Hunter In Equestria Chapter 2: About Town

You slept for only a few hours, the storm was still booming overhead when you woke up. Stretching and yawning, you sat up and took in your surroundings.

 

Twilight and Fluttershy were sitting at the table, having tea and chatting. Your things were pushed into a neat pile on the side they weren't using. Fluttershy noticed you were awake first.

 

"Oh, good afternoon Anonymous! Did you sleep well?"

 

"Like a baby." You said with a small smile. "First chance to sleep I've gotten in over two days."

 

"Two days? No wonder you were cranky." Twilight mentioned.

 

Wait a minute, YOU were cranky?

 

Oh, right. You did sort of freak out about the whole map thing.

 

"Oh, before I forget, we never did finish introductions." The Kirin said, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

 

She hopped off of her chair and trotted over, Fluttershy joining her a moment later.

 

"You've already met me, but... I am Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn and personal protégé of Princess Celestia! I'm here on my own request to study friendship in all of its forms!"

 

'Studying friendship'? Really?

 

You kept your face perfectly level, trying desperately to avoid laughing in her face.

 

"Princess Celestia?" You asked in a confused tone, and Twilight's expression suggested you had just slapped her. "Whoa whoa, hold on. New guy here."

 

"She raises the sun each day, letting us ponies enjoy the morning and daylight hours." The purple pony said tersely, sighing at you. "I really need to throw a book or two your way, then make you write a few book reports."

 

"Right..." You said, gesturing to the yellow...winged horse. "And you're Fluttershy, right?"

 

"Yes, that's right!" She chirped, smiling brightly. "I'm glad you remembered! I'm a pegasus, and I really, really love animals!" She said, sunny smile still in place.

 

Great, one of those "Save the Wyverns" people that were constantly trying to defend the very creatures ending their lives.

 

"When I heard you were hurt, I dropped everything so I could help a new animal...even though this storm is really scary..."

 

Thunder boomed again, and the butter yellow pegasus vanished. Chattering of teeth came from under the table, and Fluttershy had curled up to comfort herself.

 

"Are...all pegasus like this?" You asked Twilight, arching an eyebrow.

 

"No. Most of them are brash and arrogant." Twilight replied, lacking the usual sarcastic tone. She rolled her eyes. "You'll meet at least one later, when I introduce you to the rest of Ponyville."

 

"I see. When do we do that?" You asked, not exactly thrilled about the prospect...but not exactly avoiding it either.

 

Your stomach growled, suddenly reminding you that you hadn't eaten in at least twenty hours.

 

"Er, scratch the introductions."

 

Twilight looked over curiously as you began to suit up in your armor. Picking up your sword and scarred shield, you walked towards the door.

 

"H-hey, were are you going?" Twilight asked.

 

"Hunting."

---

 

You ended up back in that dark forest roughly an hour later. Logic dictated that where there was heavy foliage, there were herbivores. Where there were herbivores, there was food. Where there was food, there was a happy, content Hunter.

 

The treetops also sheltered the entire forest from the rain, almost completely in some areas, so that was a plus.

 

Indeed, a small chicken-like beast sat on the ground, pecking at the grass. It had a long, reptilian tail, setting it apart from a conventional chicken.

 

It also hadn't noticed you.

 

Slowly drawing your knife, you crept closer. A twig snapped under your feet, and it turned and glared at you. You lunged, and the last expression to cross its face was shock as you plunged the knife into its neck. The light in the chicken-thing's eyes was extinguished, and you wrenched your hunting knife out.

 

You were going to eat good in a few minutes. Just had to clean it, pluck the feathers, skin it... Quite a bit of work, but the pay-off would be worth it.

 

Taking up a spot next to a tree, and noting the area a meter in every direction was dry, you set up a small 'campsite' of sorts. You gathered some kindling, drew Golden Falchion, and touched off a blaze with a light tap. After a few minutes of tending, you threw on some of the dryer branches and began cleaning the bird.

 

You threw the scraps into the bushes, then speared the breast meat on a sharpened stick and hung it over the fire.

 

Something shifted the bush moments later.

 

You immediately had your sword hand ready, but didn't draw it yet.

 

"Anon? Fluttershy and I are worried, where are you?"

 

Twilight again.

