Pony of a Different Color

by Sparky Brony

Chapter 5.

“To find a house, to find a house...” I mumble to myself as I trot down the main street of Ponyville. It's not like there are any realtors in Ponyville. I've been reduced to simply asking around. And apparently there aren't any empty houses in Ponyville as well. All of a sudden, my nose catches an enticing smell, I look around for the source. Sugar cube corner. Well, I know this place pretty well. I push through the door and I see the Cakes behind the counter. To most of the residents of Ponyville I'm simply a newcomer who's come to live here. Although, I do know there is plenty of speculation as to my apparent wealth, and what I do for a living,

I've been living in Ponyville for nearly a month now. I usually stay at Twilight's tree, but I'm itching to find somewhere else to live, she's wonderful company and all, but she is actually pretty busy, and she is usually up reading late at night. And yet, there has been no real progress on finding a way to fix my problem. I need a home, and I really don't want to live in a cloud home like Rainbow Dash does, though I have spent a few nights there when I was in the area. Rainbow is a wonderful mare to spend time with, I would love to spend more time with her, but with my problems, I really need to keep busy with a solution rather than let myself get involved with anypony.

“Good morning, you looking for something to eat?” Mr Cakes says.

“Why yes, Mr Cakes, I couldn't help but notice some extra wonderful smells coming from this wonderful store of yours this morning.”

“Well, you can thank our wonderful apprentice baker this morning, Sparky.” he says as Pinkie Pie bounces through the door. She sees me and her demeanor changes immediately.

“Oh, hello Sparky.”

I force a smile, while she has been trying to help, I can tell there is more than a little friction between Pinkie and myself. I'm trying to figure out where it comes from. She heads towards the stairs up to her room.
“I'm going to take a break. I just put a batch of cupcakes in the oven, they need to be taken out in twenty minutes.”

Mr. Cakes murmurs acknowledgment as she slams her door.

Well, it's time to bite the bullet. I head up stairs after her.

“Pinkie, it's me, can I come in let's talk?”

Silence from her. “Pinkie, please, it seems as though we've gotten off on the wrong foot. Please, I would love to talk to you.”

After a few moments, the door silently opens, and she trots over to her bed and flops down on it. I swear, her mane and tail have started to straighten out, I really need to nip this in the bud.

“Pinkie, I know there is some strain here, perhaps you can tell me why you seem to be so upset every time you see me. It seems everypony else has understood that even though in my world you are a television show, you are as real as I am.”

“I don't care that in your world I'm a TV show character,” she snaps at me. “What I care about is that from what I've seen, you, and all those watching the show are not laughing with me like my friends are, but are laughing at me. I am not comedic relief.”

Ohhhh, everything snaps into place. This happy go lucky pony is very sensitive. And my choice of one of my favorite episodes has offended her.

I sigh and sit down. “Pinkie, while I will admit there are some in the Brony fandom who think negatively of you, I assure you. The Pinkie Pie that we see in the show is well loved.” I pulled out my ipad, with help from Rainbow Dash and harnessing power from clouds and lightning, we've figured out how to keep it powered up. I have a habit of actually downloading some of my favorite youtube videos onto my ipad. I do a quick search. I have her watch it, it's one of the innumerable remixes of her in the smile song. She sits there and watches herself on screen. At first she's angry. Then after a minute, she's smiling, and slowly the bounce flows back into her mane.

“So, what you are saying is that you think I'm funny, but you aren't laughing at me?”

“That is exactly what I'm saying Pinkie.” Many bronies absolutely love you.

I get bowled over in a huge hug from her. “Thank you Sparky, I feel much better.”

Whew, I don't think anypony really wants a visit from Pinkamena, she gets REALLY creepy, at least in the stories.

As I'm leaving the Cake's shop, still munching on a cupcake with a whole box of them for later, I hear Twilight.

“Sparky, I think we've made a breakthrough, come with me to the Library.” I rush to follow her, we both fly as fast as possible.

Inside the library, I find piles and piles of notes. “Now, you were telling me that the male half and the female half of your true source work together to make time move forward, how it is intertwined with the lives of everypony in your world.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I've been trying to figure out how time works in your universe, and I've gotten a sense of what that power is. And it looks as though I can't access it from our world.”

This I already know. “Yes.”

“Well, I may not be able to use it, but I think I can create a version of it, perhaps enough to actually open a gateway. You have explained how mares make gateways in your world, and how different it is from the colts.”

I'm reading some of her research, this is one smart cookie. I'm so glad I trusted in her and her friends.

“Wow Twilight, you just might be able to get this working, it's amazing.”

Another very pretty smile from Twilight.

