Between Two Worlds

Dear Twilight,

Your last letter left me very curious and intrigued about our 'guest'. I would like you, your friends and him to go to Canterlot. I have to meet him and decide what to do before the rumors about his existence spread around Equestria and the others countries. The truth is that if the rulers of others nations were aware about his presence here, they'll want to see him and maybe, enlist him in their army.

Yours, Princess Celestia.

"So, all we have to do is go in a city, with a lot of ponies, to be judged by someone who doesn’t know anything about me....just perfect!"

"It’s not that bad. In the worst case, the Princess may want you to stay at the castle, for protect your life against any threat.”

Ethan looked at all the books that surrounded him and sighed.

“Yeah, and if she had to make a decision like this, I couldn’t have any grief against her. The security of her subjects is more important than anything else. If something that nobody had ever seen before landed in my country, I would have the same reaction.”

“How can you know something like that?” asked Twilight.

The black helmet moved in her direction.

“Well, I worked with people who were still in a monarchy. I saw them ponder about the good and bad of a law for days and nights before making their decision. Needless to say that some of their people were not very happy but…it’s the life.”

“Interesting, you have to tell me more about you. Rainbow, can you get our friends here? During this time, I’ll help Ethan to found what he need.”

The cyan mare nodded.

“Sure thing, I’ll be back soon.”

Finally, Rainbow Dash walked out of the library, leaving the human, the purple unicorn and the little dragon alone.

“So, what do you seek exactly?”

“A detailed map with all the cities of Equestria and a book containing all the creatures who lives here. If your map can also have the relief, like mountains, lakes, rivers and fields, that would be perfect.”

“You’re lucky because I have all of this here, so no need to go at Canterlot’s royal library.” She said before walking upstairs.

The little alone time was perfect for the young man. It gives him the occasion to observe more precisely his surroundings. He was in a room made of wood, full of books, in a tree house. Every wall was covered with multiple shelves, themselves filled with books. A single vase with a bouquet of flowers throned in the middle of the room, on a table, also covered with books.

He waited for a few minutes, observing his environment.

Twilight came back with the objects, floating behind her.

“It was not easy to found them but, here you go.”

Ethan nodded before saying.

“Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.”

“I-It’s no-nothing, really.” she replied, slightly blushing.

He saw the blush on her cheeks but ignored it. She was not used to compliments, that’s all. Then, he took the map and the book in his arms before deposing them on the table. First, he opened the book. He turned the pages rapidly, like one per second. In less than two minutes, the human closed it. A message appeared on his HUD.

[Database updated. New entries found in the creatures section. Lack of information about ‘magic’. An update of this section is highly recommended]

“Miss Sparkle? I’m sorry to bother you again but…do you also have something about your technology and a summary which explain your ‘magic’?”

She wore a big smile on her face, glad to help him in his quest of knowledge. She secretly hoped that, with her little help, she could learn more about his life. Even a detail. For sure, this human was very mysterious and it was making him more interesting.

"Of course."

Being alone for the second time, the young Gray deployed the map on the table. A faint beam of blue light scanned the map. In less than a minute, a new message makes its appearance on his screen.

[The map of the region has been downloaded and stocked in memory]

"Perfect....I'm sure that will be very useful in a near future." he whispered while giving at the map its original form.

Spike walked to him and asked:

"Do you want something to eat? Or a drink, maybe?"

"No but thanks for asking."

"Okay, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Finally, the purple unicorn was back with two new books. He repeated the operation. Now, the young man had everything he needed to survive by himself in this world.

“So, what do we do n…”

Ethan was unable to finish his sentence, a loud knock, coming from the entrance of the library, echoed in the room. Quickly, Spike trotted to the door and opened it. Rainbow Dash and the others walked inside. Applejack looked at the human but promptly avoided his red screen, a small blush on her cheeks. He saw everything but said nothing and, instead, sighed.

“You explained them the situation, RD?” asked Twilight.

The cyan mare merely nodded.

“Good. We can go now. Spike, stay here, we’ll not be too long.”

“Okay Twilight, have a good trip.”

“Wait. How are we going to Canterlot?”

“We’re taking the train, darling. Why?”

The human looked at the white unicorn.

“I see but…how much time will it take?”

“No more than two hours. May I ask why?”

From behind his helmet, he grinned.

“I have a better way to go there. And we can race at the same time, Miss Dash.” he said, walking outside and looking over his shoulder to see the group following him.

“Awesome! And what is it?”

He stopped in his tracks and made a wide gesture with his arm.

“My car. There enough place for all of us.”

“I’m in! Let’s do this!”

