hallway. “How many of your friends are down here?” “Six. Five girls and one guy.” She said with a smile. “So how’d you all get stuck?” “We were sent to find some sort of relic and a trap hit us.” Dash said. “I see.” “What about you? What are your friends like?” “Me and five other guys were chasing after our friend.” He sighed. “He got lost. So we split up in hopes of increasing our efforts but we ended up getting lost ourselves.” He said in a low tone. “Ouch. Think he’s okay? The guy you were originally looking for.” “He’s a tough son-of-a-bitch.” He chuckled. “I’m worried that he’s too lost to find his way back home. Being in darkness does things to ya Ms. Dash. Makes ya think the whole world is against you.” “Yeah I know a guy like that.” She said as she thought of the human. “He’s been through a lot and most of the stuff is...disturbing to say the least. Hope we find him soon and you can just call me Rainbow or Dash. Ms. makes me sound old.” “Sorry Rainbow and thanks. Every vote of confidence helps.” He said as the two continued onwards. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Through the darkness Rarity was running for her life as she heard growls coming behind her. She quickly sprinted down the stone hallway. She heard her own shoes click against the floor along with the paws of the creatures behind her. A stone sticking up from the ground made the fashionista trip and fall forwards. The mare groaned in pain and looked back to see three pairs of bright red eyes glaring at her. Rarity was frozen in their gaze as they charged forwards. Rarity closed her eyes and waited for the pain. She heard three popping noises. She opened her eyes to see the three beasts falling back. “Honestly,” A refined voice said from behind the woman. “that is no way to treat a lady.” Rarity looked behind her to see a shadowy figure with a black mask on his face and a hood over its head. Rarity scrambled to her feet and gulped. The figure stood a good five inches taller than her. “Stay back!” The man reached into his jacket and Rarity saw a glint of silver. Her sapphire eyes shrank as she saw a long edged knife. “Duck!” He yelled. Rarity did as she was asked as she saw the blade fly towards her. She looked behind to see another one of the creatures drop to the ground with a knife in between it’s eyes. The stranger walked towards the beast and saw its body turn to shadows. The man put the blade back in its holster and looked at the girl. “P-please don’t hurt me.” “Wouldn’t dream of it. I find hurting damsels in distress to be most distasteful.” He said as he outstretched a black gloved hand. “Are you hurt?” Rarity looked at the hand and back at the man. She gathered her courage and allowed the stranger to help him up. “No, thanks to you anyway.” The figure bowed to her. “It is no trouble at all Ms?” “Rarity.” She said with a smile. “Who can I call my rescuer?” “You may call me Fox.” He said with another bow. “Forgive the mask Ms. Rarity.” He said as he pointed to the mask. “A mug such as mine needs to be hidden for the time being.” Rarity gulped and sighed. “I suppose I can understand.” “Thank you. Now would you mind telling me what a beauty such as yourself is doing in such a dreary place.” “My friends and I sent in here to locate some dusty old rock.” She said with a sigh. “Then one of them gets caught in a trap and soon we all were met with the same.” Rarity lowered her head. “I was trying to find them when I was ambushed by those beasts.” The figure cocked its head in surprise. “What about you?” “There is no such thing as coincidence in this life Ms. Rarity. You see a few companions and myself were in search of a friend that had gone astray.” He said with a small chuckle. “We split up, but soon found this place to be alike a labyrinth.” Rarity nodded. “Been nearly,” The figure paused and thought for a moment. “What day is today?” “I believe its Tuesday.” “Ah then it’a been two months and twelve days.” Rarity’s jaw dropped at the number. “Nearly three months?” “Yup.” He said with a nod. “My companions and I will not leave our brother to wander aimlessly in darkness.” “Your brother?” “Well, we’re like brothers to each other though we are not bound by blood.” The figure then looked back towards the darkness and heard growls. Rarity gulped. “Might I suggest we continue this conversation during a stroll?” He said as he offered his arm. “Good idea!” She said as she took the arm and the two hurried off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So you’re looking for your friend?” Twilight said as she looked back at the masked figure. The figure had a large wrapped object on his back and was secured by a strap. She looked into the mask’s eye holes and saw a crystal blue eye behind the left but darkness behind the right. “Correct.” “In the process of looking, you and your five other friends got lost and have been down here almost three months.” “Yes,” The figure nodded. “hopefully I find them soon.” “So who are you anyway?” The mare asked as she looked at the figure. “You may call me Hawk eye.” His voice was deep and he bowed. “Odd name.” “Yours isn’t?” The mare was about to protest but sighed. “Fair enough. So this friend of yours, why did he come down here?” She asked as the two leaped over a small ravine. The shade went first and caught the mare as she landed. “Thank you.” “The poor soul is lost. We came to find him.” He said as the mare snapped her fingers and a levitating purple flame hovered above their heads. “Nice trick.” “Basic illumination spell.” Twilight smiled. The two heard a low hissing noise. The figure grabbed Twilight and pulled her into a dark crack. “What are you-” “Shhh!” He said with a gulp. The tow froze as they felt a cold presence chill them to the bone. “Whatever you do, don’t make a sound.” The air grew colder and the two saw a dark armored shade glide by them. The shade stopped and looking into the crack. The figure put his hand over Twilight’s mouth to hide her breath. The shade’s face was pitch black and a tattered robe covered its head. The figure slowly reached for a rock and threw it out of the crack and across the cavern. The sound of the rock bouncing on the flat stone echoed through the hallways. The shade quickly made itself scarce in search of the noise. The two let out a sigh of relief as the masked figure poked his head out to see the shade leaving. “What in the name of Celestia was that?” Twilight asked as she looked at the fleeing shadow. “I don’t rightly know. From what I’ve been able to translate, they’re souls that have been clouded by darkness.” “Will that happen to us?” Twilight asked. “Not unless you are killed by one of them. That’s why the sooner we find your and my friends the better.” “Alright.” She said as the two made their way down the path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Wow, that’s a long time to be trapped down here Kickback.” The farmer said as she looked at the masked figure that stood before her. “Yeah, and I’m getting real tired of this shit.” The voice said in a southern accent. “Remind me again why ah’m following you.” She spat out. “Cause ah’m the only thing in this place that isn’t trying to kill ya.” The shadow said. “Fair enough.” The southerner said. “So why in the name of Celestia would yer friend come down here?” “Don’t know. He’s always liked dark places like this.” The figure shrugged. Applejack then noticed the odd item on his back. “Hey what in the hay is that thing?” She asked as she pointed to the weapon. “This here is a Mossberg 500.” He said as he held the weapon. “This is for when things get ugly and I need to get up close and personal.” He said as he continued onward. That looked like that small thing Isaac showed us. She thought to herself. I wonder if....nah. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy quickly walked behind a man with a dark mask over his face and a dog with a vest covering its mid section. The dog stopped and sniffed the air for a moment. “Smell something Cage?” The masked figure asked. The dog barked a few times and ran forwards. “Is he gonna be okay Doc?” The yellow mare asked as the two raced after the canine. “Cage has been through a lot. He should be-” “Hey cool, a puppy!” Fluttershy recognized the voice of the pasty chef and hurried forwards. The mare and figure ran down the hallway to see a large room lit by torches. Several other paths diverged from the room. She saw another mask wearing figure bend down and pet the dog. The figure’s mask was similar to the other figure's. The pastry chef saw her friend and ran over to hug her. “Oh Pinkie, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Shy said as she cried in the mare’s arms. Pinkie nodded and let her friends tears mix with her own. The beak masked figure made a smile gesture with his fingers towards the other who returned the gesture. Fluttershy looked at the man and saw that his mask looked similar to the shade that had found her. “Hey you met somepony new too!” “Y-yes.” Fluttershy said as she stood up. “This is Doc and his dog Cage.” The canine barked and happily wagged his tail. “Cool! This is Gizmo.” “Nice to meet you.” The shade said with a bow. The group then heard something come from the darkness. Doc pulled out two pistols and Gizmo pulled out a much larger weapon. As the footsteps grew louder they saw a purple flame hanging over Twilight’s head. “Twilight!” The two mares yelled as she ran towards them. “Oh thank Celestia I found you girls. This place is like a maze.” She said as they hugged. The two masked figures nodded to the other. “I heard them up ahead!” Dash and Applejack ran down the path and quickly met up with the other mares. “Am ah glad to see you girls.” The farmer said with a smile. The figures that were accompanying them nodded to one another. “Hello gents.” A voice said from the darkness. The group turned and saw the fashionista with the last masked figure. “Late as usual Fox.” Hawk eye said. “Did any of you find him yet?” Doc asked. “No trace.” Swift said. The others nodded. “We have to double our efforts.” “No question. Isaac’s tough he can handle himself.” The six mares’ ears perked up at the name. “What did you just say?” Twilight asked. “This friend of yours, is he about 5’8” brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin, scar over his right eyelid?” The six masked figures then surrounded the group. “So you’ve seen him then?” The mares nodded. “Where? When?” “He was with us when we came in here.” Dash said. “H-How do you guys know him?” The figures looked at Hawk eye as he nodded. The figure removed his mask to reveal his pale skin, light blonde hair, piercing blue eye and an eyepatch over his right. Doc removed his to reveal his dirty blonde hair, green eyes and a pair of wire rim glasses. Swift’s skin was darker than the others and his eyes were dark brown. The top of his head was shaved clean. Kickback had tan skin and a mustache under his nose. His hazel eyes cut like daggers. Fox’s hair was jet black to contrast his light green eyes and a small scar was just above his cheek. Gizmo removed his mask to show that his skin was tan and a black beard was beginning to form on his face. “N-no way.” Twilight said as she looked at the six human males. “H-how is this possible? Who are you people?” “We’re what’s left of his squad.” Fox stated. “Zerum or Isaac as you know him as is....was our captain.” “But he said that you guys died!” Dash said. “That he did, but we’re still alive in here.” Gizmo said. “That makes no sense!” Twilight yelled. “Isaac said you all died.” The six men looked at one another and sighed. Kickback opened his cloak to show that the right side of his chest was gone. The girls gasped at the sight. “Got hit by a grenade.” He said as he closed the cloak. Doc removed the bandana that was tied around his head to show a hole going through. “Sniper got me while I was trying to save Fox here from bleeding to death.” The medic then bent down to the dog and removed the vest to show the dog’s blown out stomach. “Cage here jumped on a grenade to save us.” The dog whined as the dapper man removed his cloak to show his upper body had thousands of cut marks on him. “They decided to use slow process.” He sighed. Gizmo removed his cloak to reveal a large hole going through his chest. “RPG round went clean through. Didn’t have to worry about my heart burn though.” He chuckled. Next up was Swift. He rolled up his pant legs to show two skeletal legs. “Wasn’t quick enough to outrun a tank shell.” The girls lastly turned towards Hawk eye who pulled down his shirt to show a wound over his heart. “Died on the operating table when Isaac and I finally got back to base.” He sighed. “At least I gave him something.” He said as he pointed to his eye patch. Twilight’s brain was trying to comprehend the fact that she was talking to six human corpses. “How are you alive right now?” “They say that no one is really dead so long as there’s someone that still remembers you.” Doc stated. The group looked at them in shock. “Here’s what I’ve been able to gather. Whatever it was that Isaac touched and trapped you all is what brought us here.” Doc adjusted his glasses. “Twilight, you know more about Nightmare moon out of all of us.” He said as he covered up his injury. “What was Nightmare Moon’s main way of getting followers?” Twilight gulped and took a deep breath. “The texts say that Nightmare moon would make a pony experience their worst nightmares and they would eventually go insane. One their mind is lost she would infect them with her own will and they’ll become her slaves.” The mares gulped. “So that’s whats happening then?” Kickback asked. “Most likely. If we find his physical body then we should be able to wake him up from the trance.” Doc stated. “Wait, didn’t we destroy Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie asked. “From Luna.” Gizmo stated. “When Isaac got her blood and magic, a bit of Nightmare Moon’s essence went along for the ride.” The six mares gulped. “Her essence has been getting stronger and is most likely going to try to take possession of his body.” “Why would she want his body?” “I don’t know.” Hawk eye said. “My only assumption is that his mind must have sensed what was happening and sent out a distress call. We just so happened to be on his mind at the time.” Gizmo stated. “So the plan is to find him, kill this moon person and get out?” Hawk eye asked. “That’s the plan.” The six humans looked at one another and sighed. “Ready for one last run?” “Always.” Swift said with a grin. “Okay lets move out then.” “Wait!” Twilight yelled as the men started to leave. “We’re going with you.” “No way in hell. You’ll just get in our way.” The blue eyes soldier stated. “Look we’re Isaac’s friends and we want to help him.” Dash said. The six men looked at one another and sighed. “You guys don’t have the faintest idea how to help him.” Doc said. The medic turned towards Twilight. “Constantly prodding at an infected organ will cause it to burst. The only one that can help him is himself.” The other men looked at the medic on shock. “We may be able to help!” Twilight said. “I have my magic and the others are just as useful.” Hawk eye walked up to her and scanned her with his eyes. “Tell me Sparkle, have you ever had to kill anything with your bare hands?” Twilight gulped. “Ever had to see someone you love like family killed in front of your eyes while you can’t do anything?” “N-no, I’ve never had to do any of those things.” She said as she hung her head and the man rolled his good eye. “Regardless,” She said as she stared back at the man. “Isaac is our friend and we’ll do anything to help him. With or without your help.” The men looked at them in surprise. “We’ve faced Nightmare Moon before and we know how to deal with her.” The men looked at one another and huddled up. Twilight couldn’t hear what they were discussing. The group broke and the man sighed. “Okay, you’re in.” He stated. “But, you do everything we tell you to do got it?” “Yes.” Twilight said. “Good.” Hawk eye shook her hand and felt something burning in his pocket. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw the bright purple gem. “What now?” “Where did you get that?” Twilight yelled. “Found it in the dirt.” He said as he looked at the gem that glowed brightly. “Its what led me to you. You know what it is?” He asked as he gave it to her. Twilight took it and funneled her magic through it. The gem glowed brightly and changed into the staff form. The other five men then held out the other amulets and handed them to the mares. They each transformed into their respective weapon form. The men gulped as they saw the now armed girls. “Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about protecting you.” He chuckled. “Now lets get going. Time is not on our side.” The man said as he and the group made their way back into the dark halls of the old castle. As they continued the trek through the darkness Dash stared at their covered faces. “Hey why do you guys wear masks?” “Keeps our identities hidden.” Fox said. “Didn’t want our enemies knowing our faces.” “Why?” “Makes us easier to find.” Hawk eye said in a flat tone. “Plus it males us look more intimidating.” “You guys don’t seem that-” The cyan mare was cut off as the six men looked at her with darkness in their eyes. The Pegasus gulped. “never mind.” The six men led the mares deep through the caverns and tirelessly searched for their friend. The group stopped to rest in a large room. The floor was cobble stone and there was a massive five foot hole in the center. The hole’s edge had a three foot wall built up around it. Twilight looked up and saw that the hole went through several more floors. “What’s with the hole?” AJ asked. “Must have been used to hoist things up from the bottom of the castle.” Twilight said with a small pant. The girls leaned against the edge. Twilight looked at Rarity who had a glum look on her face. “You okay?” “Its just that....This is very ironic for me.” The fashionista said. “When we started on this little quest I really couldn’t give a damn about Isaac.” The other mares cocked an eyebrow at her. “Now here I am worried sick that we’ll never see him again.” She sniffled. Twilight put an arm on her shoulder and nodded. “Yeah,” The mares then heard several clicking noises behind them. “I wouldn’t go worrying about that if I were you.” The mares spun around and saw the six men standing behind them with their weapons raised. A wave of pure fear went through the mares. Before they could speak, gunfire filled the room. Dash slumped to ground in pain as she felt the bullet go through her chest. She slowly tilted her head to see her friends lying motionless on the ground. “Double tap.” The sniper said. Dash watched in horror as they fired off another round into her friends already lifeless bodies. She slowly looked up at Swift who’s eyes were like daggers. He raised a pistol and pointed it clear at her forehead. “Sorry Dash, but this is the end.” The cyan mare had tears in her eyes as the man pulled the trigger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac’s eyes snapped wide open and he shot up. “No!” He yelled as he felt the sweat on his face. He grabbed his side in pain and slowly got to his feet. “Fucking dream.” He groaned. The man looked down at his right arm and removed the bandage. The puncture would was completely healed as he flexed his arm. The man collected his rope that had landed in a heap beside him and his axe. “Okay, now to find the others.” He said as he brushed himself off. He puled out his cell phone and sighed at the no service indication on the screen. “Typical.” He groaned. Isaac pulled out his hand gun and saw he still had six bullets in the revolver. He reached into his pocket and looked at the speed-loader. So I’ve got twelve shots. Better make em count. Something shiny caught his eye and he saw the silver orb he was holding before. The man picked it up in his right hand and frowned. You’d better be worth this or I’m gonna melt you down for scrap. He thought as he put it in his pocket. He grabbed his crumple hat and dusted it off before going down the path that laid before him. He picked up his barely functioning flashlight and shined it towards the cave walls. What the hell? He saw odd paintings in the walls that seemed to show the three pony races bowing down before the silver sphere. Isaac fumbled in his pocket before pulling out the metal round object. “Makes us easier to find.” Isaac froze at the voice and hurried towards it. He came to a circular room with a massive hole in the floor. Memories of the dream came rushing back to his mind as he looked down and could make out the heads of the six mares. “Shit!” He said as he grabbed his rope and looked for something to tie it on. He found a jagged rock and quickly looped it around the base. He wrapped the other end around his mid section and jumped down the hole. The man traveled through two floors before he heard the metallic clicking of the guns. Time slowed as the human pulled out his gun as he came to the clearing. The six mens’ eyes shrank as they saw the armed human pointing the gun at them. “Duck!” Isaac yelled. The girls obeyed as Isaac shot off a round that hit the sniper in the chest sending him falling back. In the confusion Twilight used her staff and shot off a ball of purple fire at the medic who was instantly enveloped in flames. Pinkie charged forth with her hammer and slammed the end into the Southerner. The dog attempted to leap onto the purple mage only to be stopped by Fluttershy’s stare. Dash slashed Swift across the chest with his daggers as Rarity slammed the weight at the end of her whip into the knife user’s face. Applejack used her axe to slash Gizmo’s mid section. After the dust had settled the girls all panted. “Can I get a little help please?” Isaac yelled. The girls looked back and saw that the man was holding onto the edge of the pit with one hand. The man looked down into the darkness and gulped. “Easy partner, we got ya.” AJ said as she and Dash took hold of his arm. Twilight’s horn glowed and the man felt himself being lifted out of the pit and stood on the hard ground. The group immediately hugged him. “You guys okay?” Isaac asked with a pant. “Yeah, thanks for that.” Dash said. The human then looked at Twilight with a smug grin. “Told you we’d need the rope.” He said with a chuckle. The scholar rolled her eyes as one of the men groaned in pain. Isaac walked over to the sniper and put his boot on his neck. Isaac tore off the mask and looked at the man in surprise. “These guys said that you knew them.” AJ said. “I did. They were my old squad.” He said as he applied more pressure to his throat. “The only difference is, had this been the REAL Hawk eye I’d be dead.” “What kind of monster are you?” The sniper coughed. “You didn’t even hesitate to kill your best friends!” “Carter Jenkins is dead!” Isaac said as he pointed the barrel at the shade’s head. “You dare invoke his image? You must be glutton for punishment.” Isaac squeezed the trigger and the shade vanished as the bullet went through its head. All that remained was a pile of ash. Isaac slumped to the ground and leaned against the wall with the gun in his hand. The man hung his head and looked at the ash pile. Twilight approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” “Yeah. I’m good.” He said as he got to his feet. “C’mon I got the thing.” He said as he pulled out the small ball. The mares crowded around it and cocked their heads in surprise. “That’s it?” Dash said in surprise. “Thats what we came down here to get?” “I guess. This thing was a pain in the ass to carry.” Isaac said as he tossed it in his hand. “Let me see it.” Isaac shrugged and handed it to the cyan mare. Dash looked it over before she felt as though someone had lit her hand on fire. “Damn thats hot!” She said as she dropped it. Isaac picked it up and looked at it. “Really? Seems fine to me.” Twilight looked at it and picked it up in a telekinetic grip. While it was wrapped in the purple aura a lighting bolt shot out and struck the mare causing her to lose her concentration and drop it. “What is with that thing?” “I blame magic.” Isaac said as he picked it up and slipped it inside his pocket. “Now we need to talk about something.” The mares looked at him in confusion. “We need a way to find each other in case we get separated again and whatever’s in here can change their shape. So we’d better be careful.” Twilight snapped her fingers and summoned seven compasses. As she handed them out the man cocked an eyebrow. “Um not sure how well these are gonna work Twi.” He said as he looked at the compass. “I mean it doesn’t even point North.” “Its not supposed to. I take one of these with me whenever I go to visit Zecora. The default is set for Ponyville so I can always find my way back home. Shining wanted me to make a few for him and some of his guards when they’re out on missions. So I made a few extra.” “Good enough for me.” He said as he put it in his pocket. “Now I suggest we find a way out of this crazy place before something else happens.” “Sounds good to me..” Dash stated. As the group turned to leave the medic grunted and gripped his pistol. He pulled the trigger and the bullet rocketed forward into the man’s back and went through his chest. “Isaac!” Dash yelled as she looked at the heavily bleeding man. Fluttershy aimed her bow back at the the medic that soon turned to ash. Twilight knelt down next to him and examined the would. “He’s in bad shape.” The mare placed her hands over the wound and focused her magic. The wound glowed bright red and refused to close. “Why isn’t it healing?” She said as the man coughed up more blood. “Hang on.” Rarity waved her finger and the man’s shirt phased off his body and turned back to physical material. “Guys......Scarlet......I’m....I’m so sorry.” The man said in a dazed state. “Don’t try to talk.” Twilight said as she folded the shirt and applied pressure to the wound. A roar then came from Pinkie’s end of the hallway. The mares looked to see several dark wolves coming out of the darkness with murder in their eyes. Applejack stood beside the pastry chef with her axe in hand. The human coughed up another mouthful of blood before slipping into darkness. The five mares were holding their own against the dark wolves as Twilight tried multiple healing spells on the human as she tried to stop his bleeding. One of the wolves jumped into the air only to be met with a large rock hurdled by Rarity’s telekinesis. More wolves appeared from the shadows and started to gain ground. “They just keep coming!” Dash yelled as she slashed another wolf. As one tried to bite her the pack was blasted away by a bright beam of green energy. Out of the darkness the girls saw a figure standing. Their eyes shrank as they saw a female Changeling panting heavily. “Finally.” She said as she walked forwards. The girls raised their weapons and the Changeling froze. “Look I don’t want any trouble. I’m here to help.” “Yeah right.” Dash spat out. “Why would you want to help us? “I’m not helping you. I’m helping him.” she said as she pointed at the bleeding man. “I can heal him.” “How do you know Isaac?” Applejack asked. “Hey, do you want me to explain or let him bleed out on the floor?” She said in an annoyed tone. “Look, you don’t like me and I don’t like you, but I am the only one here who can help him!” “I’ve read that Changelings do have advanced healing spells.” Twilight said. The mares looked at one another and sighed. “I see you try anything and you’re dead!” Dash yelled as the Changeling walked over and knelt down on the hard stone across from Twilight. Isis removed the bandage and looked at the wound. “Doesn’t look good.” She said as she spat in the wound and it started to sizzle. “What are you doing?” “Changeling saliva is a disinfectant.” She said as she placed both hands on the man’s chest and focused her magic. A spell circle appeared over the wound and it started to slowly close. “Hey its working!” Pinkie chimed. The wound stopped and the Changeling started to pant. “You okay?” “This spell....takes a lot of power.” She said with a sigh. “I’m not sure if I have enough .” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac felt as though he was floating in a pool of crystal blue water and gasped. He treaded in the liquid and saw a small island in the center of the pool of water. He swam towards it and saw the metallic ball he had been sent to retrieve. “Well, are you just going to stand there all day?” The ball asked. “Holy crap, you can talk?” Isaac said in shock. “Yes, I can communicate with you telepathically.” “Great, haven’t heard that one before.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Where the hell am I?” “You are currently bleeding out on the castle floor.” “Crap.” Isaac groaned. “Calm down. This is not the end. I can heal you.” “Okay first off who the hell are you? It feels strange talking to a ball.” The sphere shifted to a white cloaked figure with a mask on. “You may call me Catalyst.” “Okay and you’re just going to help me free of charge?” Isaac said as he looked at the figure. The stranger stood at nearly seven feet tall and wore a white mask. “No, I require a payment.” “Fucking knew it. Is Nightmare behind this facade to?” He said as he looked around. “No, although should you wish to be rid of her we can do that.” “Okay so how much do you charge?” Isaac asked. “It is a trade. Should you wish to be relieved of the dark presence we will require something in return.” “That would be?” “Your health.” “Excuse me?” “Currently, any injury your body receives will heal in a matter of minutes. We will take that power in order for you to be free from Nightmare Moon and if you want to go back to your friends then I’ll take your foresight.” Isaac looked at the figure in confusion and scratched his head. “Why are you helping me?” “I’m am merely an observer. My job is to present the choices and witness your reaction based on your choices.” “You make it sound like life is some game.” Isaac scoffed. “It is. How you play is up to you.” The figure outstretched its right hand. Isaac pondered for a moment and weighed his options. “I should also mention that there is no going back. Once the decision is made its final and most of moon’s powers will be forever lost.” That healing is really handy. But moon is so fucking annoying and after she made THEM come back! For once we both agree on something. Isaac walked forward and shook the figure’s hand. “Deal.” The figure gripped his hand like a vice. The man cried in pain as he felt his eyes and entire body burning. As the figure broke the handshake it slugged Isaac in the stomach. The human felt as though he had punched a hole clean through his abdomen. “Okay. That hurt.” He said as he grabbed his stomach in pain. “You wretch!” The man gulped and looked behind him to see the dark Alicorn in a ghost like form. The whit cloaked figure then raised its arms and chains shot out the sleeves and wrapped around the spirit. “Wh-what are you doing.” “See ya in hell moon.” Isaac said with a grin and the chains started to squeeze until the man heard a the gut wrenching crack of her spine. The ghost faded and Isaac looked back at the white figure. “Well that’s one annoyance out of the way. Thanks.” “We made a deal and you held up your end of the bargain.” The figure said as it showed a glowing white ball in its hand. “Now for the foresight.” The figure towered over Isaac and poked its fingers into the man’s eyes sockets. “Fuck!” Isaac yelled as he grabbed his face in pain. “Payment accepted.” The figure said as it clenched its fist and slammed Isaac in the chest. The man’s body shot upwards and he looked at his surroundings. The six mares and Changeling were looking at him in amazement. “Oh thank Celestia!” Twilight said as she hugged him. The man nodded and looked at the Changeling in surprise. “Isis? What are you doing here?” He asked as he got up. He looked down at his blood soaked upper body. “Well, I was living in here until SOMEBODY triggered the traps.” She said with a sigh. “You know each other?” Dash said. “Yeah I ran into her when I took my bike out for a spin.” The entire foundation started to shake and crumble away. “We’ll catch up later. Isis do you know a way out of here?” “Yeah straight ahead.” The Changeling said as she ran ahead. Isaac followed with the six mares in hot pursuit. The group saw light coming from the end of the hallway and heard a roaring sound behind them. Isaac looked back to see a large round stone charging after them. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He yelled as the group quickened their pace and were outrunning death itself. Dash and Applejack made it out first. The human then saw that the cyan flyer zoom down and pick up the farmer who had a scared look on her face. “Oh shit.” He said as he and the other’s cleared the hallway. The man looked down and saw nothing but a dark ravine below. The other mares screamed. Fluttershy and the Changeling grabbed the nearest bodies to them which were Piny and Rarity. Twilight and Isaac were left as they fell towards the dark fissure. “Need a hand?” A familiar voice said. Isaac felt something grab his leg and saw a paw grab the scholar’s shirt by the collar. The two felt themselves being lifted up towards the top of the crack and made out the shapes of their companions. Isaac looked up and saw the smug grin of the chaos lord. “Never thought I’d be happy to see Discord.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Oh that hurts Twilight.” He said as he dropped them off on the cliff edge. Isaac sat down on the ground and looked up at the chaos lord. “Thanks Discord.” Isaac said with a smile. “How did you know that we were here?” “Well, I sensed a massive amount of chaotic energy in the area and I knew that it had something to do with you. So here I am.” He said with a smile. The human noticed that Dash and AJ were glaring at the Changeling who had a blank look on her face. “Well, I’m done. See ya.” She said with a wave. “And just where do you think yer going?” Applejack said as she stepped in front of the Changeling. “To look for another place to live.” She sighed. “Yeah right, just wait until the guards get here.” The Changeling gulped. “C’mon guys don’t ya think that’s a little harsh?” Isaac said as he stood up. “No! Her kind attacked Canterlot.” “For the record I didn’t take part in the attack and was exiled for speaking out against it.” She clarified. “I don’t care-” “Dash if it wasn’t for her then I would be dead and you all would have been crushed by rocks or cleaning Pinkie off the bottom of the ravine.” Isaac stated. The mares gulped. “You owe her.” The farmer and flyer bit their lips and looked back at the Changeling. “Yeah, besides she saved me.” The pink chef chimed. “She can’t be all bad.” “Hate to say it Dash, but he’s right.” Twilight said. The changeling gulped as the farmer and flyer backed off. “I don’t like this.” Rainbow said. “You don’t have to like it, just deal with it.” Isaac stated. The human walked over to the Changeling and extended his hand. Isis smiled and shook it. “Looks like I owe you one now.” “Nah, my debt is repaid.” She said as she started to walk back into the forest. “See ya.” “If you need a place to stay then my door is always open.” The Changeling waved as she vanished in the forest. Isaac’s eyes shrank as his adrenaline wore off and he dropped to his knees in pain. “You okay?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, just really sore.” He said with a sigh. “So you’ll just heal and-” “I don’t have that healing ability anymore.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “Or that foresight thing Twilight mentioned.” “How did you lose them?” “Its a long story.” He said as AJ put his arm over her neck. Discord snapped his fingers and the group were transported back to the library. “Damn thats handy.” He said with a sigh. Two flashes of light then filled the room. Celestia and Luna stood before the group with smiles on their faces. “Ah you’ve returned.” Celestia said as she looked at their disheveled appearances. “Looks like you’ve had quite the time.” “You have no idea.” Isaac said as he tossed her the small ball. “There’s the relic.” He sighed. Celestia and Luna looked at his appearance and cocked an eyebrow. “What happened in there?” “Lets just say that I finally faced my demons and,” The man paused as he thought of the right words. “I feel better for it.” The room grew stagnant and the mares all looked at him in shock. “Huh?” The six mares said. “I’ve feared facing them for years and now that I finally did it....it feels like a two ton weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Now if you all would excuse me, I’m going home. Taking a nice hot shower and sleeping till noon tomorrow.” He said as he walked towards the door. “Besides I have another challenge ahead of me.” “Whats that?” Twilight asked. Isaac grinned and looked at Luna. “I will beat Luna at Halo for a third time.” He said in a matter-oh-fact tone. “Don’t be so sure. We have spent days practicing!” “And I was going easy on you those first two times.” He said with a wicked grin. “Tomorrow its no holds bard. I’m going at it like a freight train. Balls to the wall!” Luna gulped as she looked at the man’s burning eyes. “Arrivederci!” “Excuse me?” Luna said. “Its Italian for goodbye.” He said before closing the door and walking out into the streets of Ponyville.