 

"Over here." You called, holding your hand up above the bushes. The two ponies trotted around the bush, having seen the scraps you had thrown in it. Twilight looked a little sick, though Fluttershy didn't pay it a second glance. "Just grabbing lunch...or dinner, or even breakfast, I don't know anymore."

 

"Is...is that a cockatrice?!" Twilight said, seeing the rest of the carcass sitting next to you.

 

"Uh, it might be?" You replied, confused. "Why, is that strange?"

 

"Did it look at you? At any point? Even just a passing glance?" Twilight asked rapidly, ears back and eyes wide, pure fear evident. Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on the panicking mare's shoulder.

 

"Uh, it glared at me. That was it." You said, taking a look at the breast you had cooking.

 

Just a few more minutes.

 

"And you...aren't stone? At all?" The unicorn pressed, walking near you. She poked various spots on your exposed neck and head, then quirked an eyebrow at you.

 

"Not that I know of." You replied. What was with this horse?

 

"Don't you know how dangerous that is, staring at a cockatrice?!" Twilight reprimanded, stamping a hoof. "They turn ponies to stone in an instant!"

 

"I'm not a pony." You replied, checking the breast again.

 

"You know what I mean!" The lavender unicorn shot back hotly. "I don't want you petrified by a cockatrice because you did something stupid!"

 

The pony suddenly shivered, not making eye contact.

 

"Twilight was petrified by one a few months ago." Fluttershy said, voice quiet. "I think it scarred her, even though she told us she doesn't remember..."

 

"I'M NOT SCARRED!" The mare shouted.

 

Fluttershy 'eep'ed, using you as a physical barrier. You merely arched an eyebrow.

 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. What happened?" You asked with concern, eyes locked to the hyperventilating pony.

 

"It's NOTHING." Twilight replied with a snarl, before plopping herself down next to the fire. The unicorn didn't look at either of you, instead choosing to pointedly stare into the fire.

 

You merely shrugged. Several Hunters had given up the trade because of things like this, you could only do so much if the person or pony in question didn't want to talk about it.

 

"You ALSO realize we had food back at the library?" Twilight asked, and you shrugged again.

 

"I don't eat hay, little pony."

 

Twilight huffed.

 

"Not hay, you carnivorous mongoloid. All sorts of fruits and vegetables."

 

One final check of the poultry revealed it was finally ready to eat. You pulled the stick off of the fire, noting with glee that it smelled simply amazing. Fluttershy was watching with a small smile, not put off in the slightest.

 

"Aren't you...gonna stop me? Tell me 'eating meat is wrong'?" You questioned, confused.

 

Fluttershy gasped as if you had just wounded her.

 

"Oh, not at all! You're simply satisfying your needs. While it's unfortunate the cockatrice had to lose its life, sometimes these things are unavoidable." The pony said with a small smile and similarly small nod.

 

You shrugged, then took a bite. A slightly spicy kick, even without any seasoning at all. You polished off the breast in less than five minutes, which was impressive even with as ravenously hungry you were.

 

Twilight had stealthily resumed taking notes on you. Every time you reacted to the taste, her quill would scribble something. Once you had finished and leaned back against the tree, she finished note-taking and sent them both away with a spell.

 

You put your helmet back in your lap, sighing contentedly to yourself.

 

"That...was good." You said, patting your belly lightly. "Best meal I've had in days."

 

"You must have had some...really, really poor meals, then." Twilight muttered. You shrugged.

 

"Kinda, yeah. Military-style rations only get a guy so far."

 

It was then that you heard it.

 

An echoing howl, calling for something...

 

A howl that you recognized instantly.

 

You slapped your helmet back on and stood, drawing your weapon.

 

"Stay here." You commanded. Before either pony could ask why, you were already moving through the forest again.

---

 

You came upon exactly what you thought you had heard. Peeking around the large tree merely confirmed it.

 

A large bulky raptor with a flamboyant frill was in a clearing, surrounded by a harem of female raptors. The larger raptor was mostly a light purple, with red splashed on its knees. A bright white mane ran from its head all the way down its tail.

 

You knew the harem was a group of females, because that was all they COULD be.

 

A Great Jaggi, surrounded by Jaggia.

 

You were confused, completely and totally. If this wasn't your world, how were they here? Did they follow you? If so, how?

 

Your head was spinning.

