With a bright flash Miles vanishes from the room. Hopefully he'll find what he's looking for... I hope so at least. I glance around the room as I sense something off. It's as if somepony's watching me. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise as my heart begins to pick up its pace. Somepony's definitely here.

"Show yourself!" I yell out to the supposedly empty room.

"Heh heh heh heh." A deep voice fills the room, making me take an aggressive stance.

"Discord." I growl as I look for him. "Stop with the tricks and show yourself!"

"OH, but you know how I love to play little games with you Celly." He says mockingly as he appears as a carving in the wall. "So it would seem as if you've found my humble beginning. How quaint. And to think I almost forgot about this place. Though you'll have to forgive me if I forget the names and faces. Three thousand years of stone and Solitude can do that to you." He says as his carving slithers around the room.

"How did you escape your imprisonment Discord?!" I demand from him.

"Who said I was ever trapped?" He says with a slight chuckle. "It would seem as if one of your little pawns wasn't committed to turning me to stone. I wonder who it was-"

"Fluttershy was the one who suggested it. Don't fool yourself Discord. You will always be alone-"

"You know, you're right Celestia. I am alone. I am the embodiment of Solitude. I couldn't agree with you more!" He cheers as he poofs into the room, suddenly filling the room with streamers and confetti. "Let's celebrate! Do you like your drinks shaken or stirred?" He asks as he moves behind a bar counter and begins mixing drinks. None of which were there before.

"Discord! Enough, I have the Elements of Harmony. I order you to come back to the gardens immediately!" I yell at him as I step forward and lower my head.

"Oh posh my dear Celestia. You never were any fun. Okay, as you wish. Down to business." He says as he stops shaking the drink and pops the top. He downs all of the shaker before tossing the beverage at me. It hits the ground before my hooves and sends up a large billow of smoke that immediately making me choke.

THUD

I continue to choke as Discord holds my throat against the wall. I try to kick him off, but my legs can't seem to find his body. He chuckles a bit more as he casually lifts the Elements off of my head and tosses them behind him.

"D-do your worst." I growl as I fight to break free.

"No, I think you shall." He says as he lays a claw on my forehead. "In order to keep your little sister, all you need is the right amount of anger."

"N-no. I won’t!" I yell as I begin to become frantic. Kicking and flailing against the wall.

"In order to keep your little sister, all you need is the right amount of anger."

"S-stop.... stop!"

"In order to keep your little sister, all you need is the right amount of anger."

"I... I..."

"In order to keep your little sister, all you need is the right amount of anger."

"In order to keep your little sister, all you need is the right amount of anger." I repeat, getting him to finally drop me.

"HAHAHAHA! Marvelous! Now, just like the other twelve times, be a good little pony and act the part. I need to pay dear little Fluttershy a visit. Chaos... is here tooooo STAY!" I barely register him punting me through the ceiling and somehow into my bed chambers. I blink a few times as my mind begins to fog... I... no! I was talking with Diamond... and... I know I'm forgetting something!

Oh yeah, I needed to summons Luna back from the Griffon Colonies for a quick meeting. Twilight said she had something urgent to talk about. I'm sure it's just another over precaution from becoming a princess. Silly little Twilight...

.............................................................................................................................................................

A wall of white energy blinds me a moment as I suddenly hit the ground. I can feel a few remaining arcs of energy leaking from the spell, but other than that, I should be here. I look around and find myself in some grassy field between two pockets of forest. Before me is a large mountain, no doubt Canterlot before the castle. I get back to my hooves and try to pick up the case, only to keep dropping it. This is starting to get really old. How the fuck do ponies bend reality to do this!?

"PUT THEM UP ASSHOLE! PUT THEM UP! DON'T TRY ANYTHING STUPID OR WE WILL KILL YOU!" I throw my hands... hooves up as a group of five Terradisian soldiers surround me at gunpoint. I look between all of them and begin to chuckle. I can't believe it, humans! Actual, live, humans! "Kill it, this one is crazy-"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! I hold essential information for the Spartan Regiment! Bring me to Captain Bellum immediately!" I yell, getting them to look to one another.

"How the fuck do you know that name?" One of the soldiers asks.

"I am Lieutenant Miles Eremita." They all look to each other before laughing at me. In hindsight, that's was a bit stupid to just outright say.

