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.