After our playful banter, we had a scheduled date for our duel. It was going to be next weekend in an arena. Apparently there were events like this every weekend and they were held in a controlled environment. Though they were normally on a Sunday as to make sure to be able to get as many ponies as they could possibly get. I thought the whole thing was akin to legal street fighting. It was pretty nifty.

That is, until we told Celestia what we did.

"I just don't know who to I should be upet with. Either Shining Armor for challenging an injured Alicorn, or Franz for actually accepting!" Yelled Celestia, her voice muffled through her doors as me, Twilight and Spike were sitting outside her chambers. Thankfully, the maids had put chairs for us when they both went into the room.

"I still can't believe you accepted a challenge from my brother. I know you're strong because, well it's pretty obvious, but you have to know the rules and guidelines about duels and their reasons. Not only was that reckless of Shining, that was just plain stupid on your end!" She said, giving me a stink eye. She then got a sadden look and lowered her head. I mentally hit record and felt my visor shift slightly.

"Fluttershy told me about the fight between you and Luna's corrupted form. I tried to not bring it up, but now since you're going against my brother in a duel, I have to ask you something." She said. Spike looked interested, and looked like he wanted to know more about it.

"Just promise me that you won't hurt him too much. I know he can be a bit dense sometimes, but he is my brother. So please, don't kill him." She said. I was taken back by her words. Did she honestly think I was going to kill her brother? Why would she think that?

"Why would you think I would kill you brother?" I asked. He seemed like a good guy, and he had a loving family, so there was no way in hell I was gonna kill him!

"Fluttershy told me you unleashed a powerful spell from your horn. It destroyed a large amount of foliage and had a effect on the landscape in a long, but wide line, nearly dividing the Everfree in half." She said. Probably an exaggeration, but I think she was just worried about her brother.

"And along with that, it seemed to have an effect on the magic surrounding it. It was destroying any magic that was entering within a three meter radius, and we had to set up a perimeter near Ponyville to make sure nopony wandered in there." She said. Oh, my final attack. Right before she evaded and shot me out of the sky.

"Oh, that wasn't magic. I still don't know how to use it for attacks yet. I can only use it to levitate stuff, save for a one off. Those were my arc reactors." I said, lowering my voice as maid passed by. Didn't want anyone hearing about my stuff just yet, save for Twilight and Spike.

"You have arc reactors!?" Asked Spike, now more interested in my weapons. Great, let me guess, there's a comic about it like Marvel Comics, right?

"I thought those were only fiction! I see them all the time in comic books!" He said, now being fully submerged in our conversation. Called it.

"Can I see them?" He asked, getting in my face with shimmering eyes. I smirked.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that!" I said, changing to sound as close as I could to Kakashi from Naruto. I then heard myself and nearly freaked out.

"How did you do that?" Asked Twilight, now curious. I wondered if I could do other voices as well.

"I have no idea." I said normally.

"But I sound awesome!" I said, now using The Master Chief's voice. It had a positive reaction in Spike, and a unamused one from Twilight. Maybe I can make a persona and use it to fight daily crime! Now all I need are web shooters and I can swing from tree to wall in Ponyville.

I heard the whirring of my armor and turned to see it blinking..

"Oh, yes." I said, using Twilight's voice. She didn't seem to happy with that.

"Hey! Don't steal my voice!"

I made a Uno reverse card and gave it to her. She was confused as to what it meant.

"No u." I said, using my normal voice. This got a annoyed look from her and a sudden burst of laughter from Spike.

"Do me next, do me next!" He asked.

"Hiya! I'm Spike, and I don't know why, but I really enjoy eating my own collage tuition worth in gems!" I said, now imitating Spike. Both of them just looked at me with confusion.

"Eh, that one wasn't as good as the others." I said. Great, I managed to both make and kill my own joke. They both agreed, Twilight more so than Spike.

