Cyborg Ninja Anon: Chapter Two

NOTE: For the best fighting experience, slap this on in the background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R86NrDpC06g

 

>You charge at the living mass of shrubs, branches and bark, all the while planning the best course of attack to bring this behemoth down.

>You would consider targeting the beast’s leg joints, but the giant wolf brings its left paw up and takes aim; it’s probably going to try and stomp you into the dirt.

>You might not have the strength advantage in this fight, but you have the agility one for sure.

>You plant your feet into the ground just as the paw is sent blasting towards where you stand. Before the beast can strike you down, you explode from the point of impact with a surprising amount of speed, the paw harmlessly slamming the ground where you previously stood.

>You take the opportunity right away, jumping up onto the grounded paw and, once you’ve got a firm stance on the rough, uneven surface, you plunge your blade into the bark.

>There’s a fair bit of resistance, but you manage to sink your blade about one third of the way down before the wolf howls in pain.

>It shakes its paw from side to side rapidly in an attempt to shake you off. The act surprises you as you hang onto your blade, trying to maintain your position on the beast. All you need is an opportunity, and-

>The beast starts shaking its paw up and down in addition to shaking it horizontally. That’s what you needed.

>As the wolf raises it paw vertically, you grip the handle of your blade with both hands and jump.

>Your plan works… sort of.

>Sure, you enhanced momentum kindly provided by the wolf freed your blade and sent you sky-high, but, now you have a new problem; namely the fact the wolf is rearing its ugly mug towards you flying form, and is now opening its jaws wide in an attempt to clamp them down around you.

 

“Oh, LIKE HELL YOU ARE!” you exclaim as your vertical ascent ceases to be.

>You poise your blade in front of you tip first as you rocket towards the open maw of the beast below. You can hear the crowd observing the skirmish gasp audibly as the beast gets set to chomp you in two…

>… but that outcome didn’t happen; you blade sink in deep to the  muzzle of the wooden monstrosity, your legs narrowly avoiding getting split into halves by crashing onto the area where hackles would reside if the beast was made of flesh, not timber.

>Regardless of what the being was made out of, it howls in pain once more; you take advantage of the current situation by withdrawing your blade from the point of impact and vaulting up to the upper jaw.

>If the surface of the paw was a bit rough, then the area you’re stood on now is like someone took a terrain tool and made a massive hilly landscape upon a blank canvas; you struggle to find a suitable foothold as the beast recovers from your previous attempt at its life.

>By the time you get a good grip, both of the beings eyes are fixed on you: Two giant, luminescent, glowing green spheres, gazing at you with unparalleled hate and destruction. It obviously doesn’t like it when its prey evades its attacks and retaliates in response.

>Tough shit then, because you’re going to really make its last day alive as painful as possible.

>You take aim with your blade, and attempt to thrust it straight through the beats right eye.

>Unfortunately, it shakes its head at the last second; your aim falters, and the blade ends up embedded just left of your intended target.

>It seems to have had enough of you attempts now, as it shakes it head back and forth in another attempt to dislodge you.

>Unlike last time, the wolf succeeds; you don’t nearly have enough time to react to the sudden movement, you fail to grab hold of something to cling onto as you’re sent flying off the beast and spiralling towards the dirt.

 

>You hit the ground damn hard; your HUD is scatter blasted with a bit of static as you tumble along the floor, it soon rectifies itself momentarily after.

>Your momentum only carries you so far, however, before you stop a good few feet away from the townsfolk, flat on your back. You’re betting all eyes are on you, and judging by the panicked tones that are somewhat originating from behind you, you probably guessed right.

>Scootaloo’s voice pierces over the rabble. “C’mon Anonymous! Show that timber wolf who’s the boss!” she yells.

>You cast a gaze to the direction of her voice; you see her, plus Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, bouncing on the spot in a combination of worry and excitement.

>You right yourself into a runner’s stance. You get set to burst from your position and get back into the fight.

>Another howl punctuates the air as the massive timber wolf tries to establish superiority over you.

“Good luck with that.”

