- >Your eyes widen behind the cold exterior of your helmet.
- >While the other p0nies came up roughly to your upper hip, these ones didn't even make it to your knees.
- >Your computer has trouble classifying them: none of these ones have the mark on the flank.
- >*"Careful now, Anonymous, these little ones are children."
- >You swallow hard.
- >You've never seen a child before.
- >They hadn't experienced life yet.
- >They did not know the terror that you were designed to bring about.
- >"I thought you said he talked, Apple Bloom," the tiny pegasus says. She appears annoyed.
- >This group was everything that you were unfamiliar with.
- >"He was talkin' this mornin'..."
- >Your purpose in life was death.
- >"Well... maybe he's just shy!"
- >The tiny white unicorn steps forward.
- >THUMPH.
- >You take a step back.
- >One wrong movement from you could crush these tiny p0nies into paste.
- >You had never felt like this before.
- >You didn't want to hurt them.
- >"Um, Ah think we're scarin' 'im..."
- >Your computer updates this p0ny with the ribbon as Apple Bloom, and runs its analysis against Applejack. Perhaps related.
- >"That's silly! He went right into that burning building, it even fell on him!" the white one squeaks.
- >"So he doesn't really... uh... afraid of anything..."
- >"That's not even a proper sentence!"
- >You can feel yourself sweat.
- >What was it about these tiny foals that made you behave this way?
- >Pearl flashes a word on your HUD: Fear.
- >What?
- >No, that can't be right.
- >Fear wasn't such a concern.
- >You shifted your enormous weight.
- >It didn't make sense.
- >You were subjected to horrific circumstances all the time.
- >Death was commonplace.
- >No pain, torture, sensation, situation, or odds ever fazed you.
- >What was it about these young fillies?
- >You sit your suit down again.
- >Maybe you could avoid crushing them if you were immobile.
- >"Oh EW!"
- >"What is it?"
- >"He's DIRTY! Look!"
- >The pegasus points to your boot prints on the ground.
- >Soot imprints mark where your boots have been.
- >You hadn't cleaned your suit, it was still blackened.
- >"Maybe we can git our cutie mark from cleanin' him up!"
- >The others' eyes go wide and the group shoots out the door.
- >A sinking feeling descends on your stomach.
- >A few moments later, the group surges back into the barn, with rags, sponges, and buckets of water.
- >"You just hold still Mister Anon! We'll git ya all cleaned up!"
- >SPLASH!
- >A bucket is emptied over your suit.
- >"You aren't gonna get him clean by doing that, Apple Bloom."
- >The small pegasus saunters up to you with a thick sponge and rubs it on your leg plates.
- >The soot begins to be scrubbed off.
- >A ladder is placed at your back, as the unicorn climbs your mountainous shoulders.
- >You try to hold as still as you can.
- >One false movement would turn these p0nies into paste.
- >The trio of p0nies get to work scrubbing your armor.
- >You sit in silence.
- >"You're not a big talker, are you?" the unicorn asks, clinking against your helmet with a hoof.
- >Pearl's pink dot flashes encouragingly.
- "No."
- >"O-Oh!"
- >You detect intimidation, and regret saying anything.
- >"What's the matter, Sweetie Belle, you afraid?"
- >"N-No! He just surprised me, Scootaloo!"
- >"Uh-huh."
- >They resume work, and your computer has catalogued the p0nies' names for you.
- >Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo.
- >Soap suds runs down your shoulders, but you hold still.
- >You wait patiently for the group to finish.
- >Your armor shines quite well, as if you had cleaned it yourself.
- >"Good as new!"
- >"Great job everyp0ny!"
- >"Cutie Mark Crusader cleaners!"
- >They jump together and slap hooves.
- >What odd behaviour.
- "You have me at a disadvantage li--"
- >"We're the CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they announce.
- >"Apple Bloom!"
- >"Scootaloo!"
- >"Sweetie Belle!"
- >"We're gonna fin' out our cutie marks!"
- >Cutie mark crusad--
- >Your mind remembers the mark on the flank, individual to each p0ny.
- >None of these young ones had such a mark.
- >*An interesting note, Anonymous.
- >A sign of maturity?
- >*You should ask.
- "Cutie mark?"
- >"Our cutie marks!" squeals Sweetie Belle. "The mark that shows what makes you different than every other p0ny!"