We went quiet for a second, before I heard the door to Celestia's room open. We all got up and looked over to them. Luna seemed happy and Celestia looked annoyed. Though it was subtle, I could pick up on it.

"Okay, Franz. After much debate, I've decided to allow you to participate in the duel, so long as you refrain from lethal attacks." Said Celestia. I huffed in annoyance.

"Why does everypony think I'm gonna kill Shining?" I asked. Celestia smiled.

"It's because of what you're able to do. And your status along with your ability to be reckless." She said. I was reckless? Back then...maybe.

"Well, you still have to get ready for your duel, much to my displeasure. You will have to relearn how to wield a weapon and not rely on brute force and magic blasts, like the incident of The Summer Sun Celebration." She said, giving me a small frown. I didn't know why, but her not smiling made me nervous.

Luna, however, was ecstatic.

"And we will be the pony who will train thee! Consider it a apology for giving you that unexpected kiss." She said, not even bothering to keep her voice down. Welp, looks like I'm gonna have to deal with ponies shipping us. I reeled myself back in. Why did I think that?

"So, am I staying here, or going back with Twilight?" I asked. While I did somewhat enjoy time with Luna, she seemed to lack a restraint for physical contact with me.

"Why, you will be with us, of course! Was there even any doubt?" She said, not really keen on what I wanted to say

"What about my saddlebags? I still need them." I said, hoping someone else would answer.

"I can get them when I go back to Ponyville. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle with Spike's dragon fire." She said. Oh yeah. I totally forgot about that.

"Alright. Sound's fair." I said. I was internally annoyed, but had to put up a mask to not upset Twilight.

"We shall start your training at once! Come Franz, you have much to re-learn!" Said Luna, draping a wing over my shoulder. I barely managed to suppress a flinch from her sudden physical touch.

I looked over to Luna. She had a confident smile that made me feel more confident as well. I think I was starting to remember why I was taken with her.

I saw Twilight smile as well. It looked like she had something to say, but refrained from saying it.

"It looks like Franz is starting to like you again." Said Twilight, giving a small giggle. Oh! never mind.

"Really?!" Said Luna, looking over to me. Her face was really close to mine and it made me a bit nervous. I wasn't used to being so close to someone intimately. Last I remember that was with...

...

Crap. I still don't know who it was.

"Oh, Princess Celestia, is Shining Armor still here? I wanted to visit him before I left." Asked Twilight.

"Of course he is. Just head over to the barracks and he should be in his office. And if not, try the training rooms." She said, smiling warmly. I think I should focus on the duel more than my past. That can wait. It seems kinda ironic that my past will be solved in the future. It was fun to think about weird stuff.

"Thank you!" She said, trotting off with Spike now on her back. I held back a snort. He was riding her like how humans would back on my home world. I instantly regretted thinking that as it sounded dirty. And I wasn't ready to get into the works of natural reproduction. I could feel my face heat up from the thought of it. Thankfully, they were gone and I was just staring off into space when Luna called out my name.

"Franz, are you not coming?" She asked. Think normal thoughts, think normal thoughts!

"Yeah, just a second." I said, pulling down my visor. I checked my saddlebags and saw that they hadn't moved since we left this morning, which was good.

Putting it back onto my chest, I went up to Luna and Celestia.

"I'll never understand how you are able to create items as complicated as those." Said Celestia. I just looked up and smiled. Thankfully she returned one and made it even.

"Well, he is an Element of-"

"Luna!" Said Celestia, scolding her younger sister. I was confused as to what she said.

"Wait, I'm a Element of what?" I asked. Luna looked at Celestia for a second before answering me.

"Sorry, Franz, what I meant to say is that you have The Element of... Surprise." She said. What? That didn't make any more sense, in fact, it just made it more confusing.

"It means you have a tendency to be 'Surprising' when it comes to your abilities and technology. You aren't the bearer of any of The Elements of Harmony. And there isn't any others to be wary of. I made sure of it." Said Celestia. Oh thank god!