>You explode from your stance and sprint towards the towering behemoth in front of you; you don’t like the fact your blade is basically stuck in the beast’s forehead. You would like that back, thanks.

>It attempts to slam you again with its front left paw once more, but you have other ideas; you keep running, straight between the beast’s legs as you feel the impact of the paw slapping the earth behind you.

>You manage to keep your footing as well as your balance as you move towards your target: the neglected back legs.

>You leap up and slam a right hook into the back left leg of the beast, releasing a loud blast of kinetic energy upon contact. It has the results you desired; a pain-filled howl and a slump in pose are your rewards for such a blow.

>You don’t let up in your assault though; you repeat the attack, this time with your left fist, landing a straight into the limb, exploding with a similar force as the previous attack, this time cracking the thick bark upon the limb, a generous amount of splinters erupting from the sight of impact.

 

>The wolf crumples from the pain, offering you the opportunity to begin your climb up onto its back.

>It’s a similar experience to when you stabbed the beast through its paw, as it starts shaking its body in a similar fashion to a dog whenever it deems itself wet.

>Fortunately, you have access to both hands instead of just your feet this time; the various vines and branches zigzagging across the body of the oversized wolf proving to be adequate hand holds as you scale upwards towards your destination.

>The wolf seems to have somewhat recovered the use of its battered leg, you note, as it stands back up on all fours, abet with a slight wobble in its stance. Perhaps you’re getting somewhere with your attacks; a long, drawn out battle might be on the horizon if this keeps up.

>You scamper across the back of the beast, reaching the base of its neck after a momentary journey; a quick climb over reveals your HF Blade, still embedded in between the eyes of the monster.

>If you were going to take this thing out soon, you’d need to target the things keeping it upright, just like when you smacked its back leg; take out the joints, and it will fall. Chop off the head, and the rest of the body would follow. A simple plan, simple to execute, made a tad more difficult due to the fact the blade is practically stuck in the forehead of the beast in question.

>So, without further ado, you jump down onto the muzzle of the wolf, both of those glowing green eyes fixed upon you as you re-appear in the beasts field of vision.

“Hey there pal, you missed me?”

>A guttural growl was the response you got for your sarcastic enquiry. Not like you would care what this wolf thinks.

>You waltz up to your blade rooted in the wood and prop your foot next to it, grasping the handle with both hands, and tear out the blade from its position.

“Now then, mister wolf, where were we?” you ask in a mocking tone as you take up aim again.

 

>You thrust, and this time the blade doesn’t go off target; it impales straight into the right eye of the beast eliciting the loudest howl you’ve heard from the entire skirmish, as well as a spray of swamp green “blood” as you retract your sword from the newly inflicted wound.

>You couldn’t tell if that was actually “blood”, though; it could have been sap, or even mucus. Either way, it’s a result, and one you’re happy to take as you leap over to the back of the beast once more.

>You hack away at the place where a spinal cord would usually reside; being made of timber, however, you wouldn’t know if this creature HAD a spinal cord.

>Regardless, the behemoth of a timber wolf is howling in pain again; your HF Blade making deeper and deeper gashes into the surface of the bark, faint traces of orange produced by the heat of your blades edge appearing as you swung. Behind you, just barely audible over the pain-riddled cries of the beast, the crowd are cheering-

>Wait, they’re cheer-

>Your thoughts are cut short by the sudden, swift arrival of one of the back legs of the wolf smacking into you with a good amount of force, a flash of pain emanating through your body.

>You’re sent flying end over end into the ground again, your blade skittering audible across the floor as you tumbled into a nearby lamppost, your body curving around it abdomen first with an audible *CLANK*.

>Whatever cheering you heard had stopped. They probably think you’re down for the count.

 “So much for cheering…” you groan to yourself, slowly rising to your feet, using the lamppost as a support as you right yourself.

>You can feel the pain suppressors working already; if they were disabled, the minor ache you could feel around your midriff would be a lot more severe. And you thought your agility advantage would give you an edge in this skirmish.

>Well, to be fair, you were distracted by the cheers of the crowd. You had no idea why they were cheering; cheering in battle was a foreign idea to yourself.