 

The collected raptor group didn't appear to notice you, and they weren't exactly being threats...so you left them be. If anything, the supposed 'natural Everfree predators' would sort them out. Not like Great Jaggi were especially dangerous.

 

You walked back to camp, noting it was just Twilight left.

 

"Oh, you're back! Where did you go?" Twilight asked.

 

"Where'd Fluttershy go?" You asked in reply, not answering her question. You sat back down and removed your helmet all in one smooth motion, placing the azure-plated steel in your lap again.

 

"She went home, something about a manticore showing up injured. Apparently suffering from a heavy burn along with having its tail severed." Twilight replied, still not looking at you.

 

You stayed silent, knowing exactly what happened to the beast.

 

"Speaking of." The unicorn said, finally looking at you. "I noticed you had a vial of Manticore venom in your pouch. Somehow I imagine it's related, but I don't particularly care."

 

"Mmhm?"

 

"I took the liberty of sending it to the Ponyville hospital, they're awarding you the bounty of two thousand bits."

 

You nodded.

 

"I assume 'bits' are something like zenny, then?

 

"Zenny?"

 

"Here, I think I have a few..."

 

You routed through your bag a bit, pulling out a few of the gold coins. They had a large, stylized 'z' on them, and were more a rough octagon than a circle. A magenta aura encircled one as she lifted it up to inspect it.

 

"Interesting...so, what's the buying power of a single 'zenny'? A single bit here might get you an apple, if Applejack is feeling generous that day."

 

You leaned back against the tree.

 

"Not too powerful, on zenny could get you maybe a handful of candy. The house I was staying in cost me a hundred thousand."

 

Twilight nodded, quill and notepad being called back from the aether for more notes.

 

"How did you get so much?"

 

"I had almost twice that when I bought the place."  You replied with a shrug. "Depending on both the danger and the urgency, some Hunting Quest bounties are pretty high. Highest I've seen was seventy-five thousand."

 

"What was that bounty on?"

 

"A large Brute Wyvern named Deviljho was getting ready to take a town apart, and not very many hunters were prepared to actually fight it." You said, placing your hands behind your head. "It uses this strange element we can only call "Dragon element" in its attacks. It ripped half the city apart before we stopped it, but there were thankfully few casualties."

 

"How 'few' is few?"

 

"Only ten civilians or so out of the two hundred living there. Also lost two of the four hunters on the quest."

 

Twilight winced in sympathy, but continued.

 

"You mentioned you hunt dragons...I live with one, will this be a problem?"

 

You rolled your eyes.

 

"I'm not a wanton murderer. Unless it's gone out of his way to hurt someone, it's fine."

 

"Good."

 

"Is it like a pet or something?"

 

"No no, not a pet." Twilight laughed. "His name is Spike, he's my personal daytime assistant."

 

"Oh, I see. I assume he can talk, then."

 

"You'd be right!"

 

"Now, Twilight, question for you."

 

She paused, and you could see the dread on her face, like she knew what you were going to ask.

 

"G-go ahead..."

 

"What happened with that cockatrice?"

 

"I was...on my way back from Zecora's, and I just happened to accidentally glance at it." She sighed, then paused.

 

"Then?" You pressed.

 

"I do-don't want to even think about it..."

 

"Talking about it is always better than just leaving it pent up inside."

 

"What are you, a psychiatrist?" The mare said, leveling a glare at you.

 

"After a while, you sort of pick up tells. When something is terrified, when it's sick, when it just wants to be left alone, things like that."

 

You had an idea. Not the best idea, but it was one regardless.

 

"Tell you what. I'll trade you. One story I have for the one I want."

 

Twilight hesitated. You could see it playing out in her eyes, the want for more knowledge against the want to just forget the cockatrice entirely.

 

"F-fine..."

 

She stood up, then walked over in front of you and curled up by the fire.

 

"A cockatrice's stare turns things to stone. Pony, squirrel, timberwolf, it doesn't matter." The mare sighed, and you placed a comforting hand on her back. She didn't resist.

 

"I...I screamed, Anon...for hours. I cried, and nopony heard me. I was cold, I couldn't see, I couldn't hear...I didn't want that kind of...absolute Tartarus for you, or anypony else that didn't deserve it."

 

She looked back at the fire, breath occasionally hitching in her throat.