I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't have to worry about fighting anymore gods or goddesses. I mean, I could have taken on Nightmare Moon if I was given another chance, but I didn't want to fight anymore.

"Thanks. You guys scared me." I said, lowering my head and letting myself now be relaxed. I could do this.

"Yes. NOW ONWARD! We must get you in peak physical condition for your duel!" Yelled Luna. I sighed. Maybe I can have some fun here.

'Why did Celestia sound upset when she mentioned me being an Element? And why did one of the Storage Units have the title 'The Other Bearers'?'

"Now, before we do that, we wish to discuss something you." Said Celestia. Oh?

I hadn't noticed we had made it to a new hallway with a sign above that said, 'Research & Development.' I didn't even know we were going this was at all! It was a very clean door with windows that had small wire passing through.

My helmet started blinking again, and I pulled it up.

Set Path Towards Storage Units? Yes-No

I put that on hold, seeing as we were a bit more than a mile above the Units to actually do anything.

"What did you want to ask me?" I asked. I wasn't sure if they were going to tell me something, or if they were going to give me the Units.

"We shouldn't discuss this out here. Come." Said Luna. I got pretty confused as to what they were doing. Why couldn't we talk about this out here? Were there spies? Ninjas? I didn't know because they won't tell me anything.

We made our way inside the facility. It had all sorts of stuff, ranging from steel sets of armor, to crossbows, to a titanium sword. The sword caught my attention, mostly because it was the closest modern thing to come from here. Well, the material, not the actual sword itself. There were also several ponies here, either testing the products or using them for science. I thought it was kinda funny to see them get giddy over a steam powered train engine.

We, however, went into the bathroom. I thought we were going to do something questionable when Celestia's horn shone a golden hue, and I saw another set of doors materialize into the wall. It was guarded by a different set of guards I wasn't familiar with. They had dark lavender armor instead of the classical gold armor the Royal Guard had. That, and they looked like they had fangs and had cat eyes.

"Please allow us to enter." Said Luna. They nodded and let us in.

Once in, I saw that it was an elevator with two buttons. Celestia hit the button on the bottom and we started a smooth, well lit descent. I didn't open my mouth for the whole time, and the two of them seemed to enjoy my presence. I was beginning to wonder if this is where they kept all of my technology I had previously made.

After about the first few minutes of silence, I decided to pull up my visor again and check the time. It was nearly 6:00, and we would miss dinner. I was a bit upset about it and decided to make myself some bars. They were more like small snacks to keep us going.

"Want one?" I offered to them.

"Yes, thank you."

"Of course, We appreciate your offer." They said. We ate only one each, mostly because they kept regenerating after we bit off a piece. It was hilarious watching them eat while the bar just kept regenerating.

We made it to the bottom with a jolt. I wanted to ask them when was the last time this thing place was used, but decided not to say anything.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

They were quiet for a second.

"We found something you would want to know, and possibly like." Said Luna.

"You might remember it, but we don't know what will happen. So for safety measures, we would like for you to remove your current armor capsules." Said Celestia. Wait, what was this thing they wanted to show me?

"What is it?" I asked, pulling up my notifications and looking inside. It was blinking again.

Commence Recovery Protocol 2-B: Lost Armor Is To Self Destruct Upon Selective Activation: Enable? Yes-No

I saw the message and thought for a second. Why was this showing up? I think there were more sets of armor other than just this one.

"You'll see once you take off your armor. Now please strip yourself, we don't want anything unexpected to happen." Said Celestia. It sounded like she was talking from experience.

"Like what?" I asked.

"From what I heard from her, we lost several scientists trying to use the armor for themselves." Said Luna, giving a light shiver. Oof, I wonder what happened.

They opened the door and I saw several ponies, griffons, and even Minotaur here, which was surprising, since I hadn't been that close to one of them before.