Chapter 29: Repairs (Edited)Chapter 29 Repairs The next day started out slow. Isaac sat at his kitchen table with a pop tart on his plate and the Equestria Daily Newspaper in his hands. His ears perked up as he heard a slight buzzing noise. He shrugged and went back to his paper. Over the next ten minutes the buzzing continued and seemed to rise in volume. The man started searching his home in search of the noise. The sound seemed to originate in his closet. When he opened the door, hell broke loose. Hundreds of small tennis ball sized bugs came pouring out of his closet and onto the floor. The mass made the human jump and land on his back. Isaac grunted as he sat up and looked in horror as the bug started flying and devouring his sheets and clothing. The man quickly raced downstairs and grabbed an empty jar. He ran back to his room and trapped one of the creatures in the jar before locking the door and high tailing it towards the library. The lavender mare was sitting on her bed with a quill in her hand and was writing a report for the Princess. The sound of her door slamming open and a familiar scream caused the mare’s quill to break. Twilight gritted her teeth and sighed. The door to her room then had several loud knocks on it accompanied by the voice. “Twilight! Open up! Its an emergency!” Isaac yelled. Twilight grunted and opened the door for the human. “What? I’m in the middle of something.” She said as he stormed in to her room. “Did any of you put some kind of bug in my house for revenge?” He said in an accusing tone. “No, why?” “Because I just saw about a hundred giant bugs starting to devour my wardrobe!” He said as he held out the jar that now had two of the creatures inside. “What? There was only one a minute ago!” Twilight gasped as she saw the insects. “Gah! Where did you get those things?” “Like I said, they were in my closet munching on my stuff.” He yelled as Pinkie appeared out of nowhere. She saw the jar and screamed. “Parisprite!” She shrieked. “What?” Isaac asked. “Thats what these things are.” Twilight said as she levitated the jar. “They’re pests that devour food and multiply.” “Well, these seem to have developed a taste for cotton.” “Must be some left over from our fiasco.” Twilight said. “Well, can you kill them?” “Yeah but-” “That’s all I needed to know. Time to get my blow torch.” He said before running back towards his house with the mares in hot pursuit. “So you’ve tangled with these things before?” “Yeah, that was nightmare.” Twilight shivered. “So why are they eating my stuff?” “Twilight charmed them so that they found food gross and they started eating things that you couldn’t eat.” Isaac looked at the lavender mare who had an embarrassed look on her face. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” She sheepishly grinned. “Here’s my idea when it comes to pests: Kill it with fire!” He said as he got to his front door. The two mares looked his living room around and saw nothing. “Where are they?” Pinkie asked. “Probably halfway through my mattress.” He said as he raced up the stairs and stopped in front of his room. “Know any fire spells Twilight?” “I have a better plan.” She said in a flat tone. “I can just teleport them somewhere else.” “I still like my idea better.” He said as he duck taped a zippo lighter to a hairspray can. Twilight rolled her eyes and opened the door to see a wall of the small creatures. The mare’s horn glowed and the bugs vanished in flash of purple light. “Killjoy.” He said as he closed the lighter smothering the flame. “Oh well, time to assess the damage.” He said as he walked into his room. His bed and most of his furniture were still in one piece. The little bugs from hell only destroyed a few pairs of shirts and pants. “How’s the damage?” Twilight asked as she looked through the human’s room. “Not too bad.” He said as he looked through the racks of clothes. “Wait a second.” He said as he went to the back. “Gah! Sons of bitches! I’ll kill them all!” “What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked. Isaac came out holding a heavily torn dress uniform. The fabric still had some of the insects’ saliva on it around the bite marks. The human was literally fuming with rage. Twilight noticed that several objects around his room started to levitate. “My uniform! Its trashed!” “Isaac calm down.” Twilight said. “Your emotions are making your magic act out.” The human took a deep breath and calmed himself down. The objects went back in their spots and the lavender mare sighed in relief. “You could take that to Rarity.” Pinkie chimed. The human grumbled at the name. “Are there any other tailors around here?” He asked. “Nope, aside from the ones Manehattan anyway.” Twilight said. Isaac groaned and wrapped the uniform in a bag. “Fine.” He grunted as he made his way out of his house with the two mares following close behind. “Sorry about the poison joke yesterday.” “Oh its no big deal. We did kinda had it coming.” Pinkie giggled. “Plus we already got payback.” Twilight smirked. “Remember, we all agreed never talk about it.” He said with an embarrassed blush on his face. “We know. We all pinkie promised and no pony breaks a pinkie promise.” Pinkie said with a smile. “Well, I’ll catch you later. I need to help the cakes pack for their family reunion.” The pink mare said before happily skipping away. “I have to finish up that report for the Princess.” Twilight said. The human trudged through the town with the bag in tow and found himself on the door step of the boutique. He groaned and swallowed what little pride he had left and entered the shop. The familiar scent of perfume hit his nostrils. “Coming~” The mare’s voice echoed through the building. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique where everything-” The mare’s expression went from happy to annoyed in ten second’s flat. “oh its you.” “Look Rarity, its too early in the morning for an argument.” He grumbled. “I’m here on business. Thats it.” “Fine. What do you want?” She said as she crossed her arms under her chest. “My uniform needs to be repaired after a parisprite encounter.” The mare gasped in surprise. “Didn’t know you cared.” “Well, of course I care!” She said as she adjusted her horn rimmed glasses on her nose. “I designed some of your shirts.” The man snarled. “None of your stuff got eaten.” “Oh. So what abomination have you-” The mare was cut off as he laid out the damaged blue uniform. Rarity’s jaw hit the floor as she saw the midnight blue coat with several pins and medals on either side of the chest. The pants were of the same color with a red stripe going down the sides of the pants. A white hat was also in attendance that matched the white belt. “Rarity, I don’t care if you are a girl.” Isaac said as his eyes became daggers. “Insult this uniform and so help me I will slap you into last Tuesday.” He said in a serious tone. “Oh I wouldn’t dare insult such a marvelous ensemble!” She said as she looked over the piece. “Where did you get this?” “Through blood, bullets and broken bones.” He said as he crossed his arms. “Its my dress Uniform from when I was in the Marines.” He said as he pulled out an old picture of himself in the uniform. “This is what it use to look like.” Rarity looked at the picture and back at the uniform. “Think you can repair it?” “In my sleep.” She smiled. “Fine. Just don’t experiment with it. It has to be by the book.” “I may find you irritating, but I don’t joke around when it comes to fashion.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “Thank you.” He said with a sigh. “I’ll pay you when you’re done then.” “Of course. I’ll call you when its finished.” She said as she levitated it over to her work bench. “Thanks.” He said as he walked out of the boutique. Rarity huffed and started to work on the uniform. The human groaned as he made his way through the street. He looked around and spied Lyra sitting across from a cream colored mare with a pink and dark blue mane. Lyra smiled and waved him over. “Morning Lyra.” He said with a nod. He looked at the other mare who started to frown. “Your name is Bon-bon right?” “Yeah. It is.” She said as she sipped her drink. Sheesh, what’s her deal? “So whats up?” Lyra asked. “Oh right, just letting you know that Cherilee has me signed on to teach some of the kids about human history next week. Thought that you’d be interested.” If Lyra’s grin grew any wider the human would be certain that it would split skin. “I am so there!” “Figured. Just clear it with Cherilee first.” “Awesome! When is it?” “Monday.” The mare quickly pulled out a note pad and “Alright see ya then!” She said as the human walked away. Isaac spied that Bob-bon was shooting him a stare that could make a rhino shit bricks. The man shrugged it off and continued to make his way through town. He put his arms over his head and stared up at the sky. Not a single fuck shall be given this day. He thought as he went into the park and leaned against a tree. The man dozed off and found himself standing across from a familiar dark Alicorn mare. “Hello Isaac.” “Princess.” He spat out. Luna raised an eyebrow at the man. “Is something wrong?” “Yeah! Yesterday, that’s whats wrong.” “We beat you. Are you backing out?” She asked as she got in his face. “I don’t care that you beat me. I care about how you beat me.” Luna’s face blushed as she remembered the strategy she had used. “It was supposed to be a match that determined skill. Not sex appeal!” He bellowed in frustration. “Honestly, I thought a Princess of Equestria would understand something about honor. Guess I was wrong.” Before the Princess could retort Isaac felt a numbing pain in his leg and he was snapped out of the dream. The man looked up and saw the familiar orange farmer smiling. “Morning sunshine.” She chimed. “Hey AJ whats up?” He said as he stood up. “Not much. You?” “Just dealt with some parisprites and now I’m bored.” He said with a yawn. “Well, Mac and I could use your help down at the farm.” Isaac winced. “He isn’t gonna try to kill me right?” “Nah, ah think he’s calmed down.” “Alright, I could use some cash so lets go.” The two then started to walk down the road headed towards the farm. “So what needs to get done?” “Mac needs help with removing a dead tree.” The man thought for a moment. “Then we gotta chop it up and stack the wood. The stump we can handle later.” “I think I got just the thing you need to get it done without breaking a sweat.” “Huh?” “C’mon I gotta grab something from my house.” The mare waited outside as Isaac went back inside his home. The farmer heard a thunderous roar and the garage door opening. The mare’s jaw dropped as she saw a gun metal grey object on four wheels. The window rolled down and showed the man’s face. “Get in.” “What in tarnation is that thing?” “This, my friend is a 2012 quad cab Dodge RAM truck complete with a winch, a plow hook up and just for the hell of it, a badass sound system.” He said as the speakers boomed to life. “Okay. So what’s it do?” She asked as she looked at the machine. “Get in and you’ll find out.” The mare shrugged and got in next to the man. “Okay now strap the belt around you.” He said as he pointed to the safety belt. The mare put it across her chest and clicked it. Isaac hit the gas pedal and the two headed towards the farm. “So where did you get this thing anyway?” “Bought it when I got back from my tour overseas.” “What about that bike thing?” “The motorcycle. That was my old man’s. I got it in his will like the house.” “Oh....sorry for asking.” The mare said as she hung her head. “Don’t worry about it.” He said with a shrug. “They died a while ago.” “Are you okay? After finding out that they adopted ya ah mean.” “I’m still a little ticked off that they didn’t tell me, but I suppose they had their reasons.” He said as he pulled into the farmer’s driveway. “They still raised me as their son even though I wasn’t theirs. So it works out in a way.” The two pulled up to where the red farmer had dug around the tree. Mac’s jaw dropped when he saw his sister get out of the weird machine. His eyes then narrowed when he saw Isaac. “Howdy Mac.” She said with a smile. “What’s he doing here?” He asked as he bit on the piece of hay in his mouth. Applejack glared at the farmer. “Ah won’t hear none of that. Isaac is gonna help us out with this here tree.” “Ah don’t need no help.” He said as he cracked his back. “You’ll never get it out that way.” Isaac said as he grabbed the winch. “That thing has probably got roots that go at least a few meters down. It’d be impossible to get them all out by digging.” Mac frowned at the man. “With this we’ll be able to get it out in no time.” The man grabbed the hook and wrapped it around the trunk of the dead tree. “You two stand back. I don’t want the cable to snap.” He said as he got into the vehicle. The two farmers ducked behind a tree and heard the truck roar to life. The vehicle started to move back and the cable became taught. The dead tree started to crack and lean. Soon the tree uprooted and was dragged out of its hole. The man cut the engine and walked out as the farmers examined the work. “Woo doggy!” AJ yelled. “That there is a nifty gizmo ya got there.” “It comes in handy.” He said as he unhooked the cable from the trunk. “Now we gotta chop it up.” Isaac walked back to the car and pulled out another odd device. It was bulky near the handle while the other end was smooth and seemed to have a chain with jagged edges running over and under it. “What in the hay is that thing?” “Chainsaw.” He said as he pulled out three pairs of earmuffs. “Hopefully these will cover your ears.” The two siblings looked at one another and put them on. Their ears fit uncomfortably inside the padded objects. The human set it on the ground and pulled the cord. The machine roared to life and the chain moved rapidly. Isaac walked over to one of the branches and the saw cut through it like butter. The farmers blinked as the human continued the action. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across town the seamstress was hard at work assessing the damage to the man’s uniform. Several bite marks were over the fabric surface. The mare heard the door open and saw the lavender mare. “Hey Rarity.” Twilight said with a smile. “Hello Twilight.” Rarity smiled. “How can I help you?” “I just wanted to see how you were doing on Isaac’s suit.” The white mare sighed. “Nothing I can’t fix. Although those pests certainly did a number on it.” She said as they walked over to the table that housed the uniform. The mare reached inside the pocket and put her slender finger through one of the holes the bugs had made. “I mean honestly, look at the damage.” As the mare removed her finger she felt something hard inside the pocket. The mare reached back inside and felt something hard and circular. The mare pulled it out and looked at it. Twilight had the same confused look on her face. “Is that ring?” Twilight asked. The small band was polished silver and had a bright red ruby in the center. The white mare gave a nod and levitated it over to a table with a table mounted magnifying glass. She looked it over and something caught her eye. “There’s something written on the back of the band.” Rarity said as she focused. You are the Scarlet flame that lights my way through the darkness. Twilight perked up at the words. “Doesn’t that sound familiar to you?” Rarity asked. “Yeah. I think he mentioned it while we were in the ruins.” Twilight said as she put a finger to her chin. “Somethings not right.” “Should we ask him?” Rarity asked. “No, he’d probably just stone wall us.” Twilight said. “Let’s just keep this between us for now and we’ll decide what to do about it later.” The mare nodded as she put the ring back in the suit’s pocket and closed the hole with a thread. “So are you two okay?” “Frankly I don’t know.” Rarity said with a sigh. “I’ve thought about it and I realize that it was wrong of me to do that why he was in such a...delicate state.” She said as her hears flopped down. “It also wasn’t fair to Spike.” Twilight gave a nod. “I just need to think.” The lavender mare put a hand on her shoulder before leaving the mare to her work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The three workers braked for lunch and were each eating a sandwich. AJ and Isaac were sitting on the porch next to each other while Mac sat underneath a tree. “So why can’t you use that gizmo of yours too often?” AJ asked after sipping some cider. “I have to conserve gasoline. I can’t just go down to the local gas station and refill it.” He said as he ate his sandwich. “And that gas stuff is what makes your car go right?” “Yeah, its like,” He thought for a moment. “the gasoline and oil is like the blood for the machine. It needs to be changed and refilled from time to time. Since I can’t just go buy more, I need to conserve it.” “Ah get it.” The man still had a blank look on his face. “Something on yer mind?” “Sorta. I dropped my uniform off at Rarity’s after being chomped on by parasprites.” He said as he sipped his water. “Just worried that she might do something to it.” “Ah doubt Rarity would do something like that.” The farmer said. “Look, Rarity gets on my nerves at times too, but she’s an okay gal.” The man sighed. “Don’t tell me your still hung up on what happened with Spike.” “I don’t know. I’m just angry at myself.” “How come?” “I was in Spike’s situation one time and it felt like shit. I promised myself that I’d never do that to someone and look what happened.” AJ put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s bugging me even more is why you and Dash haven’t kicked the crap out of me yet.” The mare raised an eyebrow at the man. “Why would we do a thing like that?” The man looked at her in confusion. “Okay, lets recap.” He said as he faced the mare. “Since you and Dash made this ‘deal’ with me I’ve slept with Vinyl, Spitfire, Fluttershy and Rarity.” He said as he stuck out a finger for each. “That’s four times I’ve cheated on you and you two haven’t done anything to get back at me. What gives?” The mare chuckled. “Care to share the joke?” “Oh darlin, you gotta catch up on how things run around here.” She laughed. “It’s far from uncommon for a stallion to see more than one mare.” “Yeah I got that part.” “So, why are you complaining about expanding your herd.” The man looked at the mare in surprise. “My what?” He yelled as the farmer face palmed. “A herd is when several mares take an interest in one stallion. That group can be expanded pending on the stallion.” Isaac processed the information. “So what you’re saying is that I can have sex with any mare and you all won’t kick my ass?” “Ah wouldn’t say that.” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “So I’d have to get the other group members say so if I wanted to expand this herd thing?” “Normally no, but ah’d like to get a heads up about it.” She scrunched her nose. “Ah got no problems with Shy, Dash or Rarity. Vinyl seems like an okay gal, even though ah don’t know her that well.” She said as she scratched her chin. “That Wonderbolt on the other hand-” “That I’m pretty sure was a one time thing.” Isaac clarified. The mare sighed. “I’m sorry about all of these.....awkward questions. I’m still getting used to this world’s rules and traditions.” “Don’t fret sugar cube. You’ll get used to it.” She said as she gave him a hard slap on the back. “Thanks. Just one more thing.” The mare looked at him in anticipation. “You remember the last time that you, Dash and I....you know.” He said with a blush. “Yeah, how could ah forget that?” She said with a sly grin. “I think Dash said, ‘just like old times.’ What was that about?” The farmer’s face flushed a deep red at the words. “Um...nothing. Just pillow talk.” She tried to lie. “AJ I know you’re lying.” He said as he looked at her face. “What aren’t you telling me?” The mare sighed and swallowed her pride. “Promise not to judge me?” “Pinkie promise.” He said as he stuck out his pinkie finger. “What the hay are you doing?” “This is a pinkie promise from where I’m from.” He said as he looked at his hand. “Just wrap yours around mine.” The mare shrugged and complied. “Mighty weird way of doing things.” “Weirder then doing a rhyme and an assortment of hand gestures?” He raised an eyebrow. “Fair enough.” She said as she let go. “You know about heat right?” “You mean when your sexual desires go into overdrive right?” “Yeah, well before you showed up, Dash and I would....‘help each other out’ if ya catch my drift.” The man’s jaw dropped at the thought. “You mean that you two would-” “Ya don’t have to say it.” She said as she crossed her arms and a blush appeared on her face. “We were hormonal.” “I’m not judging AJ. Granted I’m a little surprised, but not disgusted.” He said. “There aren’t that many good stallions around so we made due with what we had.” “What about the others?” He asked in a hesitant tone. “Have you-” He was cut off as AJ punched him in the crotch. “Ow!” He said in a high pitched tone. “No! No pony knows about it ya here and if your smart then it’ll stay that way.” She said as she glared at him. “No problem.” He said as he stood up and started walking the pain off. “Fuck that hurt.” “Sorry sugar cube.” She said as she stood up. “I’ve taken worst hits.” He groaned. “So now what?” “Mac and I can handle the rest. Ya can take the rest of the day off.” “You sure?” The mare nodded and handed him a small bag of bits. “Cool see ya later.” The man put the small bag in his pocket and made his way back towards his truck. As he packed the chainsaw in the back Mac approached him. “Hey Mac.” “Listen,” The man said as he rubbed the back of his head. “ah’ve been treat’n ya unfairly and ah’m mighty sorry about that.” Isaac let his guard down. “Ya don’t seem like a bad guy and AJ seems to trust ya so ah guess ah can to.” “No problem Mac.” The stallion then sharpened his gaze. “But, if you hurt mah sis then I’ll snap ya over mah knee like a dry twig.” Isaac gulped as he looked at the hulking stallion. “Are we clear?” “C-crystal.” Isaac said as he forced a smile. “Good.” The stallion said as he smiled and gave him a hard slap on the back. Isaac groaned as he felt the bruise forming. The man got in his truck and started to drive back down the road. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two blurs run towards the road and out in front of the man’s vehicle. Isaac slammed on the brakes and the machine came to a stop. He quickly got out and saw that the bumper was two inches away from the orange Pegasus filly and yellow farmer. “Are you two okay?” Isaac said with worry. “I didn’t hit you did I?” “No, but we need your help!” Applebloom yelled. “What’s up?” “We were on our way back from the club house,” The Pegasus started. “then a manticore came out of nowhere and started to chase us!” Isaac gulped at the words. “Sweetie Belle got separated from us and ran into the Everfree forest. We ran here to get help.” Isaac’s mind quickly thought of something. “Scootaloo, go tell Mac and AJ what happened.” “On it!” The filly said as she ran down the orchard path. “Applebloom get in!” The filly nodded and hoped into the passenger seat. “Where did you guys run out from?” He said as he pressed the gas pedal and rocketed forwards. “Near the club house.” The man shifted gears and the two shot down the road and made it to the small club house. The man quickly got out and opened the back door. He lifted the entire back seat forwards and pulled out a large black plastic box. “What’s that?” “Insurance.” The man pulled out a long barreled object and a few small red cylinders. He closed the door and pulled out his keys. “Look Applebloom.” He said as he looked at the filly. “If we get separated in anyway, run back here, get in the car and press the center of the steering wheel.” He said as pointed to the object. “Its gonna make a lot of noise and hopefully someone will hear it. When they get here, tell them what happened okay?” “Got it.” She said as he gave her the keys. The man inserted a few of the cylinders into the gun and the filly heard a loud cocking noise. The two ventured into the forest with the filly leading the man through the thicket. “Sweetie Belle!” The filly yelled. “Come out Sweetie!” Isaac yelled as they went deeper into the woods. Applebloom’s ears perked up and stopped moving. “Something wrong?” “Shhh!” The filly said as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing. He left ear turned and she looked in that direction. “There!” The two ran forwards into the thicket. As they got closer the human could hear the cries from the Unicorn filly. The human gasped as he saw the filly halfway up a tree with the manticore circling it. The large cat jumped and tried to dig its razor sharp nails into the wood in order to get to its prey. Sweetie had tears running from her face as she held on to the main stem of the tree. The human crouched next to the worried yellow filly and whispered. “Bloom, when I get the manticore away from the tree, lead Sweetie back to my truck and lock the doors. Got it?” “What about you?” She asked in a worried tone. “I’ll be fine.” He said as he stood out of the bushes and aimed the gun at the manticore. He made a high pitched whistle and the manticore turned to see the human. “C’mon, you son of a bitch.” He said as he cocked the gun. The human ran away with the beast in hot pursuit. “Bloom run now!” The filly nodded and ran towards her friend. The Unicorn whimpered as she slowly climbed down the tree and hugged her friend. “C’mon, we gotta go!” The farmer yelled. “What about Isaac?” Sweetie said with a sniffle. “He’s gonna be fine. C’mon!” she said as she grabbed her friend by the hand and the two ran back towards the vehicle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the human ran he could make out the sound of his car horn being honked. The man looked behind him and saw that the manticore was nowhere to be seen. The human stopped running and started panting. He kept his finger on the trigger and looked around. The human heard rustling in the bushes and raised his gun. “Okay, I know your game.” He said as he took a few deep breaths. Silence enveloped the area. The human honed his concentration and slowed his breathing. He heard a rustling in the bushes ahead of him. He tightened the butt of the gun against his shoulder. Isaac waited for the beast to emerge from the thicket. Something went off in his brain and the man sighed. He tilted his head to the left and looked to see a pair of dark brown eyes looking at him through the bushes. “Clever girl.” As he turned the rifle, the beast leapt at him. Isaac felt the beasts body crash into his own and the beast was bearing down on him. The man shoved the gun into the beasts mouth in an effort to prevent it from biting him. The man’s arms were screaming in pain as the beast applied more force. Isaac slammed his knee into the beast’s rib cage. The manticore roared in pain and the man rolled out from underneath the beast. The beast aimed its tail at the man. Isaac dodged the poisoned tip and fired the round at the manticore who dodged the blast. Isaac cocked the gun and aimed it at the monster. As the human pulled the trigger he heard a clicking noise. “Shit!” He said as he rifled through his pockets to find another shell. The beast took the moment to launch itself at the human. The beast’s claws knocked the gun from the man’s hands. Isaac quickly scurried away from the beast. The manticore looked at the human and down at the gun a few feet away from him several times. Manticores weren’t smart, but weren’t dumb either. This one had just figured out that the human was useless without the weapon. The beast growled and looked at the man. The two locked eyes and each got into a pouncing position. The two moved in a circular formation. The man cracked his knuckles and eyed the gun. The human let out a long held breath and got ready to move. The manticore’s eyes were locked onto the man’s every movement and adjusted itself accordingly. The two looked at each other one last time before they both launched themselves at each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two fillies sat in the vehicle as the apple farmer pounded on the steering wheel. Sweetie was looking around the vehicle. “So what is this thing?” Sweetie asked. “Ah’m not too sure. Isaac said that humans use it to get around.” “Like trains?” “Yeah, ah guess.” Sweetie looked at the radio and pressed a few buttons. “Whatcha doin?” “I don’t know. This looks like a radio.” She said as she turned the knobs. The two heard nothing but static. The Unicorn kept turning the dial. “Applebloom? You here?” The filly stopped honking the horn and got out of the car. The two quickly ran towards the farmer, scholar and seamstress. “Oh thank Celestia.” The farmer said as she hugged her sister. The fashionista hugged her sister and looked her over. “Are you hurt?” She asked in a frantic tone. “I’m fine.” Sweetie smiled. “Where’s Isaac?” Twilight asked. “He lured the manticore away.” Applebloom said. The mares looked at one another and gulped. “You don’t think he got eaten did you?” Rarity asked in a concerned tone. “C’mon Rarity. Give me some credit.” The group looked towards the thicket and saw the man walking out with the gun in hand. The group was about to wrap him in a tight hug when they saw that he was drenched from head to toe in red liquid. “Its gonna take a lot more than some overgrown cat to take me out.” He said as he cracked his neck. “Isaac, what’s all that stuff?” Twilight asked as she pointed to the red stains. “Manticore blood.” He said as he brushed himself off. “What did you do?” AJ asked. He looked at her with an ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face. “Um AJ, I’m covered in it’s blood. What do you think happened? I killed it.” The scholar gulped. “Oh don’t give me that. You all should know by now how I deal with pests.” He said as he walked back to his vehicle. The man put the gun away and pulled out a plastic bag. “What’s that?” The farmer asked. “Change of clothes. I always have a spare set. Ya know, for emergencies.” He said as he walked to the other side of the vehicle. The human quickly got changed and returned wearing a white cotton T-shirt with a pair of khaki shorts on. “Hope this blood comes out.” He said as he put the bag in the back of the car. “Well, we’d better get going.” AJ said. “You guys need a lift?” He asked as he got in. “This thing holds six people.” The mares shrugged and got inside. Rarity was in the passenger seat with Sweetie sitting between her and the man. AJ, Twilight and Applebloom were in the back. “I must say that these seats are comfortable.” Rarity chimed. “Gotta love mechanical engineering.” Isaac said as he pulled up to the farm and dropped the farmers off. “So this is what humans use to get around?” Twilight asked. “Yeah. We use these daily.” He said with a smile. The human dropped the scholar off and headed towards the boutique. Rarity sighed and tapped her sister on the shoulder as the human stopped the vehicle. “Sweetie why don’t you go inside? There’s something I need to talk about with Isaac.” “Okay Rarity.” She smiled. “Thanks for saving me Isaac.” The man nodded and the girl got out of the car. A silence fell over the two as Rarity tried to find the right words. She was about to speak when the man cut her off. “I’m sorry.” He said with a sigh. “Pardon?” “I’m sorry I’ve been so...difficult with you as of late.” Isaac said as he turned to look at the mare. “It’s just that,” He tried to find the right words. “in the seventh grade, I liked this girl in my algebra class. Blonde hair, blue eyes, really cute laugh.