Chapter 2: Usual morning

Dave awoke to the sound of hooves moving around the room. His eyes adjusted to the bright sun as he looked over and saw Celestia putting on her royal attire, the golden horseshoes, necklace and crown shone in the sun.

“You leaving early?” Dave sighed as he sat up and rubbed his head, his fingers running through his shaggy brown hair.

“No you just had a long sleep,” Celestia walked over to the tired human and gave him a quick kiss. “Get some breakfast today please?”

Dave waved the princess away, “Yeah sure… in a minute.”

The human remained on the bed after the princess had left before slowly pushing himself up and climbing off the bed. The fire had died out and left Dave with no source of warmth until he went into a large wardrobe and pulled out some clothes.

A knock at the door made Dave quickly dress before opening the door to peek out. An old, black unicorn stood outside patiently, a grey mane sat on top of a serious face, a large scar covering the pony’s left eye was the first thing Dave ever noticed.

“Hey dad,” Dave opened the door as he finished buttoning up his white shirt. “Is mum with you?”

The pony stepped in before looking up at Dave, “I’m afraid your mother is currently out shopping.”

“Oh fair enough,” Dave smiled as he knelt down to tie his shoe laces. “So why have you come to see me this early?”

The unicorn hummed, “Can’t a father see his son more than just the occasional weekend?”

“Of course you can,” Dave narrowed his eyes. “But normally you wouldn’t come all this way to explain that point.”

“I need you to meet me back at my house whenever you can,” The unicorn looked around the room before leaving. “Make sure you aren’t followed.”

The pony left the room before Dave had a chance to stand up, the human rolled his eyes as he pulled a brown jacket out of the wardrobe and began to leave as well. “Still the same old Strong Shield.”

Dave left the room and descended the steps outside to reach the main body of the castle. A few servants passed Dave as he made his way down the marble hallways and out onto the castle courtyard.

The city of Canterlot was shining brightly in the morning sun, the golden orb was only going to around a few more moments as pegasi in the sky moved a large blanket of clouds across the city.

Dave shivered as he zipped his jacket up to his chin and gave a visible breath to confirm that the air was truly cold enough for the winter they had now entered. The castle gates at the end of the courtyard opened out onto a wide street that was full of ponies ranging from posh ladies to laughing children.

The human walked amongst the ponies, only a few curious children and sensitive posh ponies acknowledged his presence with stares or small bows. The rich and famous were always trying to get in Dave’s good books due to his marriage to Princess Celestia.

A few jewellery shops caught Dave’s eyes as he searched for a suitable present to give to anypony he knew. The search for a present failed as Dave saw nothing particularly remarkable before he turned to see a pair of guards walking past.

Dave smiled to them all as he walked away from the castle, the further he walked the less posh the shops became until they settled into shops that would appear in any city, full of cafés, clothes shops, bookstores and any other kind imaginable.

A loud trumpet made everypony on the street look up as the weather teams began to disappear into the clouds and the entire sky shook briefly before coming to a halt. The weather teams departed as Dave continued to watch the clouds.

Children began to cheer around Dave and upper class ponies began to walk faster to their destinations. The human smiled along with the children as he saw a small snowflake float in front of his face and land gently into his palm, melting instantly.

Dave began to walk again as the snow increased and even the children began to head inside by busy parents. The human left the main shopping streets as he walked down residential areas, finally arriving outside a wooden home.

Dave knocked on the door before looking around the empty street, his bored expression changed as he turned to see the door open and Strong Shield look at him. “So why am I down here rather than in my warm bed?”

Strong Shield allowed Dave into the house before closing the door behind him. “Flux? Dave’s here!” The unicorn called upstairs.

“Oh I’ll be down in a second,” A soft mare’s voice called in response before Dave and Strong Shield sat down on a pair of sofas that were either side of a round wooden table.

Dave unzipped his jacket as he looked around the room, his eyes falling on a few family photos that were hung up on the wall. In one of the photos was of Dave wearing a suit and standing beside Celestia who was wearing a long white wedding dress.