"Oh! Princess Celestia! I see you've brought the pony for the helmet!" Said somepony. I saw her walking over to us. She had a green coat, similar to Keynote Symphony, and had a blue mane and tail, and her Cutie Mark was that of several tubes and a paper. She also had a lab coat and had a name tag, which read 'Field Note'.

"And I knew it was going to be the new Prince Alicorn! Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Field Note. And let me say, your helmet is quite sturdy when it comes to durability!" She said, extending her hoof over to me. I bumped it with hers and she smiled.

"Hey, I'm Franz. And thanks." I said, pulling away.

"So, should I show you where the helmet is stored? I think we should get this started right away!" She said excitedly. Man, and I thought my siblings were hyper. Well, she isn't necessarily hyper, but she is talking very fast.

"While that is a pleasant idea, I think we should wait for Franz to remove his current set of armor." Said Celestia. Field Note seemed to beam at the idea.

"He has another one? That's amazing! And, uh, where is it?" She asked, her eyes tracing my body with scientific hunger. I thought she was going to rape me if I didn't let her see.

"I'm wearing it." I said. She just looked at my capsules. I think she wasn't very impressed.

"Oh, are they a base version? Or are you moving towards flexibility and speed?" She asked, sounding confused. I sighed and said my activation code.

"Activation Code: Whatever the last password was." I said. I felt the armor slide and crawl across my fur, slightly tugging my skin as it pulled across my body. I relaxed my body and soon, it covered me entirely from head to hoof. She was taken back from the sudden appearance in my armor, and got giddy.

(Took me a while, but here's Franz's armor activated. Wings aren't covered since he isn't using it's combat form.)

Acknowledged

"EEE! It's such a magnificent piece of equipment! How did you manage to get it to do that? I'm guessing it's some sort of magical armor that's hidden away in some sort of smaller dimension. Is it?!" She asked, quickly circling me and prodding the more broad areas. I think I have to make a escape plan if she decides to figure out where I'm gonna be living.

"It's made out of Nano-Material that can be adapted using the visor. I normally use it for armor, but it can be used for weapons as well, for example."

I made a small drone with the ability to fire a single shot of light, but made it so where it'll just act as a ball of light, that can be remotely detonated. The hovering light began to shine brightly. outshining the lights from the ceiling and catching the attention from the other scientists.

Field Note, was fully entranced in the ball, and wanted to touch it. Oops, I might have added a attracting effect to it. She watched it disassemble and fold back into my back, merging with the Nano-Material.

"That is truly a work of art. How did you acquire such a technological advancement!" She asked, now rubbing her head on my breastplate. I was really uncomfortable, and hoped that either Luna or Celestia would help me. They were, however, just watching my armor. Well, Luna was looking at Field Note with an intense stare.

I noticed the new bit of armor. It was the web shooters that I had imagined playfully. I thought that this armor set had enough abilities, and that I shouldn't add more.

Oh right, the question.

"I made them. It took me a few seconds to create, and another half hour to design." I said. It was one giant lie, I actually remember what had led me to do this. I was a fanboy of the Halo series, and I really enjoyed their stuff.

"Ooh! If I could just get my hooves on something like that, I could be nearly unstoppable!" She said, grinning madly. I got a bit nervous. She wasn't trying to takeover the world, right?

Something dawned her and she blushed.

"I didn't mean that in a literal sense, Your Highness. My apologies." She said, her ears flopping back and lowering her head.

"It's alright. You just got excited. One can do do that without thinking." Said Celestia, smiling at her. I deactivated my armor and began taking it off. It was strange having three mare watch me strip off my only form of comfort and protection. But it was for science, right?

I took off the last bit of armor and looked at the mares. Luna was staring at my chest with tinted red cheeks, so was Celestia. Field note, however, didn't have the same look on her face. I was confused as to what the both of them were looking at. Oh shit, was my dick out?!

