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Fallout: Hopes and Dreams

by Xvern

Chapters

Greatest Ally, Worst Enemy

A breeze blew through the dead woods, scattering some of the smaller twigs that littered the ground. The lake was still, it's deadly water reflecting the light of the sun. Creatures scurried from tree to tree. The fur covering their bodies, which were a little bigger than a squirrel, was patchy and mangy. Their tails, once fluffy, were bare with spikes at the end. Sharp teeth poked from their mouths like that of a vampire. Radiation has a cruel sense of humor.

A whistle and one of the critters fell from a barren branch, a composite shaft sticking from it's body. Other critters hissed in challenge as they looked for their attacker. Another fell from an arrow. Finally, the creatures saw their assailant as he loaded another arrow. He stood a little under six foot dressed in stripped down power armor. It still functioned as power armor but the arm plates and pauldrons were removed, greatly revealing the gray bodysuit underneath. The armored gloves were replaced by leather gloves with scrap metal capping the knuckles. The man's right hand index finger was half exposed as the glove only came to the first joint.

He still wore the armor's helmet underneath a cloth hood that matched the undersuit. A brown pack was sitting against his back, a Chinese Assault Rifle (CAR) strapped to one side. His right thigh armor had a leather quiver strapped to it, holding his arrows while his torso and belt had multiple pouches for ammo. A 10mm pistol was holstered in a cross-draw position on his torso armor while a knife was strapped to his left bicep. A red, tattered cloth hung from the armor's belt over his left thigh to the knee. Another knife was strapped to his right calf.

Seeing this human treading in their territory, the critters began to charge at him. Two more fell when a bark and a growl echoed off the trees. With a flash of brown, one of the Skampiers was missing from the group. The cracking of bones and a pained squeak indicated the end of it's life. With it dead, the dog put it's attention on the others. With two foes now, the Skampiers were frozen in place. All it took was for the dog to step towards them for the little, devilish creatures to begin to retreat. One more fell to the teeth of the dog, having locked onto the thing's body. The dog gave his head a shake, breaking the neck of the creature in it's jaws.

With the Skampier still in it's grip, the dog looked at the human. The human, who had taken off his pack to replace the CAR with the bow, nodded to the dog. Now that one had time to look, they'd see that the dog was also wearing a vest that consisted of two saddle bags on his side and pouches on his back. The saddle bags contained both fresh game and salvage while the pouches contained survival items.

"Eat," whispered the human, as if his voice may cause the rest to return. Eagerly, the dog tore into the little creature, blooding quickly seeping into the fur around his muzzle. As the dog ate, the human took out a blood soaked bag and began to collect the other five, removing the arrows as he did. Placing the arrows back into the quiver, he closed the protective flap before placing the bag of game into his pack and closing it. Slipping the pack back on, he grabbed the now freed CAR and stood straight. The dog, having been done with his small meal, was sitting patiently to the side.

As the human began walking, the dog got up and trotted to his side, predator eyes keeping a lookout for more of the Skampiers. Though the creatures had retreated, both man and dog knew that they might attack at anytime. The little things were well-known for striking when you were least expecting it.

It only took a couple minutes before the duo came out into a small field. The field was perfectly rectangular with trees on three sides and a cracked road on the fourth. Rusted pull-up bars lined the outside while a rotting stand sat in the middle, close to the road. Across the street and past an abandoned building was the scrap walls of a settlement. The wall surrounded an old-world building that was three stories high and housed the entire village. The wall itself stayed closed to the building while also jutting out to enclose the parking lot in front of it and the field beside it. Barbed wire, jagged pipes, and other such defensive measures topped the wall in an effort to keep out the Skampiers and anything else wishing unauthorized entry. Two gates allowed entry and exit, one facing the field where the hunter stood and the other at the opposite end of the parking lot where it led onto an avenue. Guard towers flanked both gates, a scavenged machine-gun in one and spotlight in the other.

Silently, the hunter walked across the road and through the deserted parking lot. He knew the guards could see him but wasn't worried. This was his home too, after all. As he approached the gate, one of the guards called out to him.

"Good hunting?" he asked.

"The best," the hunter replied, the dog also barking in response.

The guard laughed, "Welcome back Vol, I'm sure Rachel'll be happy to see what you brought in," the dog barked again, "and you too K9."

With a cranking of gears, the gate rose into the air. Vol again silently thanked whoever had the idea and know-how to assemble the scrap windmills that sat on the roof of the building. Walking through the gate, he looked around at the hustle and bustle in front of him. Scrap shelters lined the wall opposite the lot from the building, their owners advertising wares of all sorts. Yelling could be heard from a man as he led a small formation of men in salvaged, old world uniforms through a series of exercises. A small guardpost consisting of sandbags and scrap sat in the small courtyard in front of the 'I' shaped structure. Kids, some wearing rags, played with a dirtied soccer ball, trying to score in goals marked by sandbags. All the while, adults conversed, shopped, and plain enjoyed the day.

As the gate closed behind them, Vol and K9 began to walk down the row of shops, receiving greetings from some of the citizens. The human would nod in response while the dog wagged his tail happily. Seeing the kids, the dogs tail increased speed while he looked up at the human.

"Not yet," Vol whispered as he steered for a stall that displayed many cooked critters and furs. As he approached, the woman behind the counter looked up and spotted him. A large smile came to her face.

"Hey Vol!" she then looked at the dog by the man's leg, "Hey K9!" the dog barked in reply as the woman looked back at the man, "Good hunting?"

Vol nodded as he set his rifle on the counter. Kneeling down, he opened K9's left saddlebag and removed a bloody sack much like the one Vol had in his own pack. Setting the sack on the counter, Rachel began to open and examine it as Vol took off his pack to get the other sack and set it on the table. While he was at it, Vol removed the salvage from K9's other saddlebag and set it in his pack. He then scratched behind the dog's ear.

"Go play," he whispered. The dog barked happily before turning and running for the group of kids, who all giggled excitedly as the dog joined their group. Vol watched for a couple more seconds before standing and facing Rachel. He wasn't all that surprised to see her smiling at him.

"K9 does the kids a lot of good, ya know," she said softly. When she got a slow nod in reply, she looked down at the game spread out in front of her, "Good catches you have here. I'll pay you fifty caps for all of it."

Vol knew he was getting screwed but din't complain. What good was money when the village provided it's citizens with everything already? Food, shelter, all provided. The only thing he needed the money for was ammo but he so rarely had to fire his rifle or pistol that he debated why he still took them out with him. So, with a nod, he took the offered caps and moved onto the next shop he had to visit.

After getting rid of his salvage, which was just scrap and old world items, he headed inside. K9 was with him again as he went up the flight of stairs to the third floor, passing several people along the way. He reasoned that this building was once used to house old world soldiers as almost every room had come with beds and storage lockers. The ones that didn't were offices, latrines, closets, and what he could only assume was a rec room.

He found his room easily enough: Room 320. Opening the door, K9 rushed past him and jumped onto his own bed before promptly flopping onto it. Chuckling softly, Vol walked in and closed the door. It was a very spartan room. K9's bed, made of extra sheets and towels, sat in one corner of the room while Vol's bed sat in another corner. Against the wall was a storage locker with a three drawer chest beside it. Scrap metal was made into a table that Vol used to do weapon and armor maintenance. A mirror was the last piece of furniture and was something that Vol didn't necessarily have a reason to have. It was just there.

Stripping off his gear, Vol set the weapons on the table while placing the scuffed armor, pack, and undersuit in the locker. Opening the drawers, he pulled out a set of pajamas and crawled onto the bed. The military bed was not comfortable but when it was the only thing available, you learned to deal with it. Having gotten used to it a long time ago, Vol was quickly asleep.

--------

Again, Vol was out in the woods near the settlement, hunting. It was his daily ritual. Hunt until noon, return, sell game, do whatever from there. As he walked through the forest, though, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He had been out here for about a hour already and he had seen no Skampiers at all. It was as if they all disappeared overnight. Secondly, he could see that K9 was more alert than usual. The dog's tail was low as it scanned the trees with every wary eyes.

The dog barked, startling Vol, before taking off in a seemingly random direction. A bit disturbed by his companion's behavior, Vol was quick to take off after him, bow still loaded and ready to fire. With the assistance of the powered greaves, he was able to set almost the same pace as the dog. Of course, this meant that he wasn't exactly able to catch up with the four-legged animal.

Finally though, following the barking and growling, he caught up to the dog in a small clearing. Vol froze at the treeline. There was nothing dangerous with clearing. On the contrary, it was a perfectly healthy clearing. Green grass ran from the treeline inward. In the center of the clearing, and the apparent object of the dog's aggression, was a tree. It was perfectly healthy with bright green leaves and a lighter brown bark.

This is... strange, Vol thought to himself as he cautiously stepped onto the green grass. He became aware that wherever his foot landed, the grass welted and died. A closer look showed that it was the same for K9, dead patches of grass marking his own path to the tree. Vol continued though, until reaching the tree. K9 had stopped barking by then, now standing next to his owner with a snarl pointed at the tree.

The hunter found himself agreeing with the dog's feelings. This wasn't natural. It didn't belong here in this hellhole. Whatever had brought it here was of a power unwitnessed by human eyes.

"Such beauty confuses you?"

Vol snapped the bow up and drew back the arrow, spinning around as he searched for the voice. It had come from everywhere, whispering into his ears. It had a tinge of madness to it that sent a chill down his spine. It was nowhere to be seen.

"You grew up in this... wasteland. Grew used to it's destroyed landscape. I know the cause too."

Hearing growling, Vol looked down at K9. The dog wasn't looking to the outside of the clearing. No, it was looking and growling at the tree. It seemed so innocent, so fresh, so... inviting.

"Would you like to find out?"

Vol found himself nodding, though he didn't know why. Why should he trust this strange voice? It sounded like the demons that some of the more religious citizens talked about, luring him into madness. However, wasn't he already in a world of madness?

"Touch the bark of the tree. I will show you how a world can fall to ruin."

The words chilled him but still he found himself reaching out with his right hand. K9's barking was pushed into the back of his mind as his hand grew closer. Finally, it settled against the bark and Vol suddenly felt joy and hope flow into him. Then, just as suddenly, the bark around and underneath his hand began to die. The joy and hope was quickly replaced by a pain that had every single nerve in his body crying out in agony. He heard someone screaming as the dead bark began to spread.

