Title:           The Invincible Iron Manon (Part 3)
Author:          QuietYou
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/97QLswmX
First Edit:      Wednesday 3rd of July 2013 03:00:15 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Wednesday 3rd of July 2013 03:00:15 PM CDT

Where do you want this one?
>”Ova theres fine, thanks!”
>You lug the giant cabinet from one end of Painty’s office over the back and set it down in a corner.
>For the past half hour or so, you’ve been helping him sort out his store.
>”Thait jus’ about does I think. Heres your paint, Anon.”
>He tosses the liquid gold to you and goes back to his desk, writing something on a paper with his mouth.
Well I guess its time to go back and repaint this beauty.
>The faceplate comes back down to cover your face as Jahvise begins speaking to you.
>**Sir, just a reminder, on your way back you may want to think of buying a map that you can program into me.**
>You exit the store and start on a path for the general store. They usually had maps of things there as well as other nick-nacks and books.
>”Anon?”
>More ponies eyed you.
>Perhaps you should make a announcement of the armor’s completion so ponies don’t keep stopping you to ask whats up.
>Nah, Pinkie will do that for you. Heck, she might even throw a party to celebrate.
>Right before you opened the door to the store, you got a bad feeling.
>One of THOSE feelings.
>You only got those feelings before impending doom or Fluttershy’s antics.
>The suit should protect you from anything she can do but just to be sure…
[Jahvise, keep the scanners up for Fluttershy.]
>…
[And anything big.]
>**Yes Sir.**
>Before knocking the door off its hinges like you almost did at Painty’s, you slow down your hand before it impacts with the door.
>It slowly swings open.
>Too slowly.
>There has to be a middle ground somewhere! If your only options are public destruction or snail movements, you might have to go with the former.
>THEN you’d need Jahvise’s scanners.
>What will ponies think if they see a huge metal man breaking stuff?
>What are you here for?
[Um. Jahvi--]
>**Maps, Sir.**
[Oh yeah.]
>”What in the hay!”
>The store owner falls over as you step in the doorway.
[Hi, Quill.]
>He crawls back on the floor waving his hoof.
>”H-How do you know my name?!”
>Pinkie better get working on this party soon.
>You order the faceplate to open again and reveal your skin. You didn’t like it when the armor was open. It felt…wrong.
>Either have it all the way on or all the way off. That’s how clothes work, why not giant weaponized metal suits?
>The store owner stops his squalling once your helmet shows who you are.
>”Oh, h-hey Anon! Is that…?”
The armor? Yeah.
>”Wow! I never thought you’d pull it off!”
>Gee, thanks.
Look, do you have any maps in stock right now?
>”Actually I just sold my last one.
>Drats.
>At the least, he could still have some books.
Do you have any literature? I mean stories, dictionaries, history books, anything.
>”Now THAT I’ve got! You know, I’ve actually been thinking of turning this into a book store.”
>He talks about his dreams while you follow him to the book aisle.
>It was huge! Not a aisle or a section either. You would consider calling it a wing!
Hubba bubba…
>”Beautiful, righ—“
>You shove his face out of the way and begin reading books.
>”Cant wait, eh? I know the feeling.”
>He smiles at you and goes back to the front desk.
>When he’s out of sight, you flip the faceplate down.
[Jahvise. Start scanning this text.]
>**As you wish, Sir.**
>Your screen begins to highlight the text and move along at super speeds down the page.
>**Page scan complete.**
>Next page, done. Next page, done. Next page, done.
>Next book, done. Next book, done. Next book, done.
>Next shelf, done. Next shelf, done. Next shelf, done.
>Once all the text has been scanned you leave.
>”Not buying anything?” Quill asks with a frown.
[Oh no, I was just browsing. You um…have a nice selection back there.]
>You give him the greatest compliment your human mind can muster.
>The traditional thumbs up.
>It takes him a minute, but eventually he catches on that it’s a good thing.
>You know, after you told him it was a good thing.
>’Now for maps’, you tell yourself.
>Theres a mapmaker somewhere around here.
>They’ve been up since around the start of Ponyville, making maps of the region and eventually more of Equestria.
[Jahvise quick! What were the names of the generals in the battle of Griffonia?]
>**General Minnius of the minotaurs and Avior of the griffons.**
>You weren’t even sure if there was a battle of Griffonia. You just said it because you thought you had seen a glimpse of it in a book.
[Good job, Jahvise!]
>Now you wont be flying blind when you need to know something on the go.
>Again, on your way, a small filly jumped in front of you.
>Her lavender and white mane bounced with her.
>”Anon is that the armor you always talked about?”
>Pinkie pls halp…
[Yes, Sweetie Belle.]
>”My sister said you finished it but I wanted to see it on my own! It looks really good.”