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I told one of my friends about her and I was going to ask her out.” “Got cold feet?” Rarity asked. “Nope. Just before I was going to, I heard that my friend beat me to it after he said that he wouldn’t.” Isaac grumbled. “Needless to say, I didn’t hang around with him much after that. I promised myself that I’d never do that to someone and when we...ya know.” He said as he made a few gestures with his hands. “I hated myself for that and I was just trying to put the blame on someone else. Namely you.” The mare nodded. “Well, it was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that after you opened up to me about your parents.” She sighed. “I never meant to hurt you or Spike. I truly didn’t” She sighed. “I honestly don’t blame you for hating me. Especially after what transpired yesterday.” She said with a sigh. “Its fine. I had it coming.” He shrugged. The man then got out of the vehicle and opened the passenger door for the mare. Rarity nodded and wrapped him in a hug. The human returned it and smiled as she gave him a small peck on the cheek. “Look Rarity, before anything else happens between us.” He said with a blush on his face. “I think that we should both talk to Spike about what happened. Just to clear the air you know?” “I couldn’t agree more.” She said as she led him inside her shop. “Oh that reminds me. I finished repairing your Uniform.” The mare levitated the hanging uniform over onto the table the man looked it over and his jaw dropped. “Did I do something wrong?” “Absolutely not! Looks just like the day I got it.” He said with enthusiasm. “Happy to hear it darling.” She chimed. “Although I think it’s due for a resizing.” She said as she compared the man’s body to the suit. “How about tomorrow?” “Sorry dear, but I’ve just gotten a huge order from a client and I have to get it filled post haste.” “Its fine. We can do it when you’ve got some breathing room. I know you have a business to run.” Rarity then remembered the ring she had found. The mare bit her lip as she remembered what she and the scholar talked about. “Something up?” “Yes, while repairing your outfit I happened to find this.” She said as she levitated the small ring into her hand. Isaac looked at the mare’s hand. The human’s eyes went wide and shrank to the size of pin tips in a flash. His skin went pale and his usually calm blue eyes were filled with anxiety almost like he was afraid of something. “Are you alright dear?” “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” He said s he took the ring and shoved it into his pocket. “Just one of my mom’s old rings.” He said with a fake smile. “I thought I lost that ages ago.” He grinned nervously. “So how much do I owe you for the repairs.” “No charge. Consider it a peace offering in patching things up.” She waved him off. The human said his goodbyes and drove back to his home. The human parked his car in the garage and made his way inside. “Fuck!” He yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. The human groaned and tossed his uniform on the couch. The human then made his way into the shower to wash any remaining blood off his body. As the man saw the bloody water swirl down the drain his mind flashed back to what had happened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human dove towards his gun and ducked as the manticore jumped over him. Isaac grabbed the gun and pointed it at the beast. The large cat dug its hind legs into the ground before pouncing towards the man. The human fumbled with the last shell he had in his hand. In an act of desperation he aimed the gun forwards and pulled the trigger. What the man saw next would have probably impressed the lunar Princess. A bright silver ball of magic came erupting out of the end of the barrel. The blast hit the manticore and the body suddenly looked as though someone had lit it on fire and a hole the size of a large marble went straight through the animal’s chest. As the body fell on the man, Isaac felt the warm blood pouring out of it and onto his body. The man quickly crawled out from underneath the body and panted. “What the hell was that?” He said as he looked down at his gun. The human then approached the beast and poked its snout with the end of the rifle barrel. No response. The human then slammed the rifle butt into the beast’s ribcage. Nothing happened. The man let out a sigh of relief and looked at the beast. The man looked past the beast and his eyes shrank. The tree that was behind the manticore when it was hit by the blast had been completely decimated. Only half of the tree was still standing and the other half was slowly catching fire. Isaac quickly made his way over and smothered the silver flames. The human was about to head home when he remembered that he was running low on meat. He looked at the manticore and shrugged as he grabbed it by the crook of its neck and started to slowly haul it back to the truck. When he reached the edged he saw the fillies running out of the truck towards their older sisters. He quickly grabbed some fallen branches and covered the body before making his way out to the mares. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac waited an hour later until the sun started to go down. He grabbed a large amount of tarps and cleared a space in his garage. The man started his Truck and lined the bed with more tarps. The man silently made his way back towards the forest and grabbed a flash light. The human went back into the thicket where he had hidden the manticore body. Some flies had flown around the body. The man put a bandana over his face in an effort to stifle the smell. And I thought this thing smelt bad on the outside. He groaned as he heaved the body towards the car. He hauled it in the back of his tarp covered truck bed and got inside the cab. Isaac drove slowly in an effort not to draw attention to himself. The man parked in his garage and quickly hauled the body out of his truck. The human quickly grabbed a smock, paint mask, rubber gloves and an assortment of knives. The man looked at the manticore and cracked his neck. Isaac pulled out a book he had gotten from the library detailing manticore anatomy. “Okay, show me what you got.” He said as he pulled out his knife and started to work on the large beast. The human skinned it and removed the organs. He set them aside and would dispose of them later. Hours later the human walked inside his home with a few plastic bags of meet in them. Isaac set them in the fridge and grabbed a pale of water and mop before heading back to the remains of the beast. Author's Note Merry X-mas or whatever winter time holiday you guys celebrate.
Chapter 30: Learning and RematchChapter 30 Learning and Rematch Isaac was in a white collared shirt, brown jacket and a matching tie as he walked up to the school house where Cherilee was busy organizing her papers. He tapped on the door and the mare waved him in. “I’m not late am I?” He asked. “No, we’ve still got ten minutes till the children get here.” she said as he put some books down on the desk. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.” “No problem. Never thought I’d be a teacher.” “Really?” “Yeah. I was a trouble maker back in school.” He chuckled. “Swapped book sleeves, spit balls, giving the teacher a hard time, you name it I’ve done it.” He grinned. “Irony is a funny thing.” Cherilee shared the humor and the two continued setting things up. Twilight brought along a projector. Isaac managed to rig it to his laptop so that he could use the slide show he had designed. Soon, the foals started to gather in the classroom. Most of them were captivated by the projector and odd device it was hooked up to. Twilight was sitting off to the side along with Lyra who had shown up three minutes prior. “Alright class settle down.” Cherilee said. The class mates quieted down and a blue Pegasus colt with a grey mane raised his hand. “Yes, Rumble?” “What’s that thing for?” He asked as he pointed to the alien device. “Excellent question.” The mare smiled. “We have a treat for you all today.” Isaac waited outside the room and checked his shirt and tie once more. “We are going to learn about the human race.” Several children looked at each other in confusion as the CMC bumped fists. Cherilee motioned for the human to walk in. Isaac cracked his neck and entered the class. The man saw several surprised faces. Among the crowd were three familiar fillies beaming with delight. “Morning.” He said as he cleared his throat. He grabbed a piece of chalk and made his way up to the board. “My name is Mr-” He paused as he bit his lip. “Since my last name is too tricky to say you can Call me Isaac, Mr. I or if you feel so inclined, Oh Captain my Captain.” Several students looked at one another in confusion. “Any who, your teacher Ms. Cherilee has graciously offered me the chance to teach you all about humans.” The children all smiled. “Now I hope to keep this as entertaining as possible. So I’ve enlisted the help of Twilight Sparkle, the town librarian.” He motioned towards the mare who waved. “So without further ado lets get on with it.” The man started up his laptop and luckily the technology was compatible. Isaac started talking about the neanderthals and cave men. Several students chuckled as he did an almost accurate interpretation of their mannerisms. After three hours of the lecture the bell rang and the children went to lunch. Isaac let out a long sigh and sat back in the chair and loosened his tie. “I gotta tell ya Cherilee, I don’t know how you do it everyday.” He said as he pulled out his thermos filled with soup. “Here I thought teaching was easy.” “Lots of practice and the fact that it’s my special talent helps.” Isaac raised an eyebrow as she rolled up her sleeve to show three sunflowers with smiling faces on it. “Hey, where’s the restroom? Wanna wash my hands before I eat.” “Out in the hallway. Third door on the left.” Isaac nodded and went off to relieve himself. The teacher was then left alone with the lavender and teal mare. “So what did you two think?” “The lesson was certainly interesting.” Twilight chimed. “Yeah, I got some awesome notes!” Lyra chimed as she took a bite into her sandwich. Twilight spied the thermos and levitated it over to herself. “What’s that?” “Isaac’s lunch.” She said as she opened the lid and saw what looked like noodles floating in a brown broth. “Soup.” She said as Lyra looked at it. The two looked closer when they saw a brown thing float to the top. “What’s that?” Cherilee took a spoon out and fished the object out of the broth. The teacher gave a sniff and shook her head. “It has an interesting scent.” “Oi!” The three mares looked back towards the doorway to see the man making his way into the classroom. “Mind not dissecting my food?” He said as he sat back down and took the thermos back. “Um what was that?” Cherilee asked as the human scooped up some noodles and shoved them in his mouth. “Ramen noodles with some meat.” Cherilee gulped. “What? I said that humans are omnivores in my lecture.” He said as he swallowed. “What kind of meat is it?” Lyra asked. “Relax, its no one you know.” The three mares went pale in the face at the words. The man almost fell out of his chair in laughter. “I’m kidding. Relax, I’d never eat a pony.” The mares all let out a sigh as Twilight frowned. “So what kind of meat is it?” Isaac thought for a moment and sighed. “Promise you won’t freak out?” “That depends.” “Its manticore.” He said as he took another bite. Lyra gave a laugh. “Ha! You almost had me that time.” “I’m not joking.” “Oh come on.” Cherilee said as she rolled her eyes. “Where would you get manticore meat?” “From the one that I killed two days ago.” Twilight’s jaw dropped as she remembered the man covered in blood. “It was in self defense and leaving it there to rot just seemed like such a waste.” He said as he took another bite. “Fluttershy is going to be pissed.” “So don’t tell her.” He said in a flat tone. “You killed an animal!” Cherilee yelled. “Yeah so? The thing was gonna make Sweetie Belle and I its lunch if I didn’t do something.” He shrugged. “Besides, its not like manticores are an endangered species or anything.” The group was cut off as Rumble came running inside. “Um, Ms. Cherilee.” The boy said with a gulp. “Yes, Rumble? Is something wrong?” “Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara are fighting.” The adults immediately look outside to see the foals crowding around a space. The group immediately bolted up and ran outside towards the spectacle. As they drew closer, Isaac could see over the kids’ heads and saw the orange and pink fillies on the ground beating each other up. On the far edge of the circle he could make out a white colt crying and Rumble trying to comfort him. The man frowned and made his way through the crowd until he got to the fight. He reached in and yanked both fillies out of the scuffle by their tails. He set them both down and stood in between them with his arms crossed. “What is going on here?” He yelled in a tone that could be on par with Luna’s royal canterlot voice. The crowd fell silent and the man heard several of the students gulp. “She started it!” Tiara yelled. “No, I didn’t!” Scootaloo would tackle the filly if Applebloom and Sweetie hadn’t held her back. “I’m gonna kick your ass!” “Enough! Both of you shut the hell up and sit down! If anyones going to kick anyone’s ass, its going to be me!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. Scootaloo immediately stopped squirming and froze on the spot. The man took a deep breath and calmed himself. Lyra and Twilight broke up the group and led them back inside. “Sorry for the language Cherilee.” He said as he wiped his forehead. “Oh trust me I’ve heard far worse come from some of my students.” She sighed. The mare then turned her attention to the fillies. “Meet me after class.” She said in a flat tone. Cherilee walked Diamond back who stuck her tongue out at the filly. Scootaloo growled and would have started another fight if the man hadn’t put a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” He asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said as she dusted herself off. “Sorry for pulling your tail. Really didn’t see another way for me to get in there.” “It’s fine. I’m not Sweetie Belle so I don’t really care.” She shrugged. Isaac shrugged and walked her back inside. The rest of the day was normal. The human continued his lesson and caught the two fillies exchanging dirty looks at one another. The final bell rang and the two fillies remained as the rest went home. Lyra and Twilight left the room with the other foals. Cherilee sat at her desk and looked at the two. “Now what happened?” Cherilee asked. “She started it!” Tiara yelled. “No I didn’t, she-” The orange filly was cut off as Isaac slammed his hand on the desk. The two fillies gulped. “Shut it!” He said with daggers in his eyes. “The next one of you that talks out of turn is gonna get the belt.” Both fillies sat up straight and could feel their blood run cold. Isaac pulled out a bit and placed it on his thumb. “Scootaloo. Heads or tails?” “Um..heads.” The man flipped the coin in the air and caught it in his palm the man then placed it on the back of his left hand. He removed the hand to show Celestia’s face. “Okay, you go first.” Tiara pouted. “Diamond Tiara, wait outside until Scootaloo is finished.” He said as he glared at the pink filly. Tiara grunted and walked out the door. Cherilee stood guard by the door to make sure that the pink filly didn’t try to run. “Now Scootaloo, in a calm way. Tell us what happened.” “Okay.” The filly took a moment to gather her thoughts. “So Applebloom, Sweetie and I were having lunch with Rumble and Pipsqueak.” “Who?” “The white earth pony colt with the brown spot on his eye.” Cherilee stated. “You mean the kid who was talking with a pirate accent?” The mare nodded. “Okay, then what?” “We were just talking. The Diamond comes over and starts making fun of him for no reason then he started to cry.” She said with a grunt. “What kind of things was she teasing him about?” “How his parents don’t want him or some stupid made up thing like that.” Isaac’s jaw dropped. “He’s adopted?” “No, but I think that Pip’s mom died giving birth to him and his dad is in the royal guard.” The filly scratched her scalp. “So his dad isn’t around a lot?” The filly nodded. “Don’t tell me that he’s living on the streets.” “No, he usually stays with Rumble and his family.” Isaac gave a sigh of relief. “Okay, so how does this all tie together?” Scootaloo sighed. “Well, I think that his dad was supposed to be home a few weeks ago, but he didn’t come.” Isaac felt an old pain in his chest rising up again. “I think Pip told me he went MIA or something like that. I’m not really sure what that means.” “I see.” Isaac said as he folded his hands. “So I’m guessing that’s when you attacked Diamond Tiara.” “It was her fault!” She yelled. “Everypony knows how much his dad means to him and then she goes and starts saying crap-” “Language.” Cherilee stated. “Fine, saying bad things about him! Who does that?” The filly panted and calmed down. “She doesn’t have the right to talk to ponies like that.” “You’re right, but that doesn’t give you the right to punch your classmates.” Isaac said with a sigh. “You’re siding with her?” Scootaloo yelled. “No, I’m not deciding anything until I get the full story.” He said with a sigh. “Besides, Ms.Cherilee is your teacher so its up to her.” “Your punishment will be decided tomorrow.” The mare said. “Run along home and get some rest.” “Fine.” She got to her feet and grabbed her bag before running out. “What does that term mean? MIA?” Cherilee asked. “Seriously you don’t know?” Isaac said in surprise. Cherilee had a guilty smile on her face. “It means Missing In Action. It’s when a soldier goes missing and a search team is mobilized to look for him.” Cherilee gulped. The mare then waved Diamond Tiara in and she took a seat in front of the two. “Now Diamond Tiara, according to Scootaloo’s story you said some nasty things to Pip regarding his family.” Isaac said as he adjusted his glasses. “That true?” “So what if it is?” Isaac frowned at the filly. “Why?” “Why not?” Her words could give manticore venom a run for their money. “Not my fault he’s such a crybaby.” Than man saw no remorse or guilt in her eyes. “That doesn’t give you the right to ridicule somebody....somepony like that.” “Um why are we even having this conversation?” “Pardon?” The human raised an eyebrow. “I mean why should I be listening to you in class anyway?” She said as she crossed her arms. “Not like there are any other apes walking around.” “Diamond Tiara!” Cherilee yelled. “Just stating a fact.” She said as she got up. “I’m out of here.” Isaac could feel his blood boiling as she closed the door behind her. “I am so sorry about that Isaac.” Cherilee said. “This isn’t the first time Diamond Tiara has done something like this.” “It’s fine.” He said as he sighed. “I’m gonna go around and talk to the other students. See if Scootaloo’s story checks out.” “I doubt it. You know how kids don’t like telling on one another.” She sighed. “I can be very persuasive.” He smiled. The man exited the school house and made his way towards the boutique. The man entered to see Rarity asleep at her desk with a pencil behind her ear and her glasses askew on her face. A small pool of drool was present on the desk. Isaac grinned and gently nudged her shoulder. The mare stirred and saw the man chuckling. “You got something here.” He said as he pointed to his cheek. “Oh I’m terribly sorry dear.” She said as she rubbed her cheek. “I must have dozed off. Is there something I can help you with?” “I’m wondering if Sweetie Belle is in.” “Why?” “There was a scuffle at the school today and I just need to get a better idea about what happened.” Rarity put her hand to her mouth in surprise. “Was Sweetie in it?” “No, it was between Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara.” Rarity’s face turned sour. “I take it you know her?” “I know of her.” She grimaced. “What did she do this time?” “Shot her mouth off and made fun of Pip.” “You mean that sweet earth pony colt with the pirate accent?” Isaac gave a nod. “I see. She’s in her room.” The man nodded and made his way up towards the rooms. He gave a soft knock on the far door. “Who’s there?” A familiar voice said. “Its Isaac. Mind if I come in?” He waited for the door to open revealing the small filly. “Hey!” She said in her usual high pitched voice. “Hey Sweetie. Look, I talked to Scootaloo about the fight and I waned to hear what happened.” “Um. What did Scootaloo say?” She asked as she adverted her eyes. “I’ll tell you after I hear your viewpoint.” He said as he crossed his arms. Sweetie hung her head and bit her lip. “Is Diamond Tiara really worth protecting?” “No, but I don’t want to get called a tattle tale.” She shrugged. “Who’s gonna know?” “Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Isaac went through the Pinkie Promise gestures and smiled. “Okay.” The filly then told the precise retelling of the orange filly’s story. “Figured that’s what happened. Scootaloo said the same thing.” He said as he scratched his chin. “Thanks for the info Sweetie. Oh and before I go, do you know where Pip lives?” “Yeah, he usually stays with Rumble.” She said as she walked over to the window. Isaac stood next to her as she pointed to a light blue house. “There it is.” “Okay. Thanks.” He said with a wave. The man gave Rarity a friendly nod as he exited the boutique. Isaac walked up to the house and knocked on the front door. The wooden door swung open to reveal a dark Pegasus stallion with a white mane styled in a mohawk. “Thunderlane?” The human had met the stallion once or twice and had heard stories from Dash. “Sup dude?” He asked in his typical laid back attitude. “What are you doing here?” “Um, I live here.” “Really?” Isaac thought for a moment. “Oh, you and Rumble must be brothers.” “Bingo. So what’s up?” He asked as he leaned on the door frame. “Not sure if Rumble told you, but there was a small scuffle at school today.” “Yeah Rumble mentioned it.” He said as he scratched his head. “He ain’t in trouble is he?” “No, nothing of the sort. I just want to see how Pip is doing.” Thunderlane sighed. “He’s okay for the moment. Poor guy was pretty sad.” He said as he bit his lip. “Mind if I talk to him? My dad was in the military so I know what he’s going through.” The stallion shrugged and led him inside. Isaac spied the two colts sitting on the couch watching TV. “Yo Rumble.” Thunderlane said. The two colts looked towards the stallion and saw the man. “Mind giving me a hand with something?” “Sure bro.” The colt said as he got up and followed the larger Pegasus out of the room. Isaac scratched his head and let out a sigh. “Look Pip, I know that we don’t really know each other at all.” He said as he sat down next to him. “But I know what Tiara said and I know how you feel.” The colt hung his head. “I get it. My dad was in the military too.” “Did he ever not come home?” Isaac ran a hand through his brown hair and sighed. “Yeah, once when I was fourteen. Went missing for over three months.” Pip looked at him in astonishment. “Did he come back?” Pip asked. “Around the fifth month I’d almost given up hope. Then when I came home from school, there he was sitting in the living room.” He smiled. “How long has your dad been in the guard?” “Since before I was born.” “Right so he’s got over a decade of experience under his belt.” He said as he put a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever gets thrown at him, I’m sure your old man can take it.” “I know. I’m just....scared.” He said in a low tone. “That’s good. It’s okay to be scared sometimes.” The man said with a smile. “Right now you have to be strong for your dad.” Pip gave a slow and shaky nod. “Also, don’t let Tiara get to you. My opinion, she’s a spoiled brat that needs an attitude adjustment.” The colt gave a chuckle in agreement. Isaac got to his feet and cracked his back. “Just remember, you’ve got Rumble, Thunderlane, their folks and Cherilee to talk to.” “What about you?” “I’m no psychologist, but sure if you want.” The man smiled. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to get going. See you around.” He said with a wave. As he exited he gave Thunderlane a friendly nod. Isaac gave a yawn and made his way home for some well deserved rest. Isaac walked into his home and headed for his kitchen. The human took out some pasta and started boiling some water before taking out the cuts of Manticore meat. He threw them into a pot with some tomato sauce and stirred it. The man perked up when he heard a knock at his door. The human opened the door to see the lunar Princess standing before him. “Um, hey Luna.” The man was just as surprised as he was confused. “Need something?” The Princess had a glum look on her face. “May we come in?” “Sure. Make yourself at home.” He led her inside and returned to his cooking. “Sorry, just making myself dinner.” “It is alright.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac raised an eyebrow at the Princess. “Okay Luna, what’s up? You’re usually never this gloomy.” “Its sort of personal.” Isaac then heard her stomach growl and saw the mare’s cheeks blush. “How about we talk over dinner? Or is it breakfast for you?” Luna gave a nod and took a seat at the round table. “I should mention that I use meat in this.” “Oh that is all right. We’ve had to eat meat when Tia and I visited with the Griffin King.” She said as she levitated the plates, forks and knives over on the table. Isaac served them each a plate of pasta and the sauce covered meat. “Pray tell, what kind of meat is this?” “Manticore.” Luna looked at him in surprise. “I’m assuming that you know Sweetie Belle?” “Is she not Rarity’s little sister?” The man nodded. “How does she fit into this?” “She got cornered by a manticore two days ago. I intervened and the overgrown cat and I had a little game of hide and go shoot. I killed it. Decided that it would be a shame if all that meat went to waste. Hauled it back here, skinned it, gutted it and saved what I could.” He said as he took a bite. “Interesting.” She said as she took a bite and smiled. “I didn’t know you were such a cook.” “I’m no Chef Boyardee, but I make due.” He said as he put his fork down. “Now what did you want to talk about?” Luna sighed and looked at the human. “We came to apologize.” “For?” “How we won the competition between us.” Isaac raised an eyebrow. “We realized that we should not have used our beauty for an advantage.” “Oh that.” He said as he bit his lip. “We hope that you are still not mad at us.” She said with a guilty look on her face. “I was a bit pissed, but its not like I’ve never bent the rules oncer or twice in my days.” He said as he took another bite. “If you want then we could do a rematch. Just to settle things.” “It will have to be quick. I have to appear in the night court soon.” “Night court?” “As Princess of the night it is our duty to ensure peace during the night.” She said as she finished her plate of food. “Okay so it’ll be first to die loses. Sound fair?” He asked with a grin. “Prepare to be thrashed!” She yelled as she summoned her controller. “Since the last match’s outcome was due to my ‘strategy’ I’ll over look the penalty.” “So I don’t have to be your slave for two days?” He asked as he booted up the game. “No, but if you lose this time then the rule will still apply.” She grinned. Isaac booted up a game type and the two Spartans spawned with energy swords with sprint attached. The two avatars kept locking sword blow after sword blow. As Isaac’s character charged, Luna’s jumped and spun in the air. The blue female Spartan then used the sword to air assassinate Isaac’s red Spartan. “Victory!” “Hacks I say!” The man grumbled. “All right Princess you beat me. What do you want?” “We shall have to get back to you about that.” She said with a grin. “We must be off.” “See ya.” The alicorn then vanished in a flash of bright blue light. Isaac yawned and turned off his X-box. The human heard his phone ring and saw that Twilight was calling him. “Yeah Twilight?” “Hey are you doing anything tomorrow?” “Not really. Why?” “The girls and I are going to the Crystal Empire for a few days. I figured that you’d want to see more of Equestria.” “Crystal Empire? As in it’s made entirely out of crystals?” “Yup.” “Sure. Just need to find my shades.” “Excellent! Meet us at the train by 8:00am.” “See ya then.” The human hung up the phone and grabbed a duffle bag. He lazily threw some clothes in a bag and called it a night. Isaac plopped down on his bed and eventually let sleep take him. Author's Note Sorry this took so long. Getting back in the groove of School. If you caught the Dead Poets Society reference then you're awesome!