"Humans have always drawn my interest. Such destructive creatures, yet also full of love."

The voice still whispered clearly to him. It was at this time that he realized that he was the one screaming. The dead bark had reached the ground now, spreading onto the grass. Leaves began to fall, turning to dust before hitting the recently dead grass.

"It's a shame, really. I had enjoyed watching your politicians try to deceive each other. It was a treat to see them try to stave off armageddon with words."

His vision had shrunk to almost nothing now and he could feel the grip on consciousness slipping. No matter how many times he had wanted to pull his hand away, it just wouldn't respond. It was as if something held it in place, making sure he suffered every bit of agony. Finally, as the last strings of consciousness slipped away, the voice whispered to him one last time.

"You will be their greatest ally and their worst enemy."

-----------

Fluttershy was a naturally quiet and timid pony. So, it always shocked ponies when they found out that she lived next to the Everfree forest. When asked why, she always said something about being able to care for the animals inside. Out here, she felt like she could open up, especially to her animal friends.

Most days were calm, with her biggest events being the feeding of the animals and trying to keep track of Angel. So it had been a surprise to the yellow pegasus when a pair of squirrels had come to her cottage and immediately dragged her into the Everfree. While usually scared of the forest like every other pony, she couldn't deny the need of her animal friends. So, with her saddlebags full of medical supplies, she galloped after the squirrels, dodging the vines, branches, and Poison Joke.

She could hear the screaming. It sent chills down her spine and only made her move faster, now passing the squirrels as she assumed that this was what they were leading her too.

"Oh dear," she whispered as the screaming reached it's peak before suddenly stopping. A couple yards later, she burst out into a clearing. Her adrenaline made her notice many things at once. One, the grass and the tree in the center of the clearing were all dead. Two, a strange creature, with what she recognized as a bow, was slumped onto the grass with one hand pressed against the dead bark. Three, a dog with knotted fur, yellow teeth, bloodied jowls, and some sort of vest, was standing over the strange creature, snarling at her.

"Eep!" she squeaked as she came to a sudden halt and backed away to the edge of the clearing. The dog didn't ease up it's stance. In fact, it seemed to have gone lower, looking ready to pounce on the yellow pegasus.

"I-it's o-ok-k-kay," Fluttershy stammered to the large dog. The dog was barely smaller than she was and obviously practiced it's carnivorous feeding habits. So, it was with this knowledge that Fluttershy began to shake like a leaf when the dog began to creep closer, ready to pounce on her. It gave a constant low growl as it approached slowly. The yellow pegasus knew she should probably run but she found herself frozen in fear. This dog was feral and was going to eat her and all she could do was shake like a leaf.

When the dog got close enough, it began to sniff her. While sniffing her, it closed in so much that Fluttershy could feel it's breath on her fur. It did stop growling though, which Fluttershy took as a good sign. She reached up her hoof to try to pet the dog but it immediately became aggressive again as soon as she lifted her hoof an inch so she set it back down. Finally, coming to a decision unknown to Fluttershy, the dog turned and walked back to the strange creature. It gave a small whimper before nudging the body with it's nose.

"Oh, you poor thing," Fluttershy whispered, suddenly forgetting her near-death experience in exchange for needing to help the strange creature. She stopped forward into the clearing and it was as if a switch had been thrown in the dog's brain. It gave a booming bark at the pegasus, causing her to immediately withdraw her hoof and freeze up. Though, as soon as her hoof was withdrawn, the dog went back to the creature, plopping itself onto the grass as it looked over the strange creature's body.

After a moment, Fluttershy mouthed a 'Oh'. It was obvious now that the dog was not going to let her into the clearing. This meant that Fluttershy couldn't assist the strange creature. That idea didn't sit well with the caring pegasus. She had to find a way to help it.

But how?

An Aid and A Guide

"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered as she paced at the clearing's edge. It's already been a couple minutes and she couldn't find a way to get past the dog. Not only that, but the strange creature hadn't yet woken up. The yellow pegasus began to fear the worst. Tears began to build up in her eyes.

She's rarely had an animal die on her from anything but old age yet, though this didn't look like a normal animal, this creature was probably dead because she couldn't get to it. While it was obviously the fault of the protective dog, Fluttershy found that she couldn't hold it to blame. It was simply doing what dogs were known to do; being loyal. Sometimes that meant the defending of an owner that can't defend themselves.

If only she knew what, and who, the creature was. She found herself wondering what it's thoughts were as it died. Maybe it was thinking of home?

------

This is not home, Vol thought as the ground around him ruptured into the air as fountains of asphalt and dirt. Rounds zinged overhead, pinging off metal and chipping away stone facades. He had discovered, when he awoke, that he was not in his normal attire. He was currently wearing a set of green Combat Armor, helmet included, with a mask over his mouth. An American Assault Rifle was clenched in his hands and he felt the sheath holding the knife to his belt.

The misplaced wastelander had quickly discovered who were the "good guys" as they were the ones wearing armor and wielding weapons similar to his own. Him and his fellows were currently taking cover behind cars, buildings, plant boxes, anything that would stop a round from killing them. Every now and then, a soldier would pop up and fire a burst at the unseen enemy. Vol could only assume that it was the Chinese. This seemed too much like the tales of the Great War for them not to be.

The wastelander watched as a soldier stood up, fired, and got back into cover with the back of his head missing. Another had his leg out to far and was soon writhing in agony as blood spilled from the wound. His partner cried for a medic but it didn't seem like one was coming. Vol felt someone grab his pauldron right before he was yanked around to come face to face with one of the soldiers.

"Fire your weapon!" he yelled before letting go of Vol. Vol, frustrated at his hesitation, stood up from cover and faced the enemy. Like he thought, the enemy were Chinese and hey were slowly gaining ground on the small American force as their artillery continued to pound the street.

"It all begins so simply. Two humans find a limited resource, of which is required for the continuation of their way of life. Thus, a simple decision is made."

The voice echoed in his mind, throwing his aim off as he pulled the trigger. The rounds stitched the building next to the Chinese advance. Shaking his head, he aimed back at the Chinese and fired a burst, knocking the attacker to the ground. Changing targets, he fired at another. The asian soldier pirouetted like a dancer from the force of the rounds before he fell face first on the asphalt.

"'This is mine' is what both decide. When they find that the other also claimed it, they begin to find a way to take it. No matter how much they may portray sharing, they still believe it is theirs. How can you share something if you don't first believe to own it?"

Vol shook his head. Leave my head intruder! he thought as he fired another burst downrange. Taking cover, he reloaded the rifle. He didn't even hear the blast. He just felt the sense of flying before he slammed into something hard. As he fell forward, his hand went out in front of him and immediately hit an object. He could feel the roughness through his gloves. Looking up, he saw brown bark underneath his hand. A tree stood in front of him, in the middle of the war-torn street. Looking around, he saw that the war was frozen. No one moved. No one fired. One American was paused in the midst of his death fall. Another was paused on the down swing of his helmet onto a Chinese soldier's cranium.

Looking down, he saw the grass beneath him. It was all green and healthy except for a spot in the shape of a body below him. The only warning was a tingling of his palm. Fire surged through his nervous system, igniting every nerve in unbearable agony. When he registered that he was screaming, his throat was already sore. He fell first to his right knee. Then his left knee struck ground. Finally, the rest of him fell, his body filling the shape in the dead grass. The pain began to recede as his consciousness faded. As the last vestiges of consciousness left him, the voice returned.

"Sharing is not a selfless act. It is selfish. To share, you believe that it is yours to give out. When the well is dry, however, who do you blame? Yourself for sharing or them for taking?"

------------

"Ugh..." Vol moaned as he moved a hand to his helmeted head. He thought he heard a gasp but the happy bark that came after covered the noise. Vol smiled as he opened his eyes to see K9 through his helmet's visor. The dog was laying with his head so close that Vol's visor was fogging from K9's hot breath. Reaching out, Vol scratched his head before he began to get to his feet. Pain still flared in his limbs but, with the help of the tree, he was soon upright and looking around. So far, he saw that the dead clearing was surrounded by a thriving forest of gnarled trees and vines. Turning around, he settled his back against the tree. He was surprised to see a bright yellow equine looking at him with wide eyes. He swore that she was shaking.

Vol's stomach chose that time to growl. While it would've been easy to put an arrow into the small horse, he felt that he couldn't. Something about this horse reminded him of humans. The easily visible expression on fear on it's face, maybe? The way it wore the bags? Or was it the way it kept glancing side to side, as if searching for a way to hide?

Talk to it.

The thought was pushed to the fore of his mind, giving him a slight headache. While he found himself doubting the idea, he could be happy in that there was no one to make fun of him if he was wrong.

"Umm... hello?" he asked, feeling like a fool. His voice seemed to cause the horse to shrink closer to the dirt and hid one eye behind it's bright pink mane. Surprisingly, it squeaked something in reply.

"I'm... sorry? Didn't quite catch that," he stated from where he was against the tree.

It still only squeaked in reply. In an effort to hear it better, Vol took a step away from the tree. Pain shot up his leg, causing him to fall to one knee, grunting in pain. Whatever had been scaring the horse was forgotten as it rushed to his side, only stopping short when K9 began to growl.

"Shh, boy," Vol whispered as he looked back at the dog. Immediately, the dog silenced and sat, but it kept it's eyes on the horse as it finished approaching the human.

"Are..." it's voice was soft and timid. Vol could feel the care in it, "Are you okay?"

Vol chuckled and shook his head, "No."

-------

No? Well, it's obviously hurt but... why did it laugh? Was the way it got hurt funny? Like how Dash is sometimes?

Looking the creature over, Fluttershy couldn't see anything wrong with it's gray carapace. She had been stunned when she saw it's face with it's single, black eye. From what she saw, and could see, it had no mouth or nose. Yet, it could speak to her. This confused the pegasus. How can something with no mouth talk? However, she also learned that the dog was well trained, which was a relief to her. She almost ended up as dog chow when she had jumped to the creautre's aid.

"Wha-what's wrong?" she asked, unsure of how it might respond.

"You," it replied simply, chuckling again. Fluttershy was shocked. Me? All I had tried to do was help? Does... does it not like ponies? Oh no! Did I transfer some airborne disease that I'm immune to and it's not?

"Me?" Flutterhsy asked with a wimper.