"What?!" I said, now shrinking under their gaze. They snapped out of it and Luna smirked.

"We didn't realize that ones chest could get that fluffy." She said. I looked at my chest and saw that there was a large accumulation of fur on my chest that seemed to puff out proudly. Was there some meaning to this?

"What about it?" I asked. I think I was gonna get a lesson in biology.

"Exactly how much of Equestrian culture do you remember?" Asked Celestia, looking at me with concern.

"Enough to barely get by." I said, trying to push down my fluff. I think it was the fact that my visor covered it the whole time that I didn't know what was going on. Man, is this a weird situation.

"Well, when their is excessive fur in a pony, specifically Pegasi, it shows that they are a suitable mate for females. It also gives off a small, and subtle pheromone that attracts mares, mostly Pegasi and those of Pegasi descendant. And not cutting down said fur can lead to a build up of the pheromone and to be released when coming into contact with a mare. It doesn't work with stallions, however." Said Field Note.

"Whoa. Didn't know that." I said. Is that why Ditzy kissed me? Ah hell, it must build up pretty fast for it to be able to catch the attention of two mares. Ditzy and Luna. it also made sense as to why Twilight didn't try anything with me. But I didn't know about it at that point. I'm gonna have to be careful with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Well, shouldn't we move onto the helmet?" Asked Luna, sounding like she wanted to hurry thing along. Why was that?

"Oh, right. Come this way." Said Field Note. We finally began walking away and I just now noticed that we had been standing at the elevator door the whole time. Damn, how badly were we sidetracked?

I also noticed that the other scientists were starting to pack their things and leave. What time was it? Just past 6:00? I think so.

We went into a room with what looked like an old, battered helmet of the Mark V Spartan helmet. It had various grime marks and some dirt on it, along with a crack in the visor with a couple of pieces missing.

(This was somewhat easier.)

"Here is the helmet. We didn't know who it belonged to at the time, so we just labeled it as 'Unidentified Helmet'. And I know it looks pretty worn out, but we couldn't get those grime stains off. It's also a bit cracked, as you can see, but I think it is still operable." Said Field Note

I read the text underneath it. Never gave up hope? Fierce Warrior? I think I might've been an icon back then. What about now?

"Did you test it?" I asked. I didn't think it had any power to be able to operate anymore. Then again, everything I made either regenerated, or had full power. Save for power cells. Is that what this needed?

"Yes, we had several attempts. And each ended with at least some form of injury. Be it broken glass, magical exhaustion, or sudden shock." She said.

'I'll ask Celestia about the ones that tried it for themselves later.' I thought.

"And what were the results?" I followed up. Field Note's face lit up with excitement.

"Oh! The results were phenomenal! It has a internal camera built into it along with flashlights, a motion tracker, and a set of codes that will activate other sets of armor to do certain things, and much more! It also has what I believe is a energy bar, but the previous wearers weren't able to access that part yet. And you wouldn't believe how hard it was to power such a small bat-" I lost some interest here, and decided to let her chatter happily.

I felt a presence behind me and I turned and saw Luna, being weird and trying to get as close to me as possible. Was it the pheromones? I felt as though they were just chick magnets, but I didn't want to think that. I was already stuck with a emotionally deprived Alicorn who was very fond and friendly with me. I couldn't add another mare to the batch.

But what about the link! Oh shit! She probably could hear all of my thought right now! Hey! Luna! Look at me!

She remained oblivious to my internal callings.

Maybe she couldn't hear me after all. Maybe the link was broken and I was a free man. If I'm free then why do I have a empty feeling in my gut?

I then heard my stomach growl in protest. Oh, that was why I was feeling empty. Didn't I just eat a bar?

"-and that is what we have so far on your old helmet. Say, you wouldn't happen to have any extra technology we could study, do you, Your Highness?" Asked Field Note, eyeing me curiously. I blinked. Oh. OH!