 

>You cast another glance into the crowd; sure enough, every single equine has their gaze fixed upon you, waiting to see what action you’ll perform next.

>Sweeping your eyes across the area, you spot your HF Blade discarded on the ground in front of you.

>As you make your way over to your weapon, you take a quick peek at the wol-

>One more howl punctuates the air as you spot the behemoth begin to charge towards you; it’s getting impatient. It wants you dead.

>Not wanting the risk of collateral damage you charge as well, sweeping up your weapon as you do so and slamming it into its sheath.

>Your aiming for a similar approach to the smaller wolves you thought in the Everfree Forest; you want a powerful swipe, but this time whilst on the move. Your right hand grasps around the handle of the blade as you select your target, the monstrosities left leg. If all goes to plan, something is going to get split in half.

>The distance between the two of you closes amazing fast.

>The wolf opens his maw again, aiming to swallow you whole.

>You quickstep to the right, baiting out his attack. The beast barely realises what you’re attempting before you twist your body and leap.

>Partway into your rotation, you swing, the blade erupting from its sheath and careering towards the exposed limb.

>Time seems to become lethargic as the swing connects; compared to the stabs you made earlier, your blade carves through the thick trunk that forms the creature’s leg like an anti-material round going through ballistics gel.

>The effects of the attack are almost instantaneous, the wolf crying out in pain AGAIN and slamming and dragging itself across the ground thanks to a now missing limb; you take advantage of the decrease in overall height by leaping up to the back of the beast.

>The strikes against its back are still there, small amounts what could be tree sap can be seen seeping out in an attempt to repair the damage you inflicted.

 

>That’s probably not going to happen though, as you position yourself at the neck of the giant wooden beast; it’s still trying to get up on three legs, but it’s struggling to do so.

>Time again seems to slow to a crawl as you focus on assaulting the back of the neck of the colossal beast, your blade hacking and severing away, all the while the massive form of the timber wolf tremors in agony, desperately doing whatever it can in order to throw you off its back.

>It’s efforts are fruitless however; once you’ve decide that you’ve cleared off most of the lumber and thickets from the neck you leap up into the air, raising your blade above your head as you climb.

>Your mind casts back to when you did the same move on the terrorist hiding behind the wooden shack; one well-placed blow, splitting the structure in two, along with the poor sod hiding next to it.

>History has a knack of repeating itself with you, it seems; your vertical climb halts as your vertical descent begins, picking up speed quite dramatically.

>Moments before contact, you swing the weapon once more; the blade dividing the head from the base of the neck as you plunge through the overgrowth with relative ease.

>If the beast was made of metal, there would be sparks everywhere from the friction; instead, a steady orange glow compliments the cross-section you made.

>Your impact upon the ground is nothing to the two soon after though; first, the head of the wolf crashes to the floor, sending some gentle shakes throughout the ground.

>This is nothing compared to the body of the wolf, however, which soon follows up with creating a larger tremor that causes a few bystanders to lose their balance and fall over.

>Well, you assume they’ve toppled over from the sudden cries of surprise that suddenly fill the air. You’re not looking in their direction; you’re too busy staring at a forty to fifty degree angle at the floor, almost motionless after your final attack, blade positioned in your grip just in front of you, poised in a crouching stance.

>After a few more moments of stillness you stand up, blade still in a similar position as before, and begin to move towards the now silent crowd at the entrance of the village, sparing a fast glance at the body of the hopefully deceased behemoth next to you.

>The gash in its right eye still leaks the same swamp green “blood” you saw when you first inflicted that injury, abet much more slowly than before; a small secretion of the thick liquid dribbles down and splatters onto the ground below.

>Confirming that the beast was down for good, you continue your slow walk towards the crowd.

 

##POV Switch##

 

>You are Twilight Sparkle, resident librarian of Ponyville and proud student of Princess Celestia herself. And you’ve just witnessed something breath-taking, something fear-inducing… something alien.

>You’ve just watch a completely unknown entity waltz into the town, nearly escalate a situation between itself and Rainbow Dash into violence, and then go and take on a giant timber wolf by itself and win.