It chuckled again, "You, this clearing, this forest, and, lastly, my mind. I must be insane! I'm talking to a horse and it's talking back! I'm in a forest of trees with leaves and I keep hearing some mad person's voice!"

The being struggled back to it's feet and just shook it's hooded head. Fluttershy looked at it in confusion. It thinks it's crazy? What does the voice say to it?

"I'm... I'm actually a p-pony," Fluttershy stated.

"Right," it replied as it picked up it's bow, putting the loaded arrow back into the pouch on it's thigh, "'pony' it is. Where do you come from little 'pony'?"

"Ponyville," she replied immediately, not understanding why. Should she really lead this thin to her friends? What if it turned out to be dangerous? Come now, Fluttershy. That's no way to think about somepony you just met, she thought, giving herself a little nod as she did.

"Lead on my equine friend, I wish to end this madness," it said, motioning for Fluttershy to start walking.

"Umm... okay," she responded meekly as she hid an eye behind her mane. Turning around, she began to retrace her steps back to the small village she called home. She was more than aware of the creature's presence behind her. However, she did have to look back to make sure it was actually there. How can something so big and heavy looking move so silently? she thought to herself.

"W-Where are you f-from? If you don't mind my asking, of course."

The creature chuckled with it's deep, guttural voice again as it looked into the sky. It's answer was a simple one:

"Hell."

Ambushes and Forgiveness

Any second now, I'll wake up in my room. I'll go out with K9 to hunt the Skampiers and make some caps. Hell, maybe I'll even go to one of Gastel's parties, Vol thought to himself as he followed the yellow pony down the forest path. He could hear howling nearby but whatever was causing it never came close enough for him to see. The hunter found himself examining the pony. She was small, just an inch smaller than K9 and appeared to be as timid as a child. The white coloring of her bags and the Red Cross made Vol sure that she was some sort of medic pony. He found himself wondering how much she would have charged for the care.

He was sure it would be a good amount. Any doctor worth being called such would charge a great deal of caps for their services. It was how they ensured they would have an adequate supply of, well... supplies. Many doctors had also taken up the practice of having a guard with them due to how enticing targets they were to Raiders and Chem Junkies. The fact that this winged, he had discovered that when she turned about and nearly shouted in surprise, pony was traveling without such an escort when she was obviously incapable of protecting herself was just one more piece of proof as to this scenario being a figment of an out of control dream. Vol had been spending a good amount of time around some of the kids lately. Their imaginative energies must have influenced his dreams.

One thing that was disconcerting about this dream was the forest itself. It had a sense of foreboding about it. While that same sense permeated the Skampier infested forest Vol hunted in, this one felt more unwelcoming. Whether it was simply that the forest was an unknown or that it was supposedly more dangerous, he was unsure. What he was sure of was that, at any moment, this dream could become a nightmare. In some ways it already was.

With his bow in increasingly unsure hands, Vol followed after the pony. K9 trotted along next to him, emanating protective vibes as he watched the pony. As if to allay the dog's fears, Vol scratched the animal behind one ear, smiling softly as K9 leaned into his touch. He remembered when he found K9. When he was younger, sixteen to be exact, he'd go out on explorations of the old military base that his village was situated in. That was also how he found his rifle, but that's a different tale. He had been exploring the old airfield when he had heard a pained howl. With pistol held in shaking hands, he followed the howl to a hanger at the end of the airstrip. Entering it, he worked his way past a partially disassembled Vertibird to the back. There, in a pool of blood, was a dog with her pups. The dog was wearing an old Police K9 vest with a hole through it. Blood leaked from the hole and, upon closer inspection, Vol noticed that all the pups but one were dead.

The dog at first growled at Vol as he approached. Vol, dressed in rags with a hood over his head and a red cloth hanging from his belt, lowered his pistol upon seeing the wounded animal. With one hand held, palm out, in a placating manner, he holstered his pistol and slowly dropped to a crouch. It wasn't long before the dog stopped growling and began to whimper instead.

"You're hurt," he had stated softly, as if the dog didn't know. The dog just whimpered again as she looked back at the lone pup curled up next to her. The pup was covered in the blood of it's family and was shaking in as it appeared to sleep. It awoke when it's mother, Vol could only assume as much, pushed it away from her with a hind leg.

"You want me to take him?" Vol asked. The dog gave a short bark before she laid her head onto the concrete floor, looking straight ahead. The teen watched as her breathing slowed to nothing, a tear threatening to fall from his face. Crying had drawn his attention to the pup. Carefully, he had scooped the animal into his arms and was surprised when it calmed and nuzzled his chest before falling back into a state of sleep.

A bump to his hand snapped Vol back to his current predicament. Looking down, he saw K9 looking up at him with his head cocked to the side. It took the human a second to realized that he had stopped walking during his trip down memory lane.

"A-Are you o-okay?" asked the yellow pony. Vol sighed.

"I am. Tell me, how much farther to your home?"

"We're almost t-there," she replied with a slight stutter at the end. Vol nodded and the three continued down the trail. Like the pony had said, they soon exited out of the forest next to a very... organic cottage. From what Vol could see, it was made out of all sorts of plants and had bird houses built into every nook and cranny of it's structure. A chicken coop was in a fenced area out back and many animals played around it, though they all stopped and stared at Vol and K9 when they appeared. Vol shivered; the animals had readable faces and he could read their fear. The hunter also spotted what appeared to be a Skampier but looked less... demonic.

"Is this your ho-"

"LOOK OUT FLUTTERSHY!"

"AH GOT THE MUTT!"

The two shouts interrupted the tranquility of the clearing. As the animals scattered fast enough to leave afterimages, the two wasteland beings sprung into action against this ambush. Seeing the cyan winged-pony shooting for him, Vol took up a wide-legged stance and prepared himself. It was too close for his bow, so he'd just have to take it head on. Dropping his bow, he took the hit and caved, falling back. As he fell, he brought up his legs and kicked out. This wasn't in an effort to lunch the pony as that would be to it's advantage. Instead, he hugged he pony close and pushed with his feet to complete the roll onto his chest, where he pinned the pony to the ground. One hand instinctively went for the knife on his calf.

At the same time that Vol faced the wrecking ball of a pony, a lasso found itself around K9's neck. Before it tightened, the dog put the rope in it's mouth and bit down. As the rope was tightened by the orange pony, it sawed against the dog's teeth and ended up snapping apart. With aching teeth, the dog charged at the dumbfounded pony. It wasn't long until he had his attacker by the throat.

"STOP!"

Everything froze: the fighters, the animals, the wind, everything. Vol had his knife pressed against the cyan pony's throat while K9 was standing over his attacker with his jaws locked around it's throat. Vol, however, was looking at the butter yellow pegasus standing just a couple feet from him. She looked so terrified and was on the verge of tears.

"Please," she pleaded, "Don't hurt them. They didn't mean it. T-they just thought you...that you were a m-monster. P-please."

Vol turned his head back to the pony pinned underneath him. Terror was plastered on her face as her eyes trembled. Tears silently rolled down onto the grass below. The man looked over at his pet, who had an orange pony on the ground with his jaws around it's throat.

"K9, stand down."

The dog growled and it seemed like he wouldn't listen. Just when Vol was about to repeat himself, K9 opened his jaws and backed away, licking at his chops as he kept both eyes on the orange pony. With that, Vol withdrew, and sheathed, his knife from the pony beneath him and stood up, careful not to push against the small sapient being. Once on his feet, he picked up his bow and turned to face the equine creatures, unsurprised to see them all in a hug of tears. With a sigh, he pulled his hood back up over his head. Feeling a bump on his leg, he looked down to see K9 looking up at him.

Moisture splashed on his visor, surprising Vol. He then realized, as his vision blurred, that it had splashed on the inside of the visor. He could feel the adrenaline running it's course, the pain of sore muscles, the rasping of excited breathing. This was not a dream. It was all too real. His body's processes, the fear in that cyan pony's eyes. All of it was too real. Again, he looked at the three ponies, still locked in their hug. He had almost killed the cyan one. The fear in it's eyes flashed through his mind. And K9 would've snapped the orange one's neck had Vol hadn't stopped him.

"C'mon boy," he whispered as he stood up, not knowing when he had fallen to his knees. The dog whimpered but followed him as he made his way back to the forest devoid of sunlight. He would disappear from the ponies' lives and vow to never threaten one again.

"Wait."

-----------

Fluttershy was surprised when it actually stopped. To be truthful, she hadn't expected it too. She also had no idea why she just told the beings that almost killed her friends to wait. She couldn't go back now, though. So, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack giving her looks of confusion, she spoke in another whisper:

"Wait. Please."

"Why?" came the reply as the creature still didn't face her. The dog was looking at her though, with a tilt to it's head.

Why? Because... Why did she want it to wait? To help it. Why couldn't she let it walk away? It looked so lonely. Why should she help it? How can I not? Why could she forgive it so easily? It wasn't it's fault.

"I..." she hesitated. She knew what to say and yet, at the same time, didn't know. She wanted to house it, care for it, talk with it... befriend it. There was no way for her to say that, though.

"You don't know, do you?" it asked, turning it's body enough to look around it's hood at her with it's one eye. All that the pegasus could do was shake her head meekly. The creature grunted in what sounded like amusement. She watched as it looked toward the forest, possibly debating it's options.

"M-mister," Applejack began in an uncharacteristically weak voice, "I just want to say that it's not Fluttershy's fault that Rainbow and me attacked you. She had no idea we were even looking for her."

Another grunt of amusement as the creature looked at them, "I never said it was. Miss Fluttershy, I believe you stated her name to be, seems to be the least likely person to plan such a devious move."

Fluttershy felt her cheeks heat softly from what she presumed to be a compliment, though it could just as likely been taken as an insult.

"Why's that?" Rainbow asked with some hostility, obviously taking to it in the second point of view.

"She's too sweet. Timid, caring. As well that she's a doctor. Would be a very ill move to purposely lead a potential patient into an ambush. Then they are more likely to pay you with a knife than caps."

The blush that had been building on Fluttershy's face left quickly. What did that mean? Potential patient... well, everypony was a potential patient. But the second part, about the knife and caps; what was that about? How bad was this creature's home?

Silence pervaded the four. Finally:

"Would you like to come inside?"