Strangely, the orange earth pony stayed silent. He shrugged.

“Yeah, and after that, we’ll make a welcome party for you!” yelled Pinkie Pie, bouncing around the vehicle.

“No.”

The tone was firm and dry. Hearing this, the pink pony stopped moving and looked at him, surprised and with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“You don’t like parties?”

“When I was young, yes but…not anymore.”

He didn’t wait for a response and opened the passenger door. All the ponies jumped inside and he closed it. Finally, he opened his door and sat in his seat. Ethan pushed the black button which gave life to the Skyline. He lowered his window.

“Can you give me the direction of Canterlot?”

She pointed before them, at northeast.

“Perfect. Is everypony ready?”

“Ya sure that it’s not dangerous?” asked AppleJack.

“I drive for what….twelve years? And I don’t ever have a single accident. I know what I do.”

He looked again at the mare with the rainbow mane.

"Ready?"

"You bet I am!"

"Alright, let's go!"

"See you at Canterlot, after my victory."

He smiled.

"Don't be so sure of yourself." said the human before closing his window.

He pressed the clutch and the first gear before releasing the pedal. He searched for a few moments the song he wanted to hear before it appeared on the LCD screen. He pushed the play button and closed the door. A sentence made its appearance on his screen.

[Song selected: Pacific Coast Highway (Jackson Remix) by Kavinsky]

He raised his left arm and counted to three with his fingers. When his third finger rose, he suddenly stepped on the gas and both competitors were gone. The human pushed the engine at 8000 rpm before passing the second gear. Rainbow was before him, very close to the car but began to get ahead of him.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

His feet pressed the accelerator at its limit. In response, the mechanical monster growled and picked up speed. Quickly, the sensation of speed and adrenaline spread in his body. His eyes meet the panel and he saw that he was near 73 mph. In a fluid and expert motion, he passed the third gear. The pegasus was still ahead of him but the distance between them was gradually reduced. Finally, the two racers were side by side.

Seeing this, the cyan mare speeded up. The air around her became more and more compressed, taking the form of an arrow, it was something that preceded her preferred technique: the Sonic Rainboom. Absolutely not impressed by this, Ethan continued to drive. After a few minutes, they were still side by side. The last notes die down before being replaced by another song. He turned the speaker volume at their maximum power. The whole car trembled because of the 2000W subwoofer.

The pilot of the armor shifted to the sixth gear. He looked at his milestone and saw he was at 186 miles.

“I have 64 mph left, perfect.” He whispered, before looking at his passengers. Rarity, Twilight, AppleJack and Fluttershy faces were green, only Pinkie Pie enjoyed the race. “Are you okay?”

“I think so, but please, end it before we throw up.” responded the purple unicorn.

“Don’t worry, one last sprint and its over.”

Rainbow accelered, leaving a few meters between her and the Skyline.

“I see…so let me play to you the song of my people.”

Ethan shifted back to the fifth gear. The Nissan Skyline growled more loudly than before. The pointer climbed to 9700 rpm before he shifted again to the sixth gear. His index pushed a red button.

[Nitromethane tank: ON]

Then, he put his two hands on the steering wheel. With both of his index, he pushed two little buttons. The response was immediate. The acceleration was sudden and unexpected. His whole body was pressed against his seat. His digital counted showed 243 mph and 8300 rpm.

“Come on….you can do it, for Daddy.”

The element of Loyalty looked behind her and saw the car which quickly caught up with her.

“…Impossible.”

246, 247, 248.

“A little more and it’s done.”

249, 250 mph.

“Yes! I did it!” yelled Ethan, apparent joy in his voice.

The second after, a beautiful and large rainbow ring exploded around Rainbow Dash, leaving her competitor behind. All emotions on his face vanished whe he saw this.

".....the fuck? Did she....just broke the sound barrier? What the hell.....How do you want me to win against....that? Seriously."

Ethan saw he was going to enter the city and quickly slowed his speed. Even at 25 mph, the ponies jumped on the side, afraid and not wanting to finish under his wheels.

Finally, after a few minutes, they arrived in front of the castle, where the cyan Pegasus was wainting for them.

"So? Who's the boss?" she asked, when the human walked outside.

"I admit my defeat, you are."

A smirk, full of pride, grew on her lips.

"Yes, I know I am but you are not bad yourself. Not everypony is able to reach your speed."

"I know. It's the purpose of...—"

“You! Freeze and put your hooves up!” said one of the two guard which walked to the human with a spear.

Only one word left his mouth while he obeyed and slowly raised his hands in the air: “Shit.”