'Ah, well, not really. It takes me a while to find the resources to make an entire set." I said, blinking nervously. God, that was a shit lie.

"Oh, okay. It's just that, we could have benefited greatly if we were to reverse engineer some of the functions. I guess I was asking for too much." She said, lowering her head and flopping her ears back. Damn it, I hate making people sad. Especially if they are adorable ponies.

"Bu-" I was cut off by Celestia, who had now decided to speak.

"We would wish nothing more than to aid your research, and the research of this facility as a whole, but please keep in mind that he is just one pony." She said, a hint of wisdom in her voice along with a soothing tone in general. Damn. She must be pretty good with children.

"I understand, Your Highness." Said Field Note.

"Now go see to thee home. We are certain that once thou has gotten the rest you desire, thou will be able to get the answers thou art searching for." Said Luna in a ushering tone. She seemed to brighten up at that.

"Yeah, okay. I'll close up shop then. Then start again tomorrow." She said, a smile growing on her muzzle.

"That's the spirit." I said, nodding my head.

"Well, goodnight everypony." Said Field Note, leaving with a bow. Celestia smiled and Luna gave a generous nod. And I waved her a goodbye. She was nice.

"Well then, looks like it's the three of us then." I said once we were alone. Turning towards them I saw that they were staring at me, Celestia with jealousy and Luna with a blushed smile. Ah hell.

"Danger Close!" I called. My armor went flying at me and latched onto me, wrapping around my body with great speed and precision. Once inside they were snapped out of their trance. I'm definitely taking a shower when I can.

"Apologies, Franz. You should shave your excess fur as to not have that happen again." Said Celestia.

Luna, however, didn't seem to like that idea.

"Nay, he is perfect the way he is." She countered, a small smile creeping across her face.

'Oh, uh, thanks?" I said. I think my luck with females is getting better! I didn't sound as awkward!

"We should head back. I need to eat something before I die of hunger." I said.

"Didn't you eat a bar that regenerated at a rapid pace? I barely managed to down the one you gave me." Said Celestia.

"Yeah, but it's ...not filling for me." I replied, realizing Celestia had managed to eat the whole bar before it could come back.

"Oh, right." She said, remembering something about my eating habits.

We left back to the upper floors and back to our own respected chambers. I made myself some spaghetti and ate it alone on my bed. I was going to train tomorrow for the duel with Shining. I wondered what the rules and guidelines were, so that I could study for them.

*plop*

'Oh, well would you look at that. I thought. I took a look at the pamphlet of the rules and stuff.

Very interesting.

A low whirring sound began to fill the silent room of the Mark V helmet.

New Power Ce-Cells Located. Beginning P-P-P-Playback To Last Audio Recordi-di-di-di

The message stopped abruptly, and powered down for a few minutes.

Reloading Previous Attempt.

On Standby...

On Standby...

On Sta-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a

The power cut again. This time for an hour.

Power Saving Mode: On

Beginning Playback To Last Audio Recording

Audio Data Log #72: After months of testing, I've managed to make a fully functional Hive Mind out of a local group of bandits. It's similar to a Flood Hive Mind, but without the grotesque transformations and death of said host.

There was a pause within the recording. The now Identified individual as the past Franz.

I know what I did here wasn't right, but these were bandits. The closest thing to serial killers I could get. This version of Equestria is too peaceful. If I had anything else I could use against Discord I would just use it, but his body isn't immune to mind control. If I could just-

Past Franz paused. As if he was in thought.

That's it! If I can get the other Elements of [REDACTED] to help stop Discord, then I can-

The Power cut for the final time that night. And wouldn't start back up for the next few months, if not years without more power.

Unfortunately, there was a janitor that had heard it. He quit the next morning and went to find a new career as a baker. Mostly because there aren't any haunted artifacts in a bakery.

Next Chapter: Chapter 16: Training With Luna [Re-Written] Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 8 Minutes