Fluttershy blinked as she realized that she had said that. Then again, who else would say it? They were at her home. She felt heat begin to rush to her face as the creature seemed to stare her down. She drew her head back and down, causing some of her pink mane to fall over one eye. This is a stupid idea. Why should it accept her invitation? It had no reason to. They weren't friends. Her friends did attack-

"I'd love to," it finally replied, a smile audible in it's voice. Fluttershy's ears perked up.

"What?" she asked, looking up so that her mane fell away from her eye.

"I'd love to," it repeated. As if sensing it's master's happiness, the dog let it's tongue loll out of it's mouth as it began panting happily.

Fluttershy smiled and looked to the two mares beside, "Applejack, Rainbow? Want to join us?"

"I'll be happy to," Applejack replied, joining the joviality of the group.

"Yeah, sure," was Rainbow's less than enthusiastic reply.

"This way than," Fluttershy said with a smile as she began to walk to her cottage. Finally, she could get some answers from the creature and, maybe, get to know it as a... friend.

Explanations and Expectations

"Pure Anarchy could never exist in the real world. This is because there will always be people, or ponies as the case may be, that will band together to surmount some large obstacle. These groups may go so far as to call each other friends after repeated actions together. So, truly, what is a friend? Is it someone who stands by your side no matter what, during the good and the bad? Or is it someone who you want at your side when things go to shit or when you have something to gain from their involvement? Surely, trust is a definite with a friend but how much trust can you instill without escalating up the social ladder? How much trust is too little trust? In the end, each person has, or pony, has their own ideas of friendship and trust. This, I must admit, is the scariest aspect of all."

--------

"I don't trust it AJ," Rainbow whispered. The two mares had fallen behind Fluttershy and the monster so that they could talk amongst themselves. "It and it's pet."

"Ah hate to say it, but Ah agree with ya. Something is off about the fellow, besides the obvious," Applejack replied. Rainbow nodded. Already, the monster and it's pet looked off with the scratches and speckles of blood on it's armor and the dried blood on the pet's muzzle. Everything also looked as if it hadn't been washed in months, maybe even years.

"Just keep an eye on it," Rainbow insisted.

"Why'd ya think Ah agreed to come inside?" Applejack replied as the two trotted after Flutter and the creature, who were already inside. Entering the cottage, they were met with the many alcoves that housed all sorts of animal life. They were also met with the sight of the creature knelt next to it's bag, attaching it's bow to the side. The dog, K9 if Rainbow's memory served her, was laying next to a couch with it's eyes closed. It looked, for all the world, like it was asleep but Rainbow was sure that it was still very alert.

--------

Vol had no idea what he was doing. He would admit that. If someone had told him that he'd be sent to another world to meet talking horses, he would've called that person crazy. However, here he was in a house that seemed chock full of wild creatures with three talking horses, two of which were showing signs of hostility. The third, well... it was a mystery. He had no idea what was driving it's actions but he did know that it was no hostility. It was the opposite actually, as if it had known him it's whole life.

Having seen the other two come in, he finished strapping his bow to his pack and stood up, placing the pack next to K9. Vol knew the dog wasn't sleeping. His breathing was too fast and there was the minute flicks of the ears as he listened to the world around him. No, he wasn't sleeping, just resting. Resting after a very exciting day. Looking at the couch the dog was next to, Vol thought about sitting down. He then thought twice of it as the couch looked small and he was sure he would crush it anyway, not being built to take the weight of Vol's armor. So, without further thought, he sat down cross legged in front of the couch.

"Umm, why don't you sit on the couch?" asked the rainbow maned one.

"Worried I'd crush it," Vol replied.

"O...kay?"

"Tea's done!" Fluttershy called as she, he was tired of thinking of her as an 'it', trotted into the room with a platter on her back. The platter held a tea pot and four small cups. The winged pony stopped and looked at Vol with confusion.

"Too heavy for the couch," Vol answered the unspoken question. He briefly wondered how dull these ponies were if they couldn't make the connection themselves.

"Oh, okay," she replied quietly, hiding an eye behind her mane, "As long as you're okay with it."

"It's fine, I promise," he responded. Nodding, the yellow pony stepped forward as her two friends sat on chairs set up around the coffee table in front of the couch. She twisted her head around, grabbed the platter with her teeth, and expertly maneuvered it onto the table. This left one human who was very confused as to how that could work. Choosing to not voice that question, Vol watched the pony serve the tea to each of her guests before serving herself. Vol looked down at the small cup and it's brown liquid. He'd never had tea before and, to him, it looked like irradiated water. However, he wasn't one to be rude to his host.

Lifting up his hands, he brushed his hood back before unclasping the locking mechanisms of his helmet. With it loose, it gave it a sharp twist to release the secondary locking function. This elicited a rather unpleasant scream.

-------

Fluttershy was close to fainting after seeing her the creature twist it's own head with a snap. A scream had escaped her muzzle as she now stared wide-eyed at the creature. The dog, K9, was looking on with a tilted head. It didn't look the least bit concerned for it's master... who was now chuckling.

The pegasus looked in shocked confusion as the creature laughed and lifted it's 'head' off it's shoulders. She was surprised to see that there was another head beneath what she had, at first, believed to be it's head. This head had a flat face and two, small ears. A brown, shaggy mane, fell down out of the helmet. It covered a portion of it's right eye, much like Fluttershy's mane did. What she noticed more though was it's smirk... and the three claw scars going across the left side of it's face.

"Did I scare you?" it asked, concern coming over it's face. Fluttershy simply nodded, causing it to smile softly, "My apologies. I should have warned you."

"Yeah, ya should've," Applejack cut in. The creature looked over at her with a raised brow.

"Wait, so that wasn't your face?" Rainbow asked, scratching the back of her head with a hoof. Fluttershy, examining the creature's 'new' face, saw it stare at Rainbow for a little longer than necessary before answering.

"No," it replied with a smile, setting it's helmet aside as it picked up the tea, "Just a helmet."

Fluttershy watched as the creature stared at the tea with a confused, and slightly disgusted, look. She became worried; did it not like tea? Is tea something bad for it's kind?

"What? Never had tea before?" Applejack asked as she took a sip of her own drink. Why are they acting this why? Do they not trust it? Fluttershy asked herself, It did attack them but... it was sorry. Anypony could've seen that.

"No, actually," it replied, to the shock of all in the room. It hasn't had tea?

"Try it," Fluttershy said softly, "it's good."

Fluttershy watched it shrug and knock back the tea like it was hard cider. It then began coughing.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked worriedly while Rainbow burst into laughter. The creature just held up a finger in a 'wait a second' motion as it coughed.

"F-fine," it coughed out before taking a deep breath, "just a lot sweeter than I thought it would be."

"I'm sor-"

"No, it's not your fault," It replied with a smile as it set the cup down. It then frowned, "I don't believe I've told you my name. I'm Vol and the dog is K9."

"Fluttershy," Fluttershy replied before pointing at her two friends, "That's Applejack and Rainbow Dash."

"Nice to meet you," he stated. The two simply nodded. Fluttershy couldn't believe that her friends were acting this way. Well, she could, but she wished that they weren't.

"I see. Well, for what it's worth, I apologize for what occurred out there. Please believe me when I say that I wouldn't have harmed you, neither would have K9. I understand that mistakes are made."

"Ah... can't accept your apology right now," Applejack replied, to Fluttershy's surprise.

"And I understand," Vol replied before turning back to Fluttershy, "I appreciate the hospitality but I do have a few questions."

"Oh, o-okay."

"Where am I?"

"Equestria," Fluttershy replied. She was excited that they were talking. And she knew his name! 'His'? Well, she had to admit that it sounded male.

"I see. And that is the country?" Vol asked.

Fluttershy nodded.

"And the village near here is called Ponyville, if I remember one of our earlier conversations correctly. Yes?"

"Yes," Fluttershy replied with a smile.

"And what exactly are you?" he asked, motioning toward Fluttershy.

Taken aback by the bluntness of the question, Fluttershy stammered, "I-I'm a pony. We all are. Rainbow and I are pegasi while Applejack is an earth pony."

"So, winged is a pegasi-

"Pegasus," Rainbow interrupted, "Pegasi is multiple."

"My apologies; winged is a pegasus and non-winged is earth."

"Correct," Fluttershy replied with a smile. She watched as Vol lowered his head to look at the helmet he had set on the table. He picked it up and looked at the 'face'. He then looked out the window at the Everfree forest that sat just outside the cottage. Ponies often wondered how a timid mare like Fluttershy could live so close to the forest. For her it was simple because the forest is where her animal friends lived.

"And your entire world is like..." he hesitated, a finger half-heartedly pointed at the trees. Fluttershy could see the conflict in his eyes when he looked at her. He looked sad, angry... scared. "-like that?"

"Er, no," Applejack replied.

"Some of the world is covered in snow year round while other parts are deserts. But most of it is like this, yes." Fluttershy elaborated when it became clear that Applejack wouldn't. What was wrong with her friends today? If Twilight was here, she'd be more accepting. But she's still in Canterlot learning about politics. Twilight had been very busy since her coronation.

"I see," he replied sadly, looking at his helmet once more. Fluttershy watched him, unsure of what to say or do. This was a first for her as she usually knew exactly what to do but, now, she was at a lost. She didn't really know what he was even sad about.

"A-are you okay?" she finally managed to ask. She mental hit herself. Of course he wasn't okay!

"I'll never see any of them again," he whispered as a tear dropped onto his helmet.

-------

No one. I'm all alone here, in some strange new world with talking ponies that fly. Vol watched another tear fall on his helmet. Charles, who strived to be an outstanding member of the militia, Yoncy, who was the sweetest little girl you'd ever met, Rachel, who was like a sister to him. He'd never be able to see their smiling faces ever again and that was hitting him hard.

"See who?" asked Fluttershy in a caring tone.

"My... my friends. Back home."

"Where is your home?" Applejack asked, her hard tone breaking.

"On a different world."

"Wait, what now?" Rainbow asked with a confused smirk.

"My world is a dead world. Burned by the fires of wars waged by my ancestors. I... I am a product of that world," he stated, motioning to his damaged and bloodied armor. What will they think of me now? he asked himself, readying himself for their hated words.

"So... you-you've k-killed? O-other humans?" Fluttershy asked. Vol nodded, braced for the repercussions. He heard a collective gasp and thought he had time to explain finer details.

