> That Strange Stallion
>  by Gunther the Green
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Strange Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Arrival




It was a gorgeous day in Ponyville, the sun was shining and the birds were singing, which was especially important on this day. Almost every pony was doing their part to prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration. It is an especially important celebration to the ponies of Equestria, and Ponyville was pulling out all the stops, for her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia herself, would be gracing the little town this year as she raises the sun.

One yellow colored pegasus with a pink mane and tail was a little out of the way doing her part for the celebration with a flock of birds rehearsing for the song they planned to sing.

“Alright everypony,” her voice was soft, not willing to raise it too high so to not scare the birds. “We all know what song we’re going to be singing, so we’d best start practicing. We don’t want to disappoint anypony. N-not that any of you are bad singers, you all tweet beautifully. Now on my count, a one” however she was not able to get further then that as a ‘Pomf’ sound came from nearby. She gave a small squeak before diving into the bushes. The birds scattered in fear of the noise.

Almost immediately after she landed in the bush, a light green stallion with a slightly unkempt brown mane and tail tumbled out of nothing. There was no flash or burst of magic, he just seemed to fall out of an invisible door. She saw no horn or even wings. He was just an ordinary earth pony. She wondered how he could have teleported. Did he have a unicorn friend? He was alone though.

He came to a stop with his face buried in the dirt. The pegasus took a hesitant step out to go and see if the stallion was alright but immediately went back into the bush when he sat up. The tumble wasn’t that violent and she could tell he had no scratches from where she was. She was glad he wasn’t hurt but that didn’t make her feel like coming out, he was still a stranger after all.

The stallion blinked several times and shook his head. He raised a hoof and smacked the back of his own head, exhaling loudly out of his nose. His efforts were rewarded by some dirt and rocks pushed out of his nostrils. Then he did something odd.

He brought his hoof close to his face and looked intently at it as if he was seeing it for the first time. His eyes wandered up his foreleg and down his back only to stop at his flank and tail. She took a glance at his cutie mark and saw that it was two interlocked hooves, one was green like him and the other a sort of pale white. She wondered if his talent had something to do with couples. The thought made her blush and hide behind her mane.

“Wow” his voice was excited but friendly, not mean or scary as she feared. “I’m a quadruped again, neat!” he waved his foreleg smiling as it wiggled around. 

That confused the pegasus as she peaked out of her mane. ‘Again’? Did he lose the leg and the weird teleportation gave it back? That sounded horrible, losing a limb. The thought made her shudder. 

He stood up and trotted in place, seeming to test his limbs. Then, without warning, he galloped out of sight. She waited a few seconds before sticking her head out of the bush, looking in the direction he left.

“Nope still here,” said a voice from behind her.

“Eek!!” she screamed jumping out of the bush, turning around and practically cowering before the strange smiling stallion. 

“Hi there!” he greeted her but she didn’t greet him back. “I’m Martin, who are you?” he continued without breaking his smile.

The pegasus tilted her head a bit at the odd name. She’d never heard of a pony name like 'Martin'. It was the name of a species of bird not common in Equestria, but on a pony? She didn’t voice these thoughts, not wanting to offend him.

They stood quietly opposite of each other for a while but he didn’t falter even a bit. It seemed like he wasn’t going to take her silence as an answer. So she decided to indulge him. With as much courage as she could muster, she answered him.

“I-I’m Fluttershy” the now identified pony’s voice couldn’t have been more than a mumble, not willing to meet his eyes as she spoke.

“That’s a nice name, Fluttershy,” he complimented her somehow able to hear her name.

She looked up at him in surprise, ponies aren’t normally able to hear her when she gets really nervous, especially around new faces or in large crowds.

He seemed to understand her look and responded, “I have really good ears.” As if to emphasize that point, his ears flopped out of sync on top of his head. His eyes crossed as he made the effort.

The goofy look got a little giggle out of her but she quickly put her hooves on her mouth. She didn’t mean to laugh at him. She hoped she didn't offend him.

He read her again like an open book. He didn’t tease her, but gave a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I’d like it if I can bring a smile to a pony. It’s actually what I do best,” he said with such certainty in himself.

Fluttershy hesitated but her curiosity bested her fear. “Is that what your cutie mark means?” she asked, glancing at his flank. The question seemed to confuse him and he followed her eyes towards the mark.

He smiled in understanding and turned back to her “That’s a helping hoof, I love to make another’s day brighter, if even only the littlest bit. Personally, I like to accomplish this with physically helping them. You know, helping them when they fall, moving things that are too heavy or are in the way, give them a shoulder to lean on, general things. It feels more heartfelt when done that way.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you,” she complemented him back. She could see that in the mark. Making lives of others better was something she liked to do too. But helping other ponies was a little much for her. She preferred helping animals.

“Thank you, I’m glad I was able to make your day a little brighter” his smile grew with those words.

“Huh?” she tilted her head in thought, did he?

“Yep, you’re not as scared of me as you were before. Plus you’re speaking more clearly, not mumbling quite as low,” he answered the unasked question.

“Oh,” so he did. She HAD gotten a little comfortable with just talking to him, but now that he had pointed it out, her nervousness was creeping back up on her. She avoided his eyes and kicked nervously at the ground.

He seemed to notice that and turned to leave, “Well, I think I’m going to explore this town. It was nice talking to you Fluttershy.” With that he started walking by her and towards another part of the town. 

“Oh, um, you too Martin” she mumbled quietly towards him. Her ears dropped. She felt ashamed that she had shied away from giving a proper response to the strangely named but nice stallion.

Her spirits were quickly lifted however, when his head turned slightly and his smile grew. She just knew he HAD heard her. With a little more confidence in herself, she gathered up the birds again and began practicing.
> The Strange Place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Place




While the birds were preparing to sing, elsewhere there was a white unicorn mare with a dark purple mane and tail. She stood inside a large building where the celebration was to be held. Her eyes wandered the inside, a hoof on her chin, lost to her own thoughts. You see, she was in charge of decorating the building but she couldn't quite find what would be most eye catching while still remaining with the theme of the celebration. Perhaps some warm colors of the sunrise?

Her concentration was interrupted by a loud 'thunk' and a masculine voice. "Hello door, nice of you to be closed, could you please become ajar?" The voice slurred slightly. She looked back towards the door waiting for the pony to open it himself, but he did not. The unicorn feared he may have injured his head. With a bit of magic she opened the door and a stallion, with the most obscene color scheme she'd ever seen, fell forward into the room.

"Thank you," he said with a dizzied stare. His coat was green with a brown mane and tail, those were the colors of grass and dirt, not a civilized pony. It didn't even look like he brushed himself that often, what with that unkempt mane. The way he slumped did not alleviate her fear of a possible injury though. So she took the most direct approach and simply asked about his condition.

"Good sir, are you alright?" Her voice was refined and polite, years of practice showing results quite well in her speech, "If you require a doctor I shall call for one post haste." While she was busy for an important event, a pony's well being should always come first.

The stallion raised his hoof in declaration, "I am ok!" Contrary to his words though, his voice was a little slurred. That and he still remained on the floor. Laying much like a rug.

The unicorn shook her head at his stubbornness to admit to his injury and walked quickly over to him. He could at least present himself in a more dignified manner. She offered him a hoof and he took it without hesitation. Good, he at least knows when to accept help when it is given. Perhaps he isn't as hurt as she previously thought.

"May I ask why you stumbled face first into a door?" she asked politely, or as politely one can ask an injured pony.

"Because it was closed" he said with a nod, as if that was the obvious answer.

The unicorn could feel her stress level raise as she realized he was possibly one of THOSE stallions. Either he was exceptionally ignorant, which would make in depth conversations troublesome, or he told jokes at the most inappropriate of times, such as when making light of an injury or when some other situation is serious.

"Quite," she stated with a little snip in her voice, "May I inquire as to why you have come here? I am terribly busy and I would prefer to be alone with my thoughts." Perhaps he had a legitimate reason for being there, maybe an inquiry from Mayor Mare?

The 'um' he gave her, however, did not reassure her of his level of ignorance. He tapped his chin in thought, either to try and remember or to come up with a decent excuse. Either way, he was burning daylight. But she was patient mare, she had plenty of time to get the building prepared. No need to rush and lose her cool.

"I forgot," he finally answered. "So watcha doin?" he questioned looking at the fabric she had brought to decorate the building with. She had brought multiple colors and designs to see what would work best with the inside of the building.

The unicorn took a deep breath to calm herself. Perhaps he could be reasoned with. Simply tell her purpose and ask him to leave her in peace. The quickest route to a destination is a straight and upfront line, after all. "I happen to be decorating the town hall in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration. If you would please-" but she was rudely interrupted.

"The what?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

She raised her own, much more well kept, eyebrow at the confusion. He'd never heard of it? That was certainly peculiar, any Equestrian pony should know about it at least in passing. "The Summer Sun Celebration? How could you not have heard of it? It is a celebration where Princess Celestia raises the sun on the longest day of the year. She is planning on doing it here, in our quaint little village of Ponyville," she explained.

"Oh so THAT's what this town is called, wow that sounds adorable," he smiled at the name. Apparently the name of the town was worth more consideration then a celebrated event. The unicorn's eye's narrowed, slightly miffed that he would laugh at the name of the town she lived in. "I'm Martin by the way, it's nice to meet you," he finally introduced himself.

"Charmed, I am Rarity. Your name, is it perhaps foreign? It does not sound like any kind of name somepony from Equestria would use," perhaps that's why his behavior is strange. He is simply not in tune with the customs. She supposed she could give him the benefit of the doubt. Can't give a poor impression of Equestria simply because of genuine ignorance born of unfamiliarity.

"Yep, I'm from Broken Depths," his chest puffed a little, probably proud to be from such a ghastly sounding place. She could understand pride in a hometown, but what is that name?

"Broken Depths? I'm sorry, but I don't think I've ever heard of a place with such an... Interesting name," she admitted. With a name like that, she was afraid of what kind of ponies lived there. It makes her think of a village made inside of a ravine or some other below ground dwelling.

He raised his eyebrow again with an amused smirk, "And I don't think I've ever heard of a place called Ponyville."

Her gaze eased up slightly at the jest, it was at least a well timed and a good meaning joke, "Touchè good sir" she admitted.

His smile grew with a sense of satisfaction, "So Rarity, would you like some help with decorating? I'd like to help out with this Summer Sun Celebration, if I can."

She waved him off, "No thank you, Martin," she politely refused. It was nice of him to offer and it would have been interesting to see the designs of a foreign establishment. "I still need some alone time to get in 'The Zone'. There is still much to do before tonight. So if you would like to help, I'm sure you could find it elsewhere."

"Well thank you for your time, it was nice chatting with you, Rarity, and I wish you luck," he gave a little wave before heading back out the open door.

"You're quite welcome!" She called as he closed the door. "Hmm, a strange fellow but also a foreigner? I'll have to ask him why he made such an expansive trip to Ponyville the next time I see him." She gave a light shrug with a short 'oh well' before gazing back at the rest of the building, getting back into 'The Zone'.
> The Strange Idea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion



The Strange Idea




While most ponies found themselves busy preparing for the celebration. A certain rainbow maned pegasus found her time used for relaxing and napping. Her responsibility was to keep the skies clear for the sunrise but with her unmatched speed and awesome skill, she could do that whenever she wanted. Right now she was doing a pre-workout nap on a nice and fluffy cloud, building up energy for when she really cuts loose for her practice performance. She could practically see the captain of the Wonderbolts in awe of her skill, mouth agape in shock. No wait, that's just her dreaming, which was rudely interrupted by some annoying poking! Seriously, she would try to ignore it but it just wouldn't stop.

She finally had enough of the aggravating poking and flipped over away from the perpetrator. She looked at it and it appeared to be a stick going through the cloud. With a frown on her face, she leaned over the edge of the cloud and glared down at the one responsible. Which apparently was a green stallion she'd never seen before. "Hey what's the big idea, buster?! I'm trying to nap here!" she yelled at him angered that she wasn't even woken up by somepony she knew.

"I call it, the Poker," the light green stallion said while holding up a long pole made of tied together sticks. An uncomfortable silence soon followed with the pegasus's glare not easing up after the failed joke. As if to emphasize the silence, a gust of wind blew by and took the tower of sticks away. The stallion sighed in defeat, "It sounded a lot better in my head."

"I can't imagine an echo sounding that good" she joked at his expense, her face finally easing out of a glare.

He didn't mind and smiled up at her, "Ha! Good one. I'm Martin, who are you?"

Not one to pass up introducing themselves, the pegasus flew down to him, "The one and only Rainbow Dash. THE fastest flyer in Equestria and future Wonderbolt." Any day now it was going to happen.

"Cool!" He initially said excitedly but his smile dropped a little, "What's a Wonderbolt?" No way, did he really just ask that?

"What?! How can you not know who the Wonderbolts are? They're the most famous flight team in Equestria. You haven't lived until you've seen their stunts," the pegasus gushed about her favorite flight team, pointing out one of their posters. And how could she not? They were amazing, awesome, and downright the coolest group ever. And this stallion hadn't heard of them? "What kind of rock did you crawl out from under?" she asked him.

He didn't answer and just gave her a shrug. "You're going to be one of them, right? You got any cool stunts you can do?" he questioned her awesomeness. Ha, she'd show him.

"Stick around, buddy," for some reason that made him smile. "Cause I'm about to show you what this flying daredevil can do." Some warm up maneuvers should satisfy this lightweight.

But he had ideas of his own, "Can you do a two meter upward spiral that breaks off into a high speed divebomb and then finishes into an upside down parallel glide over the ground?" His eyes sparkled at the concept.

But Rainbow was left flabbergasted. "What the hay kind of stunt is that? That doesn't even sound like a real maneuver," he had to have made that up.

"I dunno, I just thought it up," which apparently he did. "Can you not do it?" he questioned her awesomeness again. 
"What? Psh, of course I can, it's just I know so many stunts that hearing about a completely made up one surprised me," she fibbed. She had no idea if she could pull off something that bizarre but there was no way she was going to admit it to him. "Sit tight, pal and watch a pro at work." She began doing tight circles in the air, a rainbow trail following after her. She then flew out into a dive bomb speeding towards the ground. She attempted to pull up while upside down but couldn't get it right and accidentally crashed into Martin's head. 

"Whoops sorry there buddy. I, uh, something caught in my eye and I didn't see you there," she got up and shook herself off. She looked over to the dazed stallion and waved a hoof in front of his eyes. "You ok? Yoo-hoo, wakey wakey," she gave him a little shake. "Hey come on, I didn't hit you that hard," she hoped. She didn't want to take time out of practice to drag this guy to a doc. She'd do it but she wouldn't like it.

"Ugh, sorry Mr. Leprichan, no gold at the end of this rainbow" he mumbled with unfocused eyes.

What kind of nonsense was this guy babbling? "You finally up?" she asked while stepping away. She was worried she'd actually hurt the stallion, but he seemed to bounce back easily enough after shaking his head.

"I dunno about that last part but the first bit was amazing! I've never seen flying like that!" He jumped to his hooves and gushed, clearly impressed with her. As he should be. "Though, to be fair, the only other flyer I know is Sven and he can only fly really fast in a straight line. No stunts or nothing," she raised an eyebrow at that. He already knew a flyer but they could only go in a straight line?

"What kind of wings only let's a pony fly in a straight line? That's ridiculous," he had to have made that up too. She couldn't imagine anything with a strong pair of wings being so lazy.

"The big stiff metal kind," he said matter-of-factly while miming his forelegs like he was gliding with them.

A cold feeling settled in her stomach, simply uttering an 'oh'. That's really a bummer, having prosthetic wings. She couldn't imagine a hunk of metal being a good replacement for a solid pair of wings. "I'm sorry about your friend," she apologized, which seemed to only give him a confused look on his face. "I'll tell you what, swing on by some time and I'll show you some top notch maneuvers. Then you can tell your friend about it. Give him something he can try out himself even with those metal wings of his. If he's even 10% as cool as me, I know he could do it," ya that seemed like a totally legit motivation. No pegasus or other flyer should be denied the chance to soar. 

Martin just blinked confused at her before responding, "Uh, cool, I'll be sure to do that when I get home. I guess?" Clearly he was awed by her generosity.

"Well I'm going to go practice some more, catch ya later Martin!" She said before zooming off. Ya she totally did a good deed today, no doubts about that.
> The Strange Inventor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion



The Strange Inventor




While others were kind of doing their duties. There were some who found their time needed elsewhere. One particular premier pink party pony of Ponyville, was dashing in and out of the Golden Oaks Library setting up for the bestest library welcome party anypony had ever seen! 

She brought in balloons, streamers, punch, cake, party hats, party games, party everything! Nothing was too good for a friend. As she added more items, she kept passing by a green and brown object. Mmm, chocolate mint would be great.

"Hi there," said the object. Oh, it was a stallion. Duh, chocolate mints don't just walk up to you. Oh wait, he's talking more, "Watcha doin?" That's a silly question.

The earth pony mare didn't stop zipping back and forth from the library to where she was getting supplies as she answered, "Isn't it obvious, silly? I'm setting up for a party!"

"Nice, I love parties," and who doesn't? They're the most fantasmical thing, with cake, and games, and friends. "Is it for that Summer Sun Celebration?" he asked further.

"Nope! It's for a new pony that just came to town," boy won't she be surprised, and why wouldn't she be? It is a surprise party.

"Wait this is a party for me?" What? The pink mare skid to a halt, making squealing rubber sounds as she stopped in front of the stallion, getting a close look at him. She definitely didn't recognize him and she knew everypony in Ponyville.

She gave a sharp inhale, "Oh my gosh! You ARE a new pony in Ponyville. Nope this is for an older new pony." Now she can throw two parties! Should she combine it with the first one? No, that wouldn't be fair to the both of them. So she'll throw the one for the purple unicorn and baby dragon, and then she can give the green stallion his own surprise party. But where would she throw it? She didn't see any new buildings being bought out. Oh well, she'll figure it out later. This was going to be great!

"Yep, I'm Martin," he introduced himself. He's got a good smile, which makes her smile in return. Smiles are the best.

"Hiyah Martin, I'm Pinkie Pie." That's a funny name, Martin, Martan, Martian. Oh! What if he was actually an alien, "Are you an alien from another planet come to Equestria to spread your galactic playground and bring fun and cheer to all life in the universe using a jumbo space ship that holds like a gajillion gallons of whipped cream and cover the whole planet in a blanket of creamy goodness. But then a misunderstanding happens and we retaliate with caramel apples and candy corn and then there's a war of sweets that'll last for decades until somepony makes a delicious treat that BOTH sides will end the war to have?" That sounded like the most delicious misunderstanding ever!

But the green stallion looked at her funny, "What? No, that's totally not why I'm here." Aww, that's too bad, "But that sounds awesome! If that was true, I'd totally have an orbital laser that spews chocolate sauce," oh, yummy! "I wonder if Director could build anything like that?" He looked up in thought. Who? That sounds like a cool name.

"Who's Director?" If he can make something that shoots chocolate sauce she would have to get in contact with him.

"Director is a very rich friend of mine who makes wicked inventions that can do almost anything." That sounds super neato. She wondered if this Director fellow would let her borrow some of his toys. "But he's like super constrictive with his stuff and only let's his workers use them," he said, dashing her hopes. Well, there goes that idea.

"Aw that's too bad. Oh well. I have fun toys of my own, like my party cannon!" she said as she pulled an actual cannon from nowhere. She always kept it close by, in case of party emergencies.

"Sweet how does it work?" he asked while putting his head in the barrel of the cannon.

"Well you just do this and," Kaplow, went the cannon. Martin was blasted backwards with confetti and streamers covering his face. Pinkie hopped over to him and stared into his eyes. Oh, swirly, his eyes look like whirlpools. "So watcha think?" she asked.

"I taste party in my brain," he said and took a moment to sneeze confetti and shake his head. Pinkie gave a giggle snort before falling over and laughing outright. Martin soon joined her, finding the laugh contagious.

Pinkie got up first, "I like you. We should totally hang out again later when I'm not as busy. You'll be in town for a while, right?" Her excitement was emphasized by a quick bounce. She definitely had to give him a party now.

"Yep, no idea how long, but I'll be here for awhile," he answered, giving a firm nod while standing up as well.

"Goodie! I'll see you later then," she gave a little wave, which he returned, before zipping back off into the library. The funny stallion walked away. Oh she had the perfect prank for him at a later day. He'll never see it coming.
> The Strange Trick
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Trick




While some ponies have spent several years living in Ponyville, there was one who'd only arrived today. But this was no ordinary pony. She was the personal student of Princess Celestia. Truly an up and coming genius of the magical arts, if only she would get her head out of the books. But who could fault her? Her diligence was 'rewarded' with a special assignment in checking up on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, ordered by the Princess herself. There was also some advice for making some friends but first things come first and she was a mare on a mission.

After an encounter with a Stetson wearing earth pony and a rainbow maned pegasus, the lavender unicorn didn't look or feel too good. Her once straight mane was frizzy and her stomach was over encumbered by apple themed food. Her companion was a small purple baby dragon with green spines and underbelly. Despite being at each encounter, he didn't look disheveled in the slightest. He had a checklist firmly gripped in his claws, which showed what they still needed to do.

"Come on Twilight, you should at least give them a chance," the dragon tried to console the unicorn. "I mean getting some free food and a new hairdo isn't so bad. Plus did you see those moves? They've both got to be athletes," he complimented them in hopes of brightening her outlook on the two mares she met.

"Spike, free food is one thing, but back there, I felt like a stuffed potato," Twilight retorted to the small dragon on her back. "Also, I don't think running somepony down is a good first impression. Following that up with soaking them and drying them off while utterly wrecking their mane is not a good sign either."

"She was only trying to make up for what she did," Spike explained, defending the mare he hardly knew.

Twilight sighed, "I realize that Spike, but she could have at least waited to see if I protested her efforts."

"You'd still accept an apology, right?" he fished for her.

"Of course, Spike," she took the nibble

"Then you'll ask to be friends?" But he pulled it in too soon.

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Don't push it."

"I like to think friendship is worth pushing for," suddenly said a new voice next to her.

"Ah!!" Twilight screamed, jumping away from the new pony. She took a few breaths to steady her heart as she looked at the mysterious green stallion. Who was this pony butting into their conversation?

"Hi there," he greeted them with a big smile and a wave of a hoof.

She leveled an unamused stare at him, "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" What a rude stallion. He should have announced his presence, instead of just listening in.

"Yes," well at least he admitted it. "I'm Martin, who are you?" he smiled at her frown. 

A quick nudge from Spike prompted her to stop glaring and actually respond. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is my assistant Spike" she introduced them while Spike gave a quick, 'Hi there.'

"Woah," he looked past Twilight, towards Spike, "I've never met a baby dragon before."

The way he emphasized 'baby' piqued their curiosity, "You've met other dragons before?" She didn't think any dragons would come out of their way to a town like Ponyville.

"Yep," he confirmed until his face fell into confusion, "wait, no." He put a hoof to his chin in thought. Twilight and Spike exchanged a look for the odd behavior of Martin. Shouldn't the answer be obvious? You either had seen one or hadn't.

"Are wyverns considered dragons?" He asked them. Are what?

"What's a Wyvern?" asked Spike, very interested in the topic. There were very few ponies they knew with first hoof knowledge of dragons.

"Ok imagine you," he pointed a hoof at Spike, "But you had wings instead of arms."

Spike looked down at his claws trying to imagine them as wings while Twilight questioned Martin, "If it's just a dragon with those kind of wings, then why not consider it that?" It seemed obvious when somepony pointed it out.

Martin's head tilted in though, "Huh, I never thought of it like that. Must be some kind of distant cousin to dragons. Thank you." Good, she was more then happy to educate somepony who was seeking answers. "So where were you heading off to?" he changed the subject while sweeping a hoof in the direction they were heading. Twilight decided to drop it for now and focus on the task at hoof. She started walking again and he followed beside her. That was fine, she could handle conversation along the way. As long as she get's there on schedule. 

She took the checklist out of Spike's claws with some magic and held it in front of her face, "Well I happen to be on assignment to check on the Summer Sun Celebration preparation. I've already gotten confirmation on the food with Applejack and the skies are clear thanks to Rainbow Dash. So next is decoration with somepony named Rarity." Hopefully that meeting won't have as much hardship as the other two. Oddly while she was saying that, he was staring at the floating paper mouthing something she wasn't able to catch. 

He shook his head, "Oh, Rarity, ya I know her. She was in the town hall getting ready to decorate it." Good they've already started on it. It had to be done by tonight.

"And that's where we're heading," Twilight confirmed. With any luck she could breeze through the rest of the checklist and get back to her research.

"So Martin," Spike began, looking at the flank of the stallion, "I can't help but notice your cutie mark. Is it about making frie-" zzzzzip, don't need Spike finishing that thought and giving Martin any ideas. While Spike fought the zipper on his mouth, she gave the checklist another look over making sure everything was in order.

Martin looked at the spell in amazement, "Woah, I've never seen a spell do something like that."

Twilight blushed a little at the praise and gave a shrug, "Just something I picked up during my studies." It wasn't anything special, "Any unicorn could do it with enough time and dedication." Something about what she said gave him a confused look while he glanced at her horn. What is he thinking about?

"Is that how it works? Huh, I wonder if Theo knew," he looked further up in thought. Now who could that be?

"Who's Theo?" Spike voiced her thoughts as he finally unzipped his lips. The name brought the most honest, heartfelt smile she'd seen on him yet.

"Theo is my best friend. Great guy, fun to be around, good sense of humor, and smart. He is always able to get me out of trouble. We hang out together ALL the time. We were never far apart. That is until today," his smile dropped a little.

"What happened?" Twilight wondered what could have torn them apart.

"Well Theo is an extremely powerful magic user that specializes in assisting others. You can probably tell we bring out the best in each other. Anyway, we were out practicing magic together, and I'm just abysmal at it," that got some raised eyebrows. He was an earth pony. Unless he studied magic thoroughly, of course he wouldn't be able to help much except be a test subject. "Then one botched teleport spell later, I arrive in this town," Martin revealed.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock, "You're a victim of a broken teleport spell?" That was serious, he was lucky to land in someplace safe, much less intact.

"I wouldn't call it broken, but sure," did he know something about the spell, that was used on him, more in depth?

"Do you need help getting home?" she offered. She'd have a few choice words for the unicorn for using such a spell on his best friend.

"Nah, he's probably collaborating with my other friends to reach me. So it's best I sit and wait. Besides, this town is interesting. I think I'll stick around for a while and enjoy it." He certainly seemed to believe in his friend's reliability. "If all else fails, I could try doing my own magic." What? He had to have been joking.

"That's impossible. Earth ponies can't do unicorn spells like teleport," it was just natural law. While earth ponies and pegasi have passive magic, they can't manifest it like unicorns and alicorns.

"Oh ya? Watch me," he said before stepping out in front of her, making them both stop. He stood up on his hind legs and waves his hooves at her while making exaggerated ghost wailing noises. "Ooooooh," Twilight leveled another unamused stare at him, slightly upset that her schedule was being put on hold again. "OOOOOoooh, I call upon the power of the Voodoo Mystics," that got a raised eyebrow out of her. He was bringing voodoo into this now? What's next, a rain dance? "By the power invested in me," he continued in his 'spooky' voice. "Abracawatsits!" he declared while throwing his hooves towards her. They stood in awkward silence, although Spike looked around to see if anything had actually happened.

"You done?" Twilight asked hoping this ridiculous show was over.

"Wait for it" he said unmoving. Then he simply dropped back down to all fours again, "Poof, we are now friends."

Twilight blinked in utter bafflement, "Excuse me?" Spike found the whole thing hilarious and fell off her back laughing up a storm.

"I just used Voodoo Mystic arts, to bind you into making friends with several ponies in this town." Oh he did not just do what she thinks he did.

"Are you making fun of me?" Her stare evolved into a glare. She started advancing towards him while he backed away in fear.

"Well I may have over sold the magic trick-" he tried to explain but she wouldn't have it.

"Voodoo is not a real magic. Maybe potion making is a real thing, but definitely not voodoo dolls or curses. So I will thank you for not treating me like a foal!" she shouted as he fell over a chair outside a diner. He fell over onto his back, hitting his head on the ground. "Come on Spike," she said before continuing her journey towards town hall. Spike sprinted after her and immediately tried to get her to calm down.

"I'm sorry!" Martin called from his position on the ground. "Check please!" A waiter actually came out and gave him a receipt, "Huh, what do I owe them? 'One apology?' I can do that." 

After a minute of consoling Twilight did calm down and rethink her thoughts. She shouldn't have blown up on him like that. He clearly didn't take what he said seriously. He was just having a little fun. But when he mentioned the one thing that's been bugging her all day, she just sorta, snapped. She'll apologize later, after this whole Nightmare Moon thing is over.
> The Strange Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Way




While some ponies are content with just preparing for the celebration, either by themselves or with a few others, one pony had the assistance of her extended family. Her task was catering the celebration from the literal fruits of her labor and family namesake, apples. No pony knows apples better then the apple family and they were proud of it! 

Right now the family was finishing up their meal and heading back out into the fields or in the kitchen cooking up some more food. One stetson wearing earth pony was counting the bushels of apples they'd harvested today. Which was a lot. But was it enough for the Summer Sun Celebration? Probably, but gotta make sure anyway.

"Ok, that is funny," a voice she didn't recognize said from behind her. She turned around and came face to face with a green stallion she'd never seen before looking at her hat with a goofy grin. Was he making fun of her hat?

"You got a problem with my head wear, mister?" she questioned the stranger.

"Nah, it's perfectly fine. I've got a friend who wears one like it, though his is white," well that was fine. If it reminded him of somepony from home, she could handle a little eyeball on her hat. "I'm Martin by the way, nice to meet-" he had started waving at her but the earth pony grabbed the hoof and gave it a firm shake.

"Well howdy there Martin. Name's Applejack, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. Home of the Apple family. Now what brings ya'll out to our neck of the woods?" He didn't answer immediately and just stared at the hoof she shook with a confused look. What, did she offend him in some way? He better not start complaining about the dirt.

He eventually tore his gaze away from the hoof and stared off into the grove of trees, "Woods is right." He looked back at her with another grin, "I'm just exploring Ponyville since I'm gonna be here for a while. Saw a big apple orchard and thought, 'That looks like a fun place' and decided to pay it a visit. And boy was I surprised by all the ponies here." Of course, the Apple family is one of the bigger ones, "Kinda reminds me of when my family comes over for a reunion," right on the nose.

"Then you won't be surprised that this is a reunion too," they may be only here for the reunion, but they were determined to make their visit count.

"So what are they doing out there?" What else would they be doing?

"Ain't it obvious? They're bucking the apple trees, of course," she explained. That only gave him a more confused look.

"Ok, why?" Where in Equestria did this pony come from if he didn't know what bucking tree's was?

"To get the apples down of course. How the hay don't you know that?" He was an earth pony and he hadn't even heard of bucking in passing?

"Huh, well there are no farms near my hometown. All of our food is imported." Oh, so that's it, he's one of them big city ponies. Probably never worked a hard day in his life. Well she was sure to give him a taste of it today.

"Well how's about you try it yourself?" she walked away from the bushels of apples and towards some apple trees that hadn't been bucked yet.

"What do you mean?" he followed after her. She put some baskets around the tree for the apples to fall into.

"Ah mean what ah said," she waved a hoof at the tree, "You're gonna buck it." Simple and easy. Anypony could understand that.

"Ok," but he didn't immediately move and they stood in uncomfortable silence. "How do I do that?" Almost anypony then. Did she really need to explain how to buck a tree?

"Ya'll just go up to it, turn around and buck it." Three easy steps, let's see if he can follow them.

"Ok, walk up to the tree," he stepped up to it, turned around, "and buck it," he brought his legs up, but his form was terrible. The only thing he accomplished was kicking off the tree, sending his legs over his head, losing his balance and landing on his back.

"How'd I do boss?" Did he really want that answer?

"Well, with the fact that the tree didn't even shake and no apples fell, I'd say ya'll failed." No need to beat around the bush.

"Brutal honesty! I like that," he flipped over back onto his legs. "You know, I didn't think farmers got apples down from tree's by kicking them." Now he seemed to think he knew things about farming that she didn't.

"Oh ya? Then how would you like to do it? Shout at it?" she asked sarcastically. Ha, that'd be a laugh, have the tree shaking in fear. For some reason he looked up at the tree in thought. He wasn't honestly going to try and yell at it, was he?

"I'm gonna headbutt it," he suddenly said with determination while backing up.

"Say what?" she gave him a stare. She hoped he was joking. Nope, he went into a full gallop towards the tree with his head low. "Now hold on there-" but she was too late and he smashed head first into the tree. The tree quaked at the sudden impact and all the apples fell into the baskets. Huh, that worked apparently. Martin wobbled back and forth, having trouble staying on all four legs. She walked over to him and put a hoof on his shoulders to keep him steady. "Now why'd ya go and do a dumb thing like that?" She asked him. He was lucky he hadn't hurt himself that badly.

"Because it worked," she couldn't argue the results but she could definitely argue the method. 

"Ya, and now ya got a bump on your noggin. Now I don't want to see you doing that again, ya hear me?" she asked him.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed. Good, ain't nopony gonna get hurt on her watch. 

"Here, I'll show ya how it's done," she got a few more baskets around a different tree and gave it a quick buck. The apples came down easily. Years of practice showing through, "Now that's how ya do it."

He stared at her in amazement, "Wow, you make it look so simple."

"All it takes is a little hard work and practice," she stepped towards him again. He was better but still a little wobbly, "Why don't ya go back to town and rest, ya'll may need to sleep off that headache of yours."

"You sure? Maybe I can help out with something else here?" he offered. Applejack looked back at the rest of the farm in thought. Was there anything she needed done that he could help with? After a moment of contemplation, she decided that there wasn't and that she could handle the rest of it.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks though. It's mighty nice of you to offer," she meant that.

"Alrighty then. It was an interesting experience but I enjoyed it. Thank you, and good luck with your farm," he said while walking back towards town.

"Ha! Ah don't need no luck, ah got skills and experience," she declared with confidence.

"That too!" He called back.

She had a sudden thought, "Hey!" Applejack called out to him. He stopped and looked back at her with a confused look. She nosed one of the apples into the air and gave a swift kick, sending it flying towards him. With amazing ease he plucked the apple with a hoof. "Ya'll earned that!" she told him while waving a hoof. "Don't be a stranger now!" He gave her a big smile and waved back at her, apple in hoof, before walking off.

She gave a smile of her own, glad to show some city colt the rewards of good and honest work. He seemed like a good feller. A little kooky but that don't make a bad pony. Though she'd prefer he use his head in a little less literal matter. But maybe he'll show promise in something else someday.
> Bonus Chapter: Who's on the first field?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack walked back towards a hill that overlooked Sweet Apple Acres where she left Martin to keep an eye out for anything while she was out getting the rest of the food into the town hall. Honestly, she wasn’t sure why she chose him for the task, she just figured she’d give the stallion something to do since he offered.

“Well howdy there Martin, I’m back,” she said, walking up to the light green stallion.

“Hey Applejack, everything go well?” he greeted her. 

“Darn tootin, not a pastry outta place, anythin happen here?” She already knew nothing happened. She trusted her family and even if something did happen, he was supposed to fetch her.

“Nope, everything went dandy. Funny thing, though,” uh oh, she didn’t like the sound of that.

“Funny ‘ha ha’, or funny ‘Ah should start gettin upset’?” she leveled a stare at him.

“Don’t worry, it’s funny ‘ha ha’. I had some trouble figuring out all your family names. So I decided select a few and put them in charge of different fields. Those few got special nicknames that are easy for me to remember,” huh well that’s interesting.

AJ: “Really now? And what might those be, if I may ask?” she had to hear this.
M: “Well we got Who on the first field, What’s on the second, I don’t know’s on third-“ what?
AJ: “That’s what ah want to know.”
M: “I said Who’s on first, what’s on second, I don’t know’s on third-“
AJ: “Woah there, ah thought you said you gave them nicknames so you’ll remember.”
M: “I did.”
AJ: “And you still plum forgot?”
M: “I didn’t forget.”
AJ: “Then who’s the feller on the first field?”
M: “Yes.”
AJ: “Ah mean the feller’s name.”
M: “Who.”
AJ: “The pony on the first field.”
M: “Who.”
AJ: “The one in charge of the first field.”
M: “Who.”
AJ: “The pony that’s-“
M: “Who is on the first field.”
AJ: “That’s what ah’m asking YOU who’s on the first field.”
M: “That’s the pony’s nickname.”
AJ: “That’s who’s nickname?”
M: “Yes.”
AJ: “Well go ahead and tell me.”
M: “That’s it.”
AJ: “That’s who?”
M: “Yes.”
Applejack stared at him for a few seconds trying to see if he’s messing with her.
AJ: “Look, IS there a pony in charge of the first field?”
M: “Certainly.”
AJ: “Who’s managing it?”
M: “That’s right,” ok, this was going nowhere, maybe if she rephrased the question.
AJ: “If ah were to call out there, who answers back?”
M: “He certainly would,” it didn’t help.
AJ: “All ah’m trying to find out is the fellers name managing the first field.”
M: “Who,” here we go again.
AJ: “The pony ah’m calling out to”
M: “That’s it.”
AJ: “Who answers my call?”
M: “He does, and he’ll do it lickty split, and if he can’t he’ll ask one of his workers”
AJ: “Who’s worker?”
M: “Yes.”
Her patience was wearing down by his answers.
He noticed her look, “What’s wrong with that?”
AJ: “Look, all ah wanna know is, if ah ask the feller his nickname, how will he say it?”
M: “Who.”
AJ: “The pony in charge of the first field.”
M: “Who.”
AJ: “How will he say his name?”
M: “That’s how he’ll say it.”
AJ: “Who?”
M: “Yes,” good gravy this was going no where.
AJ: “All ah’m trying to find out is what’s the pony’s name in charge of the first field.”
M: “No, What is on the second field.”
AJ: “Ah’m not asking you who’s on the second field.”
M: “Who’s on the first field.”
AJ: “One field at a time, thank you.”
M: “Well don’t change the managers around then,” she was not!
AJ: “Ah’m not changing nopony!”
M: “Easy Applejack, there’s no need to shout.”
AJ: “Ah’m only asking you, who’s the pony on the first field?”
M: “That’s right,” maybe he’ll finally answer
AJ: “Ok”
M: “Alright.”
But when he didn’t immediately answer she insisted, “What’s the pony’s name on the first field?”
M: “No, What is on the second field.”
AJ: “Ah’m not asking you who’s on the second field.”
M: “Who’s on the first one.”
AJ: “Ah don’t know.”
M: “Oh he’s on the third field, we’re not talking about him, now let’s get back to-”
Aj:“Now how the hay did ah get on the third field?”
M: “Why, you mentioned his name.”
AJ: “If ah mentioned the third field manager’s name, who did I say is managing it?”
M: “No, Who’s managing the first field.”
AJ: “What’s on the first field?”
M: “What’s on the second field.”
AJ: “Ah don’t know.”
M: “He’s on the third field.”
AJ: “There we go again, back on the third field,” she felt like they were going in circles.
Aj: “Can we just talk about the third field and not go off it?”
M: “Alright what do you want to know?”
AJ: “Who’s managing the third field?”
M: “Why do you insist on putting who in the third field?”
AJ: “What am ah putting in the third field?”
M: “No, What is on the second field.”
AJ: “You don’t want who on the second field?”
M: “Who’s on the first one.”
AJ: “Ah don’t know.”
“Third field” they said together.
Martin blinked at Applejack’s rising anger before she took a breath.
AJ: “Look, you gotta have somepony pulling filled baskets out of the fields right?”
M: “Sure.”
AJ: “The puller’s name?”
M: “Why.”
AJ: “Ah just thought Ah’d ask ya.”
M: “Well, I just thought I’d tell ya.”
AJ: “Then tell me who’s pulling baskets?”
M: “Who is managing the first field.”
AJ: “Ah’m not-WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE FIELDS RIGHT NOW!”
M: “Applejack, deep breaths.”
AJ: “Ah wanna know, what’s the pony’s name pulling baskets?!”
M: “What’s managing the second field.”
AJ: “Ah’m not asking you who’s managing the second field.”
M: “Who’s managing the first field.”
AJ: “Ah don’t know.”
“Third field!” they said together again.
She was getting tired of this.
AJ: “The pullers name?”
M: “Why”
Aj: “Because!”
M: “Oh, he’s in charge of the plows,” oh for crying out loud, she landed somewhere else entirely now.
AJ: “Look, look, look, let’s ignore that for now. You got somepony getting fresh water to all of them?”
M: “Of course.”
AJ: “The water pony’s name?”
M: “Tomorrow.”
AJ: “You don’t wanna tell me today?”
M: “I’m telling you now”
AJ: “Then go ahead.”
M: “Tomorrow.”
AJ: “What time?”
M: “What time what?”
AJ: “What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me who’s the water pony?”
M: “Now listen, Who is not the water pony-”
AJ: “Ah’m gonna buck you if you say ‘Who’s on the first field’!”
M: “Applejack just calm down.”
AJ: “Ah wanna know what’s the water pony’s name.”
M: “What’s in charge of the second field.”
AJ: “Ah don’t know.”
“Third Field” once again they say together. Time for something else.
AJ: “You got somepony in charge of supplies right?”
M: “Certainly.”
AJ: “The supplier’s name?”
M: “Today.”
AJ: “Today? And tomorrow’s the water pony?”
M: “Now you’ve got it!”
“All we’ve got is a couple of days running around,” she thinks she’s figured out this bit at least somewhat, “Ah’m pretty good at getting things moving around here.”
M: “So your family has told me.”
AJ: “So hypothetically, ah help Tomorrow move some water around.”
M: “Ya?” ok, now to figure out the rest of it.
AJ: “Ah go all the way out to the first field and give the water to WHO?”
M: “Now that’s the first thing you’ve said right” oh consarn it.
Aj: “Ah don’t even know what ah’m talking about!”
M: “That’s all you have to do”
AJ: “Is to give the water to the first field manager?”
M: “Yes.”
AJ: “Now who’s got it?”
M: “Naturally.”
Did she finally get an answer?
AJ: “Look, ah get the water to the first field manager, somepony’s gotta get it. Now who has it?”
M: “Naturally.”
AJ: “Who?”
M: “Naturally.”
AJ: “Naturally?” Was that it then?
M: “Naturally.”
AJ: “So ah give the water to Naturally?”
M: “No you don’t, you give the water to Who.”
AJ: “Naturally.”
M: “That’s different.”
AJ: “That’s what ah said.”
M: “You didn’t say that.”
AJ: “Ah give the water to Naturally.”
M: “You give the water to Who.”
AJ: “Naturally.”
M: “That’s it.”
AJ: “That’s what ah said!”
M: “Listen, you ask me.” Alright she’ll play this game of his
AJ: “Ah give the water to who?”
M: “Naturally.”
Aj: “Now you ask me.”
M: “You give the water to Who.”
Aj: “Naturally.”
M: “That’s it.” Ah ha! Caught him in his act.
AJ: “SAME AS YOU!”
M: “Don’t change them arou-“
AJ: “SAME AS YOU!” Alright she’s had enough of this, “Ah give the water to who? Whoever it is has the water and ah go over to second field.”
M: “Yes.”
AJ: “Who’s got his water, and ah’m in second field giving it to What and then I go to third field and give water to I don’t know. Then ah group up with Tomorrow and get a refill.”
M: “Ya.”
AJ: “I take the new water to Because out with the plows. Why?! I don’t know! He’s managing the third field and I don’t give a hoot!”
M: “What?”
AJ: “Ah said, ah don’t give a hoot!”

“Oh! That’s our entertainment,” Martin pointing out towards cousin Fiddlesticks, who was playing her fiddle. That’s it!

Applejack threw her hat to the ground “CONSARN IT! Martin, you get out of here right now!”

“Huh?” he looked at her in surprise.

“Get out of here right now before ah do something we’ll both regret!” she yelled into his face.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave then,” he picked up her hat and placed it on her head, “I’m sorry you got mad… for whatever reason.” He walked away without an arguement. 

Applejack took a few deep breaths, “Dagnabbit, now I feel parched.” She walked over to the first field, “Hey, ah don’t care who can get at the water, but I’d like some.”

A pony with a name tag that said Who walked over to her with a ladle of water, “Here ya go, Applejack,” which only seemed to cause her eye to twitch.

> The Strange Question
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Question




While the day flew by without incident, the night would soon overshadow it. The evening sun was dipping past the horizon and the library party was in full swing. Everypony who was anypony had arrived for Pinkie's latest bash. She knew how to throw parties, and not one of those party goers was disappointed. Well except for the guest of honor, Twilight Sparkle. Spike however enjoyed the party to its fullest, somehow getting a lampshade on his head. Not entirely sure how or why. 
One party goer, Rainbow Dash, flew over to her good friend Pinkie Pie, the host. "Awesome party like always Pinkie."
That got a smile out of the pink mare. She continuously bounced up to eye level with Rainbow, "Thanks Dashie, I just wish that new pony in town was here."
Rainbow gave Pinkie a confused look, "Didn't she just run upstairs? We could drag her down here if we really wanted to," she gave a mischievous grin.
But Pinkie shook her head in the negative, "No, I'm talking about the NEW new pony, not the old new pony. He's a green stallion with brown mane and tail with a cutie mark that kinda looks like a hoof shake. OH, I wonder if he were to lay upside down on the grass he'd be totally camouflaged. He must be the best hide-and-seeker ever in tall grass. He could lay ANYWHERE and still hide. We should totally play with Martin later. It could be a picnic. He could bring sandwiches, I could bring cupcakes-" but Rainbow interrupted her rant.
"Woah, woah, woah, Martin? The weirdo stallion that poked me with a stick?" Her question elicited a gasp from Pinkie who then grabbed Rainbow and squished their faces together, floating in the air as they stared at each other.
"You met him too? This makes it so much easier," but gravity disagreed with their contact and dropped them to the ground with a 'thud'.
"Hey, watch it," Rainbow grunted while standing back up, shaking Pinkie off her.
"Whoops," Pinkie giggled, "Sorry about that Dashie. But never mind that, I've got a prank that we NEED to do that'll be amazing." After that, she told Rainbow the plan she had that required her help. Though they wouldn't get to enact it in a few days.



The other party goers continued to enjoy the party to its fullest. Some ate cake, some played games, some just socialized with a little gossip. Apparently the most recent gossip is that Mayor Mare had set up a bulletin board. But the party came to a halt when there was a resounding 'thunk' against the door. 
The partiers looked at each other with a questioning glance. That didn't sound like a hoof hitting the door. Was somepony trying to break it down or did they crash into it? They wondered briefly if they should be worried for themselves or the pony on the other side of the door. However, for two certain ponies, the sound seemed almost familiar. Rarity and Applejack gave an intense stare at the door.
"It couldn't be, could it?" Rarity whispered to herself. Only one way to be sure. She used a bit of magic to open the door. In a familiar scene, a green stallion fell face first into the floor. Everypony at the party stared at the downed stallion. Before they could wonder if he was alright, he sat up with a hoof raised into the air.
"Sorry I'm late to the party. I was trying to figure out if this tree was alive and it left me STUMPED," after saying that he fell over backwards onto his back. The partiers were stunned at the stallion's entrance and subsequent joke. A sharp laugh came from the back of the crowd breaking the silence.
"Thank you Pinkie!" he called falling into a fit of chuckles. That seemed to break the ice easily enough and a few other ponies chuckled with him. Everypony went back to their respective activities except Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, who made their way towards the stallion. 
"Martin, what did I tell you about headbutting trees?" Applejack asked while dragging him to his hooves, her face stern with irritation. He said he wouldn't do it again and yet here he was.
"That was a door," he affirmed using a loophole in her argument while closing said door.
His answer made Rarity sigh, "I just cannot understand your fixation on assaulting doors with your head."
Applejack looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "What do ya mean? This has happened before?" That stallion just can't seem to stay out of trouble.
"Yes, and I take no pleasure in saying that this is the second time I've had to open a door for him because he has crashed into it," Rarity said while leveling a stare at Martin. You would think he'd know better after the first time. Once is an accident, twice was on purpose.
But he just grinned back at her, "Thank you for that, Rarity," he gave his gratitude.
Her stare eased a bit, "You're quite welcome Martin, but I just wish you'd be more careful." He seemed to move to give her a response but a pink blur came to a stop in front of him.
"Martin! You made it, I'm so glad! Are you having fun? Did you eat some cake? Did you play some games? Did you, did you, did you?" her eyes were bright with excitement and anticipation.
He smiled back at her, "I haven't tried the cake or played any games but I'm already having fun because the friends I made today are here," he then proceeded to call and wave at each of these new friends by name, "Hi Applejack, hi Rarity," the both of them raised an eyebrow at his antics. "Hi Pinkie, hi Rainbow," Pinkie giggled while Rainbow greeted him back with a 'yo'. "Hi Fluttershy, hi Spike," he called past them towards the pegasus and dragon. Fluttershy gave a small wave while Spike lifted the lampshade off his eyes and waved back at the green stallion with a 'Hey there'. He then called into the rest of the crowd at the remainder of his new friends, "Hi Carrot Top, hi Roseluck, hi Time Turner, hi Lyra, hi Bon-Bon, hi Bulk Biceps," he got a 'YEAH!' in response, "Hi Clear Skies, hi Open Skies, hi-" he paused with his next call looking through the crowd, "Where's Twilight Sparkle? I thought she'd be here with Spike," he asked the girls. Pinkie volunteered herself to answer.
"Oh she was here, this is a party for her after all, a surprise party no less. But after a few minutes she decided to go upstairs to her room. Spike's still here though, so he counts as the guest of honor as well," she explained.
Martin looked towards this ceiling, "This is a house? I thought it was a library."
"It's both, lot of homes 'round here double as a place of business. Like my farm, Rarity's dress up shop," Applejack started.
Said pony decided to correct, "Boutique, if you please. But she is correct, even Pinkie Pie here lives above a bakery."
"Yep, Sugarcube Corner with Mr. and Mrs. Cake," Pinkie decided to add in.
"Wait, was that the one building that looked good enough to eat?" Martin asked with a little drool in his mouth.
"Yep! But don't try to eat it, plaster doesn't taste very good. The bakery is where I get to make yummy treats for all my friends, but I also get to eat and sleep there. Hey, even Dashie lives where she works," Pinkie said while pointing up at the pegasus.
However Rainbow frowned, "What? No I don't, my house has nothing to do with my job," she denied.
"Ya huh, your house is a cloud in the sky and you work with clouds in the sky, so you totally live where you work too," Pinkie argued back.
Rainbow blinked at the counter argument and rubbed a hoof on the side of her head, "Huh, well when you put it like that, I guess it's true. Nothing wrong with that, even Fluttershy does her stuff at her house."
"Huh, I guess it's not such a weird thing here in Ponyville," Martin said looking around at the library.
"Is there nothing like that in Broken Depths?" Rarity asked which got a weird look from the rest of the girls. They'd never heard of Broken Depths.
"What kind of name is Broken Depths? Is that some kind of hole in the ground?" Rainbow questioned the other mare. 
Rarity gave an irritated glance at her, "It happens to be where he's from." A look of understanding crossed each of their faces.
"Oh so that city of his that ain't got farms," Applejack said. 
Pinkie gave her input as well, "And where all his other friends are at." She still wanted to see some of Director's toys.
Martin had a proud grin on his face, "That's right, home sweet home," he looked over at Rarity, "And no, I don't think any of the shop owners actually live in their shop. The closest I think is Tim, but I've never actually seen that guy eat or sleep. So I'm not completely sure." The new name got some curious looks from the girls.
"And who might that be?" asked Rarity. 
"Honestly, and I don't mean this in a bad way, I think he's the weirdest resident of our town. And that's saying something. He has something we call a 'condition', we don't know if it's because of a curse or magic, or something else entirely. But this condition let's him be at ANY cash register in the ENTIRE town all at the same time. Like, if you were in between two shops, he'd be at the one you were looking at but if you turn around, he would be there too. We've confirmed it's not clones, mirrors, projection, or even teleportation. We just don't know how he does it. Even better, if you and a friend were to look at the two different shops at the same time, he would be at both." What the hay kind of pony does that?
"Ooooh, spooky," Pinkie said with a giggle. The other girls found it creepy.
"What the hay? Is he some kind of ghost?" asked Rainbow. Applejack and Rarity were equally weirded out. What kind of place was Broken Depths?
"Nope, he's very much alive. He's a good employee too. Although, he's very monotone, hardly ever changes his tone," Martin said only deepening the mystery to his home. "Well, I'm gonna make some more friends, you girls have fun with the party." He walked away from the mares who were trying to imagine the 'condition' of the pony he talked about. 