>It took a few hits, but whatever this being was shrugged them off like nothing happened. And yet it packed enough force to nearly shatter a tree with its bare hands alone…

>A thousand thoughts and questions all blitz about your head as the exotic individual stop just short of pretty much the crowd. Whatever it is, it’s scanning through the crowd, like it’s looking for somep0ny… or something.

>The creatures gaze stops upon locating Rainbow Dash. What happens next surprises you.

“Do you see why they trusted me now?” the being questions.

>He was obviously referring to the CMC members that he was with.

>The crowd indistinctively murmur amongst themselves as it speaks; judging from the voice, you would assume this one to be male. How exactly it speaks the common tongue is a mystery upon itself.

>Rainbow Dash nods once, if only slightly, as she gazes fixedly at the tall creature.

>Suddenly, without warning, the being swings the blade with one hand to the right, sending the residue upon the weapon itself cascading off and onto the floor.

“Do you trust me”, it asks, “or do you still think I am a threat?”

>There is a slight hint of aggression in his voice, you note, as Rainbow quietly gulps before responding.

>”Yeah… I trust you.”

>Silence emanates through the air as Rainbow and the new unknown arrival stare at each other for a few moments longer. The creature makes the first move, however, as he places the weapon back into its holster, a somewhat enjoyable *click* resonating through the air.

“Well then…”

 

>The metal visor covering the beings face slowly lifts up, showing you the beings facial features again; short, cropped hair barely tickling the back of its head in a shade of fallow, eyes that were deep azure in colour-

“It seems we got off to… a less than ideal start, it would seem”, it states.

>Most of the townsfolk are a little less interested now; a few of them can be heard moving back to what they were doing before this whole incident played out. The being steps forward, a few steps in front of your group of nine.

>Up close, he is a lot taller than you expected; you think the only creature that could trump him in height would be Princess Celestia herself… and even then, this being wasn’t that far off from being taller than her.

“Firstly… where is “Fluttershy?””, he asks.

>Upon hearing her name being called, Fluttershy just barely pokes her head through the crowd. She’s still a bit jittery from the initial shock of the creature, let alone the fight, it would seem. The creature spots her appearance however, and he crouches down to her height.

“I just want to apologise for spooking your earlier. I can understand why you went to go alert somebody after seeing me.”

>Whatever aggression was in the beings tone had vanished, replaced with a tone that was ever so soft, almost reassuring. You think “almost reassuring” because, well, he’s quite tall, armed, and most definitely dangerous.

>And yet here he is now, speaking in such a gentle tone, barely raising his voice, giving an apology… there must be some hidden depths to this one.

“To be fair, I cannot blame you for your actions. If I was in your position, I would go and get help as well. At any rate, I hope you can accept my apology for what I did earlier. If not, then… I guess that will be that then. Take your time in making up your mind though.”

>He casts his view back over to Rainbow again.

“And you, prismatic one… why hairless ape?” he ponders aloud.

 

>Rainbow Dash seems to be taken back by the question; was she expecting him to continue that argument from earlier?

>”W-what do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asks sheepishly. A small grin appears on the face of the creature as he speaks up again.

“Well, this isn’t skin. It does look like it though, I’ll give you that much. Listen”.

>He then proceeds tap his chest with his left hand; the dull sound of metal impacting against metal ringing out as he does.

>This is amazing! A creature of both flesh AND metal? You’ll definitely want to question this one later. Research and science both demand it!

>”So, what’s your point?” Rainbow responds. The creature stands up; shaking it head slowly as it rises, still sporting the grin he put on just mere moments ago.

“My point being, and I don’t usually insult myself, wouldn’t a “tin can” be more of an appropriate description?”

>A beat passes before Rainbow breaks out into a minor set of giggles. She calms down after a moment.

>“Hey, you’re right! That would suit you better, metal head!”

>That’s all she can say before bursting into another fit of giggles.

>She’s not the only one; you can hear Pinkie Pie’s high-pitched whinnies of laughter coming from behind you. You’re thankful no-one else is though; the creature’s facial expression turns stoic as the giggling continues. You dread to think about what would have happened if more of you joined in.