"You have to understand that it was all for survival. I didn't want to. I never wanted to."

"How is killing somepony for survival? You couldn't try talking to them?" Rainbow asked. Vol looked in her eyes and could see the confusion and the anger. He also saw something else; he saw that she'd never truly understand. None of these ponies would, but if you could make them understand at least a little.

"In my world," he began softly as he sat cross-legged on the floor next to K9. He scratched behind the dog's ear, "In my world, there's a shortage of clean water and of food, because of the war. This drives people to different actions. Most will allow others to drink from the same well, a settlement soon forming. Some will sell it for caps. Some, however, will claim it as theirs and theirs alone."

"They won't understand your world. War. Hate. Death."

The voice came not from outside but from inside Vol's cranium. He paused in shock.

"Just like you'll never understand theirs. Peace. Friendship. Love."

Vol shook his head as he felt an icy presence leave his mind. There's no way they were always peaceful. Something, someone, made it this way for them, Vol reasoned internally.

"You see," he continued, dismissing the voice, "those people will attack anyone who tries to take from their well. I had ended up as one of those people. I was refilling my canteens from a sink that had clear-looking water. That was when some guy jumped out of a side room and charged at me with a knife. I... I shoved his arm away and drew my own blade. I think you can fill in the rest."

"Ah think you should'a tried to talk to him," Applejack replied.

"While I was locked in a fight?" Vol asked incredulously, "He came at me with a knife!"

"You had a knife to my throat and we're talking now," Rainbow stated. Vol paused. She had told the truth. One wrist jerk and he could've ended her life; more blood on his hands.

"Th-that's different. I had you pinned, I was able to evaluate the situation. With him, it was constant movement," he explained, his voice sounding unsure.

"Was it really all that different, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, her voice sounding more and more accusatory. Was it different? he asked himself, Could I have talked my way out of it? No. No! I was fifteen! He was out to kill, not drive away! I... I...

"I need to go for a walk," Vol said as he quickly got to his feet. K9 jumped to his paws but sat down with a whimper when Vol barked out a "Stay!"

Without grabbing his helmet or his pack, Vol exited the cottage and walked. He didn't go to the forest, as it reminded him of his hunting grounds. No, he went into an open field next to the cottage. The field bordered the forest on one side and the village on the other. Finally noting his surroundings, he was surprised to see that it was currently night. He looked up to see a full moon making it's way into the sky. This moon was big. Either it was big or it was a lot closer than the one back on his world.

He put up his hood and continued on. While the night sky was beautiful, a part of him had been screaming for him to put up his hood. Without his helmet, it came over to his brow line, effectively shadowing his face. It could have come even further if he had let it.

That was when a noise reached his ear, a noise he had recently relived in that cottage. The noise of steel hitting steel.

Figuring it's direction, Vol took off at a sprint, his power armored legs propelling his body faster than any unassisted human. His hood, the one he had just put on, blew back off his scalp as he sprinted across the plains, looking for the fight. As he ran, he unclasped the pistol holster on his torso and drew the 10mm inside, cursing himself for leaving his pack and helmet. It was a spur of the moment thing, just like telling K9 to stay. It was also a rookie mistake.

Seeing the fight, he quit beating himself up as his heart rate quickened. He examined the duel as he closed in. One fighter was holding their wings in front of their face in an obviously defensive posture. This person, pony, whatever, was obviously losing as it backpedaled with one leg held up. The other fighter was pressing forward, using a... horn to attack the first fighter. The noise of blades came from both horn and wing. Metal sheaths? Vol asked himself as he came sliding to a stop. Who do I help?

Upon closer inspection under the moonlight, he could see that the first fighter wore a dark purple armor over their black fur. The other was of a darker black than the first and appeared to have holes in it's legs. It looked like a mutated, diseased pony. If that wasn't an obvious 'I'm a bad guy' than Vol didn't know what was.

Raising the pistol, he lined up the shot. Just as his finger began to squeeze, the horned attacker saw him and turned. Revealing a pair of fangs and membrane wings, it hissed at him...

...just as the back of it's head exploded outward with a thunderclap.

The creature fell over like a sack of potatoes, dead before it hit the ground. While it gave it's last twitches of life, Vol lowered his pistol and turned to the other fighter. It was sitting down now, looking as if it was struggling to remain upright. Finally, it plopped onto the grass next to the corpse, looking like it was join it in death.

"Shit!" Vol hissed as he dashed to get closer, holstering his pistol. Sliding to a stop next to the fighter, he examined it's body. A good sized cut adorned it's right rear leg close to it's main body. Blood caked it's dark fur. Surprisingly, metal did cover the top of it's leathery wings. This made him pause once more. Fluttershy and Rainbow, by his observations, had feathers. So, what made this pony different? Now that he was looking more closely, he saw that the tops of the ears had a little tuft of fur and, with it's mouth open, he saw what looked like fangs amongst it's other teeth. Granted, they were smaller than the other creature's, but it was still unsettling.

He also noticed that it was still breathing. Then, he remembered what Fluttershy had carried.

"Hang on," he said assuredly. Taking the red cloth off his belt, he tied it tight above the wound. The pony whimpered in response, which he ushered a cooing "Shhh" in reply. Satisfied that the flow of blood was greatly stemmed, he gently scooped the pony into his arms. More whimpering. Another soft, "Shhh".

"Everything's alright," he said softly as he turned back toward Fluttershy's cottage, lights visible in the distance, "I'm taking you somewhere safe."

There was no reply. A quick check showed that the pony was still breathing, however. So, alone with his thoughts, Vol used one hand to put up his hood. He felt right with it on, even in a moment like this. And it wasn't as if the pony was heavy.

So, with a bleeding pony in his arms and an unknown future, he trudged through the night.

What will they think of this, I wonder?

Messages and Friendmaking

"What exactly is a battle? Is it two sides meeting in a field and slicing at each other until one side stops twitching? Or is it simply a term to describe conflict of any kind? Battle of the minds surely isn't two brains, devoid of shells, attacking each other. It is simply two creatures trying to outsmart each other in a certain task. Rap battles and battles of the bands aren't musicians attacking each other. It is two, or more, talented individuals going head to head in a show of their talent. So why is it that the word "battle" is automatically associated with scenes of death and carnage? Could it be because it was invented, and a word is indeed an invention of a grammatical kind, during war? If there was no war, no death, no carnage, would the word "battle" exist? Would any words to describe two sides going at each other exist?

Think of this, Vol. War has helped define humanity in more ways than you can imagine. And, alas, war never changes."

--------

Fluttershy rechecked the bandages wrapped around the Night Guard's body. She, her gender being a surprise to the yellow mare, had multiple lacerations all over her body. The fact that she was still alive showed that she had a strong will. It also helped that Vol had hurried her back to the cottage.

Remembering the human, she looked over at where he resided. He was sitting in a corner of the living room with his pack on side and K9 on the other, the dog setting his head on Vol's lap. Vol was still dressed in his armor, minus the helmet that sat atop the pack, with one hand settled on K9's head and the other clasping a weird 'L' shaped object. Fluttershy could only guess at what it was but she assumed it was important to him if he was holding it in such a manner.

She had to admit to herself that, while imposing when awake, he was quite... well, she couldn't use 'adorable' or any word of such but that he looked content with the world. Which, if what he said before he left was true, was a good thing as his world sounded like a horrible place to live. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him to be raised in such a world.

She sighed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had left not a minute after Vol did. Lucky for Fluttershy and Vol as they didn't have to deal with their reactions when Vol had practically kicked in the front door with the injured Night Guard in his arms. Fluttershy had been quick to clear her coffee table of everything so that Vol could set the Night Guard atop the furniture. With the aid of her animal friends, she gathered her medical supplies and got to work.

The yellow pegasus glanced back at the human. More specifically, she looked at the red cloth that was once again looped on his belt. It was a tattered piece of cloth with stains, which she deduced was blood, worked deep into the fibers. When she had taken it off, she had made to throw it away but an armored hand was quick to take it from her hoof. Since she was working on the Night Guard at the time, she only shot him a confused glance before going back to work. Of course, now that the batpony was stable, Fluttershy couldn't help but be curious about the cloth. It seemed to be of value to the human but the pegasus couldn't see anyway that it was valuable besides it's use as a tourniquet and she doubted he would wear it on his belt because it was a useful makeshift medical instrument.

Giving a yawn, the yellow pegasus moved to the stairs, filing away her thoughts for later. Going down the hallway, she entered the last room on the left and moved to her desk. She needed to send a letter to Twilight. She needed some... guidance as a lot had happened in so little time. Beings from another world, wounded Night Guards, hostile friends, it was all a tad too much for the yellow mare on her own. So, setting a scroll onto the desk, she grasped a quill in the crook of her fetlock, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

"Dear Twilight,

I hope your classes are going well. I'm sorry for writing you during your studies but I need your help. If you wouldn't mind, that is. I found someone in the Everfree today. He's not anything that I've seen in the forest before. He walks on two legs with two arms like Spike but doesn't have a tail. The only fur is on the top of his head and he's incased in metal armor that's much different than the Royal Guard's. He also has a dog, bigger than any I've seen, and is very dirty and... bloody. He claims to be from another world where he is forced to fight to survive.

Also, while taking a walk to clear his head, he had stumbled upon a wounded Night Guard and brought her here. I tended to her wounds but she is still out cold as of the moment I'm writing this. I'll try to keep her here as she doesn't need to be moving. Please, I need some advice.

Your Friend, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy set down her quill and stared at the letter for a couple seconds. Would Twilight get it? Will she help?

Shaking off her concerns, Fluttershy rolled up the scroll and banded it. On the band she wrote: "To Princess Twilight Sparkle from Fluttershy of Ponyville". With that, she handed it to a nearby critter who darted out of her room to put it in the mailbox outside. With that taken care of, the pegasus stood up and sleepily stumbled to her bed. Collapsing on the soft mattress, she quickly left for the Land of Dreams.

--------

"Incoming!"

Vol ducked as another plume of earth shot upwards to his right with a loud boom and shaking of the earth. Clutching the Assault Rifle in his hands, he peeked over his cover. He was somewhere really cold with some weird white powder covering the ground. The pounder was also cold and turned to water when heat touched it. However, that little discovery was pushed to the side when he noticed exactly where he had ended up. He was in another battle.