Roseluck was talking with her friends, Lily Valley and Daisy, about the latest gossip. They were close friends that dealt in various forms of flower care, gaining the nickname of the Flower Sisters. Today their gossip was that bulletin board Mayor Mare put up. Apparently, with one bit for admission, a pony can post a request for assistance for all to see and hope for some takers. Easy money and doesn't require any real hiring process.
"I'm telling you, Mayor Mare is gonna run us dry with this move," Lily proclaimed. Lily felt that the bulletin was the start of a conspiracy to run the town dry of bits. 
Roseluck and Daisy rolled their eyes at their friend, "It's one bit, Lily. I think we can spare that much in order to seek help," Roseluck told her.
"Why do we have to pay for that? I could just ASK for help or better yet, post some of my own papers around town, how about that?" she asked. 
"Wouldn't you have to use some bits for those papers and ink?" Daisy pointed out, "I have to agree with Rose, it's better to just pay the bit. At least then it's somewhere ponies are actually seeking some work, instead of just some ignored paper all over the place."
Lily felt her resolve weaken, "Well ya, but I just don't like hoofing over a bit with no guarantee that I'll get the help I'm asking for," she explained.
"Nopony is forcing you, it's just there for your and their convenience," Roseluck told her. "I've already made a request on it. Ya, I'm one bit light, but if I can get some quick, easy, and cheap labor, then I'm fine with that."
"Doing what?" a voice asked from beside them. The three of them screamed in fright, whirling around to look at the intruder. Roseluck recognized stallion immediately.
"Martin, don't scare us like that," she scolded the stallion. He just smiled in return, not looking the least bit sorry for scaring them. The other two calmed down, reassured that Roseluck knew this pony.
"Who is this, Rose?" Lily asked.
"This is Martin, he's a new pony in town. Martin, these are my friends, Lily Valley and Daisy," she introduced them. Martin and Roseluck had met briefly when she was watering her garden. They had introduced themselves and had some small talk. He mentioned that the last time he saw something that looked like a rose, it had tried to eat him. She had laughed at such a joke seeing as that was extremely unlikely.
"It's nice to meet you Martin," Daisy said first.
"Likewise, are all 3 of you gardeners?" he asked them.
"Yep, each of us specialize in a different series of flowers," Lily mentioned. "We are also the leading provider for the most delicious flowers in town," Daisy added.
That seemed to get a confused look out of Martin as he stared at the flower in Lily's mane. "The flowers are that good?" he asked.
"Pay up and we'll show you," Lily said brazenly not liking him insinuating their flowers weren't good. 
Roseluck bumped her with her flank and gave a stare while Daisy corrected, "What she meant to say was, you should stop by one of our shops, we'll be glad to sell you some," she said much more delicately.
"Well if you're confident in their taste, then I'll definitely try some before I leave town." The 3 of them smiled at a successful future sale. But Lily felt her curiosity peek out.
"How long do you plan to stay in town?" asked Lily. 
"I'm actually waiting for a friend to come and get me so it can be anywhere between tonight and a few months," he looked over at Roseluck, "That's why I was interested in that bulletin you three mentioned. I could use some money to hold me over until then." 
"Well if you do good work, I can definitely help you with that, I need some assistance with my tool shed," she told him. He was asking for her help and willing to work for it, she had no reason to refuse, "You can come over tomorrow, near the place we had a chat. Sometime after lunch maybe?" Martin nodded in agreement before Lily butted in.
"Ya, you could totally help me too, so I can completely bypass Mayor Mare's rigged system." Lily giving her own reasons for wanting to help the stallion as well.
"Lily," Daisy sighed in slight irritation, "I can't think of anything right now, but if there is something I need done, I'll be sure to come to you first," she offered her assistance as well.
Martin gave them a heartfelt smile, "Thank you for the generous offers, that really means a lot," he turned to leave, "I think I've bothered you three enough. I feel like meeting some of these other ponies."
"It was no bother Martin," Lily said, "it was nice meeting you."
"You too," he said walking away.
They each waved at him as he went through the crowd. "I bet if he cleaned up a bit, he'd look amazing," Daisy suggested. Which made Lily sigh in irritation at her while Roseluck rolled her eyes at her friends.
There were no more incidents for the rest of the party so everypony moved to the town hall to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration and see Princess Celestia raise the sun.



"And now the night shall last forever!" Nightmare Moon laughed at her cowering subjects. Twilight looked up at her in horror. This was bad, this was very bad. With the constant distractions today she wasn't really able to get much time to study on the Elements of Harmony. What with the preparation, the crazy ponies, the party. And now the creature of nightmares was here and no pony was prepared. Princess Celestia was missing as well, so they couldn't rely on her to protect them. She had to get back to the library and find the book on the elements.
Her train of thought was interrupted when somepony raised their hoof somewhere to her left. She looked over and saw a familiar green stallion. 
"Martin, what are you doing?!" she whispered at him. Spike had mentioned that he had showed up at the party after she left it. He also mentioned that he apologized to the stallion in her stead. Which he apparently accepted without hesitation. But WHAT WAS THAT CRAZY STALLION DOING NOW?!
Nightmare Moon seemed to notice him, "Oh? Do we have a pony who wishes to challenge my rule?" she chuckled menacingly.
"I have a question," he called up to her.
"Really? And what might that be?" she ushered him to continue. But he didn't answer immediately and just waved his hoof in the air.
"I have a question," he called again.
Nightmare Moon lost her smile, "Yes?"
"Down here," he continued to wave his hoof.
Nightmare Moon was now frowning, "You, ask your question," she said pointing at him.
"The green one waving his hoof," he called.
Nightmare was now scowling, "The idiot down in front,"
He finally dropped his hoof but he didn't ask his question, "Drat, I wanted my question answered." Suddenly a dark blue aura surrounded him and brought him up to Nightmare's eye level.
"What is your question, fool?!" she yelled at him. He blinked at her and looked around himself as if looking for another pony before pointing at himself with a questioning look. She grit her teeth and her starry mane billowed violently behind her in response to her anger.
The royal guard felt that now was the time to interfere, "Stop right there!" Three pegasi in gold armor flew up to Nightmare, "Release that civilian at once!"
"Stand back you foals!" she said before hurling Martin into the pegasi knocking all of them into the wall with enough force to crack it. They all slumped to the floor in a pile.
Martin's head was embedded into the chest plate of one of the royal guards, "Ball four, take your base," his voice slurred.
"That was terrible," groaned the guard Martin's head was stuck to.
Nightmare Moon's mane wrapped around herself and she disappeared into a mist that flew past the crowd and out the doors. Rainbow Dash gave chase, Twilight ran off towards the library with Spike, and Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy followed her. Everypony that was left panicked. A living legend had declared night time forever, what are they gonna do?
Mayor Mare took charge of the situation, "Everypony please calm down!" While it didn't silence them, it did lower the volume. "Until this crisis is averted, I will ask all of you to return to your homes and lock your doors. We shall have the royal guard deal with this situation." The ponies filed out of the building but Mayor Mare stopped one particular one. "Nurse Redheart, a moment please," Mayor Mare called while walking towards the downed guards.
The named earth pony quickly trotted up to them, "Are there any injured?" she asked.
"The both of us are fine but I'm afraid Private Dust Bowl broke his wing, and it seems the civilian is stuck on his armor," the eldest pegasi reported. 
"I'm sorry, sir" the younger pegasus apologized while trying not to move his misshapen wing.
"There's no need for that private, we ALL are at fault here."
Nurse Redheart looked both Dust Bowl and Martin over, "I'm afraid there's not much I can do here, we're going to have to bring the both of them to the clinic."
Abruptly, the green stallion stood up carrying the armored pegasus up into the air who gave a 'woah' at the sudden movement. The armor clung to his head with a vice grip, covering his eyes completely. "Don't worry lady, I'll get him there in a jiffy." He galloped forward where he thought the door was.
"No no no!" Dust called but they crashed into the wall anyway, "Ow" Dust groaned at the new injury.
"I can do this!" Martin turned and galloped again.
"Left! Left!" Dust called which Martin complied this time and turned out the door, "AHHHHHH!" Dust screamed in terror as he was carried off into the night.
The remaining ponies stared in stunned silence at what had just happened.
"I-I think I'd better go after them," Nurse Redheart said, "Mayor Mare, if you'd please get Doctor Horse, I believe I will need his assistance." With that she galloped after them.
Mayor Mare coughed a little, "Yes well, I'd best get on that, I wish you gentlecolts luck in this endeavor." She walked past the still stunned stallions.



Nurse Redheart was able to successfully retrive and guide the temporarily blinded stallion into the clinic where Doctor Horse was waiting. "Good job in getting them here, Nurse Redheart. But have you attempted to separate the two of them?" he asked his nurse.
She shook her head, "I've tried but the armor is stuck on tight, to the both of them. I thought it be best to put the wing in a cast before we attempted to more forcefully remove the armor, as not to aggravate it any further."
"Hmm, I agree with your assessment. Now Mister..." Doctor Horse gave a pause so the green stallion could give his name. 
He did not seem to catch that so Dust poked him from on top of his head, "Hey he's talking about you."
"Oh, my name's Martin, nice to meet you," he called smiling at the doctor, or he would if he was facing the right way.
"Mister Martin? Alright, I'm going to have to ask you to move your head into slightly hurtful positions so we are able to properly x-ray Mister Dust Bowl's wing and properly put a cast on it. Are you prepared for such events?" Doctor Horse told him in detail.
"You got it doc," Martin said without hesitation.
The doctor nodded, "Good, Nurse Redheart, please get the x-ray ready, I'll head back and get the supplies for setting the cast." Both nurse and doctor left the room leaving the patients alone.
Dust Bowl sighed, "This sucks. Bed time legend comes to life, I embarrass myself and my squad in front of all those ponies, I broke my wing, and now I'm stuck to you."
"Well it's not all bad," Martin called up to the pony on his head.
"Oh ya? What good has come up, hmm? How am I even stuck to you? This doesn't seem physically possible," he asked. His second question would go unanswered though.
"You guys saved me after all," he said naming one thing.
"Ya, a lot good that did us, we've still both been sent to the hospital," Dust said slightly upset.
"You also made a new friend."
"What, really?" he asked surprised.
"Of course, you guys helped me, of course I'd consider you my friend," Martin said as if it was obvious.
"Oh well, uh, we were just doing out duty sir," Dust said trying to play it off.
"Well thank you," he said lifting Dusty's mood. "I figure we're going to be stuck like this for a while. So I gotta ask, what exactly is the royal guard?"
"You don't know?" Martin shook his head but that jostled the pony on it, "Woah, easy there, just verbally answer alright? Well the royal guard is basically an elite group that protects the peace of Equstria, we're the best of the best."
"So like the police?" Martin guessed.
"Eh, kinda? We do capture criminals and lay down the law but our orders come directly from the crown. So we have a lot more duties to uphold," Dust explained.
"Huh, we kinda have a group like that in my home town. They're called the Militia," Martin said.
"You have a militia in your town?" he asked.
"Not 'a militia', THE Militia. It's an organization run by my inventor friend Director. They use his inventions to help keep the peace of the town. We have an actual police force but when they need a little more power, the Militia is at the ready."
"That, actually sounds really cool, using experimental equipment to fight crime," Dust admitted, "But aren't they ever worried about one of the experiments going wrong?"
"Well they have plenty of training but I don't think they have to worry about that," Martin gave a light shrug, "They kinda never get called to action, anything the town MIGHT have needed their help with would usually already be dealt with."
Dust sighed, "Ya, I know how that is sometimes." He thought back to the countless times he's had to 'guard' different places.
Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart chose that moment to come in. The scans took no time and the wing was quickly set and put in a cast. Martin put his head down on the raised mat so they could more easily do it. While the cast was being put on, Dust decided to question Martin a little more.
"You were going on about asking Nightmare Moon a question, what were you actually going to ask her?" he asked genuinely curious. Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart were equally as curious but didn't show it.
Martin smiled sheepishly, "It's a little embarrassing the way she blew up at me, but all I wanted to know was how would we know what time we would sleep."
"What do you mean?" Dust asked.
"Well she said it was going to be night forever, so I was wondering how we would know when to sleep. There wouldn't be a day-night cycle anymore so there's no physical representation of sleepy time," Martin explained.
"Huh, I guess that would be a concern. But shouldn't we be more worried about the whole, freezing nights and no sunlight for plants for food," Dust pointed out.
"Actually, I don't think you'd have to worry about that, cause couldn't magic solve both of those problems?" Martin asked. The ponies that could still see looked towards the resident unicorn.
Doctor Horse blinked at the sudden attention, "Oh uh, well she has control of the moon so I'm sure she could do something about the warmth. As for the plants, MAYBE there's something that will let them use moonlight instead of sunlight. I mean if anypony could do something like that, I'm sure an alicorn could." The two ponies nodded in agreement with his statement, Martin however was confused.
"Is that what she was?" he asked.
"Of course, did you not see the wings and horn on her? Both are the signs of an alicorn." Nurse Redheart explained.
"Huh, so she did. I didn't notice at first, it was really dark." With the cast in place, the doctor and nurse pried the armor off the guard and used some tools to free Martin.
"Thanks a lot doc for freeing us," Martin told the yellow unicorn.
"Ya, thanks. I better get back to my unit, even if I'm disabled, they could probably use the extra hooves. Good bye Martin, it was interesting to chat with you." With that, Dust Bowl left, galloping off into the night.
"You're quite welcome Martin, but we'd best clean up here and return to our homes as Mayor Mare ordered. You can show yourself out, can't you?" Doctor Horse asked.
"Of course, and don't worry, I'm sure this will all work out in the morning, thanks for bringing us Nurse Redheart," Martin answered before walking out himself.
"No problem dear," she called after him, "if that morning ever comes."
"Did you notice anything odd, Nurse?" Doctor Horse suddenly asked.
"Odd?" she questioned.
"That stallion Martin, he was smashed into that armor hard enough for it to deform around his head. And yet, when we removed it, there was only a very small bruise there, it didn't even need a cold pack," he explained.
Nurse Redheart's eyes widened in realization. It was true, but what could it mean?



Morning had finally come. The new Elements of Harmony had vanquished Nightmare Moon and restored her to her true form of Princess Luna, sister of Princess Celestia and co-ruler of Equestria. The returning party for the two princess showed the ponies relief of their returned princess and their forgiveness for what Luna had done. Twilight smiled at that forgiveness for Luna. Happy for both Princesses.
"Wait, so is this like a reverse growth spurt?" a familiar voice suddenly asked. Twilight's mouth twitched in an attempt to keep from frowning as Martin stood in front of the rulers with no proper respect. "Also, hi, I'm Martin, it's nice to meet you," he introduced himself casually. Shouldn't he be at the hospital or SOMETHING?!
Luna seemed surprised at his upfront approach and hesitated in answering him. Celestia gave her a small nudge and gestured towards the smiling stallion. Luna took a breath, "We-we wish to apologize to you, sir Martin. For our insulting words and assault on your form. We ask for your forgiveness."
"Aw, it's no trouble," he dismissed it with a wave of his hoof, "I won't hold it against you. You definitely deserve a second chance," his smile lowered a bit, "Because not all can get one." Twilight gave a questioning look at the lowered smile. Had something troubling happened to him before?
"We thank you for your kindness," Luna told him.
"You're welcome," his smiling returning full force.
And with that, the party returned full force. Twilight was glad everything had worked out in the end. But there was one thing she had to do first. She walked over to Martin and addressed him, "Hey Martin."
He smiled at her, "Hey Twilight, good job out there, you really pulled it off."
"Thank you, but I'd like to apologize. I know Spike already apologized for me, but I felt the need to do it myself. So I'm sorry. Your 'spell' actually worked and I got the best friends anypony could ask for. Can you forgive me?" she asked him.
"You're forgiven," he said immediately. Twilight returned his constant smile, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Her day only got better from there. It turned out she was actually going to stay with her friends here in Ponyville and study the magic of friendship. She was so happy for that. But one last message from Princess Celestia left her conflicted.
"Twilight, I'd like for you to do me a favor," she had said, "I want you to keep an eye on that pony, Martin. I sense something... odd from within him, an unstable foreign magic. He does not seem like a pony who would cause trouble, but something may happen accidentally. So please do what you can with him."
Twilight looked over at Martin as he socialized with some new friends he made. Just who IS Martin? And where did he come from?
> The Strange Morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Morning




While some ponies felt the need to take a nap after last night's extended experience, others couldn't find the resolve to sleep. They were wide awake and ready for the new day. But for a certain three ponies it was a Good Morning. Time Turner and Ditzy Doo were walking up a path together with a sing in their voice and a song in their heart. Put simply a sing-song... Shut up, it works, kinda.
"Good Morning," Time Turner called to the cross eyed pegasus.
"Good Morning," she returned to the brown stallion, "We've talked the whole night through."
"Good Morning," a certain green stallion stepped in, "Good Morning to you."
And so began their musical number:
Good morning, good morning,
It's great to stay up late.
Good morning, good morning to you.

When the band began to play,
The sun was shining bright.
Now the mailmare's on her way,
It's too late to say goodnight.

So, good morning, good morning,
Sunbeams are smiling through.
Good morning, good morning to you,
And you, and you, and you!

Good morning, good morning,
We've gabbed the whole night through.
Good morning, good morning to you.
You might just get the feels,
If you were to be in Ponyville.

In the morning, in the morning,
It's great to stay up late!
Good morning, good morning to you.
You might just get the peps,
If you was inside of Broken Depths.

When we left the Town Hall,
The future wasn't bright.
But came the dawn, the show goes on.
And I don't wanna say goodnight.

So say good morning, good morning
Rainbow is shining through.
Then Martin calls out words and the other two repeat after him.
Good Morning,
Good Morning.
Bon Jour,
Bon Jour.
Buenos Dias,
Buenos Dias.
Buon Giorno,
Buon Giorno.
Guten Morgen,
Guten Morgen.
Good morning to you!

The three of them cheered at the end of the song, smiles all around.
"Good show, Martin. Simply splendid," Time Turner praised.
"Thank you, Time Turner. But the both of you were far better," he praised the stallion and mare. 
"Ah yes, I don't believe you've been introduced. Martin this is my good friend Muffins," Time Turner gestured towards the mare.
"It's nice to meet you, Martin," said Derpy Hooves.
Martin looked down at the captions looking thoroughly confused. The other two ponies looked at him weirdly wondering what he was looking at.
Martin raised a hoof to the side of his mouth and whispered, "Pst, Narrator, I think you need to make a decision on her name." The weird looks intensified, who was he talking to? Me, of course.
Quite honestly I have NO idea what her name's supposed to be, so what I'm going to do is let you pick.
Martin nodded in understanding while lowering his hoof, "Well Muffin, it's not that I don't like your name, it sounds delicious, but do you think I could call by a nickname?"
She just smiled, "I don't mind, some of my other friends do the same thing. They usually call me Derpy or Ditzy."
"I like Ditzy, between the two, it sounds cuter," Martin decided.
"Alright," agreed the now nicknamed Ditzy, "So what brings you out and about this morning?"
"Nothing special, just out for a walk," he said with a shrug, "I'm helping Roseluck in a couple hours. Something to do with her tool shed, I think she said."
"Well, good luck with that but I gotta get started on my route, it was nice meeting you Martin," Ditzy called before she sprang into the air and flew off.
"Nice gal," Martin mentioned to the stallion next to him as they watched her leave.
"Indeed, she works hard even with her condition," Turner agreed. 
"You know, her eyes kinda remind me of a friend from home," Martin admitted.
That got some interest out of the brown stallion, "Really? You have a friend with wall-eyes syndrome?"
"Not exactly, see John Silver got into... You know, I don't think he ever told me how he lost his eye and a few limbs," Martin looked up in thought.
Time Turner lurched in surprise, "He lost what?" That sounded gruesome, did he survive some kind of accident or battle some monster?
"Don't worry he got replacements. But I mention that because he got a new eye which, for some reason, tends to drift. So when he's looking at stuff, it's like he's looking in two different directions, but not actually," Martin described.
"I-I see, while gruesome, I can sort of see where you're coming from," Turner admitted. He probably won't mention it to Ditzy. He shook his head to rid himself of the imagery, "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to walk with you. I have a few inquiries."
"Sure, I don't mind," he agreed. The both of them started walking aimlessly.
"Firstly, I must ask, during the song we called out something in several languages," Time Turner started.
"I'm 80% sure that those were just 'Good Morning' in different languages," Martin said it with confidence but the percentage he gave said he wasn't completely sure.
"That's not my question, though I already assumed that given the nature of the song. I'm more curious on where you learned so many languages," he asked. That normally suggested either a place with a lot of foreigners or a pony well traveled.
"I didn't learn the languages, just a few greetings. I may not be able to hold a conversation but I can at least welcome them," Martin gave a big smile at that, "As for where? I actually learned those phrases from tourists that passed through my town."
"Ah, is that what 'Broken Depths' is then? It felt odd to add in but if it's your home town, then it fits perfectly," Turner deduced, "But from tourists, is your town significant where you're from?"
"Nope, while our town is quite big, it's not really famous, tourists only pass through on their way to some other part of the country," Martin explained. That seemed a bit contradictory, if it's a big town, would it not therefore be at least known? Perhaps it's out of the way from the rest of the country? But that wouldn't explain how it got big. 
"Could you tell me about Broken Depths itself?" Turner asked. The question seemed to make the other stallion swell with pride.
"Well the most prominent features of the town are twin skyscrapers that stand opposite of each other on either side of the town. One's a giant mall and the other is the headquarters for an organization," Martin described.
Time Turner interjected, "Ah yes, I believe Manehatten has similar things, I hear they're quite a sight."
"Neat," he commented before continuing, "At the center of town is a park to relax in and also happens to be where the memorial for our founder is. You know it's really interesting, apparently, the founder of Broken Depths initially built it because he met a really lonely girl who lived nearby. In an act of kindness, he told her that he would make her a home where she could have friends, family, and just be happy. And we assume she did. The town grew from there."
That amazed Turner, a pony had started a town for somepony he'd just met? "That was incredibly generous of him. And I can tell his kindness was rewarded."
"Well it was a collaborative effort with the first settlers, but I get what you mean," Martin corrected.
Time Turner gave a look towards the sun, "I'd love to chat with you more but I believe I am out of time. It was nice learning about your home Martin. We should do this again some time."
"No problem," Martin waved to the other stallion, "You have a good day." They went their separate ways.
A town built on the premise of giving somepony a home, it would certainly be an interesting place to visit. But something in their conversation didn't add up but he just couldn't put his hoof on it.



After a much needed nap, Roseluck was tending to her garden. It took a lot of effort to keep plants happy and healthy, but it's always worth the efforts. She gave one of the flowers a good sniff and nodded satisfied with its health.
"Roseluck!" Somepony called her name. She looked up from her garden and saw Martin trotting up to her. 
She smiled at the stallion, "Martin! Glad you could make it, right on time too. You take a nap like Everypony else?" she asked him.
"Nope," he answered, "still going strong, ready to help wherever I'm needed."
The mare raised an eyebrow at him, he's going full 24 hours and isn't tired at all? Did he use something? "Well if you want to get started, the sheds around back, come on I'll show you," she picked up the tools she had been using and put them in her saddlebag. She takes a moment to put it on and noticed that Martin was staring at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked him.
"You use that to carry your tools?" he stared at her saddlebags. Does he have a problem with how she does her work?
"That? There's nothing wrong with them, just because I don't use a tool belt doesn't mean I'm not a professional. Saddlebags suit me just fine, and I would thank you not to criticize me for it," she stated with a glare.
"Easy, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious," he tried to calm her down. She did, no reason to get upset with his naivety. She led him around back to a small shed. 
"Here it is," she waved a hoof at it while setting her saddlebag down to the side of it, "Now what I need you to do is organize, I don't really care how, as long as it's simple."
He stared at the door, "What do you mean?"
She opened the door to the shed to show tools and other miscellaneous things scattered around, "I've been getting a little lazy with putting my tools back. That includes random stuff I don't want in the house anymore. I've been meaning to clean it out myself but I have a shop to run and I don't want to leave tools outside unsupervised. So when Mayor Mare put up that bulletin board, I got the idea of hiring somepony to clean it for me while I was minding the store." She was a little ashamed she wanted to hire somepony else to clean up her mess, but it worked out for the both of them.
"That seems reasonable enough. May as well get started," he scanned the shed of it's objects, "You know, if I still wore sleeves, I would roll them up," he said while entering the tool shed. 'Sleeves', he wore clothes for something other then parties?
"Why would you wear clothes while doing some physical labor?" she asked, "I mean, unless it's for a uniform, they'd only get damaged."
"Actually most of the residents where I come from wear clothes all the time," oh so that's it, he was from one of those rich cities where everypony wore clothes. "We do have a group that wears uniforms though so there's that," he added.
"Doesn't that get expensive?" she asked. Paying for the clothes is one thing, but you have to also wash and fix them for when they tear. 
"It can be sometimes, but they have the money for it," he said while moving tools around in the shed. 
"Huh, interesting, if you ever did want to wear something, you'd have to ask Rarity. She runs a boutique here and just makes the most gorgeous of dresses," Roseluck said while imagining a dress of her own. 
Martin chuckled, "Well I don't know about wearing a dress, but I'll certainly ask about other articles of clothes." Martin in a suit, she wondered what that would look like. She imagined a classic black and white tuxedo with his mane slicked and his fur brushed. But the image just seemed wrong, ill fitting. She took a peek inside and saw Martin carefully move some clippers with his teeth. He didn't seem like the kind of stallion who would let etiquette keep him from having a good time. He just seems to like being himself and nopony else. 
He looked over at her, "hmm?" he asked.
She shook her head, "It's nothing. Hey, I'm going to run my shop for a while. I'll be back in an hour to check your progress." A little break to make sure everything was fine.
He set the clippers down, "Ok have fun, I'll figure out a way to do this faster." That was fine, if he wanted to do it in his own special way, she wouldn't stop him.
"Just don't break any of my stuff alright? I'll see you in an hour," she said before walking off. It would take him a while to finish it. Hopefully he hadn't been lying through his teeth and was going to steal her stuff.
She took a few minutes to set everything up in the shop, but when she was satisfied, she flipped the sign at the front of her store to 'Open'. Oddly, the first pony to come through was Martin, who looked at each flower in interest.
"Martin? What are you doing here? Are you taking a break already?" She didn't think he was lazy. Maybe he had a question for her?
"No," he took a sniff of the air, "Smells nice. I'm actually done." He's what?
"You're what?" she asked in surprise. How could he be done already? Did he do it cheaply? "When I said organized I didn't mean a pile of tools and a pile of other stuff."
"It's organized," he reassured. "Everything has it's own spots. Clippers, trowels, rakes, all in their proper place."
"I don't believe you," she said giving him a flat look. She went back to the front of the store and flipped the 'Open' sign back over. If he was lying she would chew him out for getting into her work hours and giving a false sense of reliability.
They walked around back over to the shed and she couldn't believe her eyes. He was telling the truth. Everything was properly separated, tools were put next to each other neatly, and miscellaneous stuff were ordered by size.  She'd never seen the shed so clean, it even looked like he swept.
"How?" she uttered. There was no possible way he was able to do all this in a few minutes.
"I found another way to do it," he simply said, "I didn't think my ability would work here, but apparently it does." 
"Is that your special talent?" she asked, it would make sense. Being able to do this like nopony else. That was cutie mark expertise. Did that mean as long as he was helping others and it was within his capabilities, he would excel?
"I wouldn't really call it that but sure," he answered uncertainly. Incredible, he held up his end of the bargain, she may as well hold up hers. She walked over to her saddlebag, took out a sack of coins, and pulled out some bits.
"Here's your payment, 10 bits, you've earned it," she hoped. If it was an illusion, then the chewing out she promised before would come back full force. He took the bits from her hoof and stared at them for a bit. "They're all there, I promise," she reassured him.
"I trust you, we just don't use bits in Broken Depths," well that's interesting.
"You don't? I thought everypony used bits," she assumed anyway. She couldn't give a confirmation for every other species beyond Equestria.
"Nope, first time seeing them, how much is 10 worth?" he asked. Did he really come to Ponyville without a single clue on how the money system worked?
"Well with 10 you could get a decent lunch," she suggested. He looked up in thought, his eyes moving up and down with a hoof held up pointing every so often. She could only assume he was crunching numbers.
"I think I have the general idea, thank you Roseluck, you really helped me," he praised.
But she shook her head, "I should thank you, you're the one who did the work, I just payed you." It was the simple truth.
"If you say so," he smiled at her, "I'm going to do a little shopping, then go over to Lily to see what she wanted done. Do you think you can give me directions?" That's right, Lily did mention something about bypassing Mayor Mare's system. Roseluck wondered what she needed to get done.
"Sure, she's just a few blocks in that direction," she pointed east. They set up shop away from each other so they wouldn't take customers from the other.
He nodded, "Thank you, you have a good day."
"You too!" she waved after him as he walked off. She walked back to her shop and flipped the sign to open. She could feel today was a good day.



Pinkie watched her prey as he exited Lily's shop with a newly bought brown sack, that he had bought on the way there, around his neck filled with well earned bits. She had special plans for the green stallion, very special plans. She was in disguise with a pair of binoculars on her face gazing at Martin with a serious expression. 
"Hi Pinkie, watcha doin?" He asked the pink mare sitting in a pot with a flower on her head. He didn't stop but slowed down as he passed her.
"I'm spying on you, cause Twilight says Princess Celestia said you got weirdo magic," the binoculars followed him, "me and the other girls agreed to keep an eye on you, but I'm doing it for another reason." She told him. Twilight didn't say she COULDN'T tell him.
He blinked at the confession but smiled soon after, "Well have fun with that."
Pinkie's serious look morphed into a happy smile, "Thanks, you have fun being spied on!" she waved to him and then went back to her serious look.
"I will!" he called back to her and walked out of sight. Very soon he will get what he deserves.



Evening was rolling in and Spike was slugging along back towards the library with bags of food and snacks for a special meeting Twilight wanted to have with the girls. Probably to do with their new position of Elements of Harmony or something. Honestly he didn't care, but he wished he didn't have to drag all the food back by himself. On the plus side, he was able to get a new comic book with the leftover bits. He was happy to help, plus Rarity was waiting for him back at the library, she'll be so grateful.
"Heya Spike," a familiar voice called to him. Spike looked over and saw Martin walking up to him. He seemed to have gained some accessories since they last met. He had a small bag on a rope tied around his neck, jingling with bits inside. On either side of him were new green saddlebags, a bit darker then his coat.
"Hey Martin, how are you doing?" he asked politely.
"Doing good, just finished some shopping. Seems like you did too," he gestured towards the bags in his arms.
"Ya, Twilight and the other girls are having some kind of meeting, so she had me go out and get some food for them to eat for dinner," Spike explained. He had gotten ingredients for soup and salad. Something simple but filling.
"That's very responsible of you," Martin complimented which got an embarrassed smile out of Spike.
"Well, I am her number 1 assistant," he stated proudly.
"I can believe that," he smiled down at the dragon, "Do you want some help carrying that back to the library?" He made a tempting offer.
Spike weighed his options: On one claw, he could do it himself and prove himself, on the other, he could get Martin's help and be able to relax. Well, even if he were to go back by himself, the girls would probably be too wrapped up in the meeting to notice his efforts. So with that thought, he accepted Martin's help. He carefully placed the food inside Martin's saddlebags, taking out his new comic book, and hopped up on Martin's back. He read about the latest adventure of the Power Ponies.
"Whatcha reading?" Martin asked as he took a glance back towards Spike while casually walking in the direction of the library.
"The Power Ponies, right now they're introducing a new villain. Flank Fryer, a unicorn chef who is the master of flames and uses enchanted food to mind control innocent ponies, this is gonna be awesome," Spike gushed about his comic book.
"Power ponies? That sounds like a super hero group," Martin guessed.
"Yep, they're my current favorite series. Do you have any cool super heroes where you're from?" Spiked asked hoping for some more cool stories.
"Sorry Spike, I don't really follow comic books," he disappointed the dragon, "I have a friend who actually takes it a step further and just LOATHES the super hero genre."
Spike blinked in surprise, somepony hates super heroes that much? "Why's that?" he asked.
"Well from what I can gather, he hates what they represent," upon seeing Spike's confused look he elaborated, "Here imagine this. Say the Flank Fryer was enacting his scheme and hypnotizing a bunch of civilians. Then officers of the law come in and try to stop him but they are easily beaten. Then the Power Ponies come in and use their power to defeat the Flank Fryer. Do you see what I mean?"
"Not really," Spike scratched his head. Isn't that what's supposed to happen?
"My friend hates that super heroes make the ordinary seem completely useless. That you need extraordinary abilities in order to be useful," Martin explained.
"But they're SUPER villains, the super definition literally means they're above the ordinary. That's why we need SUPER heroes in order to beat them," Spike countered.
Martin only shrugged, "He probably has a deeper reason why he hates super heroes but that was the excuse he gave me. Only other thing he hates just as much is probably royalty."
Spike's jaw dropped in surprise, "He hates the princesses?!" How could somepony hate them? They're the most kind, generous, benevolent ponies in Equestria.
Martin quickly shook his head, "No no, he just doesn't like the concept of royalty. Something about absolute power and being born into it. It probably doesn't help that our town has had bad experiences with royalty." Bad experiences? What, were they attacked by some foreign queen?
"Like what?" Spike asked curious. 
At that Martin gave a small smile, "Let's just say he tried to force us into something we really didn't want to do." Spike decided to drop the issue, he didn't like where it was going. So he changed topics to hoofball where Martin listened avidly.



It was well into the evening with the skies orange from the setting sun. Twilight peeked out of her window to make sure somepony wasn't eavesdropping on them. She had called the girls together to compare notes they had made on Martin by asking ponies around town. Hopefully they can get some insight who he REALLY is.
"No offense Twi, but don't ya think yer taking this a bit far?" Applejack asked the lavender mare. The girls stood in a dark room with a light shining down from above while they stood in a circle. 
"Princess Celestia said to keep an eye on him and that he's got some kind of unstable magic in him. So we have to be careful not to set him off," Twilight explained.
"You make it sound like he's some kind of bomb waiting to go off," mentioned Rainbow Dash floating lazily in the air above the circle. 
"With unstable magic, that may very well be a possibility," which got a squeak of fright from Fluttershy.
"Twilight, Darling, while we've all agreed that we're curious enough to investigate Martin and his origins. I have to agree with Applejack that you're taking this too far. You're treating him like he's an enemy out to ruin Equestria," the other girls nodded in agreement.
Being outvoted by her friends, Twilight's resolve crumbled, "Well," HAD she taken it too far? She'd seen mostly good things about him, she herself saw how he was forgiving and only tried to make others happy. Princess Celestia had commented that he may have been dangerous but she had also said he didn't seem like a bad pony. Twilight took another glance at the setting sun. Maybe she HAD taken the issue out of proportion.
Twilight lowered her head and sighed, "I'm sorry girls, I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. I would still like to investigate, but just out of genuine curiosity."
"That's more like it, we're doing this to better understand a friend, not to see if he's a stinky Mc meanie pants," Pinkie said. "Also, that would be really neat to have a mole hill the size of a mountain. They'd have so much room!"
Twilight ignored Pinkie in favor of starting the meeting, "Let's start chronologically. Fluttershy, you said you actually saw him arrive?" she asked the timid pegasus.
Fluttershy shrunk a little when being called out first, "Oh uh, yes. I was about to start practicing with the birds when there was this sound. I hid in the bushes and then Martin seemed to tumble out of thin air."
"Thin air? Was there a burst of magic?" asked Twilight, but the pegasus shook her head.
"No, he just seemed to fall out of nothing. I-I'm sorry but I really didn't see anything," she gave an ashamed look.
"It's quite alright Darling, we believe you. What happened next?" Rarity urged the timid mare to go on.
"Well he seemed to notice something about his foreleg and then cheered about having four legs again," she continued, "He ran off but sneaked back around behind me. After that though we had a nice talk, he explained his special talent is helping others and then he walked off to explore the rest of the town."
"Which we assume is when he came upon Rarity, given the time of each meeting," Twilight surmised.
"Quite right, the first thing he does is ram into the door of the town hall. I made sure the poor dear was alright. Afterwards we had a chat, apparently he had never heard of the Summer Sun Celebration before then. I also learn that he happens to be a foreigner and his home town is called Broken Depths. He left soon after," Rarity told her side of the story.
"I think he came to me after that, not sure. I was snoozing before he makes a really long stick and pokes me. We talk a bit and he doesn't even know who the Wonderbolts are! I mean, what the hay? He asks me to do some stunts, which I'm more then happy to do. Afterwards he was awed by my skill and mentions that he has a friend named Sven who is another flier but they have prosthetic wings. I made a promise to him to show him some things to tell his friend and we went our separate ways," Rainbow Dash gave her slightly exaggerated story.
"Where he comes by me while I'm setting up Twilight's 'Welcome to Ponyville party!' He introduced himself and I ask him if he's an alien here to bring the War of Sweets, but he said no. He does mention an inventor friend named Director who could make neat things. He left after promising to hang out later," Pinkie gave her slightly strange explanation.
"After that he came into a conversation between me and Spike. He mentioned having encountered a cousin of dragons called 'wyverns'. We spoke a bit, I show off a spell, and he mentioned a unicorn friend of his named Theo. Apparently he arrived accidentally in Ponyville because they were practicing magic together and a messed up teleport spell sent him here," Twilight started her side of the story.
"He's an earth pony though, how could he be practicing magic?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I think it's more like his friend uses spells on him, like what me and Spike do sometimes," Twilight told her, "Anyway, he mentioned that he's waiting here for his friends to come pick him up and is convinced that he needs to remain in town in order to do it. Oddly enough, he claimed to be able to do his own magic and decided to cast a 'spell' on me to make friends. I... resisted his tomfoolery and left feeling bitter," she hesitated with that bit.
Pinkie gave a little giggle, "I guess his spell worked. That leaves Applejack."
"'Parently I'm last, so he showed up on the farm gigglin' at my hat. Though, it's just because he's got a friend with a white hat of his own. Which, come to think of it, don't make the next thing make sense. He's never heard of apple bucking before cause all his food gets imported. Shouldn't his friend with his own hat know about it?" Applejack asked.
"Well it may just be a decoration, it holds no real history or value, or perhaps he's just never spoken about apple bucking to Martin? We just don't know," Rarity interjected a point.
"Ah guess," Applejack conceded, "after headbutting a tree when ah told him to buck, ah sent him off to rest back in town. Didn't see him after that until he came to your welcome party."
"At the party he mentioned that nopony at his town lives at their place of business, and that he has a REALLY weird friend name Tim who apparently is everywhere at once, tell me that is not creepy?" Rainbow Dash asked. 
"He's everywhere behind a cash register, remember?" Pinkie quickly added.
"And when we were celebrating the return of Princess Luna, he insinuated that he knew somepony, either himself or somepony close, wasn't able to get a second chance. That's all our personal accounts, right?" They nodded so she continued, "So let's go over the information that we've collected, jump in when something pertaining to what you found out is said."
"He comes from a town called Broken Depths, which is in a foreign country and they import all their food," Twilight started.
"Time Turner says that the town has two big skyscrapers and was built because the founder wanted to give somepony a home, he also said that they sometimes get tourists that speak different languages," Pinkie put in.
"Um, Roseluck said they don't use bits and that everypony wears clothes," Fluttershy quickly added.
"He has several friends there, one being an inventor named Director, who, according to the royal guard, Dust Bowl, runs an organization that enforces the law with experimental equipment, although they don't see much action due to problems being solved too quickly. Another being a flier named Sven who has fake wings. And one other pony who can be anywhere a cash register is, who happens to be named Tim," Twilight was stopped again by Pinkie.
"Time Turner also said he had another friend name John Silver who has a fake eye and at least two fake limbs. Kinda sounds like a pirate to me," Pinkie said looking up in thought.
"He also has an unnamed friend who has a hat like Applejack's, as well meeting a distant cousin of dragons called wyverns. His best friend is a unicorn named Theo and due to a magical mishap, teleported Martin here to Ponyville. Sometime before then he didn't have four legs to stand on and he had all four after the teleport. Now he is here waiting for his friends to come and find him." With the observation finished they each looked at each other uneasily. When said outright like that, everything seemed a bit strange.
Rainbow chose to be the one to say it, "What a load of hooey."
"Rainbow, we aren't entirely certain of that," Rarity admonished. 
"Look, he's a nice guy and tells interesting jokes but he's got to be lying to us somewhere. If he really was teleported by his friend, then he must be more powerful then Celestia if he can THROW HIS FRIEND INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY! Also if that much magic is being thrown around I think there'd be a little more then just a sound at his arrival," Rainbow pointed out. Though Rainbow wasn't an expert on magic, Twilight didn't deny what she said. The closest thing to that was when Princess Celestia sent Nightmare Moon to the moon and she needed the Elements of Harmony to do that.
"Ah'd hate to say it, but I agree with Rainbow. While ah can believe some big city can prosper without being famous, if that story about Tim is true, and tourists really did pass through, then that town would have quickly become a hotspot with something as weird as that going on. He pushed my belief with that little tall tale," Applejack agreed with her own reasoning to back it up.
The other girls looked at each other uncertainly, had Martin been lying to them the whole time? Had all of it been a lie?
They were interrupted by a familiar 'Thunk' along with a pair of voices. 
"Martin, why didn't you just open the door?" they heard Spike's voice say. He was here?
"Maybe if I keep headbutting them, the doors will open out of fear," Martin's voice slurred.
"Here, let me get that for you," said Spike as he opened the door. They stepped in and looked around at the darkness. "Why are the lights off?" he asked before clicking the switch revealing the girls looking at them.
Martin smiled at them, "Hey girls, your meeting going well?" He put his saddlebags down so Spike could take the food out and take it to the kitchen.
Pinkie decided to answer for them, "Yep, we're actually doing that thing I told you about earlier." She truly believed Martin was a good stallion. All he wanted was to make others happy. He didn't deserve to be called a liar  simply for being unbelievable. He should be given the chance to prove his innocence. The other girls looked at her strangely but Martin smiled kindly at her.
"Ok, I'd offer my help but I need to go rent a room tonight. So I'll see you all tomorrow. Good night," he left the building with a chorus of 'good night's following him. Twilight noticed Spike having trouble with the food.
"Here Spike, let me help you," she lifted the bags with magic and carried them to the kitchen, "Did Martin help you bring them?" she asked.
"Ya, he insisted so I couldn't turn him down," he fibbed a little.
Twilight smiled at the kindness, "That was nice of him."
"Ya, he's fun to talk to, I told him about my favorite comic book heroes and hoofball team," Spike decided not to mention the whole, royalty hating friend thing, she'd probably take it WAY out of context, "Do you think we could invite him over some time?" he asked.
Twilight felt conflicted, an inner turmoil over the suspicion of Martin and his kindness. Eventually she came to a decision and smiled down at the dragon, "Sure Spike, when we have the time, we'll invite him over." She left the happy dragon in the kitchen.
It wouldn't be right to condemn him already, "Alright girls I have a plan, we're going to dig deeper into this. He deserves the chance to prove himself," Pinkie smiled at that statement, "So we'll do it like this, each of us are going to get him alone at some point in the future and try to get answers out of him. We need to be subtle though, outright interrogating him may cause a reaction to his unstable magic. So please be gentle and try not to assume the worst in him," she told them.
"Well he seems like the decent sort, if he can prove that he's not trying to con us, then ah'll take back what ah said," Applejack agreed.
Rainbow Dash gave a shrug, "Hey, if he can prove that he's not lying then I totally want to go and see Broken Depths. It'd be an amazing vacation spot."
"Good, if we're all in agreement," the other girls nodded, "then Pinkie, you'll go first, try find out more about him or get him to admit wether the things he's already said are real or not."
Pinkie gave Twilight a salute, "You can count on me." She was going to prove his pants weren't on fire, and she was going to do it, Pinkie Pie Style.
> The Strange After-Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange After-Party




While some would try and catch him alone when he's off for a walk or resting in the park, Pinkie Pie however, would throw him a party with plenty of guests and plenty of cake inside of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie had finally gotten around to giving Martin his 'Welcome to Ponyville' party the next morning. Much like Twilight's party, it had cake, punch, games, general party things. Pinkie had invited anypony who could come, but since it was the day after a festival, not as many had as much free time. 
"Pinkie, exactly how is this getting him alone? We DON'T want to unsettle everypony else with who he might be," Twilight whispered to the pink party pony. Said pony bounced on her hooves watching Martin enjoy the party, which brought a happy smile to her face.
"Don't worry Twilight, I have a plan, this is just the start of it," Pinkie reassured her. She had this big plan that involved the surprise party, some bits, and the bulletin board. Not in that order. 
Twilight sighed, "Alright Pinkie, I'll trust you with this," Twilight went out to also enjoy the party. Pinkie's smile grew knowing that Twilight will finally get to truly experience one of her party's since she skipped out on the first one. Now, all she had to do was wait for the party to finish.