"What's going on here?!" A feminine, yet familiar voice says from behind the tree line. From the brush steps Tenera, clad in armor with her helmet in her hands. Her long dirty brown hair blows in the wind as she approaches us, stopping dead in her track when she sees me. "Miles?"

"Uh... yeah... how the fuck did you know that?" I ask as I stand there, caught off guard by her response. She runs over and tackles me in a hug, knocking the two of us onto the ground.

"Okay, you lot, get out of here. This is Spartan business." Says another familiar voice. I look over and laugh as my entire unit begins to step out from the brush line, being lead by Eximius. "Take the group to the base of the mountain. Go!" The soldiers salute and run forward as a large contingent of people begin to follow them.

"I can't believe it, I honestly thought I'd never see you guys again! You have no idea what I've-"

PUNCH

I fall back as Fidus stands over me, glaring at me.

"YOU ASS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" She demands as I start to get back up. "No, better, WHAT THE FUCK!? WHY ARE YOU A PONY!? Boy you better start explaining yourself before I-"

"Please don't hit my balls!" I beg as I cower from the pregnant woman's might. "Look, just let me talk real quick to explain everything and then it'll all make sense."

"Like your ugly face?" Inficiunt says, getting a high five from Sine.

"Oh sweet Barbra, do I miss that joke. I tried doing it with- NO! No getting side tracked! This is serious! Okay, first off, where is my father?"

"FINALLY!" They all yell.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? YOU ALL KNEW!? ALL OF YOU!?" I yell as I drop to a sitting position.

"Miles, wait, might not ever get a chance to do this again. *Miles* (Pronounced Me-less) you have to accept that you are the spitting image of Susurrans. I mean, we all figured it out as kids man. Only your dumb ass couldn't figure it out." Sine says, getting nods from the others. And some chuckles from Inficiunt. I feel my eye twitch from that nickname and cringe a little. One thing about living in a society that speaks common. No one questions a common name from a Latin culture.

"Anyway, where is he?" I ask again.

"He went off with a group of Spartans to deal with a group of local assailants. He should be back soon." Tenera tells me.

"Okay, we need to speed this up then. Second thing, I brought these," I say as I motion to the box. I was about to go to it when the sound of a baby crying stops me. I turn back around and watch as my friends move aside to let Auxilium approach me, holding her baby in a long light blue blanket.

"Hello Miles, it's good to see you." She says as she kneels before me. "Say hello to my son, Stella-"

"You named your son Stella?" I blurt out, getting a smack upside the head from Fidus. "Sorry. Look, I know there is a lot I wish we could all catch up on. So much has happened and I have very little time to talk as it is. So let me start by saying that I truly missed you all. I would wish the best for you all, but... I know hard times are ahead. But don't worry, you will no longer be in the danger you were in before." I say as I start to move back to the case.

"And why is that?" Dare asks me. "Last I checked the Unfamiliar had taken all of the human cites, killed millions, and had a chaos driven leader bent on sticking broom sticks down our necks as he turns our blood to blue paste." I pause and look back to him, getting a serious nod from him. "Eight times, man. Eight."

"Well, you can't outrun them, that's for sure. So the next best thing is to hide. And for that, you'll need this." I say as I try to open the case. "Wait, this!" I say as I try again. Damn hooves. "Can someone open this?"

"I've got it." Dare says as he opens it for me.

"Thanks, still not used to- ANYWAY! These will help you all survive." I say as I reveal the pair of Elements to them.

"The Elements of Friendship? How are those going to help us?" Auxilium asks me.

"You guys have been traveling with a large machine that needs a high amount of power to use it. These have that power. One set should do it. But I need to ask a favor from all of you."

"What's that?" Fidus asks.

"There's another set in there, I need you guys to carry them with you and give them to someone. They'll look just like me, only there will be two of them and female. They will use these to defeat Discord and bring peace to the land-"

"What about you? Why can't you?" Sine asks as the others move to look over the Elements.

"I can't stay here. The spell I used to get here will fade off soon and send me back to the future. Now, there are a lot of... other things you will need to know to blend in with the locals-"

"Locals? Wait, you're going to turn us all into ponies." Inficiunt asks.