This time, his apparel was a set of white fatigues with black boots and white armor plated and helmet. A mask covered his head and goggles, which had been over his eyes, sat on the brim of his helmet. Some sort of smoke came from his mouth whenever he breathed and the American rifle in his hands felt cold to the touch.

Bullets flew by his head, causing him to duck down again.

"Fight or die, human. And believe me, death here is still a real death."

With the voice cackling in the back of his mind, Vol waited for a lull in the gunfire. When that happened, he stood up to the roar of human throats. People, dressed in white coats with fur hats, clambered out of their fortification and began to charge Vol's position. He spotted CARs in their hands. CARs that were firing rounds at him.

"Give 'em hell!" shouted someone to his side. He didn't worry about them. If this was like the other dream, they were allies of his. So, with the earth still erupting in plumes, he brought his rifle to bear and squeezed the trigger. It bucked into his shoulder as he fired controlled bursts into the charging enemies. They began to drop like flies, peppered by the rounds of him and his "allies". Of course, that didn't mean it was one-sided. Vol could distinctly hear pained cries to his left and right as his "allies" fell to hostile fire.

One of the hostiles ran out of ammo and tossed his weapon to the powder, opting to sprint head-on at Vol with knife in hand and a war cry in his throat. Vol was in the middle of reloading as the hostile charged. Racking back the charging handle, he swung up the rifle in time for the enemy to jump over him and land behind him. Quickly spinning around, he felt a vibration in his rifle as metal met metal. The knife, redirected by the rifle, barely missed Vol's head as he finished bringing it to bear. He fired.

His rounds hit dirt as the enemy grabbed his weapon with his free hand and shoved it aside. Seeing the man's other arm begin to move back, Vol ducked. The knife collided with his helmet and bounced off, leaving him with a dull headache and the enemy disoriented. Taking this to his advantage, Vol kicked out and got the guy's knee with enough force to snap it backward, breaking the joint. As the man cried out in pain, Vol pushed his foot down and shoulder rammed him back onto the ground. With the enemy laying at his feet, Vol brought his rifle to bear. The man's face was uncovered. Vol could see his fear. It was so much like Rainbow's. The knife glinted in the sunlight.

He fired.

"You are, and always will be, a killer. It would do you well to remember this."

--------

Vol awoke with a start, bring his pistol to bear on the dark living room. K9 woke up from the movement and looked around the room with ears perked for anything out of the ordinary. His gaze locked on the occupied coffee table. Vol realized that the pony that Fluttershy had identified as a "Night Guard" was stirring. Without holstering his pistol, he stood up and moved to where the pony could see him and sat down. From where he was now, he was eye to eye with the wounded pony.

He was saddened to see fear and doubt in her eyes. He could see her try to back away from him, the pain from the movement showing on her face.

"Calm," he said softly, "It's alright. You're safe."

She stopped trying to move and simply stared at him, the fear being replace with curiosity and the doubt fading.

"I..." she broke into a coughing fit. Vol set his pistol on his lap and grabbed a canteen from his belt and unscrewed the top. Dumping a bit on his hand, he was satisfied to see that it was clean water. Shaking the water off his hand, he gently lifted her head and put the canteen against her lips. Tipping it gently, he watched as the pony drank greedily at the water. He pulled the canteen away, capping it as the pony licked her lips.

"Thank you," she said, earning a nod from Vol, "I-I remember your voice. You carried me here, right?"

"I did," Vol replied, sliding the canteen back into his belt, "You were fighting some strange creature and, no offense, seemed to be losing. So I stepped in."

"I remember the fight," she said softly, "I remember the Changeling looking to the side and then a thunderclap and then swaying as you carried me here."

"Changeling," Vol whispered, rolling the name around in his mouth. He would have to look out for more of these Changelings.

"Pardon my bluntness but what are you?"

Vol chuckled, "Your bluntness is alright, as it is expected. I am a human. My name is Vol. This," he motioned to the dog beside him, "is K9."

The dog, as if knowing he was introduced, gingerly rubbed his head against the pony and whimpered. This earned a soft chuckle from the Night Guard.

"Nice to meet you K9," she said before giving a soft cough, "I'm Moonlit of Princess Luna's Night Guard. Where am I?"

"In the house of a pegasus named Fluttershy in Ponyville. May I ask what kind of pony you are?"

"Ponyville, eh? Makes sense. And I am a batpony. We're not well known. We like to keep to ourselves."

"Ah, that explains Fluttershy's surprise than," Vol stated before Moonlit went into another coughing fit. Again, he took out his canteen, undid the top, gently lifted her head, and poured it into her mouth. When she was done, he withdrew the canteen.

"Can you... can you pour some on my head?" she asked softly, a tinge of embarrassment in her voice. Vol hesitated as he looked from the canteen to the pony. This was purified water, hard to come by. It was hard to come by. But now... this world looks like it must have plenty of clean water.

"I mean," Moonlit began, "If you don't-"

"It's fine," Vol stated with a small smile as he gently tipped the canteen over her head and let the water wash over her fur. She smiled and sighed in happiness.

"I didn't think you would," she observed after the canteen was emptied and put aside.

"I'm sorry. It's just that clean water is scarce where I come from," he explained.

"And where do you come from?" Moonlit asked tiredly as she yawned and closed her eyes.

"A place much worse off than here," Vol responded softly with a smile as he reach out and brushed back her ear, earning a soft hum. It wasn't long before the batpony was asleep once more. Seeing this, Vol grasped his pistol and slowly stood up a to not disturb the batpony. He then moved back to his corner, K9 trailing, and sat down. Both man and dog resumed the positions they were in when they awoke.

If there are more ponies like Fluttershy and Moonlit, Vol thought as he drifted to sleep, Than this won't be a bad place to live.

An Invigorating Morning

Vol woke up the same way he had during the night, pistol raised as he swept the room for threats. Between the sleeping Night Guard and the frozen Fluttershy, there was nothing else in the room. The critters had yet to make a group presence to either Vol or K9, which was fine to the human.

"Sorry," he muttered to Fluttershy as he holstered his pistol and stood up to stretch. K9 mimicked his master before plopping back onto his rear quarters with his tongue hanging from his maw.

"I-It's alright," Fluttershy whispered, an eye hidden by her mane, "Would you like some breakfast?"

Vol was about to decline but his stomach decided to loudly make the decision for him. The yellow pegasus lifted a hoof to hide her soft chuckle.

"I guess that's a yes. If you don't mind," Vol replied.

"Oh," she smiled, "Not at all. What would you like?"

Sugar Bombs. "Anything will be fine," he replied, not falling victim to one of his guilty pleasures. Sugar Bombs was a very tasting cereal but it wasn't one that should be eaten very often as it, as the name implied, was a very sugary confection.

"Alright," was her response as she moved into the kitchen area. Vol smiled at her retreating form. She was a very nice pony. She had taken him in, offered to heal him, was about to feed him, and still hadn't asked for compensation. The smile faltered; what would the compensation be? Would he have enough caps to cover not only his fees but the fees of the batpony he had dragged into her home?

Cross that bridge when it comes, I guess.

With time to himself, he found himself thinking about where he was. He was far from home, that much was for sure. His guess was that he had somehow been transported to a different planet but even that was hard to truly believe. A part of him still thought that it was all a dream and that he'd wake up in his bed ready to hunt. The other part, the rational part, knew that this was his new reality. It knew that he was currently existing on a live, bountiful world full of colorful, talking ponies.

The craziest thing is that he didn't mind the change in scenery. Sure, he'd miss his friends but, here, he felt at peace for once in his life. There were no junk metal walls. No guard towers and their occupants. The air was crisp and the sunlight wasn't harmful.

It was what many of the "Christians" back home would've called heaven and here he was, living in it.

Vol's gaze fell on the batpony on the coffee table. Hs mind reeled itself back in at the sight of her wounds. This wasn't a perfect world. These beings still had to defend themselves from threats that wished for their death. While not as ever present as it was in Vol's home, it was still present.

As if feeling his gaze, the batpony stirred. She coughed and started trying to rise to an upright laying position. In an instant, Vol was there to help her. Though she crunched her face in discomfort, she was soon settled in her new position, sighing in content.

"Thanks," she muttered before giving a single cough and shaking her head as if the act would cease the coughing, "what time is it?"

The human looked out at the window at the sun rising steadily into the sky, "Morning. Maybe seven, eight?"

The batpony's response was lost as she got a face full of dog tongue. The batpony giggled as she weakly tried to push the brown and back dog away while trying to pull her face the other way. Having dealt with the kids back home, K9 knew not to press on the attack. The dog opted, instead, to sit down in front of Moonlit with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Showing a dexterity that surprised Vol, Moonlit reached out with one wing and used the tip to scratch the dog's head. As the dog enjoyed the attention and the batpony made soft cooing noises, Vol found himself entranced by the membrane wings of the batpony. The leading edge looked to be solid bone and muscle but, due to how it was bending, Vol thought it safe to assume that it was more muscle than bone. Three veins of muscle went from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The rest of the wing was a very thin skin. The metal blades that used to cap the leading edge of the wing sat against the wall next to the couch. Her midnight blue armor sat next to the blades.

With Moonlit busy with K9, Vol decided to see if Fluttershy needed help with the food situation. Walking into the kitchen, he spotted the yellow pegasus in front of an oven, humming a soft tune to herself. The smell of cooking food wafted through the air, entering his nostrils with a vengeance.

"Smells good."

"EEP!"

The yellow pegasus jumped about a foot in the air. She then landed with a flanging clop of four hooves hitting at once. It would've been a cute reaction...

If the food hadn't gone flying with her. A brown saucer and the pan it had been residing on was launched into the air. Despite popular opinion, both objects came down at about the same speed. They were both also arcing for a certain human. In a natural reaction, Vol put his hands up to catch the object going for his face. Luckily, this was the brown saucer that Vol guessed was the food. Grabbing it, he tried not to squeeze it too hard. Sadly, this left the pan to collide with his chest with an audible clang before falling to the floor with a thud.

----------

Oh no! Fluttershy screamed inwardly as she saw the human get hit by the pan. He had caught the pancake and was currently holding it in one hand as he looked down at the pan. The pegasus couldn't tell what he was thinking but she doubted it was anything good.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled in a whisper as she sunk closer to the floor, her hair flowing over one eye as she looked to the floor.