After the party ended and the guests left, the only ponies still in the building and mess was Pinkie and Martin. The after-party was the crux of her plan and nopony could interrupt it, meaning Pinkie had to wade off anypony who wanted to assist in the clean up.  Twilight had made it a point for them to be alone with Martin during the questioning for everypony's safety. She would at least honor that part of the plan. 
"That was a great party Pinkie, thank you," Martin complimented. He had some cake on his face and confetti in his mane. When he enjoyed a party, he enjoyed a party. He shook his head to get said items off.
"You're welcome Martin, I'm just sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner," she admitted with a sad smile. Pinkie had wanted to give it to him yesterday but it didn't feel right when some of her friends were suspicious of him. But now that they were giving him a chance, she could bring them together for the party. It seemed to help a little but they still gave him unsure glances. Luckily, he hadn't noticed.
His smile only grew, "Well it was definitely worth the wait. That was the second best party I've ever been to." What?
"Second best?" she wondered. Had she done something wrong in the party? Was there another party planner out there that he preferred?
He waved a hoof to dismiss her worries, "No, no, I say it's second best because the best party I ever got has a sentimental value to me." Oh, then that's ok. Having a fun party is one thing but one with a super special meaning will always come out on top.
"Oh, I getcha. Can I ask what it was about?" She was curious what kind of party it was.
He gave small happy smile. It wasn't a giant one he usually had when he was especially happy, but one that just screamed his heart was smiling along with him. "Most of my closest friends banded together to give me a small but personal party that showed how much they appreciated me." Aw that's so nice, but did he say 'most'?
"Did not all of them come?" Pinkie asked. Maybe they were busy?
Martin's smile grew in laughter, "Not all of my friends enjoy parties or socializing in general, but they each sent a message in their stead. I was actually amazed and touched that Carlos bothered to write me a message. I could just feel his sentiment in the chewing out he gave me." Pinkie blinked at that. This pony chewed him out and he was Martin's friend?
"You felt his care from him saying mean things to you?" That sounded kinda backwards.
"Well Carlos is kinda the opposite of me, he loves to make others miserable," that got a wide eyed stare out of Pinkie. A pony who makes others miserable, why would he do that? "So when he was chewing me out, he was expressing he was enjoying himself and that I should too... I think?" he scratched his head not entirely sure.
"Why would you be friends with somepony so mean?" Pinkie asked. He had to have a good reason.
Martin's smile dropped a little in sadness, "He doesn't have any friends," he explained, "I have hope that by showing him what real friends are, one day he'll give kindness back. We've made progress, but we still have a long way to go." Wow, that was swell of him, trying to help a mean pony by using friendship. She wanted to know more, but for now, they had a job to do and hers was to find out about his so called 'tall tales'. 
"Well, we should probably get started on the clean up," Pinkie suggested.
"Ya, when I came over to help clean up after a party, I didn't think it'd be for my OWN surprise party," he gave a chuckle. 
"Yep, I heard from other ponies that you were doing odd jobs to earn small amounts of bits. So I thought I could both throw you a party AND help you earn some bits," she explained. Her plan worked out great. She got what she wanted in giving Martin his welcome party, Martin will get what he wanted in getting bits to spend, and Twilight will get what she wanted in some answers to her questions. It was the greatest of plans.
She gave Martin a broom to sweep up confetti, streamers, and other objects on the ground while Pinkie picked up platters, plates, bowls, and cups. They talked while doing it.
"So how did that meeting go, Pinkie?" Martin asked right off surprising her with it's abrupt arrival. She hesitated in her answer, not sure if she wanted him to know that they all briefly thought he was a liar. But that's why she was there, to prove he wasn't.
"Oh, it went great, dinner was delicious too," she answered, "But something Fluttershy told us confused me. She said you fell out of nothing when you arrived." Straight to the question then, she had hoped to bring it up a little easier.
"Well that's not exactly true, if she did see my entrance, then it was just because she couldn't perceive it," he told her. Good, he didn't even twitch when asked. That means he doesn't consider it that big a deal. So no worries on accidental KAPLOWY. 
"What do you mean? Was it invisible?" she asked.
"Ehhh," he hesitated, "Not in the conventional sense. You see when the teleport spell messed up. Ponyville wasn't the first place I arrived in." Oh, that was interesting. "You see, I had accidentally been dropped in an... Ethereal world I think Theo called it. I might be wrong on that." Ethereal? Pinkie had never heard of that.
"What's an ethereal world?" she asked.
"Well imagine a realm made ENTIRELY of magic. No physical anything. I fell out of the portal into that realm and the portal absorbed it's ambient energy. That caused the portal to reactivate but changed destination. When I went back through it, because the portal was made by a non-physical force, when it opened up in the physical world, Fluttershy didn't see anything. Assuming anyway, I've got no knowledge on how magic or that realm works so I just figured that this made the most sense," Martin finished this explanation.
Martin may not have been sure, but by the way it sounded, it was good enough. She could give the info to Twilight to work out and then they'd have proof that he wasn't lying about how he got there. Pinkie was giddy with excitement. She had gotten the answer to the big question from Rainbow Dash. Now she could sate her own curiosity.
"What's your favorite color? What's your favorite flavor of cake? How many close friends do you have? Do you like to swim? Do you like pranks? Who's your favorite pony? What's your favorite season? Do you plan to come back after you leave?" Pinkie asked him in a rapid fire fashion.
He smiled kindly, not pausing his sweeping, "Blue, Vanilla, I have 8 I consider close, I love swimming, pranks are fun for both parties involved, I love all you ponies equally, Spring is my favorite season," he finally paused at the last question. He looked over at her with a bright smile, "If it's at all possible, I will definitely visit. I'll even bring some of my friends with me."
Pinkie smiled back at him, "I definitely want to meet them, especially Tim, he sounds super fun." A pony who could be everywhere at once? That sounded awesome, even with the limitation of cash registers.
Martin chuckled, "He'll be easy to bring over," suddenly his smile dropped a little, "Hey Pinkie?" his tone dipped. She looked over at him because of his lowered enthusiasm. Was something wrong?
"Ya?" she urged him to continue.
"On the off chance that my friends don't like you girls or the rest of Ponyville, I just want you to know that you're all still my friends no matter what happens," he said with honesty. Those words made her think of her own friends and their indecision about him, what if they decided he wasn't trustworthy and stopped being his friend? Would she have to stop being his friend too? No that would never happen, she was going to make sure of it, even if she had to do it alone.
She gave him a reassuring smile, "Hey, don't worry about it. Any friends of yours are friends of ours. And if we have any troubles, then we'll work them out. Because that's what friends do."
His smile raised in relief, "Thank you, Pinkie. Truly, that means a lot to me."
"You're welcome," she threw on her best smile, "Now let's get this job done," she raised a hoof towards him.
He gave her his biggest smile in return, "You got it," he raised his own hoof and they gave each other the official hoof bump. A true sign of friendship.
With renewed vigor, they cleaned up the mess in no time. Martin soon left Sugarcube Corner with a lifted spirit, a heavier bit bag, and a hearty farewell. Pinkie got her answer for how he arrived, but a new question occurred to her. Why would Martin think his old friends wouldn't like his new friends?



This day had taken a turn for the worse. Twilight had been helping her friend Applejack win a bet and she had gotten an invitation from Princess Celestia to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. She could even take a friend with her. Hearing this, Applejack had immediately asked to come so she could sell her products and earn money for her family. Twilight had at first agreed, thinking that it was a good reason, but Rainbow Dash, who had been napping nearby, also heard about the invitation and wanted it for herself. She wanted it so she could meet the Wonderbolts and possibly be able to join them. From there the situation just went down hill. Through out the day the rest of her friends had heard about the invitation and they each had their own reasons for going. Pinkie Pie wanted to go to the most famous party in Equestria, Rarity wanted to meet Prince Blueblood, and Fluttershy wanted to get to see the exotic animals that they had in the garden area. Even when Twilight had said she would come to a decision later, and that they should wait, they were only deterred for a few minutes before they resorted to bribery and flattery. If that wasn't enough, Pinkie had blabbed to a large group of ponies that there was an extra unused ticket and now she was being chased by a mob of ponies all seeking the same thing. Poor Spike had taken some of the punishment with her and now held onto her neck for dear life. 
They passed by Martin who was slowly walking up the path. "Hi Twilight, Hi Spike," he greeted them. They didn't bother to greet him back. Then the mob of ponies passed him. "Hi excited mob," he greeted the ponies chasing them. Funny enough, some of them actually responded with a "Hi Martin." Twilight ran around the corner out of sight. She had to think fast. She noticed an earth pony mother with a pink coat and an amber mane and tail that was combed backwards curled at the end. Her cutie mark was a microphone with several musical notes coming from it. She was playing with her unicorn foal who had a dark blue coat and amber mane and tail. Next to them was an abandoned blanket and empty stroller. Perfect.
Twilight ran by using magic to take the blanket and stroller, "I'm sorry but I really need to use this!" She didn't bother looking back when the mother cried out 'Hey!' in anger. When she put Spike in the stroller, he gave out his own indignant 'Hey!' in anger, but Twilight quickly shushed him. "Do you want those ponies to find us?" Twilight hissed quietly. Reluctantly he sat back and even put the pacifier in his mouth. Twilight quickly wrapped the blanket around her in a cloak like fashion and slowly stalked back towards the crowd, keeping her head low and praying they wouldn't notice. Luckily the crowd stampeded past them without so much of a glance. She didn't risk a glance until after the noise had stopped. When she did look the mob was out of sight. They both gave a sigh of relief. They were in the clear for now.
"Hey Twilight," she was suddenly greeted. Both her and Spike froze looking over at the green stallion. Apparently her disguise wasn't good enough to fool him. "Where'd Spike go?" he continued looking around. Spike sunk back into the stroller trying to make himself look smaller with an embarrassed blush on his face. Unfortunately that didn't help, as Martin looked in the stroller and blinked in astonishment. He looked back at the mare, "Twilight, I know Spike is a baby dragon, but don't you think this is a little far?" 
Twilight quickly shook her head, "No it's nothing like that. We're in disguise."
Martin gave a knowing smirk, "What did you do?"
The insinuation that she was at fault here made her stress levels skyrocket, "I haven't done anything wrong! All I want to do is go home, get something to eat and quietly decide at my own pace who I want to go to the gala with!" Twilight quickly placed a hoof on her mouth. Oh no, she had told Martin about it, now he would want to go too.
"A gala? Isn't that like a fancy party?" he smiled, "That sounds awesome." Twilight drew in a breath to give him the same answer she gave everypony else, but his next words stopped her. "Too bad I can't go."
"What, really?" Spike said finally getting out of the stroller and throwing the pacifier back inside it.
"Ya, I gotta wait for my friend to come get me, remember? I can't leave town," he explained. That's right, he needed to stay in Ponyville so his friends could find him and when they do find him, he'll go home. He CAN'T go to the gala. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She could use this. 
"Martin, I'd like to ask you for a favor," she knew that he liked helping others and she could definitely use his help right now.
His smile grew in size, "Sure, whatcha need?" 
Twilight unwrapped the cloak around her, folded it, and put it in the stroller, "First of all, I'd very much appreciate it if you gave this back to the mother around the corner."
He blinked in surprise at her, "Twilight, you STOLE this from a mother and her child?" 
Her ears lowered in guilt, "W-well I wouldn't say stole, more like borrowed," was her excuse. When she really thought about it, she felt horrible. That mother was probably having a hard time right now.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "You probably have a good reason, but I'd like you to do ME a favor and not do that again. That mother probably needs the items in this stroller right about now. Even if it's for your own immediate benefit, stealing should never be your go to plan." Twilight blinked in astonishment. She never imagined Martin would have a strong sense of justice like this. 
But he was right, "I'm sorry, I promise to never do it again. And when you give the stroller back to her, can you please apologize for me?" This was just not her day. The lack of food probably didn't help in her decision making.
He smiled kindly at her, "Of course," he forgave her easily, "Now you said 'first of all' was there something else you needed?" Right, the second part of her plan. Hopefully with his help she could make it home.
"Oh yes, could you possibly distract the crowd of ponies that were chasing me? I know they all want to go to the gala, but I'd really like to take my close friends with me," she told of him.
He looked in the direction the crowd went, "Distract? Ya I can do that," he looked back at her, "Don't worry, I can handle this."
Twilight gave him a grateful smile as he pushed the stroller down where she came from. Spike jumped onto her back, "Well at least we don't have to worry about them anymore," Spike said thoroughly convinced Martin will live up to what he said.
Twilight made her way back to the library with a renewed certainty that Martin was a good stallion. This didn't count as her turn to question him, but it did convince her that everything would work out when it was.



Sweet Melody was not having a good time. Her stroller and blanket were stolen, her poor baby Lullaby was without her pacifier and crying up a storm, and now there were ponies everywhere looking for some mare named Twilight Sparkle. Some had asked her if she had seen somepony with that name, but she didn't answer. She had much more pressing matters to take care of. Perhaps she should go home to her husband, Broken Record. Her nice time out had been ruined.
"Excuse me, Ma'am?" somepony asked for her attention. She turned to tell him off but she stopped when she saw her stroller resting next to a green stallion. "I believe this is yours?" he asked her, nudging the stroller closer to her. Wasting no time, she reached into the stroller and quickly found the pacifier. She gave it to her foal, who quickly quieted down and sucked on it contently.
Melody sighed in relief and turned to the kind stallion, "Thank you so much, my poor little Lula was having a fit," an understatement but it was over and done with, "But, who are you? I'm Sweet Melody," she introduced herself.
He smiled widely at her, "I'm Martin," weird name but ok, "I just came to return the stroller to you and give you a message." A message? Melody wondered from who. "From the girl who took the stroller," oh, her. She frowned, remembering the lavender unicorn. "She's REALLY sorry for what she did, and she hopes you can forgive her," he told her. Oh really? Didn't look like she tried very hard to express her guilt.
"If she was really sorry, she would be here telling me it herself," she said bitterly. When she saw that unicorn again, she'd have some choice words for her.
"She definitely would be here but she can't because of them," he waved towards the ponies still searching. Oh so that's it, the mare named Twilight had been the one to steal her stroller. Well that just made it worse.
"Them, yes," she glared at them, "They've been nothing but a bother since they got here. I haven't had a moment to rest in peace with all the searching they're doing," she just wished they'd leave.
"Don't worry, I got this," he said before going out into the middle of them. What was he doing?



Daisy was searching for Twilight along with the rest of the ponies. Her reason for wanting to go was that she wanted to go and see the famous Canterlot garden. It probably had some amazing species of flowers. Ones you could never find in the entirety of Equestria. Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Hey Daisy, whatcha doin?" She looked over and there was Martin slowly walking by.
"Hi Martin," she greeted politely, "Me and some other ponies were looking for Twilight. Have you seen her?" Daisy asked. She had passed by him earlier in their chase for Twilight. Perhaps he had insight on her location?
"Not really, she was being chased by this excited mob and I lost sight of her," Daisy turned away losing interest quickly. They had to find her before she gave the ticket away. "But I do know where she went," he continued but noticed she wasn't paying attention, "Oh I guess you didn't want to know." What?
Everypony in the immediate area turned towards Martin as he walked away and scrambled after him. They needed to interrogate the stallion immediately. Martin didn't seem to notice the crowd following him and continued walking forward with his eyes closed his head bouncing to an unheard song. Daisy reached over and tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes opened and blinked in confusion before turning around to face the large group of ponies following him. He smiled at them, "Hey the excited mob's back. Hi Daisy."
"Yes, hello again Martin, could you-" but Martin interrupted her.
"Hi Lily."
"Could you please tell us-" but she was interrupted again.
"Hi Roseluck."
"You may as well let him finish, it'll be faster that way," Lily suggested. Daisy sighed and conceded, waiting for Martin to call out his friends.
"Hi Clear Skies, hi Open Skies, hi Cloudchaser, hi Flitter, hi Thunderlane, hi Bulk Biceps," at that name he stretched an ear out and waited. 
Near the back, Bulk had realized he missed his cue, "Oh, uh," he flexed, "YEAH!"
Martin's smile grew and he nodded, "Hi Bon-bon, hi Lyra, hi didgeridoo pony," there was a sound of an instrument being played, "hi Screwball, and HELLO to every other member of the group," he finished and waved at the crowd.
"You done?" Daisy asked.
Martin tapped his chin in thought then used the same hoof to point at different ponies counting them off in his head. He nodded, finishing his count, "Yep."
"Good, you said you know where Twilight is?" she asked him.
He nodded again, "Ya huh."
"Can you tell us where she is?" 
"Sure, she's somewhere in that direction," he pointed a hoof in the direction of the rest of the town.
That wasn't helpful, "Do you know where specifically?"
"Yes," he answered simply. She was starting to suspect he was doing this on purpose.
"What does it look like where she is?" she asked a bit more specifically.
"Like a building," yep, he was doing it on purpose. "I can take you there, just follow me," he turned and walked  in the direction he pointed. The crowd followed after him but were quickly losing patiences as they realized he was moving only at a casual walking pace.
Those who were impatient didn't wait long before they broke off and searched by themselves. Those that stayed, however, noticed that Martin was humming a tune.
"What's that you're humming?" asked Lily. There was still quite a few of them left following Martin but the number decreased every minute. It probably didn't help that the sun was starting to set.
"It's a song called Good Company," he looked towards the sky, "Something I haven't been to you for this whole shenanigan."
"What do you mean?" asked Roseluck.
He stopped in front of them, "Attention on me please," although he already had it, "I have not been honest with you. I have been leading you on a wild goose chase." Did they hear him right?
"WHAT?!" they cried in panic together. He'd been lying to them?
"I DO know where Twilight is but I had no intention of leading you to her," he explained, "She had asked me to distract you, likely because you were suffocating her with your demands to go to this gala." 
"Then what happened to the ticket?" Daisy asked.
"Most likely by now, Twilight has already decided to take one of her close friends with her. I'm sorry you couldn't go, and I hope you can forgive her for her choice," Martin told them. They still groaned in disappointment though. "No hard feelings?" he asked them as they dispersed. They might forgive him after a good night's rest even though it was really mean to get their hopes up. "Sleep well!" he called after them.
But Martin's day wasn't over yet. "Bulk! Hey Bulk, can you spare a minute?" he called towards the large white pegasus. 
Said pony did stop and looked down at the smaller stallion as he trotted up to him. Did he need something? "Yeah?" he questioned loudly but not quite yelling.
"There's a gym in Ponyville right?" he asked. Was he interested in building some muscle?
"Yeah!" this time he did yell while flexing his bulging muscles. Bulk went there often himself. It's where he got all of his mass.
Martin smiled up at him, "Cool, I'm gonna head over there right now. I want to see how good their equipment is. Wanna come with me? I could use a guide."
Bulk tapped his chin in thought before shrugging. He could use a workout right now, burn some of the rage he had in him for missing a chance to the gala. He walked towards the gym with Martin following close behind humming the song again.



When they entered the gym they were immediately greeted with a loud voice, "BACK OF THE LINE, ROOKIES!" somepony yelled. They were shoved into a single file line that ran across the room. Inside the room were several sets of exercise equipment, such as dumbbells, treadmills, bench press, etc. Pacing in front of the line was a large red stallion with a short orange mane and wearing a camouflage vest. His cutie mark was a flexing muscle. "So I hear you sad sacs want to exercise. Well I happen to be here to give you tips on how to improve. And by the looks of you, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT!" he told them, "I am Heavy Weight, but you all will call me Sir! You got that?!"
"Yes, sir!" most of them called, but there was one cheerful 'ok' from the back of the line.
"Who said that?!" Heavy called towards the end of the line. Somepony dared to ignore his ground rules right off the bat?
Surprisingly, the guilty pony waved his hoof and gave a bright smile. He was easily the scrawniest pony of the whole gym and looked like a shade of puke green. "Hi I'm Martin, nice to meet you sir," he said.
Heavy stomped over to Martin, "Did I ask for your name, Maggot?!" he yelled at him, the power of his voice pushing Martin's mane back.
"Martin," he corrected, "and yep. You said 'Who'? and I answered with my name," the little smart alec answered.
He wasn't going to let this disrespect slide, "It looks like we have a volunteer for Heavy Weight's Grueling Grilling," he looked towards the rest of the stallions, "The rest of you, go to your preferred equipment. I'll coach you on it soon enough." The assembled ponies walked over to several different exercise equipment, Bulk Biceps picking the bench press. "As for you," Heavy glared down on Martin, who simply smiled, "I want you on the Bridle Pull until your sweat starts sweating!" he pointed towards device where a bridle piece was attached to a pulley system that raised some heavy weights. Somepony as scrawny as him wouldn't last 2 seconds on it.
Martin looked the system over to see how it works and gave a shrug, "Sure, seems like fun." He walked over to the bridle piece and stuck it in his mouth. He tested the cables with a few quick tugs before walking forwards and lifting the weights on the end with ease. Heavy blinked in surprise at the display of unseen muscle. Coincidentally, Bulk Biceps bench was near the fully drawn cables so Martin decided to chat with him, finding the bridle not too damaging of his speech. "Hey Bulk, can I ask you something?" he asked. When he couldn't walk forwards anymore, he stepped backwards letting the weights fall. After a few steps back, he went forwards again and repeated this process.
"Yeah?" Bulk asked. He noticed that Martin was having no trouble moving the weights. How strong was this little guy?
"What's it like to fly?" he asked in wonderment. Bulk blinked in surprise, he wasn't usually the first pony you'd ask about flying, his tiny wings not really being the best suited for it. But he still loved flying none the less even with the disability.
"It's an exhilarating experience! Nothing like it!" Bulk answered with gusto. Bulk noticed, behind Martin, Heavy Weight was adding more weights to the equipment but Martin didn't even twitch at the sudden added weight. That only seemed to anger Heavy more. 
"Huh, is that so? I've never actually flown before," Martin admitted, which wasn't surprising. You didn't exactly see that many earth ponies flying through the air. "I bet it's nice, being able to fly through the air like that," Martin smiled as he imagined that.
Several ponies paused in their work out as they watched Heavy try and make Martin falter with more weights and him personally trying to push them down, but Martin didn't even seem to notice. Finally, Heavy had enough and marched over to the day dreaming stallion. "I don't know how you're doing it, but I don't tolerate cheaters!" he yelled.
Martin blinked at him confused and used a hoof to pull the bridle out of his mouth, the cable still being pulled to it's full length. "I'm not cheating, sir." Oh so he's mocking now. Well, Heavy will show everypony he was, in fact, cheating. 
"Give me that bridle," he demanded with a hoof extended. The smaller pony shook his head in the negative.
"You don't want to grab it here, sir. It's really heavy," Martin told him. Heavy wouldn't have any of that though and snatched it out of his hoof. As soon as it was free from Martin, the weights dropped and the cable pulled Heavy into the equipment smashing it to pieces. One piece arched into the air and landed squarely on Martin's head in a bit of karma. Everypony rushed towards the downed Heavy, who groaned in pain. Bulk however looked over his friend to make sure he was alright. "Bulk, I don't think I'm cut out for gym, it's dangerous when the equipment is conspiring with the doors," Martin's voice slurred. He quickly shook his head to right his thoughts, "Oh no, Heavy's hurt." Martin quickly went to the red stallions side, "Don't worry, I'll get him to Nurse Redheart in a hurry." 
He lifted the larger pony onto his back and ran towards the entrance door. He almost ran into it but he slid to a halt just before it, "Ah ha! You won't get me this time door." As if to mock him, the door swung open and nailed him in the face. 
The pony that opened the door was none other then Melody, who happened to be wearing a pair of saddlebags, "Is everypony ok? I heard a crash," she called into the room of stunned stallions. She had gone home and left her foal with her husband. Afterwards she went out to get groceries but heard the crash and came to investigate.
"Don't worry, Miss, Sir, Ma'am, defeated I am not easily," said Martin, unsteady on his hooves. Amazingly Heavy didn't fall off with all the wobbling.
"Oh Martin, I'm so sorry," the mare said quickly placing a hoof on his shoulder to steady him. She noticed the stallion on his back, "Is your friend there hurt too? Here, I'll lead you to the clinic in town." She gave no pause as she grabbed his hoof and began dragging the two stallions out of the building. 
Martin waved his one free foreleg towards Bulk, "Thanks for showing me the gym, Bulk. I had fun." With that, he exited the building with Melody's guidance.
The rest of the stallions in the building blinked in unison. What the hay just happened?
> The Strange Analysis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Analysis




While some would lead a patient in a gentle manner, Melody literally dragged Martin by his tail towards the clinic. The tail hair was clenched tightly in her teeth. It tasted like dirt, grass, and for some reason something that reminded her of honey. Martin himself was calmly laying down as he slid on the dirt, not bothered by the roughness of the path. On his back lay Heavy Weight still unconscious and injured. They were on their way to the clinic to get both of them looked at.
"So, Melody," Martin started, "Is there a reason why I'm not supposed to walk on my own?" 
Whatever possessed Melody to drag him through town quickly evaporated, she spit out his tail and shook her head. "Sorry, I may have panicked, seeing the both of you injured," she explained. That and she wanted to repay him for his kindness.
Martin stood up, not bothering to wipe the dirt off himself. They continued on towards the clinic while they talked. "Aw it's no worry," he dismissed, "Although, Heavy's the only one injured. I feel fine."
"But the bruise I saw," she started but stopped herself when she looked at his head. There was no sign of the injury. Where had it gone? Did she imagine it?
"Nope, perfectly healthy, no matter how long the war against doors goes on," he said with a look of determination in his eyes. War against doors? What in the world is he talking about? "Are the doors in Ponyville especially hostile for some reason?" he asked looking over at her with a curious expression. 
"Not to my knowledge?" she offered. She wasn't entirely sure what he was going on about, maybe the damage was more internal then she first thought. She decided to change the subject to something relevant, "So what exactly happened to get one of you hurt like this?"
"Well we were lifting weights and he tried to pull more then he could handle. Left him hurt and the equipment broken," he told her.
She knew it! All that heavy equipment, the hot room, the floors full of sweat, a-and the bulging muscles. Melody quickly shook her head to get those images out. She's a happily married mare with a lovely husband and foal. Anyway, all that stuff combined could only lead to injury. It was a good thing her Record didn't go there. Her hubby wouldn't last a second there. But something struck her as odd. Martin was in there and he didn't look like he'd done anything at all. Did he simply watch the other ponies workout and elected to take this Heavy to the clinic before her arrival?
"Do you work out there too? Cause you're a lot stronger then I thought you were," Martin pointed out.
That got a frown out of her, "What, just because I'm a singer doesn't mean I can't pull two stallions down a road. I have my earth pony strength and I'm proud of it." Not that she needed it that often, if at all. Taking care of Lullaby took a more gentle hoof.
For some reason he looked down at his hoof with a curious expression. Then his head shot up as if realizing something, "Wait you're a singer? Can you show me?" he asked with an expectant smile. Great, he was asking for a performance now.
"I don't really think a song is appropriate right now," she said nodding to the injured pony. They needed to get to the clinic as soon as possible.
"C'mon," he insisted before he started to sing.

There's room for everyone in this world
If everyone makes some room
Won't you move over and share this world
Everyone make some room

Even a dragon deserves a place, a wide open space
With no fears, no tears
He wants to play games, dance with you
Give him a chance to sing his song
He only wants to belong

Melody was a bit confused at his vernacular, but she could feel the song resonate within her and so she sang along.

There's room for everyone in this world
Will everyone make some room?
Spread out while Lula gets all curled
She needs the silence to snooze.

Rock her, and pet her,
And lay down beside her
You'll see how quickly she sleeps.

A dragon is just one more stranger
In search of some peeps

From an ant to a bird to a buffalo herd
Let them walk and fly and roam
Step aside, let them live, it's simple to give
Like us, they just need a home

There's room for everyone in this world
Back up and make some room
Let's all move over and share this world
Everyone make some room

Just think how far out the ocean goes, the whirling wind blows
Shore to shore, door to door
Think of the valleys, the mountaintops, the world never stops
So deep so high, with miles of sky, we all have a part of the pie

There's room for everyone in this world
Will everyone make some room
Love given freely can spare this world
Let friendly feelings bloom

Just give an inch, give a yard, never flinch
When the time comes to offer a hoof

So let's make sure there's somewhere everyone can act aloof.
Just the way it is meant,
Just the way it is meant. 

Despite her claiming singing wasn't good for right now, she felt a lot better. Singing always made her feel better. Martin had dispelled any guilt she had for smacking the door into his face. However, it did not dispel her curiosity, "Martin, while that song was nice, I can't help but notice your odd vernacular."
He tilted his head at her, "Something wrong with my words?" he asked.
"You use 'everyone' instead of 'everypony', is that normal where you're from?" she asked. It wasn't really unheard of, but everypony in Equestria uses that terminology. Was he from someplace that didn't have ponies as the majority?
"Oh ya, it's especially relevant for my hometown because we have a lot of different species. Some of them I've never even heard of. Some of them don't want to be heard of," he explained.
Well that sounded interesting, "Such as?" she urged him to continue.
"Well have you ever heard of a Huldra?" He asked. 
"Do you mean Hydra?" Maybe he said it wrong.
But he shook his head, "There's one of those outside the town, but what I'm talking about is a Huldra. Ok, imagine a lady in a dress but beneath that dress is either a cow or fox tail. They're very temperamental creatures who will do small favors when treated with respect or given gifts. But if they are betrayed or treated disrespectfully, they transform and attack the one who did it," he explained. That sounded horrible. And there was one of those in his town? "That's what the myth says anyway, but the Huldra in our town doesn't follow that. Instead she wears a suit and let's her cow tail sway free. She's actually a decent lawyer there. She is still easily angered but she doesn't get violent." 
"That's nice?" she offered. She had no idea on what to say. Here was somepony talking about a completely foreign species as if it was normal. Just what kind of town houses that kind of species? "Where'd you say you were from again?" 
"I'm from Broken Depths," he answered immediately, his smile growing with pride. Broken Depths, she'll have to research that later. For now, though, they had arrived at the clinic. 
She opened the door for him, "Martin, I know you say you're fine, but please have yourself looked over. Can you do that for me?" If he did have internal damage he needed to get treated right away.
He smiled kindly at her, "Alright, if it will make you feel better, I'll get a check up. You have a good night." With that he entered the building.
As for Melody, it was too late in the evening to go shopping now. So she decided to head home and make some leftovers for dinner. She closed the door and headed back down the path she came. Along the way she saw a familiar lavender unicorn walking with a relieved smile.
Melody narrowed her eyes. So they meet again, Twilight Sparkle. "Hey!" she yelled towards her.
Twilight looked over in surprise but quickly wilted in guilt as Melody glared at her. She gave a weak wave and a nervous chuckle as the earth pony mare stomped over to her. Twilight took a breath and tried to speak, "Look, I can explain," but Melody cut her off.
"Explain what?! That you're a thief?! A scoundrel?!" Melody raged. She dared the mare to give an excuse.
"I'm sorry ok, it was the only idea I could come up with on short notice. I needed to get away from that crowd," Twilight said but it didn't calm the older mare down.
"And what an idea it was," Melody said with heavy sarcasm, "You get off scottfree while I'm trying to calm down my wailing child. Not to mention being bothered by ponies looking for you every few seconds!"
"You got your stroller back, along with an apology," she pointed out.
"Yes, but second hoof," she countered, "If you were really sorry you would have come to me yourself and faced the music."
Twilight finally seemed to gain some resolve and stared into her eyes, "Well I'm apologizing now."
They stared at each other for a while before Melody snorted and held her nose high in the air. "Alright, but this grudge won't resolve so easily. But for tonight, I'm content. I had fun with a new friend. If only briefly. Good night Ms. Sparkle." She turned to leave but Twilight called to her again.
"That reminds me, I don't think I got your name," she asked.
Melody frowned at her, "It's Sweet Melody."
Twilight nodded and continued, "And about Martin, may I ask if he mentioned anything odd about himself or where he's from?" she asked but wilted under Melody's glare again.
"Don't push your luck," she said through grit teeth. With that she walked away.
Twilight sighed, sad that the mare was still mad at her. Hopefully she could make up for what she did. She also needed to thank Martin for his help today. But for tonight, she just wanted to go to sleep after a stressful day.



"Hi again Nurse Redheart," a familiar voice called to the mare. She looked up from some paperwork and saw that strange stallion, Martin. On his back was an unconscious stallion with several bruises. Redheart made a quick call to some orderlies to grab a gurney before addressing the stallion. 
"Martin, what happened, is that pony alright?" she immediately inquired. The orderlies quickly came in and took the large stallion off Martin's back.
Martin thanked them before turning to Redheart, "There was an accident at the gym and he crashed into some equipment."
"I see," she took a quill in her mouth and wrote down some things on a paper. When she looked back up at him, he was giving her a confused look. "Is something wrong?" she asked. 
"Huh," he looked down at his hoof, "I guess that makes sense." What was he thinking about? "Doesn't that tickle though?" he suddenly asked.
"What? The quill? It does at first but a pony can get used to it's feel easily enough," she explained, "Have you never used a quill?" 
"Well I know some magicians who use them, but personally no," he told her, "I like pencils, let's me fix my mistakes easily enough."
"While that's good in some cases. In official medical documents, they need to be permanent. I like to use a quill as often as I can to keep my calligraphy up to par," she said.
"Good on ya," he praised, "Do you need anything from me to help with Heavy Weights process?"
"Heavy Weight? Is that his name?" At his nod she wrote some more on the paper, "As for your question? We'll need a statement on how exactly this incident happened so we have a clear view on what to expect."
"Thorough," he complimented, "Actually a friend recommended I get a check up as well, and thinking on it. I should probably do that."
She raised an eyebrow at that. Somepony had recommended he get looked at? Did something happen to him as well? "If you would like one, then I would be happy to give it to you. However, I would like your testimony first," she urged him.
"Oh right, well it happened like this," he started the story, "So me and Bulk were heading to the gym where this really loud guy tells us he's there to help and to call him sir. Then, for some reason, he asked me to introduce myself, so I did. Then he tells me to go on this bridle thing, so I do. As I'm on it he was being helpful by putting more and more weight on it. Oddly, after a minute, he calls me a cheater and asks me for the bridle. I told him no, because it was too heavy for him, but he takes it anyway and it pulls him into the equipment. The whole thing just smashed to pieces. One piece happened to hit me in the head, probably because I didn't try hard enough to stop him. Anyway, I decided to bring him and, after being assaulted by a door, we were escorted here by Sweet Melody."
Nurse Redheart leveled a stare at him. That didn't make any sense. From what she could glean from the story and his physical appearance, he was implying that he was several times stronger then the larger stallion that was wheeled away. Either he had incredible strength in his scrawny form or that blow to the head he mentioned muddled with his memories. She'll be sure to check for any trauma to the head during the check up. She quickly wrote down his testamony, adding that it may be compromised due to head injury, and led him to the back.
Martin did not remain silent for the trip, however, "So is Doctor Horse going to be examining me?" he asked.
"No, I'm perfectly qualified for the tests we will run," she told him.
"That's too bad," he said with a smile, "I liked him, he kinda reminded me of Doctor Styles."
"Really?" she asked, "And what might this Doctor Styles be like?"
"Well he's super business like," not surprising, "But funny thing is, I don't think there's anything that could make him lose his cool. I remember this one time, he was checking the throat of his patient and a huge bird monster crashed into the room behind him. Doctor Styles didn't even bat an eye as Jordan came in shoved it through another wall. Although he did tell his nurse to call up the construction crew to fix the room." Martin chuckled at his story but Nurse Redheart could only stare at him. Besides the fact that the doctor should have immediately brought any nearby patients out of the danger zone, he just insinuated that there was a pony who could shove large monsters through walls. 
"And who is this 'Jordan'?" she couldn't help but ask.
He hesitated in answering that one, "Jordan is... Difficult to explain. His full name is Jordan B. Crusher. He's a self-proclaimed local delinquent." Redheart raised her eyebrow at that. A delinquent is the one battling a monster? Where were the police or guards? "He's angry most of the time, he'll beat up anything that insults him or goes against his views, and nothing in our town can truly stand against his might." That sounded horrible. Having some delinquent go unchallenged around a town. But his large smile reassured her that it was fine, "But he has a giant heart and it's all made of gold. Figuratively of course. And I'm more then glad to call him my friend."
"You're friends with an easily angered delinquent?" she asked. While not surprising, given his nature he would proclaim himself a friend with anypony, she couldn't help but wonder how they became friends.
Martin simply smiled at her, "He calls himself a delinquent. While some residents would agree, those of us close with him would probably call him a protector, a guardian, or even a hero," he lowered his voice for some reason, "Just don't tell him I said that, he just hates the term 'hero'." That didn't make sense, he's a hero but a violent delinquent too? That was not something she could imagine easily. Martin's voice returned to normal, "For the past few years, Jordan has been the core of our town. The prosperity we've had in our town directly coincides with his accomplishments."
As Martin regaled about the so called 'guardian of his town', they entered the room and Nurse Redheart took that time to give Martin his check up.
"A lot of residents in our town wouldn't be there if it weren't for him. And I mean that in both the good and the bad way. And he's all for equality, but he takes it a little far, not that it's a bad thing. No matter what age, species, gender, race, title, or state of being you are, he'll treat you like he treats everyone else. Unfortunately, unless he personally knows you, that usually means badly. If you try to hold yourself over another simply because of a title, he'll get mad. But if you're in trouble and you were going to get hurt? He would be the first to be there for you. He's a great guy but he has trouble making friends. He doesn't even consider me and the others his friends, just acquaintances. And it took a lot of effort just for us to make it that far. Like this one time," but Nurse Redheart stopped listening. She was staring at the results of his check up. Everything seemed normal. But it couldn't be, several times he had said he had been injured. And yet, there was no sign of bruises, no sign of any internal damage, and no sign of strained muscle or sweat from exercising at the gym. He was perfectly healthy, but there was one last thing she could do for him.
"Martin," she interrupted him, "Have you gotten a shot for any specific diseases in a while?" 
"Uh," he looked up in thought, "I don't think so, I haven't gotten sick in years. So I don't think I really need one."
She refused to believe that one and insisted he get a shot for Pony Pox. He shrugged nonchalantly at her and laid down on a table so she could inject him. With precision, she quickly gave him the injection into his flank, surprised he didn't tense or twitch. Does he just not feel pain? She turned around to grab a bandage, but when she turned back around, the puncture was gone. What was with this stallion?! Out of frustration she slapped the bandage onto where she remembered the injection was.
"Yipe!" Martin yelped in surprise. Nurse Redheart watched in shock as he jumped forward in surprise and off the table, landing on his face. She slowly put a hoof on her face trying to hide the blush she had. She couldn't believe she just did that! She just slapped his flank!
"I'm ok!" Martin called from his position on the floor.
Nurse Redheart quickly helped him up and apologized, "I'm so sorry Martin! That was completely unprofessional of me."
"That's alright," he quickly forgave her, "just apply the bandage gently next time." She just nodded, unwilling to say anything else as she led him towards the exit. She was going to have weird dreams tonight.



Dreams. The inner most realm of the subconscious. The window to hope and fear. The realm Princess Luna hadn't been in for a thousand years. And her return wasn't the most pleasant. Countless nightmares of The Nightmare, of her. Princess Luna looked out into the realm of dreams and came upon a specific dream she wished she could avoid. The one strange pony named Martin. She knew that he has had only bad experiences with her, both physically and emotionally. She could only imagine how his subconscious would see her. But she could not back down, it was her duty. She would make it up to him. With a deep breath, she stepped into his dream.
She looked around herself as the dreamed formed. It seemed that he was dreaming of the town Ponyville. But there was no burning buildings, no eternal night, not even a maniac monster that resembled herself. Children were playing, adults were chatting, everypony was just having a good time. She could spot the Elements of Harmony having a nice picnic laughing together. She finally spotted herself, at a table, but it was of her in her weakened state, and she was having tea with her sister, Celestia. That scene brought a smile to her face. It seemed he had truly forgiven her and held no ill will. That eased her conscious. But something struck her as odd, for some reason, every building was missing it's door. It was the strangest thing.
"Hi Princess!" somepony got in her face and yelled. She jumped back in surprise and looked at the smaller giggling pony. "Wow, you look amazing. I love what you did with your mane," Martin complimented her renewed form. She had finally met the owner of the dream. "So what brings you here?" he asked her.
She regained her bearing, "Greetings young Martin, we have stepped upon thine dream because we feared you would fall upon nightmares for our actions in the past," she explained.
He chuckled, "Wow, ye'olde speech, I know someone who talks like that too," he waved a dismissive hoof, "But I already told you that I forgave you. Are my words not enough?" he asked with a tilt of his head.
Her ears lowered in guilt, "Nay, we are sad to say, we did not believe you. We had thought you simply told us that for our crown." She had seen many ponies say things but never truly meant them, but she was glad his words rung true.
He was not angry though, he just continued to smile up at her, "Well at least believe this, I don't lie to my friends."
She blinked in surprise at him, "Friends?" Had she heard him right?
He nodded, "Ya, you came here to make sure I was ok. So of course I'd consider you a friend. Friend's look out for each other."
This stallion, "Very well!" she suddenly declared loudly, "You may call us friend as you like. It matters not to us." He only beamed up at her dismissal. "But we must inquire," she waved a hoof to their surroundings, "Why is thine dream as such?"
He turned towards the rest of the area, "This is what I always dream, it's the thing that makes me the happiest in the world. Friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, all of them being content with their lives and simply having a good time. Their happiness is my happiness," he turned towards her, "It may not be home, but while I'm here in Ponyville, I'll try to make this dream a reality." She returned his smile at his optimism.
However, at his mention of home, the ground began to shake and the Everfree forest erupted into a large city with two towers that pierced the sky that made the horizon look like it sprouted horns. Princess Luna stared at the massive city in shock while Martin held a large proud smile. "Home is where my heart belongs," he said, "It was nice chatting with you again Princess, but there are some other friends I want to spend time with. You're welcome here any time." He walked towards the city and out of sight. But for a second, as he left her field of view, she swore she saw his form shift. She shook her head to right her thoughts. She had to continue her duties. No distractions. She took one last glance of her dream self laughing with her dream sister before flying out of the dream. 
She looked towards the next dream that had an odd vibe to it. She walked inside of it and almost immediately walked back out with a look of utter bafflement on her face. She glanced back towards Martin's dream and then back to the one she just entered. What in the world did she just see? Princess Luna shook her head and decided modern day ponies were just weird.



This morning hadn't gotten a good start for Rarity, what with the stampede of cows causing the ground to shake. Several of her plates had shattered on the floor, her mannequins were knocked over, and some of her fabric had unfurled. Nothing to worry about though, just a bit of magic cleaned up every mess. Today, it was her turn to interrogate Martin. Much like Pinkie, she had put up a request on the bulletin board. She asked for somepony to be a model for her. At first she was afraid that another pony would take the request but Pinkie reassured her that Martin would most definitely go for it immediately, especially since she was a friend. Rarity decided to trust in the party mare's words and hoped Martin would arrive.
No sooner had she thought that, she heard something tap on her door. That didn't sound like a hoof. She looked towards the door as more taps came from it. She opened a door with a bit of magic to reveal nopony there. Rarity went out the door and looked around, spotting the culprit a literal stone's throw away. It was literal because he was sitting next to a pile of rocks. She glanced down and saw several rocks at her door step.
She looked back up towards the approaching stallion, "Martin, why in the world were you throwing stones at my door?" Perhaps he had a good reason.
"So it couldn't attack me," perhaps not.
"Martin, I'm going to ask you not to throw any more rocks at anypony's door," she told him. She couldn't believe she had to tell that to a grown stallion.
"Aw, alright," he said in disappointment, but quickly recovered "Oh well, so I heard you need help modeling. I hope I'll be good enough for it."
She glanced at him taking in his unbrushed, possibly unwashed, self, "You will do quite well, but I have to ask that you clean yourself before we begin. I would like my fabric to remain without smudges. You may use my washroom," she offered to him as she led him deeper into her house.
"Oh, well thank you, that's very generous," he said following her. She pointed out where everything was and left him to bathe in privacy. Rarity went back to the front room and got her fabric and tape measures ready. She took this time to organize her thoughts. Pinkie had already found out about his odd arrival and this so called 'ethereal realm'. Twilight had seemed relieved at that and left back to the library intent on researching it. Today, Rarity was supposed to find out about why this 'Tim', didn't make Broken Depths a known hotspot for his 'condition'.
After several minutes, Martin left the washroom, "Ok, I'm done, and I smell slightly like a strawberry. Yum." He looked and smelled clean but his fur, mane, and tail were still unbrushed.
"Martin, when I said clean yourself up, you were to brush yourself as well," she told him.
"Well," he hesitated, "I tried, I really did but I just couldn't get the brush to do what I wanted," he answered.
Rarity sniffed indignantly. Fantastic, the stallion couldn't properly take care of himself. Very well, she would demonstrate it for him. "Come over here Martin, I will show you how to properly brush yourself," she used magic to bring out one from her drawer. "At least 100 strokes for each brushing, slow and smooth, like so," she used magic to lightly brush her mane. She levitated it over to him, "Now you try." He clumsily took the brush in both hooves and tried to brush his mane but was unsuccessful, only managing to drop the brush. After the 5th try, she took the brush away from him, "Perhaps I should do this for you today and you can practice at home on your own time. To speed up the process."
"Alright, you're the professional in this matter," he said while laying down. She raised an eyebrow at his action. He didn't need to lay down like a pet for this. Oh well, she could just imagine she was brushing her precious little Opal. 
She decided to chat while she brushed him, "May I ask you a few thing's Martin?" Some light coversation she could direct towards her real question.
"Sure, I don't mind," he agreed.
"How have you been adjusting to Ponyville?" she asked.
"Well it's very different from Broken Depths, I had to learn a few things both about myself and how you Equestrian's work." Huh, seemed he got some self reflection from his visit. That was nice. 
"I'm sure everything you learned was very beneficial," she told him.
"Ya," he nodded, "Hey, did you know Princess Luna can visit dreams? That was nice." 
Rarity blinked at that information, "She can?" Well that was a little worrisome, having ones dreams invaded. But she is the princess, she'll have to trust she wouldn't do anything untoward. But for now, she needed to steer the conversation back to where she wanted. "About Broken Depths, are there any worth while sights there?" she asked.
"Well," he began, looking up in thought, "Besides the two skyscrapers and the memorial park, we have an entire area dedicated to education. It's one giant campus that houses every grade of schooling."
At this point she had finished brushing him and asked him to stand on the stage without moving. He shrugged and walked up onto it. Rarity pulled out several fabric and put it up against his coat, seeing what colors would go well with him. While the post on the board was to just get him there to talk, she really did need a model to help her figure out the best article of clothing to use for this years Winter-Wrapup.
"While that does sound like an interesting sight, I hardly think tourists would look at a school building." There, she had finally gotten to the point where she can ask the important question.
"Well we have a theme park too, but tourists don't stay long enough to really visit the sights," he told her. 
That made her pause her next question. Was this the answer to the question she was going to ask? "Why ever not?" she asked.
"Well some things in our town scare them away usually. More often then not it's because of Triple B or Jordan," he explained, "The tourists spend about a day there before they leave, if even that. I like to spend some time with them when I can, you know. Find out about the places they come from, where they've been."
"Do any of them notice Tim during their stay?" she blurted out her question feeling that she may have already gotten her answer.
"Well they meet him obviously since he's everywhere, but he's just so unassuming and dull that they tend to overlook him," he answered. So that was it then, Tim didn't get any attention because of tourists being hurried and his plain nature. While not the greatest or most exciting answer, it would suffice.
"You know, I think Marribelle would have liked to meet you," he changed the subject. Marribelle, now that peaked her interest.
"Oh? And why is that?" she inquired.
"Well she really likes to dress up. Everyday she's in a new dress and it's never one she wore at any time in the past. And when I mean new, I mean new. She especially likes her dress to be bizarre. Like this one time, she walked around in a dress that was stitched to look like a brick house. Not in the shape of one, but in design," he described. Huh, that sounded odd but it could have had some strange appeal to it. 
Speaking of appeal, Rarity took a step back from her work and looked Martin with the prototype team vest. She wanted to add more glamor to it but something about how it fit Martin's style made her stop. Simple but eye catching. She'll smooth out the details later. For now, she had gotten her answers, a prototype vest, and a new style of dress she wanted to try out. She used magic to take the vest off and levitated some bits over to him. "I think that will be all I need. Thank you very much for your assistance Martin. It was a pleasure working with you. You were especially good at keeping still." He was, which was surprising since he just seemed like a bundle of energy.
"Thank you," he accepted the compliment and the bits, "It was nice chatting with you Rarity. Have a good morning." She opened the door for him and he left with a nod.
Well that had gone well. Still, she couldn't help feel like she had missed something. Oh well, if it was important she would remember it again.



"Oh dear, oh dear," Fluttershy whispered to herself. This wasn't good. The baby bunnies were on a rampage through Ponyville eating all the fruits and vegetables. She didn't really blame Applejack for how it happened, any pony could have made that kind of mistake. Fluttershy herself should have been better prepared for the accident. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting these bunnies back home. But how?
"Bunnies!" somepony yelled. Fluttershy looked towards that direction and saw Martin holding a bunch of bunnies in one foreleg and petting them with the other. "Pet the bunnies, pet the bunnies," he chanted.
"Um, excuse me, Martin?" she tried to get his attention, which she got immediately. "Could you please stop? You're scaring them," she asked of him.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to scare them. I just can't help myself sometimes," he said while setting them down. She made to stop him but he already let them go. They scampered off quickly away from him. Oh no, she had only wanted him to stop petting them. Not to stop holding them, she still needed to talk with them. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" he asked noticing her distress.
"It's these baby bunnies. They're making a mess and I can't get them under control," she explained. 
He looked out into the town and seemed to notice the large amounts of bunnies running around. "Huh, don't see that everyday," he turned towards the upset mare, "Don't worry, I have a plan. I'll be right back." Martin ran off in a direction leaving Fluttershy alone. But only briefly, because Twilight trotted up to her.
"Fluttershy, what happened? Wasn't Applejack supposed to help you with the rabbits?" Twilight asked looking around at the destruction.
"Well she was, but um, her method didn't really work," she sheepishly explained.
"Ugh, what is with that pony? I'm going to talk with her again," Twilight frowned in thought but then looked at the pegasus weirdly, "Wait, why aren't you doing anything? Shouldn't you be rounding them up or something?"
"Oh, well I was going to but Martin came by and said he had an idea. I'm waiting for him. I don't want him to feel bad for being left out," she told Twilight.
"What plan?" Twilight asked.
"I have returned," said a green blur as it slid to a stop next to the two. Martin had come back and with two saddlebags full of wooden planks and nails. He waved to the lavender unicorn, "Hi Twilight, I'll be back in a second. I gotta take care of this." 
Martin kicked off his back legs and stood only on his forelegs. The momentum caused the planks of wood to fly out of his saddlebags and out onto the ground. He ran up to one piece, stood it up straight, and used a hood to drive it into the ground. He gave it a quick tap to make sure it stayed, which it surprisingly did, and promptly did the same for several other pieces. In about a minute he had made an outline of a box out in the middle of the street. Next he took one of the remaining timber, and some nails, and set the piece up against one of the posts. He took nail with his teeth, pushed it into the wood, and hammered it in with his own hoof. He did this several more times along the square and made a crude pen. The girls blinked in surprise at his quick but not perfect craft. With surprising agility and sneakiness, he captured each of the bunnies and tossed them into the enclosure. Not long after he started, he had successfully caught each and every bunny.
Twilight was speechless on how he quickly resolved the situation. There was no possible way he should have been able to do that and not even be winded. Something was seriously up with this guy. Something not natural.
Fluttershy however was not bothered by any of that and quickly approached the stallion. "Oh thank you so much Martin," she said to him, "Although I don't like you had to cage them. But at least I can talk to them now and get them to cooperate."
He smiled kindly at her, "No problem Fluttershy, I'm happy to help," he chuckled a little, "But dang, things have been active around here lately. First that screaming rainbow flew through the sky, then those weird tasting treats from Sugarcube Corner, and now the town's been blanketed by bouncing baby bunnies?"
"Nice alliteration," Twilight complimented, but she ignored his 'thank you' in favor of her own thoughts. Once again because of Applejack's pride, another incident had happened. She was going to get that stubborn pony to listen to her and she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Both Martin and Fluttershy watched her walk off with a determined look in her eyes. "So how was your day, Fluttershy?" Martin asked her. She didn't give a verbal response and only shrugged. "You know what I want to do right now?" he asked. She shook her head in the negative. With no further prompt he ran towards the pen and jumped into it yelling, "Bunnies!"
Fluttershy watched in shock as he laughed and hugged the frightened bunnies. Oh dear, perhaps calming them down was going to be more difficult then she thought.
> The Strange Accident
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Accident




While some would be satisfied with a prank or two, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, however, wouldn't until she had successfully gotten all of her friends. They had scared Spike into a fit of hiccups, slipped Rarity some sneezing powder, painted all of Applejack's apples into a variety of colors, and switched Twilight's regular ink for invisible ink. They had planned on pranking Fluttershy, but reconsidered because they felt she couldn't handle it emotionally. Even Pinkie's partner in crime wasn't safe when Rainbow came out of looking through a telescope like she had a black eye. And they weren't even done yet!
"So who's next on the list?" Rainbow asked while using a wet cloth to wipe off the markings. 
Pinkie giggled mischievously, "Our next target is going to be Martin."
Rainbow had a grin hearing that, "Oh this is going to be good. I've wanted to mess with that guy for a good while," she said while rubbing her hooves together, "So how are we doing this? Honey and chicken feathers? Drawing on him while he sleeps?"
But Pinkie shook her head, "Nope, all we need is this!" she said while pulling a bucket out from behind her. Rainbow gave her a curious glance before looking inside of the bucket to some dark brown substance. "He gave me the idea to use chocolate sauce for his prank. So I thought this would get a bigger laugh out of him," she told Rainbow while pushing it closer to her.
"Is this some kind of inside joke I'm not getting?" Rainbow asked.
"Yep!" Pinkie quickly admitted, "It was when we first met. He said he wanted an orbital laser that shot chocolate sauce. So we're going to do that, on him." A little weird but she could dig it.
"Alright, so how we doing this?" she asked.