 

"I told Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom I didn't remember it just so they wouldn't worry. I cried myself to sleep for the next week, nightmares were frequent for the next MONTH."

 

"If I were absolutely honest with you...seeing it dead gave me a sort of thrill, knowing it couldn't hurt anything anymore...knowing it couldn't hurt ME anymore."

 

Your hands had gone to stroking her mane, and she still didn't oppose you. You figured that something like that would help calm her, if she were anything like the horses back home.

 

"Twilight, this is exactly why I'm a Monster Hunter." You said softly. "So creatures like this CAN'T hurt others. It's absolutely fine to be afraid of something like that, I couldn't imagine a worse hell."

 

Twilight looked back, slowly nodding. She gently pushed your hands off of her. Not repulsed by your touch, but simply not needing it anymore.

 

"Thank you...I-I needed to hear somepony tell me it's okay...to be scared. Pinkie tells me to giggle at my fears...that's not something I can giggle away."

 

She then picked up her quill and notepad again.

 

"Now, about that story..."

---

 

You and Twilight strode out of the Everfree Forest roughly half an hour later, helmet in the crook of your arm and the mare giggling. She was in a much, much better mood after both venting to you and hearing some stories of your adventures. To cheer her up, you decided on some of the more embarrassing ones.

 

"So then I punched the idiot and took my ruby back." You finished, pantomiming the action. This current story had been completely made up on the spot, but she was enjoying it anyway. Twilight giggled, bright and sunny smile on her face.

 

A group of ponies were in front of you, though none of them were actually looking at the entrance to the forest. They were apparently talking amongst themselves.

 

One was Fluttershy, keeping to herself at the end of the line-up. Her eyes were looking down, and she was occasionally kicking the dirt.

 

"Hi girls!" Twilight chirped, stepping towards them.

 

The others were: a blue pegasus with a prismatic mane and matching thunderbolt-style tattoo, hovering off of the ground with steady wing-beats; An orange pony with blonde mane and what appeared to be a Wroggi hat, with triple apple tattoo; a white unicorn like Twilight, with a royal purple mane and triple diamond tattoo; and a pink pony with an almost-unreal poofy mane matching its coat, also with a tattoo on her hips of three balloons.

 

Three seemed to be the number of the day today.

 

"T-Twilight!?" The blue one called in a rough, almost androgynous voice, turning around. "We were about to come storming in there looking for you! Fluttershy sa-"

 

She stopped when her eyes locked to you, expression going from relieved to shocked.

 

"Uh...hi?" You said, waving lamely with your free hand.

 

"...said there was a monster in there!" She finished, shock reverting into an angry glare.

 

"N-no, I didn't..." Fluttershy said quietly, looking away.

 

"Step away from the book nerd, and I won't hurt ya!" The bossy one continued, ignoring the yellow pegasus.

 

"Rainbow Dash, he's fine." Twilight said with a groan. "He hasn't hurt me, and never intended to."

 

"...and how do I know he doesn't have strange, hypnotizing powers making you say that!? I mean, look at him! He's weird!" The pegasus, 'Rainbow Dash' continued.

 

"Need I remind you that you used to hang around a gryphon that actively assaulted people?" Twilight said dryly, trotting past her 'not-quite-a-rescue' team. "Fluttershy can tell you the same, he's not dangerous unless you MAKE him dangerous."

 

You followed Twilight...or would have, had 'Rainbow' not blocked you. You tried to move around her just for her feathery ass to stubbornly in the way again.

 

"One meter bubble, pony." You said, glaring.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She shot back.

 

"How far out my personal space extends. If I don't like you, you're invading it." You said heatedly.

 

"Rainbow Dash, he's okay..." The yellow pegasus mumbled. The orange and white ponies heard her, but the cyan one in your face did not.

 

"You aren't going anywhere near my friend, you got it? You can just go on back to the Everfree Forest where you came from! Go on, get!" She said, making a shooing motion with her forehooves.

 

You glared at the pegasus.

 

"You know, being treated like an animal is getting really, really tiresome." You growled, low and dangerous. "I suggest you back the hell off."

 

The white unicorn and orange pony were backpedaling from you, and the pink one was following Twilight back to town, apparently chatting very animatedly with her. Either those two were out of earshot already...or the pink one was talking WAY too loud.

 

"Dash, maybe ya should listen to 'im." The orange one said with an odd twang, still taking a few steps back. "He doesn't sound like he's kiddin'."