>She squinted at you for a minute.
>”Well, except for that scratch on your arm.”
>Holy Godlestia you have to fix that soon.
>”What under the mask? Is it your face or another mask? Can you fly too—“
[Sweetie why are you out alone?]
>”Oh, my sister said I’d be alright if I found you.”
>Baby sitting again, Anon.
>You sigh internally and look to the mapmaker’s shop down the road.
[Well if you’re coming with me, want to swing by the map shop?]
>Her smile wavered for a second.
>”OK I guess.”
>Your insides! Gah! Curse you, emotions!
[And then we can do something fun after!]
>You patted your knees and she jumped into your arms.
>”Alright!”
>**You’re too kind, Sir.**
[Shut up Jahvise.]
>”Who’re you talking to, Anon? I thought I heard somepony.”
[Just my conscience is all.]
>”Your conscience can talk?!”
[In a way, yeah.]
>”That’s so cool!”
>You hold her up to the store door and let her kick it open before slinging her over your shoulder again.
>A bit of dust flies into your face and it swept up by the wind, floating into the sky.
>Sweetie Belle coughs over you.
>”Ack!”
>Oh yeah, she doesn’t have high tech iron armor protecting her face.
>As you walk in, the smell of ancient tomes and ink fills your helmet.
>Just like on Earth, the old stores still have that SMELL to them.
>Just like on Earth, the clerk is busy reading a book.
>He looks up at you for a second and raises a eye brow before turning back to his book.
>You think you heard him mumble something about ‘fillies these days’.
>Apparently with Sweetie manning your head, you appeared to be a children’s toy.
>Better than a giant monster you suppose and go to the closest aisle you see.
[Sweetie we might be here a while. Why don’t you go play with something?]
>”OK Mr Anon.”
>She runs off into the maze of shelves, never to be seen again.
>For another hour.
>Welp, better get started on this.
[Jahvise, start scanning these images.]
>**Right away, Sir.**
>You pick up a map of Ponyville and have it scanned.
>**Map downloaded, Sir.**
>Next is a map of Canterlot. Then Appleoosa, Fillydephial, Trottingham, and so on until all the cities of Equestria are in your database.
>Now you scan a map of Equestria itself.
>The next aisle is full of Griffonia maps.
>After that is Minotaur Valley.
>That’s just three of the 28 shelves…
>You better never get lost after today.
>”Mr Anon, Mr Anon!”
>Sweetie Belle comes running over looking distressed.
[Whats wrong?]
>”Oh Anon, its AWFUL!”
[What? What happened woman?!]
>”I’m BORDE!!”
>…
>How’d you get stuck with kids?
 
>She now enjoys a seat on your head again, looking at the maps with you.
>She doesn’t squirm too much, almost as if she enjoys looking at these old things.
[Whats this? You actually like reading?]
>Suddenly she jumps.
>”N-No! you’re the one who likes reading!”
>Got her.
>Now all that’s left to scan is a very dusty aisle.
>The candles above it are all out and the shades are down, so minimal light is let is.
>It looks as if nopony has been in there for years.
>Its titled the Changing Isundz.
>No, wait, Jahvise begins filling in blanks on your screen.
>After going through all the possible letter combinations, he displays the result to you.
[Changeling Islands, eh?]
>A small shiver runs up your spine.
>You heard stories about them before, what they did to Canterlot.
>The girls told you much about them before you sentenced yourself to the cave.
>You decide to leave this aisle alone and leave.
[Come on Sweetie, lets go.]
>You turn and exit.
>”Yay! Now we can do the fun you promised!”
>**You did promise her fun, Sir. Shall I plot a course to a park?**
[Jahvise I know where the parks are. I live here, remember?]
>**Terribly sorry, Sir. It was my understanding you had taken up residence in the cave.**
>Come to think of it, that cave was sort of your home now.
>You ate in there, slept in there, built in there.
>You and it survived many storms together.
>Yeah, not your best idea to build electrical systems during rainy season.
>”Oh! Oh! Can we fly?!”
>It sounds nice in theory.
[Jahvise, how we doing on power?]
>**34 percent, Sir.**
>Heh, 34.
>Eh, that’s enough until you get hom—to the cave.
>”Anon who are you talking to?” Sweetie’s question breaks you from your thought.
[Nopony. I’m just insane.]
>”Oh yeah.”
[Hey Sweetie Bell.]
>”What is it, Anon?”
[HOLD ON TO YOUR UNDERWEAR!]
>You burst off the ground like a bullet from the barrel of a gun.
>She holds on to your head for dear life screaming.
>Her cries of terror soon change into giggles and yelps of joy.
>You sure now how to make kids happy.
>Way to go, Anon.
>Way to go, Iron Manon.