Pinkie watched as Martin walked up the path towards the marker. His eyes were closed and his head bounced to an unheard beat. Above the marker was Rainbow looking over the edge of a cloud, the bucket of chocolate sauce, waiting.  
As Martin stepped onto the marker, Pinkie shouted, "Target lock!" 
Martin jumped a little at the sudden yell and looked over towards the loud mare. "Pinkie? What are you doing? And did you say 'target lock'?" he asked her curious.
"Orbital laser fully charged, prepare for impact!" she then dove for the ground and covered her head. She started giggling in anticipation.
Martin stared at her weirdly and looked up. He was rewarded with a face full of chocolate sauce. He closed his eyes tightly as he became covered in it. After the drizzle stopped, he opened them back up and blinked dumbfounded for a few seconds. He then promptly rolled onto his back laughing hysterically. His laugh was joined soon by Pinkie and Rainbow as they dashed away from the scene of the crime.
When they got far enough away, they collapsed together into a fit of giggles. "Aw that was fun, thanks Pinkie. But, I think we should call it a day" said Rainbow.
"No problem, Dashie. Oh! And don't forget, it's your turn to question Martin," Pinkie reminded her. That made Rainbow pause in her exit and instead crossed her forelegs in irritation.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Can't we just skip my turn or something? We already found out about his weirdo entrance and friend," Rainbow said. She could be napping instead of wasting her time.
"Well ya, but Applejack found out from Nurse Redheart that he's got a super strong friend who's nice and mean and hates being called a hero even though he likes to save ponies," Pinkie told her.
"Oh great, right when he seems cool, he makes up something even worse," Rainbow grumbled. That kind of pony was way too contradictory to be real.
"I dunno, I can imagine somepony kinda like that, like an underdog vigilante," Pinkie imagined. She pictured a grizzled old stallion with scars that kicked butt and pat good ponies on the head.
"Whatever, I'll get it out of him tomorrow. Good night Pinkie," she waved to the pink mare.
"Night Dashie!" Pinkie waved back and they went their separate ways. One of them greatly anticipating tomorrow.



As the spa began to wind down near closing time, Lotus Blossom couldn't help but stare at the stallion that just stepped into the building. His entire body was not brushed, he was covered in dirt, and his whole head was encased in some brown substance. "Can I help you sir?" she asked politely. Even if he was frightening looking, he may very well be a customer.
"Yes, one of my friends recommended this was a place I should visit before I have to leave town. And I thought this may be the best time for it. As you can probably see," he gestured towards himself.
"I'm sorry sir, but we're starting to close the building and we cannot give any full treatments," she told him.
"Well I'm not here for any hoofcare or mud masks. Just a cleaning. Although I would like to try the massage, it was said to be divine," he admitted.
Lotus gave a glance towards the clock and then another to her sister Aloe. Aloe gave her a nod in approval. She turned back to the stallion, "Very well, if you are able to bathe quickly, we can give you a massage before we close."
He smiled at her, his teeth seeming to be the only part of him actually clean, "Thank you. I'm Martin by the way."
"It's good to meet you, I'm Lotus Blossom and this is my sister Aloe," Lotus gestured towards the other mare who greeted with a 'hello'. "If you'll pay the required bits, we'll lead you to the bathing area."
Martin wasted no time in handing over the bits from the brown bag around his neck. The two masseurs led Martin where he can quickly bathe, not bothering to use any herbs or other additives to the tub. They left him to his privacy and went to get the massage table ready. They had taken most things down to get ready for closing time. Without warning, the room they left Martin in began to glow a white light. Aloe and Lotus looked between each other in confusion before walking back towards the room. But before they could peer into it, the light disappeared. They looked around the room but could only spot Martin out of the tub and clean, although he was rubbing a towel on his mane to dry it. 
He looked up and saw them staring at him, "Is something wrong?"
The twins looked at each other unsure. Not only had there been a mysterious light, but the stallion had finished cleaning himself in record time. They had no doubt the two scenarios were related but they shouldn't inquire, it would be unprofessional and an invasion of privacy. "It's nothing," Aloe finally said, "Please step into this room when you are ready."
Martin set the towel off to the side and followed the two mares into the room and was guided onto the prepared table. He laid down on it and relaxed his whole body. Lotus needed no further prompt and began his massage. She started simple, some rubbing over his back to see if there was anywhere that needed extra attention. When finding nothing, she started to use earth pony magic to enhance the experience. However, she jumped in surprise when her magic rebounded off his own magic.
Aloe quickly went to her side, "Lotus, what happened, are you alright?" She asked worried.
"I'm alright," she reassured her sister. She turned to Martin, "Sir, if you want the full experience of this massage you must not resist it."
He looked back at her with confusion, "Huh?"
"Is his magic pushing away yours?" Aloe asked and got a nod in response. But why would he resist something he asked for?
"Oh, I get it," he nodded in understanding, "I'm really sorry about that. You see, I have absolutely no control over my magic. Each time I use it, it fails." He sagged a little in defeat, not liking his magic is inconveniencing others. But he quickly perked up, "We're working on it though, so I have high hopes that we can fix it."
"So you cannot stop it?" Lotus asked. Martin shook his head, leaving the pair with a problem to resolve. "Well," she began, "I suppose I will have to simply use a classic massage, no earth pony magic. Aloe, can you please fetch the massage oil, I'll have to go with the alternative."
They began the massage anew and they could tell immediately he was enjoying it, if all the pleased groaning was anything to go by. "Oh that feels so good," he told them, "I don't even mind the smell of the oil."
Aloe decided to answer for her sister, so she could focus, "We are sorry about that, but with your 'condition', we had to."
"It's no problem," he easily forgave, "But I'm the one who should be sorry, forcing you into this. Me and Theo have been trying but we just can't get my magic to work like it's supposed to. I mean, I can manifest my power every other way, but actual magic? I'm just not able to." So he had the normal capabilities of an earth pony but couldn't use it for anything, such as tending to plants.
"Well, everypony has their limits," Aloe tried to reassure him, "We just need to learn to accept them or strive to push past them."
That seemed to get a chuckle out of him, "I already know two guys who pushed past them. Director and the Voodoo Man already pushed past what's possible and continue on through the impossible."
"Well there you go," she wasn't entirely sure about that second pony or what they could have done that made it past limits. But if it gave him confidence, then that's all that counts.
With no further interruption, Martin got his massage and left them with his thanks and a tip.



Today was a great day for Rainbow Dash. Her good friend Gilda the gryphon had stopped by and they've just been having fun all day. Racing, jokes, telling old stories, she even got to introduce her old friend to one of her new friends. Nothing could ruin this day. Well, almost nothing.
During the latest race between Rainbow and Gilda, Dash had spotted Martin laying by the lakeside and she remembered what she promised to do. With one last race down into town, Rainbow turned to Gilda after landing, "That was great Gilda but I gotta split. You know, some projects that need getting done. You understand right?"
"Totally," Gilda agreed, "Don't worry about me, I'll just take a quick look around town. See if there's anything cool."
"Awesome. I'll be back soon, this won't take long," with that, Rainbow flew off back towards where she saw Martin. He was still there, just staring into the lake, flicking his ears and tail occasionally. He looked deep in thought. Rainbow smiled, this would be the perfect chance to spook him. She landed as light as she could and crept up on him. She took a deep breath and prepared to yell but her breath caught in her throat as Martin turned around and smiled at her.
"Hi Rainbow," she sagged at his words and blew out the air she collected noisily. "What brings you here?" he continued. 
"Hold it there buster," she glared at him, "How the hay did you know I was here? I was super quiet."
He pointed towards the lake, "I saw your reflection as you flew over here. That and you weren't quiet when you took in that breath." Great, they hadn't even started the interrogation and he was already making her mad. His smile dropped as she continued to glare but it came back full force. "Hey Rainbow Dash, knock knock," she raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing. 
She gave a mental shrug and decided to humor him, "Who's there?"
"Princess Celestia," preemptively he started chuckling at his own joke. 
Rainbow's eyes intensified, if he was going to make fun of the Princess, she would flatten him right here. "Princess Celestia who?" she continued the joke preparing for the worst.
He gave an exaggerated gasp, "Don't you know me?" and then rolled over laughing. Rainbow gave a look of surprise, but he continued, "Knock Knock."
Another one? "Who's there?" she asked.
"Princess Luna," was he going to use the same joke twice?
"Princess Luna who?" 
"Was Princess Celestia just here?" He fell into another fit of laughs and was joined this time by Rainbow Dash. Their combined laughter helped alleviate the tension she had. "A stallion with a block of stone on his back walks into a bar and says to the barkeeper 'A cider please, and one for the road.'" They laughed again at the joke. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he suddenly said.
She raised an eyebrow at him, "What are you talking about? I'm always in top form," she said while flexing her wings.
But he shook his head, "I'm talking about in here," he said while pointing to his head, "You looked like someone told you that you had to do something you didn't want to do."
"Ya well that's not why I'm here," she denied, but then she remembered something, "I'm actually here to show you those moves I promised."
Martin's face brightened with excitement, "Really!?" She couldn't help but chuckle at his excitement. 
"Of course I don't leave my," she hesitated a moment, "friends hanging." Did she still consider him a friend? He was fun and nice but he told the most ridiculous stories as if they were true. He could very well be lying to them just to get this kind of attention. Pinkie and Twilight were convinced he was telling the truth, while Applejack and herself believed he was spewing tall tales even if he explained some of them. Fluttershy and Rarity were neutral but were leaning towards believing him due to recent events.
Martin didn't seem to notice her pause and smiled brightly at her, "Thank you, so what are you planning on doing? A vertical nose dive?" Ok seriously, what was with his flight ideas?
"No, of course not, it's gotta be something your friend can do," she explained, "Now watch me." She sprung into the air and began doing stunts while calling them out. "Start it off with a zig zag, one to the left one to the right, a somersault, a leap, a landing, and a double loop to finish it off," she finished landing next to Martin. "You catch all that?" she asked.
He blinked at her weirdly, "Why did you land twice during a flying maneuver?" She frowned at his insinuation.
"I did that so it'd be easier on your friend," she explained which he nodded in agreement.
"Ya I can see that, but do you really think he could pull off stuff like this?" he asked. Quite honestly she didn't think he could with prosthetic wings, but even if he couldn't, he should still have something to strive for.
"Hey, come on, if he's got the dedication, he could totally ace this. If you don't believe in his flying skills, then at least believe that I recommended him the right moves," she told him.
"I'll do better then that and believe in the both of you," he gave his usual smile. She smiled back but lost it as soon as she remembered the actual interrogation she needed to do. She looked back towards the lake. Small talk first, grilling after.
"So why are you out here by yourself?" she asked.
"Just contemplating why I'm a pony," oh great, he was being philosophical right now, with the whole 'why are we here' deal.
"Honestly, I don't think 'why' matters, we're here in the now, so we better live it the way we want," she told him hoping to cut him off before he gets too deep into it.
"I was actually thinking it had something to do with the magic of this world," he better not be going on a philosophy spree, "But I like your answer better." Good. "You know, what you said, I think some of my friends would agree with you too."
"Oh really? Like who?" she asked him hoping he'll call out this Jordan pony.
"Well, Jordan," that was fast, "Triple B and Tria would definitely agree." Swell, another new name, at least this Triple B pony was mentioned before, but who the hay was Tria!? Ugh, it's going to be a long conversation.
"Can you describe them?" she regretted asking.
"Well Jordan is the local delinquent who likes to help and hurt things. Triple B is the psychotic criminal who likes to have fun in his own weird way. And Tria is a former goddess who is burdened by guilt," he listed off.
Rainbow Dash slowly put a hoof on her face and covered her eyes. "Martin, I want to help you here. I really do. But I can't if you tell me such obvious lies like this." He was purposefully making it more difficult then it needed to be.
He looked at her in surprise, "Rainbow, I'm not lying to you." He sounded so sincere but what he was asking her to believe was too much.
She glared at him, "So you know somepony who hurts just as much as he helps."
"Only when the situation calls for it," Martin interrupted.
"And you're friends with a criminal with a weird name, who happens to be bonkers," she continued.
"That's his street name, we don't know what his real name is," Martin explained.
"And a freaking goddess?!" she yelled at him.
"Former," he corrected.
"Why should I believe any of that?" she asked of him.
He looked at her with large and sincere eyes, "Because it's the truth. Please believe me." His eyes were firm with hope and determination, but... But. 
"I don't. I'm sorry," with that she flew off without looking back. He called after her but she didn't listen. He was a fun guy, he told good jokes, was interesting to talk to, and just generally nice. But friends don't just blatantly lie to each other and insist on passing it off as the truth when they need the actual truth at that moment. She guessed they weren't friends after all.



Pinkie Pie had thrown her latest bash for the town's newest visitor, Gilda. It was meant to help improve her attitude by letting her have fun and meet with other nice ponies. While the guest of honor hadn't arrived yet, they had gotten the party started anyway. But the party didn't quite feel right, Dashie had been looking glum and the party only helped a little. She would have gone to her, but she needed to stay at the front until Gilda arrived so she could get a proper welcome.
"Pinkie!" somepony called to her. She looked back outside and watched Martin come through the doorway. She smiled at him and he returned it immediately, "Glad I could make it on time. I wouldn't want to miss one of your parties. But before that, is Rainbow here? I need to talk to her."
"Oh, she's over there," Pinkie pointed towards said mare, "She's feeling a little down though."
He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous smile, "Ya, that's my fault. She flew off earlier upset about something I said. I'm hoping I can fix that, or at least have her enjoy the party a bit more." That made Pinkie blink in surprise, Martin of all ponies made Rainbow upset? Did she find out something troubling? She shook her head. No, it's probably just some misunderstanding. He'll be able to fix it right up in no time. But for now, she had a gryphon to look out for.
Martin walked over to Rainbow immediately, "Hey, Rainbow?"
Dash looked him in shock before settling on a nervous smile, "Oh, hey Martin. Sorry about ditching you like that. Totally not cool of me."
"Look Rainbow, about that conversation," he started but a hoof covered his mouth.
"Can we just pretend that never happened? Please? I want to go back to before. When I thought you were a cool guy," she pleaded with him.
He gave her a kind smile, "Alright, I'll take back everything I said. We never talked about my friends. We just chatted about your awesome flying skills that I need to describe to Sven."
She gave a sigh of relief and nodded, "Thanks," the weight seemed to lift off her shoulders and she smiled brightly, "I can't wait for everypony to meet Gilda."
"Looks like you won't have to wait long," he said while nodding towards the electrified gryphon.
They all laughed as Rainbow trotted up to her friends, "Oh Pinkie Pie, the old hoof shake buzzer. You are a scream."
Gilda gave a strained chuckle and smile, "Ya, good one Pinkie Pie." Before anything else happened, Martin squeezed in between them with a 'Hi there'. Gilda took a step back in surprise at the sudden entrance.
"Here, let me introduce you, Gilda, this is Martin. Martin, this is Gilda. Me and her go way back," Rainbow introduced.
"It's nice to meet you," he said while holding his hoof out. A giant smile on his face. Gilda looked at the hoof suspiciously before carefully grasping it and giving a firm shake.
"Likewise," she said sternly. This stallion reminded her of the pink mare with all his smiling and hyperactive nature. She'll keep an eye on him.
"Come on, Gee," Rainbow started trotting over into the crowd, "I'll introduce you to some of my other friends." Having been already introduced to Gilda, Martin walked off to enjoy the rest of the party and left the gryphon in peace.
"Right behind you Dash," Gilda called to her but stayed to give a hard stare at Pinkie, "I know what you're planning."
Pinkie gave a giggle snort, "Well I would hope so, this wasn't supposed to be a surprise party."
"I mean, I've got my eye on you," she said with a glare. But Pinkie was unfazed and got up in her face, staring deep in to her eyes.
"And I got my eye on you," she trotted into the center of the room, "Everypony, I'd like you all to meet Gilda. A long time dear friend of Rainbow Dash." Pinkie zipped back and hugged the gryphon. For some reason that got a stare out of Martin. "Let's honor her and welcome her to Ponyville," Pinkie zipped off again as the crowd cheered for Gilda. Gilda gave a nervous smile at the attention but Rainbow came up and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Please help yourself," Pinkie said gesturing to the snacks on the table.
Martin appearing behind said table, "Ya, a lot of these things are delicious," he looked down at the bowl of yellow confections, "Oh, vanilla lemon drops." He took one out and popped it into his mouth. He had a satisfied look on his face before it contorted, his green coat taking a shade of red. He opened his mouth and let out a breath of fire, which Pinkie seemed prepared for and took out a marshmallow on a stick to roast. 
"Martin, the punch," Rainbow said pointing towards the glasses. She smiled as he ran past and lifted one of the cups to his mouth. But the liquid never made it to his mouth as it dribbled onto his chest. He set the glass down and stuck his whole head inside the punch bowl as everypony and Gilda laughed at him.
"Well what do ya know," Pinkie said pointing at him, "Pepper in the vanilla lemon drops and the punch served a dribble glass."
Rainbow kept chuckling, "Priceless, am I right Gee?" she said elbowing the gryphon.
"Totally, hilarious," Gilda continued to chuckle at his misery.
Martin finally got his head out of the bowl, his mane dripping wet and covering his eyes. "I'm ok!" he told the crowd as he stumbled around blind. It didn't take him long to crash into the table of presents knocking several of them and himself down. "I'm still ok!" he said raising a hoof in the air to reassure the crowd but the one he raised had got caught in the ribbon of one of the presents. He used his other hoof to move his mane out of his face and used his teeth to try and get the present off. He pulled the ribbon loose and the present exploded into fake snakes. The explosion caused Martin's mane to stand straight up and then frizz out into an afro with toy snakes in it. Everypony laughed again at the prank, even Martin joined in this time.
"Spittin' snakes," Applejack laughed, "Somepony pulled that prank on me last month." Gilda gave a suspicious glance at Pinkie as she helped Martin get the snakes out of his mane. That prank had come out of her present. She knew somepony was out to get her.
"I'm a little surprised at you, Martin," Roseluck said walking up to the stallion as he flattened his mane, "Most anypony would be a little upset at being at this end of so many pranks."
He smiled brightly at her, "Nah, it's all in good fun, and I'm not hurt. Besides I just love to laugh."
Pinkie giggled, "Oh ya? How much do you love to laugh?" she asked as music started to play. He smiled at her and sang.

I love to laugh, Ha ha ha
Loud and long and clear
I love to laugh, ha ha ha
It's getting worse every year

The more I laugh, ha ha ha
The more I fill with glee
And the more the glee, ha ha ha
The more I'm a merrier me
It's embarrassing!
The more I'm a merrier me! Ha ha ha!

Martin went into a fit of chuckles which Pinkie agreed with. However, Rarity had her own opinion on laughing, "I can't say I enjoy every type of laugh."
Martin tilted his head at her, "Really?"
She nodded and decided to add in her own verse.

Some ponies laugh through their noses
Sounding something like this "Mmm..."
Dreadful, I must say
Some ponies laugh through their teeth goodness sake
Hissing and fizzing like snakes, "Hssss..."

"Not at all attractive in my opinion," Rarity said. Pinkie decided to step in and point out some of her favorite laughs.

Some laugh too fast, "heheheheheheh"
Some only blast, "Ha!"
Others, they twitter like birds, "he he he ho he"

"You know, you're as bad as he is," Rarity said nodding towards the green stallion. However, she was ignored.

Then there's some kind
What can't make up their mind, "Hm hm, ha ha, he he, ho ho, heh he ha oh!"

When things strike me as funny
I can't hide it inside
And squeak, "Heh" as the squeakelers do
I've got to let go with a ho-ho-ho
And a ha-ha-ha... too!

We love to laugh We love to laugh
Loud and long and clear Loud and long and clear
We love to laugh We love to laugh
So everybody can hear So everypony can hear
The more you laugh The more you laugh
The more you fill with glee The more you fill with glee
And the more the glee And the more the glee
The more we're a merrier we! The more we're a merrier we!

As the song ended, everypony except Gilda fell into a fit of giggles. She had just found the song annoying. The party continued without any more mischief. Everypony enjoying themselves, except Gilda who only hung around Rainbow, completely ignoring all the others.
"Alright ya'll," Applejack announced, "It's time for pin the tail on the pony." Several ponies walking over to that section, each wanting a turn.
"Can I go first?" Martin asked. Nopony moved to stop him as he grabbed the purple tail with his teeth and accepted the blindfold. Gilda was going to go first, to show them up, but that stallion was bad luck central and she didn't want to be near any of that.
Martin was spun around to make him dizzy and he slowly made his way towards the poster. However he missed it entirely and crashed face first into the closed door beside it. The tail stuck to his upper lip as he stepped back. "I recognize that feeling anywhere," he twirled the fake mustache as he spoke with an exaggerated accent, "So we meet again, door!" he pointed dramatically. However, he was facing the wrong direction and simply pointed at nothing. The others found this hilarious and laughed with the strange stallion.
"Ya'll alright there, Martin?" Applejack asked him, taking the tail off his face. She was about to take the blind fold off but he started walking.
"Don't worry, I feel perfectly fine," he said while making exaggerated steps in a random direction.
Unfortunately he was heading directly for the cake that just rolled in. "Watch out for that," but it was too late and the cake splattered everywhere as the two collided. The ponies gasped at the ruined cake. Martin emerged out of the cake with a crown of candles on his head, which he quickly shook off. "Aw, Martin, you ruined the cake," Pinkie pointed out. Martin himself gave an embarrassed smile and a quick 'sorry'. Pinkie giggled, "It's ok, it was just an accident. But you do have a little something on your face," she said while pointing to her nose.
Martin looked between his eyes and spotted a lone candle on his nose still lit. He blew a puff of air onto his nose and the candle went out. However, it only went out briefly before relighting. 
Spike went into a fit of chuckles immediately recognizing the trick, "Relighting birthday candles, I love that prank." The other ponies laughed along with him but Gilda glared at the stallion. She immediately changed face when Rainbow started talking to her.
"You're not mad because Martin ruined your cake are you?" she asked her friend. Was she upset? Yes, but she knew the perfect way to get back at him.
"Am I mad? Nah, but you know what?" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I know the perfect prank to get back at him."
"Oh ya?" Rainbow asked curious, "What kind?"
"Just watch and learn, Dash, I'll show you what a REAL prank is," she said while grabbing a candle and sneaking behind Martin. Martin himself was being cleaned up by Rarity while he talked with Applejack and Pinkie. 
"Ya'll should have waited for me to take that darn blindfold off," Applejack lectured Martin, "Then none of this would have happened."
"I have to agree with Applejack," Rarity said while rinsing out a wash cloth and using magic to give it to him, "If you just took more care then you probably wouldn't crash into so many things, such as doors or cakes."
Martin wiped himself down as far as his foreleg could let him, "Those doors are out to get me, I swear." Both Applejack and Rarity rolled their eyes at the accusation, but Pinkie just giggled. None of them seemed to notice the smoke rising behind Martin. He took a sniff of the air, "Hey Pinkie? Did you put something in the oven?"
"Yep! It wouldn't be a party without cake, so I worked super fast to get another one ready. I wasn't prepared at all for it to get smashed like that. I mean, what kind of pony could prepare for that kind of thing? Maybe a psychic pony. But I don't know anypony who's psychic so I had to make the cake from scratch and now it's in the oven being baked," her friends watched her going on her spiel. Applejack and Rarity both had half-lidded stares while Martin just scratched his chin. The smoke behind him turned into a rising flame. "Why do you ask?" Pinkie asked him. 
"Well something smells like it's burning," he said with a shrug.
Finally somepony noticed the rising fire and gave a shriek of terror. The four ponies looked behind Martin and noticed his tail was rabidly catching fire. Said pony immediately panicked and began running in circles trying to shake the fire off. 
Many more ponies began to panic but Applejack quickly took charge of the situation, "Martin! Stop, drop, and roll," she instructed. He listened and immediately dropped to the ground, but before he could start rolling, the bucket of water Rarity was using was dumped all over him, extinguishing the flame.
There was a collective sigh of relief but a howling laughter drowned it out. Everypony looked towards the source and saw it was Gilda. Rainbow stared at her friend in shock, "Gilda, you did this? Why?!" she demanded an answer.
"Aw come on Dash," she said playfully, "Lighten up. It was just a prank."
Rainbow's mouth dropped in horror, "A prank? A prank?! Pranks are supposed to be funny. Somepony could have gotten seriously hurt. That's going too far!"
Gilda's eyes widened in surprise at her friend yelling at her, "That was funny though, it was a lot better then the rest of the weak sauce pranks that happened to him."
Rainbow stared at her with a hurt look mixed with anger, "Those pranks were mine," Gilda was once again surprised. "You know, I had hoped that old friends would get along with my new friends. But if you can't do that, then I think you should go."
"What?" Gilda glared at her, "You'd rather stick with these dweebs?"
"I stick by my friends," Rainbow answered.
"Well what about me?!" she asked. But she was only met with silence. "So that's it then," Gilda had her own hurt look, "Fine! You stick around with these losers. See if I care!" she said before opening the door and flying away.
Rainbow sighed in defeat and turned around to apologize to her friends, but she noticed that Martin had gone missing. A trail of water lead out the door.



Gilda finally landed in an empty street of Ponyville, huffing and puffing. She took a deep breath and let out a loud yell of frustration. With all of her anger screamed out, she was only left with sadness. Her eyes brimmed with tears but she quickly brushed them away as she heard somepony galloping towards her.
"Gilda!" the pony called for her. She turned around and saw that weird stallion from before running at her.
"Go away!" she yelled back at him, "Don't you see I want to be alone?!" But he didn't stop and continued forwards. "If you're here for revenge, then you got another thing coming, bucko," she said while bracing herself. He still didn't stop. "I'm warning you, back-oof" however she couldn't finish as he bumped into her and held her in a hug. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" she tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he held her too tight. 
"I'm hugging a gryphon who just lost her best friend," he answered her.
She struggled again, "I don't need your pity, I don't need Dash, and I... I," she tried to be angry, but she only found herself sighing in defeat and just accepting it. He held onto her for a few more seconds before releasing her.
"It doesn't have to end like this, you two can still be friends if you try," he told her.
But she looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes, "Maybe we could, but it won't happen any time soon. If we looked at each other, we'd just get mad all over again. We need some time."
"Alright, but just promise me you won't forget about the good times you had with her," he asked of her. 
She looked back at him for a second, "Hey, about that fire prank, I just want to say, I'm sorry, I didn't think it would go that far."
He smiled, "See, I knew you weren't bad. I know Rainbow wouldn't be friends with a mean gryphon. She's a better judge of character then that."
She blinked at his easy forgiveness, "Thanks," she looked up and noticed a rainbow object flying towards them, "I gotta split, later loser." She took off leaving the smiling stallion. 
As he waved at her, Rainbow Dash landed next to him, "Martin, what happened with Gilda?" she looked him over for any sign of injury.
He didn't answer immediately, "Rainbow, even if you think you've lost a friend, you need to reach out and believe in them," he looked back at her, "And hope they reach back and believe in you."
She looked at him and then at the shrinking dot in the sky, "Do you really think that?"
"I really do," she looked back at him and saw the same look at she'd seen before. This time.
"I believe you," she said, "You're my friend Martin. And if you say that you know a criminal and a goddess. Well, then I'll just have to accept that. You can tell me all about them later." He gave a huge smile at that, which she returned. "But enough sappy stuff, let's head back to the party. You know any good jokes?" she asked as they walked back.
He chuckled, "I thought of this one while I was visiting Heavy Weight at the clinic. What do you call a pony with a sore throat? A little hoarse." The both of them laughed, feeling a lot better. One had regained a friend and the other hoped she would regain another.
	
> The Strange Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Friendship




While some would be glad to be released from the clinic, Heavy Weight was dreading going back out to face his consequences. His reputation was probably gone. All because of some upstart who somehow could pull a massive amount of weight. If he never saw that stallion again, it would be too soon. Unfortunately, his wishes would go unanswered.
"Heavy!" somepony called to him. He looked over and saw the little twat he was thinking about, slide up in front of him. "You're all better now," he smiled brightly up at him excited like a dog. His tail was even wagging, for goodness sake.
"Relatively," he said while he softly touched the bandage around his barrel. He still had a few weeks before he could take off the bandage, but he could at least walk around and do some work. "Why are you so happy to see me? We're not friends," he grunted and started walking away from him, "And why are you bouncing?"
That didn't seem to deter Martin since he literally bounced along side him to speak at eye level with him. "Good communication starts with eye contact," he said, "and Pinkie showed me how best to bounce on your hooves. It's a neat trick, makes going about your day new and exciting. As for your other question? I felt guilty for being the reason you were injured."
"As you should, it's your fault this happened," he agreed. But that didn't matter right now. Right now he was heading back to that gym because he was told to either fix the Bridle Pull or pay for a new one by the owner for breaking it. He'd rather fix it then pay out of his own bits.
"So as an apology, I'm gonna help you fix that equipment!" he said excitedly.
Heavy's frown deepened, "I don't need or want your help. Just leave me alone." Although he was fibbing about needing help, it was at least a two pony job. But he wasn't about to ask him for help. He'd ask one of the ponies exercising in the gym. Hopefully there were some there at this time of day.
"Nuh uh," he said shaking his head.
"What do you mean, 'Nuh uh'? It's not something you can deny. I am telling you to leave," Heavy glared at the bouncing stallion.
"Nuh uh," he said again. What, is he five? Well Heavy wasn't going to have any of that. He took off in a full gallop, trying to get as much distance as he could. "Heavy, wait!" Martin called after him. But he didn't, he continued down the road, making several twists and turns that he lost track of where he was going. Eventually he came to a stop, huffing and puffing, hoping he got away. "Nope still here," he suddenly heard beside him. He gave a shout in surprise as he spun around to face the smaller stallion. He took a second to compose himself and glared down at him. 
"Stop following me," he stated firmly. Why couldn't he just listen? Once again, Martin shook his head denying him his peace. Heavy grunted and decided to run again. This time looked back and saw Martin just bouncing after him, surprisingly keeping up. "Go away!" he shouted back towards Martin.
Suddenly Martin's face contorted into panic, "Heavy stop!" he pleaded. Heavy's face scrunched up in confusion, but he didn't stop. What was he so worried about? He looked forwards and his heart nearly stopped when he saw a small brown and white colt about to be stomped by his hoof. Time seemed to slow down as the hoof drew closer to the wide eyed child. Without warning he felt a great pull on his tail and he was pulled backwards into his flank. Thankfully, the colt was uninjured, but was now tearing up in fear.
Heavy was about to come up with an excuse but was interrupted as Martin stepped in between them. "Pipsqueak! How ya doin, little buddy?" he asked a bit too quickly, "Sorry about Heavy here, he just got out of the clinic and really wanted to use his legs." Heavy raised an eyebrow at Martin as he stood up. Why was he making up an excuse for him? He can explain himself easily enough.
He was about to complain about that, but stopped. The colt seemed to have his spirit lifted immediately when he noticed Martin. The tears that were coming were immediately blinked away, "Martin, you're back! Are you here to tell another story?" Upon that question, there was a small cheer from several other children. Heavy finally noticed that he had run into the playground of the school house during his blind run through the town. How far had he run?
"Well," he playfully hesitated, "Alright, but only for a minute, me and Heavy are scheduled to fix some equipment later." He turned to Heavy, "You can get a head start toward the gym. I'll catch up when I finish here," and then turned back towards the group of children that had gathered in front of him, "Alright, do any of you remember who I talked about last time?"
One pony near the back raised her hoof, "You told us about chief of police, Officer Vern." An officer? This guy personally knew a police pony, the chief no less? 
Martin smiled kindly at the pony, "That's right. He's the nicest guy I've ever met. But now I think we should move past him. Today I'm going to talk about one of the biggest mystery of Broken Depths, a being called Stranger." The children 'oh'ed at that, anticipating the story. Even Heavy found himself curious enough to stay. The name Stranger sounded like something out of a horror story. "Over a thousand years ago, before Broken Depths was ever built and even before the country was colonized. There was a single creature who lived where it would be built, a shapeshifter. She was the only one of her kind. She had the amazing ability to change her form into any living and non-living thing. She could be anyone or anything. But even though she had this power, she was very lonely, she had no friends or family," he told them.
"That's so sad," one of the fillies said.
Martin nodded, "It is, but this story has a happy ending. Because soon, the founder of Broken Depths came to this location and observed Stranger's loneliness. He spoke with her often, although he couldn't find out anything about herself and her past, they still became good friends. And you know what he did for his friend? He decided to make a town. A town where she could settle down and have friends and a family. I can only assume she was over-joyed but she doesn't really talk about it with me," he finished. Wait, what?
Heavy looked at him weirdly. Did he just insinuate he personally knew a being that has been around since before Nightmare Moon's banishment? And what kind of town name is Broken Depths? But the children didn't seem to notice the strangeness and simply 'aww'ed, thinking it as a nice conclusion.
"Martin, is that you over there?" a voice called from inside the building. Everypony looked over and saw Miss Cheerilee standing at the front door of the school building. "I thought I asked you not to distract the children just before recess ended. Your stories take their attention away from class," she admonished him with a frown.
"Hi Miss Cheerilee," Martin called waving a hoof at her, "Sorry about that, me and Heavy were running about, well he was running, I was bouncing, and we accidentally ran here." Heavy gave him a half lidded stare. The way he said it didn't make it sound right. The reason for said blind running could be speculated into any number of wrong ways.
But Cheerilee sighed in resignation, "Very well Martin," she easily forgave, "Just please try to not do it again." From her tone of voice, he could only guess Martin has disturbed the class a lot with his antics, although in not enough severity to make her angry.
He raised a hoof in a salute fashion, "You got it Miss Cheerilee," he then waved to the school children, "You lot be good now." There was a chorus of 'bye Martin' as they dispersed and Cheerilee walked back into the building. Martin turned around and was surprised to see Heavy still standing there, "Heavy, you're still here? Did you want to walk with me after all?" he said with a bright smile.
Heavy recoiled a bit in disgust, "No of course not," he denied too quickly, "I was just, uh, catching my breath."
"Wanna borrow my net?" Martin unexpectedly asked. Heavy blinked at him weirdly. Why did he suddenly bring up a net? Oh wait, he knew where this was going. "To catch your breath," Martin chuckled at his own joke but Heavy didn't find it funny. "Hey, did you see what Cheerilee did?" he asked another question.
Heavy raised an eyebrow at him, "What, lecture you?" While slightly entertaining, it was hardly noteworthy.
"She just schooled me," he laughed outright at that. Heavy however groaned and placed a foreleg over his eyes. Why was he making puns now? Was he purposefully trying to irritate him.
Heavy walked away not bothering to try and distance himself from Martin, feeling the effort was useless. Martin himself bounced alongside him, his head bobbing with an unheard tune. Heavy decided to make a topic, if they were going to talk, as he knew they would, they were going to be serious about it. "So tell me, why were you so worried before, when I was about to run into that colt, if you could have easily stopped me?" he asked.
"I was worried for the both of you," he explained, "For that child's safety and for your reputation." Heavy blinked in surprise at that announcement. He was concerned about what everypony thought of him? What for? "Both of you are my friends," he answered the unasked question, "If I have the power to help you, then I'm going to do it. It's the way I've always done things."
Heavy huffed, "Well don't expect me to repay you, you're the reason it happened in the first place," he pointed out. All of his current problems were because of this stallion. However, for some reason he couldn't muster the hate he started out with.
"I don't need money, I'm already repaid by the bright smiles and happy lives of the ponies around me," he said with a chuckle. While a nice sentiment, it didn't really put food on the table or a roof over your head.
"Oh really? How many bits is a smile going for these days?" Heavy joked sarcastically. Martin blinked at him before doubling over in a fit of laughter. Heavy didn't bother to wait for him and continued walking.
Martin quickly caught back up after his laughing died down, "See, I knew you weren't just Commander Drill Sergeant." Heavy frowned a little at both the implication and the wrong use of military ranks. He then sighed, resigning himself to an explanation.
"That whole persona back at the gym was just me acting," he told Martin, "I need to do that to properly motivate them." At Martin's confused look, he went into further detail, "Being loud and obnoxious means they will all pay attention to me. Lording myself over them gives them incentive to follow my orders. I also need to keep my distance. They don't need a buddy to coddle them, they need a trainer to tell them what to do. So I make them call me Sir and insult them."
"Is that for their benefit or yours?" he asked seriously but the bouncing he was doing ruined the effect.
"Both," he said simply. While it seemed cruel, he will say that the system has worked thus far. They got the training they wanted and he doesn't get emotionally attached to them. That is until this stallion showed up. He broke the illusion.
"Well, it seems to work for you, but I think you can be a little bit nicer," he said. Heavy snorted, no way that was happening. He couldn't chance being seen as soft. If a rumor like that spread, he wouldn't be able to get the serious body builders to follow his orders. That's what he thought anyway.
He decided to change to subject before it got too mushy. "What was with that story with the stranger? You said it was a mystery but nothing about it was mysterious," he said. He was honestly curious about some shapeshifter who may be as old as the Princesses.
"Not the stranger, just Stranger. Although, that's not actually her name, it's a title we gave her," Martin explained, "The mystery is we don't know who or what she really is. Shapeshifting is an ability, not a species. There are several others in our town who can shapeshift but Stranger is unique. She's lived in our town for as long as it has been built, so she has to be at least one of the residence in it, but we can never figure out which one. Magic, medicine, and science can't figure it out. Even when asked she refuses to answer."
As he finished explaining, they arrived at the gym. Heavy went in first, opening the door with a hoof. For some reason when he looked back at Martin, he had stopped bouncing and was staring intently at his own hoof. Deciding to ignore it as just another thing weird about him, Heavy walked over to the pile of gym equipment that he had fallen into several days ago. Miraculously, it seemed like nopony had touched it and all the pieces were there with no visible dents. Looked like he had just jostled some screws loose and it fell apart. "This should be easy enough, alright Martin if you really want to help, then you're going to have to follow my instructions exactly," he told the smaller stallion.
Said stallion smiled up at him, "You got it, what do we do first?" Heavy's neutral look lifted a little at the agreement. He didn't think it'd be that easy to get him to listen. Especially because of the chase before.
He went over to the tool box that was provided for them and took out a screwdriver with his teeth and set it down next to the pile. "I'm going to set two pieces together and reapply their screws. What I need you to do is hold them in place until I can secure them," he explained while moving the pieces together. Martin nodded and used his own hooves to hold them there. With no further prompt, Heavy began the difficult process of turning a screw with his teeth.
"You must have a really good dentist if you can use your teeth like that," Martin commented. Heavy just grunted, not being able to answer. "Hey Heavy, what's the best time to go to the dentist?" Heavy grunted again with a light shrug this time, not really caring about the question. "Two-th Hurty," Martin finished but didn't outright laugh, just smiling widely. Heavy however gave a small chuckle, finding it mildly funny. 
When it wouldn't tighten anymore, Heavy dropped the screwdriver and tested the two pieces. "I think we shouldn't have any trouble with damages, but actually getting all of it together will take time," Heavy commented. He looked over at Martin who had this huge mischievous grin on his face. 
"Is it eating a clock? Because that sounds time consuming," this time Martin did outright laugh. Heavy wanted to be mad at him, but he couldn't help but chuckle. This guy may be a hyperactive brat but at least he can tell a joke. That and he was good with kids, helped anypony he could, visited him when he was in the clinic, and made an effort to preserve his reputation. Heavy watched him try to see what pieces went where, one piece slipping out of his hoof and knocking him on the head. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he originally thought. He was still annoying, just not bad.
As Heavy said, it took a while to fix the equipment, but with teamwork, they were able to finish in decent time. "Huh, finished a lot faster then I thought we would," Heavy commented, "Good job there, Martin." 
Martin took the compliment with his usual smile, "Thanks Heavy, you did great too. We should celebrate." Martin started backing up towards the open door with Heavy close behind.
"What'd you have in mind?" he asked. Martin looked up in thought. As he got close to the door, it suddenly began to close and Martin didn't notice. Out of reflex, Heavy put a hoof out and stopped the door an inch from Martin's flank. Martin blinked in surprise, turning to stare at the door while taking a step away and then stared up at Heavy.
The larger stallion shoved the door all the way open and stared down the lanky blue pony on the other side, "Hey, watch it!" he shouted. The blue pony shrank under the glare, trying to stutter out an apology.
"Hiya Toe-Tapper," Martin suddenly appeared between them, surprising them both, "Watcha doin?" 
Toe-Tapper eased up when seeing a familiar face but still cowered under Heavy's gaze. "Were you trying to come out the door? I'm terribly sorry, I assumed somepony had left it open on accident," he explained.
"Oh, we did leave it open on accident, but it's all good," he said while tapping a hoof on Heavy, "Neither of us is injured so, no worries, ok?" he tried to reassure. Toe-Tapper glanced at the bandages around Heavy's barrel and raised an eyebrow at Martin. "He already had those," he reassured again.
"Well, I guess I'll be on my way, good bye Martin, I hope your friend feels better," with that Toe-Tapper walked away. The tension in Heavy's shoulders disappeared as he breathed out. 
He glanced towards Martin who was looking up at him in admiration. "What?" he asked hesitantly, not sure if he would like the answer. 
"You just protected me from the door menace," Martin said while hugging his foreleg, "Thank you." Ok, now this was getting weird. Heavy shook his foreleg to try and get Martin off. He did let go and began walking out again, forwards this time. "Come on, you definitely deserve something for that," he said.
"All I did was stop a door, you make it sound like I just saved your life," Heavy complained, "Don't make a big deal out of it". This stallion made no sense and was that music he was hearing? Oh, no.
"You know, when we first met, I didn't think you liked me, but now, I'm sure you do," Martin said confidently, "I guess that means we put our differences behind us? Ha! You get it? Put our differences behind us?" he said while elbowing the now frowning Heavy.
"I'd like to leave you behind," but Martin just laughed it off and began to sing.

Look how we get along together,
I think it's great the way we blend,
You seem to try and break this tether,
But now I see that's just pretend,
We'll find our way through stormy weather,
Just you and me right to the end,
Hey buddy, looks like we're two birds of a feather, 
And, gee, it looks like I got me a friend,
Now you go.

"Take it Heavy," he gestured towards Heavy to continue the song but Heavy ignored him and kept walking. Martin bounced along side him. "Hey Heavy, What do you call a flower before it opens?" he asked.
"What?" Heavy said finally paying attention to him.
"What do you call a flower before it opens?" he asked again.
Why was he quizzing him? "A bud" Heavy answered.
Martin's smile doubled in size, "I love it when you call me bud!" he said while hugging Heavy around the neck. Heavy groaned in annoyance as he shoved him off. But that didn't stop Martin. He bounced alongside the glaring stallion and continued to sing.

Look how we get along together,
You are incredibly annoying
I think it's great the way we blend,
You're like a disgusting little shroom
You seem to try and break this tether
 This isn't something I'm enjoying
But now I see that's just pretend
 I should have left you back in that room
We'll find our way through stormy weather
You want a friend? Go to the tundra!
Just you and me right to the end. Hey buddy
 Or better yet, find a hydra!
Looks like we're two birds of a feather
 Don't call me buddy!
And, gee, it looks like I got me a friend
 Uh uh! Not me!
Now you try

"Take it Heavy," he gestured towards the other stallion again. Once again he was ignored. "Hey Heavy, I got you some bits, where should I put it?" he asked.
"What?" his ears perked up at the sound of money.
"I got you some bits, where should I put it?" he asked again.
"Put it there," he said holding out a hoof to him.
"Put it there?" he asked excitedly, "Alright!" he said while grabbing the hoof with both of his and giving a firm shake. 
"Oh stop it!" he said while pulling his hoof free and stomping forwards.

When you're a loner there's less hardship
 I know you like me, just admit
You don't go finding friends to like
  Alright, I'm gonna give a stare
Why don't you pack your blasted friendship
 Go on, admit it!
And take yourself a healthy hike!
 Take a look, you're really gonna care
There aren't many ponies in Hayladesh
 I'll break your levee
Why don't you go and start a trend
Come on, Heavy
"Oh knock it off!" he said having enough of the smaller stallion, finally looking towards him. He immediately recoiled when he saw Martin give him adorable puppy dog eyes. "Ugh, no grown stallion should be able to make that kind of face!" he complained while trying to look away, "Just stop, Martin!"
"Say it," he commanded. Heavy hesitated before sighing in defeat.

Alright then! I kinda, sorta, maybe, I guess
You mean you like me?
A little
You mean it?
Don't push it!

Oh, looks like I got me a friend!         Oh, looks like I got me a friend!

"Ok, yes, I consider you a friend," he said it with a sense of defeat but he had a small smile. This was his first friend in a long time and he could honestly say that it felt good. The pony next to him just radiated how good he felt. "You never did tell me where we're going," he pointed out.
"Oh right, well, I was just going to have us head over to Sugarcube Corner to grab a snack," he said with a far off look in his eye, "I could really go for some brownies."
Their chat was interrupted by a loud whistle. The both of them looked over and saw Applejack waving, "Martin, come over here, I need yer help with somethin."
"Huh, no brownies then," Martin turned back towards Heavy, "Duty calls. But I won't leave you hanging." Martin pulled off his bag of bits, took one of Heavy's forelegs, and dumped out a few bits into it. "I promised you some bits, and I will keep that promise. You have fun Heavy," with that he put the bag back around his neck and trotted over to Applejack.
Heavy could only stare at the retreating stallion as he replayed the events of the last couple of hours in his mind. He had been released from the clinic, been chased, nearly injured a colt, heard a story about a thousand year old shapeshifter, fixed some equipment, sang a song, gained a new friend, and was given bits to spend on sweets. Quite honestly that was more eventful then the entirety of last month, and that was ok with him. But he should take that advice and relax with a snack.



Today hadn't really been a good day for Applejack. Oh everything was fine for the most part, but it was ruined the moment that show mare named Trixie showed up. She had tried to give the show off some humility but she got hogtied instead. However, hopefully she could regain some dignity by getting some decent work into and out of Martin... That sounded a lot better in her head. Anyway, it was her turn to interrogate him. She was to find out more about this criminal 'Triple B' and this goddess named 'Tria'. She didn't know what Rainbow was thinking when she believed him when it came to that.
Right now she was trying to coach him on how to properly buck a tree, but so far they've made no progress. It probably didn't help that Big Macintosh accidentally opened the barn door into his face earlier. Boy was spouting nonsense about some giant red dog slapping him afterwards but he seemed to recover easily. She sighed as he flopped over for the tenth time, "Maybe we should take a break. Yer not getting this."
He sat up and shook the dirt out of his mane, "Don't worry Applejack, I'll get it eventually." She snorted, they've been past 'eventually' and were heading into 'never' territory. She could be bucking her own trees but she had to stay here and help him.  She guessed it kinda worked out, she could ask him stuff while he rested.
"So ah heard ya'll were tellin Rainbow about some pretty strange things," she started.
He looked at her strangely, "The jokes?" he asked.
"What? No, course not. Although she did say you liked making puns a bit too much," she mentioned, "No, I'm talking about that Triple B and Tria thing." There was no reason to beat around the bush, plus it's been shown by the others that talking about his past doesn't really bother him. She didn't know what Twilight was worried about, this pony didn't look like he had it in him to explode, literally or figuratively.
"My friends? Ya, I guess they're pretty weird," he admitted. See, not even the slightest bit upset. "What about them?" he asked.
"Well first off, why are ya friends with a criminal? Shouldn't ya turn him into the police or Militia you mentioned?" she asked. Friend or not, if they did some illegal acts they should be turned in. 
"Turn him in? Besides the fact that I can't, that would just be cruel to both the police and Militia," he explained. 
"What do ya mean ya can't?" she asked. 
"Triple B is too dangerous, he's stronger then me and no amount of police could detain him," great, not only is his friend dangerous, but he's also difficult to actually lock up, "Lucky for us, we've actually been slowly turning him to the side of good."
"What, really?" so it wasn't entirely hopeless. But that still wouldn't excuse the crimes he's committed. Even if he was doing good, he'd still have that hanging over his head.
"Yep, he's actually made a deal with Jordan, the only guy stronger then him. Jordan could beat Triple B but only after lots of fighting and even more wanton destruction. So they agreed, as long as Triple B kept his crimes to petty things, Jordan wouldn't go after him," he explained. What the hay? Just how strong are the ponies where he's from? "We're slowly bringing him to our side with friendship. But I think the real reason is because of his Nana," he continued.
"His Nana?" Applejack asked. Apparently even a criminal loved his family. Though, she could see it happen. Family is there for both the good and bad times.
He chuckled a little, "It's the one family member he loves most in the world. She helps keep his morals in check. You should see them interact, it's funny to see Triple B interact in a somewhat normal conversation. Here, let me show you, I think I have my impression of them down," he cleared his throat and began yelling in a different tone, "Yo Nana! I'm going to rob a store, ya want anything?!" 
He then changed his tone into an old mare with a scraggly voice, "Ya Beebee, pick up some eggs! I'm makin waffles tonight!" he chuckled at that.
Applejack raised an eyebrow at him, "Why were ya yelling?" It seemed completely unnecessary.
He tapped his ear, "Nana is hard of hearing, so literally every conversation with her has to be yelled. If you try it in a normal tone, she just yells at you saying 'What?!'" Huh, mare must be up in her years, at least Granny Smith hasn't reached that point. She supposed this Triple B couldn't be all bad it he's taking care of family. He was still a criminal, no getting around that.
"So what about this Tria fellow? What's her story? Ya called her a goddess of all things, ya talking about figuratively or literally?" she asked, switching to the next topic.
"Literally," he answered but then hesitated, "I don't think I should tell you." Both of Applejack's eyebrows flew up at that. There was finally something he wouldn't talk about? "You see, Tria's made some mistakes in her life that she's not proud of. It's not my place to gossip about her screw ups. If you want to hear about her past. You'll have to seek her permission," he explained. Wow, he's respecting a pony's privacy. She thought he'd be glad to blab about anything from his town, but even he has limits. She could respect that.
Applejack decided to drop the topic, "Well, I think that's long enough for a break." 
"More bucking?" he asked waving towards the trees. 'More'? That stallion hadn't even started.
She shook her head, "Nah, I think bucking just ain't for you. But I got me an idea. Heard from Big Macintosh that yer some kind of power house under all those skinny bones of yours. So I figure, we'll try something that takes less skill, and more raw strength." She walked towards an area of wilted trees.
"What do you mean?" he asked following along.
"Ya see these trees?" she asked gesturing towards them, "They've run their life and need to be cut down. Normally me and Big Macintosh do it, but he still has those bandages. So that ain't gonna work. I figure, with your help, we'll be able to do it. Just let me get the saw and we'll get started." She turned to leave but he stopped her.
"No need, I can get this tree out without cutting it down," he said in a confident manner.
She rolled her eyes at him, "I don't think your headbutt is going to knock down that tree." She hoped he wasn't planning to injure himself again, loophole or not she told him to not get injured.
"Nah, I'm going to suplex it," he said.
"What," she said flatly. Without warning he wrapped his forelegs around the trunk of the tree and started pulling it. She felt the ground underneath them shift and she could hear several roots underneath snap. She swore she saw his hooves glowing with a white aura as he gave the tree a quick lurch and uprooted the whole thing. He bent over backwards and slammed the tree behind him, quickly moving out of the way of the rest of the trunk. She could only stare at him as the dead leaves fell around them. "Martin, did you just suplex that tree?" she finally asked.
"Yes," he said simply.
"Why?" she inquired.
"Because I could," he told her.
She took a second to stare at him further, "Think you could do it again?"
That's how Martin found himself uprooting trees with his bare hooves. Now, Applejack could call him out on being bizarre. But this actually strengthened his claim about his town and friends. If Martin had said earlier that he could pull up whole trees, she would have marked it as another one of his tall tales. But he could actually do it. He may be weird, but he was a useful kind of weird. That made her wonder what other tall tales were actually true. She'd let the others worry about that, for now, she had several logs that needed to be turned into firewood.