 

"Rainbow Dash, dear, perhaps it would be, ah, wise to listen to Applejack, for once." The unicorn agreed, grimacing as if she knew what would happen next.

 

The blue pony didn't listen, still invading your personal space. You rolled your eyes and pushed past the pegasus.

 

"Like he's gonna do anyth-oof!"

 

She tumbled through the air before catching herself, and your jogging had made you already too close to Twilight for her to counter-attack. At least, that's what you thought.

 

"OOooooo, who's your new tall friend, Twilight?" The pink one asked as you approached, bouncing to and fro. "Can he hear me all the way up there?"

 

"I can hear you just fine." You replied evenly, helmet still on. Twilight giggled to herself.

 

"His name is Anonymous, and he's a..." The mare paused, before continuing. "A new, but very good friend of mine. He helped me with a small problem in the Everfree Forest." You grinned under your helmet as the pink pony gasped.

 

The mare vanished.

 

A weight was on top of your head, and as you looked up, your vision was filled with poofy pink pony mane and tail.

 

"Well hi there Anonymouse, my name is Pinkie Pie! Anything party has my name written ALL over it! Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, get-well-soons, funerals, anything!" The mare chirped, bouncing weightlessly on your head with a multitude of giggles.

 

"F-funerals?" You asked, arching an eyebrow invisibly under your helmet.

 

"Can't spell funeral without F-U-N, right?" She said with a light giggle. "Don't be sad the pony passed, celebrate the fact that you knew them!"

 

Couldn't argue with that logic. Certainly beat drinking yourself under the table. Your steady walking pace had landed you in Ponyville, and you were in fact just outside Twilight's Library.

 

"OH!" She said loudly, stopping suddenly. "That reminds me! I have something to go do now!"

 

She bounded off of your head and then skip-hopped down a street behind you, quickly out of sight.

 

"What a...strange pony." You said aloud. Twilight shook her head with a grin.

 

"You don't know the half of it." The mare chuckled.

 

You were about to respond when a cannonball struck you in the back of the head. You were pitched forward, head over heels, until you struck the Library wall and landed in a groaning heap.

 

"How's THAT for action-reaction, huh?" The same pegasus from before said, extremely close by. Almost as if she were saying it into your ear...

 

You heard wingbeats as well, which only confirmed what you thought: This suicidal pegasus had just slammed straight into you.

 

Now you were pissed.

 

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shouted. "What in Celestia's name did you do that for!?"

 

"He attacked me earlier! AJ and Rarity both saw it!" She said defensively, as you tried to sort your head out. Just how fast was she going to hit you this hard?! It felt like a literal iron cannonball had hit you, your head was spinning and vision was blurry.

 

"He what? Anon, is this true?" Twilight asked, suddenly suspicious.

 

"I pushed past her. She was in my way, and I asked her to move. Fuck this hurts..." You replied, inspecting the damage.

 

Light bleeding, would stop momentarily. Massive headache, possibly light concussion. Consistent with one from a heavy impact. Not anything you hadn't had before, but gods above did your head hurt. You rolled over and picked yourself up, willing the aches and pains away.

 

"ALRIGHT, that's it! You want a fight, you've got one!" You shouted.

 

A bright lavender wall was put up between the two of you before you could do anything.

 

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight said quietly. "Leave, now. Anon, inside."

 

Suddenly feeling like you were being scolded by a teacher, you did as she said. You threw up a middle finger at the pegasus, who in turn was laughing at you. A piece of rope guided by Twilight tied her mouth shut, and Dash began struggling to get it off.

 

You stepped in, and the door slammed shut. You pulled your helmet off and lightly tossed it onto the table, frustrated beyond belief.

 

"Anonymous, I'm going to give you one chance to answer me. It would be in your best interest to be honest, and it better be a good answer." The mare said with the chill of a glacier. "Why in Equestria did Rainbow Dash say you attacked her?"

 

"I *didn't*. Unless you count pushing past her an attack, in which case I'm guilty."

 

"Pushed past her? Why?" Twilight asked, suddenly confused instead of angry.

 

"That blasted pegasus tried to force me back into the forest, and I wasn't having it."

 

A pause.