“Well, you told me about a device that works for women, a well, you called it, where a bit of Saidar can be stored in case you are somewhere where the source can be blocked. And that it can be blocked by some different devices, correct?”

“Yes, I haven't found a well that is geared for men, but I have one here for women, you would simply clip it into your mane, and it will hold Saidar, enough for a small gateway or some other relatively strong weave.”

She started into the math of using her magic to manufacture a kind of saidar with me, and at first, it was interesting. Yet after a few minutes, I was starting to lose focus. Twilight is apparently very good at research and is able to come up with the solutions to some of the hardest problems. Then, all of a sudden, I felt my mouth go slack. Saidin was back, I could feel it. I immediately seized the source. Ice colder than the depths of space combined with heat like molten rock coursed through my mind. I was dancing on the edge of a blade amid that chaos. And it felt wonderful. After that moment of shock, I could feel a direction where it was coming from. I spread my wings and flew straight out one of the windows, Twilight watching me in shock as I kept accelerating. I could feel the direction, the everfree forest. I kept going faster and faster. I looked back, Twilight was behind me, her wings beating furiously to keep up with me, and a rainbow trail caught up with both of us quickly, then a few seconds later, she was angling back to town. As hard as Twilight tried, she couldn't keep up with me, but she was close. I could feel myself getting closer to where the source was emanating.

After a few minutes, I could see lights in the forest. It looked like heavy vehicles were moving around, and apparently staging. I noticed some ponies milling around the vehicles, and most of them looked none to steady on their feet as I landed a few hundred yards away from the vehicles. I focused with the source, and enhanced my eyes. Details leapt into view as I looked at the source of most of the light. I've tangled with these people before. They are an organization that is trying to catch adepts and use us to their ends. The one adept I've known, he told me about them, and that they were extremely dangerous. That gateway led to a large field with many more pieces of equipment. Oh no, they had read the residuals of my gateway, and they used their machine to make one. They were after me.

“Sparky, what is going on...” any further words from Twilight were stifled as I shoved a hoof in her mouth. I looked at her hard.

“These are very bad men. And they are after me. They want adepts. Somehow they broke into my home, and read the residual weave of my gateway here. Now they are here, and apparently, they are organizing to come find me. I have to take care of this Twilight. They will kill anyone who gets in their way.”

She shoved my hoof away. “No way, you are not taking them on alone. We are your friends, and we will take care of these invaders together.” A small smile from her, “I'm a Princess of Equestria, I won't let anyone invade, not on my watch.”

I pondered her words for a few seconds, “Fine, follow me. But remember, I'm the warrior here, you follow my lead.”

“Good.”

We slunk around their staging area for several minutes. I was mainly focused on the gateway. I could hear the the electric buzz of their gateway forming device. I couldn't feel the gateway itself, they must have no adepts under their control. That, at least, was good. I saw a man on the other side of the gateway, he was directing the men as they stepped through. As they stepped through, they turned into ponies themselves. I did a quick count, they had several hundred troops through the gateway. And finally the leader stepped through. He shook his new pony head, and trotted off to the rest of the soldiers. I knew the type, they were ex-members of the military of half a dozen nations. They were bankrolled quite well, and apparently were figuring out how to operate equipment with their new hooves. I noticed one or two cutting the trigger guards off of their weapons. So they could use hooves to fire them apparently. I turned back to Twilight, and I noticed Rainbow Dash standing next to the Alicorn Princess. I pointed to the soldiers.

“These guys are nasty, and they want me. Those right there are rifles. They can shoot projectiles faster than the speed of sound. And they will do a lot of damage if they hit you. Don't let them hit you. I am going to make myself a shield of air, Twilight, you make a shield yourself. Rainbow, keep out of sight, unless you see an opening, you are going to have to use your agility, just remember, these ponies are extremely dangerous.” Rainbow got a look I knew.

“We'll kick their flanks back to where they came from.” She said as she slapped her hooves together. I couldn't help but smile.

“I'm going to get their attention. If they had any mercy, I would just turn myself in, but they don't, so we will fight.”

“I told the others, they are on their way here.” Rainbow said.

“I hope to have this finished before they have a chance. Too many lives are at risk now.” I said. I stood up, and spread my wings. I took off and landed in the headlamps of the vehicles. I was immediately noticed. A couple of the soldiers looked at me. “Is that a local?” one of them asked.

“La Rouche.” I hollered.

After a few second of commotion, the leader stepped forward. His pony form was grizzled and gray. But I knew how hard he was. I was not looking forward to what was coming.