The sounds of footsteps made Dave look back at the stairs to see a lavender Pegasus walk into the room, her purple mane was tied into a small knot on the back of her head. “Hey mum, how have you been?”

“I’ve been fine honey,” Flux smiled as she nuzzled Dave’s cheek before looking to Strong Shield. “Would you colts like something to drink?”

“Just a tea please darling,” Strong Shield answered with a smile.

“Uh have any cola?” Dave asked.

Flux frowned, “You know that stuff rots your teeth right?”

“Yes mum,” Dave groaned before the mare walked away. “So did you just want to have a family meal or what?”

Strong Shield’s horn glowed a faint white before a small envelope levitated from under the table and dropped into Dave’s hands. “Read the paper quickly and then place the envelope into your jacket pocket so you can read the rest when you get somewhere private.”

Dave rolled his eyes as he stood, “Just need to use the toilet.”

The human walked up the stairs and into a small bathroom, only a tiny window, a bath, sink, mirror and a toilet were in the room. Dave sat on the edge of the bath as he opened the envelope and pulled out a letter that looked split into three separate records.

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Report H6-104

From the Manehatten Police Department

A body of a large pony has been recovered from an alley. The male pony was found decapitated and with numerous cuts along the body, including severed arteries. It is unclear whether death was caused by loss of head or loss of blood.

The injuries appear to have been caused by blades or claws. The body appears to have been in the alley for a few hours before discovery.

Photograph of crime scene has been attached.

Further investigation has revealed the pony to be Battering Ram and next of kin have received notification. Next of kin was labelled as Strong Shield.

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Dave gasped as he forced himself to reread the first couple of paragraphs. He looked into the envelope to see three photographs, he plucked the out and looked at them.

The first was of a pony’s corpse, proving that the statement was correct and Dave recognised the cutie mark that belonged to his deceased uncle. The human placed the photo away for fear of being sick or getting enraged at the sight.

The second photo was of a few journalists standing around a politician unicorn. Dave noticed a slightly unnerving pony standing in the background and looked to the second report for clues.

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Report D3-084

From the Manehatten Police Department

The mayor of Manehatten has been subject to attack only two days after meeting with Princess Celestia and Dave Shield. The photo attached shows the mayor only moments before his attack, the Pegasus in the top left corner is the main suspect.

The pony shown is reportedly a pony extremist named Nitro, his severe racial views have caused him to attack gryphons, zebra and hybrids alike. This attack is most likely due to Nitro’s dislike that the mayor has had a chance to meet with Dave Shield the only confirmed human [See report Z1-001 for further reference].

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“Did this punk kill Battering Ram?” Dave looked at the black and white photo at the suspicious Pegasus. “No way would he have lost to this guy.”

Dave looked at the report before noticing the last sentence again. “Only confirmed human?”

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Report Z1-001
Not for public release.
From the Manehatten Police Department

Reported thefts have increased in some of the wealthier districts, followed by sightings of tall bipedal creatures. Some witnesses have said that the suspects are humans.

This requires further investigation and measures for Dave Shield (The only known human) to undergo supervision until the suspects are caught. Until further leads are followed, the crimes will have to be pressed against Dave Shield as he is the only being that fits the descriptions.

If more humans are confirmed then Dave shall be acquitted of the crimes committed. Also his presence would be helpful for any discussions with these new humans that may just be lost visitors to this world.

The photo attached is believed to be the last and so far best evidence of the suspect’s location. If humans become violent then extreme measures are to be taken as the only reference of strength and skill is Dave Shield.

If the criminal is found to be Dave Shield (Highly unlikely), then Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be forced to step down from their royal placements and a council will take over. This is to ensure that Dave Shield has not been influencing what the Princesses actions will be during the time of his arrest.

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Dave slowly picked up the final photo and stared at the blurry figure that was running across the train tracks. The shape was on two legs, long hair on top and was wearing a dress that seemed to be quite large compared to the upper half.

“Why does nopony have a decent camera to capture these sightings with?” Dave squinted at the photo. “Wait… one, two, three, four legs…”

The blurry figure had two smaller legs behind the larger two, another small hand was a sign that it wasn’t just one being running. Dave placed the letter and photo back into their envelope and quickly tucked it into his pocket.