 

"I think I need you to leave for right now." The mare said after a moment. "I'm not angry at you, just giving you a chance to explore the town, meet other ponies. I'm going to have a chat with Rainbow Dash about starting fights."

 

She tossed you a sack, heavy and jingling with...something.

 

"The bounty for that venom, by the way."

 

The door opened, and you took that as your cue to leave. The cyan pegasus, having had her ear against the door to listen, was caught and dragged inside.

===

 

You wished you had been allowed to take off your armor. It was getting uncomfortable, and really needed to be cleaned.

 

This was only cemented by the fact that every pony you passed by curled their noses up at the scent of blood, then retreated from you when they saw where it was coming from. This had been going on for two hours now, it was getting annoying.

 

You were sitting on a bench near a large ornamental fountain. Atop it was a stone statue, carved to almost impossible detail. It was of some winged unicorn with a sun tattoo on her flank, wings spread in either an imposing or proud manner, you couldn't tell. Eyes closed and with a graceful smile, all four hooves on the ground. Definitely a proud stance, now that you thought about it.

 

The golden plaque underneath read "Princess Celestia's Glorious Sunlight! In commemoration of the defeat of the Changeling Incursion of Canterlot."

 

So, this was Twilight's mentor.

 

No dating on the plaque, however. This could have been as recent as a week ago to as old as several hundred years. Gold being what it was, it was nearly impossible to gauge how old this was from simply looking at it. You supposed you'd ask Twilight whenever you were actually allowed back in.

 

"Four hooves...she survived the battle." You mumbled to yourself.

 

The word "Changeling" made you quirk an eyebrow again. Presumably just from the name it could, well, change. Princess Celestia was obviously royalty, hence her title, though you didn't understand why she had both wings and a horn. Perhaps unicorn and pegasus parents?

 

There being a princess also presumably meant there was a king and queen as well. You'd have to speak to them as soon as you could...if they were even still around.

 

You leaned back on the bench, noting that the wood must have been extraordinarily strong to support your quarter ton of steel, flesh, and scale without any protest at all. Not even a small creak.

 

A small mint-green pony on another bench was watching you pointedly, eyes locked to you...or rather, to your hands. Every time they'd move, her eyes would shift to follow them. Eventually you started making the motions wider and more energetic, and her eyes followed whichever hand happened to be closer. Her grin was growing wider and wider as time went on too.

 

You chuckled, amused at this joyful green unicorn.

 

The cream-colored pony next to her was not as amused, however.

 

"Lyra, seriously?" She asked, looking up from her book when the mint pony jerked to follow one of your rapidly moving hands. "Control yourself before you give the alien a reason to come over here!"

 

"Bu-but Bon Bon! He's got hands! Fingers, wigglers, pokers!" She whined, before the other pony bopped her on the head with the book.

 

"You heard the rumors, it just APPEARED here, straight from the Everfree!" Bon Bon hissed, before returning to her book.

 

You frowned, and the cream-colored pony gasped when she realized you had heard her.

 

"Now that was kinda unnecessary." You said with a quirked eyebrow. "I haven't hurt anyone so far."

 

"W-well in o-our defense, you d-did come from the Everfree..."

 

"Actually, I came from Twilight Sparkle's kitchen." You said...then held up and waved a hand as both ponies looked at you in confusion. "Wait wait wait, no, hold on. That makes me sound like some cooking mistake. It's just a long, long story. I'm not *too* dangerous, I promise."

 

"R-right...well, Lyra and I have things to do, ponies to see." Bon-Bon said, obviously nervous and frightened that you were so much as looking at her, let alone talking to her. "I'm afraid, Mr. Alien, that we have to, uh, go."

 

"B-But Bonnie!" The unicorn whined, getting off the bench as the other pony did. "I wanna talk to him!"

 

"How do you even know he's a he?!"

 

You rolled your eyes.

 

"A simple 'hey, are you a dude' would be great, thanks. For the record, yes, I am."

 

"O-oh. Well, uh, *sir*, we have to go now."

 

Bon-Bon then started physically pushing the unicorn out of the park.

 

"Lyra, how dare you use your pet name for me in public!" The cream pony hissed. "When we get home, I'm gonna..."

 

Whatever she was going to do to the unicorn was a mystery as she went out of hearing range. You shrugged, leaning back and listening to the fountain.