Trixie had a most productive day. She had awed the locals with her skill, showed up several upstart mares, and got a decent amount of bits. She could do without those two annoying colts but she could deal with adoring fans for awhile, not like she was going to stay here that long. Right now she was preparing to go to sleep when she heard an unfamiliar voice outside her wagon.
"Huh, wonder what this is," the voice said, "It wasn't here this morning. Must have rolled in around noon." While she would normally be glad at the wonderment in his voice, she did not need this pony stopping her from getting her beauty sleep.
She stuck her head out of the window and stared down at the green stallion. "If you would please, Trixie must ask you to leave, the Great and Powerful Trixie is not doing any shows right now, so go away."
He finally seemed to notice her and smiled widely, "Wow, speaking in third person, now that's funny." Trixie glared at him. She wasn't sure what a 'person' was, but she was no clown and thus, should not be laughed at. "Hi there, I'm Martin," he introduced himself anyway, "Who are you?"
She huffed in annoyance. She was the talk of this tiny village, and he hadn't heard of her? Well she would change that. "Very well, you are in the presence of the Great and Powerful Trixie, the most amazing unicorn in all of Equestria," she declared, donning her hat and cape for added effect. 
"Oh, a travelling magician, gotcha," he simplified. She glared harder at him and his words.
"Trixie is no mere street magician. Trixie is a magnificent spell weaver! One with magic that can confound the greats," she declared again. 
"Really? Can you show me?" he asked for a performance. Initially, Trixie was going to deny him, but he looked simple minded. She could do some easy magic and it would probably impress him. Nothing wrong with a few extra bits.
"Very well, Trixie can spare a moment," she said while stepping out of the wagon. She used magic to pull out an egg and placed it in one of her hooves, "Behold, for Trixie will crush this egg into oblivion using nothing but her hooves." Martin stared intently at the egg as Trixie brought her other hoof and covered the egg from sight. With a bit of magic, she pulled the egg into her cloak and rubbed her hoofs together, miming the action of crushing the egg. She pulled her hooves apart and revealed that it had disappeared. His mouth opened in shock and he smacked his hooves together in obvious cheer. She knew it, so simple. Without warning, two small colts she recognized as the ones that had bothered her earlier and the baby dragon that was in her audience this afternoon, ran by at amazing speed. She blinked as they ran off into the distance.
Martin however waved to them, "Hi Snips, hi Snails, hi Spike" he called them by name but they didn't look back. "Wonder what's got them scared," he said just as something breathed down his back. Trixie looked back towards him and then up at the thing behind him. And up, and up, and even further up. Right behind Martin was an Ursa Major, the kind of beast she had claimed to be able to vanquish. What was it doing in this town?! She screamed in fear and galloped away as fast as she could.
Martin looked at her retreating form confused, "Well that was uncalled for," he said while looking up and behind himself, "Am I right?" he asked the giant galaxy bear. It growled at him and brought one large paw down onto the stallion.



Twilight was galloping as fast as she could while Spike held onto her mane for dear life. She had just been told an Ursa Major had wandered into town and she was probably the only one who could stop it. Although, if it was really an Ursa Major, she would probably be able to see it by now. It was probably only an Ursa Minor. While less dangerous it could still do a lot of damage if not dealt with.
"Twilight, over there," Spike called pointing towards a group of ponies. She immediately recognized the show off mare as well as the two colts. They seemed to be arguing over something but there were more important things to worry about.
"Trixie!" she called as she came up to them, "Spike told me everything, where's the Ursa?" she asked. Time was of the essence. The three of them wilted in guilt for some reason at the mention of the Ursa.
"I-I don't know," she admitted, "I thought it was going to chase us, but it never did. It must still be back at my wagon." Twilight was slightly curious on why she wasn't speaking in third-pony anymore. But Spike's cry of fright interrupted her thought.
"Martin must still back there with that monster!" Oh no, he's in serious trouble. But before she could go off into full gallop, a great wind blew over Ponyville as the night briefly turned into day with a flash of light. They all looked in the direction of the light and saw several large, translucent, white, featureless tentacles wave in the air beyond several buildings, reaching above them. Several ponies that came out to investigate screamed in terror and ran in the opposite direction. The tentacles came down below the line of buildings and the light began to fade.
Twilight had no idea what that could possibly be, but this was no time to hesitate. "You two," she pointed at Snips and Snails, "return home, it's possibly still dangerous out here." They immediately nodded and ran away, following the crowd. "Trixie, I'd like it if you came with me, I may need your help," she asked of the other unicorn.
"M-m-me?! I'm not going anywhere near that thing!" she stuttered in fear. An Ursa was one thing, but now some tentacle monster?! Tonight was just not her night.
"Please," Twilight begged, "One of my friends could be seriously hurt."
Trixie hesitated, but eventually agreed, "Alright, but you owe Trixie for this," she said while resuming her facade. The both of them ran in the direction of Trixie's wagon. By then the light had completely disappeared. When they arrived, they came upon the most peculiar sight. It was the Ursa Minor, like Twilight had guessed, but it was on it's back and getting a... belly rub? Up on his belly was Martin rubbing his hooves along the belly of the beast, constantly chanting 'who's a good boy'. The Ursa itself had a smile on it's face and it's tongue sticking out, clearly enjoying it.
"What-" Trixie tried to question the situation but was immediately shushed by Martin.
"I finally got him to relax," he said, sounding exhausted, "Hey, can you girls somehow bring this guy back home? That'd be great."
Twilight shook her head, she could question it later. "Trixie, levitate Martin off of it. I'll get the Ursa home," she commanded and then closed her eyes to concentrate. Trixie raised a skeptical eyebrow but did as she was told and brought the green stallion down. In a powerful display of magic, Twilight was able to make music, collect and carry a large bottle of milk used out of part of a water tower, and carry the Ursa itself back into the Everfree forest. Trixie could only gawk at the event while Martin smiled kindly at her and Spike shouted in joy. Luckily the Ursa hadn't made it too far into town so everypony and everything was safe. They probably didn't even see it. Twilight turned to the other mare slightly winded, "Thank you Trixie. You may be a show off, but you still helped when it counts."
Trixie blinked at her odd compliment before recovering, "But of course, you could have never vanquished the Ursa Major-"
"Minor," Twilight interrupted.
"Excuse Trixie?" she asked.
"That was only a baby, an Ursa Minor," she explained. That surprised the showmare and the baby dragon.
"Wait, if that was an Ursa Minor, then how big is an Ursa major?" Spike asked.
Twilight shook her head, "You don't want to know." The implication was rather chilling.
"Ahem," Trixie called attention back to herself, "As Trixie was saying, you could have never vanquished the Ursa Minor, without Trixie's help. You are welcome. But know this, you will never come close to being as wonderful as the Great and Powerful Trixie!" With that, she stomped her hooves and dust erupted around her as she made her escape with her wagon strapped onto her.
Twilight rolled her eyes at the display and turned to the pony she was really worried about, "Are you ok, Martin?" 
"I'm alright," he said with a smile but it was strained and he had dark circles under his eyes. She's never seen him look so exhausted, she was worried. "Good job at taking that teddy bear back to bed," he said, his words starting to slur.
"Thanks, I hope you don't think of me as being a show off as well," she voiced her personal worry.
But he continued to smile kindly at her, "Nah, you used your magic for the right reason. If you have power and use it for the right reason, that's not showing off, that's just expressing your talent in a good way." His words gave her relief and she smiled back at him. "As for me, I'm so happy, I could kiss the road," with that, he face planted into the ground, "This road tastes terrible," his muffled words rang out and then went silent.
"Martin, are you ok?" asked a worried Spike. However, instead of talking, he got a snore in response. They both sighed in relief. He was just sleeping.
"Come on, let's get him to the clinic, I'll feel better if I know he's being looked at by a professional," she levitated Martin onto her back with Spike jumping on soon after. He was heavy but she could deal with it until they got to their destination. She was glad everything worked out but there was still one thing unsolved. What was that mysterious light and those tentacles, and did it relate to Martin in someway? Hopefully they will get some answers soon, but for tonight, all of them could use a good night's rest.
> The Strange Rendezvous
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Rendezvous




While some would think waking up in a clinic would lead to an unhappy patient, Twilight, however, found no such thing. She was in no way at fault for Martin being sent here, but she felt a certain amount of responsibility because she did bring him there. She had come by with a book in her saddlebag on famous Equestrian landmarks for him to entertain himself with, should he need an extended stay. He never said it outright or looked put down by it, but she couldn't help but feel that he felt caged in his self-imposed imprisonment. He was in an entirely new country and he could only view it from the stories of others. So she got him a book to explore the nation from the comforts of home. Spike had come along as well to talk with his hoofball/comic book friend. Spike had warmed up to Martin pretty easily, maybe even looked up to him. 
Twilight found herself inside Martin's room, staring at the stallion playing with the pencil in his mouth. On the bed sheet was a piece of paper with, what can only be described as, chicken scratch scrawled all over it. Martin looked up from the pencil and spotted herself and Spike. He smiled brightly at them, "Twilight, Spike! Good to see you," he greeted, "Have you come to visit me?" he asked while setting the pencil down and getting out of the bed.
"Well we just wanted to make sure you were ok," Spike put in, "You did kinda faint on us." Martin's been shown to be able to do several strenuous activities without breaking a sweat, but whatever led up to giving the Ursa Minor a belly rub, left the poor stallion completely exhausted. Perhaps it had something to do with that tentacle monster?
"It seems you've recovered nicely. I'm glad you're alright," Twilight said with relief, "Do you plan to leave the clinic soon?" 
Martin shook his head, "I thought I was going to but the doctors wanted me to stay for several tests. While I have the normal anatomy of a pony, due to several stories around town, I'm believed to have super-pony capabilities. They want to see if there's a biological or magical reason behind it."
Twilight's ears lowered in guilt and she put on a strained smile, "Really? That's sounds... Interesting." Oh, no. Despite their efforts, they probably made other ponies suspicious of him. Either that, or he's been showing off. 
"Ya, but they couldn't find anything," he chuckled. What? But, how is that possible? Even if they couldn't find anything biologically, Princess Celestia herself confirmed that he had strange magic. But the doctors couldn't find anything weird about it? "They're going to do one last test to try and bypass my unstable earth pony magic. After that, they plan to give up until a new development occurs." Wait, was that the magic Princess Celestia mentioned? No it couldn't be, she specifically said foreign magic. There's nothing exactly foreign about that.
"That sounds rough," Spike commented. He could only imagine what kind of painful tests he was subjected to.
"Nah," Martin dismissed, "It was no trouble, I was happy to oblige." Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at his endless optimism.
"I don't think I've ever truly seen you down," Twilight commented. He's shown fear and worry but never actually upset or sad.
"Having a lot of hope will do that to you," he said with a chuckle, "I do my best to remain like this because smiling is infectious." He waved a hoof around, but when they didn't react he shrugged and continued, "If I'm happy, then those around me might feel better and be happy themselves. If for some reason I can't find hope, then I try to raise my own mood and think of my favorite things." 
Music began to play but it stopped when Nurse Redheart stuck he head in the room, "No singing, we don't need you waking patients or distracting doctors."
"Sorry!" he called, waving a hoof in her direction. She left doorway and Martin chuckled again, "Song blocked."
"You must really love to sing," Twilight pointed out. Ever since the day after the Summer Sun Celebration, Martin had hummed or outright sang a song at least once a day. He's gotten at least one other pony involved each time.
"That's what I like about Ponyville, I can sing whatever I want, almost anywhere, and I won't be a bother. Some of you ponies even sing along. I love it. There's nothing like that in Broken Depths," he explained.
"Why not?" Spike asked. Was his town so strict that they weren't allowed to sing in public?
"It disrupts the peace I guess," he said with a shrug, "Plus, there's nothing that makes music and nothing to sing along with me, so it could be cringe worthy to the spectators. That's why I love it here. So I want to get out as many songs as I can while I still have the chance." That sounded kinda sad, having a song in your heart but not being able to express it. She was glad he could get that kind of relief during his visit. "Were you planning on going somewhere after this?" he asked while nodding towards her saddlebags.
"Oh right. This is actually for you," she said while using magic to levitate a specific book out of her bag, "I brought you a little something to read while you were here."
"Aw thanks Twilight," he sat down and grabbed book with both hooves, "You're the best." Twilight blushed at the compliment, glad he liked the gift. "Oh, a geography book, neat," he said looking over the images on the inside, "But I don't have a library card," he said giving Twilight a confused look.
She shook her head, "It's no trouble. Just be sure to return it after you're done, I trust you." 
"Well if you ever get bored of that, you can read one of my old comics," Spike said while pulling one out of Twilight's saddlebag. "In this issue, the Power Ponies are up against the millionaire Bright Light and his army of fluorescent robots," Spike pointed towards the picture on the cover.
"That sounds cool," he said taking the comic, "I'll give them a looksee after the test. I think they're ready for me." Twilight and Spike turned around and saw Doctor Horse standing near the doorway. He gave a sheepish smile and stepped out of sight to give them privacy. "I'll come by this evening to return them," Martin stated.
"You don't need to return them that quickly, take your time," she tried to reassure him. She knew a book could only be truly enjoyed when the reader read it at their own pace.
He chuckled at her statement, "Alright, then I'll come by just to visit."
"Sweet," Spike immediately approved, "I can totally show you my hoofball card collection. I've got a limited edition Half Pint card you have to see. It changes images when you look at it right." He lost all of his allowance but it was worth it.
"I'd love to hear about them but it's time. It was nice of you both to visit me, you two have a good day," he said while waving a hoof at them.
They bid their farewells and walked out of the room. Each anticipating the coming evening and started planning on what they wanted to do and talk about.



"Alright, you ready Pinkie?" Martin asked the mare in front of him. He had recently been released when the doctors failed to find anything, so he went to Pinkie to have some fun. Right now they were practicing a routine out in the park. It was some time mid-day, so there were a couple of ponies passing by but they were mostly ignored.
"Yep," said mare nodded with a serious look on her face. They stared at each other for a second before starting.
"Hoof bump, hoof bump," they said together while performing the action once with each front hoof.
"Monsters everywhere," the both of them raised one foreleg forward and slid it sideways.
"Now stand up tall," they both stood on their hind legs and braced their hooves against each other, holding the other up.
"And give a good stare," without warning they smashed their foreheads together with an audible 'crack' but neither flinched from the impact. They remained in that position for a few seconds before Martin cracked and began chuckling, then outright laughing, falling onto his back. Pinkie gave her own giggle but landed on her hooves. She gave him a few seconds to get it all out, then moved to his side and helped him onto his hooves.
"That was fun," she told him, still having a little giggle in her throat, "But could you tell me again why we need a secret hoof shake?" Honestly, she wasn't listening when he told her the first time. She was trying to memorize the moves that he wanted done.
"Well I figure, when I leave, I may come back at any time but I dunno if it will really be me or if it'll be a shapeshifter trying to pretend to be me," he explained, "So, I thought, if we have a secret greeting, we'll know it's really me."
"Oh, gotcha," she agreed. That was actually a good idea. This kinda reminded her of when she taught him the Pinkie Promise. Although he said he didn't have a Pinkie, she reminded him that he did have one, as a friend. That was funny of him to not get, but he agreed with her. And now, he taught her his own special thing they could share. "Does something like that happen often at Broken Depths?" she asked, curious if he was actually concerned of somepony impersonating him. 
"Not really," he said with a shrug, "I think Stranger is the only one who could get away with it. All the other shapeshifters aren't nearly as good. I've been told my personality is especially hard to replicate." He gave a goofy face as if to emphasize his point, which got another giggle out of Pinkie. 
She agreed at that point, Martin was one unique pony. That thought made Pinkie pause,  the other girls had only asked about where he's from and the ponies or other beings he knew, nothing about him personally. As far as she's aware, she's the only one who asked him anything personal. They were really missing out. She would remind them later. "Hey Martin, do you miss your home?" she asked him. He's been away so long, she couldn't imagine he wasn't a little homesick.
"Sometimes, but I know in my heart that each day I'm here, it's another day closer to returning home. So I better make each one count," he said. She smiled glad he was one of those 'glass half full' ponies. 
He was right though, they should make these days count. "So what else should we do today?" she asked.
He tapped his chin in thought, "Well the Beanboozled challenge is always fun if you have a strong stomach. But we don't have the play set." See, that's why she liked that he wasn't from Equestria, he had so many games she'd never heard of. "So we'll make our own," for some reason she felt like she was going to regret this.



Rarity and Fluttershy were enjoying their spa day to it's fullest. Fluttershy was having her wings cleaned and Rarity was having her horn filed. It was a bit of a tradition for the two of them to have such an outing, just a day for them to talk, relax, and get pampered. No worries, troubles, or fears. Sadly, that relaxation was interrupted by a loud noise against the door. Aloe and Lotus looked at each other worried, wondering what could have caused that. For some reason a familiar feeling came across Rarity but she didn't recognize the sound. Fluttershy instead tried to shrink into the bed she was laying on, fearful of what may be on the other side. Aloe went over to the door and opened it slowly. She was relieved to see that it was just Martin, who seemed to be having trouble getting a helmet off his head.
"Welcome back, Martin," she greeted, "Do you need some assistance?" He paused to look at her but then redoubled his efforts and successfully pulled off the helmet his head. "Nevermind then, what brings you here today?" she asked him. He didn't have an appointment, so unless he wanted a simple bath, they really couldn't do much for him. They still had to finish up with Fluttershy and Rarity after all.
"Hi Aloe," he greeted back, "I'm actually here because of a request on the board, the one about cleaning one of the larger tubs?" he tried to make her remember. He placed the helmet on top of his head, balancing it.
"Oh yes, the request," Aloe remembered. Quite honestly, she didn't think anypony would actually take the request. She thought she'd have to get a professional cleaner and was pleasantly surprised Martin was willing to do it.
He looked past her at the other ponies in the building, "Hi Lotus, hi Rarity, hi Fluttershy." Lotus nodded at him, not being able to verbally respond with the horn file in her teeth. Fluttershy gave a weak smile and a wave.
"Good afternoon Martin, so nice to see you. You've come to help out Lotus and Aloe today?" Rarity decided to make small talk.
Martin walked up to them, Aloe went back to attend to Fluttershy, "Yep, it's about that time where I help who I can, when I can. I thought a cleaning detail would be especially helpful to me. I'm hoping that being surrounded by some cleaning solutions will get at this smell that seems to be clinging to me." Now that he mentioned it, Aloe did smell something unpleasant coming off of him, but she didn't want to be impolite. Luckily they were far enough away to not be subject to it now.
"Now why would you smell bad? Did you forget to clean yourself today?" she asked. 
"No, I definitely cleaned myself after Pinkie barfed on me, but the smell is still there," he revealed. All the girls flinched away from him in disgust. Each of their own stomachs getting queasy at the thought.
"Why in the world would Pinkie do... that to you?" Rarity asked, hesitant to name the event.
"Well it was pure accident, but it was probably because we were playing a variant of the Beanboozled challenge called the Doughnutboozled challenge," he explained. 
"I fail to understand how that would make Pinkie of all ponies gag, not unless you over indulged," Rarity speculated. Though even then it was unlikely, that mare could really pack away the pastries.
"Nah, nothing like that," he denied, "See, the challenge is that there's a set of a food item and each one has a different flavor. The two doughnuts with those flavors are supposed to be indistinguishable from each other so you have to guess which is the good one."
"The good one?" Fluttershy asked, finally getting into the conversation.
"Ya, you see, one could be filled with rich chocolate, and the other could  be filled with thick mud," the girls immediately gagged. That was completely disgusting, and this was a game? "Don't worry, we don't actually eat the stuff completely. It's usually enough to just get the taste and then spit it out. The game ends when we either run out, one of us gives up, or one of us upchucks. And unfortunately, I won." He gave a chuckle while rubbing his mane, presumably where it landed on him.
Rarity decided to change the subject before she lost her lunch, "So tell me Martin, why were you wearing that hoofball gear?" she asked, pointing at the helmet on his head. The offending object looked so tacky, no style whatsoever.
"Head protection," he said tapping it with a hoof, "I thought it would help me against the doors. That's a big ol' nope. That door must have some kind of armor penetration. Still felt the whole impact and it got stuck on my head. I gotta up my endurance, instead," he shrugged at the confused mares. He opened his saddlebags and dropped the object inside. "So what about you two? Just felt like getting pampered today?" he asked.
"Oh yes, but this isn't some one off. We have a small tradition of a weekly spa visit. Isn't that right Fluttershy?" Rarity asked the other mare to confirm.
"Oh, uh, yes, it's nice to relax for a day," Fluttershy agreed. Although she felt she didn't deserve such pampering, Rarity had insisted. So far, she hasn't regretted accepting.
"I would invite the other girls as well," Rarity continued, "But everypony either doesn't care or never has the time. Possibly even both." Applejack and Rainbow Dash were especially adamant on not going. 
"Which reminds me, Fluttershy," he called for the mares attention, "I've seen where Rarity and the others work, but I've no idea what you do." Huh, that's strange, he's been all over Ponyville several times a day but he's never seen Fluttershy's cottage? Perhaps he thinks that's outside the town limits in his self-imposed imprisonment.
"It's nothing really special," she denied it's importance, "I just help some animals." It was nothing as impressive as making beautiful dresses or taking care of an entire orchard. But she loved doing it all the same. It was her calling in life and she was proud of it. She wouldn't brag about it though.
"Fluttershy here is the caretaker of all animals in the immediate area, domestic or otherwise," Rarity explained further, "While we do have a veterinarian for medical check ups, Fluttershy would be the one you go to if your pet needs a little extra love and care."
"Wow that's real nice of you Fluttershy," he complimented, making the mare blush. "Would you like some help at any point in the future?" he asked further. She tapped her chin in thought and came up with something quickly.
"Well, I could use some help giving the animals a bath. You see, some animals don't enjoy bathing, so I need to pay extra attention to them so they stay in the tub while they soak. But when I do that, I have to neglect the others who really do want to take a bath. It's very time consuming," she explained. She could not clean the resistant animals but that would leave them unhealthy and she couldn't let that happen.
"Sure I'd love to help," he quickly agreed, "What time do you want me to come over?"
"Um, maybe tomorrow morning? Unless that's too early for you and you'd like to sleep more," she said and almost immediately took it back. She didn't expect him to agree so quickly.
"Morning's fine, I'm usually up by then," he agreed, "I can't wait to see the animals you have. I bet they're just as cute as those baby bunnies."
"Oh, yes," she hesitated. She remembered those bunnies and how they cowered in his grip. Honestly, he could have approached them more delicately. The poor dears. Hopefully he wouldn't be so clingy this time.
"Speaking of working, perhaps we should go about our own tasks?" Aloe tried to get the situation moving. She didn't mind his presence but before long they'd have to shift locations and he was distracting. Plus, if he was going to start cleaning, they needed him to do it as fast as he could so they can use the tub again.
"Right, it was nice chatting with you two," he gave a small wave to the robed mares, "And I'll see you tomorrow at 6, Fluttershy. Aloe, I brought my own cleaning supplies, so I'll get started now. Where is it?" Aloe pointed towards one of the doorways. With that, Martin saluted and walked into the room.
"Do you wish to leave him unsupervised?" Rarity asked the twins. She knew very well that Martin was capable, but he also had strange amount of bad luck. Any number of accidents could happen.
"We aren't worried," Lotus reassured, "He is one room over, if anything were to happen, we can be there immediately." Almost immediately after she said that, they could hear several plastic bottles falling over along with a splash.
"Uh oh, clean up on aisle 3," Martin called. "Also, just so you know, cannon balls work better in pools, not tubs," he informed.
"Perhaps you should be worried," Rarity said with a half-lidded stare. Honestly, even if he had the best intentions, that stallion still didn't take enough care for himself. 
Aloe ran into the room to check on him, leaving Fluttershy with a worried expression. Oh dear, and she agreed to have him help?



At the top of a hill, Rainbow Dash was practicing her speed in order to do the sonic rainboom. It was a skill she had done once as a foal but haven't been able to do it since. Right now, though, she had a trump card. She'd heard from AJ that Martin was crazy strong. So she figured, she could use that. Right now they were on top of the nearby cliff getting ready to enact their plan.
"You ready Martin," she asked him. He was standing on his hind legs, oddly, it was easy for him, with his hooves high in the air, holding onto her.
"I question the legitimacy of this plan," ugh, he was questioning it now? Why'd he go this far before bringing it up? "How is me throwing you going to help? You already fly faster then I can throw," he pointed out.
"No duh, but this way saves time and energy. I figure if you do the first half of the speed then I can push myself even further with the second half," she explained. It was foolproof, now if only Martin was actually a fool and didn't smell like bleach. 
"I don't think that's how it works," he said as if he knew anything about flying. 
Well she'll show him, "Just shut up and throw me," she said while prepping her wings. She could feel him shrug. He pulled back and threw her as hard as he could down below the cliff. 
Aw ya! Now this was what she was talking about. She maintained the speed and flew up into the open sky so she wouldn't hit anything, soaring above homes and trees. After that she strained herself to go faster. She could feel herself speed up, it was working. But her hope quickly died out when she felt her speed stagnate. She tried as hard as she could but she couldn't go faster. Sighing in defeat, she circled around and made her way back to Martin. He was still there, a hoof raised to shade his eyes as he watched her come closer. He took a step back and allowed her to land in front of him.
"Did it work?" he asked. She frowned at him for pointing out her failure. 
"Did you see a rainbow shock wave?" she shook her head, "I just couldn't do it. Ugh, this is frustrating! I did this when I was a foal! I should be way faster after all these years." Though that probably had more to do with her cutie mark then the actual speed. It was still frustrating either way.
"Well just keep trying," he said what she already knew, "If you did it once, that definitely means you can do it again." He was right, she was going to do it again. She can take on any challenge. "Ok, my turn," What? Without warning he made a leap towards her. Immediately she dodged out of the way with a roll.
"Hey watch it Martin, what were you even trying to-Where'd you go?" she started to scold him but realized that he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around briefly. She didn't hear anything that might have been running. Maybe Pinkie had a point about him being camouflaged in grass. She looked over the edge of the cliff just in time to see him impact the ground with a 'thud'. "Martin!" she called in worry, flying down to him quickly. "Hey, you ok?" she said nudging him with a hoof. He looked ok from where she stood but his head was half buried in the ground.
He raised his head from the ground and stared at her, "Either I fall slowly or this cliff is taller then I thought. I counted at least 7 seconds for that drop." Ignoring that, she gave him another look over and saw he was only slightly dirty from the fall.
"What were you even trying to do there?" she asked while helping him to his hooves.
"Like I said, it was my turn to get thrown," he told her. She could only stare at him weirdly. What is with this stallion? Is he nuts?
"Why the hay would you want me to throw you? You don't have wings to fly, in case you forgot," she said, tapping his head with her hoof.
"It would be like flying," he tried to explain.
"No it definitely would not. That would be falling, really fast falling," she informed him, "Besides, I can't throw you like that."
"But you carried me up to that cliff," he pointed towards said cliff, calling back to how they got up there.
"Carrying and throwing are two completely different things," she told him. She could carry ponies fine, her wings did most of the lifting, she just needed to keep a good grip on them. Throwing, however, used a different set of muscles. "Sides, even if I could, I wouldn't do it. It would just end up like this," she said while pointing towards the dent in the dirt.
"It still would have been nice," he daydreamed briefly, "But you're right, it probably wouldn't be as good as I imagine." Well now she felt kinda bad, great. 
She sighed before putting on a smile, "Hey don't worry about, I ain't mad. But if you really wanna know what it's like up there, you should totally come visit my place. I'll give you the grand tour," she promised him, wanting to keep his hope up.
"Really?" he said excitedly. There it was, that excitement he gets when introduced to something new and interesting. She'd seen that look a lot when flying over head. At least once a day he'd find something to get excited over. Life was probably never boring for him. "Thanks, Rainbow," he thanked her preemptively.
"Thank me after you've seen it," she said. Now she just had to figure out how to not make this topic weird when she asks Twilight if she knows a cloud walking spell.



"Ya'll sure about this Martin fellow?" asked Big Macintosh. It was currently somewhere close to the evening. They were getting in some last minute farm work before heading in for the night. Big Mac himself was using the plow to get the soil ready for new saplings. Applejack was following close behind dropping said saplings into the disrupted dirt, evenly spacing them, and Applebloom was just behind her, burying the base. Martin was past them getting the dirt ready by taking out the old roots of the trees he uprooted. Personally, Big Mac had only met the stallion a few times. He was a nice fellow, little screwy in the head but that don't make a bad pony. But he had heard a lot about the guy from his stay at the clinic. Even Applebloom heard things about him at school. Apparently he's been telling them fantastical stories about his home. Like some creature named Neph who is supposedly a mismatch of multiple creatures and has power of different dimensions. Big Mac will say this about him, he can certainly spin a tale.
"He ain't the bad sort," Applejack answered with a shrug, "He ain't hurting nopony with his stories and hay, he may even be telling the truth with some of them. So ah'll suspend my disbelief until proven otherwise."
"He's kinda weird though," Applebloom decided to enter the conversation, "Ah asked him about how he got his cutie mark, and he said he had no idea how he got it and that it just appeared." She wanted to see if somepony not from Equestria had any tips on getting a cutie mark but that didn't work out at all.
"Huh, weird but ah could believe it coming from him," AJ said with another shrug. That stallion could be attentive if he wanted to, but when he wasn't, he just didn't seem to see anything not in his immediate attention. Speaking of the inattentive stallion, she figured it was about time somepony went to check on his progress. "Applebloom," she called to the filly behind her, "Go on and take a look at what he's done. Ah'll come back 'round and finish buryin these ones later. If he's finished, send him on his way."
The smallest pony nodded and trotted towards where they left him. It didn't take long, finding him almost immediately. He was shifting the dirt with his bare hooves and pulling any roots out with his teeth. Despite the roots being buried pretty deep, he had no trouble pulling them out. He had a large pile of roots tossed to the side but he wasn't sweating at all, he was only covered in dirt. "Hello Mister Martin," Applebloom greeted him. 
He looked over and smiled at the young filly, "Hello Applebloom, come to check on my progress?" she gave him a nod, "Well I think I'm done, but I'm going to give the area another once over just to be sure. Would you like to walk with me?" he asked her.
She gave the offer a thought and decided to go along with it. She needed to tell him what to do anyway. "Sure thing," she agreed. Applebloom followed after his long strides with her own little quick steps. She looked up at him and blinked in surprise when he was walking with his eyes closed. Looking down at his hooves, she saw each one with a white glow to it. She'd never seen an earth pony do that before. "Mister Martin? Can ah ask what you're doing?" she asked him.
"I'm trying to sense for any other dead wood in the ground," he answered without opening his eyes.
"Can all earth pony's where you're from do that?" she questioned further. That'd be pretty cool, maybe he could teach them how to do it.
"I think that's very unlikely," he chuckled, "This power I have is exclusive to me, as far as I know." 
She tilted her head at that, was Martin some unique pony? Darn, she hoped she could have shown off some neat glowy hoof trick. "What do ya mean?" she asked.
"I wasn't born with this power, it was given to me by a higher being," he explained. 
"Like the Princesses?" she guessed. She wondered if the Princesses could give a pony that kind of power. Maybe she'd get her cutie mark from a gifted power. Although, she couldn't imagine what that kind of mark would look like. Taking a glance at his own mark, she wondered if that was how he got his.
"Eh," he hesitated, "I'm not entirely sure how their standing compares to the being, but they move the sun and moon so I'll give you a definite 'maybe'."
"So what'd that power give you?" she asked curiously. Maybe he was secretly a super hero? Maybe she could get a cutie mark in being a sidekick. Fighting off forces of evil and saving the world. That would be cool.
"Well primarily it let's me use the energy it's comprised of to manifest as a physical object in any shape I want," he explained, but it went right over Applebloom's head. She had no idea on what he just said. Turn energy into an object? What did that even mean? "That's it then, no more roots," he suddenly declared. 
She looked around in surprise and saw that they did walk the entire length. Glancing at his hooves, she noticed they weren't glowing anymore. Well if he was done, she'd better let him go. "Thank you for your help Mister Martin, but there's nothing else for you to do. So you should go home now," she told him.
He nodded, "Alrighty then, you 4 have a good evening. Tell Granny Smith I'd love to hear more of her stories later." He was talking about the time they went inside to get a glass of water. Granny Smith had immediately taken a shine to the polite young stallion. Always glad to have a new ear to talk into.
Applebloom waved to the stallion as he left and he gave a smile in return. She'd ask Applejack what he meant later at dinner. Maybe she'll know something about it.



It was well into the evening before the residents of the Golden Oaks Library finished eating their dinner. With all leftovers placed in the refrigerator, Spike and Twilight went their separate ways to do their own activities. Twilight decided to do a little late studying and Spike went off to sift through his comic book collection. Each of them were waiting for Martin's arrival that he promised.
No sooner had they started, they heard a strange noise, "Wha-cha!" it yelled, "Hoo!" Whatever it was, it was making exaggerated kung-fu noises. Well Twilight wasn't going to have any of this non-sense.
She opened the door quickly, "Who's there?!" She was greeted by a loud 'thunk'. She looked down and saw Martin laying on his back with swirly eyes and his tongue sticking out. "Oh my gosh, Martin. I'm so sorry," she went up to him, helping him to his hooves. "Are you ok?" she asked. He didn't look injured but his eyes were still spinning.
"The library just checked me out," he slurred. What? Oh no, did she really hurt him? He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at her. "Oh hi Twilight, how are you this evening," he greeted.
"I'm fine, but really, are you ok? Did I hurt you?" she asked him. He seemed alright now. The doctors were right about the endurance thing, thankfully.
"Nah, I'm fine," he denied, "I'm here like I said. Even finished Spike's comic book. I'm still not quite done with the geography book but I brought it anyway in case you wanted it back."
Twilight shook her head in the negative, "It's fine, you can keep it longer. But I have to ask, why did you make Kung-fu noises at my door?" 
"I was trying to intimidate it," he answered, "Didn't work."
She stared at him, waiting for some kind of 'gotcha' or further explanation. When he gave neither she decided to drop the subject. "Come on in," she gestured for him to enter after her, "Spike! Martin's here." There was some noise upstairs as Spike come down.
"Hey Martin, you came," he greeted the green stallion.
"Yep, I also got the comic book to give back to you," he said as he pulled it out and gave it to Spike, "I was impressed by the story, my favorite part was Bright's own robotic suit. It looked so interesting, but the flaw he overlooked kinda ruined it. Being durable is important, but if you can't move when it runs out of power, then it's not going to help." 
"Ya, he tries to fix the problem in later issues but ultimately he can't find an energy source that will last long enough," Spike explained. "But there's a rumor going around that Pace Maker and Bright Light were going to work together to make a mech that ran on Pace's electric charge. I hope they do because that sounds awesome!" Twilight just rolled her eyes and decided to go back to studying while the boys talked about their topics.
However, her mind wasn't in the book. It was calculating the next part in dealing with Martin. She had so many questions about his home and the ponies he knew. But two things stopped her from asking them. Firstly, it was Fluttershy's turn to interrogate. How that was going to work out, she could only guess. Somehow Twilight drew the shortest straw in that regard and was to be last. Secondly, Pinkie had mentioned in passing that none of the girls knew a thing about Martin himself. She knew his favorite color, his favorite flavor, even his favorite season. And she was right, the entire purpose of this was to figure out who he was. The questioning had shifted to about Broken Depths when they were trying to figure out if he was a liar or not. This wasn't about his home. This was about him and if they should be worried about what he could do. She took a breath to ready herself. Tonight, they were just going to talk as friends. No fear, suspicion, or otherwise. With that thought, she closed the book and went back to the boys.
"-And the ball just went all the way! It was amazing! Crazy Legs is such a good hoofball player," Spike gushed. It seemed they shifted their conversation from comic books to hoofball.
Martin chuckled, "I can imagine. It sounds like a fun game but I don't think my friends back home could play it." 
"What? Why not?" Spike asked. He couldn't imagine what would stop somepony from playing unless they were disabled. Even if you were bad at it, you can still have fun.
"Well," he looked up in thought, "Jordan's banned from any type of sport for being too strong and just generally doesn't play games, Triple B would do too many illegal maneuvers, Director prefers games of the mind, Stranger cheats by transforming into opposing players and have them do illegal actions, Carlos doesn't like anything, Theo's not big on physical activities, Neph is a sore loser, Lydia prefers more refined competitions, and Voodoo Man would only play if you payed him, even then he'd cheat." Martin looked back towards Spike, "I think Tria is the only one who I could play with, so we'd probably just toss the ball back and forth." Well, there's another couple of names to add to the list, Lydia and Neph.
"I've been meaning to ask, what kind of name is Voodoo Man? It doesn't really fit with the other names," Spike pointed out. Although, only Director and Stranger seemed like normal pony names.
"It's not actually his name. Neither is Stranger, Triple B, Director, or even Theo. They're nicknames we gave them because we either don't know their real names or it's too hard to pronounce," he explained.
"You don't know your friend's names?" Spike asked a little surprised. You'd think a name would be the first thing you know about a friend.
"Some friends want to have their secrets. A good friend will let them keep that secret," Martin said with a distant look in his eyes. Twilight and Spike exchanged glances, both wondering what he could be thinking about. He shook his head, "But enough about that. I actually wanted to ask you something Twilight," he tilted his head to look at her. "You're Princess Celestia's student right?" he asked.
"Yes?" she said hesitantly, where was he going with this?
"Are you still in contact with her?" he asked further.
"Of course," she answered, "Every so often when I learn a new thing about friendship, I write her a letter and have Spike here send it by dragon mail." 
Martin looked at Spike weirdly, "But he doesn't have wings. How would he get it there?" Spike crossed his arms with a frown on his face, not liking that it was pointed out. 
Twilight shook her head, "He doesn't physically take it to her. Spike can produce a magic flame that will turn a letter to ashes and send the ashes directly to the Princess, reforming into the letter again in front of her."
"Woah!" Martin exclaimed, "That sounds much cooler then using snail mail." Spike smiled proudly at the compliment but Twilight raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"Snail mail?" she asked. She could take a guess on what it meant, but when dealing with Martin, it wasn't smart to assume too much.
"It's not literally delivered by snail. It's just a bit of slang that means that the mailing process takes too long for our liking," Martin explained. 
Internally Twilight sighed in relief, glad he didn't add onto the weirdness of his town by having snails, of all things, do it. It was kinda sad that that she would assume that it was in the realm of possibilities. But she needed to get back on topic, "Why do you ask?"
"Well I wanted to ask for a favor. I'd like it if I could send a letter to the Princess, but if it's instantaneous then it can wait," he said with a shrug. 
"What kind of letter?" Spike asked for the both of them. 
"Well a thank you letter along with a joke," he answered with a big smile. That got some raised eyebrows out of the both of them. He wanted to send a joke to the Princess?
"What kind of joke?" Spike inquired.
Martin smiled mischievously and started spouting in a foreign language, "J'ai été mettre une lettre à la poste, et puis j'ai pris un mauvais tournant. Vous voyez, mon Princess, quand on tourne au coin pour aller à la Dragon, c'est un angle oblique!"
Spike and Twilight blinked in unison in utter bafflement. What in the world did he just say? Twilight thought he told Time Turner that he couldn't speak foreign languages. Did he lie? "What was that?" she finally asked. 
"It's a funny story in a foreign language. But ultimately, it was a quote from something I saw years ago," he explained, chuckling. Was he saying he saw a play or movie in a foreign language, found the one line that happened to be a funny story, memorized it, and learned to pronounce it perfectly? She was both surprised and impressed. Pinkie was right, there was more they should learn about Martin himself. "Do you have any stories about your time as the Princess's student?" he asked. She smiled kindly at him, seemed he was eager to learn about her as well.
For the rest of their evening, they each exchanged stories about themselves. Twilight told him about her and newly the hatched Spike and Martin told her about himself and the things he enjoyed. All in all, it was a successful evening for friends.



It was the next morning and Angel was not happy. His owner Fluttershy had told him and the other animals that some new stallion was going to be coming by to assist them with their bath time. Seriously? Ugh, it was the stupid cats fault. A couple of freak outs and apparently she needs a helper. She really needs to learn to put her hoof down a bit more when it comes to the other animals. Not him of course.
Angel looked down the path and saw some stallion he'd never seen before walk up it with his eyes closed. This must be the guy. He had this grin on his face that just screamed 'dim'. Angel crossed his arms and glared at the stallion as he passed by and up to the door to the cottage. He raised an eyebrow when the stallion crashed right into the door. The green pony was more then dim, apparently.
Soon after Fluttershy opened the door and greeted the dizzy stallion, "oh Martin, are you ok?" she asked him.
Martin shook his head to right his thoughts, "I'm ok. You have nice place here, Fluttershy," he complimented while looking around at the cottage.
Fluttershy blushed a little at the compliment, "Thank you. I wasn't expecting you so early. I was still getting breakfast ready for the animals. Um, if you'd like, you can get started. The tubs are around back." 
Angel watched as the weird stallion agreed and Fluttershy led him around back. He hopped after them, keeping a close eye on this 'Martin'. She showed him the tubs, what needs to be done with each animal, how to deal with them when they get out of hoof, basic stuff. He reassured her that he could handle everything and that she should finish her task so she could come join him. She agreed and went back inside. 
Martin turned to the expectant animals with another smile, "Alright all of you, we want to ease the work load for Fluttershy so I would really appreciate it if you cooperated." Angel snorted in contempt. That was never going to happen. He'd probably get 2 or three to go along with him but the rest only listened to his owner. "I would like to do this quickly so I'll use a little something to assist in the process," he stated as he walked over to Harry the Bear, who had already gotten into the large tub. Angel raised an eyebrow at that statement. What was he talking about?
His mouth fell open as particles of white light seemed to come together and merge at two points above his back. As the lights came together a white translucent mass began to take form, lengthening upwards from the spot. Several animals already ran away in terror while others stayed, transfixed by the event. When the lights finally stopped merging into the mass, the completed object was two translucent, white, featureless tentacles that floated an inch off his back. The tentacles reached down and grabbed the soap and brush and began to clean Harry. Angel had seen enough and immediately ran towards the nearby window of the cottage to try and get Fluttershy's attention. He hopped into the windowsill saw her immediately, waving frantically to get her attention. 
She eventually noticed him and trotted up to him, "Angel? What's wrong?" she asked. He began to do charades to convey his message. He started by pointing at his eye. "I," she guessed. He nodded and made a motion of gripping something and shoving it forwards and backwards. "Saw," he nodded again but paused as he came up with how to convey the next word. He hopped down and grabbed some dirt and a paw full of grass. He put the dirt on his head and the grass against his chest. "Dirty?" she guessed but he shook his head. She tapped her hoof in thought, "Martin?" Angel nodded at that. He looked around briefly and pointed towards some honey bees pollinating flowers. "Be," once again nodding, he opened his mouth wide and pointed towards himself. "Ah," confirming it was correct, Angel started making growling and roaring noises as best he could while standing up tall with his arms high in the air. "Monster?" Angel crossed his arms and nodded at the final word.
"You saw Martin be a monster?" she guessed the sentence. At his confirmation, she gave a gasp. Good, she would kick out the freak and things would get back to normal. "Angel, you shouldn't call ponies a monster just because you don't want a bath right now," she scolded him. He could only stare at her in disbelief. "I'll be out in a bit, I just need to finish making breakfast," she told him. She walked back into the kitchen leaving the stunned rabbit. 
Eventually he broke out of his stupor and crossed his arms with an especially grumpy look on his face, but did accept his fate. "Alright bunny, it's your turn," he heard as one of the tentacles wrapped around his middle. He didn't even flinch as he was pulled towards the tub. He'll accept the bath but that stallion had better get his tail right!



"Thank you for your help today Martin," Fluttershy told him as they were passing around food to the now clean animals. She had been surprised that a lot of animals were already clean by the time she came out. So they were able to finish up quickly between the two of them. He mentioned he had to slow down for some of the more skittish animals. While a little upset at possible sloppy work, she was still glad he had eased her burden.
"You're welcome Fluttershy," he smiled kindly at her. She felt kinda bad that she needed to interrogate him, but she promised her friends she would. And she would keep that promise, no matter what.
"Uh, Martin? Would it be ok if I asked you about, uh, um," she stumbled over the rest of her sentence. Oh dear, she had forgotten what she needed to ask him about. She hadn't even started yet and she already failed.
"Fluttershy? Fluttershy," he called for her, seeing her sad look, "Are you ok?" he asked, worried about her.
She shook her head, "I'm alright. But when I try to think about what to ask about Broken Depths, it's just so," she hesitated, having trouble finding the right word.
"Strange?" he guessed for her. She didn't answer verbally and nodded. She felt sheepish for not being able to answer herself. "I don't blame you. Broken Depths is a weird place. But there is a reason for it," he told her.
She tilted her head curiously, "What would that be?" she asked. Maybe this can be her contribution? 
"Um, I can't actually tell you," he denied.
"Oh," she lowered her head. So much for that idea.
"Not that I don't want to," he tried to reassure, "But I'm sworn to secrecy. You see, there's something about Broken Depths that is super important. Something that only a select few know and needs to remain a secret or the entire world could be put in danger." Fluttershy's eyes widened in terror. Something inside Broken Depths could threaten the whole world? That was downright frightening. "Don't worry, the best of the best are guarding the secret, so nothing will happen. Alright?" he tried to comfort her.
She accepted that everything was fine, but she needed to tell Twilight this soon. It was big. Oh, why was she the one that had to find out about it? Could this day get any worse?



This morning had just gotten a lot worse for Spike. They had gotten word from the Princess that a dragon had taken a nearby mountain as a home for him to sleep in. It was up to Twilight and the girls to go up there and convince the dragon to leave. Spike would have wanted to go along and meet a fellow dragon but he agreed with Twilight that he may compromise the negotiation with his presence. So he was to be left behind. He had offered to watch over Fluttershy's animals while she was gone for the afternoon, but she had told him that she had already asked Martin to do it. He couldn't believe it! Possibly the biggest chance for him to prove himself, taken away by somepony he thought he could trust. That's how Spike found himself sulking at the park bench while ponies around him fidgeted because of the black cloud of smoke looming overhead. 
Martin passed by him back towards the cottage with saddlebags full of pet supplies he may need, his head held high not even worried about the smoke. He suddenly stopped with a confused look on his face. He backed up and stood in front of the sulking dragon. "Spike? What's wrong?" he asked. Spike didn't give him an answer and just crossed his arms while turning his head away. "Aw come on Spike, you can tell me. We're friends right?" he urged him to talk.
Spike sighed a little. He stood up so he could be at eye level with Martin, "Martin, I really wanted to be the one to take care of Fluttershy's animals," he finally answered.
Martin raised an eyebrow at him, "Why?" he questioned.
"Some ponies still treat me like I'm too young to do anything important. So I figured, maybe I could finally prove myself by taking on the responsibility of caring for animals. But you got it instead," Spike sighed and slumped back onto the bench, "I'll never get the respect I want."
"Woah, woah, woah," Martin suddenly said in shock, surprising Spike out of his stupor "Did you just say 'never'?" He raised an eyebrow at Martin, confused at his surprise. What was so special about the word? He's said it plenty of times before. "So young and yet you have lost hope," he said as music began to play. "Come on Spike, there's always hope out there if you look for it, if you give up you will never get that respect," he picked up Spike and placed him on his back, taking Spike along for a ride, "So, never say never, say," and then he began to sing.

Never say never, What ever you do
Never say never, my friend

"Martin I," Spike tried to interrupt but Martin just shushed him.

If you believe that, your dreams will come true
They'll come true in the end

"But I," Spike tried again but was equally unsuccessful.

Keep up your courage, don't ever despair
Take heart and then count to ten
Hope for the best, work for the rest
And never say never again

"Aw, but it's impossible. I'll never get the respect I want," Spike crossed his arms and sulked again.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah! Never say never, now say that, go on," Martin urged him to sing along. He looked towards the stallion in thought. Martin gave him a reassuring nod, so Spike decided to give it a try.

Never say never,

Whatever you do, again

Never say never,

to me, see how easy?
If you believe you can come shining through

That's, that's how it's gonna be

"Perfect," Martin cheered with a laugh. As they walked, they passed by the flower sisters who decided to join in the song.

Now don't you go and give up, give out, or give in
When the going's rough, just get tough
and just tell yourself you're gonna win

"Thanks girls!" Martin called to them with a wave. They waved back and went their own way.

Remember to look on the bright side til then
and never say never again.

"Now, are you ready to help me take care of those animals?" Martin suddenly asked of him. 
Spike's mouth opened in surprise, "Really?" Martin was going to let him help?
"Of course Spike, we're friends. We help each other out," he reassured. "I'll especially need your help with all those animals. I'd never be able to finish in time by myself."
Spike gave a chuckle, "Martin, you said 'never'," Spike said, using Martin's own words against him.
"Oh so I did," he chuckled, "Then it's probably a good thing I have your help isn't it?"