>”Uh, girls, you might want to stop now…” you pitch in, not wanting another possible skirmish to break out.

>The giggling from Rainbow Dash stops first, noticing the creature’s new expression. Pinkie, however, doesn’t stop-

“Your friend has the right idea, pink one.”

>And with that statement, Pinkie stop, now fully aware of the creature’s vision being directed towards her. Soon after, though, his vision turns to you. You walk to the front of the group.

>”Don’t mind Pinkie, she’s really enthusiastic at times”, you say gazing up at the creature. Your head barely reaches what you assume to be its hip, you note, as the being gazes down at you.

“Alright, duly noted. Let’s see here… Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, Pinkie…”

>He stops. Of course, he doesn’t know anyp0ny else’s names. Now’s your chance to try and get something out of him!

>”My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m the resident librarian here in Ponyville. I caught your name being said a few times… Anonymous, right?” you question.

>He nods twice.

“Town librarian, huh? Maybe you can help me then. You know, try and figure out how I managed to get here?”

>You resist the urge to break into cheers. “I can do that, but you’ll have to help me with something as well, you know.”

“Such as?”

>You smile at him. “Well, you can tell me a little about yourself. What you are, what you do, where you come from… you know, the usual stuff.”

>He puts his hand to his chin, thinking over your terms. Please accept them, please accept them, please-

“I don’t see why not. Information for information seems like a fair trade. Can we converse in private, though? Some details need not be shared in public.”

>You have to resist the urge to cheer again. “Of course!” you reply, turning on the spot to your friends. “I hope you girls don’t mind, do you?”

>A cacophony of responses assaults your ears in response.

>”Not at all, dear.”

>”Ah don’t mind.”

>”Nah, it’s cool.”

>”N-no… it’s fine.”

 >”Nope!”

>You beam at them. “Great! I guess I’ll see you girls later!”

>You bid your friends adieu as they turn around to head back to their respective homes, each saying a farewell of their own. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle follow their respective sisters, whilst Scootaloo decides to tag along with Rainbow Dash; they seem to be conversing about something, but they are just out of earshot for you to hear what they are conversing about.

>”Well then, if you would like to follow me, and I can answer your questions in private, as requested.”

>And with that, you set off, with Anonymous following close behind. It takes you little time to reach your place of residence; the town library also served as your home here in Ponyville. It was also home to your assistant, Spike. He’s probably still making sure the books in there are all in order and accounted for.

>You reach the giant oak tree and, using a bit of magic, open the door to the rather spacious interior, walking on in soon after.

>You turn around after you enter to invite Anonymous in, but he is currently staring at you with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face. That expression soon changes to a more stoic one, however, as he makes his way inside, ducking a little to avoid banging his head on the frame of the door.

>”What’s wrong?” you inquire, as you shut the door behind him.

 

##POV Switch##

 

>You are Anon.

>And you’ve witnessed yet another thing that makes your head spin; namely, the fact that “Twilight Sparkle” just opened a door with her mind.

>Talking horses you can handle, gargantuan monstrosities made of animated lumber you can cope with, but psychokinesis?

>What’s next? Is someone going to tell you the weather isn’t natural? Gotta draw the line somewhere.

“What’s wrong is how you just opened that door without touching it. I know I’m in a world that isn’t exactly the same as my own, what with living wooden wolves, talking horses-“

>”P0nies”, Twilight corrects.

“Right. Talking p0nies, living wooden wolves, but telekinesis is just in a league of its own”, you assert, gazing around the rather spacey library.

>Crevices that expand across the walls house a plethora of multi-coloured books in them; this expands to both the ground floor and first floor as well. You note that there are quite a few doorways, probably leading off to various areas such as a kitchen and living room. There doesn’t seem to be any chairs to sit on, though.

 

 

“Do you have any chairs? I’d like to ask a few things, and in return, so can-“

>”Twilight, is that you?” a voice calls from somewhere higher up in the building. ”And who is that talking to you?”

>”Come down and see for yourself!” she replies.

>You hear footsteps from some distance away, ones that start getting louder as the being in question approaches. Is it another talking p0ny?