"No, you guys are. There is a reason they weren't taken out. It's because they weren't a threat. Or, so I think. So, in order to blend in properly, everyone will have to drop all of their technology and move back to rural times." Immediately they all begin to argue with me. Making arguments about how they won't survive without their precious tech. I just raise a hand and wait for their silence.

"Miles, you can't be serious." Dare says.

"I am. No guns, base blades, minimal clothing-"

"Now you're just being a perv." Fidus says, getting Tenera to blush.

"And, most importantly. No Latin. The people here only speak common, so stick to it. That includes names."

"Wait, so in order to continue living, we have to completely stop being human. Miles, I don't know if we can-"

"I WANNA BE CALLED PUDDING HEAD!" Inficiunt yells at the top of his lungs, getting odd looks from the rest of us. "What? If we can't use our Latin names then I'm going to pick a new one. Pudding Head. What about you guys? Quick, new names, GO!" He yells as he points to Tenera.

"HUH! Uh.... PANSY!" She yells nervously.

"Pansy? Well... I guess, kind of lame." Inficiunt says disappointingly.

"Anyway, you guys will-"

"I want to be Hurricane!" Fidus chimes in.

"Okay, that's nice and all but-"

"Platinum!" Dare yells as well.

"Uh... Clover the Clever!"

"You can't add titles to your name, that's cheating!" Inficiunt scoffs.

"Try me bitch." Eximius says, getting the others to laugh. "What about the kid Auxy? What's his new name?" She thinks about it for a second before laughing lightly to herself.

"There's only one name that I can think of. Starswirl the Bearded-"

"No. You can't give him Dolum’s gaming tag." I say as I face palm... or pony equivalent, whatever.

"My child, I get to choose." She says as she sticks her tongue out at me. I just roll my eyes to her. Her kid, her choice. Starswirl the Bearded, have a good childhood with that. No one will ever remember that one, too weird.

"Whatever, look. I know this sounds funny and odd, but this is the only way we can guarantee everyone's safety. And on the bright side, some of you might be able to use magic later on, though you'll have to learn an entirely new philosophy of magic."

"Miles... you realize that we may never use magic again, right?" Eximius asks me.

"I think you will, with the way we are when it comes to learning new things, it should be a snap. Though I think it'll probably benefit the next generation the most. Now, one last order of business. Where is Professor Qui? I need to tell him to set a recording telling me the date so I can actually make it here."

"We can tell him later. Look, I only get one chance to say this, so I'm going to say it." Inficiunt says as he steps forward. "You were right."

"What now?" I ask, is he... is he telling me I'm right?

"You were right Miles. I had a problem, and what you did was right. Thanks."

"What else are friends for?" I ask as I stick my... hoof out. He smiles and grabs it anyway, shaking it firmly.

"What happens next? What about the rest of us?" Fidus asks. I let go of Inficiunt and stand up. I turn towards the distant mountain and motion towards it.

"Underneath that mountain is a large crystal cavern. That is where you will hide the machine. That is where humanity will have its great pause. Now, I need to speak with Susurrans before anything else. Take me to him."

"Follow me." Inficiunt says as he begins to walk off. I look to the others and offer them a smile.

"I guess this is-"

"Come on Miles, you know I hate goodbyes." Fidus says as she steps over and crosses her arms.

"I know you do. But, in case I do never see you guys again, goodbye. You were the some of the best friends anyone could have asked for. I'll never forget you, that's a promise." Tenera and Auxy both start to tear up as arc of energy begin to trace around me. "What?! Shit, I'm out of time! Tell Susurrans to-"

FLASH

"FUCK!" I yell as I reappear in Outpost Zero. I look around the room and note that it's empty. Celestia must have been pulled away for something. Or I've been gone for a bit, either one really. Well... I guess that was it then. They'll take the Elements and put them in their right place, go on to start Roam, live life really. So... I guess it's my turn. I don't know how long this pony thing will last, maybe forever, but I'm going to make the most of it.

Since Luna is away, and Celestia wants me to stay out of the public eye, I guess I'll wait here till night fall. So in the meantime, I have some machinery to check out... and a case to open. I walk over to the computer station and check underneath it.. Sure enough, there's a long locker at the bottom with the lid popped open. I reach over and lift it up, seeing the weapon inside.