“Well, well, well, I know that voice, if it isn't the adept who slipped away from me, killing over a hundred of my men.” He looked me up and down. “What world are we in adept?”

I chuckled, “You wouldn't believe me if I told you La Rouche, I'm going to give you a chance to get your men and go back home. You got into my home, that was not a good idea.”

He smiled malevolently. “Not going to happen adept, you are coming with us.” He waved a hoof.

With a pop of compressed air, metal bands flew from beside him and clamped around me. I barely had enough time for a weave of air to cut the attached cables which would have allowed the bands to electrocute me, knocking me out. But I was on the ground, wrapped in those bands. I looked at Twilight meaningfully for a second and winked at her before flopping over to face La Rouche while he sauntered over to me. Twilight subsided for a moment, she knows I have something planned.

The grizzled pony leaned down to me. “As I said, mon ami, you are coming with me.”

This elicited a small bark of a laugh from me. “Not a chance” Using air I broke the bonds, sending the fragments at the headlights of the trucks and tanks in front of me. Not wasting a moment, I spread my wings and flew up in the air. I could feel Twilight using her magic, I shouldn't be able to do that. I watched gun barrels heat then twist into unusable shapes. Good girl Twily, nullify the weapons first. It was my turn. I folded my wings and from twenty feet I landed and slammed my forehooves into the ground. Rolling rings of Earth and Fire radiated towards the assembled small army. Several vehicles were overturned, and many of the soldiers were burned to ash.

I jumped to the side, using every web I knew to cause destruction. I'll admit the soldiers were well trained, even in a disoriented state from their bodies changing into ponies, they kept firing their weapons. Slugs bounced off my shield as I lay waste to them. I kicked forward, flying low to the ground, weave after weave shattering bodies, burning them to nothing, cleaving into them. They didn't break. They kept attacking me. Nearly twenty of these soldier ponies jumped on me from behind. I heard and then felt the crackle of a taser. Saidin fled as my world was consumed in a haze of pain, and I was down. More and more of the soldiers piled on me. I kept struggling, but it was to no avail. I was down.

The smiling soldier in front of me was pulling out cuffs. No, I can't be captured by these animals. They would bind me, and I would never be free again. I kept trying to get free, to seize the source, feeling more frantic by the second. It remained out of reach. A loud crack happened right behind that soldier, his smile became fixed, wooden. He fell forward as a pink pony kicked out at another soldier. Her sharp hooves shattering his jaw and knocking his head back. A rope descended onto three soldiers holding me on my other side and they were yanked away. I was free.

“Pinkie, I could kiss you.” I said as I steadied myself and seized Saidin.

She giggled as she pulled out her party cannon and fired it, knocking several soldiers back and shredding them in the process. When did she have time to put buckshot in the party cannon? I grabbed her and extended my shield around both of us as several rifles came up and started spitting death. I lashed out with the power. One of the most deadly weaves I knew of. Fire Blossoms popped up among the ranks of soldiers. Tearing them to pieces. I took a hurried glance at the gateway, more soldiers were pouring through. How many men did La Rouche have at his disposal? It was getting desperate. I saw Applejack kicking soldiers, these ponies were gentle, I didn't want them to have to feel the horror of war. But here they were, defending me. I looked up, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were grabbing soldiers and lifting them high up in the air, letting them drop from dizzying heights. When they landed, they didn't get up. And apparently, Rainbow had alerted the weather team, several dozen pegasi were harassing the soldiers, disrupting their fire. I used whips of air to grab Pinkie and Applejack and throw them towards the trees. I hoped fervently that they landed on something that was somewhat soft. Earth Ponies would be easy pickings without shields or some way to defend themselves from high powered rifles. Twilight kept methodically destroying weapons. I watched her grab the turret of a tank with her magic, metal shrieked as the turret was torn off the tanks and thrown at the soldiers. We might just win this one I thought.

Rainbow Dash grabbed another soldier. As she was lifting the struggling pony the unthinkable happened. Bullets slammed into the cyan pony and she became a falling object with her intended victim.

“No!” I screamed as I launched myself towards the falling body of Rainbow Dash. I caught her body with a flow of Air as I landed with her. And, as I landed, I focused on the soldier that had shot her. Without thinking I formed a box of air around him, then made it shrink to the size of a baseball, the soldier shrieked as he was crushed.

She shifted, she was alive! She turned her head a little bit, and her pain dazed gaze focused on me. “Sparky” she croaked out. I could tell that her lungs were punctured, if I didn't do something she was going to die. I threw a dome of air around us, solidified it to the point it could stop a nuclear blast, tied off the weave and then focused on Dash.