Never say never

Never say never                 Never say never

Never say never again                 Never say never again

As the song ended, Spike couldn't help but sigh in relief. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He looked over at the smiling stallion, glad to be able to call him a friend. Martin listened avidly when he talked about his favorite things, he told his own cool stories, he even told interesting jokes. If nothing else, he was glad to just have another friend who was a guy.
Martin looked back at Spike with a raised eyebrow, "Something wrong?" he asked.
Spike smiled at him, "Nope," he said simply. Everything was alright.
The two of the went towards Fluttershy's cottage at a leisurely pace. Neither of them seemed to notice another set of hooves step onto the path and glare at the back of Martin's head. A member of the Royal Guard had arrived and he was going to do his duty for the crown.
> The Strange Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Home




While some would believe in first impressions, Private Dust Bowl of the Royal Guard was ordered to do no such thing. It was some time mid-day, slightly cloudy, mostly smokey. Currently the Elements of Harmony were outside of town to deal with the intruding dragon. Said dragon had taken roost near the town and was snoring up a large quantity of smoke that threatened to encompass the sky. The elements would be fine. A dragon is nothing compared to Nightmare Moon. However, were they enough for this 'Martin'?
Apparently, a couple of nights ago, Princess Celestia had suddenly sensed a powerful wave of strange magic emanate from Ponyville. No unicorn or otherwise could sense any such power though. Were they simply too weak to comprehend the abnormal power or was it so otherworldly that only the Princess was capable of sensing it? Whichever it was, it didn't matter. What did matter was that something big had happened at Ponyville the other night and the Princess had saw fit to inform Captain Shining Armor in case military force was necessary. That incident was possibly seen by the Princess's protege, Twilight Sparkle. According to the letter that arrived that very night, due to tomfoolery by two colts, an Ursa Minor had wandered into the edge of town. While she was running to the scene to deal with such an event, a burst of light had sprung forth and revealed some tentacle creature who's body was obscured by the housing separating them. She reported no strange magic coming from it despite being miles closer to it than the Princess. When she arrived at the scene, the tentacle monster had disappeared and all that was there was the subdued Ursa Minor and an exhausted Martin. The Ursa was returned home immediately and she hoped to question Martin but he had fainted before she could.
The turn of events had worried the Princess slightly. The pony was much more capable than his personality let on. He also has some sort of connection with the tentacle monster and wave of magic. Upon this clarification, Captain Shining Armor had insisted on taking a unit to detain the stallion, for the protection of Ponyville and his sister. But the Princess had denied him this order. She had personally seen who he was, she had gotten letters from Twilight Sparkle in her observations of him, and her sister, Princess Luna, had personally seen the inner most working's of his mind. There wasn't an ounce of malice in his form, nor hate, nor jealousy, just homesickness and a desire to help.
While she didn't allow for an entire detachment to go out. She would allow a single guard to go and observe the stallion. And that guard was Dust Bowl, a lowly private, but the one who has had the most interaction with Martin out of the Royal Guard. His foreknowledge on the stallion made him the leading candidate. He was ordered to question and observe that strange stallion and he was going to do that duty. Personally, he thought Martin was an interesting guy but he has too much mystery around him. Perhaps this is only a facade?
As Dust Bowl continued on his inner monologue, Martin sat patiently in front of him, reading out of the geography book that Twilight had loaned him. Not too long ago, with their combined efforts, Spike and Martin had finished the chores that had dealt with the animals. Spike offered to help Martin further keep an eye on the animals until Twilight and the others got back, but Martin denied him, saying that Spike should take a break after all the effort he put in. Martin had then walked Spike home, leaving the animals to their play/nap time unsupervised for the moment. The both of them had noticed Dust Bowl on the walk back. Martin had wanted to greet him but Dust was too entrenched in his monologue. They waited a minute, but when he didn't come out of it, they continued on their way. Now that Martin had returned, he patiently waited for Dust to finish.
Dust blinked back into awareness and stared at Martin in surprise as if he just appeared. He drew himself into a defensive stance, "When did you get here? Explain yourself!"
"I dunno, about a minute or so ago," he said with a shrug. Martin closed the book and placed it in his saddlebag. He gave Dust a big smile, "Heya Dust Bowl, good to see you again. You doing ok?"
Dust relaxed his stance, taking a breath to calm his nerves. "I'm fine, you just surprised me," he gave an hasty excuse. No need to tip him off and retaliate. 
"So what brings you out here?" Martin asked, "Are you on a secret mission?" Dust tensed up at that. How did he find out already? Can he read minds? "Or are you just here by yourself because of some R&R?" Oh, he's just questioning why he was alone. 
"You know, those aren't the only reasons why somepony of the Royal Guard would be alone," Dust pointed out.
"Maybe," Martin shrugged again, "But it's the only ones I can think of. By the way, I like what you did with your fur, but how much dye did you use to do that?" he asked pointing at his coat and mane. That's right, Dust had come on this mission without his enchanted armor, so his real colors were seen. Those colors were a red coat and feathers with a light blue mane and tail. His Cutie Mark was a cloud of dust.  But the fact he recognized his changed colors raised a new question.
"There was no dye, the armor has a spell on it that changes what we look like. Makes dual guarding much more symmetrical and easy on the eyes. I'm surprised you recognized me, what tipped you off?" he asked curiously.
"Well I recognize your face and general feel," he answered before getting a confused look, "Wait, Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart broke you out of that armor, why didn't you change to this then?" 
"I still had my helmet on," Dust said tapping his own head, "Even having that much armor on will change our look."
"Huh, interesting," he said while looking up in thought. Dust shook his head to refocus his thoughts. Why was he so calm around this stallion? He's dangerous and an unknown. Dust should be on edge, for crying outloud! But Martin was just so disarming, curious, and friendly. "So why are you here?" he questioned again.
Luckily Dust came prepared, "I've been dispatched to monitor the area while negotiations happen. If something were to go wrong or a third party wished to interfere, I would be the one to report it or attempt to intervene." While sounding legitimate, it was a bold faced lie. Princess Celestia had complete faith in her student and it was extremely unlikely that there was some kind of third party that wished to take advantage of a sleeping dragon.
"Well that's nice of the both of you," he smiled at him. 
That got a raised eyebrow out of Dust, "Both of who?" he asked.
"Well you for coming down here to help and your leader for being concerned enough to send one of his or her soldiers," Martin explained. Dust would have swelled with pride at the compliment but the fact that it was all a lie put a damper on it. "Well it was nice to catch up with you Dust, but I gotta head back to Fluttershy's cottage and check on the animals. I think I may have left them alone too long. You have a good day," Martin waved to him before turning and walking down the path.
"Take care," Dust waved back with a smile. He quickly shook his head to reorganize his thoughts. He was getting too caught up in his friendly nature. He needed a different approach if he wanted to get unbiased results. Perhaps the town's ponies could shed some light on who he really is.



Fluttershy was in a really good mood after their little adventure up the mountain. She had bested her fears, saved her friends, and got a little more confident in herself. Only a little though. It was impossible to conquer ones self so quickly. So she would take it one step at a time. Baby steps. Rainbow Dash wanted to finish breaking that ball kicking record she had set out for earlier and the other girls had decided to cheer her on. Although Twilight wanted to write a new friendship letter to Princess Celestia about what had happened and Fluttershy herself wanted to go check on her animals and make sure no accidents had happened with Martin around.
She walked down the path to her cottage with a spring in her step and a flap in her wings. She spotted her cottage soon after. Everything looked like it was in order. Nothing seemed broken, and there weren't any misbehaving animals. She pushed open her door and stared around inside. The inside was relatively clean and quiet. That was weird, she'd normally be greeted by at least Angel when she got home. "Martin?" she called into the house.
"Around back, Fluttershy," she heard an answer past her wall. Several of her animals came around and greeted her more personally. She smiled at each of them but got a worried look. Several of them seemed nervous, much like how she found them after getting them breakfast, but not as bad. Had something happened? She walked around back and saw Martin sitting up on an upside down tub with a small audience of critters listening to him tell a story. Angel seemed to have been used as an unwilling puppet if the way he was being held in Martin's hooves was anything to go by. As soon as the rabbit spotted Fluttershy, he wretched himself from Martin's hold and dashed towards her and hid behind her legs. "Guess I'll finish that story another time. Harry, remind me to start when Stok willed the trees out of the way," Martin told Harry the bear. Harry gave Martin a quick salute and the animals dispersed, some gave a quick greeting to Fluttershy while others went off to play. "Hi Fluttershy. Good job out there. Saw the big guy fly off and everything," he greeted her with a smile and a wave.
"Hello Martin. Thank you," she greeted back but with a more forced smile. Oh dear, another name she needed to tell Twilight, on top of the world threatening secret. She would have told her during the trip but she was afraid it would ruin the mission. "Who's Stok?" she asked. May as well ask now instead of leaving the burden on the others.
For some reason Martin chuckled at that, "I bet you Equestrian's would love Stok." Fluttershy's tilt of the head was all the incentive he needed to continue, "This may get a little complicated so I'll ask up front, do you know what a golem is?" She took a pause to search her memory but ultimately came up with nothing and shook her head. "Well a golem is a magical construct made out of inanimate objects, most are commonly made up of a solid substance such as rocks. Anyway, Stok happens to be one. Specifically a plant golem. You see, several years ago, outside of our town, a druid was attempting to create an army out of the plant life of a nearby forest. A druid is a magician specializing in plants and animals. His first successful golem was Stok, who he created out of a flower. Not just an ordinary flower but a very rare one. However, because he was made from a flower, Stok was incredibly thin and frail. He was only meant as practice. Before the druid could go onto bigger projects, Jordan came in and subdued the druid. This was a problem for Stok, because he no longer had a purpose in life with his master put in jail," he explained. Fluttershy stared surprised at Martin. This had been the most detailed he's ever been about something concerning his home. But somepony made out of plants? She could only think of timberwolves as a close relation. Were timberwolves considered golems? "Luckily Jordan took pity on him and helped him out. He offered to return Stok to his original form of just a flower. There was no time limit so he could do it whenever he wanted. He advised Stok to try out his new form first before he returned to being just a flower, in case he preferred this one better. So far, I think he's enjoying it," Martin chuckled again. 
Fluttershy was glad it had a happy ending, somepony finding a new purpose in life. But she couldn't help but ask, "Why would we like Stok though?" The story didn't seem to have any concept that would appeal to all of Equestria.
"Well, Stok has a special ability that came with his status as a plant golem. On his head hangs a bush that acts kinda like a pony's mane for him. And in that bush grows all sorts of different plants, be it flower, fruit, or vegetable. The cool thing about it? He can grow them at will, at an incredibly fast rate, and they're all completely edible," Martin explained.
Fluttershy couldn't help but stare at Martin weirdly after his story. According to him, he knew somepony who's actually a flower, can apparently will trees apart, and has an unlimited supply of plants growing from their head? By the way he spoke, eating from his head is commonplace. "Does he sell his fruit?" she asked him. Stok could be the most profitable being out there if they attempted to sell their fast growing fruit.
But Martin shook his head, "Stok has no value for money. He doesn't need to eat or sleep. The only thing he requires is sunlight. He can also be watered but that's more like a treat then an actual necessity. He doesn't have any activities he considers fun either. If he's got nothing to do, he'll just lay face first on the ground and be a bush."
She raised an eyebrow at that, not entirely sure how somepony can be a bush. She decided to attribute it to his status as a plant golem and drop it. "Ok," she said simply, "Well thank you for watching the animals. I hope none of them misbehaved."
"Nah, they were all sweethearts. Even the angry looking rabbit behaved, kinda," Martin said looking behind her at the glaring creature. Fluttershy looked back at Angel, who was making a 'shoo' gesture at Martin. Seemed like Angel couldn't warm up to Martin. That's too bad. "If there's nothing else, I should get going. Still have a lot of things to get done," he mentioned.
"Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you," she apologized.
"No worries. You have a good evening Fluttershy," he said. With one more wave, he turned and left. Fluttershy and Angel watched him leave. Angel gave a firm nod, glad that the weird stallion was finally gone. Fluttershy couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about telling Twilight what she learned. Both about the world threatening secret and the implication of Stok's creation. The creation itself was not worrying but what it told. It told that there were villainous ponies, not just monsters that needed to be dealt with in Broken Depths. While bad ponies aren't uncommon, even in Equestria, it's the swiftness of being dealt with that worried her. It implied that villains were commonplace for Broken Depths. What had that town had to deal with?



Questioning the townsfolk was not really helping Dust Bowl's cause. He had interrogated everypony he could about Martin but the general consensus was that he was nice, weird, and he told strange stories. There were a spatter of ponies who disagreed but that's to be expected. So far he's learned nothing new about the stallion that he hadn't already been informed on by the debriefing he received from the captain. As to be expected of Princess Celestia's student. She had already gathered all information from the townsfolk before hoof and sent it to the Princess. Although, there was one specific pony who refused to answer when asked. An amber maned mare who was playing with her foal in the park. It seemed that she has a grudge against young Twilight Sparkle so any insistence on her experience with Martin she refuses because she knows that information is either for or because of Ms. Sparkle. The spiteful mare denied him an answer even when he revealed himself as a Royal Guard and ordered her to tell him. Once again she refused, saying that he doesn't look like a royal guard and would only accept that order if he was in full gear. Dust gave up at that point. Besides the fact his armor was back at the barracks, he needed to be incognito for this mission as to not arouse suspicion of royal interference in this settlement. Meaning he couldn't arrest her for interfering with an official investigation. Not that he had the guts to stand up to an angry and spiteful mother. 
Once again Martin had found Dust Bowl having an inner monologue out in the middle of the road. This time however, he decided to try and do something nice. Martin gave Dust a few taps and shoves to make sure it was safe before placing his head against Dust's barrel and pushed him towards a different part of town. Amazingly, Dust's stiff body didn't topple or sway as he slid across the ground. 
He got several curious stares as he pushed the statue like pony through the town. A few murmured about what could be happening. Had he created a life-like sculpture? Was he taking a paralyzed pony to a professional? However, none of them intervened or called any sort of authority. They felt that whatever it was, it was probably just Martin being weird or just his helpful self as usual. Nothing to get worked up about.
Soon after, both Martin and the still stallion found themselves inside Sugarcube Corner. He was a regular at the sweet shop. He came in and out of there often to talk with Pinkie, buy some sweets, or help out around the shop. Today, it was Mrs. Cake at the register. At first she smiled at Martin but that became a confused frown as he pushed Dust towards one of the tables in the shop. "Hello Martin, is everything alright?" she asked the stallion as he walked up to her. 
"Nah, everything's good. Hi Mrs. Cake. Hello Mr. Cake!" he called into the back of the building. Martin stretched an ear out for a response but he didn't get any.
"Carrot Cake is out making deliveries with Pinkie right now. With that heavy storm being scheduled tomorrow, a lot of ponies are stocking up to ride it out," she explained. Martin pulled off his bag of bits getting ready to purchase. "What can I get you, dearie? Your usual?" she asked him. He'd been there often enough for her to know what he liked. A chocolate brownie with chocolate chips inside.
"Yes please, and can I get a batch of sugar cookies for Dust over there?" he said nodding over to the still frozen stallion. Mrs. Cake went into the kitchen to get the cookies and make the brownies while Martin took out the required bits and put it on the counter. Sugar cookies were already made but Martin's brownies were special made so those took time.
She came back to the register and deposited the bits. "Is your friend there alright?" she finally asked.
"Ya, he's just thinking a little too hard," Martin chuckled but Mrs. Cake raised an eyebrow at him weirdly, "What I mean is that he's so entrenched in his own thoughts that he's ignoring the outside world. Which apparently includes his own body movements. At this point I'm curious if he has a condition or not. This is the second time today he's done this." The both of them looked towards Dust in anticipation, as if he'll come out of it any second. When he didn't, Martin shrugged and took the plate of sugar cookies to the table with his teeth.
"I'll bring over your brownies when they're done, dearie" she called over to him.
Martin set the plate down and waved back to her, "Thank you." He took a seat and grabbed one of the cookies, shoving the whole thing in his mouth. 
At that moment, Dust blinked back into awareness. His sudden change in location immediately putting him on edge. As his eyes settled on Martin, his face hardened into a glare. "Vile cur! How dare you kidnap me- Are you eating a cookie?" he interrupted his own tirade. 
Martin nodded and swallowed what was left in his mouth, "Yep, you want one?" he asked, pushing the plate closer to Dust. Dust blinked confused, weirded out that his kidnapper was offering him cookies. "Don't worry, I didn't make them. Mr. and Mrs. Cake did and they make the best sweets, so you know they're good," Martin described.
Dust nearly jumped out of his skin when Mrs. Cake's voice called towards them, "Thank you Martin." He had thought they were alone in some unknown place. Dust took a second to further inspect his surroundings. They were indeed inside of a bakery. He glanced over to where he heard the voice come from and spotted a plump blue mare with a swirled pink mane. He finally relaxed, knowing that he wasn't alone or kidnapped.
"Why did you bring me here without my permission?" Dust asked. What could have possibly possessed him to drag a pony across town just to give him sweets?
"Well you were kinda stopped in the middle of the path and were an inconvenience to ponies walking on it," Martin explained, "I know that's not a good enough reason so I brought you to Sugarcube Corner as an apology. I wasn't sure what you liked so I thought sugar cookies would work."
"Actually peanut butter cookies are my favorite," Dust answered him. His mouth watered a little at the thought.
Martin smiled at him, "Ok, I'll order you a batch." Martin walked back over to Mrs. Cake and gave her some more bits for the order. Meanwhile, Dust facehooved for his own incompetence. Why in the world did he reveal his favorite sweet to this pony?! He needed to stop getting caught up in the other stallions happy-go-lucky nature. It was distracting him. Those thoughts were immediately put aside when a plate of peanut butter cookies were placed in front of him. This time, Dust drooled outright and dug into the plate, not bothering to give his thanks. If he took the time to glance up, he would see Martin with his own plate of a single brownie. He ate the brownie at a much slower pace. Choosing to enjoy each bite.
They ate in mostly silence. Any actual noise coming from Dust devouring his food. When Martin wasn't taking bites out of his brownie, he stared off into the window with a small satisfied grin on his face. Dust looked up and saw Martin's wistful look. He looked out the window as well but saw nothing of interest. Just ponies going about their day. "What are you looking at?" Dust asked.
"Life," Martin said cryptically with a chuckle, "I wonder if you'd like Officer Vern." Dust reached into his memory on his report of what they know of Martin and vaguely remembered a mention of some police officer.
"What makes you say that?" Dust asked.
"Well I ask that specifically cause you both uphold the law and protect the innocent. But I think of Officer Vern right now because I think I can see his philosophy in progress," Martin answered.
Dust raised at eyebrow at him, "What philosophy is that?" he asked further.
"Officer Vern is always going on about making the world a better place one act at a time. To always make tomorrow a better day, even if today is the best day ever. It can always get better," Martin explained. He turned to Dust Bowl, "Officer Vern was my role model growing up. My parents were excellent in their own right but he stood above the rest. He's kind, thoughtful, and would do anything to make sure you were safe. Even though his age has caught up with him for the most part, he still puts out his best."
"He sounds like a swell guy," Dust agreed. The pony must be some piece of work if Martin looks up to him. "What makes you think his philosophy is in progress?" he asked looking out the window again.
"You see that large red pony in the vest?" Martin pointed out the window to Heavy Weight. Heavy was leading a line of stallions in a small jog but the oddity was that he had a smaller stallion resting on his back. "It seems Heavy took my advice in being a little nicer. I can tell from here the ones following him are a little more motivated then him just yelling at them," he explained.
"Friend of yours?" Dust asked. The question was unnecessary. He had already questioned the ponies of the town so he knew who thought good things of the stallion and if his previous experience with Martin was anything to go by, he would consider anypony who thought anything of him a friend. Heavy Weight had despised the stallion but Martin had still considered him a friend.
"Yep," Martin answered with his usual smile. "You're not lactose intolerant right?" he suddenly asked.
Dust raised an eyebrow at him, "No, why?"
Martin didn't answer and simply stepped away from the table, taking his empty plate with him. He walked up to Mrs. Cake and placed the plate on the counter. "If it wouldn't be much trouble, can you please get a glass of milk for Dust? I don't need any. I think I'm done. Please save the rest of the brownies for me," he asked her, placing some more bits on the counter.
She smiled at him, "Of course Martin, you have a good day." She went into the back to get the milk out of the refrigerator.
Martin walked towards the open door and stopped in front of it. "It was nice to chat with you again Dust. Try and not stop in the middle of the road again," he waved to the other stallion and left.
Dust could only stare at the doorway as Mrs. Cake brought over the glass of milk. He turned to the plump mare, "Exactly how much did he spend on my meal?" Dust asked.
Mrs. Cake smiled kindly at him, "Oh, quite a bit. He must consider you a good friend." That wasn't right. He was here to discover the threat level of the weird stallion. Not to get buddy-buddy with him.
"Where does his income come from?" he asked further.
"Well, as far as anypony's seen, he does some quick chores for any price they give him. Some ponies even went as far as to not pay him for his good deeds. He just takes it in good spirit. Honestly, he could stand to make demands out them. Not making a fuss is just encouraging them," Mrs. Cake told him with a roll in her eyes. Taking advantage of somepony like that just wasn't right.
"He can't be making all that much from just odd jobs," Dust pointed out. Martin had only been in town for a short amount of time. There was no way he could accumulate that much so quickly. 
"Well, yes and no," Mrs. Cake answered cryptically, "Martin is incredibly efficient. He is able to do plenty in just a few hours. He's no professional though. He's not making enough for any long term plans, either. We once had a chat and the subject came up. He told me that he's only making enough for his day to day antics plus rent for his room. What he did for you now means there are things he can't do later. He's selfless but I wish the dear wouldn't be so self-sacrificing. There's a point where you take it too far." She shook her head in slight worry before heading back to the counter, leaving Dust to his thoughts.



It was finally time. In just a few short minutes Twilight would finally get her turn in interrogating Martin. She had a checklist ready with all her questions and a separate set of paper for notes and the answers he may or may not give. So far all the other girls had done well in getting information out of Martin and shown that he wasn't bothered in the slightest by the questioning. He even welcomed it. They had done their part and now it was time for hers. Although, Fluttershy's investigation may have set Twilight a little on edge.
"Twilight, would you calm down and stop pacing? You're going to make a new entrance to the basement," Spike tried to get her to rest. She'd been at it for several minutes rambling to herself about the possibilities of what the 'Secret of Broken Depths' may be.
Twilight used some magic to bring Spike close to her. She grabbed his face with both front hooves and pressed his against hers. "Calm down?! Spike, there's something so powerful in Broken Depths that the whole world is in danger from it! How can I remain calm when something like that exists and we have no idea what it may be?!" Twilight had worked herself up with worry. Several strands of mane sticking up at random spots. "There is absolutely nothing in this library that tells of any artifacts that holds even a fraction of what that implies! This is the whole world Spike! Not just Equestria, the Badlands, or any other country, the whole world!" she ranted.
"But Martin said the best of the best are guarding it. So we have nothing to worry about," Spike tried to reassure.
Twilight's eye twitched. Briefly Spike thought she was going to throw him towards the roof but she instead sighed and gently put him down. "Maybe you're right. We should be glad that it's Martin and his friends who know about the secret and not somepony much less reliable. We just have to trust them," Twilight resigned herself.
"Including the delinquent and psychotic criminal," Spike mistakenly pointed out. He immediately regretted his decision when she started twitching and her horn began to glow.
Spike dove for cover as Twilight gave a mighty, "Ugh!" and released the magic. The burst blasted the books off the shelves and made the whole tree quake. When the tree stopped shaking, Twilight slumped onto the ground.
Spike pushed his way out of the pile of books that landed on him and walked over to the exhausted mare. "You ok, Twilight?" he asked concerned.
She gave a tired sigh, "I'm alright, but there are so many variables that I'm not even sure which part to be worried about anymore. And now the library's a mess." She looked around at the destruction she caused. It would take a while to reorganize the books.
A sudden rapid knocking at her door made her jump a little. "Twilight, are you ok?! I heard an explosion," a voice on the other side shouted. It seemed her outburst had worried Martin into rushing over. Spike opened the door for him and he took a step inside, his eyes scanning the whole room. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw both her and Spike were fine. "I'm glad you're alright. Hi Twilight, hi Spike, what happened?" he inquired.
"Hello Martin. Just a little... Magical mishap," Twilight said with a nervous smile, hoping to dissuade him from delving further.
Martin chuckled, "I know how those go." He glanced around at the empty shelves and piles of books, "Need some help?" he said gesturing to the shelves.
"Yes please," both Spike and Twilight said together. Spike desperately wanted help with all the books, but Twilight thought it was a decent excuse to keep him there for a while. Originally Twilight simply called him over with the excuse of getting him a library card. That wouldn't last long enough though for all of her questions. So this kinda worked out. 
With a short pause to plan out how they were going to conduct the operation, the three of them went to work. Since Martin didn't know the layout of the books, him and Spike would be working together. Spike would stand on his head while Martin would pick up the books from the floor, hoof them over to Spike, and move to the correct location for it. Twilight could do her part alone, just a simple glance at the book and some magic to get everything in place. Although her attention was on her list of questions she would ask. It was now or never.
"Thanks for coming over, Martin," Twilight told him. She had several books floating around her, not really paying attention to the boys.
"It's no trouble. I was more then happy to. Although, when you said I was getting a library card, I didn't think I'd be picking out every book," he joked. He gave a chuckle while Spike and Twilight only had smiles. The reason behind the mess ruined the joke for them.
While they worked, Twilight asked Martin about several things about his home and the beings he knew. Martin was more than happy to answer most of the questions. Even Spike asked a few of his own questions. However, the questioning delved into something that would change Twilight's outlook on Martin forever.
"Martin," she called to him. A stack of papers sat next to her, all about information she had learned from her investigation. The quill gripped in her magic was well used by this point and she had taken a decent chunk out of the blank pages she had brought. Spike stood on Martin's head, grabbing the book that was offered to him and searched for it's correct spot. They had almost finished cleaning up the whole library with the time it took. Spike was glad for that, he even learned some interesting things from the weird stallion. "During the incident with the Ursa Minor, some white tentacles had appeared around the area we found you and the Ursa. Do you know what that was?" she asked.
"Of course," he smiled kindly at her. He had done that a lot during the questioning, not minding all the questions. "Don't worry, that was just me. See?" Without warning, two similar white tentacles appeared from his back, floating above it.
Spike and Twilight stared at the tentacles with unreadable looks. The suddenness of their appearance leaving the two of them in a state of shock. Seconds ticked by as they stared at the oddity until their shock transformed into surprise. "Ah!" Twilight shouted, leaping backwards across the room, away from the stallion. Spike gave an equal shout of surprise and lost his balance. However, before he could fall onto the ground, the tentacles gently wrapped around his waist and set him on the ground. When he was released, he immediately ran towards Twilight and the two of them hugged each other for comfort. Martin stared at them, confused at their reaction. "Wha-What is that?!" she shouted.
Martin gave a brief glance towards the tentacles and then back to her, "Me manifesting my power in the form of tentacles?" Something about what he said made Spike realize something. He released the hug and sifted through Twilight's pile of paper. Looking for her list.
Twilight seemed to gain some courage and glared at Martin. "What have you done with Martin? Let him go!" she yelled, believing something had taken over the stallion.
Martin raised an eyebrow at her antics, "You're already assuming I'm possessed. Twilight, I've always been able to do this."
"Don't lie to me. Martin would never-" she ranted at the other pony but Spike interrupted her by shoving her list in her  face.
"Twilight, look!" Spike said, pointing towards a specific message on the list. It was asking about what he told Applebloom. The 'manifest his power into physical objects' point.
She stared in disbelief at both the list and Martin. Spike lowered the sheet, allowing Twilight to slowly walk up to the stallion. She avoided staring at the tentacles and focused on his face, looking for anything that may be different. Martin stood completely still as she approached. She stopped when she felt close enough, which happened to be foreleg distance. "Martin?" she asked, staring deep into his eyes.
He gave her that kind smile he'd always give, heartfelt, honest and true. "Yep, still here," he answered with a bit of a chuckle. With the fear effectively broken away, her curiosity broke forth.
Twilight walked around Martin's form, analyzing every detail she could. She poked and prodded the tentacles both physically and magically. Spike looked on in interest but still kept his distance. "This is incredible. Some form of energy that isn't magical and can form into tangible appendages. This isn't magic. This is something else. Martin you have to tell me!" As she shouted this, she took hold of Martin with her hooves and shook him.
His eyes spun as she shook him, "They were a gift." His answer finally got her to stop. He shook his head once more to right his thoughts before continuing, "I don't know who specifically gave it to me but it came from a higher being. They saw something in me and decided to give me this power. I've had it for a few years, improving and discovering new abilities. Apparently, according to Theo, this power was supposed to let me cast magic," that got a surprised look from Twilight. A given power that could let earth ponies cast magic? "But for some reason my body can't manipulate magic. Like, at all. Theo's tried to teach me but almost every single one has failed."
"Almost?" Spike asked, feeling his fear ebb away. 
"Every time I try to use it, the end result is always a burst of magic. Never changing. Until a few weeks ago. On the day of my arrival, me and Theo were practicing magic. I was cycling through spells I'd seen Theo use, each ending in a useless burst of magic. Until I used the teleport spell. I still technically failed that spell, but something different had finally happened. The burst of magic was more violent then usual and it threw me backwards, into a portal I had accidentally created," Martin answered.
"Wait," Twilight called as she slowly put the pieces together. Theo hadn't accidentally sent him here. "Martin, you caused your own arrival?" It kinda made sense. Multiple times he mentioned that Theo was an expert in magic. It was unlikely he could mess up a spell so badly that it sent his best friend to an entirely new country.
Martin gave her a knowing smirk, "I already told you that. I believe my words were 'We were practicing magic together and one messed up teleport spell later, I end up here.' At no point did I say it was Theo's spell."
"You didn't exactly say it was yours either," Spike pointed out.
"I didn't think it would make it look like Theo was the guilty party," Martin said with a shrug, "So I will say it right now. Theo is completely innocent. This was entirely my fault."
"Incredible. Do you think you can show me?" she asked, getting some notes ready. This was a ground breaking discovery. She could be honored for finding something so amazing.
"You sure? We're almost done putting the books back. It might knock them all down again," he pointed out. He was right, there was only a few scattered around. Spike was actually picking them up while they talked.
"Please don't," Spike pleaded.
"It'll be fine, I'll brace them." Twilight horn glowed and a magical aura surrounded every book in the library. "Go on," she urged him to try.
"Alright. Spike, you may want to grab onto something," he called to the dragon. Said dragon heeded the warning and grabbed onto Twilight's leg. The two of them watched as Martin closed his eyes and began to focus. Twilight could suddenly feel Martin drawing on magic she never knew he had. She'd scanned him several times but this is the first time she'd ever felt this. The power began to build but without warning, something inside it snapped. The magic became unstable and it erupted outward. The tentacles on his back exploded into white particles and an invisible force pushed everything around him back. The whole tree shook much like it did earlier but Twilight held the books still. When the tree finally stopped shaking, Martin opened his eyes. Some furniture had been shifted but the room looked relatively the same. Spike gave a sigh of relief when Twilight released her spell. Looked like they wouldn't have to worry about clean up.
"That always happened?" Twilight asked.
"Always," he answered simply. 
"I'm not sure what to say. I'd like to help you but this... I don't even know where to begin." This had to be the foreign magic Princess Celestia mentioned. She had to get the Princess's advice.
"Don't worry about it," he dismissed, "Me and Theo will continue to work at it. No need for you to get worked up. I'll be fine." He gave one more look around, "So since this is almost done, you think I could get that library card?" The two librarians raised an eyebrow at him. After the shocking discovery and demonstration, he still wanted that?
Having no reason to deny him, Twilight brought the necessary documents for him to sign. His mouth writing was horrible but she let it pass. Twilight would have investigated his power further, but she had already had a lot of information to go over and she wanted to disclose what she learned to the Princess, in case she had any insight on the situation. So for today, she would let him go.
With the newly commissioned library card in hoof, Twilight escorted Martin out of her home. For some reason Martin blinked in confusion and looked up, into the branches of the tree. He smiled widely, "Looks like we had an eavesdropper."
Twilight looked at him weirdly but followed his gaze. Up in the branches, she could see the back end of a red flank with a cloud of dust as a cutie mark. She recognized that mark. "Is that Private Dust Bowl?" she asked. What was the Royal Guard doing in Ponyville?
"Yep, apparently he was tasked with keeping an eye out for the negotiations with the dragon, in case something went wrong. Although, I'm a little confused on why he's still here. The negotiation is over. Is the dragon coming back?" he asked Twilight.
Her only answer was to shake her head in the negative. "Private Dust Bowl! May I speak with you?" she called up to the red stallion. The pegasus gave no indication of hearing, or even moving for that matter. "Is he alright?" she asked again.
"I think he's just in another monologue session. For some reason when he's thinking really hard to himself, he freezes up like a statue. He'll stay like that until he finishes. One time I caught him in the middle of the road and pushed him all the way to Sugarcube Corner, several blocks away. So he could be at this for a while," Martin explained. Statue-like, huh? Twilight used some magic to pull the frozen stallion out of the tree. Martin was right, he didn't move an inch as she set him down. She waved a hoof in front of his eyes but he didn't even blink. Maybe this was how those palace guards keep straight faces when ponies bother them.
"Do you want me to take him with me?" Martin offered.
"No," she denied, "I've got a few things I want to ask him. You have a good night Martin." He smiled kindly at her and nodded. With no further prompt, Martin walked away. Twilight looked back towards Dust, idly wondering when he'll come out of it.
Several minutes passed. Twilight had taken a moment to grab a random book and started to read. Waiting for Dust to come out of his own thoughts. By random chance she had come across her book about slumber parties. Even at her age she hadn't gotten a single slumber party. She had asked Cadance, when she still foalsat for her, if they could, but her duties as a princess meant she couldn't stay over night at her home. 
At that moment, Dust finally blinked back to awareness, immediately seeing his location had changed. "Martin, would you stop moving me when I'm-You're not Martin," Dust said noticing it was a mare instead of the stallion he expected.
She raised an amused eyebrow at him, "No I'm not."
Dust's body went rigid as he stood at attention. "I am terribly sorry Miss Sparkle. I meant no offense to your appearance."
"Don't worry about it," she dismissed, "But why are you here? Did Princess Celestia send you." Has she lost the Princess's good faith?
"Your brother actually," he answered while relaxing his stance. "The Princess had sensed a power all the way from Canterlot Castle. Believing it to be Martin, Captain Shining Armor had requested he take a unit to detain him. Although, the Princess denied him, she did still allow him to send one soldier to scout out the situation. The captain picked me to be that scout."
"My brother did?" she asked. Dust confirmed it with a nod. "Well you can go back and tell them that Martin is no danger to Equestria. Some of his friends may be, but Martin himself would never give harm to any of us."
"You're sure?" he asked, still a little skeptical. She gave him a firm nod. He gave a resigned sigh, "Yes Ma'am, I shall relay your message." Ultimately, nothing had happened for him. No arrest, no mystery solved. Didn't look like he was going to get promoted any time soon.
Twilight watched as Dust took wing and flew off, back towards Canterlot. She had studied Martin for several days. His kindness, his joy, his fears. She'd just seen first hoof what his real power was, but knowing this, she felt more safe, not less. He didn't deserve to be arrested for simply having the capabilities of being dangerous. She still had plenty of questions to ask, but that could wait for another day. She walked back into the library eager to go over the notes she had made.



Dust Bowl had just started his flight back to Canterlot when he heard somepony call his name. "Dust! Hey Dust, come back!" He looked down back towards the town and saw Martin waving a hoof towards him. Dust contemplated whether to actually answer the call or not. Ultimately, he had nothing to lose. His big break had flopped so he may as well indulge in some of his own opinions. 
Dust turned around in the air and flew back to Martin. With an almost lazy drop, he landed in front of the other stallion. "Hello again, Martin," he greeted with an almost sad undertone, "Come to see me off?"
"Yep, saw you heading off to that castle in the distance so I thought I'd give you a farewell gift." Martin reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a colorful bag with a ribbon tying it close. He set the bag on the ground between them and did something unexpected. He lifted himself onto his hind legs and wrapped his forelegs around the other stallion in a warm hug.
Dust froze up in shock. Surprised about what was happening but didn't make a move to stop it. "W-what's this for?" he asked.
"Your farewell gift," he said giving one last squeeze. He released the hug and picked up the wrapped gift. "This is for looking out for the girls. One batch of peanut butter cookies," he smiled kindly.
Dust sighed in defeat and nudged the package away. His guilty conscious caught up with him. This stallion had been nothing but nice and cooroperative. May as well reveal the truth. He wasn't exactly prohibited from telling anypony. So he probably won't get in trouble. "Look Martin, I didn't come here for the negotiation," he said preparing for the worst reaction.
Martin's smile only doubled in size, "I know. Some of the ponies you questioned told me what you asked. But even still, I know you were looking out for the girls because of me. So take it," he moved the package towards Dust again.
He stared deeply at the gift, "Why?" he asked, "Why are you doing this? I don't deserve it. I lied to you. I went behind your back in an effort to ruin you. So why?"
"Easy. It's because we're friends," he answered simply.
Dust's disbelief morphed into a happy smile and he accepted the gift, putting it in his saddlebag. "Thank you. And thank you for still considering me a friend. I want to repay you but I have to get back to my unit. So I guess this is goodbye."
"Ya, but don't worry," he said while giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Good bye's aren't forever."
With no more words to exchange, Dust flew into the air, somehow feeling lighter even with the added weight. Honestly, Dust was going to miss that strange stallion. For now, he needed to go back to Canterlot and give his peculiar report.



The next day had arrived for the town and everypony was busy. Each and every one of them were preparing themselves and the town for the heavy storm that was scheduled to happen tonight. Preening plants so the wind wouldn't knock any loose branches off to cause damage. Locking doors and boarding up windows, getting any last minute food to ride out the storm were other such activities ponies were doing. Unfortunately for Sweet Melody, she was late on the uptake. Her entire morning had been taken up because Lullaby had just been horrible. Mess after mess, crawling about when she was trying to change her, and refusing to eat her mulch. The storm was almost upon them and she wasn't ready at all. They had already used up all their leftovers the other day when she took Martin to the clinic. She left her Record to look after Lullaby while she went out. Luckily she made it to a few shops before they closed for the storm. Unluckily though, the storm had just started while on her way home and she was caught out in the open. The rain was thick and she couldn't see that far in front of her. She looked around and shivered. Both at her wet coat and the fact that she had lost track of where she was. The downpour obscured everything around her and sapped her energy, leaving her increasingly tired. She desperately looked for anything familiar but she couldn't recognize anything in the darkness.
Without warning the roaring of the rain was silenced and stopped hitting her all together. She looked up in surprise and saw she was inside a transparent white dome. Melody looked to her side and spotted a familiar green stallion with a worried smile on his face. "You ok Melody?" he asked. Her immediate response was to say she was fine but it caught in her throat when she noticed something on his back. Coming from his back was a pillar of white light that reached to the top of the dome. She looked back at his face with a shocked look. Her already exhausted self couldn't take the situation anymore and she fainted dead away. "Woah!" Martin called, wrapping a hoof around her shoulder and against his body, keeping her from falling into the mud. "Looks like someone needs a sandwich," he said while bringing her on his back and walking in a direction. The dome kept them both dry on the journey.



It took awhile for Melody to awaken. She groggily opened her eyes half expecting to hear the cry of Lula. Her ear swiveled around searching for any such noise but she was only met with the noise of rain hitting the roof and walls. She slowly sat up and looked around. She was inside of a room she didn't recognize. She sat upon small bed with a single dresser beside it. The room was also much smaller then what she was used to. It only had two doors, as well. One that led outside and the other into a room she wasn't sure about. For some reason each of the doors were tied up in some strange contraption that led to a rope to hang from the ceiling in front of them. It was really weird.
Melody shimmied off the bed and landed on the hard wood floors making a loud 'clop' sound. There was a sudden noise from the beyond the unknown door and it opened. Martin stepped through as the door automatically closed behind him. "You're awake," he said while walking towards her, "Are you feeling alright? I would have taken you to the clinic but it was barred down for the storm. So instead, welcome to my temporary home in Ponyville." 
"I'm fine but what happened?" she thought back to before she fainted. All that she remembered was getting caught out in the storm and seeing Martin. Nothing else.
"I believe you fainted because you saw me use my power," he mentioned while bringing the dome around himself again in a flash of light. It did not remain long however, and just as quickly blinked out of existence. Melody could only stare wide eyed at him, mouth moving but no sound coming out. 
Her face suddenly hardened into irritation, "You know what? No." Martin raised a bemused eyebrow at her as she stomped towards the front door. "I've dealt with Lula pitching a fit, I've dealt with Record constantly asking about dinner, and I've dealt with this blasted storm. But I am not about to deal with whatever this is!" She opened the door and was immediately blasted by wind and rain. Melody slowly closed the door and calmly walked back to Martin. "You were saying something about your power?" she asked, accepting the towel he offered. 
Melody only halfheartedly listened to Martin as he told her that about his literal gift. Her mind was more focused on her family. Without her, she doubted either of them could last the night. She took another quick glance around the room and spotted her saddlebag full of food right next to the bed. Those two would go without dinner if she didn't get back. "Do you want me to escort you home?" Martin suddenly offered. Her heart fluttered with hope briefly but it quickly crumbled upon a realization.
"That's nice of you to offer Martin, but that rain is so thick that I couldn't make head or tail of where we'd be going," she gave a sad sigh. Martin seemed to move to reassure her but he stopped when his ear twitched. He walked over to a nearby window and looked intensely out of it. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I think I hear your name being called," he answered, scanning around. He suddenly pointed out towards the mist, "There, I see a blue unicorn with a green mane. He's the one calling you."
Melody's eyes widened in realization, "That's Record, my husband! What is that idiot doing?!" she shouted, running towards the window and trying to see through the mist. She vaguely saw a pony shape out there but that was it. Martin must have really good ears and eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll get him," Martin suddenly declared as he raced to the door. Melody made no move to stop him as he pulled the rope hanging from the ceiling that opened the door for him. The dome he conjured before surrounded him immediately as the rain poured in from outside. The dome seemed to ignore the walls and door frame as he passed through it. He took a moment to use his teeth to actually close the door before galloping off into the mist of rain. 
She could easily spot his dome through the mist as he came upon the other pony. She could see it bob a little as he spoke with Record. In short order, the dome began to move back to the room and she could finally spot her hubby walking towards her with Martin in tow. Although, Record was giving Martin fearful glances, but the determined look in his eye seemed to be the only thing keeping him from leaving.
Melody opened the door for the two of them and she was immediately given a very wet embrace. "Melody! I'm so glad you're alright. When you didn't return home, I feared something terrible had happened," he was on the brink of tears as he hugged her. Martin closed the door behind him and released the dome. "I walked out into the storm and blindly looked for you. I may have wandered all night had this nice stallion not approached me," Record continued.
"You're welcome," Martin put in.
Melody however had an unreadable expression on her face. "Record, where's Lullaby?" Record's face drained of color as he realized a major screw up in his plan. She grabbed his face and started shaking it violently, "You idiot! You left our baby all alone to endure this storm! What if there's damage to the roof?! What if she crawls into someplace dangerous?!" She released him and took several deep breaths, "Do you at least remember where home is?"
He gave her a stare "I walked out into the storm-" he began to reiterate but Melody cut him off.
"I heard you the first time!" Melody slumped to the ground and began to cry, "What are we going to do? She's probably cold and alone." Record rubbed a hoof on her back and kept repeating 'It's going to be ok' to her.
Martin looked out into the rain with an intense stare. "I can go get her," he suddenly declared.
Both Melody and Record looked at him in surprise. "And how do you plan to do that? Neither of us knows where our house is from here," Record pointed out.
Martin looked back towards the married couple, "If she's the only one at your home, then I can sense for her." He placed a hoof on his own chest, "Please believe in me."
Record raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked to his wife for an answer. Melody herself looked at Martin, eyes starting to brim with hope. She stood and walked up to the stallion to speak with him face to face. "Martin, if you can bring me my baby, then please. I beg of you, bring her to me." Martin gave her a reassuring smile before going back over to the door. He opened it with the weird contraption and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Oddly he didn't bring up his dome again.
Both Record and Melody went to the window and stared out it as Martin stepped out into the pouring rain with no protection and stood still out in the road. "What is he doing?" Record asked but his wife could only helplessly shrug. Martin suddenly raised himself onto his hind legs with the hooves of his forelegs glowing and slammed them both down into the ground. Then, without warning, all of Ponyville erupted into a golden white aura. Both Melody and Record stared in disbelief at the sight, it even looked like the rain literally slowed down. Golden drops gently falling to the ground. He scanned the area for a bit before walking off in a direction. The aura remained as he went out of sight.
"Amazing," Melody said, looking at the area. It was so pretty. Record would have agreed, if he didn't suddenly have a realization.
"I just realized, if he was heading directly to our house, why didn't we just follow him there?" They both facehoofed at their own stupidity. Well it was too late now, may as well get dinner ready. Melody wondered how she was going to do that without her kitchen utensils.



Luckily for Melody, Martin actually did have knives and spoons in his dresser and that the second door led to a decent bathroom. It wasn't large but it had all the necessities. Using the groceries she had bought earlier, she was able to make some alright, albeit soggy, sandwiches for both herself and Record. It took some creativity, but Melody was able to make some vegetable mulch and put it inside some pieces of bread molded into a bowl shape. Record's magic helped keep the shape as it dried up. Record had asked earlier how Martin was able to do all those magical lights and she told him that Martin said it was a gift he was given. That seemed to confuse him even more but she couldn't elaborate further then that.
The light that Martin had created blinked out of existence. Record and Melody exchanged worried glances and went over to the window to see what was happening. They immediately spotted Martin and his dome. He seemed to be holding something in his teeth. It looked like some cloth being weighed down by something inside. Something was wrong though, Martin's dome was flickering in and out of existence and his steps were unsteady. The married couple opened the door for him as the dome completely disappear. It seemed to have a muting effect because once it dropped, Melody could hear the familiar wail of her child coming from inside the cloth. She took the cloth from him and unwrapped her adorable little Lula, giving her hushed reassurances that 'Momma was here'. Record, for his part, assisted the exhausted stallion into the building. 
As soon as Record closed the door behind them, Martin dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. "Are you alright?"  he asked, clearly worried about the younger stallion.
"I'm alright," he tried to reassure, "Just overexerted myself there. I'll be good in a little while." 
Melody took a moment to walk over to the tired stallion and gave him a peck on the forehead, "Thank you," she said in a low whisper. Martin gave a small smile before closing his eyes to rest.
It took a few minutes, but with the two parents, they were able to feed Lullaby with only a little mess. Record used the already moist towel to clean it up. Melody sat on the bed with the baby pony in her forelegs, trying to rock her to sleep but she didn't have the crib, her favorite blanket, or even the pacifier for her. Melody had tried to get Martin to rest in his own bed but he insisted that the couple use it instead. He said he would gladly sleep in the bathroom and apologized that he didn't have a bigger bed for the 3 ponies. They didn't want to stress the already tired stallion anymore than necessary so they agreed and said the bed would be fine.
"Why is she crying so much?" Record finally asked.
"She doesn't recognize where she is, she just wants her stuff," Melody sighed, "What I wouldn't give to atleast have her pacifier right now."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Martin said, suddenly sitting up and entering the conversation, "I think she has everything she needs, right here." As he said that, soft music began to play. A lullaby, of course. Why didn't they think of that?

Always there, to warm you in the winter
Always there, to shelter from the rain
Always there, to catch you when you're falling
Always there to stand you up again
Family...

The three of them listened to Martin sing. Lula's cries lowered as she became sleepier. She outright stopped when Melody nuzzled her and began to sing along.

By your side, in seconds if you ask it
Hooves out wide, to welcome you to stay
Near enough, to listen to your heart song
Always there to help you on your way
Family
Family
Family       Family

Record decided to sing along as well, snuggling up with his wife to comfort their foal.

What is a family?
Caring and devoted hearts.