>”C’mon Twilight, tell me who it is. I mean, I’m still storing out those books for yo-“

>The creature stops talking as pokes its head from over the edge of the first floor and gazes straight at you. It’s a lizard. A talking lizard.

>You stare at the little reptile for a bit longer before gazing at Twilight with a similar expression you bore just before entering her residence; the same look of disbelief when you saw her open a door with no contact involved whatsoever.

>She’s too busy looking at “Spike” to notice you however. “Spike, this is Anonymous. You can clearly tell that he’s not from here. He’s going to answer some questions for me and in return, I will answer some questions for him. Could you go get my notepad, inkwell and quill, please?”

>It takes a moment for the command to sink in, but the undersized reptiles facial expression soon changes in understanding.

>”Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, gimme a sec!”

>And with that, he disappears out of view. You can hear him scurrying about upstairs as Twilight pulls over two chairs with her mind again, the same purple glow that surrounded the door handle surrounding them as well. No, seriously, how the hell does that work. That’ll be a question to ask, at least.

>The chairs position themselves at a nearby table, and Twilight stares at you with a smile on her face. You thank her as you take a seat at one side of the table, Twilight taking the remaining chair at the other side. About a minute later the reptile returns, a bundle of items cradles in his arms;  an average sized notebook, a large inkwell, and a red quill.

 

>He deposits the items on the table before biding you both adieus, returning upstairs once more, probably to continue on the job he was assigned before you and Twilight Sparkle arrived.

>”So, what would you like to k-“

“Ladies first” you say, interrupting her before she can finish her question.

>She looks at you confused, but whatever confusion she had vanished as the quill and notebook become enveloped in a purple aura, the quill dancing over the surface of the first page on the notepad. So it begins.

>”All right then, could you tell me what you are?” she questions. You place both your hands on the table as you respond.

“Well, back home I’m classified as a cyborg; part human, part machine. My body has been enhanced with technology, making me stronger, faster… just generally better than my unenhanced peers. Not like I can insult them, though; deep down, I’m still a human being, just like them.”

>As you speak, the quill frantically shuffles over the paper, jotting down information, whilst Twilight Sparkle nods in response, interested in the new information.

>”Ok, so I’m guessing a human would be like you, minus the look you have?” she asks, referring to your cyborg body.

>You nod in response, the quill darting across the notebook in retaliation.

“Yes, humans don’t look that different to most cyborgs. Humans tend to have their entire body intact and unenhanced. They live ordinary lives, amongst mostly ordinary people.”

>The quill continues to jot things down on the note pad. Twilight occasionally breaks off eye contact from you to quickly scan over the written work on the pad before resuming eye contact.

“Mind if I ask something?”

>”Of course! I’m pretty sure I can answer most of your questions.”

“I’ve noticed some of the p0nies around here are… different, to others. Some have wings, some have horns. What gives?”

>Twilight smiles again before replying. “There are three main kinds of p0ny; Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn.”

 

>”Unicorns, such as myself, have control over magic. Pegasi have the innate ability of flight. Earth p0nies have a natural connection to the earth.”

>You nod in understanding. Every bit of information you can get from her will hopefully stop you from questioning everything about this place.

“And what’s with the tattoo on your flank?” you enquire, leaning to the right ever so slightly and pointing your right index finger at the “tattoo” on her rear; an amethyst star, surrounded by five smaller white stars, with a slightly smaller white star layered behind the larger, coloured star.

>”That’s a cutie mark”, she answers. “Each cutie mark represents what talent a p0ny is good at, setting them apart from everyone else.”

>You frown in response. So the inhabitants of this world are only good at one thing for their entire lives?

“Please tell me you are good at other things OTHER than what that mark foretells”, you ask worryingly. “I couldn’t imagine living my life just focusing on one thing simply because a mark on my body told me that’s the only thing I could do effectively.”

>Twilight shakes her head, much to your relief. “It only means that specific p0ny is very good at that particular subject; it doesn’t limit them from doing other things, just not as effectively as somep0ny whose talent is that particular activity.”

>You smile a little, and so does Twilight. She coughs, before resuming her questions.