Where All the Stories EndAuthor's Note Okay, now before you read this, might I suggest you check out the most recent blog concerining this fic. If you don't want to then I'll tell you right now that 'Somewhere I Belong' is finished. What you see before you is a summary of all the things I had planned for it and I lack the time and conviction to follow through with it. The post will give more details on this. This is it. Thank you all who have given this story so much support and it's been a fun ride. Where All the Stories End Where All the Stories End. Isaac and the girls traveled to the Crystal Empire to visit Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Upon arrival, Isaac starts exploring and meets Cadence who is disguised by an illusion spell so she won’t get hounded by the paparazzi. When the two part ways, Isaac makes his way into the nearest bar and see’s Skull, the stallion that Blueblood hired to kill him sitting at a table. Isaac discretely has him at gun point and the two start talking. Isaac learns that Skull was once in the Royal guard, but left after receiving an order from above that resulted in his squad getting massacred. Isaac relates to Skull and tell him about his old teammates that died under his watch and that the two are like wolves among sheep. The two bond over drinks until Isaac gets called to meet up at the castle. Upon arrival, he is mistaken for a threat and is attacked when he tries to go through. This results in a 3 on 1 fight between him and three crystal guards. Soon, Shining Armor breaks up the scuffle and is impressed with the human’s fighting style. The human then joins the group for lunch and learns of Cadence’s and Shining’s identities. Twilight then asks what became of Scootaloo after the scuffle at the school yard. He explains to them what transpired between the foals. It is learned that Pip’s father, Orion Shield, is an old friend of Shining’s from his days in the Royal Guard Academy and promises to look into the matter personally. Later that night, Twilight goes to Shining and tells him of Isaac’s reluctance to open up to her or her friends about his past. Shining deduces that he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suggests to leave him be and not force anything, else it could have a serious backlash. Shining also explains that Isaac’s reluctance is rightly placed, much to Twilight’s surprise. He explains that most soldiers shut down their emotions to do their jobs and to prevent that life from haunting them when their tour is over. The next day, Isaac and Rarity decide to talk to Spike face to face about their fling. Isaac is attempting to remain calm as Spike starts yelling and threatening him, even after Rarity and Isaac both admit their guilt. Isaac now at the end of his patience with the drake and says that loss is a part of life and that Spike needs to accept it and grow up. This makes the dragon furious and is about to light the man on fire when the castle is starting to come under attack. The group meets in Cadence’s safe house, a room in the castle that is made to be some sort of fall out shelter. The attackers are revealed to be former servants of King Sombra. Several of the attackers fight their way into the safe room and hold them captive. Isaac is stabbed in the shoulder upon trying to fight his way out and is left for dead. Isaac then receives another visit from Catalyst who explains that the power Isaac needs is buried within him, but does not have the spine to use it. Isaac and his darker half then fuse, becoming one personality with the help of Catalyst who decides to move into Isaac’s body as payment for the fusion and heals his stab wound. This makes Isaac more blood thirsty and merciless. The human then manages to make his way towards the tallest tower, where the girls and dragon are being held. Isaac kills several of the attackers in the process, via gun or telekinesis. The human meets up with Armor and the two clear out the armory before going to the tower. Shining leaves with the guards he and the human freed to retake the castle, while Isaac goes in search of more soldiers. Shining and his men are ambushed by more of the extremists. They take heavy losses before withdrawing. Shining gets a report that the East wing had been cleared by an unknown figure. As they try for another assault they find that the enemy has apparently been wiped out and their wounds suggest telekinetic blades. Shining quickly makes his way to the tower and kicks open the door to see Twilight being held by one of the extremists with a sword to her throat. Shining immediately backs off and drops his weapons. The group then sees another one of the attackers running through the door screaming in fear. An unseen force then drags the stallion back out into the hallway and group hears a gut churning scream before the sound of bones snapping. A blood soaked Isaac then walks through the door with a gun in his right hand. Isaac points the gun at the stallion and says that he’s going to count to ten and either the stallion’s sword or brains would be on the ground. The stallion calls his bluff and Isaac begins to count. After counting to two, he jumps ahead to ten before pulling the trigger and killing the stallion without any harm coming to Twilight. The scholar faints after looking at the dead body of her attacker. The girls all crowd around the scholar and didn’t notice the man exiting the room. After Twilight wakes back up, the group goes in search for the human. Shining see’s one of his men outside the throne room with a spear in hand. He reports to him that Isaac had captured a number of the extremists and is interrogating them. Shining enters the room to see Isaac questioning the captives. The two then do a ‘good cop bad cop’ routine. At first none of the attackers will talk. Isaac becomes impatient and storms off. He comes back a few minutes later with a dead body in hand and making it look like its still alive and starts questioning it before sticking his gun in it’s mouth. He counts to three and fires a bullet into the already dead body. Isaac then looks at the soldier Shining is questioning and says he’s next. Out of pure fear of the man, the soldier begins to tell Armor every detail of their assault. Isaac leaves and heads off to take a shower, leaving a speechless Cadence and elements of Harmony. Hours later, Princess Celestia and Luna arrive to check on the elements. Twilight tells them of the man’s actions. The group goes to confront the man who is calmly relaxing on the bed he was using the night before. Celestia is outraged by his carnage and threatens to banish him from Equestria, should such an incident occur again. Isaac simply replies by saying that he did what he had to do. Later that night, Cadence tells Twilight that when he came in to save her that the others gave off the love pulse, a pulse that ponies give off when they are near somepony they love, but felt nothing coming from the man. Fed up with all of the mystery, Twilight sneaks into Isaac’s room and enters his mind while he’s sleeping. Isaac realizes this and kicks her out of his mind. Not before Twilight sees a much younger looking Isaac happily chatting with a beautiful human woman with dark red hair and wearing the ring Twilight and Rarity found in his uniform. After snapping back to reality, Isaac berates Twilight for going into his mind. The mare yells that its a mystery to her how anypony could ever love a monster like him. The next day, Isaac catches Twilight alone and explains that what Twilight said had no affect on him, because she’s still a child. He explains that she hasn’t the faintest idea of what he’s had to do to survive. He admits that before coming to Equestria that he was due to be married to his girlfriend of three years, but she died when she lost control of the car she was driving and went off a bridge into a frozen river. Her body was most likely swept away by the current. He then says that if Twilight ever tries to go into his head again then there will be hell to pay. The other girls overheard their conversation and they all agree to end their ‘relationship’ with him. Isaac accepts this with a nod and wishes them the best. By the end of his rant he says that all his life he thought he was a survivor, now he decides that he’s a winner and a symbol of humanity’s strength. As he makes his way to the train station, he spies Armor with a large squad. Armor explains that he is going after Pip’s father. Not wanting Shining to end up like him, Isaac pleads with the stallion to stays with Cadence and not go after him. Shining states that he can’t leave his friends to waste away in a prison. Isaac understands and gives him one of his hand guns for good measure and wishes him the best in his mission. The man heads back to Ponyville alone and enters his house. Later that night, he hears a knocking at his door. He finds a battered Isis at his doorstep begging for his help. Isaac learns that Isis had escaped a Changeling slave camp and needed someone to help her spring her captives. Isaac explains to her that he is no longer involved with the Elements or the Princesses, but agrees to help her. He packs a few weapons and teaches Isis how to shoot before going off. The two spend the next month on the road tracking the slavers. The two encounter Skull who reluctantly agrees to helping them. Isaac learns that it was Skull that had cleared out one of the wings during the battle at the castle. One of the lunatics was a target that he’d been assigned to kill. Skull manages to kidnap one of the slavers and get info on what their next destinations are. Skull falls back to get reinforcements from his assassin’s guild, while Isaac and Isis continue to make their way to the ports. Over time the two become closer and Isaac opens up to the Changeling about his past. Isis then reveals that it was her older sister, Chrysalis who attacked Canterlot and Isis is trying to start a new life for herself and her captive friends. The two then catch up to the slavers and Isaac gets a video recording of Blueblood making a deal with the slavers. After the Prince leaves, Skull returns with a handful of loyal guild members. The group descend upon the slavers and free the captive Changelings. Skull admits that he and his friends grow tired of all the killing for coin. Isaac gives them the suggestion of staying with the Changelings, for protection. The night before Isaac plans on making the return trip to Ponyville, Isis approaches him and says that she has to repay him for all he’s done for her. Isis reveals that despite feeding off love, that she is still a virgin and wants Isaac to be her first. The two have sex under the moonlight. Isis asks Isaac why he won’t stay with her and the group. He says that he has to set things right with some old friends, but he promises her that they will see each other again. The Changeling’s give him a magical ring that makes him look like a stallion as a thank you for freeing them from slavery. After a long and hard trek, The human then makes his way back into Ponyville wearing the illusion ring. He observes the group of mares from afar and sees that Spike is forming his own herd with the CMC and are happy together. A lot of the towns folk are dressed in costumes for Nightmare Night. Isaac is then discretely approached by Discord who could easily see through his illusion and has been keeping an eye on Isaac, but has not reported it to the Princesses or the elements. He will continue to do so, if he helps Discord pull off a huge prank on the local populace. The human agrees with enthusiasm and the two recreate a zombie scenario by projecting the man’s thoughts and making it look like that they are attacking. The duo are interrupted by Luna who sees through Isaac’s disguise. Isaac looses his concentration and the zombies vanish. The six mares see Luna and Discord conversing with the stallion they each met earlier. Isaac removed his ring and reveals himself to the mares. The group begins to question him on where he’s been. Isaac just tells them that he’s been traveling around Equestria. He wisely leaves the incidents involving Isis. The human then states that he’s only there for a short while before he goes back out again. Twilight is refusing to talk to him and he learns that after Shining went out on his rescue mission that he too has gone missing, which she blames him for. Luna apologizes for Celestia’s behavior in the empire and agrees that what Isaac did was the best course of action. The alicorn then uses the bet that she won over him to be her ‘escort’ to the Grand Galloping Gala. Isaac agrees and comes up with an idea which he enlists the help of Discord with. The six girls and one dragon get invitations to the gala and they reluctantly go par Celestia’s request. The group is shocked when Isaac shows up as Luna’s date wearing his dress Uniform. Halfway through the night, Isaac sees Blueblood and plays the recording for everyone to see. Celestia and Luna are in utter shock at their nephew’s activities and call a guard squad to arrest him. Blueblood challenges Isaac to a duel for his freedom, a right reserved for royal family members and nobles. If Isaac wins then he will decide Blueblood’s punishment and if Blueblood wins then he will banish Isaac from Equestria forever. Isaac agrees and violently shakes his hand. During the shake, Isaac signals Discord to use the ancient spell ‘Ties of Death’ should one of them try to get out of their punishment, no matter the outcome, then the coward will die. The two agree that they will fight at the Equestria Games that is three months away. Blueblood leaves in a fit of rage and Isaac is looking forward to the fight. Celestia ponders why Isaac did not come to her with the tape before broadcasting it. Isaac states that he knew that Blueblood would try to sweep it under the rug and deny everything. Celestia suggests that Isaac be taught in Equestrian combat for the up coming fight. Isaac turns Luna’s offer down and states that she has more important things to do than train him. Twilight offers her assistance, but Isaac rejects her saying that he couldn’t learn anything from her teaching style. He suggests that Discord train him much to everyone’s shock, including the Chaos lord. He manages to convince both Princesses to let Discord tutor him, stating that Twilight and the others can handle him if he gets out of hand. Isaac and Discord start training, under Twilight’s supervision for only a week before Isaac drugs Twilight’s tea and the two leave Ponyville while she’s napping. Discord then decides to ‘get into the mood’ by transforming himself into a human. When he looks at his reflection it jogs a memory loose. He remembers transforming into this form 1,000 years ago before he was over thrown. Isaac then receives a message from Isis stating that she once again needs his help. Isis and Skull had since formed a large resistance to fight Chrysalis’s rule. At first Isaac wants no part in the rebellion and only to focus on his training. He then hears that the empire recently captured a VIP and plan to use it as leverage on Equestria. He reluctantly agrees and asks Discord to keep the Princesses’ watchful eyes off him. Isaac lets himself get captured by the Changeling and gets thrown in a cell with a battered Shining Armor. Shining is pushed to the limit and thinks about taking his own life when Isaac reminds him of Cadence and Twilight. The two then start a riot as a distraction for the rebellion to swarm in and attack. Chrysalis herself makes an appearance and plays cat and mouse with the human. The two lock horns with Isaac coming out on top as her main army arrives. He ends up decapitating the Queen and is ready to take on the army. The Changelings instead take a knee and swear loyalty to the human and admit that they were forced into attacking Canterlot. Isis states that in the Changeling culture ‘you keep what you kill.’ Isaac orders the release of all the captives and their wounds be treated. One month later, Cadence is in Ponyville to Hearths Warming Eve with Twilight. The group hears a knock at the door and Cadence opens it to see a bandaged Shining. As the group is rejoicing, Orion makes his way towards Rumble’s home. Orion uses a communication gem to talk with Isaac and asks if there’s anything he can do to repay the man. Isaac only says that he should live for those that he loves. Twilight and Cadence then learn that Shining found his way back via the compass that Twilight gave Isaac in the ruins. Another month goes by and the news of the fight had spread all across the globe. Isaac and Discord appear before Blueblood at the last second and the two begin to fight. Discord then tells the group that Isaac spent all of his time on his psychokinetic abilities. The group is amazed as they see Isaac use his powers to increase his strength, speed along with telekinetic flight, and making a forcefield. The fight winds down when the two fighters had exhausted all of their magic. As Isaac delivers the final blow, Blueblood is knocked out and his body armor breaks open to show that it is not Blueblood, but a guard who Blueblood blackmailed into fighting for him. It is revealed that Blueblood was hiding underground since before the human arrived. He then traps Isaac in an illusion where he is back on Earth where his friends and fiance are still with him. Isaac makes the choice of returning to reality by shooting himself in the head. The human attacks the Prince and shows no mercy while he pounds him into the ground with his bare hands. Isaac regains his sanity and stops himself from killing Blueblood. He then states that Blueblood will live, but his rank of Prince will be stripped, his assets will be seized and that he is forever banished from Equestria. As Isaac walks away, Blueblood summons a spear and attempts to stab Isaac in the back. Catalyst takes possession of Isaac’s body and says that Blueblood is unworthy of his life. Catalyst grabs Blueblood and snaps his horn off before making his eyes glow. When he releases Blueblood Catalyst explains that he has removed all of Blueblood’s magical abilities and has taken them for his own. The Prince does not believe him and tries to cast a lethal spell at him, but nothing comes out. Now in control, Catalyst summons six familiars that look similar to Isaac’s old squad. After regaining his senses, Isaac collapses from exhaustion and is caught by the familiar that resembles Doc. The royal guard arrive to take Blueblood away and start to approach Isaac before a group of Changelings rush out from the stands and surround the human in defensive positions. Before another fight can start, Isaac pulls out his weapon and fires it into the air in order to get the crowds attention. The Elements recognize Isis among the Changelings, who reveals herself to be the new Queen and that Isaac is her personal advisor. Celestia tries to intervene but is stopped when she sees that Changelings are holding modified versions of Isaac’s weaponry. The two call a cease fire until Isaac regains his strength. While Doc is tending to Isaac’s injuries he tell the girls that he killed the ponies in the Crystal Empire months ago for their benefit, before he and the other five men vanish. Isis then reveals that it was Isaac who killed Chrysalis, but gave her the title of Queen by fighting her and he surrendered after she had weakly punched him. The Changeling then goes into vivid detail how Isaac had removed the Changelings’ need to feed off of emotion. The powerful spirit of the first Changeling was locked away in an orb, deep inside the Changeling royal castle. The spirit demanded to be fed emotion so that it can one day return to the world of the living. Using it’s collective power, it makes the new ‘batch’ of Changelings into mindless slaves bent on destruction. Isaac intervenes and tells his allied Changelings to give the emotion’s they’ve collected all at once in order to overload the spirit. Isaac then says that the spirit can have his memories. After they have deposited all of their strength into the orb. The orb shatters revealing that the first Changeling is actually a human. The man had stayed there over two thousand years by consuming the energy from the Changelings collected. Isaac attempts to talk to him, but he has lost his mind and goes on a rampage. Isaac is forced to put him down by stabbing him through the heart. In his dying breath the man asks Isaac to find the truth about what happened to the other human that he met there. The man then dies in Isaac’s arms and Isaac uses the hive mind to tell all the Changelings to return to their home and gives them all free will and that they no longer need to sacrifice their happiness. Isis wisely leaves out the part about the other human’s wish to the Princesses. Celestia is shocked when she hears about the other human and Isaac wakes up. The human then explains that the Changelings want peace with Equestria along with equal rights. Celestia and Luna agree to peace talks after Isaac recovers. During his recovery the six mares question him why he agrees to help the Changelings. Isaac explains that they were only doing what was necessary to survive as a species. After Isaac is discharged, Twilight apologizes to him about what she said before he left the empire and thanks him for saving Shining who is back in his position as Guard Captain and that Orion has been promoted to the head guard stationed at Ponyville. Isaac arrives at the peace talks with Isis along with Celestia and Luna. The three agree upon a peace treaty between their nations and open up a trade settlement. Isaac returns to Ponyville just in time for the yearly heatwave to hit the mares of Ponyville. After escaping the ‘whord’ he is pulled down into the sewer system by Thunderlane along with the other stallions and one drake. The group of stallions quietly made their way towards the man’s home that they would use as a check point before hightailing it to the Everfree. During the trek they loose a few members of the group. Isaac barricades his home and tells the guys to man up and make a stand. They quickly forget the idea when they hear the whord at his door step. Isaac makes a gut decision to lead the group away and distracts them with some knock out bombs which he got from the Changelings. He keeps the mares busy long enough for them to escape into the dark forest. After narrowly escaping the DJ, Isaac climbs into Twilight’s tree house in an effort to escape them. The man hides under the scholar’s bed and is about to leave, but Twilight walks in and starts to masturbate. The human can’t help but get aroused and is surprised when Twilight calls out his name when she reaches her climax. The mare leaves her room and Isaac is about to go out the window he came in, when Twilight teleports back in her room and sees the man. Isaac begs the mare to keep his location a secret. Twilight agrees, but only if he helps her relieve her of her heat. Isaac refuses, but agrees when Twilight threatens to let every mare know his location and throw him to the whored. For the safety of his pelvic bone he agrees and the two have sex. After they’re done, Twilight tell Isaac that she notified the other five mares via telepathic link. The mares then each have a turn with the human and he escapes when the mares fall asleep. He makes it back to his home with the mares hot on his heels. He grabs a few smoke bombs, for a diversion as he escapes into the dark forest. He makes it into the dark forest and most of the mares give up the chase. Isaac knows that they’ll be back and starts to dig in and sets up a perimeter with a few pit traps. He climbs into a tree and sets up camp. Hours later one of the traps goes off and Zecora is caught in the net. Isaac cuts her down and apologizes and explains his situation to the zebra. Before Zecora can try to seduce him, he is saved by Discord who ‘just so happened to be in the area’ and drops him off at the castle. Isaac begins to wander and find the place as empty as a ghost town. A guard grabs him and explains that despite being an immortal Goddess, Celestia goes through heat once every 100 years and becomes a different mare entirely. The human then dubs her ‘Molestia’ and the group is discovered by the sex crazed Princess. While attempting to escape, Isaac is rescued by Luna who knows of her sister’s condition and teleports them both to a fallout shelter that had been created in case of a castle attack. Luna also reveals that Celestia’s heat period will last two weeks, due to her lifespan. The fallout shelter is complete with Luna’s X-Box and games. Isaac introduces her to the Mass Effect series and the two bond over the week and find that they both have much more in common then either of them thought. The two start sneaking out to get food and supplies. One night they press their luck and decide to draw on Tia’s face while she sleeps. This back fires when she wakes up halfway through and the two hightail it back to their lair. At the end of the two weeks, the human then tells Luna that he does care about her deeply and the two make love. During one night, Isaac is greeted by Catalyst who leads him down into the Canterlot Archives. He unknowingly trips an alarm and Celestia’s forces, along with the Princesses go to investigate. They find the human at their parent’s stone coffins and their bodies were preserved by magic. It is then revealed that Celestia and Luna’s mother was in fact a human woman. More specifically, Isaac’s believed to be dead fiance Scarlet. Through a series of memories displayed by Catalyst, it is revealed that before Scarlet swerved off the road and into the river a time gap opened up, like the one Isaac came through and dropped her in Equestria, which is really Earth after the human race had died out over the course of billions of years. Celestia and Luna’s father, Solaris took pity on her and allowed her to stay, keeping her a secret from the public. Scarlet eventually learned how to use magic and watched Isaac through a rift, never allowed to interfere. Scarlet also disguised herself as an Alicorn like Solaris. Eventually a relationship formed between them and they had children. Scarlet died after Luna’s birth and with the last of her magical energy opened up a rift in order to save Isaac’s life from the wolves back on Earth. Before she died, and with Solaris’s help, the two crafted the Element’s of Harmony and an item known as the ‘Prophet’s Stone, which is revealed to be Catalyst and was given instructions by Scarlet to lead Isaac to her grave and show him the truth when he arrived. Isaac is at first outraged at the info, but settles down after Catalyst shows him a recording of Scarlet giving him a final farewell. She let him know that she lived well and was treated with kindness and that he had to find something in life he loved just as much as her. He watches Scarlet’s figure vanish into light and finally forgives himself for not being able to protect her or his friends. After explaining things to Twilight and the others he meets with the Doctor and tells him. The Doctor says he knew but couldn’t tell him, because he was not yet ready. Isaac is outraged and threatens the time lord before being calmed down by the mares. The Doctor states that he cannot bring Isaac back to Earth during the time of humans and he sympathizes with him knowing how it feels to be the last of his kind. The group is then made aware of an odd virus circulating through Equestria. At first it only seems to be effecting ponies, but soon spreads to dragons, Changelings and griffins. Even Luna and Celestia are suffering from the symptoms, while Isaac and Discord remain immune. Further research shows that something buried in the Crystal Empire was breached and is the source of the virus. Isaac is tasked with discovering it’s origin and sets off with Discord. The two find that the cause is actually an ancient human vessel that was carrying disease samples from the human time. Through a series of flashbacks that are triggered by a few head injuries, Discord remembers meeting Scarlet before his imprisonment and that she was his first real friend. Isaac sets the thoughts aside as he continues to search for records of the virus within the ship. It was engineered to wipe out anything other than human DNA during a time of war with another alien race that had long since died out over the course of millions of years. Isaac and Discord race back to Canterlot and tell the Princesses of their findings to see all the world leaders, including Isis all suffering from the illness. After explaining the nature of the illness all hope seems lost. A sickly Isis then says that there may be one option. She reminds them of when Isaac got in the way of the Changeling’s transfer stage and fused his own DNA with the new batch of Changelings who are only suffering minor symptoms. They come up with a plan to transfer bits of Isaac’s DNA using the Hive Mind of the Changelings. To use something on a massive scale would require every being in Equestria to be linked and to use a massive amount of magic to make everyone immune. Celestia orders Twilight and the other five mares to help with their elements and Isis opens up a connection to the rest of the world boosted by their power. As Isaac is about to use the magic it is revealed that he will not survive. The Elements are hesitant to go through with the plan after learning this, but they agree that there is no other way. Only Dash isn’t convinced and Isaac holds up the feather that she gave him so long ago and tells her to trust him. The man absorbs the magic and adds his DNA into the different species. The ponies still have their horns, wings and tails, but are missing their fur and the virus is now gone. Isaac does not survive the ordeal despite their best efforts. In the man’s last moments he thanks them all for their kindness and says that they were the best friend’s he’d ever had. A large funeral is held and he is remembered as a hero. Three years later, Luna is in front of the man’s grave with a little Alicorn girl with blue hair, pale skin, without a tail. She tells her daughter that her father was a great man and eventually found the peace he had been looking for.http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/292885/finding-peace