Battering Ram dead. Terrorists. Humans.

“Well my Christmas has just gotten weird.” Dave was about to leave before he noticed his face in the mirror, his red eyes hiding the suppressed emotions he was trying to hold back since finding out his uncle had died.

“Christmas? I meant Hearth's Warming Eve…” Dave tried to joke to himself before gripping the sides of the sink and taking a few deep breaths. He wasn’t sure if Flux knew of Battering Ram’s fate, so he had to appear as everything was fine.

Dave finished by washing his face and hands before leaving to return downstairs to see Strong Shield and Flux sat beside each other in the living room. The Pegasus smiled sympathetically to Dave, “I know about Battering Ram before you ask.”

“Y-you do?” Dave froze as he stared at the mare’s calm expression. “How long?”

“Your father told me the other day,” Flux tapped Strong Shield’s hoof as she lost her smile. “Trust that big oaf to do something stupid like enter a collapsing building to help ponies out.”

Dave sat down, confused at this second story he was hearing. “What happened?”

Strong Shield saw Flux’s quivering lip and cleared his throat. “Battering Ram was crushed by a collapsing building in Manehatten, his death was supposed to have been painless.”

The human knew the lie the moment it came from Strong Shield’s emotionless face. “Well at least he did something noble before dying.”

“True,” Strong Shield looked at Flux before turning his attention back to Dave. “Anyway I was hoping you could look after your mother at the castle while I go to Manehatten for… obvious reasons.”

Dave looked at Flux before looking at Strong Shield, “Listen, you and mum should stay together right now.”

“I don’t think I can really handle going,” Flux sighed. “I just can’t bear the thought of having Battering Ram gone, let alone seeing him lying there… motionless.”

“I was thinking you both stay here or at the castle,” Dave smiled sympathetically. “And I’ll go to Manehatten to sort everything out.”

Strong Shield looked at Dave, “That is something we can’t ask our son to do for us.”

Dave knew Strong Shield was probably going to investigate everything that was in those reports. Dave also knew that if Battering Ram had been beaten in an attack then Strong Shield most likely would meet the same fate.

“I insist,” Dave walked over to give his mother a hug. “At a time like this you need each other, I can handle everything.”

“Ok then,” Strong Shield sighed in defeat. “I was going to leave on tomorrow’s train but you can use the ticket I bought earlier, it is on the table next to your drink.”

Flux hummed, “You do like to leave things on our table don’t you?”

“It is so I don’t forget them,” Strong Shield replied as Dave looked back at the table where his drink now sat. Another brown envelope was sat parallel to the edge of the table.

Dave picked up the letter and instantly knew he had been played. Strong Shield must have placed the letter after Dave had left to read the other letter and knew that the temptation of other humans would be enough to convince him to try and go with Strong Shield.

But the threat of an enemy dangerous enough to kill a skilled ex-guard such as Battering Ram would cause Dave to protect his family and insist on going alone.

The situation must have originally been Strong Shield going in search of danger and possibly finding death which would result in Flux following after losing contact with her husband and her finding yet another similar fate.

But it had just switched from that to Dave going. If Dave goes missing then Strong Shield’s suspicions would be confirmed and the unicorn wouldn’t have to leave his home. And in the unlikely situation anything happens to Dave then Celestia would surely send a group of skilled guards to investigate at a minimum.

And all it took was one sheet of paper and three photos.

Dave opened the new envelope to find a train ticket and a small message under the flap.

-Don’t think I haven’t thought every situation through.-

“Um dad,” Dave looked at Strong Shield. “Where in Manehatten should I go?”

Strong Shield looked at the envelope in Dave’s hand. “Addresses should be on a slip of paper.”

Dave was getting annoyed at being outsmarted. “I don’t suppose I could have a few bits for a snack on the way back? I left my wallet at the castle.”

As Dave moved his hands he felt something move in the envelope and peeked in to see a pair of gold coins looking back. Another message was written at the bottom of the envelope.

-2 bits for a snack and I do think of everything-

“Never mind,” Dave sighed in defeat.