- >"We're trying to find ours."
- >"An' we're gonna find 'em together!"
- "So the mark signifies...?"
- >"Your special talent!"
- >You blink into your computer's database of p0nies and bring up a few.
- >Applejack had apples for a cutie mark, and she harvested apples.
- >Shining Armor had a shield, and he was a guard captain.
- >Twilight had a sort of star pattern, perhaps signifying her relationship with magic.
- >Biology syncing with psychology and sociology.
- >Interesting.
- >"Do hyoo-mans git cutie marks?"
- >"Apple Bloom, that's silly. Only p0nies get cutie marks."
- >You nodded.
- "Scootaloo is correct."
- >The fillies step back as you rise again, knocking over the ladder at your back.
- >"So... your armor, do you take it off?"
- "Yes."
- >"Well it’s probably been a while since you've taken it off, right?"
- "Yes."
- >"Why don't you?"
- "There has been no reas--"
- >"Anon! Soup's up--!"
- >"Applejack!"
- >"Apple Bloom, didn't Ah tell y'all to steer clear o' this here barn?"
- >"But I--"
- >"We wanted to see Anon!" squeaked Sweetie Belle.
- >Applejack leers at the group, but she sees that you haven't killed them.
- >"They botherin' you Anon?"
- "No. They were kind enough to clean my armor."
- >You shift nervously.
- >The tiny p0nies file out, leaving you and Applejack.
- >You can hear their tiny hooves patter away.
- >You let out a huge sigh.
- >"That bad?"
- >You hold out your massive gauntlet, showing Applejack your glove.
- "One finger is all it would take to kill them. I was..."
- >You trail off.
- >Hurting these p0nies seemed... unthinkable.
- >You had never had such an aversion to violence before.
- >"Y'all were scared o' hurtin' the young-uns with that huge suit o' yers."
- >You nod your suit.
- >"Well, Ah got a good meal waitin' for ya. Let's go Anon."
- >Applejack leads you to a table set outside of her home.
- >You wouldn't be able to get inside without unwanted renovations.
- >She sets out a meal the likes of which you'd never seen.
- >Corn adorns the center platter, ready for nearby butter and salting.
- >Tomatoes occupy another, having been sliced.
- >A main course of salad sits in a bowl.
- >And a glass of apple juice garnishes the fine meal.
- >"It ain't much, but we're simple folk 'round these parts."
- >You can't believe your eyes.
- >You'd never seen so much fresh food in one place.
- >Prepared just this evening.
- >You were used to bland, gray, green, or mauve nutrient blocks.
- >Only admirals really had such impressive meals.
- >It was... very new.
- >"Anon?"
- >You bring yourself back, and sit next to the table on the ground.
- >"Y'all can eat this, raight?"
- "My suit can process it and feed it to me, yes."
- >"Ye seem troubled by it."
- "I have never had such an exotic meal before."
- >Applejack's brow furrows.
- >"What in tarnation?"
- "I am used to simple nutrient blocks, they are bland, and... blocks."
- >"Yer tellin' me you ain't never had real food before?"
- "Not of this luxurious stripe, no."
- >Applejack looks dumbfounded.
- >"Eh... heh... well... enjoy yer fancy meal, there."
- "Thank you very much, Applejack. I will not forget this."
- >"Oh, uh, Anon."
- >You were finishing feeding your suit the last of the meal for processing.
- >You stop and point your optics towards her.
- >"Twilaight came by t'day, said the p0ny you saved, she wan's to meet'cha."
- >You think for a moment.
- >"She's one o' mah friends, Rarity."
- >You remember a soot-sodden unicorn, surrounded by flames.
- "Has her recovery gone well?"
- >"Oh she's fine, sugar cube. A bit rattled but she's fine, all thanks to you."
- "I just did what nee-"
- >"Don' go playin' the unwillin' hero there Anon, ye saved mah friend."
- >A hero?
- >*Hero: n, a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
- >Your thoughts flow to screaming marines, half burned, their bones broken.
- >The screaming.
- >You remember the faces of volunteer crew, praying they would be spared and see their families again.
- >The gutted marines, trying to push guts back into their bodies.
- >The flash-burned-then-frozen corpses of dozens of engineers corralled into a tiny space.
- "I am not a hero."
- >"There ya go again, Anon. Ya saved a p0ny today, an' that makes you a hero."
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