As I have said before, I can't heal anything severe. But I had one ace in the hole. A weave I read about some years ago. The book cautioned against it's use because the injuries would have to be absorbed by the adept wielding the weave, but, properly done, it could bring someone back from the absolute brink of death. One of the most complicated weaves I knew sprang into being between us. Comprising of all five powers, it linked our hearts together. I was inside her head, inside her body. Inside her very mind and soul. Her entire life was before me, as I know mine was before her. First things first, I blocked the pain that was rapidly consuming her. I felt her body relax. I could do nothing about the pain being transferred to me, so I wept with the pain as I expanded the weave to her entire body. I felt the slugs being expelled as muscle knitted and bones were made whole again. I continued, her organs healed, every part of her was healing, she had taken over a dozen bullets, and they had really made a mess of her. I have no idea how long I was linked to her. I felt her getting stronger as my strength waned. I pulled as much of the source as I could into myself, buffering me from the effects of the weave. I felt blood start to leak down my flank and down my side as I finally collapsed. She shook her head. She was okay!!!

I fell off to the side and untied the dome around us. As it dissipated, I heard something that shook me to the core.

“...dare you. You come to Equestria, you attack my subjects, and you are now going to suffer for that.” I saw Twilight floating at the edge of the clearing, her eyes glowing white, she was floating, not flying, her wings were spread, but around her was a white aura of her power. Her horn was glowing as brightly as I had ever seen it. And her voice. That is what scared me the most. It sounded as though every ounce of every bit of power in existence was pouring through her. I knew at this point the battle was over, the trouble was, the soldiers didn't know it, though I saw La Rouche out of the corner of my eye jump back through the gateway.

“You shall now suffer my wrath, and the vengeance of all of Equestria.” Her voice rose to a shriek as she unleashed. Bullets bounced harmlessly off her skin. There was no stopping her. Wave after wave of energy was hurled into the soldiers. No fighting force could stand against that, and this one was no exception. Tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks, everything flashed to dust as the energy hit. The remaining soldiers were either incinerated or fled through the gateway. In moments there were bodies littering the ground, and pieces of the equipment. I struggled to my hooves.

I tottered over to her, Rainbow Dash supporting me as I moved. I didn't have nearly the damage that Rainbow had absorbed, but I was bleeding and every part of me hurt. I clung to Saidin, it's power was all that was keeping me moving. My wings seemed to be okay, but everything else... I don't want to think about it.

“Twilight... what did you do?”

She looked scared, “I don't know what happened, I saw Rainbow Dash get hit, I saw you catch her, I saw that if I didn't do something...” she trailed off.

I hugged her, “You did wonderful, if someone wants you dead, make them dead first. First rule of warfare.”

She sobbed, “all of those lives taken. Once I seized that power in me, it was like I was in the back seat as the power did this.”

I simply held her as she worked it out. The rest of the ponies emerged from everywhere. There were over a hundred ponies, of every type, milling around, poking the bodies of the soldiers. She broke from my embrace. “Is this war, Sparky?”

“Yes, Twilight. This is war. I've fought these people before. They covet the power of Saidin and Saidar, they will do anything to gain that power. I am so sorry, Princess, for my coming here to bring this,” I gestured to the carnage, “to your beautiful and peaceful world.”

A level stare from the purple Alicorn. “You did not bring them here, they followed you, and if you had left before they arrived, they would have done worse trying to find you. I can't blame you for this.”

Yeah, but I can, I thought to myself.

As we are surveying the wreckage, a body shifts, one of the soldiers is alive. In my injured state, I push twilight away and throw up a shield as once again the sound of machine gun fire splinters the evening. The bullets don't even make it to my shield as Twilight casually picks the soldier up with her magic, gun, bullets and all, and flings it. I hear a crash, I turn and look, Twilight's aim is perfect, although I don't think she meant it to be that perfect, the body hit the gateway machine, it tips back, and in an explosion of sparks, it goes silent.

“No!” I scream as I launch myself forward as fast as I can. I throw a weave of spirit and air at the gateway to keep it open. But since the gateway was not made with the power, my weaves pass through with no effect. Well, no choice now, I pour on as much speed as I can, I only have to make it about a hundred feet. It snaps closed right in front of me and I crash into a tree behind where the gateway was. Once again, I've lost Saidin the worst way possible. And I'm out cold.

Author's Note:

Well, I hope you like this chapter. Might add some comments later.

Comments

[keybounce]

Well, so much for the "easy" way home :-).

Still, it sounds like he should have taken all the damage that Rainbow had, just transferred to him. So he should be on the edge of death, using magic to stay up, and now with it gone ...

[Sparkyfan]

Awesome