Chapter 1: ArrivalSomewhere I Belong. Chapter 1 Arrival Three months after his rehabilitation with Fluttershy, Discord the God of Chaos and Disharmony is working alongside his former foe’s; Princess Celestia and her younger sister Luna, who were still keeping an eye on him. He became less chaotic and more mild mannered, he still liked to pull pranks now and again, but nothing on an apocalyptic scale. Discord had visited Ponyville once or twice since then, both visits were met with....mixed results to say the least. Twilight and the others didn’t trust him completely, but they gave him some breathing room whenever he needed to ‘unwind.’ Fluttershy was still his favorite out of the six ponies, being that she was the first friend he’d ever had. Since he was staying at the castle most of the time he preoccupied himself with reading ancient books. He was still considered a guest and was forbidden to enter the royal archives that were filled with powerful magic and knowledge. He didn’t care much for magic, being that he already possessed a vast amount of it. Something scratched at the back of the creatures mind like an itch he just couldn’t reach, this feeling had tormented him for years. “GAH! What is it? What could I have possibly forgotten? I spent the last 1,000 years in stone and I still can’t remember!” he cursed at himself as he walked back and forth in the middle of the furnished room. “Okay let’s see..... Tormented ponies, drastically changed the landscape, created complete chaos around the world.....then imprisoned by Celestia for a millennium.” He began to rack his brain with frustration. “Come on! I know something happened during my rule of chaos....Something BIG but I just can’t remember!” he had searched the library from top to bottom in hopes of finding something. An idea struck him and he vanished in a puff of smoke and made his way towards Ponyville. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the center of the quiet sleepy town, Twilight and her friends were having a slumber party at the library and had just reached the truth or dare portion of the night. Twilight took the bottle in her hands and gave it a spin. The five mares watched as the bottle landed on the ornage mare with blonde hair. “Okay Applejack your turn. Truth or dare?” she asked “Dare!” she yelled with confidence. “Okay...I dare you to-” “Kiss Rarity.” another voice said. “What!” the orange and white mare yelled in surprise. The group then hard a familiar laugh coming from the bottle, they looked at the bottle that had formed a pair of eyes and a mouth. Discord flew out of the opening and appeared in front of the mares startling them. “Hello ladies.” He said as he gave them a smug grin. “Discord! What are you doing here?” Twilight said as she levitated her element of harmony on her head. “Hey...hey easy. I’m only here to try to find a book, then I’ll be out of your manes.” He said as he began to levitate the books in front of him. He began to skim the books only to become increasingly irritated. “Well, what are you trying to find?” Twilight asked as she crossed her arms and stared at the creature. “I’m trying to remember something. Something I did 1,000 years ago before Celestia threw me in the hoosegow. I thought that you might have a book that might jog my memory or something.” He said as he quickened his pace. Twilight looked at her friends who looked at her in confusion. “You didn’t find anything in the Canterlot library?” “Nothing and I’m still not allowed in the archives, so my search brought me here.” He finished the last book and yelled in frustration. “GAH! Another dead end! Every time I try to remember it just slips right through my fingers!” he began to levitate objects around the room in anger. Fluttershy stepped forward trying to calm him down. “Easy Discord, just calm down and-” she was cut off by the creature shooting a spell from his palm that hit a nearby mirror. The shiny surface began to glow and ripple, the group looked in amazement as they saw a dark figure becoming clearer and larger at a fast rate. A black mass suddenly shot out of the mirror and crashed into the far side of the wall, the mirror stopped glowing and shattered. The ponies ran over to the object to see that it was moving, they saw that it was wearing clothes and it stood on two feet. It looked strikingly similar to an earth pony stallion only that it’s body was very fair and the only hair the was on it was on top of it’s head. The creature grabbed it’s head in pain and looked at the group of mare’s who had looks of confusion and fear on their faces. “What the-” he was cut off as he felt something hard hit his head, the creature fell to the ground unconscious. The ponies saw that a purple dragon was holding a rather large book in his claws over the creature’s head. Twilight instantly turned to Discord who had the same look of confusion as they had. “Discord! What did you do?” Twilight asked as she narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know! I’ve never seen anything like that thing before!” he said in surprise. Applejack glared at the beat with daggers in her eyes. “He ain’t lying.” She said in a serious tone. “Still, he shouldn’t have-” she was cut off as the god of chaos made himself scarce. Fluttershy walked over to the odd creature and put her hand on his head, the creature let out a groan of pain. “It’s still alive. We need to get it to a hospital.” Fluttershy said in a worried voice. “Right!” Rainbow and Applejack ran over and put the creatures arm over their shoulders. “Jeez this thing is heavy.” Dash complained as they lugged him towards a hospital with the rest of their friends in pursuit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Five hours earlier. Isaac, a twenty-one year old college student with short brown hair was listening to his music and lounging on his bed. He didn’t have many friends, mostly kept to himself, he preferred not to have an impact on anybody’s lives too much for fear that he might screw something up. The only things that kept Isaac company was his music, books and video games. His phone began to ring and vibrate in his pocket, he lifted the devise to his ear and pressed the talk button. “Hello?......Hey what’s up?..........Pool hall?....No thanks man. I have a lot of work to do, maybe some other time......Yeah, sorry.....Say hi to Allie for me. See ya later.” He said as he hung up the phone, he thanked god that he was a master in the art of bull shitting. Mason and Allie were his only ‘real’ friends outside of the barrage of random faces that he saw every day at school and work. He liked to hang out with his friend but....he always felt inferior to them. Mason was taller, faster, stronger, smarter, better looking and always got the girls. Isaac himself was fairly strong and could at least keep up with his friend for a good five minutes before falling behind, he considered himself a nice guy but, he never really liked to be social. Allie was a friend he’d made in high school, she was pretty average in his book, she was short, had jet black hair that only went down to her shoulders and always had the best outlook on life. He turned over on his side and tried to block out the thought’s by blasting his music into his ear drums in hopes of drowning out the voices. Isaac got to his feet and decided to go for a walk down the road. He threw on a jet black T-shirt over his guinea tee, he completed his ensemble with a black hoodie. He grabbed his phone and I-pod with him to keep himself busy, as he left his home he quickly grabbed his survival knife. Isaac lived in a heavily wooded area that and teeming with wolves and bears, he knew that it was better to always be armed out in the wilderness. Isaac had moved there around two years ago, to get away from the flooding he had had to deal with whenever they got a bad rainstorm. As he walked through the woods listening to his I-pod he noticed that it began to rain. He liked the rain, the feeling of it against his skin and the smell of the wet earth just after a down pour. He continued onward until he noticed that he had stumbled onto a wolf den and the adults began to growl at him and bare their teeth. “Shit!” he yelled as he tried to back away from the group. The wolves gave chase and the boy was running for his life. He stopped as he came to the cliffs edge that over looked a pond, the drop was at least fifty feet and he had no idea how shallow the bottom of the lake was. He looked up at the sky to see that the rain had vanished and that a rainbow was forming. Isaac looked ahead to see the wolves starting to converge on him, he backed away from the wolves causing his right foot slip. As he fell his life started to flash before his eyes. He thought that he saw the water glow like a flash light, he felt himself hit a very hard surface. Isaac opened his eyes to see that he was sitting on a wooden floor, as he tried to stand he noticed that he saw a group of strange colored creatures staring at him in surprise. “What the-” he then felt a blunt object hit his head and everything faded to black. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac’s eyes shot open to see a white ceiling above him. He glanced around the room to see what looked like a hospital bed and a small nightstand sitting next to him. He looked to his right to see that his arm was hooked up to an I.V. bag and a heart monitor. I’m alive? He thought as he put his face in his palms as he tried to remember what happened the previous day. Okay...I got home...I went for a walk....got chased by wolves....and....I fell off that cliff. Must be at St. Mary’s Hospital. He looked under the covers to see that his clothes were still on his body. He got to his feet and stood up, making sure not to yank the tube from his arm. He looked around the room and saw that there were no windows of any kind. He looked up at the corner of the room to see a camera watching him. “What the hell?” he said as he walked towards the door. “Locked, typical.” He reached into his pocket to feel that his knife, I-pod, wallet and phone were missing. “Great. Now what?” he tried banging against the door but no one answered. He looked at the I.V. tube and had a thought. “Looks like I’ll have to pull a James Bond move.” He sat back down on the bed and gently removed the needle from his arm. Isaac kept the medical tape over the wound to prevent bleeding. He walked over to the door and slipped the needle end into the lock and began to jimmy it. He kept his ear close to the door and he heard a satisfying click. “Success! Thank you Sean Connery!” he said as he turned the nob. The door opened, he poked his head out to see that the hallway was deserted. He zipped up his jacket and threw his hood over his head and walked down the long white hallway. As he came to the end of the hall way he noticed that there was a bright sign with ‘exit’ spelled across the door. He tried to turn the nob “Locked. Now what?” He looked up to see a ventilation shaft. “Seriously?” he let out a sigh and got on top of the hospital counter, he the took off the end and lifted himself into the small duct. “Good thing I’m not Mason right now.” He army crawled his way through the duct until he saw a light come from the end of the shaft, he looked down to see another white tiled floor. He began to kick the edge until if fell to the floor. Isaac hopped down into a white 20 x 20 room. The walls collapsed to reveal a massive hall with humanoid like creatures staring at him. They looked human, but at the same time they weren't. They stood on two legs had arms and a tail coming from their lower backs. Some of them had wings sprouting from their back or horns sticking out of their foreheads. Their skin color was like something out of a crayon box, one was purple, another was orange and one was lightish blue with rainbow hair. From their physique they appeared to be female. Isaac then noticed the tallest one of the group had snow white skin, equipped with wings and a horn. She was sporting a crown that laid upon her flowing sparkling hair that seemed to move while there was clearly no wind blowing and had a long flowing white dress. She easily stood at eight feet tall and towered over his 5’8” stature. She approached the cage and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “So this is the THING you found?” she asked as the purple girl walked up next to her, she was wearing a dark purplr blouse with a brown skirt the twent to her knees. “Yes, Princess.” she one answered. Isaac saw something reflecting the light in front of him, he walked closer to them and saw that he was in a glass cage. He put his hand on the surface, the creatures looked at him in confusion and tilted their heads. “I think this is one of Discord’s pranks. Even though he claimed that he’s never seen anything like it before.” “Hey! I really don’t appreciate being called IT.” Isaac said as he started to frown. “It-..He can talk?” Celestia said in surprise. “Nice job captain obvious.” He said in a sarcastic tone. “Who are you guys and why am I here?” he asked in a demanding tone. The taller white one stepped closer to the glass and looked down at him. “My apologies. My name is Princess Celestia, I’m the reigning monarch of Equestria.” she said in a calm tone. “What’s Equestria?” “The name of this country. You must not be from around here.” “What gave it away? My pasty color, my lack of wings or a horn? Take your pick.” The large woman frowned at him. “Sorry. What are all of you?” “We are ponies.” The lavender girl answered. “Ponies?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Yes.” “But, you have a horn and she has wings.” He said as he pointed to Rainbow that was sporting a hoodie and was standing off to the side. “I’m a unicorn and she’s a Pegasus.” She answered. Isaac’s eye twitched and he fell on the floor in a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?” “Oh man! You guys really had me going there! Who put you up to this? Mason? Allie?” he said through the laughter. “This is no joke.” “Yeah right. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you’re a unicorn and she’s a Pegasus? I must be on Punk’d, wheres Ashton Kutcher?” he said as he looked around the room. The women looked at each other in surprise. “I must say though, very realistic costumes. Where’d you get them?” “This is serious!” the purple girl yelled. “Wait...Aren’t unicorns able to do magic?” Twilight nodded. “How about if you show me some then I’ll believe you.” He said still laughing. Twilight looked at her mentor with a raised eyebrow. She nodded and her horn began to glow. Isaac felt himself being lifted off the ground and being tossed around like a toy by and invisible force. “Hey what the hell is going on?” “You asked me to demonstrate. Believe us now?” “FINE WHAT EVER! JUST PUT ME BACK DOWN!” he yelled. The glow from Twilight’s horn extinguished as he was lowered down on to the ground, he was breathing heavily as he got to his feet. Isaac saw that five more creatures had appeared, including the light blue one. Each a different color they all looked female. “Okay. Let’s say I buy the whole pony thing. What do you want with me?” “Just to talk.” Celestia said calmly. “Well, no offense, but I’m a bit hungry and I’d prefer to have a chat over some lunch. I would also like to be let out of this cage. If this is how you treat your guests then I’d hate to see what you do to your enemies.” He said as he crossed his arms. Twilight looked at her mentor who had an eyebrow raised. She turned to her student and nodded her head. The large woman’s horn began to glow and the cage disappeared. “Thank you.” He said as he stepped forward. “Follow me.” The tall woman ordered. Isaac pulled his hood back and followed her, he glanced from side to side to see the other ponies surround him. He was catching some nasty looks from the blue and orange girl who was sporting a Stetson hat and a leather vest, while the yellow winged Pegasus seemed to be afraid of him. The pink one kept giggling to herself for some reason, he kept feeling the white unicorns gaze on him. “What?” he asked as he looked at the unicorn. “I was just wondering where you got your attire.” She said as she ran her eyes over him. “At Walmart.” “What is a Walmart?” “It’s a convenience store where I buy clothes, food and other items.” “Well, you certainly have.....interesting taste.” She said as she eyed his jacket. Isaac rolled his eyes and kept quiet until they reached the dinning hall. They all took their seats, waiters soon arrived carrying plates of fresh food. He didn’t care what he was eating all he knew was that he was hungry. After he had had his fill he sat up straight and looked at the creatures. “Thank you. You held up your end of the bargain and now I’ll hold up mine. What do you want to know?” “Well, first off, who and what are you?” “My name is Isaac and I’m human.” The ponies jaws dropped at this statement. “Y-you’re a human?” Twilight asked. “Yeah. Why?” “Well, it looks like we owe Lyra twenty bits.” Rainbow whispered to Applejack. “How old are you?” Celestia asked. “Twenty-one.” “I see. How did you get here?” “Don’t know. One minute I’m falling off a cliff and the next I land in a library surrounded by these guys.” He said as he pointed to the other mares. “Strange.” She commented. “You’re telling me. Now it’s my turn for some questions, who are all of you?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” The lavender mare said. “Rainbow Dash.” “Applejack.” “F-Fluttershy.” she said in a timid tone. “Rarity.” “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pink one said in a happy tone. “Nice to meet you all and thanks for dragging my sorry ass to a hospital.” He said with a nod. The ponies returned the gesture. “Which brings me to another question, what was up with that whole fake hospital scene?” “That was for your treatment. I’m surprised that you managed to unlock the door.” Celestia said. “Humans have a habit for getting out of difficult situations.” He said as he put his arms back. “We found these things in your pockets.” Celestia said as he levitated his missing items. “We recognized the wallet and knife but what are these things?” she said as she levitated his I-pod and cell phone over to him. Isaac took the items and displayed the phone. “This is an I-phone. It’s a way for humans to talk to one another over long distances.” The ponies looked at him in surprise. “This is an I-pod, another device that allows us to listen to music whenever we want.” “Oh so they’re like a P-pod and P-phone.” Twilight said. He started to chuckle at the statement. “Yeah...what ever you say.” He said as he rolled his eyes. He put the items back in his pocket. “Can I have my knife back?” “Why do you have this?” Celestia said as she levitated the knife. “Back home I have to deal with some.....unfortunate pests.” “Care to elaborate?” “Wolves. I take that with me for protection.” He heard the yellow Pegasus squeak in fear. “I’ve never had to use it. ‘Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.’ An old saying by one of my people.” Celestia levitated the knife and handed it over to him. Isaac put the knife in it’s sheath and the wallet in his pocket. “Well, now that we’re all aquatinted let’s get down to how I’m getting back home.” “We don’t know what brought you here.” Twilight interjected. “So I’m stuck here until you can find out how and then reverse it?” “Yes.” Isaac face palmed at the answer. “So what do I do until then?” “You will go with Twilight and the others to Ponyville.” Celestia answered. “WHAT!” they all yelled in shock. “It only makes sense. Twilight will look after you while I search for a way to send you home.” She said as she looked at her pupil. “Twilight do you still have the guest room in the library?” “Yeah but-” “Then it’s decided.” “I’m not to sure about this your highness.” He said as he looked at the staring ponies. “Well, I can always put you back in that cage.” She said in a joking tone. “No thanks.” He said quickly. “What about money? I doubt the eighty bucks I have in my wallet will count for anything here.” Celestia levitated a small pouch with some odd coins inside of it over to him. “Well, that answers that question....what’s the currency called anyway?” “Bits.” “Thank you Princess.” He said with a smile. “Your welcome. I will send Twilight a message when I have found a solution, until then enjoy your stay.” “Are there any special rules I need to follow?” “I’m sure Twilight and her friends will explain them to you, if you have any questions then feel free to ask her.” She said as she got to her feet and walked away. The group did the same. Isaac put the small bag of bits in his pocket and followed the group of mares outside the grand dinning hall. As he rounded a corner he was grabbed by two sets of hands that forced him against the wall, he opened his eyes to see the orange and blue women with cross looks on their faces. “Can I help you two with something?” he breathed out. “Look here mister! Just because yer a guest here doesn’t mean you’re invincible. If you do anything to hurt Twi or another one of our friends Ah’ll beat you so hard that you’ll feel it eighty years form now! Ya hear?” the orange on bellowed in a thick southern accent. Isaac put his hand on the mare’s wrist that was holding his neck and he started to squeeze it. He forced the hand off his throat and began to talk. “Look cowgirl. I don’t know what your deal is, but trust me if I had wanted to hurt you or your friends you can bet your ass I would’ve already tried too. I just want to get back home, that’s it. So for the remainder of my visit I suggest we at least try to get along. Okay?” he said as he let her hand go. She started to rub the sore spot as Rainbow had let him go and he was now standing up straight. “Fine.” She said as she spat into her palm and offered it to him. Isaac did the same motion and the two shook hands. “Good to know that somethings are universal.” He said in a stagnant tone. “Are you guys coming or not?” Twilight said as she looked back at them. “We’ll be right there!” Rainbow yelled. She then turned back to Isaac and made the ‘I’m watching you’ expression with her two fingers. Isaac rolled his eyes as she took flight and went after her friends. Applejack stayed beside him in case he tried to make a break for it. As they made it outside Isaac put his hood over his head and tried to blend with the group. They arrived at the train station and boarded. Isaac took a final breath as he entered the train, bound for the small town. Author's Note My first human in Equestria fic! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 6: Truth or Dare?Chapter 6 Truth or Dare? Isaac sat alone at a bar sipping an auburn liquid from his small shot glass. He looked up at the old bartender and ordered another round. He let out a heavy sigh as a girl, brunette, 5’7” and vivid green eyes took the stool next to him. “How can I help ya miss?” “I’ll take a shot of Jack if you don’t mind.” “Coming right up.” He said as he finished up Isaacs order. The woman looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. “Rough day?” “You could say that.” He said as he slammed the drink back. “If you keep drinking like that then you’ll get sick.” “So?” “Fine go ahead and drink yourself into an early grave.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “That’s the plan.” He said as he took another drink. “What’s your name?” She asked as she sipped her drink. “It’s Isaac. Isaac-” Was all he got out before noticing that the girls physical features had drastically changed. Her once dark hair had turned grey, her deep green eyes had turned jet black and blood was beginning to pour out of her mouth. Isaac screamed in horror as the bar around him began to collapse. He felt the creature tugging on his arm preventing his escape. Isaac shot out of his hospital bed covered in sweat and panting heavily. He looked down to see that his hands were violently shaking. Calm down. JUST KEEP IT TOGETHER! His thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. “Who is it?” “It’s Nurse Red Heart with Twilight and her friends.” “Hang on a second.” He said as she put the uncomfortable gowned back on his body. He sat on his bead and took another moment to collect himself. “Okay come in.” The door opened to reveal the six mares with smiled on their faces. “Hey Isaac how-” Twilight noticed his pale face and obvious signs of sweat. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, bad dream that’s all.” He said as he wiped his brow. “What’s up?” “We brought you some clothes to change into.” Rarity said as she laid some clothes on the bed. “Thanks.” The mares then started to leave one by one. “We’ll let you get changed.” Twilight said as she turned towards the door. He nodded and noticed that Rainbow was giving him a weak grin as she left. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the two scars on his back. Isaac threw on the garments to see that it was a deep blue T-shirt with black trim, the pants felt like blue jeans only lighter. Isaac walked over to the night stand and picked up his phone, P-pod, the book that Twilight had lent him and the feather Rainbow had given him. He slipped the feather inside the book so it wouldn’t get damaged on his return trip. He walked out of the room to see the mares waiting patiently in the lobby. The mares smiled at him and got to their feet. The group walked through the doors and made their way back into town. “How are you feeling?” Twilight asked. “A lot better then I was.” He said with a smile. Twilight leaned her head close to his and whispered. “Are you and Rainbow okay?” “We reached common ground.” “Oh that’s a relief. What’s the agreement?” “She never leaves me on a cloud again and she owe’s me a favor.” “A favor?” “She said I could ask her for one thing and she’d do it without hesitation.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the agreement and let out a sigh. Rarity glanced at her watch and her eyes shrank. “Terribly sorry darling but I have to get back to the shop, I must get this order done for a client.” She said with a smile as she hurried back to her shop. “Crap! I’m on weather duty this morning, I’ll see ya later.” Rainbow said as she took flight. “I gotta get back to Sugar Cube Corner, we’re getting a new shipment of flour today YAY!” Pinkie took off like a bullet towards the bakery. “Ugh! Today is re-shelving day at the library.” Twilight said as she and the dragon teleported from his sight. He looked at the yellow Pegasus who flinched and quickly flew off. “Was it something I said?” He asked as he looked at Applejack. “Fluttershy is still adjusting to the fact that you’re a meat eater. Since she takes care of animals and what not.” Isaac nodded as he looked at the mare. “Oh I see. Need some help at the farm?” “Sure. If yer up for it that is.” “Relax my leg is as good as new.” He said as he gave it a tap. “Well, all right. Just don’t hurt yer self. Here, Twi asked me to keep an eye on this for ya.” She said as she tossed him his knife. “Thanks.” He said as he slipped it in his pocket. Isaac noticed that she was sporting her signature Stetson hat along with short denim shorts and a orange flannel shirt. The two continued down the road in silence until they got to the apple farm. The two began to pick the red fruit the “So you have apple trees where you come from?” “Oh yeah, hundreds of them. The first tree I planted was an apple tree.” The orange mare looked up at him in surprise. “Really? You’ve planted trees?” “Yeah. Theres a program on Earth that is dedicated to the preservation of plant life.” He said as he tossed a few apples into the bucket. “What’s Earth?” “Oh, sorry. That’s the name of my planet.” “What’s it like there?” “Can’t complain.” “Is it nice?” She asked. “Crystal blue water covers nearly the entire surface. Snow capped mountains that punch holes in the clouds and rocks big enough to level a house.” “Sounds beautiful.” She said in a curious tone. “Yeah but if you’re not careful it can kill you.” He said as he began to walk with the mare back to the house. “Same goes for here.” She said with a chuckle. “Well, besides me falling from the sky nothing scary has happened to me.” “Just wait. Every once in a while something happens that needs fixing.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “I hope to go home before something like that happens.” He said in a light hearted tone. Applejack lowered her head and looked at him with a sad look on her face. “What’s the matter?” “Yah wanna go home that badly huh?” “Look, it’s like I said yesterday. Your place is here and my place is back home.” “It’s just that.....it sounds like you don’t like being here.” She said as she lowered her head. Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile. “Hey, I’ll miss all of you when I go.” “Ah guess ah was being selfish, ya probably got all sorts of human friends back home.” “No. Not really.” He said in a low tone. “Really? Why?” “I’m not much of a socialite back home.” “What about a mare friend?” She asked as a small blush rose to her cheeks. “A what?” “A special somepony.” “Oh, you mean a girlfriend. No, I don’t have one. Why?” “Just curious how human society works.” She said in a nervous voice. Isaac shrugged and the two continued to work on the farm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deep in the Canterlot archives the royal sisters along with Discord began sifting through the priceless collection of knowledge. Luna went off on her own while Celestia kept one eye on her book and the other on the god of chaos. Discord ignored the sun goddess’ observations as he continued to look through the archives. As he noticed a small chest sitting on a pedestal Celestia made a loud coughing noise. Discord looked back at the Princess who cast him an icy glare. “Will you stop looking at me like that.” “I’m making sure you’re not looking at something that-” “That what? Could possibly destroy Equestria? Honestly Tia it hurts that you don’t trust me.” Celestia glared at him as she slammed her book shut. “Fine, be like that. I’m going for a walk.” He said as he vanished in a cloud of smoke. Celestia rolled her eyes and continued to look through the seemingly endless array of books. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac and Applejack were on the last row of trees, as they moved to the next tree Applejack let out a sigh as she looked at the last tree. “What’s wrong?” “This is the tallest tree in the orchard and guess where the apples are.” “At the top?” “At the top.” She said as Isaac began to walk towards it. “What do ya think yer doing?” “Getting the apples, I thought that’s what my job was.” “No way, no how am I letting you climb again after ya got out of the hospital this morning.” She said as she pressed her pointer finger into his chest. “I’ll get them.” “No offense Jackie, but I have a bit more experience when it comes to climbing.” He said as the mare glared at him. “I’ll get them, just you watch.” She said as she walked over to the trunk and tried to lift herself onto the first branch. “Need some help?” He asked with a smirk on his face. The orange mare let out a low growl and nodded. Isaac walked over to the mare and put his hands on her hips, the mare blushed as she felt the human lifted her up. “Can you reach the branch?” “Almost. Just a little more.” She said as she outstretched her arms. Isaac wrapped his arms around her legs and hoisted her higher. Isaac felt the mares tail brush against the back of his neck. “All right Ah’ got it.” She said as she lifted herself onto the branch. Isaac felt himself as he looked up at the mare’s flank that seemed to hug to her denim shirts. “I’ll be right back, be ready fro the apples when ah toss em down to ya.” Isaac nodded and got the barrel ready. As he watched the mare climb higher and higher into the tree his mind began to wander. I guess she is good at climbing after all, she definitely has the body for it. Don’t even THINK about it! About what? You know what! I can’t give her a compliment? You know what I mean, she’s a horse thing! What will happen when you go home? What? I think of AJ as a FRIEND nothing more and ‘when’ is looking more like an ‘if.’ I could be trapped here for the rest of my life. That doesn’t scare you? Why should it? The ponies here are kind and it’s a nice change of pace from the assholes back home. THEY ARE NOT HUMAN! Someone has their racist settings on high today! ....... Look all I’m saying is if we are going to be stuck here we might as well make the best of it. The thought of even dating- UGH! AJ is just a friend and- “You okay down there?” Isaac snapped out to f the trance to see that Applejack was near the top of the tree. “Yeah, just staring off into space.” “You were staring at me.” “You were just in the way.” He said as he tried to lie. “What ever, ready for the apples?” Isaac nodded and held up the bucket. The mare started to toss down the apples one by one into the crate. Isaac felt like she was making him run around on purpose as she threw a few out of his reach. She chuckled as a few hit his head causing him to stumble. Isaac shook his head as she covered her laughter. “Al right I’m coming down.” She said as she started to descend. Isaac put the barrel down and watched as the orange mare slowly made her way through the branches. “Be careful and watch your footing.” He said as the mare looked down to him. “Ah know. I ain’t-” She was cut off as she lost her grip and began to fall towards the ground. Isaac quickly positioned himself in her way and cushioned her fall. Isaac felt the mare collide with his chest and his back hit the ground. As he opened his eyes to see that the mares face was less than two centimeters away. Applejacks face was bright red as she felt the humans nose touch her own. As she moved her leg she felt that her inner thigh was pressing against his stiffening member. The two stared into each others eyes for what felt like an eternity. “Um, could you take your hand off me?” Isaac snapped back to reality and noticed that his hand was connecting with her ample breast. He quickly withdrew his hand and got to his feet. “Sorry, the way you landed was-” “No need to apologize, it was an accident.” She said as she tried to hide her blush. Isaac helped her to his feat as he adverted his eyes away from the mare. “We should probably get these apples back to the barn.” “Good idea.” He said as he picked up the crate. The two made their way back to the barn in silence. Applejack pulled the brim down over her face. Isaac kept looking forward refusing to make any sort of eye contact with the mare. As they made it into the barn an awkward silence fell between the two. “Let’s just pretend that never happened.” She said breaking the silence. “What never happened?” “Exactly.” She said as she handed him a few bits. “Ah can handle the rest by myself. You can go.” “Sure, see you later.” He said as he quickly walked away from the farm with his blush still present. Applejack went into the farm house and laid on her bed, she pulled her hat tight over her face and grunted in frustration. “Damn you hormones.” She said as she chewed on the brim. As Isaac passed the final apple tree and made his way down the road, he didn’t notice a pair of yellow eyes forming on the tree and a smug grin creep across the bark. Isaac made his way past the edge of town and into a small cut out of the forest. He laid back onto a tree that was next to a crystal blue pool. He looked into the small pool to see fish swimming around in it. Isaac’s stomach let out a growl of hunger. He had an idea and began collecting some wood. He withdrew his knife and sharpened the tip of a nearby stick. He rolled up his pants to his knee and removed his shoes as he stepped into the water. He remained still as he saw some fish inspect his feet, he let out a small breath and rammed the sharpened stick through one of the fish. “Success! Good thing I took that hunting class.” He said as he stepped out of the water and laid the fish down on a leaf, he withdrew his knife to reveal a small bit of flint and steel, he began to press the two together to ignite the small bit of kindling. He eventually had a fire going and started to roast the fish over the open fire. He let out a yawn as he sat back against a rock and waited for his meal to finish cooking. He looked up to see a familiar cyan mare rocketing towards him. “Hey!” She said as she landed next to him. “Hey Rainbow.” He said as he smiled at the mare. “What are you doing?” She asked as she looked at the fire. “I’m about to have lunch.” He said as he took the fish off the slick and laid it on a clean leaf. He withdrew his knife and removed the head and scales. Rainbow put a hand to her mouth trying to cover her disgust. “Sorry, but humans need meat.” “Yeah, Twilight told me.” She said with a gulp. Isaac started to cut the meat off the fish and put the pieces into his mouth. “I may not be a master chef but I cook a mean fish, I’d offer you some but since you’re a vegetarian.” He said as he lifted another piece to his mouth. “Where did you get that anyway?” Isaac pointed to the pool of water, the mare looked at him in surprise. “How did you catch it?” “With the spear I made.” He said as he raised the sharpened stick. “Where did you learn to do something like that?” “I took a class on wilderness survival, they teach you how to take care of yourself if you’re ever stranded in the wilderness.” He said as he took another bite from the fish. “Could you tech me?” “To what?” “To fish.” “Why? You’re a vegetarian.” “I know but let’s say there are no edible plants around and I have to eat something, plus I wanna see how you caught that thing.” She said as she looked at the remains of the fish. “Fine, but I’m warning you it won’t be easy.” He said as he got to his feet. He took his shoes off and stepped into the water. He motioned Dash to hand him the spear, she complied and handed the implement to the human who stood as still as a statue. “What are you waiting for? They’re right there.” “Don’t rush me, this takes time and concentration.” He said as he slowly lifted the spear, a small fish was within a foot him. He brought the spear down and impaled the fish through the neck. He picked it up out of the water and showed it to the cyan mare who looked at him in amazement. He laid the fish on a rock and opened the fishes insides. “What are you doing?” “I need to clean the fish before I can eat it.” He said as he shoved his hand inside the fish and removed the guts. Rainbow turned away at the scene. “Yeah this is the grossest part of the job.” The human put the fish on a stick leaning into the flames. “You need to make sure that the fish is cooked, the fire gets all the bacteria the fish may have inside of it because you don’t know if the water is clean or not. That’s rule number one; make sure the source is clean.” He said as the fire crackled as the fluids from the animal dripped into the fire. “Once the fish has been cooked then you’re ready to eat.” He said as he removed the skin and took a bite from it. “Okay, so how about I try to catch one using the spear.” “Be my guest.” He said as he handed her the tool. Rainbow removed her shoes and stepped into the water, a small chill ran up her spine as the cold water touched her coat. She tried several times to get a fish but eventually gave up. “UGH! This is impossible!” She yelled in frustration. “This takes time and practice. It took me years of practice to get this good.” Isaac stood up and walked behind the mare and took her arm in his hands. “Hold the spear so it doesn’t cast a shadow, and be ready to strike at a moments notice.” Rainbow blushed at the humans fingers on her coat. He took her arm holding the spear and raised it over the water. “Stay there for a second.” He said as he got out of the water and walked over to a bush, he pulled a leaf off and returned to the mare still holding the position. He put the leaf down in the water and watched it float in front of them. “Try hitting the leaf.” Rainbow nodded and threw the spear at the leaf which missed by five inches. “UGH!” She said as she kicked the water, she then lost her balance and fell into the pool. “Smooth Dash.” He said with a smug grin spread across his face. “Yeah, yeah help me up.” She said as she outstretched a hand. Isaac grabbed it and felt himself being pulled into the water. He looked at the mare who was laughing at his situation. “I can’t believe you fell for that!” “Laugh it up, your lucky I took my phone and P-pod out of my pocket.” He said as he got to his feet. “Now I gotta dry this or Rarity will kill me.” He said as he took his shirt off and laid it down by the fire. Rainbow blushed at the humans upper body and got out of the water. “What’s with your wings?” “What?” Isaac pointed to her wings which were standing at full attention. Oh Crap! “I’m.....airing them out...I need to do that whenever they get wet.” “Oh, I see.” He said as he leaned against a nearby tree. Rainbow took her shirt off and laid it next to his, he noticed that she was wearing a small sleeveless black shirt that was cut off mid stomach. The fabric clung to her wet body outlining her attractive features. Isaac adverted his eyes away from the mare and felt the warm sun beginning to dry his body. Rainbow was trying to force her wings down but they remained stiff a board. “What’s wrong?” “My wings won’t go down.” She said as she tugged on the appendages. “Need some help?” Rainbows face turned crimson. “I’m assuming that the muscles are locked in place right?” “Y-yeah.” “So all you need to do is relax the muscles.” He said with a shrug. “Y-you could do that?” “I’ve taken a few massage classes, haven’t gotten a complaint since.” Rainbows mind was racing as she thought of the humans fingers running through her feathers. Rainbow nodded and sat in front of the human. Isaac cracked his fingers began to lightly press on the mares wings. Rainbow let out a surprised gasp. “Too hard?” “No, keep going.” She said as she began to lightly pant. Isaac continued applying pressure to her wings, as he moved to the tips the mare let out a light squeak in surprise. As he rolled his fingers at the tips of the wings Rainbow could feel her wings stiffen to their fullest extent. Rainbow felt her face turned bright red and felt her whole body heat up. Rainbow moved closer to him so that her tail was brushing against his lap. Isaac felt his member begin to harden. He started to move back towards the center of the mares wings and began to work in between the appendages. At this point Rainbow’s tongue was hanging out of her mouth and soft moans of pleasure began to escape her lips. “R-right there.” She said in a weak voice. Isaac began to press his thumbs in the pressure point. Rainbow let out a cry of pleasure as the human increased his pressure and speed. Rainbow’s breathing increased and tilted her head back allowing the warm sun to hit her face. Her wings let out a single vibration and went limp against her back. Rainbow began to slow her breathing. She looked back at the human to see that his cheeks were tinted red. She quickly got to her feet and put her dry shirt back on. “Um thanks.” She said as she tried to hide her blush. “No problem.” “Can we keep this between us?” She said in a nervous tone. “Sure, I guess.” He said in confusion. “Thanks, I gotta go.” “Think you could give me a hand with the fire?” He said as he pointed to a bed of coals. “Last thing I need is a forest fire on my hand.” Rainbow nodded and pulled a small storm cloud down from the sky, she kicked it and a small downpour extinguished the bed of coals. “Thanks. I’d better get out of here soon too.” “Why?” “The smell from the fish has probably attracted every animal in the area and are probably closing in on us.” He said as he looked around. Rainbow nodded and took flight away from the human. Isaac looked down to see that his pants had pitched a tent. He quickly jabbed himself in the thigh with his fist, causing the tent to slowly collapse. What was that about them being just friends? Shut up! It was circumstantial nothing more. Sure it was, you’re getting too attached to these things! SHUT UP! He thought as he packed up the second fish he caught in a clean leaf. Isaac made his way back to the small town. As he walked away from the smoldering fire a few coals started to move into the shape of a sly smile. He came across a small cottage and a familiar yellow Pegasus with some small animals standing around her. Oh it’s......Fluttershy? Yeah that’s it. As she saw him approach she cringed back in fear. “Hey.” He said as he threw on a weak smile. She gave no response and started to tremble. “Look, I know that you’re scared that I might try to eat one of your animal friends but I won’t.” “R-really?” “Yes, I may be a meat eater but I can control myself when I need to.” He said as he shrugged. “I’m sorry.” She said in a timid voice. “It’s all right. I realize you’re still getting used to me being here and all.” he said as he scratched his head. “Your names Fluttershy right?” “Y-yes and you’re Isaac right?” The human nodded. He noticed that the small animals began to scurry around Fluttershy and that a small white rabbit was tugging at her tail. “Oh! I need to give Barry his medicine.” She said as she began to follow the rabbit. The mare quickly turned to the human with a shy look in her eye. “I’m sorry to ask this and feel free to say no. Could you help me with Barry? He can be quite a handful sometimes.” “Sure. Lead the way.” He said as he followed the mare. She walked up to a cage, Isaacs eyes shrank as he saw a massive brown bare with a wound on it’s left leg. “Fluttershy! That’s a full grown bear!” “Yeah, his names Barry.” She said with a smile. Seriously? “So what’s wrong with him?” “He got stung by a manticore and I need to give him an antidote.” She said as she pulled out a pill the size of a quarter. “He hates medicine though. I need to give it to him so he can get better.” “How do you plan on doing that?” “I’ll ask him first and then-” The bear let out a roar as he saw the pill. “Um..okay then I guess that wont work.” Isaac suddenly had an idea. “Hang on, give me the pill.” Fluttershy looked at the human with a a raised eyebrow. Isaac pulled out the other fish he caught and stuffed the pill inside the fish and grinned. “Okay, open the cage.” Fluttershy complied and opened the door. “Alright pal, I got a big juicy fish here for ya.” He said as he showed the bear the drugged fish. The bear walked up to him and sniffed the human. Isaac wrapped his right hand around his knife handle as the beast smelt the fish. The bear took it form his hand and began to eat the drugged fish. Isaac motioned for Fluttershy to open the door, she quickly complied and opened the cage. Isaac slowly backed away from the bear and exited the cage. He let out a heavy sigh as he sat down on the ground. “That was wonderful! How did you know what to do?” “Whenever my dog got sick I wrapped the pill in peanut butter and he ate it right up. Oldest trick in the book.” He said with a smirk. “Where did you get that fish?” “You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer too.” He said in a nervous voice. “Good point.” She said in a nervous voice. “You mentioned you had a dog, what’s it’s name.” “Scout. His name was Scout, he’s in a better place now.” He said in a low tone. Fluttershy instantly wrapped her wing around him. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have asked.” She said as she looked down “It’s fine.” “Was he a good dog?” “The best. Always was sniffing around searching for stuff.” He said with a laugh. “He was a bit on an idiot, but he was my idiot.” Fluttershy put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak smile. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work.” Isaac said as he got to his feet. “Okay, see you around.” She said with a smile. Isaac returned the gesture and made his way back towards the library. The human felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the screen to see that Lotus was calling him. “Hey Lotus what’s up?” Nothing much. Listen my sister and I need a hand tomorrow at the shop. “Um...Okay, but I’m not a certified masseuse.” We need a hand putting some things away, we’re getting a new shipment in and we need some help with the boxes. We’ll be sure to pay you for it. “Fine by me, when should I meet you two?” Our shop opens at nine o’clock. Don’t be late. “Deal, see you tomorrow then.” Isaac said as he hung up the phone. He looked up to see that he had made it to the library. Isaac opened the door to see Twilight and Rarity conversing with one another. “Hey Isaac.” Twilight said with a smile. “Hello darling.” Rarity said as she waved. “Hey guys, what’s up?” “Just going over plans for tonight.” Twilight said as she looked at a checklist. “What’s special about tonight?” “Twilight is hosting a small get together for our other friends, since you interrupted the last one we had.” She said in an annoyed tone. “So a slumber party?” “No, no one is sleeping over it’s just a small party with the other girls.” Twilight explained. “Oh, I see.” “We’d like it if you joined.” Twilight said with a smile. “Will there be alcohol?” “Yeah.” “I’m there. I’m just gonna take a nap.” He said as he walked upstairs. “That’s fine, everyone should be here by eight.” Twilight said as she returned to her checklist. Isaac laid down on his bed, spreading his legs and arms out. He let out a sigh as he felt his muscles relax from the long day. Isaac heard a loud knock on the door, stirring him from his sleep. “Hey, everyone is here, hurry up or you’ll miss all the fun.” Twilight said as she opened the door. “I’ll be down in a minute.” He said as he got to his feet. Isaac made his way downstairs to see the six mares sitting on the couch. He nodded at them and gave a quick smile. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity and Twilight returned the gesture while Applejack adverted her eyes trying to hide her blush and Rainbow started to whistle a small tune. Isaac sat down next to the yellow mare and the group began conversing. Isaac kept quiet until Spike walked up to him. “Sup man?” He said as they bumped fists. “I found out the authors Rarity likes.” “Good.” He looked around the group to see that they were fully engrossed with one another. “Let’s go somewhere a bit less crowded.” The dragon nodded and the two went into the kitchen. Isaac leaned against the counter and looked at the dragon. “So you found her favorite book?” “Yeah, it’s called ‘Fifty Shades of Hay.’ I started to read it but theres some weird stuff in there.” He said as his body shivered at the memory. “Define weird.” Isaac asked as he raised an eyebrow. The dragon left the room and picked up a copy off the bookshelf. He handed the book to Isaac who began to read the book, he opened up to a random page and read the first paragraph. He suddenly closed the book. “Okay, I did NOT see that coming.” “Yeah me either.” “Find out anything less.....disturbing?” “Well, she likes art.” “Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Have you talked to her about it?” “No, every time I try I always step over my words. I guess I’m too nervous.” He said as he hung his head. “Hey relax, I know plenty of guys that do the same thing when they meet someone they really like.” “Really?” “Yeah, we just need to find a way to make you act less nervous.” He said as he began to scratch his chin. “I think I’ve got- GAH!” He yelled as he felt a par of hands grab his shoulders and pull him into the other room. His gaze fell upon a pink mare with a huge grin on her face. “C’mon you guys it’s time for some games.” She said as the two sat down and the group formed a circle. Isaac sat in between Rainbow and Applejack who refused to make eye contact with him. “Okay, everypony it’s time for Truth or Dare.” Twilight said with a grin. Seriously? Isaac thought as he rolled his eyes. He noticed that Spike hadn’t joined and was sitting in the corner. Twilight summoned an empty bottle and placed it in the center of the group, she gave it a spin and the opened end landed on Applejack. “Okay Applejack Truth or Dare?” “Truth.” “Who was.....your first kiss?” Applejack blushed at the statement. “Ah....Ah never kissed anypony before.” She said as her blush increased. “Really? Wow, I thought you’d at least have a colt friend by now.” Rainbow said as she looked at her friend. “Well, ah haven’t! So there!” She yelled as the blush increased. “Take it easy AJ. Theres nothing wrong with it, I was just surprised.” Applejack let out a huff and spun the bottle, coincidentally it landed on her blue feathered friend. “All right lil Ms. Smart mouth. Truth or Dare?” “Dare!” She said in a cocky tone. “Ah dare ya to tell us about yer first kiss.” “Pfft, that all? Fine, I was in Jr. Flight camp and I accidentally flew into this really cute colt. Light blue coat, strong arms and deep blue eyes. I was testing out a new trick when he got in my way. We collided and I ended on top of him, I guess I had a thick skull because he was unconscious. I saw an opportunity and I took it.” She said with a smug grin. “Wow, who knew you were so sneaky.” Pinkie interjected. “Oh yeah. I’m always the dominant one.” She said as she put her hands behind here head. “That wasn’t the case this afternoon.” A deep voice said. The group looked around at one another until a single book flopped in front of the group. Suddenly the book flew open and a familiar being appeared before them. “Hello gang!” Discord said in a half mocking tone. “What are you doing here Discord?” Twilight spat out as she narrowed her eyes. “I was just in the neighborhood and I couldn’t help overhear Rainbow’s little lie.” He said as he looked at the cyan mare, who’s face turned crimson. “You see, our favorite speed demon had an intimate moment with our guest from another dimension.” The ponies looked at Isaac who had a confused look on his face. “What are you talking about? All I did was give her a massage because her muscles were strained.” “You what? You don’t know, do you? Priceless!” He said as he fell to the floor in laughter. “That’s enough Discord now git!” Applejack said as she got to her feet. “Oh please Applejack like you’re one to talk. Considering what happened in the orchard today.” Applejacks face turned bright red and pulled her hat over her head to hide her blush. “Well, I best be off before Tia wonders where I’ve been. Arrivederci.” He said as he vanished from their sight. The group became silent and their eyes drifted over to the three blushing individuals. “Isaac. What did he mean by those things?” Twilight asked as she stared him down. “Nothing happened. Applejack fell on top of me while she was picking some apples and Rainbow’s wings got locked in place, so I massaged them so they'd fall back in place. That’s it.” The mares all looked at Rainbow who hid her face. “Oh my Luna Rainbow did you pomf in front of him?” Rarity said as she face plamed. “NO! I mean maybe. I don’t know! Mind your own business!” She yelled as he blush increased. “What is going on? You guys are acting like a Pegasi’s wings are some sort of erogenous zo-” He was cut off as he connected the dots in his mind. “Oh my god. That wasn’t a muscle lock was it?” He said as he looked at the cyan mare who nodded in agreement. “You tricked me into relieving your wing boner.” “It only happened because my cycle is starting tomorrow!” “That doesn’t give ya an excuse to use him like that.” Applejack commented. “Oh yeah? Well, what about what happened in the orchard today?” She said as he r eyes narrowed. “Nothing, just like he said. Ah fell on top of him and we landed awkwardly.” “Care to elaborate?” Applejacks face turned bright red. “Mah breast....ended up in his hand and our faces....were less than an inch away.” The mares all looked at Isaac who had covered his face in his right palm. “You got to second base with AJ?” Rainbow asked. “Shut up Dash.” He said as he got to his feet. “I’m getting the booze, anyone else want some?” The mares raised their hand and Isaac walked back into the kitchen. Twilight and the others then converged on the two blushing mares. “Rainbow how could you? Applejacks situation is understandable, but you knowingly took advantage of him.” Rarity spat out. “I was gonna tell him after he finished!” “Well, was he any good?” Pinkie asked. “Yeah, he was good.” She said as her blush increased. Isaac returned with two large bottles of liquor and eight glasses. “Spike you want any?” Isaac asked as he looked at the dragon. “No thanks.” Isaac shrugged and put the eighth glass back. He poured the glasses and handed them to the mares. ß“I recommend we get back to the game and change the subject.” He said as he slammed the drink back. His eyes shrank as the auburn liquid connected with his tongue. “Wow, that’s got a hell of a kick!” “Eeyup, family recipe.” Applejack said with a smile. As the night progressed the dares got a little more raunchy and the secrets began to spill out. Spike eventually got bored and made his way upstairs. “That’s why I’m no longer allowed to go to Las Pegasus.” Rarity finished. The group looked at her trying to muffle their laughter. “That is definitely a new meaning for banana pudding.” Applejack said through the laughter. “Laugh it up Applejack, it’s my turn.” She spun the bottle which landed on Isaac. “Truth or Dare?” “After what you just said, I’ll play it safe and chose dare.” He said as he lifted the drink to his lips. “I dare you to kiss Applejack.” The human almost chocked on his drink while the mare blushed profusely and glared at the unicorn. “WHAT?” Isaac yelled. “You have to do it and I’m not talking about a peck on the cheek. On the lips and lasting for one minute.” She said with a smirk. Applejack gulped and looked at the human. “I don’t see what the big deal is AJ, you’ve never been kissed and Isaac has already got to second base with you.” She said with a sly smirk. Isaac looked at the orange mare who’s face was as red as a beat. The two cast another look at the white mare who sat there holding the grin on her face. Isaac moved closer to the mare who’s heart rate began to increase. Their faces were the same shade of red as Applejack felt Isaacs lips connect with her own. Applejack closed her eyes as she felt her body heat up and her heart rate increased. She had almost lost all control as she moved her tongue inside of his mouth, she explored the humans unfamiliar mouth and let out a moan as she brushed her tongue across his canines. Isaac felt the mares tongue starting to explore his mouth, Isaac returned the gesture and darted his tongue inside of her mouth, she tasted like fresh apple cider. As the minute ended the two broke apart and let out a long breath. They looked back at the group who’s mouths were agate. “Well, how was it darling?” Rarity cooed. “It was....nice.” She said as she blushed. “Glad to hear it, Isaac?” “Not bad for your first time.” He said as he took a another drink. “Now it’s my turn.” He grabbed the bottle and gave it a hard spin, he slammed his hand next to it making go off course and land on the white mare. “Okay, since I’m a reasonable guy I’ll tell you what your options are before you make a decision.” The mare nodded as she raised an eyebrow. “If you chose truth, then you tell Spike how you REALLY feel about him.” The mare began to blush at the statement. “Now, if you chose dare you need to go on a date with Spike. A REAL date, go out to see a movie a simple dinner, whatever you classify as a date. Those are your options, the choice is yours.” The group of mares looked at her with a shocked look on their faces. Rarities blush brightened and gritted her teeth. “If you chose neither then I will call Spike in here and I’ll tell him myself.” “You wouldn’t!” “I so would.” “How could you possibly know how I feel?” “I’m a psych minor, I know how to read people or ponies in this case and the answer is written all over your face.” He said as he took a drink. The mare remained silent. “Suit yourself. SPIKE, Come down here for a minute.” The purple dragon came down stairs rubbing his eyes. “What?” “Rarity was-” “I was wondering if.....you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow night.” Rarity blurted out. Spike’s face turned bright red and his mouth was dry as a desert. “Umm. I-” Isaac walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “He’d love to, isn’t that right Spike.” “Y-yeah.” “Good, pick me up tomorrow at eight and don’t be late.” She said as she adverted her gaze. Spike slowly nodded his head. Rarity got to her feet and shot Isaac an icy glare. “Well, I think I’ll head home. It’s getting late and I must get a suit done for a special client. Goodbye.” She said as she slammed the door on her way out. Spike looked at Isaac who had a smug grin on his face. “Your welcome.” He said as he patted Spike on the back. “What did you just do?” Spike yelled. “I just scored you a date with your crush.” “I don’t know what to do on a date! I’ll probably mess up, or make a fool out of myself or-” “Spike! Calm down, I’ll help you out.” He said in a calm tone. “How?” “I have my ways, just leave everything to me.” He said as he poured himself another drink. Spike was about to protest but found no complaint. The dragon hurried back upstairs and went to his room. The mares looked at the human in surprise. “I can’t believe you managed to get Spike a date with Rarity. He’s been after her for years.” Twilight said getting over the shock. “If you want things to happen then you make them happen.” He looked at the clock and got to his feet. “I’m gonna turn in, I gotta help Aloe and Lotus tomorrow.” “Doing what?” Rainbow asked. “They’re getting a shipment in and they need someone to handle the heavy lifting. I’ll see you guys around.” He said as he finished his drink and made his way upstairs. “How did ya know that Rarity would agree to go on a date with Spike?” Applejack asked. “I didn’t.” He said as he made his way upstairs. As he closed the door the mares looked at one another with a nervous glance. “Well, that escalated quickly.” Rainbow said. “I think it’s best if we call it a night.” Twilight suggested. “Good idea, I’ve got weather duty in the morning so I’d better get going too.” “Likewise.” Applejack said as she got to her feet. The other mares nodded in agreement and started to leave. “Applejack hold on a minute.” Twilight said as the others left. “What’s up Twi?” “Do you have a crush on Isaac?” “What? N-no, of course not!” She said as the lavender mares eyes bore through her facade. “AJ you stink at lying.” Applejack had a defeated look on her face and hung her head down. “Ah don’t know Twi, I’m not sure if its genuine or if it’s just my cycle starting.” “I think it might be best if you avoid him for a few days. You know, until your cycle ends.” Twilight said as she put a hand on her shoulder. “Good idea. Ah need to get my head straight, that’s all.” “Just remember AJ, Isaac will have to go back eventually. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” “Ah know, thanks for looking out for me Twi.” She said as she smiled at her. “What are friends for?” Applejack gave a nod and walked out of the door. As she walked home a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. They mostly consisted of Isaac and the kiss they shared. She quickly pushed the memory out of her mind as she walked inside the farm house. A few miles away in a white cloud house Rainbow was struggling to fall asleep as she replayed the nights activities in her mind. Ugh! Why did she have to kiss him? Why do I even care? You like him. What that’s crazy he’s a completely different species then me! So? He’s not staying here forever! That remains to be seen. Just shut up. She said as she pulled the pillow over her face and tried to calm herself down. Isaac splashed cold water on his face and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His mind was raging an all out war with itself over the nights events. You fucking freak. You kissed a horse. It was a dare, nothing more! Bullshit! You liked it. It meant nothing. Doesn’t make it any better, you still did it! I’ve done worse things than kiss a girl. That thing wasn’t a girl. She’s a friend and nothing more! Yeah right. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! He yelled as he slammed his clenched fist into his face. He staggered back and saw his right eye starting to turn purple. He quickly mad his way to his room and closed the door behind him. As he laid down in his bed he pushed the voices out of his head and eventually let sleep take hold of him.
Chapter 20: Handguns and Other WeaponsChapter 20 Handguns and Other Weapons Isaac woke up to find that Fluttershy was out and about. The man poked his head out of the tent to see Twilight reading a book. Applejack and Pinkie were chatting as they stirred the pot of food over the fire. Dash was napping in a nearby tree with her arms behind her head. The human threw on a pair of long pants and a white T shirt before making his way out of the tent and into the camp. “Morning.” He said with a nod. The mares returned the gesture and continued to go about their activities. The man picked up his bowl and scooped some of the oatmeal into it. Isaac felt the fresh air enter his nose mixed with the sweet smell of cinnamon from the food. After cleaning his bowl the man walked over to his bag and withdrew his bow. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked. “I’m gonna go practice.” He said as he held up the weapon. “Fluttershy has me beat by a long shot.” He said with a chuckle. “I’m gonna need to practice if I want to improve.” “Yeah, good luck with that.” Dash said with a laugh. “Something funny Rainbow?” “Trying to beat Shy with a bow is like trying to beat me in a flying race. Can’t be done.” “Why’s that?” “Because the bow is Fluttershy’s element weapon!” Pinkie chimed. “Element weapon?” The man said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Oh right, you don’t know.” Twilight said as she perked up. “You know about the Elements of Harmony right?” “You mean the things that you used to save Luna and turn Discord into a lawn ornament?” The mare nodded. “Yeah, why?” “You see, the elements manifest themselves in different forms. For Fluttershy, it’s a bow and arrow.” Twilight explained. “You’re pulling my leg.” Isaac said in a flat tone. “No, I’m not!” Twilight said win a stern tone. “You expect me to believe that Fluttershy would use a weapon? No offense, but she looks like she wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “Ya haven’t seen her when she gets angry sugar cube.” The farmer said. “Okay fine, so what do the rest of you have?” The man asked clearly interested. “I’ve got a staff.” The Unicorn said with a smile. “Axe for me.” Applejack said with a smile. “Oh! I have a hammer!” Pinkie said with a smile. “I’ve got two awesome daggers.” Dash said with a grin. “What about Rarity?” “She’s got a whip.” Isaac nodded in seeing the white mare using the weapon. “Refresh my memory, what are the elements again. I mean their names.” Isaac said with a sigh. “Honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and magic.” Twilight clarified. “So what kind of magic do they produce?” The man asked. “The strongest kind of magic.” Isaac leaned in and cocked an eyebrow in anticipation. “Friendship.” Isaac froze for a second before letting out a loud laugh. The mares looked at one another in confusion as Twilight narrowed her eyes on the man. “Something funny?” “Sorry, it’s just that.....That has got to be the corniest thing I’ve ever heard.” He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. The mares all narrowed their gaze on him. “It sounds like something out of a kid’s T.V. show and the whole weapon thing sounds like a rip off of some MMORPG.” “A what?” Twilight asked. “A type of video game.” “Video game?” Twilight said in confusion. “It’s a game you can play on a TV or computer.” “Laugh if you must, but the magic is real. We saved Luna and beat Discord with it.” Twilight said in a defensive tone. “Sorry.” Isaac said with a shrug. “Didn’t mean to upset you guys.” “Speaking of being upset.” Twilight said as she cocked an eyebrow at the human. “Mind telling us why Fluttershy is in a sad mood?” Isaac groaned and looked back at the mares. “Long story short, she wanted to have sex with me and I declined. Simple as that.