>”What is that thing on your back? The weapon you used against the timber wolf?”

>You reach back and grip the handle of your blade and, after looking up to make sure the was definitely enough head room, you draw the weapon from its sheath and handle it with both hands, one holding the handle, the other holding tip of the blade gently. You don’t want to make any sudden motions; the idea of accidently slicing someone’s property in half doesn’t abode well with you, especially after they invite you in to ask and answer some questions.

 

“This is a high-frequency blade” you begin, as the quill under Twilights control shoots across the notepad once more.

“It’s made of tempered, riveted steel, and powered by an alternating current which resonates at high frequencies, hence the name.”

>You rotate the weapon in your grasp slightly, giving Twilight a better look at the blade and handle. The page on the notepad flips over, and the quill once more begins it work on the fresh page, jotting down notes and possibly sketches.

“The vibrations caused by this enhance the blades cutting ability; if I was to carelessly swing this now, I could split your home in half.”

>“Seriously?” Twilight asks, staring at you in surprise.

“Well, you saw what happened to that timber wolf, did you not? Yet again, the strength of a HF blade depends on its age; the older the blade before it gets converted into a high-frequency one, the better its cutting power. Just imagine if this blade was a few centuries old!”

>You holster the blade carefully, much to Twilight’s disappointment. Nonetheless, she quickly resumes her questioning.

>”Do you have any idea how you arrived in Equestria?” she questions.

>You cast your mind back; enemies approaching from behind, RPG blast sending you careering forwards… bright purple-ish white glow surrounding you. You blacked out, and then woke up in a forest.

“Well, the last thing I remembered was getting propelled forwards by an explosion, before getting surrounded in a glow of energy before blacking out. Next thing I know, I’m in a forest.”

>Twilights eyes widen at this information. “Waitwaitwait, what colour was this glow?”

>You’ve got a bad feeling about this, but you answer her question.

“Sort of a mixture of white and purple. It didn’t feel natural, nor did it look natural. Why?”

>You don’t get an answer; instead, Twilight gets up out of her chair and looks up to the first floor again.

>”Spike!” she hollers, “get down here quick! I need a letter to princess, NOW!”

 

>The “princess”? Royalty is getting dragged into this? You hear the pitter-patter of footsteps as Spike makes his way downstairs, scroll in hand. Or claw, if you want to be correct about this.

 >”What do you need it for?” Spike questions as the quill Twilight was using mere moments ago is levitated into his grasp.

>”Remember that experiment I tried? I think it worked”, Twilight responds. “Now, write this down…”

>For the next couple of minutes, Twilight speaks about various topics, ranging from you to the situation at hand, whilst Spike writes down what she says onto the parchment. You just sit there, watching, listening, and thinking. What the hell did she mean by “experiment”?

>If the worst goes to worst, your HF blade might be seeing some more use yet.

>Twilight finishes up talking, and Spike finishes writing what she said down onto the scroll before rolling it up and securing it with a ribbon.

>He inhales, and exhales a puff of emerald green flame, disintegrating the letter; you would have deemed the whole effort a waste if you didn’t notice the misty green smoke making its way out of the library and towards its destination. More magic at work.

>Spike turns to Twilight. “Are you sure about this Twilight? I mean, do you really think the spell actually worked?”

>”Are you kidding? How many times do you see something like this arrive into Ponyville, let alone Equestria?”

“I’m right here, you know.”

>Both of them turn to you ask you stand up from the table. “Woops. Heh, sorry.”

“Look, can either of you tell me what’s going on? I’ve had enough crazy things for one day, just a little bit of sense would be a godsend” you ask with a tiny hint of annoyance in your tone.

>Both Twilight and Spike look at each other for a moment before turning back to you. Twilight opens hear mouth to answer you, but is rudely interrupted by Spike, who belches out a plume of green smoke that materialises itself into a letter not unlike the one he sent off.

 

>Almost immediately after, Spike opens it open and, after clearing his throat, begins to read the contents of the letter out loud.