With endless love to share
Love that will follow you everywhere   Love that will follow you everywhere

Always there, to welcome you in winter
What is a family?
Hooves out wide, to welcome you to stay
Right by your side
Near enough
To listen to your heart song    To listen to your heart song
Always there to help you on your way
Family
Always there
Family
Family
Family   Family   Family

As the last note hung in the air, the 3 members of the family laid their heads down and fell asleep, comforted by each other's warmth. Martin smiled kindly at them as he made his way to the bathroom. The resounding 'thunk' and 'snap' didn't disturb the sleeping ponies as he smashed his face into the door. "Oh right, door, I forgot you were here. And it seems you've escaped your restraints. Well have at you." The ensuing scuffle didn't bother them either. No matter how epic it may have been.
> Interlude: Twilight's Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


Twilight's Investigation



	
"Thanks for coming over, Martin," Twilight told him. She had several books floating around her, not really paying attention to the boys.
"It's no trouble. I was more then happy to. Although, when you said I was getting a library card, I didn't think I'd be picking out every book," he joked. He gave a chuckle while Spike and Twilight only had smiles. The reason behind the mess ruining the joke for them.
"Would it be alright if I asked you a few things while we worked?" Twilight asked out of politeness. 
"Sure, what would you like to know?" he allowed without a shred of hesitation.
Twilight glanced at her check list, her notepaper, and her quill, making sure she had everything ready. "So, to start off, you said you got here through an ethereal world, correct?" She planned to ask him in order of when the information was acquired. 
"That's what I believe yes," he stated.
"What was it like there?" she asked. She had tried to research it but there wasn't much to go on. It had been theorized by several magical scientists and was confirmed to exist by Princess Celestia but that was it. Nothing about what it looked like, what it was, or anything. If Martin could answer, and he wasn't lying, this may very well be a groundbreaking discovery. Twilight was almost giddy with anticipation.
"It was very cold," he said simply.
"Just cold?" Spike decided to enter the conversation. He'd been told by Twilight that he was free to speak his mind. She thought that having a second opinion would maximize the information they could acquire.
He glanced up at Spike, "That was the first thing I noticed when I exited the portal. It was incredibly cold. Like below freezing kind of cold. Had I stayed there longer then I did, I might have conducted hypothermia. I might have even had icicles on me. Boy wouldn't that have confused Fluttershy," he chuckled again. 
"That sounds dangerous," Twilight stated as she wrote furiously on her note sheet, "What else can you describe?"
"Well, there was no gravity at all. I was just floating through the area. Luckily I was able to move myself back through the portal before I drifted too far away from it," he answered. Twilight mumbled to herself about a realm that had no sun or land.
"Doesn't really sound like a fun place," Spike commented.
"Probably not, but it was so beautiful," his voice took on a wistful tone, "The whole place was like endless masses of mist and each speck a different color. It was like a drifting painting." The other two occupants of the room briefly wanted to see such a thing but immediately changed their mind when they remembered the other horrifying things of the place. "Don't bother asking about what the magic was like there. All I know is that it mutated the portal and it felt massive. I don't know enough about magic to describe it any further then that," he answered the unasked question.
"Interesting," she hummed in thought while writing down the last note. She rolled up the notes and set off to start a pile that would probably become large soon. Time to move onto the next question. "About Broken Depths, where is it exactly? What country is it in?" she asked, getting a new note ready.
"Broken Depths is in the United States of America, or USA for short. More specifically, the state of Texas," he answered which seemed to confuse them.
"United States of America? I don't think I've ever heard of that country," Twilight searched her memory but came up with nothing. It's a little weird to name a country after a union of communities inside a continent called America. Maybe it's significant to their history? "Why is it called that?" she urged him to continue.
"Cause it's made of multiple states of America?" Martin guessed, a little confused at her question. It didn't seem like Martin knew much about the history of his own country. May as well be polite and change the subject.
"Nevermind," she rolled up the new note and added it to the pile, "What about your friend Sven? What can you tell me about him?"
Martin smiled, seeming to be glad to talk about a friend, "Hoo boy, Sven is a character. He is the second in-command of the Militia and the poster boy of it."
"The Militia is that group with the experimental equipment right? What does he use?" Spike asked. When he first heard of it, it sounded so much like a superhero group. They must have some interesting stuff.
"Being second in-command, Sven got access to more then he's normally allowed. Normal members get only one equipment, two if you got lucky. Sven though? He got four. A sword that's razor sharp and can reach temperatures of the hottest flames. A shield that can swallow any non-living substance and throw it into the vastness of space. Mechanical wings that allows him to fly and reach traveling speeds of super sonic. And his signature and favorite piece of equipment, a device that lets him teleport anywhere a short distance away," he described. Both Spike and Twilight stared wide eyed at him.
"That sounds awesome!" Spike gushed. That sounded totally like a superhero! He definitely had to get Martin to tell some stories later.
Twilight however had a differing opinion, "How are such things possible?" Maybe the wings could be designed very well and the sword enchanted. But the other stuff couldn't be real. A pegasus that could teleport at will? That seemed so unreal. 
Martin shook his head, "I couldn't tell you how it works. Director is a genius but he doesn't reveal his secrets. He will sell some he deems simple, however. That's how he got his fortune."
"How rich is he?" Spike asked curious how much somepony could make off of superhero making equipment.
"No idea," he said with a shrug, "I haven't seen a limit to his fortune so I'mma just gonna say he's a bajillionaire." 
Twilight leveled an unamused stare at him for the fake word while also making a note to see if Equestria can buy some of Director's equipment. "You were saying about Sven?" she tried to get him back on track. Although, he did partially answer her next question.
"Oh right, well besides his position, Sven is a massive flirt, to the point of being weird," he described.
"What do you mean?" Spike asked, immediately thinking of protecting Rarity.
"I don't think I should explicitly say it, so I'll just tell you that it's something we try to dissuade him from," Martin vaguely said. Spike and Twilight didn't like where it was going, so they decided to drop it. Twilight made a note to keep any female delegates away from Sven when possibly making negotiations with Director.
She set the new note into the pile and brought up a new one, "What can you tell me about Director himself?"
"Director is probably the oldest looking in our group of friends. Tria being the oldest because she's an ageless goddess. He's also possibly the most emotionally neutral of us. The only thing we really see out of him is impassive seriousness. Director invents equipment and leads the Militia so you know he keeps the really good stuff for himself," Martin mentioned getting Spike's hopes up for something interesting, "His personal equipment allows him to bend the natural elements to his will. The ground, the sky, and the seas are his tools. He is ranked in the top 5 of Broken Depths strongest fighters." Spike wasn't disappointed. That sounded awe inspiring. 
"You have a ranking for your fighters?" Twilight asked. Maybe Fluttershy had a point about Broken Depths constantly being in danger if fighting happened enough for there to be a ranking system. 
"What rank is Sven?" Spike continued the question. Somepony who had those kind of equipment had to be pretty high.
"Yes, and Sven is considered the weakest actual fighter," Martin said surprising Spike. 
"He has all that stuff and he's the weakest?" Spike asked incredulous. That didn't make any sense, the rest of the Militia was stronger then him?
"Sven is a capable fighter, but the ranking only applies to the strongest of the town. The others of the Militia aren't up to par. So Sven is the weakest of the strongest."
"Interesting," she readied a new note, "You mentioned you've met a species called wyverns before. Could you please describe them?" Spike immediately perked up, interested in what he had to say about a cousin of dragons.
"I've only met the one wyvern. He's a resident of the town and is actually the adopted baby brother of Jordan," Both Spike's and Twilight's eyebrows raised at that. The delinquent has a wyvern as a baby brother? The pony and the dragon glanced at each other finding something in common with this Jordan pony. 
"Can you describe his species?" she urged him to continue.
"I've only seen Regi's specific species, that's his name, so I couldn't give an accurate description for all wyverns but I'll describe it as best I can. Regi is about 1700 inches long from horn to tail. He's covered in gold and brown scales, has an ax-like horn on his head, he has a massive wingspan and bird like feet with talons. He can actually throw old and loose scales as projectiles which explode on impact," as he talked both Spike and Twilight listened avidly. Twilight's quill zooming over the paper with thoughts and theories. "As for his diet? As far as I've seen, he's extremely carnivorous. Even when provided a decent amount of imported meat, he's still not satisfied and will go out to the nearby forest to hunt."
That made them both pause in their excitement. "He doesn't just eat gems?" Twilight asked.
"I don't think he can," Martin answered with a shrug. Spike was glad there wasn't another species after gems but now he was a little worried they'd be after himself. "Some of the residents are afraid he'll go feral and start going after them but Jordan keeps him in check. I'm still not sure how those two communicate, Regi's vocal cords aren't good enough for anything but growls and roars and yet the two can still talk. I guess it's just a sibling thing." Twilight hummed in thought as she finished off the note. Not much to go on for other aspects of the species but she didn't expect to get the full details from Martin. Spike was trying to figure out how big 1700 inches was.
"I think that's enough of that," she added the new note to the pile, "What about your best friend? Theo? You said that was his nickname, do you know his actual name?"
Martin's smile grew in size at the mention of his best friend, "Of course, he used it to introduce himself. I'm actually the one who gave him that nickname and it stuck. All the others have used it ever since. His real name is really Theemeo."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Theemeo?" Honestly that was the oddest sounding name so far. Of course, all the others were odd because they didn't seem like pony names but this one took the cake. No wonder they prefer Theo. "You called him a powerful magic user, how proficient is he?" she asked out of curiosity. Perhaps they could share notes?
"Well he enjoys spells that are functional over powerful. Such as levitation, shield, bind, stuff like that. He also kinda uses magic to do less work. Like when I'm off running somewhere, he will walk at a leisurely pace and then teleport when I start to get out of sight. In terms of raw magical power, I don't really have anything to compare it to. You remind me of him though, so I'll say you two are equal with different preferences," Martin stated. Twilight couldn't help but feel proud that Martin thought of her as proficient and capable as his friend.
"Thank you," she told him as she put the note away, "You keep mentioning somepony called Voodoo Man and there was the 'spell' you used on me. Martin, voodoo isn't a real magic, it's just coincidences and manipulation."
"Then it's some kind of magic only he can do and he calls voodoo because no other magic can compare to it's capabilities," he told her. Spike moved to ask what he meant but Martin continued, anticipating it. "Whatever he's using, voodoo or something else, it's not outright powerful but it's extremely precise. It will do exactly or obscurely what it says it will do. If you can word it out, he can deliver you results."
"Wait, so if you say it, he can grant it? That sounds a lot like wish making," Spike spoke up. 
"In a sense, he can  grant any wish you make, except anything that deals with money. You see, he will do almost anything for you, but at a price. A literal one. The more prominent the wish, the more expensive it will be. He will, however, give you the wish for free, if you owe him a favor. Never, I repeat, never owe him a favor. He will use that to manipulate your body and spirit to do any task he wishes and there will be nothing to break you out of the contract until you complete the task," Martin warned. Both Spike and Twilight stared wide eyed at him. This Voodoo Man sounds shady and not trust worthy. "What I love though, is that Voodoo Man and Director have a rivalry going on. Director is all about surpassing magic with his inventions while Voodoo Man is trying his hardest to keep his power above that but the gap is closing. It's amazing seeing those two try and surpass each other. Two geniuses of a particular field having a battle of the wit," Martin said bringing the mood back up.
"Wait so none of his inventions actually use magic?" Twilight asked, glad to move away from that tidbit, but still surprised by that reveal.
"Well some incorporate magic because of the user but generally, his equipment is open for anything to use," he told her. 
"Even dragons?" Spike asked. Martin nodded which got him even more excited. He could just imagine himself with a giant set of armor that could stop boulders. "How old do you have to be to join?" he asked mostly out of curiosity. He would never leave Twilight or Rarity, but it'd be interesting to know if they'd accept him.
"Um, I'm not sure if there's a limit on the age. You just have to have certain requirements, such as your guardians permission, whether you're sentient, and whether you're willing to follow the instructions of your leaders. I actually know a guy who's ten years old and he was able to join," Martin explained, amazing the two of them. Twilight wrote down a few things in her Militia notes and set them both down for now.
"You mentioned somepony in a hat to Applejack. They wouldn't happen to be in the Militia as well would they?" she guessed.
Martin smiled kindly to her, telling her she was correct, "Yep, there are actually two that wear that kind of hat. A pair of brothers. The younger one is named Tex, his hat is black and a different style. His older brother is named William and his is white looking much more like Applejack's. Before you ask, yes Tex was named after the state he was born in. You know, William actually reminds me of Big Mac. Rarely talks and always got something in his mouth, except Will likes to have pretzel sticks." Martin got a chuckle out of that.
"Speaking of food, why is it that all of your food is imported? Can nopony make a farm in the area?" she asked, already anticipating an interesting answer.
"Now there's something interesting about that," looked like she wouldn't be disappointed, "Because of the happenings around town, both inside and out, the soil has... changed. The whole area is filled with unnatural magical and chemical compounds that mutates any plants that happen to grow. That's why the forest nearby is off limits. Several of those plants have become hostile. Even most animals are afraid to go in there."
"You have something like the Everfree Forest too?" Spike found that interesting, that the two towns have a few things in common.
"I've never been in the Everfree Forest but the fact it spooks the locals with its monsters, Imma just say yes and move on," he answered with a shrug. Twilight moved on as well and got a new note ready. Martin seemed to just enjoy talking, which was good for her. Although there was still doubt that all of this was just Martin's active imagination. How can one place attract so many bizarre things? Those questions could come later.
"What about Tim? You said he has a condition to be anywhere in town but only behind a cash register. What does that entail exactly?" she asked. This may be the strangest thing he's told. Somepony who could be literally everywhere but only behind a specific object? He claims it's not magic or anything else but then what could it be?
"Well I have to correct that. Tim's condition isn't limited to just the town. We believe it has something to do with our brand of cash registers. So if you had that specific make and you set it down, Tim would appear behind it immediately. Even all the way out here," he said, amazing them once again, "You know, he could actually get me back to Broken Depths like that. Tim is connected to all those spots constantly and is able to transport items to each one."
"Woah, that sounds way faster then dragon mail," Spike pointed out. Being able to move anything across an entire continent instantly? That sounded so unreal. 
"Maybe, but he would be terrible at delivering mail. He can't move away from the cash register. The best he could do is lift it up and physically walk it there," Martin said with a chuckle. Spike's pride was boosted, knowing he could do something somepony as weird as Tim couldn't do.
"And there's nothing else you can mention about his condition?" Twilight asked. Martin had already mentioned it was a mystery even to those who knew Tim. Maybe they could use a fresh perspective with her help. 
"Not much else I can say. Although there is a rumor going around that he could make you go unconscious with just a simple touch," Martin shrugged nonchalantly, "They believe that Tim can quickly move you through different spots and overwhelm your senses." 
"Has he ever actually done it?" she asked, worried about his sudden threat level. But Martin shook his head in the negative, alleviating her fear. "Moving on," she set the new note down and brought up the one about the Militia again, "The Militia would get called into action but the problem is dealt with before they could get there. Why is that?"
"Well you remember the top ranked fighters I mentioned before?" she nodded, "Well most of them aren't affiliated with the Militia. So they aren't trapped behind red tape and can act on a problem as soon as they hear about it. The Militia is a lawful organization, so they have to follow the rules before they can act. It's made them slow but they won't get shutdown for any illegal actions. Unlike the rest of the fighters who stand on the line of illegal actions," he paused in thought, "Well most of them. Guy's like Triple B are all the way criminal."
"They can't forgive them for acting off record?" Spike asked. If somepony was saving the day, you'd think they could get away with breaking a few rules.
"That may work for the vigilantes but the Militia is more useful working inside of the law. So they follow the rules, relying on the others for anything that needs to be dealt with quickly. Although," Martin lowered his voice into a whisper as if somepony was listening, "Several members are spiteful because they want to go out and help before they get called on."
"Interesting," she put the note on the Militia back down and took out a new note. She hesitated on asking this next one, fearing it may upset him, "You mentioned that somepony you knew didn't get a second chance. Do you think you can explain that?"
Martin's smile turned nervous and he rubbed his neck, "You heard that? I'm afraid I can't tell you. It delves directly into Jordan's past and he doesn't like to reveal that for any reason." Twilight was both disappointed and relieved. She didn't get any useful information beyond the involvement of Jordan but was relieved because it sounded like it would have been a sad story.
She set down the vague note and got a new one ready. She decided to not bring up what Princess Celestia had told her because that would reveal her true intentions. It was also best to bypass John Silver as Martin already mentioned he didn't know how he lost his eye and limbs. Digging further then that didn't seem necessary. "You mention that tourists come through your town, but they never notice anything weird?"
"Well as I told Rarity, they hardly ever stay longer than a day. They will notice something strange about the town eventually but the introduction of Jordan and Triple B will dissuade them from lingering. I think Jordan does it to keep the citizens safe. Triple B does it just to mess with them," he answered with a shrug. "Tourists are far and few to come by. Most all visitors of the town have some business inside it and are usually already aware of the strangeness it involves."
She nodded in thought, "And what can you tell me about the layout of the town?" she asked for archiving purposes. If they were to ever visit Broken Depths it would be a good idea to have a general idea where everything is.
"Well, in Broken Depths we have entire section devoted to one aspect of a society. The two largest being residential and commercial, since those areas see the most use. This helps keep the citizens safe for when there's an emergency lockdown in progress. They aren't scattered as much. The education section is just one giant campus though." 
"Emergency lockdown?" Spike asked.
"Some threats to Broken Depths can stretch to encompass the entire town so civilians are advised to go inside a home or a nearby bunker while the problem is dealt with. A bit like what happened with Nightmare Moon when Mayor Mare said to lock yourselves in your home," Martin compared.
"What kind of threat?" Twilight pushed.
"Well most recently we had a giant hydra bust out of a nearby mountain. Thing was about 17000 inches long. Luckily Jordan was able to deal with it," Martin revealed.
"S-se-seventeen thousand?!" Twilight shouted in shock, "How in Equestria did he make it leave?" Spike was equally as shocked. The thing was 10 times bigger then the wyvern he mentioned before.
"He beat it into submission," Martin said nonchalantly, "It still lives nearby but it's too afraid to come closer." Both Twilight and Spike stared at him, mouths hung open in surprise. Just how strong was this Jordan pony? Was Martin lying to them? Twilight didn't voice that thought. Even if she did, he would just claim it was true and they would get nowhere.
"I-I see," she stuttered, getting a new note ready, "You said the founder built your town because he found a lonely girl that lived nearby. That girl was the shapeshifter Stranger?"
"That's right, and before you ask. No, she did not trick him. He was well aware of her capabilities. He saw not a monster, but something that needed a little company," Martin said, warming their hearts and dowsing their fears.
"That's so sweet," Twilight mentioned, putting the note aside for now, "Everypony in your town wears clothes. Why is that?"
"It's the law?" he said, unsure of her question. She was afraid of this. He was so used to it, he didn't question why they do it. No point going further down this road.
"Nevermind," she dismissed, "What about your currency? You don't use bits, then what do you use?"
"Well we do have metal coins as well, but we primarily use paper notes as money. Printed currency. Why they went that way, I'm not entirely sure. I don't know my history that well," he answered with a shrug. Paper money? That seemed easily damaged. She supposed it was lightweight and easy to make. They must also have complicated and precise printing so forging isn't easy.
"Interesting," Twilight said while moving on, "Spike mentioned that one of your friends hates the concept of super heroes. Is that Jordan or Carlos?" Both seemed to just hate things to hate them. So she made a guess. Spike got a little nervous, hoping he won't mention his friend hates the Princess's too. It would make Twilight upset and call him out for not telling.
"Jordan. As I said to Spike, he probably has a deeper reason for hating them then the reason he gave me. I mean, at this point he's not an ordinary citizen anymore, but he still clings to the fact that he's just some guy with a lot of tools, his own strength and wit, up against everything else," Martin stated.
"He sounds really proud," Spike pointed out. The guy wasn't willing to admit what he really was and hung onto his own belief rather then fact.
"In a way, but that same pride is what keeps him going. The indomitable spirit to protect Broken Depths and it's citizens," that seemed to get a warm smile out of Martin.
"Interesting," she said getting a new note ready. Spike gave a sigh of relief, glad to move away from the topic. No accidental reveal of his fib. "What exactly is up with Carlos? How did he get like that?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. Carlos doesn't talk about his past, or talk in general. He'll just use every insult and dirty word he knows into what can be vaguely assumed is a sentence," Martin answered with a shrug.
"He sounds like a potty mouth," Spike pointed out.
"He is very foul mouthed, but we're doing our best to make him better. It's been difficult though. I think we're the only ones who've grown from it," he said with a nervous smile, rubbing his neck.
With nothing else to go on, Twilight decided to move to the next note. "You mentioned that you plan to come back here after you go home and you plan to bring some of your friends?" Twilight asked. This was the biggest reason for investigating his friends. If they planned to show up, she wanted to be properly prepared. Especially for somepony like Jordan. Somehow he was able to beat a giant hydra into submission. She didn't want to imagine what else he could do.
Martin smiled widely, "Of course, when I'm in a completely foreign place with no idea on what's going on. You ponies and the Princess's accepted me for who I am and let me live here. Sides, I want my new friends to meet my old friends. Well most of them anyway, there's no way I'm bringing Carlos or Triple B here. That would just end badly." Twilight guessed that was why he was unsure his old friends wouldn't like his new friends.
"Is that why you wanted to send a thank you letter to the Princess's?" Spike asked.
"That's right. They let me into their country with open hooves. I should at least show my appreciation," Martin said.
"With a joke?" Twilight pointed out the oddity. She was having trouble imagining somepony giving Princess Celestia a joke as a thank you gift.
Martin chuckled, "Well yes. I actually plan to divide my left over bits to all of my friends before I leave. I can't use them in Broken Depths so I may as well give them to those who can and I definitely consider the Princess's my friends." That got a raised eyebrow out of the two librarians. He was going to send the princess what was essentially a hoof full of bits? It wasn't even a drop of water in the ocean of the royal treasury. 
"Well just ask me when you're ready. I'll be glad to forward it to the Princess for you," she said getting a new note. Despite her efforts, she had gotten no information from Sweet Melody. The spiteful mother still refusing to have casual conversation with her. So she wasn't sure if Martin had revealed anything to the mare or not. "What can you tell me about Doctor Styles?" She was interested in the medicine of a foreign country. Maybe they had insights. Although getting anything detailed out of Martin may be difficult.
"He's a really great guy. And a very smart doctor. He could double as a vet with the amount of creatures he's saved or healed," Martin mentioned. Huh, that's interesting. Although that would concern Fluttershy about all the injured animals that seem to happen. Twilight figured she won't mention that to her. "He's the go to doctor for anything and can multitask really well. One example could be him checking the lungs of a patient while also giving instructions for a surgery. He never makes a mistake."
"Does he have a specialty?" she asked.
"Um, I couldn't tell you what he specializes in. But he's had plenty of practice with setting broken bones," Martin finished. She could already guess how those broken bones happened and decided to move on. She knew the next part might get complicated.
"What can you tell me about Jordan?" she asked, preparing for a long winded speech, her quill at the ready.
"Jordan is the very reason why our town still exists. Stranger may have been there longer but she didn't care about the town or its citizens. She only cares for it's secret, the memorial park, and Kreig." Twilight suppressed a sigh, taking out the list of names and adding 'Kreig' to it. "Several years ago our town had shown an increase in attacks from different sources. This was before the forming of the Militia, the reforming of Triple B, and even before the others were even in the town. The town had no defense against these forces but Jordan decided to stand up and push back. With physical prowess and ingenuity he was able to defeat every opponent that came to do harm to our town. Every day he got better physically, mentally, and got better tools to assist him. Throughout his experience, he's gained allies from those he's helped, those he's defeated, or those who could be useful. Eventually, he became so effective, that the mayor made a small tax to help fund his efforts and he gained the approval of Officer Vern, giving him more legal leeway. Over the next few years, the others in our circle of friends began to arrive but he still refused to let them get close. It took him nearly losing to a threat that could have wiped out the whole town before he finally accepted help. He opened his heart a smidge and we all just shoved our way in. So far? He hasn't pushed us out." As he explained, Martin just had this happy smile on his face. He seemed so proud of this Jordan. She could kinda see why. 
"How strong is he?" Spike asked.
"His physical prowess is far above what should be possible, but that's not where he only excels. Jordan is a bit paranoid and will mostly think of the worst case scenario. With this mindset he's gone above and beyond preparing himself for any situation. He's prepared for nearly anything, even a temporal paradox," Martin stated. The two purple beings wondered how somepony could prepare for an anomaly in time. "Although he's still not prepared for an army of toilets, he has nowhere near enough underpants for that." Martin chuckled at his own joke.
Both Spike and Twilight could stare confused at that statement and decided to drop it. "What about Marribelle? What's she like?"
Martin outright laughed at that question, making the two of them wonder what was funny. "Hoo boy, Marribelle, she is one mouthy lady. In simple terms, she is a lady that really likes to poke Jordan verbally. She doesn't push his buttons or antagonize him, so she doesn't make him angry, just annoy him out of good fun. Besides that she's really high class. That's why I think her and Rarity would get along easily. They could probably spend hours trying to design a dress that will end up looking like a record player or something else bizarre."
"Interesting," she said, writing in the new note. Next on the list was Triple B and Tria but she already knew enough about the psychotic criminal and Martin had already said he refused to go into Tria's past without her permission. "Officer Vern, he's the chief of police in Broken Depths right?"
"That's right, has been for a good many years. I've looked up to that guy while growing up. He's like the lovable dad of the whole town," Martin had a heartfelt smile on his face. Clearly glad to spread word of the officer.
"Did you like him more then your own family?" Spike asked, wondering if he had family troubles.
"Nah, I love both of my parents. Even my extended family is a joy to be around. You should see our family reunions. They are just a riot. My mother's a house wife and my father is a teacher. They don't live in Broken Depths anymore. They moved away a couple years after I moved out, assured I could live on my own. I miss their presence but we keep in contact." This time Twilight and Spike smiled along with him, caught up in the love for family. The both of them were away from their family as well but no distance could make their love grow weaker.
Twilight brought up the Stranger note again, "What can you tell me about what Stranger is? I know you don't know much about who she is, but can you please explain what she is and what she can do?" Shapeshifters weren't mentioned much in the books she researched. She was curious about what an age old one could do.
"Well to start off, she does have an original form, as weird as it is. Her form is a cloak that reaches all the way to the ground and inside the hood is nothing but blackness that seems to absorb the light around it. In that blackness is a single bright red light. We assume that's her eye. The form has no mouth though, so she needs to shapeshift into one of us in order to just talk. When she transforms, she becomes a mass of flesh that reforms into the desired shape. When the shape is done, it gains color and she becomes a copy of what she desires. She can even take on properties of what she transforms into. She could turn into a plant and conduct photosynthesis or become sand and drift in the wind. It doesn't have to be an exact copy either. She could become you but with wings instead of a horn." At the mention of that, Twilight looked towards her side, trying to imagine what she'd look like with wings but couldn't really picture it. She finished the note and set it aside. There wasn't much left on the list but the next bit was something she was having the most trouble figuring out.
> The Strange Farewell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Strange Stallion


The Strange Farewell




While some would like to awaken in their own bed at their own time, Sweet Melody and Broken Record did not have that luxury. Due to some bad luck and poor timing, the family had to take refuge from a storm inside of a very weird friend's house. That wasn't bad per say but when Lullaby woke them up just before sunrise, they knew they were in for a stressful morning. The sound of a baby wailing right next to their ears gave the both of them a headache. 
"I think it's your turn," Record said groggily. He rubbed his head with both hooves to try and unsuccessfully stave off the headache. 
"It's always my turn," Melody grumbled. She gave a sniff which immediately told her what the issue was. The foal needed changing. She halfheartedly looked around the roof, praying that there was something she could use. It was then she noticed a bag sitting at the end of the bed with a crudely written note. It said 'I stopped by your place to get some essentials for you. Hope this helps'. It wasn't signed but she knew it had to have been Martin. She immediately began looking through the bag to find the things she required.
"What's that?" Record asked as she began to change the baby. 
"Seems like Martin broke into our house a second time to bring back some of Lula's things. Look at this, he even picked out her favorite blanket! Wait, never mind, he took all the baby sized blankets," she smiled regardless.
"Ugh, I'm gonna have to lug all those back," he flinched away at Melody's glare, "I mean, we should thank that stallion as soon as we see him again." She gave a firm nod and finished cleaning the baby. 
Record went towards the bathroom to see if the stallion was still asleep in there. Melody entertained the baby for a bit with babbling and 'Where's the baby?'. 
He ignored the strange contraption, which had changed over night, and opened the door normally. A quick glance around the tiny room showed that Martin wasn't there. Although, there was a pillow and a bed sheet laid out in the tub. Probably where he slept. But if he wasn't here, then where was he?



It was a lovely pre-morning, soggy too. Pinkie was waiting out in the park for Martin at their agreed time. They had said that they would work together to clean up as much of Ponyville as they could before anypony else could to surprise them. Both of them being early risers helped them greatly.
Although, Pinkie was excited for an entirely different reason. Yesterday before the storm, Twilight had gathered the girls for another meeting concerning Martin and she had big news. She had finally interrogated Martin herself and she learned a lot. The most important thing she learned though, was his super secret power. Apparently, he had some sort of weird energy that he got from somepony that lets him do all kinds of neat stuff. It had gotten some surprised looks from all the girls, except Fluttershy who was more scared than surprised for some reason. Pinkie was hoping to see some of that first-hoof.
"Morning Pinkie," she was suddenly greeted out of her thoughts. She looked down the path and saw Martin walking towards her, looking ready to go.
"Morning Martin," she called back with a little giggle, "What brings you out to this magnificent morning? Maybe you're meeting a memorable mare to mayhaps map out the mess the storm made?"
He chuckled at her antics, "Well, perhaps I'm being punctual to the play-date I had planned with a possibly peppy pink party pony of Ponyville who is popping to clean plenty of piles of debris? Please pass the poker, Pinkie."
"Aw, no fair, you got an easy letter," despite her words they both laughed at their own joke. 
"Maybe," he agreed, a wide grin on his face. She gave him a playful shove. "If we want to clean up before the rest of Ponyville awakens, then we better move fast."
The two early birds looked around at the destruction of the storm. There was mud, twigs, trash from overturned bins, fallen shingles, and other such debris. The town had taken a bit of a beating but it was over and done with at least. It was unlikely they could finish everything before somepony got up. Unless something special happened.
"So Martin, think you should do a little somethin, somethin to help the process? You know what I mean?" she asked, giving him a few nudges. 
He chuckled again, "Ya, I probably should if we want to finish this as fast as possible." With no further prompt, two white tentacles sprang forth coming from either side of his barrel. Along with those, the light formed into a large bowl shape that sat on his back. 
Pinkie couldn't help but beam at the display. It was so amazing! She couldn't help but wonder why he didn't use it more often. If he did, she wondered how nopony had noticed sooner than Applebloom. "So how are we doing this?" she asked, not bothering to explain her lack of surprise.
He didn't question it though. "Try and pick up every piece of debris you can and toss it into the bowl. I'll carry it somewhere to drop," he explained.
She looked around at the amount and couldn't help but ask, "Do you think you can carry all of it alone?" He may be super strong but she didn't want him to over exert himself so early in the morning. She knew the other girls would have their own concerns with him.
He waved a dismissive hoof, "I'll be fine. Let's just try not to make this go on for too long. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up for," he nodded towards his back. Right, better get started.
The two of them walked down the dark roads of Ponyville, picking up every mess they could spot. Martin kept to the middle of the road and snatched up anything within grabbing distance of his tentacles and dropped them into the bowl. Pinkie however, doubled the effort by dip, diving, and leaping around Martin. Picking up everything that Martin couldn't. Each time she picked up something, she would toss it into the ever growing pile on Martin's back. By the time the sun peaked over the horizon, they had picked that portion of Ponyville clean. The other residents would come out soon to assist, so Pinkie thought it best to stop before somepony notices Martin's power. 
"Come on Martin, Mayor Mare made this area for gathering debris," Pinkie told him, leading him towards the designated place. Martin followed without hesitation, his bowl almost filled to the brim. Pinkie made a circle in the dirt for him to drop. He walked over and stood next to it. The bowl began slide off his back towards the circle and dropped the debris into it. As soon as the bowl disappeared, ponies began to come out of their homes. 
Pinkie gave an internal sigh of relief. While it would be nice to show everypony how amazing Martin is, Twilight had made it a point to not reveal it. According to her, they wouldn't be able to handle it. She didn't really believe it but she listened anyway. Almost everypony in town was his friend by now, so they'd totally accept him. 
Martin wiped some sweat off his brow. Guess it was true then, using his power puts more strain on him than actual physical activity. "Hey Martin?" Pinkie called his attention, "I've been wondering. What else can you do with that neato power of yours?" She knew he could make things out of them but could he do anything else with them?
"Well they allow me to sense certain things if I focus," he explained, "A sort of sixth sense. It allows me to perceive beyond what my body normally allows."
"Cool! I got something like that too but it's completely random. I call it my Pinkie Sense," she told him.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "Pinkie Sense?"
"Ya. I can sometimes predict what's going to happen soon based on how twitchy, achy, or other weirdness happens with my body," she explained. Which brought up an interesting thought. Martin has so much trouble with doors, why didn't she get any ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch combos? Can her Pinkie sense just not pick up on Martin?
"Really?" Martin asked, curious. "Such as?"
"Well when my tail twitches, that means somethings going to fall from the sky," she said, pointing to said appendage.
Martin gave a brief glance upwards, "It must have been going nuts last night then."
"Nah," she dismissed, "It's completely random. I think it mostly calls out to the things that come out of nowhere. Too sudden to see normally." Her body would go nuts if every possible chance of a prediction happened.
"Hmm, I wonder," he tapped his chin in thought. Without warning, every hair on Pinkie's body stood straight up and poofed out. 
"Woah! What's this?" she asked looking down at herself. She'd never had this Pinkie Sense before. She looked like an over sized puffball. She looked back up and saw Martin rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. Her fur flattened out, returning her to her original look. It took a few seconds but he calmed down enough to get into a sitting position. 
"I think you have a Pinkie Sense for when I frown," he said slightly out of breath. "Wow, I didn't think me frowning was so rare that it was Pinkie Sense noteworthy," he said, another chuckle bubbling from his throat. 
She stared in disbelief at him. "It happened because you frowned?" she skeptically asked. She didn't think he had any reason to frown.
"Here, watch me," he told her. Suddenly she puffed out again, but she continued to focus on Martin. His lips turned downward into a forced frown. She couldn't help but stare at it. It seemed so out of place on his face. Martin had never come close to ever frowning as long as she's known him. He didn't even look like the same pony.
He gave some effort to keep from smiling, but the way she looked was too much and he went into hysterics again. Her fur flattened out once more. "Is your frown really that rare?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Well I've never come across anything that would make me upset enough to frown," he answered with a shrug. "The closest I've ever gotten is the fake one I showed you. I use that for when I'm in competitions."
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Why would you frown in a competition? Was it a frowning contest?" She wondered what kind of contest that would be. Maybe it was to see low a frown could reach. Oh, or maybe it's to see who had the longest sustaining frown. She just imagined a line of ponies trying to keep a straight face as somepony did goofy things in front of them. Those palace guards must be champions of it.
"I'd totally lose that contest. But, no. You see, several of my friends are really serious or proud. When they see I'm smiling during the game, duel, or whatever, they get upset. So, for them, I frown to show that I am taking it seriously," he explained. Huh, that seemed kinda weird to her. She'd want her opponent to smile if they were playing a game. So she knew that they were having a good time. 
"Martin!" somepony suddenly called towards them. The two of them looked over and saw Melody galloping towards them. "There you are. I've been looking for you," she said while coming to a stop.
Martin looked between the two pink mares, "Huh, I always wondered if you two had similar shades of fur." Pinkie gave a giggle but Melody instead leveled an unamused stare. "Hello Melody, did you sleep well?" he asked.
"I slept fine. I woke up a bit early but I'm used to that. I wanted to thank you for all that you did last night," she told him. 
"What happened last night?" Pinkie asked, curious. 
"Melody got stuck out in the storm and got a little lost. So I invited her to stay in my room until the storm was over. Then her husband got lost out in the storm. Brought him home too. Then I went out to grab their baby from their house. So the whole family stayed with me for the night," Martin explained.
"Wait, why didn't she follow you to her house? Did she want to have a sleepover with you?" Pinkie asked.
Martin moved to answer but Melody cut him off, "Yes, absolutely. He's such a kind stallion that I wanted to bring my whole family over for a sleepover." Melody wasn't about admit to both her screw up and Martin's secret. 
Martin raised a confused eyebrow at her lie but didn't call it out. "How are Record and Lullaby doing?" he asked.
"They're both fine," she fibbed some more. Record was probably miserable right now, having to take care of Lullaby alone while also bringing their supplies back to their house. "What about you Martin? You exhausted yourself the most last night," she inquired. He seemed fine at the moment but he had to have woken up pretty early just to go back to their home for the supplies.
"I'm fine, I got a decent amount of sleep," he waved off her worry. 
Pinkie's curiosity was peaked again, "Exhausted doing what?" That seemed worrisome to her. She feared he may not be able to last through the day.
"Um," Melody hesitated, having trouble coming up with something that could physically exhaust the stallion in his own home. 
"I overexerted myself with my power to find Lullaby," Martin answered honestly. Both pink mares shushed him but stopped when they noticed the other was doing it too. 
"Wait, you know about it too?" they said together. 
"Of course. Melody fainted when she saw it the first time and Pinkie clearly saw it when we used it to make that pile," he said while nodding towards the debris. 
Melody gave a quick glare to Martin for revealing that but stared back at the other mare. "Look, Pinkie. I know you're a bit of a blabber mouth, but can you please not mouth off about Martin's power?" she asked.
"What?" she looked over at the other mare, surprised, "I'm great at keeping secrets. I haven't broken a Pinkie Promise yet."
"Oh really?" Melody raised a skeptical eyebrow, "From what I hear, you're the one that blabbed about that Gala ticket. The very reason why my stroller got stolen."
"Ya, but that wasn't a secret," Pinkie countered. Melody continued to glare at the party pony, not buying her claims. Martin watched the two of them with increasing nervousness.
"So? I had my personal belonging stolen. If it hadn't been for you-" Melody was about to rage at Pinkie but Martin put himself between them.
"Woah, woah! Easy there, let's not say or do something we'll regret," he tried to stop an argument before it started.
"She needs to know that there are certain things you shouldn't do," Melody continued, pointing at the other mare. 
Martin slowly brought a hoof up and pushed her's down. "Look, mistakes were made and accidents happened. That doesn't mean you should be upset with each other." Melody looked away with a harrump, but Pinkie gave her a sad look. Martin reached out and wrapped his forelegs around them and brought them up against his body. "Come on girls. You two are friends, you should remember the good times. Not the bad. Here, try it. Melody, you say something you like about Pinkie." She just turned her head up and away, not bothering to answer. "Come on Melody. Do it for me?" Martin pleaded.
Her ears lowered in guilt before sighing in defeat. "Alright, alright. Lullaby's last birthday party was the best party I've ever seen," she admitted. Pinkie looked over at her with a bit of surprise. "Lula looked so happy. She just enjoyed everything about it. You did amazing, you should be proud of yourself."
"Oh, well, thank you," Pinkie smiled at the other mare.
"Now it's your turn Pinkie," Martin told her.
"Oh that's easy, she's an amazing singer. She doesn't really do it that often but when she sings to her foal, it's incredible!" Pinkie gushed. 
Melody looked at her in full surprise, not expecting such an honest and quick answer. "Thank you," she said with a hint of a blush. 
Martin moved the mares in front of him and pushed them together, "Forgiveness is easier than you think if you both make the effort." They stared briefly at each other before giving the other a big hug. 
"I'm sorry," they said together. They giggled at their synchronization. Martin smiled at them, glad another friendship didn't burnout. The pink mares separated themselves but the connection remained. 
"Ok Pinkie, I trust you. I know you won't tell, because you keep your promises," Melody said. "I should get back to Record before he does something else dumb." With only a wave of a hoof, Melody walked away. 
Martin sighed in relief, "I'm glad that worked out. Wouldn't want my friends to leave while still angry. If you can, never walk away mad. Letting something stew will only make the grudge grow." She looked at Martin with a tilt of the head. It made sense kinda, but wasn't it also true that you should let ponies cool off first? She didn't want to call him out on it though, didn't want to make him feel bad. 
"Thanks for helping, Martin," she told him. She probably would have felt horrible if she actually did those things and never got to apologize because they wouldn't talk. 
He smiled kindly at her, "Your welcome. Just remember, there's always hope for forgiveness. Never forget that."
She smiled back at him, "I won't." Hope. Somehow, that word felt right around Martin.



When Rainbow Dash heard that Martin had some kind of super power, she expected Martin to transform into somepony epic or at least more intimidating. However, as she stared at him, she couldn't imagine him as anything but his goofy self. He had these big expectant eyes and happy smile. Right now, she had invited him over to the area below her house. She had promised her friend that she would invite him over to her house and she was going to keep that promise. One problem. How? She completely forgot to ask Twilight for that cloud walking spell. When she finally remembered, Twilight was too busy looking at a bunch of papers. So now she floated above him, stumped on what to do next. 
"So how are we doing this? Magic flying dust?" Maritn asked. Rainbow suppressed an irritated sigh. If his ideas weren't reckless, they were sometimes just downright weird. Magic flying dust? Why would somepony enchant dust to make somepony fly? That seemed so weird. 
She frowned at him, "Of course not. I'm just trying to figure out how to keep you up there. We need balloons, magic, or some other thing to keep you on or above the clouds." Maybe she could ask Pinkie for something. 
"Oh, is that all? That's simple, I could just stand on the air," he said, confusing the mare. 
"You can what?" she asked skeptically. Once again, Martin said something completely unbelievable. At this point, she should be expecting these things. 
"Well, I can create platforms for me to stand on. Like so," he said while a hoof-sized white disc appeared in front of him at barrel height. Rainbow's eyebrows flew up in surprise. She landed and looked intently at the disk.
She looked at it from every angle. It was simply white, see through, and apparently solid. So this was Martin's super power? It seemed so... lame, honestly. It wasn't colorful, it wasn't exciting. It was just... there. Functional. Boring. Why couldn't he have an epic power? Like-like, laser teeth! Something interesting at least. 
"You think this little thing is going to keep you up there?" she asked him with disbelief. 
"Sure, just watch." He slowly raised a foreleg and placed it on top of the the disk. He pushed onto the disk and raised himself up, bringing another foreleg forwards and up. Immediately another disk formed for him to step on. His hind legs followed him up in short order and corresponding disks appeared for them. Step by step, Martin ascended up what looked like invisible stairs. An invisible spiral staircase no less. Disks appearing and disappearing for him as he needed. 
Rainbow flew next to him as he ascended. She looked down as they distanced the ground and realized something. "Hey wait a second, why didn't you do this when you jumped off that cliff?" she asked him with a slight glare. He could have saved himself from falling. He made her worry for no reason. 
"I said I wanted to fly," he reiterated. "This isn't flying."
"Neither was the falling you did either," she gave him a deadpan look. He gave another chuckle as they made it past the lower part of her house. He stared in wonder at her house. She swelled in pride at that. The multistory cloud building and rainbow falls held the stallion's attention. "Here we are. Home, sweet home," she declared, waving a hoof towards it. 
"Wow," he said in wonderment, "It's amazing. There's nothing that comes even close to this in Broken Depths." Rainbow had a confident smirk. Glad to have something that someplace as weird as Broken Depths doesn't have. "Is that liquid rainbow?" he asked, walking over to the puddle. 
"Yep, just don't try to eat it. Rainbow's are for looking, not eating," she informed him. He silently stared at her with expectant eyes. She just knew what question was on his mind, "They have sorta spicy taste. Now come on, I'll give you the grand tour." She gave a quick glance to his hooves and noticed he was standing above the cloud on his little disks. Good, no need to worry about him falling yet. 
"You know, this makes me wonder," he started looking towards Ponyville, "Why do you live so far away? You're on a cloud. Couldn't you just live right above the town?"
She gave another frown, "Are you kidding? You can't have a cloud above the town off schedule. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live closer but it would cause too many problems. We have to be precise in the weather or we'll need a drought or another storm to compensate for the mess up." 
"That's too bad, but I see your point." He looked back towards her house, "So how about that grand tour?" She led him into the house and he looked at everything in wonder. "This is incredible," he said looking at every little thing, wow'd by some simple pegasus ingenuity. 
"Ya it is pretty amazing," Rainbow bragged. She wasted no time in showing him all of her stuff. Especially her Wonderbolts memorabilia. The stallion still barely knew a thing about the team. Well she was going to educate him in all that she knew. "Martin would you stop trying to eat my house? I keep telling you, clouds don't taste like cotton candy," she ignored his response of 'But rainbow's are spicy!' After she straightened out a few rules. This was the third time she's glanced back and seen him try and take a bite out of any part that resembled a cloud. It was weird! "Look, there are a few things here that need some ground rules."
He gave her a bemused look and looked down, "Does it still count as ground rules when we're up here like this?" 
Rainbow couldn't help but roll her eyes at the joke, already expecting it from the stallion the moment she said it. "Rule number 1: Don't touch. I know all about your bad luck and tendency to get into accidents," she stated while giving a weary glance towards her stuff.
His smile turned nervous and slightly embarrassed. "Good grief, do I do it enough that there's a rumor about it going around?" he asked. 
She frowned at his question, "Rumor nothing, ponies have seen your accidents. What is up with that anyway? You can do this," she pointed towards the platform he created to lay on, "But you can't stop your bad luck?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, "I'm afraid luck manipulation is out of my capabilities. Sides, I wouldn't want to take it away even if I could."
She looked at him with a befuddled expression, "Why the hay not? You want bad things to happen to you?" That was probably the weirdest thing he's said so far, surpassing his goddess friend. Why would anypony want to keep their unluckiness?
"It's not the bad luck itself I'm talking about, but the experiences it gives me. It makes life interesting. Life would quickly become boring if everything went my way. There would be no challenge, no effort, and no satisfaction. It gives me plenty of things to work through and it makes me proud to be able to overcome them," he stated with a bit of conviction. 
Rainbow tilted her head a bit at the certainty of his words. She could kinda see where he's coming from but, "That's not all caused by bad luck though. I still say, if you could, just wish it away." Maybe then she could actually perfect all of her maneuvers and impress the Wonderbolts. 
"Maybe," he agreed with a shrug, "But think of it like this. Had I not been unlucky. I would have never messed up that spell and arrived in Ponyville. I would have never become friends with you or the other girls." She blinked in surprise at that. He had a point. He took his accident and made some good out of it. "Rainbow, you can't wish away your problems, but you can certainly overcome them. Grow stronger from them. You need to make the effort though. Ignoring a problem won't make it go away. However, with some effort, help, and strong will, there isn't a problem out in the whole wide world you can't over come. A bit of hope won't hurt either," he said that last bit with a wink. 
She shook herself out of her surprise and gave a confident smile, "Well you don't have to worry about a thing. Ain't a problem yet that can slow down this mare!" Hope. He certainly seemed to have a lot of that and he refused to give it up for any reason. She could respect that.
He smiled at her, "Right. So about your Wonderbolts stuff-" he began but Rainbow interrupted him.
"Don't touch it!" Meaningful words or not. The stallion still had his bad luck.



Fluttershy was getting more and more nervous each passing minute. Yesterday, it had been confirmed that Martin had a frightening power. Ever since Martin helped give the animals a bath, several of them had went crazy trying to tell her something about the stallion. Each of the nervous animals said it was dangerous or scary. She wasn't sure if she should believe them though. The other animals were fine with Martin and she herself saw how nice he was. However, now that Twilight confirmed what he really was, she wasn't so sure what she should feel.
So, in order to resolve this situation, she asked Pinkie to give Martin a message to come over. As soon as the mare left, though, she almost immediately regretted her decision. She would be alone with the stallion. Maybe she still had time to get Rainbow Dash.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar 'thunk' and a masculine voice, "One of these days, door. Our roles are going to be reversed and I'll... Probably still open for you. Wish you would too." She recognized the telltale sign of Martin at her door. Fluttershy was surprised at herself, she didn't jump or squeak in fright at his sudden arrival. She just felt almost calm at the familiarity. 
She walked over to the door and slowly opened it for Martin. He seemed to be shaking his head due to the crash. "Hello Martin, thank you for coming on such short notice," she greeted.
He smiled kindly at her, like he always does, "Hi Fluttershy. It was no trouble, It's always interesting to come out here."
"Thank you, but I'd like to ask you about something Twilight told me," she said as she invited him into her house. She had asked all of her animals to go out and play, including Angel. So she could question him without worry. "She said you had a special power. You wouldn't have used that on the animals, did you?"
"Not really on them, but ya, I used it. Why?" he admitted. He declined the couch and instead felt more comfortable laying on his back on the floor just staring up at the ceiling. What was he doing?
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, do you think you can show me what you used?" she politely asked. She looked up at her own ceiling but didn't see anything of interest.
He gave a light shrug before manifesting his power. Two tentacles came forth from his back and pushed him upwards from the ground. "Just this," he answered simply.
Fluttershy didn't share his casual sentiment and was quaking in her hooves. She would have dove for the couch but she was doing her best not to run. She was doing this for her animals and she won't back down. "A-are they dangerous?" she stuttered. 
Martin hummed in thought, which only made her more nervous. He didn't outright say 'no', so there is a possibility of danger. "I haven't really tried to crush anything yet, so I'll just say no because of sheer inexperience," he finally said. 
"Inexperience?" she couldn't help but ask. With how they were holding Martin up, she doubted experience would hamper their pony crushing capabilities. 
"This power is more complicated than you think. It took a lot of practice for me to just get these things to be functional," he mentioned pointing to the two extra appendages. "Anything more detailed then this would be flimsy, which includes tentacles with crushing capabilities. These can hold but they don't have the force or weight to crush," Martin explained. He rested his foreleg hooves on his barrel and continued to look at her roof.
Her curiosity finally got the best of her and she asked what was on her mind. "What are you looking at?" It was kind of rude to not look at the pony you were talking to. 
"I'm thinking of busting a hole in your roof," he answered bizarrely.
"Wha-wha-what?!" she stuttered, taking a step back. Oh dear, maybe she misjudged the stallion or offended him and now he was going to destroy her home.
"Not that I think your home is ugly," he immediately said after noticing her nervousness. "I just thought that it might look interesting if you had a skylight. Just being able to lay down and look up at the night time stars in the comforts of your own home.
"Please don't," she begged. Although having a skylight that could open would be useful for some of her larger birds, she just didn't have enough of them for it to be used that often. Plus she didn't want Martin kicking holes in her house and she knew he could. 
"I won't, I won't," he waved a dismissive hoof, "It's just a thought. I'm sorry for even thinking of destroying part of your home."
"It-it's okay. I know you had the best intentions at heart," she forgave him, still nervous. Even though those intentions are unnervingly destructive. Honestly, she didn't want to know what led him to that thought. 
"But you called me here because of me using my power on your animals," he flipped over and landed on the ground on his hooves, the tentacles dispersing. "If it will make you and your animals feel better, I will never use it around them ever again," he promised. 
"I don't want to impose, but if you could," she tried to say delicately. She didn't want him to deny a certain aspect of himself, but there should be a time and place for it.
Then he went through some familiar motions, "Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye." With the hoof in his eye, oddly without wincing, he sealed the Pinkie Promise. Fluttershy could feel a weight lift from her chest. It seemed he was serious about keeping that promise. "I hope you'll give me another chance to prove myself, with or without my power," he said with a reassuring smile.
She gave him her own smile, "If it's not too much trouble." Hope. Maybe she should have a little more in Martin, as he does for her.
"Well while I'm here, how about I finish that story for the animals? You're welcome to listen in," he told her. He walked out the still open door and immediately made his way to Harry. "Harry! Buddy, I'm going to start that story again. Can you remind me where I left off?"
Harry nodded and then began to growl and make motions with his paws. Martin nodded along with an occasional 'uh huh'. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at the adorable sight. Harry finished his charades by spreading his paws out wide.
"Uh huh, yes, right! I now know what I must do," he declared. "I must actually learn the bare minimum of charades to know what you just said." Harry leveled an unamused stare at him. "I know, I know. That pun was unbearable." This time Harry slapped a paw over his eyes. "Too much?" he asked Fluttershy.
She smiled kindly at him, "A little." She was glad he still remained himself. Well mostly, she wished he would play with the animals in a less rough manner. Those poor bunnies.