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “Why?” Dash asked. “Well, I’m sure that it was just hormones.” He said with a sigh. “Do you not think she’s pretty?” Pinkie asked. “I didn’t say that, it’s just that-” “She said that you thought you didn’t deserve us.” Dash interjected. Isaac bit his lip at the mare’s words. “Mind telling us about that?” Isaac groaned as he sat down and ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. “Mind if I ask something?” The mare gave him a reluctant nod. “Why me?” “Huh?” The group said in confusion. “Why, out of every other stallion in Equestria did you pick me to have sex with?” Isaac asked as he looked at the cyan and orange mares. “Well, you were nice, good looking and seemed like an okay guy.” Applejack answered. “Anything else? I mean you barely knew me.” He said in an accusing tone. “We knew each other for like what, a week maybe two?” “Well, I did feel kind of bad for you.” Dash said with a gulp. Isaac’s brain stopped as he processed the words. He felt his fist clenching on instinct. “You felt bad or me?” He asked in a spite filled tone. “Y-yeah. You are the only one of your kind and-” “I DON’T WANT YOUR FUCKING PITY DASH!” The man bellowed causing the mares to flinch. “I never asked for you guys to feel sorry for me.” “We’re your friends. What else are we supposed to do? Let you wallow in this cycle of misery you’ve created for yourself?” Twilight asked. “As long as it’s not pity I don’t care.” He said in a stagnant tone. “So why did you agree to have sex with us huh?” Dash asked as she flew up to the man. “You got me while I was drunk. VERY drunk. Applejack practically hogtied me and I wasn’t in a position to say no.” He said in a stagnant tone. “At least the other two were generous enough to give me a warning.” “What other two?” Dash asked. The mares all focused their gaze on the man. Isaac let out a sigh seeing that there was no point in lying to them. “Other than you and AJ, I’ve slept with two other mares.” The group looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces. “Who?” Dash asked getting angry. “Spitfire and Vinyl.” Dash connected the dots and frowned at the man. “So that’s how you got in! I knew that you did something special to get into the Wonderbolts!” Dash yelled in anger. “Hey, I didn’t ask to be put in, but Spitfire was very insistent on it.” He said with a grunt. “I was just being courteous from one military soldier to another. As to the whole sex thing, she practically forced herself on me.” “Wait, I thought that Vinyl was into mares.” Pinkie chimed. The man looked at her in confusion. “Now that I think about it, wasn’t she dating her roommate? The one with the cello.” Twilight said as she put her finger to her chin. “Octavia was her name right?” “Yeah that’s it!” Dash said. “Wait, so Vinyl is in a relationship?” Isaac asked in a surprised tone. “Darn toot’n. Those two are going on three years now.” The farmer said. The human felt sick to his stomach and stumbled to his knees before throwing up his breakfast. “You okay partner?” Applejack asked in a concerned tone. “Does your species learn to be nymphomaniacs or is it just natural?” He said in a spite filled tone. “If you don’t like how we do things then why don’t you just leave?” Twilight yelled back at the man. “Just show me the portal back to my world and I’ll gladly take it.” He said as stormed off into the jungle. “You can’t go out there, it’s dangerous!” Applejack yelled. Isaac held up his right hand and extended his middle finger back at the group as he left the campsite. Isaac went forward into the dark forest and grunted. He made his way into the thicket trying to calm the rage filled storm that was dwelling inside his mind. Isaac walked forward his leg hit something stretched across the path. He heard a snap and quickly spun around to see a log coming towards him the man instantly ducked under the large log. He heard another snap and got ready for another trap. Isaac felt something wrap around his leg and pull him up towards the tree line. The man dropped his knife as he ascended towards the branches. Isaac felt himself bounce a few times from the rope before stopping. “Fuck me. Should have seen that coming.” He said with a groan. “What else can go wrong?” As the words left his lips he heard a growl come from the bushed. Isaac turned to see a full grown manticore glaring at the tied up human. “I hate you god.” He said with a gulp. The manticore licked it’s chops and slowly walked towards the human on a string. The man looked down towards his knife and groaned as he tried to reach for it. The weapon was easily ten feet away and too far from his grasp. The manticore was drawing closer to it’s meal. Isaac calmed his mind and let out a breath. Calm down, panicking won’t help. He thought as he extended his right hand towards the knife. Isaac focused on the handle and concentrated. As the manticore walked closer the knife’s handle started to move slightly. As the beast charged forward Isaac concentrated on the handle of the knife. The knife flew towards the man and made itself into Isaac’s hand. The human immediately bolted up avoiding the manticore’s swipe. Isaac lashed out and cut the rope that was wrapped around his leg. Luke Skywalker would be proud. Isaac fell from the trap and landed on his stomach. He groaned as he looked at the Manticore that was in mid pounce. Shit, no time. The man raised his arms in hoping to defend himself. The beast was then hit by a bright red ball of light coming from the right side. The manticore crashed into a series of trees. Isaac looked to the right and saw a jet black Unicorn stallion with a bright red mane and eyes. The stallion was wearing a dark cloak that covered his bright red mane. His hands and horn was glowing with a bright red aura around them. “You okay?” He asked. “Yeah, thanks.” Isaac said as he got up. “Pardon my intrusion, but what kind of pony are you?” The stranger asked. “I’m not a pony. I’m a human.” He said with a sigh. “Yet you can use magic.” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Only basic things. That levitation thing was the first time I tried it.” Isaac said with a sigh. Blueblood didn’t mention anything about magic. This is gonna cost him. The stallion thought with a grunt. Still, I have no idea what he can do yet. Better play it safe. “So what bring you all the way out here?” Isaac asked. “Oh just passing through.” He said with a shrug. “What about you?” Skull asked with a blank look on his face. “I was camping with some fri....acquaintances of mine.” Isaac said with a sigh. “No friends?” The stallion asked in confusion. “They were. I said somethings that would probably get anyone fuming.” Isaac said with a groan. “Why did you snap at them?” “They tried prying into things that I didn’t want to talk to them about.” He said with a groan. “I doubt you’d understand.” He said as he looked at the stallion with a blank look on his face. Skull looked at the man and scanned his eyes. This thing.......he’s got the same look in his eyes as I do. “Is your secret worth destroying a friendship?” Skull asked in a flat tone. “If they found out about what I did then they’d run away in fear.” Isaac said as he raised his hands. “Take my advice kid, if you’re secret matters more than your friends than you shouldn’t be allowed to walk among the living.” The stallion said as he turned to leave. Isaac stood frozen in the spot where he stood at the stallion’s words. He wanted to argue, but knew deep down that he was right. “Secrets can protect or destroy things. It’s up to you to decide which.” Isaac stood frozen as he rolled the words around in his head. He let out a long sigh as the dark stallion walked away from him with a blank expression on his face. “I’m not sure who you are, but you saved my life and I owe you.” “Forget it.” The stallion said as he teleported away from the man. Isaac walked over to his bow and slung it over his shoulder as he made his way back towards the camp at a slow rate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “C’mon where is it?” Dash yelled in frustrated tone and she went through the human’s bag. The farmer and the other girls crowded around the entrance of the tent and looked at the mare in confusion. “What in tarnation are you doing Dash?” Applejack asked as she walked over to the cyan mare. “Looking for that journal he keeps. It’s gotta be somewhere around here.” She said as she continued to look through his bags. The mare found a small plastic box with a code wheel on it and set it aside. “Um...I don’t think that’s such a good idea Rainbow.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “He’s hiding something and I wanna know what it is.” Dash yelled. “Ah ha!” she said as she pulled out the small leather book from the backpack’s pocket. The cyan mare walked out of the tent with the book in hand. “I don’t approve of this!” Twilight said in a flat tone. “Hey you heard what he called us. Time to see what he’s got in here.” Dash said as she held up the book in her right hand. The Pegasus felt the book being ripped out of her grip by an invisible force. “What the hell Twilight?” “That wasn’t me.” Twilight said with a gulp. The book floated over to the edge of the camp. The mares saw the man standing there with the book in hand and a blank expression on his face. “Need something?” Isaac said as he entered the camp. He put the book in his back pocket and glared back at the mares. “Isaac we’re-” The lavender mare was cut off as the man held up a hand. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one that should apologize.” He said with a sigh. “Sorry I snapped at you all like that.” He said as he sat down. “Why’d you go and call us.....whatever that word was?” Dash asked. “I thought that you guys were just using me as some sort of toy or a slab of meat to vent out your sexual needs.” He said in a flat tone. The mares looked at him in shock. “I’ve been used like that before and I didn’t want to be used again.” “Use you? What gave you that idea?” Applejack said in confusion. “Yeah dude. We care about you.” Dash said as she walked up to the human. “What did you mean by you being used?” Twilight asked as she sat down next to the man. Isaac let out a sigh and looked at the mare. “A few years ago I was seeing this girl. We dated for a few months and we got serious.” He said with a sigh. “I found out later that she was just using me to make her ex jealous.” The mares gasped in surprise. “Once she did, she dumped me like a bag of trash and went back to him.” He said with a sigh. “Bitch!” Dash yelled. “Since then I’ve always been hesitant to let others close. So I started to push them away, it’s a defense mechanism. I can’t really help it.” He said with a sigh. “Which is why, I’ve been so reluctant to tell you things about my past.” Twilight put a hand on his back and nodded. “I see.” “I’ll tell you guys about it eventually, I just need some time.” He said as he stood up. “I know you guys are curious, but that doesn’t give you the right to look through my stuff.” He said as he glared at Dash. “Sorry.” She said in a low tone. “It’s fine.” The man said with a shrug. “Anyway, the reason why I thought I didn’t deserve your kindness is because-” He was cut off as the group heard a series of growls. The ponies looked around the edges of the camp and saw a pack of Manticore’s glaring at them with hunger in their eyes. The group stood with their backs to each other. As one of them took a step forward Dash leaned over to Fluttershy. “Shy, think you can reason with these things?” The cyan mare said with a gulp. “I’ll try.” The butter yellow mare took a gulp as she stepped forward. “Um, Mr. Manticore is there any reason why you’re disturbing our camping trip?” The beast only roared at the mare. “Such language!” She said in a shocked tone. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes on the manticore. The beast started to shiver in the presence of her eyes. “Nice work Fluttershy.” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. “Now, you all go home right now or so help me then I will-” Fluttershy was cut off as the beast lunged at her. The cyan mare managed to grab her friend by her tail and pull her away from the beast. “Wh-what? No animal has been able to resist my stare before.” “Then we do this the hard way!” Dash said as she cracked her knuckles. “Dash are you nuts? There’s like six of these things!” Isaac said as he glared at the mare. “So then it’s a fair fight.” “Dash, I couldn’t even take one of these things down.” “Just stand back hun and let us handle these things.” Applejack said as she pulled out an orange amulet. Isaac noticed that it was in the shape of an apple and looked similar to Rarity’s. The other mare’s then pulled out one of their own. Each matching their Cutie Marks. The amulets started to glow and shape shift. Isaac looked in disbelief as Twilight’s grew into a purple staff with a circle at the top and a dark purple six pointed star in the center. Applejack had a large double bladed orange axe with a red apple at the top of the handle. Pinkie was donning a pink and white stripped hammer with three balloons going horizontal across the face. Fluttershy’s changed into a bitter yellow bow with a light green handle and three pink butterfly’s engraved into it. Dash’s seemed to split in two to form two small daggers. One of the blades was shaped into a lightning bolt fashion while the other was curved like a cloud. The five mares surrounded the human with their backs to him and held their weapons up in a defensive position. The six manticores circled their pray looking for an opening. “Fluttershy, keep Isaac safe. We can handle these things.” Twilight said as she looked at her yellow friends. “What? I can help I-” “Just leave this to us! We know what we’re doing.” Dash interjected. “I’m not leaving you guys here!” “You’re only going to get caught in the crossfire if you stay!” Twilight yelled. The news hit Isaac like a ton of bricks. The overwhelming feeling of becoming a burden had kicked in. “Now go with Fluttershy once we distract them.” The human formed his hands into fists and cursed himself at his uselessness. One of the manticores lunged forward. Pinkie raised her hammer and brought it down on the beast’s back. The ponies cringed as they heard a few boned being crunched. Fluttershy grabbed Isaac’s hand and the two started to run away from the fight. “Keep running!” Twilight yelled as she used her staff to shoot a bright purple beam at one of the beasts. Isaac and Fluttershy didn’t look back as they ran into the woods, side by side. Applejack was keeping one of the beasts from biting her head off by sticking the handle of her weapon across the monster’s mouth. The orange mare kicked her right leg up into the manticore’s ribs, making the beast retract it’s attack. Fluttershy and the human ran into the thicket desperate to get away from the beasts. After running a good distance away the two stopped to catch their breath. The mare sat down on a log as Isaac sat against a tree. Isaac felt the sweat running down his forehead and felt his legs burning. “Think the others are okay?” He asked as he looked at the mare. “I’m hope so.” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. The human put his head against the trunk and let out a sigh. “Any reason why that thing didn’t listen to you?” “No, but it felt like that it was being controlled by something.” The mare said with a sigh. “Mind control?” “Maybe.” The yellow mare said as she sat down next to him. Fluttershy lowered her head and brought her knees to her chest. “You okay?” “I’m just worried.” She said in a low tone. The human put an arm around her and comforted the worried mare. Fluttershy felt her face flare up as Isaac’s arm went over her shoulders and on her left arm. “I’m sure they’re fine.” He said in a warm tone. Fluttershy smiled and rested her head on the man’s shoulder. Isaac blushed and rested his head against hers. “Hey Shy.” “Hm?” “Sorry about last night. I...I wasn’t myself.” He said in a low tone. “It’s alright. I never really thought that I looked that good anyway.” She said in a flat tone. Isaac immediately sat up and looked at the mare. “That is so not true. I meant it when I said that you were beautiful.” He said in a serious tone. The yellow mare’s face was now crimson red. “R-really?” She asked. “Yeah.” Isaac said as he looked away in an effort to hide his blushing face. The man felt a pair of slim fingers come into contact with the bottom of his chin. He let the mare’s fingers turn his head back towards her own. Their eyes met and they saw each other’s bright red faces. The yellow mare slowly moved closer to him. She closed her eyes as she pressed her tender lips against his. Isaac returned the gesture and felt the mare’s tender lips move as he prodded with his tongue. The yellow mare let out a moan as she felt the man’s tongue start to explore her mouth. Isaac moved his right hand onto her back and felt her now stiff wings. Fluttershy let out a moan as he started to rub the stiff extremities. Isaac’s ears twitched and broke the kiss. “Something wrong?” Fluttershy asked. “Feel’s like something’s watching us.” He said as he stood up. The human pulled out his knife and held it firmly in his hand. He heard a rustling from the bushes. The man’s eyes shrank as he ducked to avoid a swipe from one of the beats. “Crap looks like there were seven!” As Isaac took a defensive pose he noticed that this one was different than the others. It had three tails sticking out of it’s back and was a dark red as opposed to the yellow furred ones he’d seen. The beast roared in anger as it got in a pouncing position. The yellow mare stepped in front of the man and tried using her stare on the beast. The manticore growled and charged at the two.The human pushed the yellow mare out of the way of the swipe and ducked just in time to avoid a strike from one of it’s poison tipped tails. The man hit the dirt and rolled away from the four legged monster. As he got to his feet he started to run away with Fluttershy’s wrist in his hand. Isaac looked up and noticed a branch that was level with his head. He stopped as he passed it and grabbed hold of the end. He pulled the branch back as far as it would go and waited for the manticore to follow him. The beast was gaining on the human with rage in it’s eyes. As he saw the piece of meat it’s face was met with a branch, striking it on the nose. “Ha! Suck it flea bag!” Isaac said as he and Fluttershy took off once again. The yellow mare raised her bow and aimed right for the manticore. The mare pulled the bow string and a light yellow arrow made of light formed as she released the string. The arrow hit dead center on the manticore’s head and the beast fell forward. The human stopped running and looked at the mare in shock. “Wow, nice shot Shy.” “Thanks.” As Isaac hesitantly approached the beast he saw that it was still breathing. “It’s still alive?” “Yeah, I hit it with a sleep spell.” “I thought only Unicorns could use magic.” He said in confusion. “Well, yes. But I have an Element of Harmony so-” The mare was cut off as the beast let out a grunt and continued to sleep. “Let’s have this conversation somewhere else.” “Good idea. Just give me a sec.” The man whipped out his phone and got a snapshot of the large beast. “Okay, let’s go check on the others.” He said as the two mad their way back towards the camp. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dash was avoiding the manticore’s swipes left and right as she started to cut the beast across it’s chest. The beast roared in anger as he tried to stab the cyan mare with it’s poison tipped tail. Rainbow brought her blades in a defensive formation and guarded against the large beast. The mare then lashed out. She spun her athletic body in a complete circle, slicing the Manticore’s chest area. Applejack regained her footing and swung her axe at the large beast. The mare’s orange blade connected with the manticore’s fur and saw crimson blood starting to seep from the wound. The beast let out a cry of pain as the sharp bit of metal made it’s way into it’s chest. The manticore fell back and it’s eyes rolled over. “One down!” Applejack yelled. The cyan mare slashed both her daggers in an ‘X’ shape across on of the beast’s chest causing the beast to collapse. “Same!” She yelled as Twilight fired a massive purple salvo bolt at one of the monsters which caused it to collapse. “All clear!” Pinkie finished off the last one and rested against her hammer. “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said with a salute. The four mares caught their breath gave each other a nod. “Think Fluttershy and Isaac are okay?” “Why don’t you ask em?” Applejack said as she pointed with her finger. The mares looked and saw the human and light yellow mare racing towards them. “Hey guys.” Isaac said as he stopped to catch his breath. The man then noticed the manticore bodies. “Jeez, you guys really kicked ass.” He said in a surprised tone. “How are you guys doing?” Dash asked as she flew up to her friends. “Shy totally saved me.” Isaac said as he put an arm around the mare. “Oh, it was nothing.” She said with a blush. “You put it to sleep with a magic arrow.” “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if you hadn’t stunned it with that branch.” The yellow mare said in her usual timid tone. The ponies’s weapons started to glow and they shifted back into their amulet form. The ponies then saw a bright light coming from the slain beasts. The Manticores’s bodies glowed and vanished. The group was dumfounded by what they just saw. “Um, Twilight. Can Manticore’s use magic?” Isaac asked with a gulp. “No. I’ve never seen them do that before.” Twilight said in confusion. Isaac pulled out his phone and selected the picture of the odd manticore. “Ever seen one like this before?” He asked as he handed her the device. Twilight looked over the photo and searched her brain for something. “Sorry, it’s a first for me. We can try looking once we get back to town.” She said as she handed the man his phone. “Oh well, you learn something new everyday.” As the words left his lips his stomach let out a loud growl. “Heh heh, sorry it must be close to dinner time.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. A series of growl’s came from the other mare’s stomachs. “Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks so.” The ponies nodded in agreement and got the pots and pans out for dinner. Isaac walked over to Pinkie and Applejack and set out the pans and cooking equipment. The man helped them chop up the mushrooms and prepare the stew. Dash took her usual spot in a tree branch and rested her head on her hands. The mare looked down and spied the small box she had taken out from the man’s bag while she was searching for his journal. She hopped down from the branch she had perched herself on and walked over to the box. She picked it up withe her hands and shook it. “Hey Isaac, what’s this thing?” She asked as she held up the box. “What thing?” He said as he lifted the spoon out of the soup and tasted it. “This small black box with the combo lock.” The man’s eyes shrank and he spit out the spoonful of soup in surprise. “You okay?” Isaac walked over to the box and inspected it. “How the hell did this thing get thrown in my bag?” He said as he scratched his chin. “I swore I left it in the war room.” “War room?” Twilight asked as she perked up. “I’ll show you when we get back.” “So what is that thing?” Dash asked. “I don’t want to-” “Don’t give us that! You said that you’d start telling us things about yourself.” Twilight said as she teleported in front of the two. “So start talking.” Twilight’s violet eyes started boring holes through the man. “Fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said as he put in the combination. The mare’s heard a metallic click noise and the man lifted the lid open. The mares all cocked their head in confusion as the man brought the odd object out. It was made mostly of a shiny metal that was melted into the shape of a barrel with an odd cylinder near a rubber hand grip. There was an odd shaped piece of metal sticking out near the top of the grip. “So what is it?” Twilight asked. “This is a .44 Magnum Anaconda II. One of the most powerful handguns from my world.” The man said as he lifted it up. “Handgun?” Pinkie asked in confusion. “It’s a gun that fit’s in your hand.” “Gun?” Twilight asked. Isaac face palmed and looked at Applejack. “Do we have any spare cans left over?” “Eeyup. Ah didn’t want to litter so ah saved all the cans we used for the soup.” She said as she walked over to her backpack and pulled out one of the tin cans. “How many do we have?” “Ah’d say about eight.” “Can you get me six?” The mare nodded and started digging though her bag. She handed them to the man who proceeded to rip the labels off and put it in his pocket. He walked over to a log that was a good distance away from the camp and them on top. Isaac went back into the box and pulled out six small brass objects that fit into the slots inside the mechanism’s cylinder. “Everyone stay behind me.” He said as he closed the cylinder and threw a small switch on the gun. “You might want to cover your ears.” He said as he aimed at the cans. “Why?” Dash asked as the others put their hands over their ears. The man took a deep breath and focused down the sights. The man pulled the trigger. The mare’s heard an incredibly loud bang noise come from the man’s machine along with a metallic ping sound. They looked up to see that one of the cans had been knocked off the log. The man lowered his weapon and threw the switch. Isaac walked over to the can and held it up so the mare’s could see a large hole going straight through the can. “That. Is. AWESOME!” Dash yelled. “What kind of magic is that?” Twilight asked. “No magic, human innovation.” He said as he pulled out the weapon. “You see there’s a compound in theses brass cylinder’s that is extremely flammable.” He said as he removed one of the bullets. “When this piece called the ‘hammer’ strikes the firing pin that’s located in front of the hammer, it sends a tiny spark into the brass casing causing a small explosion and forcing this small metal ball called the bullet out of the casing, down the barrel and into or through whatever I’m pointing at.” “Wow.” Twilight said as her eyes boggled. “Can I try?” Applejack asked. Isaac thought for a moment and let out a sigh. “Okay fine, but just one shot and be careful!” The orange mare nodded as Isaac handed her the weapon. “Okay, how do ah work this thing?” Isaac stepped behind her and lifted her arms up. “Look down the sight. It helps if you close one eye.” Applejack shut her left eye and focused on the can. “Make sure you have a steady grip, the recoil is pretty strong on this thing.” “Recoil?” “It’s the force that blasts back after the bullet is fired.” He said as he switched the safety off. “Safety is off and you’re hot.” “Don’t need to tell me.” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. “I mean you’re ready to fire and keep facing forward!” Applejack took a deep breath and focused on the can. She pulled the trigger and felt the force coming from the barrel. The bullet hit the side of the can making it fall on it’s side. “Wow, that’s got some kick!” Applejack said in amazement. “You get used to it after a while. Anyone else?” “Me!” Dash yelled as she flew up. Isaac handed her the weapon. The cyan mare looked down the sight and fired randomly missing the target. “What the hay?” “It takes time to get used to it.” He said as he took the weapon from her. “Hey Twilight, think you cold throw one of those cans up with your magic?” “I guess I could why?” “Moving target.” The mare shrugged and levitated the can up. “When I say pull throw the can with your magic.” The lavender mare nodded and got ready. Isaac dropped the weapon to his side and let out a sigh. “Pull!” The lavender mare threw the can forward with her magic. As Isaac raised his weapon time seemed to slow, while he stayed the same speed. He focused his sights and flocked on o the can. He fired the remaining three bullet’s into the can which caused it to spin in mid air before dropping to the ground with three holes in it. “Ho wee! That there is some skill!” Applejack said as she held up the can. “So awesome!” Dash said while scrunching her cheeks. Twilight walked over to them in amazement and looked at the weapon. “That could kill somepony.” Twilight said as Isaac emptied the spent rounds. “That’s what it’s supposed to do.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “It’s for personal protection and it can easily go through someone in less than ten seconds.” He said as he put the gun back in it’s case. “How would you know?” Dash asked. Isaac got up and pulled the right side of his shirt down to show a small circular scar near his shoulder. “I’ve been shot before.” He said in a flat tone. The mares all put their hands to their mouth in shock. “Have you ever shot anyone?” Pinkie asked. Isaac gritted his teeth and let out a sigh. “Yes, I have.” “Did they die?” “Yes.” The mare’s stood frozen at the man’s words. Twilight felt a small wave of fear creep up her spine. “Why?” Twilight yelled. “When someone is shooting at you, ya have to shoot back and make sure that you’re better at it then they are.” He said as he put the box back in his bag. “How many guys have you-” “Does that really matter?” He asked in a flat tone. “Looks like the soups done.” Isaac said as he walked over to the pot. The mares all gulped and walked over to the man and sat down across from him. The rest of the night was spent in close to complete silence. Until Applejack broke the silence. “So Isaac, was that the only time you’ve been shot?” “Nope, I’ve been shot.” He stopped as he took a moment to think. “Around ten times, but it’s probably more since I covered their scars.” The mares looked at him in shock. “How’d you do that?” Twilight asked. “Surgery. After the wound healed and left a scar the doctors took a piece of skin from another part of my body and patched it over the scar, hiding it.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “So why didn’t you hide that one?” Dash asked as she pointed to his shoulder. “This one is....special.” “How so?” “It was the last time I was ever shot and I hope to keep it that way.” He said in a flat tone. “Wait how did you survive getting shot?” Twilight asked. “Just because someone get’s shot doesn’t mean they’ll die.” He said with a sigh. “If you get yourself help then it’s treatable. Doctors open up the wound and remove the bullet, or if it goes straight through then they can just close it.” He said with a yawn. “It also depends on three things.” He said as he held up three fingers. “Where you’re hit. What kind of weapon was used and what kind of bullet it is.” “There’s more than one type of gun?” “Oh yeah. The Anaconda is small compared to the stuff I’ve shot in the Marines.” He said with a small chuckle. “My personal favorite is Sniper Rifles.” “Sniper Rifles?” Isaac pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos until he came to an odd looking machine with a long barrel. “They’re designed for taking out targets at long ranges.” “That looks badass.” Dash said with a smile. “I’ll gladly show you guys it once we get back to my place.” “You have one?” “Yeah, I managed to strike a deal with the brass which allowed me to keep the weapons I used while I was in the field.” He said as he sat back. “Not everyone can do that?” “Nope. Most of the time soldiers have to give up their weapons at the end of their tour.” “So how did you keep yours then?” Pinkie asked. Isaac’s eyes shrank as the words left her lips. “I helped them out with a small problem that they couldn’t handle on their own.” He said in a low tone. “That and when you’re the General’s son you get some leeway.” The mare’s looked at him in shock. “I said I had a military upbringing.” “You’re dad was a General?” “Yup, one of the best.” He said with a yawn. “I’m going to bed see you guys tomorrow.” He said as he walked over to his tent and laid down to rest. The mares huddled together and whispered to one another. “I can’t believe that he’s killed someone!” Twilight said in surprise. “I’m sure he had a good reason to.” Applejack said in a defensive tone. “Like what?” “He said that someone was shooting at him. What was he gonna do? Let the guy kill him?” Dash said. “If someone was trying to kill me then you can bet your flank that I’d get out of there no matter what.” “That’s no excuse! You should never take a life.” “Let’s all just simmer down. We don’t even know the whole story yet.” Applejack said with a sigh. “Look, Isaac has had plenty of chances to try to hurt us and he hasn’t, so ah highly doubt that he’ll start to now.” “Fine, but I’m writing to the Princess about this when we get back.” Twilight said as she walked back to her and Pinkie’s tent. The other mares did the same as they returned to their tents for the night. As Fluttershy crawled inside the tent she saw that Isaac was asleep. The mare let out a sigh before crawling inside her own bag and fell asleep in it’s embrace. Go ahead. Shoot me! I can’t! Do it! Isaac woke up in a cold sweat and sat straight up as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The man looked at his watch and saw that it was 2:35am. Isaac got to his feet and walked outside the tent with a towel and a flashlight. He tip toed past the other tents making sure not to make any noise. The man walked down the path until he got to the water fall and pool. He slipped off his shoes and pants, only keeping his boxers on as he entered the cool water. He felt the cool water meet his skin which sent a small shiver up his spine. As he adjusted himself to the waste he stuck his head in the waterfall allowing the cool rainbow water to wash over his muscular body. The man heard a small splash and spun around to see Fluttershy on the edge of the pool. “Oh, am I disturbing you?” “Not really. Mind telling me what you’re doing out here?” He asked as he walked over to her. “Well, I saw you leave the tent so I followed you to make sure you were alright.” She said as she stepped into the rainbow colored water. “I’m fine I just needed the cold water to clear my head and the fact that I smelled like a pig.” He said with a faint laugh. Isaac sat down on the shore edge so his lower body was submerged n the water. He tilted his head up and looked up at the stars. “Beautiful night.” “Yeah, it sure is.” The yellow mare said as she laid down next to him. She felt a small shiver run up her spine as she sat down and rested her head on his shoulder. Isaac felt something lightly poking his arm. He tilted his head to see that the yellow mare’s nipples were tightly pressing against her light green shirt. Fluttershy’s face went bright red as she looked up at the man who smiled at her. She gazed into his crystal blue eyes and drew closer. The two locked lips and embraced one another. After three minutes of the act Fluttershy broke the kiss and re positioned her self so that she was sitting on top of Isaac facing him. The mare carefully removed her dark green short shorts and he light green shirt. The man’s eyes widened as her yellow breasts stood at attention from the cold and arousal. Isaac felt himself becoming hard, even in the sixty degree water as the mare brought him into another kiss. As they broke Isaac looked at the mare and gulped. “Shy, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want-” He was cut odd as the yellow mare put a soft finger on his lips. “I do want to and I want this.” She said as she reached down and pulled the man’s boxers down, revealing his shaft. “Just be gentle.” She said with a gulp. Isaac nodded and slowly he slid himself inside the mare. A low pitched moan came from the mare and a tear formed in her eye. “Are you okay? Want me to stop?” “I’ll be alright. I just need to get used to it.” She said as she slid down more in the man’s cock. Fluttershy lifted her self up and moaned as she slowly slid down again. Isaac felt the mare’s tight walls envelope his shaft as the mare continued the motion. Isaac saw that her breasts were bouncing freely with each thrust. The human grabbed the two soft breasts and gently rolled them which caused a loud moan of pleasure to escape the mare’s mouth. “Oh yes, like that.” Isaac continued the rotation and started to suck on the right nipple. Fluttershy gasped at the action and started to quicken her thrusts. Isaac matched her and quickened his hand motions. He used his right hand to reach around her back and stroke her wing. Fluttershy was lost in pleasure as she felt herself coming to her climax. The mare seemed to double her pace and her moans became louder. The human felt the mare’s walls clench around his shaft as she continued to move up and down his rod. “Isaac I’m-” “Me too!” The man gave one last thrust before the pressure he felt building in him was finally released. The mare arched her back and her eyes rolled back as she felt her juices release and the man’s fluids shoot into her body. The two let out a moan of pleasure before their muscles relaxed and the mare slumped on top of the man. Isaac panted heavily as the mare slid herself off the man and rested her head against his chest. “That was wonderful Isaac.” She said as she kissed his neck. “You were amazing.” He said with a pant. The two stayed there for a few minutes longer just holding one another. The man got to his feet and dried off before getting his clothes on. “We should probably head up, wouldn’t want the others finding us like this come morning.” “Good idea.” The mare said as she put her pajama’s back on her body. The two walked back up to their tent and crawled inside. The man slipped inside his sleeping bag and moved over to make room for the butter yellow mare. Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around the man as she used his chest for a pillow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours earlier. Skull looked over the manticores’s bodies and let out a sigh. “What a waste.” He said as he snapped his fingers and the bodies turned into piles of ash. The human seems to be the weakest out of the others. Killing him should be a cinch. The creature understood the weight of killing. He deserves a fair chance. Nobility is over ratted. No! Everything deserves a fair chance. I just need to separate him from the mares. The barrier? If we’re able to trap him then yes. The stallion’s horn glowed and four copies of himself appeared. “We’ll get everything ready then.” One of the clones said before vanishing in a flash of red light. The original took one of the clones aside and handed him a letter. “Deliver that to the residence of the lavender mare. She has some sort of assistant there who should be able to send it to them.” The clone nodded and vanished with a snap of it’s fingers. Tomorrow, we’ll see weather this human is either prey or hunter. The stallion thought as he laid down to rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The clone appeared just outside of the small town and made his way towards the library. The clone’s horn glowed and his dark attire shifted into a mail pony uniform. His coat shifted from jet black to a light tan color and his mane turned brown. The clone walked up to the door and gave a hard knock. “Mail call.” The clone shouted out. The door opened to reveal a purple dragon wearing a light blue apron. “Can I help you?” “Letter for you sir.” He said as he handed him the letter. “This late?” “It was marked ‘urgent’ by the Princess.” The false messenger lied. “Why didn’t she just send me it via magic?” “I just deliver the messages pal.” He said with a shrug. Spike pulled out two bits and paid the stallion before closing the door. The clone grinned and vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Sorry this took so long!
Chapter 28: Fall of a ChampionChapter 28 Fall of a Champion The next day started out with a hard knock on the human’s door. Isaac put down his bowl of cereal and walked over to the door. What he found was an unfamiliar maroon mare donning a white blouse and a brown skirt that went down to her knees. She looked like she was in her early thirties or late twenties. “Can I help you Miss?” He said as he rubbed his eyes. “Yes, I don’t believe we’ve met.” She said as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Ms. Cherilee.” The name clicked in the human’s mind. “Oh, You’re Applebloom’s teacher.” He shook her hand and smiled. “Name’s Isaac.” “Yes, I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” She smiled. “I just wanted to talk to you about something.” “No problem. Would you like to come in?” He said as he held the door open for the mare. Cherilee nodded and made her way past the man and into his home. “Sorry I was just having breakfast.” He said as he sat down in a chair. “So what’s up?” “This.” Cherilee said as she held up the book he had lent to the fillies. “They said that you lent them this book.” “Yeah why?” He said as he cocked an eyebrow. “Honestly letting girls their age reading something this....horrible!” She stammered. “How is it bad? Thats a best seller back where I’m from.” “I’m talking about the story.” The words clicked in the man’s mind. “Oh, I see. You mean the content.” “Exactly!” She said with a sigh. “I don’t know how you humans get your kicks from fictional horror stories but-” “Okay, first off that book isn’t fiction.” The mare blinked. Twice. She looked down at the book. “That is based off of a real fourteen year old girl’s diary during the Holocaust that occurred in World War two.” “This actually happened?” She asked in a shocked tone. “Unfortunately yes, not one of humanity’s finest moments.” He said with a sigh. “Look I told those girls that there may be some content in that book that they may not be ready for.” “That’s still no excuse. Now the girls won’t calm down about it.” “How so?” “They want to know what happens next and frankly so do I.” “What are you talking about?” “What happened?” “What do you mean what happened? Anne Frank died in a concentration camp.” Cherilee face palmed. “I mean, what happened to the war?” Isaac cocked and eyebrow and looked at the mare. “Look, if I’m going to talk about World War two then I’d better start at the beginning of human history.” “Excellent.” She said as she stood up. “I’ll see you on Monday morning at eight o’clock in my class room.” “Wait what?” “I want you to teach my class and myself about this topic.” Isaac looked at the mare in surprise. “I look at it as new knowledge and I’m always interested in learning knew things.” “You and Twilight must get along.” Cherilee chuckled and nodded. “Okay, mind if I bring some visuals?” “By all means.” “Just a heads up. It isn’t pretty and contains several things that are explicit.” Cherilee gulped. “More than what was in that book.” “I see. Try your best to limit it.” “I’ll try.” He said as he shook her hand. “Splendid. I’ll see you then.” She said as she handed the book back to him. “See ya then. Oh and how did the CMC do on their report?” “They each got a B+.” Isaac smiled and waved as she exited his home. The human yawned and finished his breakfast. The man cracked his neck and decided to head into town. The human made his way through the quiet town and stopped in the library. The librarian was at her desk with the small silver sphere Isaac had taken from the castle. “Hey Twilight.” He said as he walked in. “Oh hey Isaac. How are you feeling?” She asked with a smile. “Been worse.” He said as he looked at the ball. “Why do you have that thing?” “Celestia asked me to examine it.” “I thought that she was supposed to give it to some smart pony.” He said with a smug grin. Twilight frowned at him. “Oh lighten up. You know I’m kidding.” He chuckled. “Ha-ha.” She said sarcastically. “Somehow this thing is connected to the Elements of Harmony so who better to study it than me?” “So find anything out about this thing?” He asked as he looked at the sphere. “Only that it’s incredibly strong and light. I hit it with a hammer and it didn’t even leave a scratch.” Isaac cocked an eyebrow at the object. “I then had Spike breathe fire on it and there were no scorch marks.” “Jeez whats this thing made out of?” He said as he picked it up. The markings on the ball stared to glow and Twilight gasped. “What?” “Look!” She said as she pointed at the markings. Isaac immediately dropped the sphere. “Why’d you drop it?” “Last time that happened it felt like I was getting electrocuted.” He said as he put it back on her desk. The door then opened to reveal the other five mares. “Hey guys.” He said with a smile. “Sup dude?” Dash said as she fist bumped him. “What are you doing here?” “Oh right.” He said as he turned back to Twilight. “I need your help next Monday.” “With?” Twilight asked. “Cherilee wants me to teach a class about human history and I may need your help.” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” She said with a wide smile. “Okay easy Twilight. I still need to get the materials together.” He said with a sigh. “Hang on a second.” Twilight said as she pulled out a piece of paper with some words on it. “Why couldn’t the book stand up for itself?” “Why?” Isaac asked as he rolled his eyes. “It didn’t have the spine.” A dead silence fell over the group. The guests all face palmed. In the distance a dog barked. “What? You don’t like it?” “You’d hear crickets chirping, but they all stayed silent to avoid how awkwardly bad that joke was.” Isaac said as he shook his head. “Are you saying I’m not funny?” She asked. “No, I think you are very amusing when you’re an anal OCD train wreck. So long as you stay your usual self its fine.” “I don’t get it.” Isaac groaned and looked at the group of mares. “Everyone is funny in their own way.” He said as he stood next to the cyan flyer. “Dashie here sells it with her cocky attitude.” “I am the best.” She said as she struck a pose. “Rarity is funny when she’d being sarcastic or is up on her high horse.” The mare pouted. “Applejack is funny when she tries to tell a lie and her face betrays her. Fluttershy is hilarious when she’s so timid and hides from her own shadow.” The yellow mare blushed. “Discord is funny because quite frankly he’s as crazy as I am.” He said as he pointed to himself. “But there is one person in this town who is funny, no matter what she says.” He said as he cleared his throat. “Drum roll please.” Dash grabbed a nearby hard covered book and started rapidly tapping on it. “ And the award goes to, Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie bowed. Isaac then put his hands together in a praying formation. “So please for the love of God, Celestia, Luna, Discord and any other all powerful beings out there. Don’t tell anymore jokes.” Twilight frowned and groaned. “Oh yeah and why are you trying to tap the funny bone today?” “Don’t you know dude?” Dash said. “Its prank day.” “Prank day?” He said in surprise. “Jeez you need to get up on the times.” Pinkie said. “Prank day is a holiday where we all pull pranks on each other.” “Oh its like April Fools’ Day.” “Eeyup and speaking of which.” Applejack pulled out an egg from her pocket and smashed it on his head. The girls laughed at it. “Why would you waste an egg like that?” Isaac said with a grunt. “It was rotten.” The smell hit the human like a freight train and he grabbed his nose. “Nice AJ, real nice.” He groaned. The human then turned to leave only to be met with a plate of white cream to the face. Dash was on the floor in tears as the tin plate fell to the ground. “Well, you can’t beat the classics.” He said before wiping the cream off his face and storming out. “I’d be careful Dash.” Twilight said. “Oh come on Twilight its the holiday.” “I’m just saying you know how quick tempered he is.” Dash rolled her eyes and calmed herself down. The human used Twilight’s hose to wash the egg and cream off his face and head. The man shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair. Isaac continued on his way through town and he spied a familiar grey Pegasus mare with a blonde mane. “Oh hey Isaac.” Ditzy said with a smile on her face. The mare was holding two ice cream cones in each hand. “Morning Ditzy.” He said with a smile. The man flinched as he saw the ice cream. “You’re not gonna hit me with one of those are ya?” “What? No, I’m not much of a prankster.” She giggled. “So why do you have two?” “Oh this ones for Dinky.” She said as a grey Unicorn filly with a similar blonde mane walked up to her. “Here you go Dinky.” She said as the filly smiled. “Awe cool, I didn’t know you had a little sister.” “She’s not my sister silly.” The filly chimed. “She’s my mommy.” Isaac felt his right eye lid twitch as he looked at the two. “Sorry, I just assumed.” He said as he scratched the back of his head. “Its fine you’re not the first to make that mistake.” She said with a smile. “Her name is Dinky.” “Hi.” She said with a smile. “Nice to meet you.” Isaac said before she ran ahead. “Hey Ditzy,” The mare turned her head and looked at him. “feel free to not answer this but, why does she have a horn?” “Oh, well Dinky isn’t really my filly.” She said as the two started to walk down the road. “I was running a long delivery in Manehattan a year ago when I found her in a dumpster looking for food.” Isaac’s jaw dropped in shock. “She told me that she ran away from the orphanage and had been living on the streets for about two weeks.” “Jesus.” He said in a low tone. “I couldn’t leave her there so I took her back with me, filled out the paperwork and we’ve been living here ever since.” Isaac was dumbstruck at the story and looked at the grey mare in amazement. “Remind me to nominate you for mother of the year.” He said with a genuine smile. “Awe thanks.” “Well, I’d better get going. I gotta find something to do else I’ll die of boredom.” He said as he waved goodbye to the mare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human stormed into his home hours later soaking wet after being drenched by a cloud filled with sugar water. Courtesy of the cyan flyer. He quickly changed his clothes and walked over to a black wooden box. “Those guys want a war? I’ll give em a war.” He said with a sigh. The human dialed a number on his phone and put it to his ear. “Hey Luna? Its Isaac.......Yes we’re still on for later. Look I need to talk to Discord for a second......Yo D, wanna cause some chaos?...Good. How fast can you get to Ponyville?” A bright light then filled the man’s room. “This fast enough?” Discord said with a smile. “Excellent.” “I should have you know that Tia has banned me from playing pranks on ponies today.” “You won’t be doing the pranking. I will. I just need your help with a few things.” “What’s your idea?” Isaac whispered to the god of chaos who laughed. “You are truly a crazy creature.” “Coming from you that means a lot. Now lets get to work.” He said with a wicked smile and grabbed an empty jar. The two ran off towards the Everfree forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Around nine o’clock Rarity was working in her shop only to see a bright blue light fill the room. She blinked twice to see the Lunar Princess appear in her room. Luna looked around and yawned. She blinked as she realized where she was. “Oh we apologize Rarity. We were planning to teleport into Isaac’s home.” She said with a weak smile. “It takes a bit for us to focus on almost no rest.” “Oh its no trouble.” The seamstress then formed an idea in her mind. A smirk slowly spread across her face. “You and Isaac are doing that...competition tonight correct?” “Yes, even though we have practiced for days we are sill very nervous.” Luna said with a gulp. “What does the bet entail?” “The loser must do what the winner wants without question for twenty-four hours.” Oh this is perfect. I’ll have to see what Luna does to him. She giggled. Sorry Isaac, but payback is a bitch and so am I. “You know, I do know a strategy that could aid you in your victory.” Luna’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “If you want to know then I could teach you.” “Please! We need every advantage we can get.” Rarity smirked and cracked her neck. “Right then. Lets begin.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isaac sat in his home with a triumphant look on his face. Discord had long since left after they had set their job in motion, all that required was patience. The human made himself dinner and decided to practice some Halo before going up against the lunar Princess. He easily cleared the firefight mission with a score in the hundred thousands. Sorry Lulu. You are going down. He thought with a chuckle. Don’t be so sure whelp! The man jumped out of his seat in fright. The room was filled with bright blue light and the form of the Alicorn Princess was standing before him. She was wearing a dark shroud that covered most of her body. “Whats with the get up?” “Are you mocking my fashion sense?” Luna narrowed her eyes on the man. Isaac gulped in fear at the mare. “No, just never seen you wear something like that before.” He said with a sigh. “You ready for a beat down?” “It is us who will have the last laugh mortal.” She said as she summoned her blue controller. Isaac popped in Halo: Reach and the two started the competition. Isaac started out in the lead with five kills on the mare before she got one. When the two got into the teens, Luna was gaining the upper hand. “You’ve gotten better I’ll give you that.” He said as his character picked up a sniper rifle. He quickly spun around and no scoped the blue elite. “Sadly, not good enough.” He grinned as Luna’s cheeks flushed red with anger. Isaac managed to air assassinate the Princess for the final kill. “GAME OVER!” The electronic voice said. “Sorry Lulu, but I told you that-” “Double or nothing!” She yelled. Isaac raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Really Luna? Is that courage or desperation?” The Princess frowned at the human. “Think you can handle two days in my debt?” “Good thing I won’t have too.” “You’re writing checks your ass can’t cash.” He chuckled as he selected a different map. “You’re on!” “The stakes have been doubled!” She yelled in delight before getting up. “May I use your restroom?” “Sure. Know where it is?” The lunar Princess nodded and made her way towards the restroom. After she closed the door, the Princess looked at her self in the mirror and hung her head. Am I really going to do this? The Princess then remembered the words of the white hooded assassin. Everything is permitted. With new courage the mare smirked and cracked her knuckles. Isaac decided to have some fun and change the color scheme on Luna’s avatar from dark blue to bright pink. “Cease thy actions wretch!” Luna yelled. “Oh calm down Lu-” The man stopped dead in his tracks as his throat dried up at the sight. The Lunar Princess was donning a jet black corset and thigh high black stockings. The mare also had on black eye liner that made her light blue eyes stand out even more. Isaac gulped as he felt his face blush as she sat down next to him. “Why are you staring at us like that?” She asked in an innocent tone. “Wh-whats with the get up?” “Are though disrespecting our fashion sense?” She growled. “No, lets play.” He said as sweat formed on the man’s brow. As the match began he saw that Luna had switched from using her hands to her magic. “Why are you using magic?” “Our hands are starting to hurt from over use.” She said as she stretched her arms. Isaac gulped as he saw her breasts bounce as she raised her arms. The man quickly looked away and tried to focus on the game. His left eye kept looking at the Princess who hand now crossed her legs. Luna was gaining ground and the two were even as they hit the mid way point. The lunar Princess then stood up with her magic still making the controller move. “Where are you going?” “All that inactivity, has given us a sore back.” She said as she bent backwards. Damn that’s hot. Shut up idiot! Remember she can read minds! Crap! He thought as he focused on the game. Luna smirked as she heard the thoughts. I can’t believe this is actually working.Rarity you are indeed crafty. Luna giggled. The two were neck and neck as they neared the final three points. The man gulped as he felt the alicorn’s chin rest on his head. He could almost feel the sweat from her chest on the back of his neck. “Wh-what are you doing?” “Using you as a head rest.” She said in a seductive tone. Luna went in for the kill and lightly nibbled his ear. Isaac immediately shot up and looked at the Princess. “Don’t get any ideas!” He yelled with a blush strewn across his face. “I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to-” He was cut off as he heard a spartan scream as it was killed by a rocket. “GAME OVER!” Isaac froze in his tracks and slowly turned around to look at the screen. Luna: 50 kills. Isaac: 49 kills. “Ha-ha! We are victorious!” Luna yelled as she snapped her fingers and the outfit was replaced by a normal dress. “That was a dirty trick Luna!” Isaac yelled. “Is someone trying to back out of our deal?” She said with an evil smirk. Isaac grunted and hung his head in shame. “No, if I’m nothing else, then I’m a man of my word.” He said in defeat. “Good and since I doubled the bet, I own you for forty-eight hours.” She said with a wicked grin. “Crap. What are you gonna have me do?” He said as he waited for the crushing words. “We are not sure. We will let you know when we think of something.” She said as she yawned. “Now we must sleep.” “I thought you were nocturnal.” “Normally yes, but we spent all day practicing.” She said as she rubbed her eyes. “Well, if ya want then there’s a guest room.” He said as he walked up stairs and changed into a pair of gym shorts and a plain T-shirt. The man crawled into bed and started to fall asleep. Ten minutes later he felt something in his bed and looked over his right shoulder. His eyes shrank as he saw a pair of cyan eyes looking at him. “Holy crap!” He said as he almost fell out of bed. He looked again and saw Luna settling herself under the covers. “What do you want Luna?” He asked in a groggy tone. “We are going to sleep.” “Why are you doing it in my bed?” He asked hiding his blush. “Its warmer.” “You’ve taken my dignity. I’m not letting you take my bed.” He grumbled. “I’m not telling you to leave.” She said as she turned over and rested her head on the pillow. “Fine.” He grumbled. “By the way when does your sister raise the sun?” “I think its around seven in the morning. Why?” “No reason.” He said as he grabbed his alarm clock and set it. The man closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The next morning he woke up to the sound of his clock blazing and a weight on his chest. He looked down and his face immediately turned scarlet. The alicorn Princess was using his chest as a she softly snored. The man tried to move but felt the Alicorn wrap her arms around his torso and squeeze him like a pillow. Despite her physique the mare was surprisingly strong. The man chocked in pain as she squeezed harder. “Luna.” He said as he tapped her arm. “What?” She asked as she stirred. “Spine.....crushing.” He said as the woman opened her eyes and immediately let go. The man inhaled and sat up. Luna hung her head. “We are sorry, we thought you were a pillow.” “That kinda explains the drool on my shirt.” He said as he hid his blush. The man grabbed a change of clothes and made his way into the bathroom. The man quickly got changed and saw that the Princess was still waking up. “Get up you don’t wanna miss this.” He said as went into his bedroom window and climbed onto the roof. “Miss what?” “My revenge.” He said with an evil smirk. As luna changed into a dress and followed the human she saw Discord with a box of popcorn and a lawn chair. “Oh Luna, how good of you to join us.” He said with a smile. Isaac sat in one of the chairs and looked out towards the town. “What are you doing here Discord?” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “I could very well ask you the same thing.” He grinned. “A royal sister of Equestria caught in bed with a being from another dimension? Scandalous!” The two immediately blushed. “As to why I’m here, I can never miss out on a display of utter chaos.” “What are you talking about?” Luna asked. “Wait for it.” Isaac said. The three then heard a scream come from the library. Soon the boutique and Sugar Cube Corner followed suit and the two partners in crime barreled over in laughter. Luna looked at them in confusion then back at the town. “Oh Isaac you area genius!” Discord cackled as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I try.” He said as he saw Twilight storm up to his home. Isaac almost barreled over again as he saw the lavender Unicorn’s limp horn. “Discord!” She yelled as the other element bearers approached them. The six pulled out their elements and got ready to turn him back into a statue. Discord teleported down in front of the mares and sighed. “You said you wouldn’t pull any pranks!” “Now before you go and start lecturing me.” He said as he held up a claw. “If you’re looking for the real culprit look no further.” He said as he pointed up. Isaac stood up and took a bow. “Isaac?” Twilight yelled. “Having trouble keeping that thing up Twi? Relax it happens to the best of us.” Twilight’s face went bright red. “Well, not me, but you? Yeah I can see that happening.” The apple farmer and the yellow Pegasus looked un-touched while the cyan mare had a set of small orange wings. Pinkie was now a grey color and Rarity’s mane and tail were now swamp green. “You will pay for this you cur!” Rarity yelled. Isaac fell over again and pulled out his phone. The human took a quick snapshot of the mares as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “You mess with the bull you get the horns.” He said with a grin. “Consider this payback for the pie in the face, egg on my head, hot sauce in my coffee and trying to de-fabricate my clothes in the middle of town yesterday!” He bellowed. “How did you even get us?” Pinkie asked. “I just treated your water supplies with some liquified poison joke I got from Zecora.” The mares gasped. “Why didn’t you do anything to these two?” Dash asked as she pointed to her two untouched friends. “AJ’s water supply comes from an underground well, like the hospital has its own water supply. Shy gets water from the Everfree forest which I'm guessing she has a filter for.” He said with a chuckle. “What about me?” Dash yelled. “Ah yes, I poured some into a cloud and had Discord replace one of your cloud pillows with it.” He chuckled. The four mares still gave him the death stare. “Oh calm down I have the cure right here.” He said as he pulled out some water balloons. “Don’t you-” The mare was cut off as the man threw four water balloons at the mares which hit their marks. The wet mares grumbled as they felt the effects of the plant go away. “What about the rest of town?” Twilight yelled. “I took the liberty of isolating your water supplies from the rest of the town’s.” Discord chuckled. The chaos lord said as Celestia appeared in front of them. “Discord!” She yelled. “I specifically told you no pranks were to be done.” “It wasn’t him Princess.” Isaac stated. “I’m the mastermind behind this little fiasco.” The white Alicorn looked at the man in shock. “I figured I’d celebrate the holiday.” Celestia looked at the picture the human took and couldn’t help, but giggle. “Princess!” Twilight yelled. “Oh calm down Twilight, there’s no harm done.” She giggled. “Glad you fee that way Celestia.” Isaac said as he quickly pulled out a bucket from his room and drenched the Princess in some spare joke water. Silence fell over the group as the white Alicorn’s coat turned pink. Luna, Discord and Isaac were in hysterics as the six mares felt lumps form in their throats. “That was for going into my head.” Celestia was glaring at the human with rage in her eyes before letting out a deep breath. “Honestly, you three are worse than Blueblood!” She yelled. “Awe come on Princess. You can’t rope us in with that martian.” Isaac said as he calmed down. “Our shenanigans are fun and cheeky.” Discord chuckled. “His shenanigans are cruel and tragic.” Luna stated. “Which really doesn’t make them shenanigans at all.” Discord concluded. “They’re evil shenanigans!” The human yelled. “I swear to the maker that the next one of you that says shenanigans will receive a one way trip to the moon!” Celestia barked. The three pranksters fell silent until Isaac thought of another idea. “Hey Pinkie,” The pink mare perked up. “what was that diner you were telling me about in Trottingham with the awesome bread sticks and all that goofy crap on the walls?” “Oh you mean Shenanigans?” The three barreled over in laughter again as Celestia face palmed and gritted her teeth. Isaac calmed down and tossed her one of the water balloons. The white mare caught it in her telekinetic grip. “There’s the cure. No harm done.” “Would you kindly explain why Luna didn’t come home to the castle last night?” She asked in an irate tone. The human felt his joy fade away. He’d already pissed the Alicorn off and he didn’t want to do it more by telling her that he had slept with her sister. Even if it was in a totally platonic way. “We were too tired from last night’s competition to teleport home.” Luna stated. “Isaac was kind enough to allow us to stay over until we recovered our strength.” She smiled. “How did that go by the way?” Rarity asked. “We emerged victorious!” Luna yelled in delight. The human muttered something under his breath and groaned. “We must thank thee Rarity. If thou had not suggested such a strategy then we would have surely failed.” The human glared at the white mare who smirked. “So what are you going to have him do?” Dash asked as she wickedly grinned at the human. “The stakes were doubled after I beat her the first time.” Isaac said with a groan. “So now I have to do what she says for two days. Two long, agonizing, dreadful days.” He grumbled. “We have not decided yet.” Luna said with a smile. “We will get back to you on that,” she said as she looked at the human. “for now we must return to the castle for royal business.” She said before teleporting beside her pink sister. “I must leave as well.” Discord grumbled. “I must say that it was quite fun while it lasted Isaac. I look forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve.” “Don’t get any ideas.” Celestia barked. Isaac sighed and climbed down from the roof. “Sorry Princess.” The man said not wanting to make enemies with the white Alicorn. “Oh calm down, I enjoy a good prank as much as the next pony.” She said as she extended her hand to shake. Isaac happily shook it only to be met with a large electrical shock ripping through his body. Celestia smirked and showed a joy buzzer in her palm. “Oldest trick in the book.” Isaac said as he shook off the shock. “You got me.” He said as the Alicorn chuckled. “We cool?” “For now.” She said in a flat tone. “I will be keeping a close eye on you Isaac.” She said before vanishing in a flash of light with the other two immortal beings. As Luna vanished, Isaac could have sworn that she winked at him. The man pushed the thoughts out of his mind and cracked his neck. He gulped as he saw the four frowning mares in front of him. Dash and Applejack cracked their knuckles while Rarity and Twilight’s horn glowed. “You are so dead.” Dash said as she got in a charging position. “I regret nothing!” He yelled as Twilight wrapped him in a magical aura and dragged him towards the library.