She was confused when she started hearing laughter. Looking up, she saw Vol barking out laughter with one hand held to his gut. The laughter was harsh and deep but she still recognized it as laughter. Needless to say, she was confused.

"It's alright Fluttershy," he said between laughs.

"What's going on in here?" questioned the Night Guard as she limped into the kitchen, followed closely by K9, his head tilted in confusion. Fluttershy cowered a little lower to the ground as the batpony came into the room. Those fangs frightened Fluttershy, reminding her of the stories she was told as a foal of vamponies.

"I was making-"

"Can you speak up?" asked the Night Guard. Fluttershy noticed that Vol quieted in his boisterous laughter.

Fluttershy sighed before trying again, louder this time, "I was making breakfast when Vol scared me and I jumped, causing the food and pan to go flying."

"And Vol caught the pancake while getting hit by the pan," the Night Guard finished, giving a little chuckle.

"I'm really sorry," Fluttershy whispered as she sunk closer to the floor, her gaze aimed at the wooden grains. She about took off again when she felt appendages softly grasp her chin. She could feel the softness of the gloves he wore, briefly wondering what they were made of. A little bit of force was applied to her chin, causing her to look up at Vol's eyes as he was crouched in front of her. She could only see one of his green eyes as the other was covered with his mane. The one she could see, though, was empty of any anger that she expected. Instead, it held care and... hurt. Behind that, there was even more. A hardness that Fluttershy imagined came from his life. There was fear, love, hurt, but most of all there was determination. It fed the small fire in his eye. Instantly, she knew that Vol would never be one to give up at the slightest provocation.

She found herself entranced.

--------

Vol scanned the visible eye of the pony. Her blue eyes held nothing but love and care behind the fear she held for him at the moment. As she looked at him, he could see the fear slowly dissolve, revealing a layer behind the love and care. It was a fear of a different kind, he could see that. If he was to guess, he'd say that it was a fear of expectations; of disappointing people.

He smiled softly, "It's alright Fluttershy. I would be lying if I said that was the first time I've been hit by a pan and, trust me, the other times hurt a lot worse. I should've realized that I'd startle you. For that, I am sorry."

With that said, he let go of her chin and duck walked backward a few steps before standing. He watched silently as the yellow pegasus got stood straight. Vol glanced back at Moonlit to see something in her eyes but it was gone as soon as she saw him looking her way. K9 was just sitting off to the side, scratching at his ear.

"Want to help get breakfast ready Moonlit?" Vol asked as he plucked the pan from the floor.

She shrugged, "Sure, as long as you call me Moon from now on."

"Oh, um," Fluttershy stammered, "It's alright, I don't need-"

"It's alright Fluttershy, we want to help. It's our breakfast too. Just tell us what to do."

"O-okay, um, well I need a new pan. A-and the syrup needs to get pulled out and heated," she explained.

"Syrup duty! Called it!" Moon stated with enthusiasm as she eagerly limped to the fridge. Vol chuckled as he looked at the pan in his hands. It didn't look too dirty from the flying trip it took but he wasn't going to question the pegasus's need for a new one. He was in a different world, after all.

"New pan on it's way."

--------

Unicorn magic was the main thing that made the lives of the Equestrians as easy and efficient as it was. One such application of unicorn magic was the web of teleportation channels used by mail offices to get mail around the nation. It was with the use of this system that caused a knock to sound on Princess Twilight's door.

"Enter," she called out, not looking up from her desk as the door creaked open. She was currently reading a thesis called 'How Magic Effects the World'. It was about how an overuse in the magical properties could lead to a negative impact on the world. So far, the scholarly alicorn found no noteworthy arguments.

"A letter from Ponyville, Your Highness. I brought it straight to you, as requested."

This caused the alicorn to look up at her guest. Her guest was a tan furred mare with a fiery red mane and tail, the tips of which were dyed purple as a tribute to her employer. Wings, capped with blades, poked out from the lavender robes she wore. Her rose colored eyes had flakes of orange in them, giving the appearance of flickering fire if the light caught them at the right angle. Tucked under her right wing was the scroll in question.

"Thank you Flicker. Do you know who it is from?" Twilight asked, setting her book aside as her aide/bodyguard walked up to her desk.

"The band says it's from a 'Fluttershy', Your Highness," Flicker replied before reaching back, grasping it softly in her mouth, and then setting it on the desk.

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile, "What have I told you about the 'Highness' thing?"

"And I have stated my discomfort in calling a Princess, and my employer, anything but," Flicker replied respectfully with a stoic face that Twilight had grown used to.

"So, you're not going to stop?" Twilight asked with a sigh. She sighed again when Flickering Flame shook her head.

"Not until I repay you for saving my life," she stated.

Twilight looked at the letter in thought of her bodyguard's words. Twilight had been taking a flight over the poorer sections of Canterlot per Celestia's assignment. The assignment had been to examine the citizens of Canterlot and have ideas on how to improve the city. While on the flight, she had spotted Flickering Flame in an alley surrounded by a handful of stallions and mares. All of them looked worse for wear, whatever clothes they did of were in tatters.

Needless to say, Twilight stepped in and ended the fight before it began. Later did she learn that Flicker was the victim of an attempted rape. Attempted because Flicker had 'incapacitated' the stallion. Next thing anypony knew, Twilight had been standing in front of Celestia with a bewildered Flicker at her side, asking about the employing process.

It was later on did Flicker get her training in wing blades. She took to it like Spike to ice cream. Now, while serving as Twilight's aide, she also served as her closest Guard.

"You are dismissed, Flicker," Twilight stated. Flicker nodded before turning and walking out of the room, her robe making a soft swishing noise as she moved. Taking the letter in her aura, Twilight popped off the band and unrolled it. Her eyes scanned it, widening as she read.

"Oh dear," she whispered. Taking a blank scroll, she set it on the desk while she levitated a quill into ink before moving it to the paper.

"Princess Luna, I have discovered the location of your missing Night Guard. She is with my friend Fluttershy in Ponyville. I will take Flicker with me and head to Ponyville as Fluttershy has requested my aide with the discovery of a new creature.

Princess Twilight"

She then took another scroll and wrote a similar letter to Celestia. She roll them both up and banded them with two purple bands and a seal that held her star. She then teleported the scrolls to the rooms of the two Princesses.

"Flicker!" she called out. The door was instantly swung open, said mare stepping into the room with eyes scanning for danger. Finding none, she looked at her employer expectantly.

"Have a chariot prepared for me."

"At once Your Highness," Flicker replied before trotting out of the room, closing the door. Even with the door closed, Twilight could still hear her barking orders at the 'regular' members of Twilight's newly formed Dusk Guard.

The alicorn's eyes flickered back to the letter that spurred this quick motion. She re-read the first sentence with a frown and a sigh. Rubbing her temples, the frown was replaced with a look of worry.

"Please be okay Fluttershy."

Merely Cautious

Vol sat back as he held a hand to his armored gut. A belch escaped his lips,causing him to use his other hand to cover his mouth.

"That was amazing," he stated happily.

"I'll admit that I've never seen anyone eat twelve pancakes in one sitting," Moonlit commented as she moved about the cottage, helping Fluttershy fill bowls with food. Creatures of all shapes and sizes began to creep into the room, heading to a bowl to eat their own breakfast. Vol had made sure that K9 understood not to try to eat them.

"Well, pancakes are delicious," he replied. Giving K9 a couple pats on the head, he stood and began to help the two ponies feed the animals. While he saw them as game to eat, he understood that these were Flutershy's pets and were not to be killed. The creature were cautious of him at first but, seeing him put food in their bowls, they soon took to him and swarmed around him to get to the food.

"Oh, you don't have to-" Fluttershy started.

"I know Fluttershy, but I want to help. You've been so kind to me, it's the least I could do."

"Oh, well, thank you."

"No, thank you Flutershy," Vol replied with a smile. He got a smile in return. It wasn't even five minutes before they were done, all the bowls filled with food. All of the animals were eating, but one. Vol noticed a white rabbit tapping it's foot impatiently as it stood next to Fluttershy. He watched as she smiled at the rabbit.

"Oh, just one moment Angel bunny."

Vol watched in shock as the rabbit rolled it's eyes and hopped to a small table, waiting as patiently as a toddler. The human wasn't too sure about the rabbit. It seemed far too... sapient to be a simple pet. Chucking it up to being another oddity of this world, Vol shrugged it off.

"So," he started, "what do ya do during the day, Fluttershy?"

"Take care of the animals," she answered before her eyes widened as if she remembered something suddenly, "Oh, one of my friends will hopefully be visiting today."

"One of the ones from last night?" He asked, worried that he may hurt one of her friends if they tried to treat him the same way as they did last night. The only thing keeping him from blowing in their faces was the fact that he had held a blade to Raibow's throat. However, this round will be different.

"Oh, no it won't be them," Fluttershy responded, her facial expression indicating that she remembered her friends' behaviors and had been less than pleased.

"Wait, what happened last night?" Moonlit asked, a brow quirked in confusion. Vol looked over at her and had to force himself not to laugh. The Night Guard mare was sitting on her haunches in the floor, K9 sitting right next to her. The dog was almost the same size as her, making it a pretty humorous sight to behold. It was even funnier in Vol's opinion. She w currently scratching the top of his head with the tip of her wing.

"Two of my friends were... less than welcoming," Fluttershy explained.

"Ah," Moonlit replied, "So, who is supposed to be coming?"

At this question, the pegasus suddenly took on her namesake. It w a transformation that surprised Vol.

"Princess Twilight."

"What?!" Moonlit screamed, causing the pegasus to shrink a little as the batpony rushed to her armor and hurriedly began to piece it on. It was at this time that there was a knocking on the door. This elicited a squeak from both mares followed by a "I'm not ready!" from the Night Guard.

Vol grabbed his gear and was in the kitchen by the time the second round of knocks hit the door. Pulling out his pistol, he waited. He was taking no chances with this 'Princess', friend of Fluttershy or not. He noted that K9 was at his side, ready to charge out.

--------

Twilight frowned as Flicker raised her hoof to knock a third time.

"Patience Flicker. She may be in the bath. We'll give her a second."

Flicker reluctantly lowered her hoof and stepped back, "Of course, Your Highness."