>“My faithful student Twilight Sparkle, after reviewing the contents of your letter I would advise bringing yourself and the subject to Canterlot as soon as possible. Judging by the way you described the new arrival, you may want to take your friends with you, just in case it decides to do something drastic. Are you sure it could have been a result of your “experiment”? Try testing him for magic, just to be sure. Yours truly, Princess Celestia.”

>With that, Twilight glares at you. “Hold still” she commands, her horn starts glowing with the same magneta energy as before; she aims it at you soon after.

“What are you do-“

>You don’t have time to finish your sentence as you feel a tingling sensation work its way throughout your body; like a very light electric current was being passed through your body. You as you’re told and remain still, although your mind is telling you get rid of this sensation.

>Then it happens; although very faint, you can see a familiar looking glow surrounding your body… in the same colour you saw before blacking out.

>The glow subsides as Twilight attempts to contain her excitement at this revelation. Unfortunately, she fails and begins bouncing on the spot in a giddy. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” she exclaims.

“Uh, you okay there?” you ask, but you get no response from her as she sprints for the door.

>”I’m going to get the girls. Spike, escort him to the train station, would you?” Twilight orders as she opens the door, staring back at him.

>”Uh, yeah, sure!” he replies. You can barely hear a hint of worry in his voice. You’re willing to bet that he doesn’t really like the prospect of escorting a freakishly large creature that could break him in half at a moment’s notice to anywhere. It looks like Twilight isn’t giving him much of a choice in the matter though, she’s far too ecstatic to care.

 

>”Great! All right, we’ll meet you guys there!”

>And with that, Twilight disappears through the doorway and into the outside world.

>A beat passes before both you and Spike look at each other. Another passes before you break the silence.

“Is she always like that whenever something moderately interesting happens?” you enquire. >You get a small nod as a response.

>”Sometimes. Well, let’s get going; you don’t want to make Twilight late for something important. I still remember the last time I did something like that.” He shudders at the thought as you both make your way outside, Spike closing and locking the door as you go. “I still have the mental scars from last time.”

>You give a small chuckle to his remark as you both start your journey to the train station. The fact that these p0nies have a working train system surprises you.

>Silence overtakes you as your walk on, the little lizard in front of you setting the pace. Eventually, your curiosity gets the better of you.

“So, what exactly are you?” you question, increasing your pace slightly to match his.

>He cranes his neck to look at you before replying. “I’m a dragon. I’m willing to bet you thought I was a lizard that could do magic before I told you that?”

“Spot on.”

>”Yeah, you’re not the first; somep0nies did mistake me for that too.”

>A few moments of silence punctuate the air before Spike takes one to ask you a question.

>”What exactly do you do back home?” he questions. The worried tone you heard in his voice back in the library was gone, if only slightly. However, you didn’t really know how to explain your “job” to him. Eventually, you decide upon what to say to him.

“I’m basically a man-for-hire” you lie, as you both start drawing closer the train station. “I often get contacted for missions such as bodyguard work. It pays quite well.”

>“Wow! It must be pretty dangerous doing that sort of job then. You look like you can handle yourself though.”

 

“Yeah… yeah, I can do that.”

>You sort of feel bad for lying to him. Sure, you can be called out to do some bodyguard work, no mistake about it, but you’re more often called out for more violent acts.

>More often than not you get tasked with eliminating politicians, mercenaries, rival PMC employees… the list practically goes on and on. As long as people need someone putting six feet under, your services could be bought out.

>That’s the reason you didn’t let Sweetie Belle and her friends know about what you did. They don’t need to know the horrors that you go through nearly every day back home. Well, you would have called them “horrors” when you first started the PMC business; after the first couple of contracts, it just became the norm.

>To tell the truth though, barring the wolves, and the freakiness of this new world, you don’t mind the tranquillity. It makes a wonderful change of pace.

>But could you get used to a life like this? No matter what happens, you’ll still be another cog in the never-ending war machine.

>You’re so busy thinking that you don’t notice you and Spike arriving at the entrance of the train station.

>Twilight and her friends probably aren’t going to arrive any time soon.

>You walk up to the nearest wall, rotate on the spot, and lean against it. If you’re going to wait, you might as well get somewhat comfortable.