 

"Ah, here you are." A familiar voice called. A quick glance showed Twilight Sparkle coming up the trail, a small smile on her face.

 

"Here I am." You repeated, eyes still locked to the statue. "Maybe you could tell me something. How old is that statue?"

 

"Oh, that one?" Twilight said, hopping into the bench and looking at it. "About fifty years. Was put in when Princess Celestia repelled the Changelings from Canterlot with assistance from the guards."

 

"So...how old is she?" You asked, the question just spilling out without thought. You immediately cringed, though if Twilight saw it, she didn't mention it.

 

"Uhm...roughly one thousand years old at the very least. She never really told me her true age." Twilight replied, a hoof to her chin in thought.

 

You had to pause for a moment, clutching your head.

 

"O-one thousand...?" You asked, absolutely dumbstruck.

 

"I don't think she likes talking about it much...though you may get a chance to ask her yourself."

 

"Huh?"

 

"I requested that she come down to Ponyville to meet you. It would be easier for her to come down than for us to bring her to you." She continued. "She cleared her schedule tomorrow just for this, so she must think it's very important."

 

"Well...that was nice of her." You commented, still a little stunned.

 

"More than nice. Besides, that means I can see my teacher again!" The mare chirped, her smile going from calm to absolutely giddy. You chuckled, laughing as Twilight bounded several times in place. "Oh, by the way, I've finished setting up a spare room for you at the Library. Feel free to use it."

 

You had a place to crash for the night, at least.

 

"Uh huh. Should I be worried about random pegasus ambushes?"

 

"Erm..." Twilight said, rubbing a hoof behind her head. "I honestly don't know. Apparently you're the talk of the town...but not in a good way."

 

"I noticed. A few either don't mind or actually want to talk, most are rather hostile." You replied, remembering "Bonnie" and Lyra.

 

"They'll come around, hopefully." The lavender pony said with a shrug. "I've managed to convince my friends that you aren't a threat, at least."

 

"Good."

---

 

The dead of night in Ponyville, and you couldn't sleep.

 

The room you had been given was very nice, and had ample space for you. The bed was more comfortable than anything you had at home, there were three dressers that wouldn't be filled for quite a while, access to a hot shower...

 

The shower was something you were excited about. Access to these was nearly unheard of, beyond wealthy kings or queens.

 

Anyone at home would kill for these accommodations, and you had just been *given* them, no rent required...or even wanted, according to Twilight.

 

All she wanted in return was notes and tests. You supposed you could do that, as long as it wasn't...disfiguring. She offered to pay you for your time too, which was nice. You could always use the spending money, probably try to find a blacksmith for repairs.

 

It would cost a small fortune to repair everything, you imagined. Your armor, thankfully, didn't need much. Some new leather straps would just about cover it. Your shield... that would probably need to be outright replaced.

 

As of right now though, you were bored and not-tired. You decided to...go exploring.

 

Opening the door, you stepped out and shut it. All of Ponyville was quiet, not a peep.

 

Your exploration took you all around, unhindered by fearful or nearly-hostile ponies. A large, multi-decked building was in the center of town, visible from wherever you may have been. Several colored flags were flapping in the light breeze, and you moved past the building and down a street at random.

 

"Ah HAH! Slinking around in the dark, I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

 

Wingbeats...Rainbow Dash.

 

"What do YOU want?" You asked bluntly, not even turning to face her.

 

"Trying to figure out why you're walking around town in the dark! Trying to break in somewhere, I bet!"

 

"I couldn't sleep, felt like going for a walk without the constant glares." You replied back evenly, going through a few mental exercises to keep your irritation at bay.

 

The pegasus landed in front of you.

 

"How about no?"

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"You're going back to Twilight's, and you aren't leaving without her say-so." Dash said with some venom. "I saw that Manticore shiver in fear when you walked past Fluttershy's cottage, there's no way you're not a threat!"

 

"Uh huh. Okay, riddle me this."

 

You got closer, and she puffed her chest up in an effort to seem bigger than she was.

 

"If that manticore didn't stand a chance, why do you think YOU do?" You said with a dark chuckle, watching as Dash fought with herself to either fight or run. "You don't have any ability to stop me from walking right on through town, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

 

You then did exactly that, standing and walking straight on past her and continuing your self-guided tour.

 

You didn't see Rainbow Dash the rest of the night.

===