The youngest of the four Princesses smiled at her assistant.  She smiled on the outside, however, she was worrying on the inside. Why wasn't she answering? She had always been quick to answer before, whether by opening the door or talking through it. Could the new creature had hurt her? Locked her up? Threatened her to not open the door? And, if so, what had happened to Night Guard?

She opened her mouth to order a chariot driver around back when the doorknob turned. It squeaked open to reveal Fluttershy in what Twilight had dubbed her 'shy' mode. This meant that she had her head held low with her mane covering one eye. Twilight watched as she flinched by the sight of Flicker standing beside her door. She brightened, however, by the sight of Twilight standing behind Flicker. Twilight smiled back as she trotted up to one of her close friends and shared a hug with her.

"It's good to see you again Fluttershy," she said as they broke apart.

"It's good to see you too Twilight," replied the butter yellow pegasus.

"Now, I believe you called me here for a reason?"

"Right. Please, come inside."

Fluttershy turned around and walked inside. Twilight followed after dismissing the chariot drivers to enjoy the village. She noted that Flicker had already gone inside. Stepping through the doorway she was met with the view of a cottage empty of any new being. However, she could smell blood and meat in the air. Judging by Flicker's sudden tenseness, Twilight assumed she could too. The smell elicited a feeling in her mind. The feeling to flee from the predator. To get as much distance from the smell as possible. She fought back the feeling easily, she had a job to do.

She noticed that there was a fourth occupant in the room. A Night Guard stood to the side, standing at attention. She had bandages covering different parts of her body, her armor looked to have been hurriedly thrown in, and her pain could be seen in her eyes but she held the position. With an imperceptible twitch of an eyelid to signify her pain, she threw a hoof to the brim of her helmet.

"Corporal Moonlit of Princess Luna's Night Guard, ready and waiting Your Highness," she stated. While it was admirable, her actions made Twilight uncomfortable, though she didn't show it. Was she really worth somepony putting themselves in pain just to show her respect? No, she wasn't but this was how it always was and, most likely always will be.

"You may relax Moonlit and, please, take off your armor. It looks to be agitating your wounds," Twilight replied with the motherly tone taught to her by Princess Celestia and by dealing with Flicker.

"Of course, Your Highness," Moonlit replied with some hesitation before beginning the process of removing her armor and wing blades. With that taken care of, Twilight turned back to Fluttershy. She was surprised to see her with her head in the kitchen, whispering at something. What truly surprised the Princess was that she could hear something whispering back. It's voice was deep and, therefore, carried.

"I know I'm safe here."

...

"Merely cautious."

...

"Fine."

With that last part, Fluttershy backed away from the kitchen. What followed her out made Twilight freeze on the spot. It was bipedal, like the Minotaurs, but it was covered in metal armor with only it's head exposed. It's brown mane was long and shaggy, covering one eye. The armor was dirtied, bloodied, and dented. Pouches containing Celestia knew what hung off it's armor. A red piece of cloth that looked to have been dragged through thorns hung from it's belt. A 'L' shaped metal object was clutched in one of it's hands. A knife was sheathed on it's arm and lower leg.

Following it was what Twilight could only describe as a wolf. It was almost as tall as Fluttershy. It's brown and black fur was knotted in places. Blood stained it's muzzle. Saddlebags hung off it's form.

Twilight recognized the bipedal. It was a human, like from the world on the other side of the mirror. This human, however looked significantly different. It's armor, for one. Also, it was less... colorful than the other humans were. She also didn't remember any of them ever looking so wild. The feeling to flee was stronger now than eve before. How Fluttershy and Moonlit resisted the feeling was beyond the understanding of the Princess.

"Princess Twilight, was it?" Twilight nodded, though she noticed that it's eyes were not on her, "You should tell your friend to stand down before this situation gets out of control."

Twilight looked to Fluttershy in confusion before realizing who she had come her with. Looking to her left, she was shocked to see Flicker with wings extended and body lowered, ready to strike. She looked at Flicker's eyes to see that the irises had shrunk. Twilight opened her mouth to speak. Muscles shifted, tendons stretched, and Flicker was moving.

CRACK!

Overstayed My Welcome

No one moved as the aftershock of what just happened swept through all present. Hmm, she's still alive. And ponies can make shields, Vol thought as he examined the scene. In front of him was the tan pony that had charged at him. He could still see her blades on her wings behind the purple shield. Her face was a mosaic behind the cracked shield but he could tell that her eyes were wide and cross-eyed as they focused on the center of the cracks. A ten millimeter round was poking through the shield, barely held by the purple energy. The pistol was still smoking from the shot, even as he lowered it.

"Well, glad to see-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as an invisible force slammed him backward. As he went back, the pistol went forward, causing another crack as it was discharged into the floor. Then there was the pain as he not only hit the wall behind him but went through it into the backyard. Landing on his back, Vol skid to a halt staring up at the blurry blue sky. Coughs racked him as he laid there. He could feel that his armor had yet another dent in it and that he had more than one injured rib. The hair on the back of his head felt wet and seemed to be getting wetter as he laid there. A part of his mind came to the conclusion that if he was out of his armor, he would have been pulverized. Another part, just as small as the first was taking stock of his body and making note of his wounds. The rest of his mind, well...

"Ow~," he hissed as he felt to a sitting position. Once there, he dug into a pouch for a certain syringe. He plunged it into his arm and let out a sigh of relief.

-----

"Okay, what the HAY just happened?" Moon screamed, even as her mind began to answer her own question. Princess Twilight had come inside, following what appeared to be her personal guard, and had ordered her out of her armor. Then Fluttershy had talked Vol out of the kitchen. Her Highness took a step back in shock while the guard's eyes had shrunk. Vol made a comment on this just before the guard pounced on him with wing blades drawn. There was the thunder and a flash and now there's a Vol sized hole in the wall and a very ticked off Princess. ...Who is now marching toward the hole.

"Your Highness, wait!" Moon cried as she jumped in front of the Princess. What made her do that, she'd never know. All that she knew was that Vol's continued existence depended on calming down an irate Princess skilled in the art of Magic. Great.

"Step aside Corporal."

Moon could see the anger written on the Princess's face. Behind her outstretched wings, she could see the guard still frozen, the discarded weapon, an angry dog in a purple jail cell, and the eyes of Fluttershy looking out from underneath a couch. In any other situation it might have been an amusing scene.

"Your Highness, please. He was simply acting in self defense. An unknown pegasi armed with wing blades charged at him with malicious intent. Of course he defended himself!" Moon argued.

"It is dangerous Corporal," she replied, her horn still alight with untold power, "I doubt this is the first time it has tried to kill another living creature. Not to mention the... power it's weapon possessed!"

Moon could smell the blood in the air and realized what had caused this confrontation, "He may have killed but that is because of his nature! So far he has not been aggressive to either Miss Fluttershy or myself and if you would quell your instinct, you'd see that he is just as harmless as you or me!"

The world seemed frozen for Moon as she watched the Princess. She watched as she took a couple of deep breathes and appeared to be calming herself down.As she did, she looked around herself.

------

What have I done? What example did I just set? Twilight's mind was in a frenzy as it tried to process what had just occurred. Not only had her guard assaulted a new being but she had been quick to attack as well, ruining her friend's house and possibly killing the being in the process. Is this how I'm going to be remembered? Twilight the Human Killer?

"Well," began a familiar deep voice, "that hurt."

Twilight looked back at the Night Guard to see the human standing behind and slightly to the left of the guard. The Princess was honestly amazed to see him on his feet and... smiling?

"I wish we could've met on more civil terms, Princess. Ow!" The human glared down at the batpony who had kicked said human in the armored shin.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The guard asked while pointing behind Twilight. Twilight followed the hoof to see Flicker sitting on the floor with her eyes centered on nothing. She must be traumatized, Twilight thought as she looked back at the human.

"You coulda just said something," he grumbled before looking at Twilight again, "I'm sorry for nearly killing your guard. I saw blades and a snarl and, well," he shrugged, "reflexes took over. Now, if you'll excuse me. I believe I outstayed my welcome."

"WHAT?" the batpony cried.

"What?" Fluttershy asked as she crawled from underneath the couch.

"Yep. It's obvious this is the reaction I'll get from other ponies so I'm just gonna go ahead and go," the human explained as it slipped on a helmet and picked up it's gear. A bag with a bow on one side and a bigger version of the 'L' weapon on the other. The weapon, which was put in a holder on it's chest. Finally, it moved to Twilight's magical cage. The princess let the cage fade without argument. The dog looked ready to pounce but a point and word from it's master sent it sprinting into the Everfree. With this, the human reached back and took the bigger explosive weapon off it's pack, checked something on the inside and then walked out of the hole in the wall.

The Night Guard followed not a second later.

----

"Hey wait!"

Please just turn back Vol wished as he continued forward.

"I'm talking to you!" cried Moon, her voice closer now. Vol stopped and turned to see the batpony slide to a stop in front of him.

"What?"

"Where are ya going?" she asked. I don't know.

"Into the woods," he replied.

She rolled her eyes at the obvious answer, "It's dangerous in there."

"Then me and it should get along just fine," Vol replied as he adjusted his hold on his CAR.

"Look, just," she paused as she looked at her hoof, which was currently pawing at the ground. To Vol, she looked pathetic, like a lost child. I'm gonna regret this, I know.

"Wanna come with?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise, "Really?"

He shrugged, "I need someone to keep me from going off the deep end."

"I'll go get my stuff!" she cried before turning and galloping back to the cottage.

-----

Twilight was picking up a shattered vase when Moon hurled herself through the hole in the wall. As a gray and dark blue blur, she threw her armor and wing blades on before rushing over to Fluttershy and planting a peck on her forehead.

"Thanks!" she cried as she darted back for the hole, "Oh, and tell Luna that I quit!"

Then she jumped out of the hole and was gone from sight. Twilight found her plot meeting the wood floor as she stared dumbstruck at the hole in the wall.

"W-what just h-happened?" Fluttershy stuttered.

"I-I-I... Can Guards quit? I don't even..." Twilight stuttered as an eye began to twitch.

-------

"Ready!"

What the hell? Vol wondered as he checked a watch that wasn't there.

"That was fast."

"Yep, now come on before they realize the armor is now stolen property," she called as she galloped deeper into the forest.

"Wait, what?" he asked. He was met with a gray tail disappearing behind a stand of trees.

"Get back here and explain!" he shouted, sprinting off after the pony. He was already regretting his decision.

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