It's Susurrans claymore. I can't believe he left me this, this was his weapon of choice. He refused to use anything else, ever. Firearms, explosives, other blades, none of them. Heh, he didn't need any of them. All he needed were his hands and feet, and this blade. I couldn't even beat him when he used that thing. Guess I get to learn why now.

I take a few minutes to wrap my hoof around the handle before finally lifting it out of the case. It feels light, way to light for a hundred and thirty centimeter metal weapon. I run my hoof down the long backed blade and realize that it's made of condensed gold. Why would he do that? Gold is so weak, even when compressed. Well, I guess it holds more for enchantments, but... still.

The bottom seems to be pure platinum and has a large sapphire in the pommel, with the crossguards going slightly up. I can tell there's something stored in the gem, but I can't get it out. I guess I can get Luna to get it out later. I give the blade a few test swings and fumble around a bit. Fighting as a pony is really odd. I guess I'll have to... relearn... how to fight...

"Oh sweet Barbra this is going to suck... well, no sense in bitching about it. Time to get to it." I say as I turn around. I pause when I see the Elements sitting on the ground in the middle of the room. Why would Celestia leave them there? She must be giving them to me... but why on the ground? I'll have to ask her later.

I walk over to them and poke them a few times, trying to get them to recombine with me. No go, hmm... well. I guess to have them attach to me, I'll have to break the current bond. I raise a hoof and stomp it down, shattering them completely.I leave my hoof there and try to keep my mind on harmony-

CLINK

"There ya... huh?" I look down to my forelegs and find them bare. Where did they- oh! For some reason, they turned into a necklace. A broad gold band wraps around my neck as it shimmers from the embedded Elements set around it. I lift it up and look it over a bit more, a bit confused as to why it changed its base form. Actually, I've changed my base form, it would make sense for them to as well.

Whelp! I guess this works... for now. Time to get analyzing. Though, I don't think I'll get far without using any equipment or magic. I guess I'm going to be here for a while.

.......................................................................................................................................................

(Warning: Strange)

As the four friends continued down the path to their destination, an uneasy silence settled over them. None of them spoke, hummed, or made any other noise as they mindlessly walked down the cement sidewalk. For Cheesus. Squishy, and Tallest, this would seem fine. No one would question the three of them walking down a sidewalk. But for a certain pink pony, a certain unknowing fear would settle in the abyss of their minds.

They walked, oblivious to the current danger that reside beside them. For, as everyone knows, Pinkie Pie is a walking time bomb. In order to travel from one universe to the next, she has to utilize the great cosmic powers that is usually excluded to stellar bodies of energy. Cause two effects. One: Her being able to go to any universe and act her role, because there is only one Pinkie... ever. No matter the story of the writer, there is only one Pinkie Pie. And Two: a build up of tremendous energy that caused her to party hard every day... and need lots of sugar.

So, with Pinkie not doing anything, and the other three not doing anything either, a build up of energy began. Something need to happen for it to be expelled, but nothing has happened yet. They just walked, avoiding their obstacles with little heed. They walked. One step after another. Just walking. No talking, humming, skipping of any sort. Just... walking.

The walking got to a point where the author could no long write about their walking, because it had become repetitive. No one wants to read about four people walking for longer then two seconds. Maybe if they had talked of did odd things, then they would, but that simply wasn't the case. For, they only walked, and this annoyed the author greatly.

He only wanted to keep writing the story so people wouldn't get mad about the main character doing something completely cliche and widely hated. He had good reasons. Two arcs and two stories worth, but he couldn't just say that out loud. Why would anyone read then? No, instead he had to write about the four friends walking down the sidewalk, not doing anything. This, bothered the author, so evil thoughts began to emerge in his head.

Perhaps a car crash would speed things up! Or an alien invasion. Maybe he could send in the FBI and make them do funny things. Or he could just go and start another story, lord knows he has at least four other in depth story ideas that he wanted to write. He had to write, that unnatural urge to get words on a page was begging to burn with great, unyielding, veracity. And writing about four friends walking down a sidewalk was only adding fuel to the fire.

"You guys notice that it's taken us, like, a year for us to get down the street?" Cheesus asked the others.

Next Chapter: Chapter 175 Nap Time Estimated time remaining: 36 Hours, 36 Minutes