Big Mac was having a slow day at the apple stall. It was his turn to watch it and it seemed like there weren't many customers today. If he had to take a guess, it was probably because someponies overstocked for the storm and had no need for any apple products. That was fine with him, he'll still get the occasional customer who want a quick bite. Speaking of, one was stepping up to him now. "Howdy Martin," he greeted the smaller stallion.
"Hiya Big Mac," Martin smiled up at him. "Got any grapes?" he asked with a chuckle. Big Mac raised an eyebrow at him, confused at the question. "Nothing. Anyway, anything interesting today?"
"Well, if ya want something interesting," he started, reaching into the cart and pulling out a jar, "Granny Smith made a couple jars of apple jam if you're interested." Not the most sought after product, but it could get a few takers. 
Martin pressed his face against the jar to get a closer look, "Neat, I've never even heard of apple jam. I don't doubt  it exists. I've just never heard of it. Is it any good?" he asked, peeling his face off the jar. 
Big Mac gave a nonchalant shrug, "It's pretty good." It wasn't one of the best of what the family puts out, but it was still tasty. 
"Nice, I would like one jar please," he requested, taking out some bits. He set them on the cart and turned, allowing Big Mac to place the jar in his saddlebag. 
"Make that two," a deeper voice intruded. The two stallions looked over and and saw Heavy Weight approaching. The stallion still had the bandages around his barrel but he was definitely looking better.
Martin stared at the two stallions, "Huh, again, my friends have similar colors," Martin compared. The two other stallion gave him a weird look but didn't call him out on it. While they were both red with an orange mane, Heavy was a darker shade and a head taller. "You getting a snack too, Heavy?" he asked.
"More or less," the largest stallion answered. "I see Little Mac here is selling. Think you can give me a jar?" he asked. Big Mac frowned a little at the nickname, but did bring out another jar. 
"You two know each other?" Martin asked.
"Eeyup," Big Mac answered simply.
"A long time ago, when I first came to Ponyville and I started my gym training program. Little Mac here was one of the first to join. He actually impressed me, much like you did. He doesn't swing by as much but it's interesting when he does," Heavy continued. Big Mac hummed in agreement. 
"You two ever get confused for being related to each other?" he asked further.
"Sometimes, more then once I've been asked if I was part of an offshoot of the Apple family. The answer is always the same. No, I'm part of the Weight family," Heavy said. That got a curious stare from Martin
"Wait, does that include Featherweight?" he inquired.
"That's right. He's a distant cousin of mine, but we are related," Heavy nodded. They didn't talk that often but he felt that they should after the school house incident. To make sure everything was alright.
"But he's a pegasus," Martin couldn't help but point out.
"If there's even a shred of pegasus or unicorn in an earth pony family, then there's a chance one can be born as one," Big Mac answered this time. 
"Huh, that's interesting," Martin briefly glanced up in thought before gazing back at Heavy. "So how much has Big Mac improved since you first saw him?"
Said pony swelled a little, expecting another compliment. "Not very, I think he's just fattened out," he answered casually. 
Big Mac glared at the other stallion, "Ah think ah've improved quite a bit since then."
Heavy wasn't intimidated and gave a confident smirk, "Oh really? Want to put your hoof where your mouth is? Hoof wrestling. Right here, right now." Heavy propped up his elbow on the cart and challenged the other red stallion. 
"Alright," Big Mac responded, propping his own elbow on the cart. The two of them wrapped their hooves together and started the wrestle without even a countdown. Martin watched with interest as the two large stallions struggled to make the other one falter. The grip seemed to sway from side to side but neither one was willing to give up. It seemed dead even until a voice cut in.
"What in the hay do ya'll think yer doin?" a feminine voice said. The voice startled Big Mac which was all Heavy needed to finish the contest in his favor. The smaller red and green stallions looked towards the source while the largest cheered to himself in victory. "Big Mac, are you shirking your duties to play with a fun house mirror look-alike of yerself?" Applejack said as she approached the boys. 
Heavy stopped in his cheering to glare at the mare for the comment, "Excuse me?" He took a surprised step back when she got up in his face with her own glare.
"I ain't talkin to you," she said. She walked up to Big Mac and gave him a scrutinizing look, "Well?"
The questioned pony glanced towards the sky in an effort to keep from looking her in the eye. "Nope," he answered. 
She continued to give a hard stare at her older brother until Martin stepped inbetween them. "Hey, Applejack. Could you do me a favor and walk with me? I'd like to talk with you," Martin suddenly said, dragging her away from the scene. She gave some protest but she couldn't get herself out of his grip.
The two red stallions watched as the mare and the stallion left their sight. Slightly bewildered by Martin's action. "Best two out of three?" Big Mac asked.
"You're on," Heavy immediately agreed. They went back to opposing each other but did share one thought to thank Martin for what he did.



"Dag nabbit Martin, let go of my hoof!" she shouted at him. Despite her struggles, Martin was able to drag her for several blocks. His strong grip didn't really surprise her, given he's pulled up whole trees before. He finally did stop when they had arrived at the park. He seemed to really like this area for some reason. He loosened his grip and she was able to pull her hoof free. "What the hay was that about?" she asked, still miffed.
"Just giving them a little more time to have fun," he explained while laying spread eagle on the grass. 
Applejack gave a raised eyebrow at the odd position but hardened her stare quickly after. "Big Mac is supposed to be workin that stall, not playing with every customer he comes across," was her retort. 
Martin gave a chuckle, "I think I'd go there more often if he played with me after every purchase." He tilted his head quizzically, "What's wrong with having a chat when there are no customers to serve?"
"Ain't nothing wrong with that, but he wasn't chattin. What if a customer had come by? They'd just be standin there gettin antsy," she described. That was no way to run a business and it would ruin their credibility.
"No, I think he'd forfeit and acknowledge them. Like he did with you," Martin countered. "Why don't you trust your brother?" he suddenly asked.
"Of course ah trust my big brother," she immediately said. "But everypony needs a kick in the flank once in awhile to get us going again. No ah do not kick my family," she immediately corrected when he started getting that incredulous look he's always got. You could tell this pony that the sky was pink and he'd consider it. 
"Sure you do," he said back. She narrowed her eyes at him, mad that he was insinuating she would ever hurt her family. "You kick apples trees all the time," he smiled widely at his joke.
Her glare eased up but didn't disappear. "That ain't funny," she said sternly. His smile lowered and he apologized. That kind of joke was just in bad taste.
"Well don't I feel lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut," he said, his smile coming back full force.
"Really?" she raised an eyebrow at him. Was he making fun of the way she talks now?
"Of course, gotta make us as happy as a clam at high tide," he continued his little game. 
She rolled her eyes and him, "You don't want me to ruin the boys fun? Fine, but can you do something for me in return?" Like the others, she had her own thoughts on Martin's 'power'. She knew it existed. Both Twilight and Applebloom confirmed it. What she was curious about, though, was what his limits were.
"Sure, whatcha need?" he asked. See, that's what she liked about Martin. No matter the time of day or who was asking, he'd always be ready to help anypony. Now if only he'd stop injuring himself.
"Got a special project for ya. It'll be tough but ah think ya'll can do it," she said. 
"Ok. If you believe in me, then I can't let you down," he agreed. "So what will I be doing?" he asked further.
"You'll see," she answered mysteriously. She honestly wondered if this job would be too much for even him. They'll see in a little while either way.



Applejack led him towards an area he probably remembered. It was the part of the orchard that Martin had uprooted the trees of and apparently where Applejack first saw Martin use his power. The whole place was caked in mud from both the rain and the wind. That was of little consequence though. The real problem was glaring them in the face. 
Martin circled around the pile of tangled trees. Branches were hooked together and the trees on the bottom were half buried in soft mud. "What happened?" he finally asked. 
"We weren't able to finish turning all the trees you uprooted into pieces before the storm. In retrospect, it was a dumb idea to pull them all out at once. Anyway, the storm knocked all these trees together and twisted them up," she explained. "What I need ya'll to do is try and clean up this mess," she said simply. It seemed kinda unfair to make Martin do all the work for their mistake, but this was probably the only thing at the farm that needed getting done that could possibly be difficult for the stallion. 
"Hoo boy," he said uneasily, rubbing his neck. "Well I did contribute to this. I had better fix it," he justified Applejack's reasoning somewhat. He walked over to the pile about to begin but looked back at the mare first, "You may want to keep a fare distance away, Applejack." She raised an eyebrow at the command but decided to heed the warning. With Applejack away from the pile, Martin closed his eyes and began to focus. 
The farmer felt the ground quiver as the area lit up with a white light. She shielded her eyes briefly but the intense light went down quickly. When she could see again, she looked back at Martin and immediately dropped her jaw. Floating around Martin's back were four tree sized white tentacles. She had no real time to gawk at them as Martin set out to work immediately. The large appendages reached over and pulled out trees from the pile left and right. He set them off to the side, making sure they were a good enough distance away from each other so the branches and roots didn't get tangled again. Within a single minute, he had successfully separated the trees, ready once again to be turned into fire wood. She looked around in wonder at the display but what held her attention at that point was Martin himself.
The tentacles had disappeared but their affect on Martin remained. He stood on his four legs spread out and shaking. He was dripping with sweat and his mouth was open taking in desperate gasps. Applejack was afraid he was going to have a heart attack or something. She wanted to see how much he could handle but this was a worse of a reaction then she imagined. "I'm alright," he said between breaths. "It's just been a tough few hours. This has been the most I've used my power in a single day. I need to work out more," he attempted to joke, but it fell flat for Applejack. That's right, the other girls were probably curious about it as well and she knew for a fact she wouldn't have been the first one to meet up with him. Well she was going to make it up to him.
She lifted the tired stallion onto her back and walked over to one of the still standing trees nearby. "Here, you rest there while ah go get you some water. Martin, ah'm awful sorry for putting this on yer shoulders," she apologized while setting him down in the shade.
He just smiled kindly at her like he always does, "It was within my limits, don't worry. I'll be fine in a few minutes. I would like that water though, please." She wasted no time in running home and getting a ladle of water. She was careful not to spill it as she brought it back to him. He slurped it up almost immediately, giving a content sigh of relief. He laid down fully and rested.
Applejack decided to keep him company while he rested and took a moment to lay down in the shade as well. She didn't wait long to start a conversation, "Ah just gotta ask. Why do you go so far to help others? There could have been any other number of ways to deal with that pile, but you decide to place the burden all on yerself." Some of his actions can turn into being downright unhealthy, but he still goes out of his way to help. Putting himself at risk like that just wasn't right. 
He didn't move or open his eyes as he answered her, "I was given this power for a reason. It hasn't been really explained all that well, but I know that I got it for being me. So, I won't change. I would have still done everything in my power to help even if this power didn't exist. It hasn't changed who I am, it just made me more effective. I just hope that I'm using it right."
She looked over at the tired stallion, "Ah don't think you need hope for that." Hope. Ya, she could see that. Everyday was filled with at least a little bit of hope. For Martin though? It was every second. "Martin?" she called to him as he didn't acknowledge her statement. The response she got was a loud snore. She couldn't help but roll her eyes with a smirk on her lips. He was as effective as an avalanche. Noisy as one too. She briefly wondered what Big Mac and his fun house replica were doing right now. 
If she was psychic, then she would have known they were still trying to do their second hoof wrestling match out of three. Boys will be boys, as they say.



Spike and the library's newest visitor watched as Twilight almost hysterically try and make everything in the room perfect for Princess Celestia's sudden visit. She had gotten a letter that her teacher was coming by for a personal reason and felt that she would prefer it was without any fanfare. So Twilight was doing her best make her home comfortable for royalty. One problem, though. The visitor watching her work, was the Princess herself. 
"Exactly how long has she been like this?" Celestia asked Spike. She had patiently watched her student work herself to the bone. However, she had showed no signs of stopping, not even when Spike had welcomed the princess inside and announced her presence. "I'm honestly surprised she hasn't noticed me yet."
"She's been like this ever since you sent that letter. She's been really out of it too since she's asked Martin all those questions. I'm starting to get worried, the last time she was like this she had a magical outburst," Spike described. 
The Princess raised an eyebrow at him, "I sent that letter half an hour ago. Perhaps I should have come without the impromptu notice." She was proud that her student was being diligent but overworking oneself was not good for a growing young mare. 
Spike gave a nonchalant shrug and moved to answer but an almost unheard thump came from the door. The alicorn and the dragon exchanged glances before Spike moved towards the door and opened it. Oddly, the two were greeted by an almost familiar brown tail. The pony turned around and revealed himself to be Martin. 
He blinked up at the taller pony in surprise but smiled like he always does, "Well hi there Princess, hello Spike. What's going on?" Spike made a nervous glance towards Twilight for Martin's lack of respect to the Princess but it seemed she was still busy. He waved Martin into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Hello again Martin, it's nice to actually speak with you for the first time. Both Luna and Twilight have spoken highly of you," she told him kindly. 
"Thank you, that's really nice of you to say," he accepted the compliment. 
"We're waiting for Twilight to calm down and actually acknowledge the Princess," Spike decided to answer the question. "So why did you back up into the door?" he asked his own question.
"I think I've found a method of dealing with the doors. Maybe if I walk backwards, I can confuse them about whether I'm coming or going. I think it's working because it hurt less when I hit the door," Martin explained. 
"Or it's because you have more padding in your flank than your head," Spike pointed out.
Martin gave a short pause to consider it before pointing a hoof at the small dragon, "That too." Celestia put a hoof to her mouth and giggled, amused by Martin's antics. It seemed the various reports on the stallion were accurate. She was glad that he remained his benevolent self even when he found out about the investigation. She was worried that the mistrust would hurt relations between Equestria and Martin. From what she read, it wouldn't be advised to get on the bad side of Martin's friends. She was confident things would work out though. If a place such as that can produce somepony like Martin, then it can't be all that bad. 
Without warning, Twilight zoomed past the three of them, grabbing Martin in a telekinetic grip. She dragged him over to a chair and magically glued his feet to the floor. She placed a lampshade over his head and pulled the corresponding chain attached to it. The fact that it actually lit up surprised the two ponies and the dragon. Twilight ran off to the rest of the library. Not noticing the impossibility she just did.
Martin's face could be seen through the lampshade and he had a look of utter bafflement on his face, only able to utter, "What?" He tried to pull his hooves up but the magic glue kept him in place. He didn't try very hard so he didn't break the floor boards. "Little help?" he asked.
Celestia gave a resigned sigh and walked over to the overworked mare. She gently placed a hoof on her back, "Twilight, I think you've done enough."
The touch and words broke the mare out of her trance and she looked up in surprise at her teacher. She looked around the library and noticed Martin and Spike giving her strange looks. "Princess, library, not fit, Martin, lampshade," she babbled incoherently. The exhausted mare finally succumbed to her tired body and promptly fainted. 
Celestia used a wing to catch her student from hitting the floor. She used some magic and floated the unconscious mare up the stairs, into her room. "Spike, would you please make sure she makes it into her bed alright?" she asked the smallest creature. He nodded and ran up the stairs. Celestia turned back to Martin and didn't bother to hide her amusement at the sight.
"Well this is one way I can brighten a life," he joked, which got another giggle out of the princess. "You think you can undo this?" he asked, wiggling his knees.
The ruler of Equestria decided to abide by his wishes and lit up her horn, removing the magic glue. Martin gave each of his hooves a shake to make sure they were fine and thanked the sun princess. "You're quite welcome, but there is something I would like to know. Not too long ago, I felt your power flair up, much like it did when the Ursa Minor wandered near town, but only myself and Luna could sense it. Can you please explain why?" she requested. She made no effort to hide the fact that she knew all about what's happened around him. According to the reports, there wasn't anything that could truly make the stallion upset. He took almost everything in good spirit. 
He didn't immediately answer, as he was pulled the chain on the lampshade to turn it off and pulled the whole thing off his head. "You can actually sense it? Wow, you alicorns must be something in order to feel it. Normally only a higher being or those connected to them can, like Theo." Interesting, so only an alicorn can actually sense it in its raw state. Princess Cadance had felt a tingle, but she was probably not as in tune as the older alicorns. 
"You keep mentioning 'higher beings' but what does that entail exactly?" she asked. She was curious to know about other beings that could compare to alicorns.
"Well apparently you alicorns, gods and goddesses, one of whom gave me this power, and a variety of powerful spirits," he described. Gods and goddesses. She and her sister were believed to be that in the past, but it did not seem like Martin made that same assumption. The one goddess he personally knew must be so different from them that he hadn't even considered it.
"Much like Tria? What is she the goddess of?" She knew that he refused to delve into her past but perhaps he was more willing to describe what she was.
"Tria was the goddess of disorder," he revealed.
Celestia mind immediately went to Discord, but she calmed herself. Martin was friends with this being, so it was unlikely they were as bad as the draconequus. "I can't imagine she would be glad to watch over something like that."
"Well there's a misconception about that. Disorder isn't only about the bad things. They are the majority but it also promotes individuality, competition, and evolution," he stated.
She raised an eyebrow at his words, "I see what you mean. Much like how order is not all good. It impresses upon complacency and stagnation, which can ruin a society." She was glad to see that the stallion had a better understanding about life. She was impressed. "Well I was worried that something like the Ursa Minor had happened. So I personally paid a visit to Ponyville once again. But when I stopped by, everything was fine. Which makes me wonder, what did happen?" she asked him.
He waved a dismissive hoof, "Don't worry. Some uprooted trees had been blown around by the storm last night. I used my power to quickly place them in a more orderly set up." She felt relieved upon hearing that, glad that everything was alright. It made her visit unnecessary but at least she was able to confront the stallion herself. So far, she was satisfied.
They heard a crash from upstairs along with Spike's voice. "Twilight! You need to rest," Spike insisted.
"But the Princess is here, Spike! I have to be a proper host," she countered.
"She's been here for a while," Spike told her. They heard hooves stepping down the stairs.
"Then all the more reason that I need to make up for what I did," she said as she came into view. Her mane was a mess and she still looked tired. Seemed like her nap didn't last long. Spike had his claws around her hind leg, trying to pull her back upstairs. "Princess Celestia! Good morning," she greeted.
Celestia raised an eyebrow at her and looked towards the position of the sun. "It's almost evening, Twilight." 
The mare's smile faltered and tried to correct herself but Martin suddenly laughed. "If she had slept a little longer, you could have told her 'It's twilight, Twilight.'" Celestia giggled again. Twilight tried to reciprocate that, but the laugh came out as weak.  
"So what brought you here today, Princess? Is-is there something wrong?" she asked nervously. She couldn't immediately think of anything that would upset the Princess for her to personally visit.
She waved a dismissive hoof, "You have no need to fear, Twilight. Martin already explained what I had sensed. He was simply being helpful again." Twilight's whole body seemed to relax at the knowledge that she hadn't done anything wrong. 
"Would you like some tea?" she offered. She still wanted to be a good host. 
Celestia shook her head in the negative. "It's best I return to Canterlot before I am missed." Twilight moved to say something else but Martin suddenly crawled under her barrel and stood up, lifting her on his back.
"Alright sleepy head. You heard the princess. It's time for her to go. So say good night and go to sleep," Martin told her. 
"But the library," she said, starting to become drowsy.
"Will still be here when you wake up. Spike will watch it for you," he said.
"Ok," she finally agreed, "Good night Princess. See you in the morning." With that, she fell asleep on Martin's back.
Celestia smiled sweetly at her and whispered, "Good night, my little pony." For some reason a book with a title about cinematography dropped. "It's been a long time, since I've seen her fall asleep after working herself too hard," she commented.
"I'm sure the both of you miss the good old times," Martin said, watching Spike fix up the library after Twilight's panic attack. "When you're not looking back at the wonderful memories you've already had, you should look forward to the magnificent memories you're going to make," he mentioned.
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Well said, but what brought that on?"
He looked back at Twilight, "For some reason, I feel like I'll have to leave soon. So I'm working extra hard to help my friends. Either by physically helping them or giving advice. I hope I've made a difference."
"Hope, all of us could use more of it," Celestia commented. She made a glance to the horizon where the moon was beginning it's accent. 
"It's easy to find, just look anywhere and you can see it," Martin pointed out.
Celestia nodded in agreement before changing the subject, "You know, I'm a bit amazed she fell asleep like that." The mumbling Twilight was doing was adorable. 
"That's one thing I think we have in common Princess. We both have a comforting aura," Martin said as he ascended the stairs. Celestia smiled at the compliment but quickly morphed into surprise as Martin slipped on one of the stairs. She used magic to grab Twilight but didn't compensate for Martin fast enough and he slid to the bottom. She was about to apologize for missing him but he spoke up first. "Too bad mine is mixed with bad luck." Celestia found herself laughing again. Not at his misfortune, but along with him.



The sun had set and the moon was making it's arc across the starry sky but one mare was not quite ready for bed. Rarity was still up and about her home, shifting her belongings and bringing together her art. Unfortunately for her, due to a sudden change in a commission, Rarity was hard pressed to redo a dress in time of the deadline, which was tomorrow morning.  She had to scrap her original plan and come up with something new. 
As she used magic to bring around several fabric, tape measures, and scissors, she heard a 'thunk' at the door. She gave a tired sigh, already knowing who it was. "Yes yes, come in Martin," she said as she opened the door for him. As long as she's known him, he's always failed to open doors by himself. It was becoming increasingly irksome to always have to do it for him. He was a fully grown stallion for pity's sake.
Martin rubbed his jaw from the impact. "Maybe Spike had a point," he mumbled to himself. Although, too be fair, he was getting better about bumping into doors. He still hits them for whatever reason, but not with as much force. Martin looked around the room as fabric and sharp tools flew around. He ducked under some flying fabric, "Everything okay Rarity? I saw your lights on and things were flying around." 
"Of course, of course. Just business as usual," her smile was strained and she gave a few weak chuckles. When she saw his raised eyebrow, she waved him off. "Don't look so worried. I'll just finish this and be right off to bed," she reassured him. 
He gave a tilt of his head with a look that just said that he wasn't buying it. "Look, there's already one mare who's worked herself too hard. We don't need another one. Can't you just hold whatever this is off til morning?" he asked, moving a reassuring hoof towards her.
She reached up and pushed the hoof down, "No, no, no, that just won't do. It must be done by tonight. The mare is expecting it in the morning before she leaves. Although," she lifted the hoof back up, "If you would like to help me do this faster then I know just the means. Come with me." She pulled him deeper into her house, making sure to close the door, and pushed him up onto her stage with 3 full length mirrors. 
"If I can help at all, I will but, uh," he hesitated with continuing his sentence as Rarity forced him into a frilly light purple dress. "I'm not quite sure what your thought process is on this," he finished, trying hard not to pull at the dress as Rarity tightened a corset around his barrel.
"I know, I know. You don't have the same proportions or physique of a mare but this mare will most likely be dancing and I have to make sure that all of the seams stay intact. So you will be dancing," she told him. She took a step in front of him so that they could speak face to face, "If you're at all worried about your masculinity, then don't be, it's just us. I swear to not tell a soul." Although she couldn't help but giggle at the odd sight of Martin in one of her dresses, her stress ebbing away. 
He looked back at himself and watched as his tail flicked from the inside of the dress. "I'm not worried about that, although I would prefer a suit over a dress. I just don't want you to hurt yourself with all this," he said, gesturing to all the sharp sewing tools. 
She gave him a frown, "What, like your actions against doors? You seem to always have trouble with them but you still visit ponies. Why do you do that, anyway?" she questioned. At first she thought it was simply him being clumsy, but perhaps it was something deeper then that.
"Again, those doors are out to get me. As for your question? To be honest, I'm still not used to having four legs," he answered. Ah that's right, Fluttershy did mention that he said he somehow got four legs again. He must have had less than that for a while if he was so clumsy after their return. 
"That's why you're having so much trouble with crashing into things?" she questioned further.
"Well it's main reason, yes," he told her. Well now she felt kind of bad. Here he was, simply trying to get used to his renewed form and she angrily wrote it off as clumsiness. 
She gave a tired sigh, "I'm sorry Martin. I have shouldn't be so snippy with you. Especially since you've been so kind as to help me with this."
Martin stepped down from the stage, being careful not to step on the dress he was wearing, and patted her back. "Aw, it's ok Rarity. You can be as snippy as you like. It's just us ladies here," he said jokingly. 
Rarity gave an amused smirk. "I hardly think you're a lady. You have neither the poise or grace of one," she spoke in an exaggerated tone.
He gave a fake gasp and placed a hoof on his chest, "Well I do declare that I do have such things. Watch as I 'strut my stuff' as some would say." He then walked forward, stepping lightly and his head held high. Rarity couldn't help but giggle at the sight. He placed a foreleg over his forehead, "Oh merciful me, it is so hot. I hope my mascara isn't running. It will just ruin my makeup." She outright laughed at that.
"If you would like, madam, I can help you reapply your makeup," she offered, having trouble saying it without a giggle.
"Oh please do, I must look my best for this years gala ball," he said as he stood up on his hind legs, placing on hoof on his hip. However, as he brought the other hoof to his cheek, there was a loud tearing sound. He looked towards the raised leg hole and spotted a tear he just made. He went back onto all four legs and gave an embarrassed smile, "Sorry."
She waved off his apology though, "There's no need for you to apologies. This is what I asked for. If the mare had taken that dress to a dance, she would have also torn it and embarrassed herself. No, this fault is mine. I will fix this and make it right." She used magic to take the dress off the stallion and put it on her sewing machine. She gave another tired sigh, "If I had more time I would have been able to make one that didn't tear so easily. But whatever happens, happens." Martin quietly watched her do her work. In no time, the dress was fixed and edited to better handle stretching as well actually fit the proportion of the mare. She turned back to the quiet stallion, "That's that then. There is nothing else I can do for the dress. If I want to put more glamour on it, I will have to go gem hunting but it's far too late in the evening. No," she said raising a hoof, already anticipating Martin offering to help. "It's best we don't search at night. Thank you for your help. Would you care for some tea and crumpets? I missed dinner and am feeling quite famished," she politely offered. It wasn't much, but she just had to offer him something.
He gave her his usual smile, "Sure, I could go for something light." He waved a hoof over to the kitchen, allowing her to go first. She gave him a nod and led him inside.
Rarity set the table with plates and utensils while water was being boiled for the tea. Martin, for his part, took out a jar of apple jam and gently placed it on the table, unscrewing the lid but not taking it off. Rarity came back around with the crumpets and noticed the jar. "Oh? Applejack is selling jam again? It's been a long time since I've tasted that," she mentioned as she used magic to set equal amounts of crumpets on each plate. 
"Big Mac actually, but ya. Looked tasty so I thought I would get a jar. Never thought I would be using it for crumpets though," he clarified as she brought the ready tea over.
She poured the two of them a cup and sat down at the other end of the table. "Well I can vouch for its flavor. I find it goes very well with it. May I?" she asked gesturing towards the jar. He gave her a nod and she used magic to open it all the way. She brought the jar closer to her and used a knife to scoop some out, spreading the jam across her pastry. 
Martin watched silently as she used more magic to bring her fork and knife and neatly cut her food into small pieces. He looked down at his own place and gave a shrug. Next to each utensil, tiny white tentacles came forth and gripped them. A third larger one appeared as Rarity set down the jar. It wrapped around the jam and brought it closer where he repeated Rarity's actions. 
Said mare watched in bewilderment at the sight of tentacles coming from her dining table. The fork with food on it was ignored as it floated next to her mouth. It seemed Martin had just confirmed Twilight's outlandish tale of his so called power. When she heard about it, she thought he would only use it when asked or in emergencies. To see him using it so casually made her pause. "May I ask why you are doing that?" she finally inquired.
"Well I didn't want to slobber over all your nice china, so I thought this might be more appropriate," he answered before taking a bite of the jam covered pastry. His face immediately brightened as he tasted it, clearly enjoying it.
"If that is your desire, then by all means, continue," she said taking a bite out of her portion. She should be more weirded out by the sight, but it was late and she had just finished with the dress. Besides, the tiny white appendages just looked oddly adorable as they danced around her table... Perhaps she should get some rest. Speaking of the dress, "I hope the mare will be satisfied. I know I can do better but I must accept my limits."
He gave her a reassuring smile, luckily closed mouth so she didn't see his meal, "I think you did fantastically. Keep up that hope Rarity, because I know it will become a reality." Hope. Martin was all about it. If he wasn't giving hope, he was achieving it instead. That's just the way he is.
"Thank you. Now, Martin, I must ask you if you can model another dress for me tomorrow," she suddenly requested with a mischievous smirk.
His smiled turned nervous, "Can't it be a suit?" 
"But you make such a pretty mare. Oh, we could even give you a makeover. How does rosy cheeks and powdered fur sound?" she continued.
"Sounds like I'm gonna need to renew my masculinity card soon," he joked. They both laughed this time. Although, Martin's was slightly nervous about if she was actually going to go through with her plan.



Ponyville was being visited by a rather mysterious creature. She wasn't a pony, although she had the shape of one. She was garbed in a brown cloak that hid her appearance. She dug at the ground with a hoof as she was watched by fearful ponies. She looked around the block, causing the onlookers to cower under her gaze. The being gave an internal sigh and removed the hood of her cloak, revealing her stripes. 
This being was known as Zecora. A zebra from a far off land that found a home inside of the dangerous Everfree forest. Because of how she looked, how she spoke, and where she lived, the ponies of Ponyville were afraid of her. She comes into town maybe once or twice a month to try and get some supplies for her brews but even when she hides her form, they all still cower. At this point she dug at the ground in false hope for maybe some discarded seeds that may have accidentally been dropped. However, today was a new day.
Zecora's ear twitched as she heard hoof steps that were not her own and a joyful humming. The noise was heading right towards her. She looked in the direction of the noise and spotted a green stallion walking up the path towards her. His eyes were closed and his head nodded to an unheard song. As he passed by her, she could hear him mumble 'try everything' to himself before continuing to hum. 
The humming suddenly ceased as he stopped walking. He opened his eyes with a confused look and looked back at her. He made a glance at her cloak, "Stranger?" he said weirdly.
Zecora raised an eyebrow at him, "Stranger I am to you, but what brings you from out of the blue?" Her rhymed speech flowed easily to her, years of growing up with it making it simple for her.
The stallion turned around and walked up to her without fear. "Neat a zebra. First time seeing one of those. Hi there, I'm Martin," he introduced himself. There wasn't an ounce of worry in his voice. Just a joyful and welcoming voice. 
"Greetings, I am Zecora from the forest. I am here to speak with Ponyville's florist," she explained herself. No need to beat around the bush. She knew she wasn't welcome so if he can help her finish quickly, then all the better.
"Oh, I thought the rhyming was by accident. But this is much more interesting. Well, if you want plants then you probably should talk with the flower sisters. Their names are Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily," he informed. Knowing their names didn't really help her find the ponies but at least she had names to search for. Perhaps he could help a little more?
"Thank you, I shall seek them out. If you could please show me about?" she asked of him, glad to finally have somepony to talk to that wasn't afraid. He must be a new resident because he had no idea who she was. She was lucky he either hadn't heard the rumor or he didn't care.
He gave her a reassuring smile. It seemed commonplace on his face. "Sure. I know where all three live. Let's try Roseluck first. If you'll follow me." He gestured towards the direction they'd be going and started walking. Zecora followed beside him, glancing around at the onlookers. They all had looks of bewilderment. Apparently this stallion had a reputation. What kind, she wasn't sure. It couldn't be anymore bizarre than the one surrounding her.
Martin led her through town and came to a stop next to a specific building. She could see from the window that it had various potted plants inside. She couldn't immediately see the plant she was looking for but perhaps the florist could still have some hidden away. She raised an eyebrow when he accidentally walked into the door face first. He gave her an embarrassed grin as he knocked on the door with a hoof. The door opened slightly as the presumed owner peaked out it but it immediately closed when she spotted Zecora. 
Martin gave the door a confused look, giving a brief glance to the zebra, before knocking again. "Roseluck, what's wrong? It's just me and a new friend." His words got an amazed look from his companion. He apparently already considered her a friend even though he knows nothing about her.
"I'm not going to let her in! She'll curse all my flowers to taste sour or something," she insisted. She was afraid of this. It wasn't unexpected but she wondered why they thought she would curse them.
Martin gave Zecora a confused look and asked, "Can you?" 
"Cursing, I am not capable. Willing to do it, is even less probable," she answered honestly, slightly worried. He might take the word from a pony he knew longer.
Instead, he turned back to the door. "See? Come on Roseluck, she's a customer," he insisted.
"Forget it, Martin!" the pony on the other side remained adamant. Perhaps Zecora should insist on going elsewhere. This pony was rather adamant on staying closed.
"Roseluck, do you trust me?" he suddenly asked.
The voice hesitated but did answer, "Ya." 
"Then please believe me. Zecora won't do anything to harm you or your flowers. Please?" he begged slightly.
The voice didn't answer but the door did click as it opened again. It opened further for the pony and zebra. Zecora's eyebrows raised in surprise, apparently this stallion had a better reputation then she thought. Roseluck stepped out, giving fearful glances but not backing out. "Alright Martin. I trust you, b-but if I see one hex, the deal's off," she declared.
He smiled gratefully at her, "Thank you." Zecora gave her own grateful smile to the two ponies. One for accepting her and the other for giving her a chance. Even if she couldn't find the plant, she could still consider today a success.



"Ok, everypony has their roles," Pinkie said to the other girls. They were all inside of Sugarcube Corner in a circle. The other girls had serious looks on their face except Fluttershy and Twilight. Fluttershy was nervous but Twilight had an annoyed look. 
"Can-can I switch with Rainbow Dash? I-I don't think I'd be very good at distracting Zecora," Fluttershy stuttered. She was afraid of purposefully being the target of the zebra.
Pinkie rubbed her chin in thought, "Well it could work but can you really quickly drag Martin?" she asked. Fluttershy glanced around nervously, not entirely sure if she could.
Twilight finally had enough, "Would you girls knock it off? Zecora is not an enchantress, Martin is not under her spell, and curses do not exist!" Twilight was irritated with their paranoia running away with them. Even though she did the exact same thing a couple days ago.
Not too long ago, Pinkie had dragged Twilight and Spike into the building to hide because apparently 'an evil enchantress' was prowling the area. A zebra from the Everfree Forest, named Zecora, had come into town for reasons nopony knew. Spike had quickly lost interest in the story and went into the back of the shop to get a snack. Everypony in town was fearful of this zebra. She even had Applejack shaking in fear, much to Applebloom's annoyance. Applejack had dragged the filly with her as soon as she heard Zecora was in town. Pinkie even made a song, warning ponies away from her. Anyway, as they were explaining, Martin had suddenly arrived and he immediately took interest in the new thing, like always. They couldn't really hear anything as they talked but the other girls assumed the worst. Which led to now as they discussed the rescue mission of Martin.
"I'm still not completely sold on the 'no curses' thing," a voice suddenly cut in. The girls whirled around in fright. Through the open top half of the door stood Martin, staring at them weirdly. Behind him Zecora, with some saddlebags of new plants, looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Hi girls, how's your day going?"
Twilight gave some annoyed glances at the other girls, "I can find a few complaints." Each one of them were trying to avoid looking the zebra in the eye. This was getting ridiculous.
"Don't worry Martin! We'll rescue you," Pinkie suddenly declared, while facing the wrong way. It was honestly a goofy sight but the subject matter killed the joke.
Martin's smiled turned nervous, "Pinkie, I don't need rescuing. Zecora isn't a bad pony."
"Zebra," Twilight corrected.
"Zebra. I spent most of the morning with her and she's been nothing but pleasant company," he told her. That's what Twilight thought. If somepony had just actually talked with her, this whole misunderstanding would be cleared up. 
"Thank you for the compliments. And thank you for helping with my saddlebag contents," she spoke her special way, spooking some of the girls. 
"No problem," he accepted. He looked towards them. "Why exactly are you acting this way? What is it about Zecora that's making you act like this?" he asked.
"Oh, I can explain," Pinkie immediately volunteered and began to sing, much to Twilight's annoyance.

She's an evil enchantress
She does evil dances
And if you look deep in her eyes
She'll put you in trances
Then what will she do?
She'll mix up an evil brew
Then she'll gobble you up
In a big tasty stew
Soooo... Watch out!

Martin blinked at her weirdly. "Catchy," he commented.
"That's what I said," Twilight put in. Though, she wished she didn't have to hear it a second time.
"Your song is unkind. For no evil do I bind. I have no wicked brew and I eat the same things as you," Zecora said, insulted by the accusations of wrong doings.
Martin gave a sigh before speaking again, "Yes, she looks and talks different but that doesn't make her evil. I mean look at me. I'm way weirder then she is but we get along great," Martin told them. Each of the girls had a look of varying guilt.
"Well, you were friendly and went out of your way to get to know the ponies around here," Rarity pointed out. A good pony had no reason to act so shifty.
He turned to her, "That street goes both ways. Did any of you just try and talk to her?" Rarity slumped a little at his own point. He's was right though, they were acting just as shifty
"I suggested that!" Twilight said, proud of herself.
"Suggesting and doing are separate things," he told her, deflating her ego. "I think all of you owe Zecora an apology," he said waving a hoof towards the zebra standing next to him.
The chorus of apologies directed at Zecora surprised her on how easy they came. "You believe him? Even when fear was on the brim?"
"Well ya," Rainbow decided to answer, "Martin may be a lot of things, a weirdo, a jokester, accident prone," she glared at him for that specific detail. Zecora wondered why. "But a liar isn't one of them. If he thinks you're alright, then I'll just have to believe him. I've believed weirder things from him." Again Zecora wondered, what was it she believed that was weirder than an 'evil enchantress' being good.
"That goes double for me. Ah'm mighty sorry for shakin like a leaf whenever you were 'round. Same goes for Applebloom," Applejack said, pulling the filly closer to her.
"Ah wasn't scared," the youngest in the room insisted. Zecora gave them a kind smile, which made the farmers feel better.
"While I don't fancy your... unique 'design'. I will give you the benefit of the doubt, much like I did for Martin," Rarity added in. Zecora raised an eyebrow for the odd sentence. She didn't have a design.
"Sorry," Fluttershy said quietly from behind Applejack. She would have said more but she was still scared of the zebra. That was more of the reaction she expected. Still fearful but more accepting.
"I'm really sorry about making that mean ol' song about you. Oh, I know. The next time you come to Ponyville, we can throw you an apology party! All you need is a smile and room in your heart to forgive everypony," Pinkie said, already planning ahead. Zecora didn't really want a party but she wouldn't be apposed to it.
Twilight walked up to the zebra, "I'd like to apologize as well. Martin was right, I should have stepped up. I'm sorry."
Zecora stared in surprise at the round of apologies. She looked over at Martin who gave her a smile and nod. She returned his smile, "You have quite the influence over these ponies. Are you sure these apologies aren't phonies?"
He chuckled at her joke, "Nah, they definitely mean it. Like you, they're good girls. So I think it will be very easy for all of you to get along." This stallion was one of a kind.
"Perhaps I can talk and stay. Unfortunately that cannot be today," she told them. "Martin, you were a great boon. I hope I will be welcomed again soon."
He gave her a reassuring pat on the back, "I don't think you have anything to worry about anymore. You have a good day Zecora." 
With a nod and a wave, Zecora left the building and made her way back to the Everfree Forest. She felt that today had been a good day. Now to get that brew ready. 



The girls followed Martin out of the building, feeling a little better about the new friend they made.  "Thanks for setting us straight, Martin. It wasn't very nice of us to do that to her," Pinkie stated. The other girls nodded in agreement. Martin hadn't been in Ponyville long but he had helped each and every one of them at least once. He's done nothing but try and better the lives of ponies around him. He's not always succeeded but he gives it his all. Even if he's from a strange place, had strange powers, and strange friends. He was one strange stallion, but they were glad to know him. 
"You're welcome. I'm just glad that I have enough of your trust that you can set aside your prejudices in favor of listening to me. I'm a little surprised at you girls, though. You were more afraid of Zecora than me, and I'm not even from this planet," he laughed at the peculiarity. However, his statement made all of the girls stop and stare.
"What'd you just say?" Applejack decided to say what they all thought. Had they heard him right? He wasn't from this planet?
He looked back at them, a bit confused by the question. "You're afraid of Zecora more than me?"
"No, after that. What do you mean you're not from this planet? Are you making another weird joke?" Twilight demanded an answer. 
His confusion only doubled, "What? I'm not joking. I'm not from this planet. Didn't Pinkie tell you?" All of the girls collectively look towards the pink mare.
Pinkie blinked in surprise at the sudden attention, "Huh? Why would I know? This is the first time I'm hearing about this."
"No, you asked me if I was an alien here to start the war of the sweets," he pointed out.
"And you said no!" she exclaimed.
"I said no to starting a war. I never denied I was an alien," he said it like it was supposed to be obvious.
"We thought you meant alien like a foreigner from another country," Rarity said.
"Well I'm that too, just that country is on another planet," Martin explained.
The girls openly stared at the stallion after his declaration. So Martin was a real life alien. That... would explain a few things but raises a lot more questions. "You don't really look like an alien," Rainbow Dash pointed out. 
Martin looked down at his hoof, "I'm still not entirely sure why."
"I may have a theory about that," a new voice suddenly cut in. The girls looked around for the source but couldn't see anypony. Then without warning, a flash of white light appeared and from it's origin appeared a white unicorn stallion with a black mane and tail that were smooth and brushed backwards. His cutie mark was of some strange symbol they didn't recognize. It seemed to be of several thin lines seemingly going around a wispy core. On his horn was several thin loose metal bands with hanging gem stones. No matter how he moved his head though, the bands didn't fall up or down the horn. His eyes were half-lidded and his mouth was neutral. The new stallion gave a short bow, "Greetings-" but he wasn't able to get more than that.
Martin tackled the other stallion to the ground with a hug. "Theo!" he exclaimed excitedly. The other girls stared wide eyed at the display. This was Theo? Martin's best friend and powerful unicorn?  Then... did that mean Martin was going home today? "Theo, I missed you and everyone else so much! How've you been? Is everything fine? What's going on?" Martin asked in a rapid fire fashion. 
Theo's horn glowed, the bands rattled, and lifted Martin off him with magic. For some reason though, instead of getting up on his own, he teleported himself into a standing position. He dusted himself off with a hoof before giving the other stallion a one legged hug. "It's good to finally see you Martin. I was beginning to worry that we'd never find you. And to think we'd find you in a place like this. Looking like the locals no less," Theo mentioned, releasing the hug, but not really answering any of his questions. Martin just chuckled at him, though.
"I wasn't worried. I knew you guys would find me. You should meet some of the friends I made. Everyone, this is Theo. My best friend. Theo, these are the friends I've made over here. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Applejack," he introduced them, pointing to each one. Each of the girls gave their own hello to the new stallion. "Wait, where's Spike?" Martin suddenly asked, wondering where his other close friend was.
"I'm here! I'm here!" Spike said as he came running over, his face covered in icing. Theo raised an eyebrow at the baby dragon but didn't comment. "Who's that?" 
"Martin's best friend. Theo," Twilight answered.
"Oh, wassup?" Spike waved casually, taking the situation in stride. Weird. 
Theo just shrugged at the dragons question. "I'm glad to meet each of you. I hope Martin hadn't been too troublesome during his stay," Theo said, getting a playful shove out of his friend.
"Ya don't have to worry about that. He was downright neighborly to everypony," Applejack said.
Theo raised an eyebrow again in confusion, "Every 'pony'?" He glanced over to Martin for an explanation.
Martin shrugged, "It's just how they do it over here. You should see what they name the places. This town is called Ponyville and that big castle up there on that mountain is Canterlot."
"I see. You must have had a grand time here. There would be jokes for you everywhere and they wouldn't realize it," Theo chuckled a little. 
"You were saying something about why Martin looks the way he does?" Twilight tried to get the conversation going. 
"Correct. Myself and Martin are not ponies despite our current forms. We are humans. Bipedal creatures from a across space and time," Theo explained.
Something clicked for Fluttershy, "Oh, so that's what you meant when you said you were amazed to be a quadruped. But why did you say 'again'?"
"I doubt Martin withheld information on Broken Depths, correct?" The girls nodded at his question. "Well as you probably know, our town gets quite a few occurrences. Not all of them good. What he's specifically talking about is an incident with an animal dictator. He wished to rule over us but did not like any of our current species so he had transformed us all into animals. I had become an owl and Martin had become a dog." The girls looked over at Martin trying to picture him as such. Martin helped the image by wagging his tail. 
"That sounds cute," Fluttershy commented, and immediately blushed realizing what she said. 
"Right," Theo said non pulsed, "Anyway, I believe this world's magic can't recognize his human form. So instead of having an anomaly walking around, it morphed him into something it could recognize. Which is also what happened to me." Twilight quickly told Spike to pull out a quill and paper to take notes.
"Which reminds me, where's your staff? That thing was practically a part of you," Martin mentioned.
"Now that statement is more literal," Theo pointed towards his own horn. "Apparently it became my horn. Which I assume is a magical conduit for unicorns?" He got a nod in response. "As much as I enjoy this conversation, it's best I return Martin home. He has many friends that wish to see him. If there is anything you'd like to ask, it would be now."
"Ya, I got a question," Spike said, raising his claw with a quill in it. "Why does he keep crashing into doors. Do they not exist where you're from?"
Theo gave an amused smirk at Martin who shrunk a little, embarrassed. "Well if I were to make an assumption. He's still not used to his current body. His eyes are much bigger then what we are used to and-" however, he was interrupted by Rarity.
"He's not used to having four legs," she finished, realizing the gravity what Martin had told her last night. 
"Correct. Even if he had weeks of practice, he would not be able to completely overcome the change. The only reason he can move around so easily right now is because of the aforementioned dog transformation. Unlike myself, he got at least some practice with a quadrupedal form. I can't even walk, only teleport," Theo explained.
"So it's not because doors hate him?" Pinkie asked.
Theo gave a confused look, which Martin explained. "For whatever reason, the doors of this town are really hostile. I have yet to be defeated though," he declared.
"Odd," he said simply. "No, the doors don't hate him. He's simply unfamiliar with his current spacial awareness. Given maybe a year, he would eventually get used to it. However, he will not remain here that long."
"Um, could you please tell us why Broken Depths is so weird?" Fluttershy asked.
"The specific reason, I can't say because it's a secret," Theo started. It was the same answer Martin had given. "What I can say though is that Broken Depths is best described as the amalgamation of what our world has to offer. 	If something is at all possible, we've dealt with it at some point." That got a few interested looks, wondering again what they town had to deal with. There were other questions that needed answering though.
Rarity decided to ask the one question they've been trying to answer since they first met Martin. "Exactly who or what is Martin?"
Theo gave a dramatic pause before answering. "Martin is a human. More specifically though, he is a messiah," Theo revealed. 
"What?" Fluttershy asked for more detail.
"Martin was chosen by the goddess I follow to guide the world to a better age. He was given power to help him do that. He can manipulate this power into physical objects, extend his senses, and even perform miracles. I was given similar power, in order assist him, as I am his prophet," Theo explained. The group stared dumbfounded at the description.
"Ya, I still don't really believe all that," Martin put in. "But hey, according to him, I was given this power to help people, so that's what I'm going to do." The way he casually played off his status made their surprise go down. Perhaps Theo was just exaggerating. What else could they ask though?



For Navieka

"I got a question for you," Pinkie suddenly zipped up to Theo's face and looked intently into his eyes. "What is the correct way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and how would you make it, IN FULL DETAIL!?" she shouted into his face.
Theo blinked at her weirdly, but as he couldn't walk, he couldn't step back either. He used a bit of magic and moved the mare so she was up against Martin's face instead. Martin smiled at her, "Hi Pinkie."
"Hiya Martin," she giggled but didn't back up.
"Well if I was going to make a PB&J sandwich I would probably," he began to give details to the pink mare.
"Any other questions?" Theo asked the remaining ponies, hoping for a less weird reaction.
"Ya I got one. Once Martin leaves Equestia, what'll he miss the most?" Rainbow Dash asked. 
"I cannot answer that for-" Theo began but was interrupted again.
"This one," Martin suddenly said, holding up a giggling Pinkie. The girls and Spike stared at him confused so he clarified. "No offense to you girls. But out of every pony I've met. I've had the most experiences with Pinkie. We hang out, talk, and just had fun. Spike comes at a close second." That made the dragon smile. He stepped inbetween all of them and brought them all into one big hug, somehow. "Don't get me wrong, you've all been great friends to me, it's just these two," he used one hoof each to lift Pinkie and Spike, "Have spent the most time with me. So I'll miss them the most."
"While a little presumptuous that you think time would equal the experience, I do see where you're coming from," Rarity put in. They had the most memories he could look back on together, it would make sense. 




For TimeTravelinc

"This just occurred to me, but Martin knew right off the bat that you and his other friends would come to get him, even though he knew for a fact that he had traveled to a whole new world. That makes me wonder. You're able to go across space and time. Does that mean you've had trouble with other similar problems?" Twilight asked. Something had to have made them need a transporter.
"That's right. At this point our town is well-versed in the fabric of dimensions. Every month or so we deal with some interdimensional being or a distortion in space time. We even have had interaction with alternate dimensions of ourselves. There are also frequent visits from children from the future," Theo explained.
"Those are my favorite. They're always Jordan's children for some reason though," Martin continued. 
The girls could only stare weirdly at the pair. Most of them had no idea what they were talking about. The one that did know was weirded out by what they had to deal with. "It's that common?" Twilight asked further.
"We come from a weird town," was Theo's retort. None of the girls or Spike debated that point. 





"I believe that's enough," Theo called for an end to the questions. "I have no doubt that Jordan is getting more irritated the longer we remain here."
"What does he have to do with it?" Twilight asked. She still had so many questions she wanted ask about their home and what they actually were. She had just learned of a new species and they were about to leave. She had just learned the truth about her friend and he was about to leave. She felt sadness creep up on her.
"It's his machine we will be using, after all. Martin, say you're final goodbye's. I will see you on the other side of the portal." As soon as Theo said that, a large, red, oval-shaped, liquid wall appeared behind him. The girls stared agape at the sight. "It was nice to meet Martin's new friends. Perhaps someday we could become better acquainted. I wish you well," Theo said his final words before carefully stepping through the portal. It shimmered as he passed through it, settling soon after. 
The girls and Spike tore their gaze away from the portal and stared at Martin who had a sad smile on his face. An unpleasant feeling settled in their gut. This was it. This would be the last time they saw Martin. His smile, his laugh, his kindness, his helpfulness, his goofiness, his clumsiness. Just gone in mere moments. 
"Everyone," he began, "Thank you for everything. I fell into this world with absolutely nothing. But you ponies accepted me for who I am. You gave me a home, friends, and plenty of good times." 
He walked over to Applejack and gave her a hug, "You never gave up on me, even when I failed time and time again." She hugged him back. When they released, she tilted her hat at him and gave him an honest smile. No matter what time or what she was asking, Martin was always ready to help out her farm and her family. He was always honest with them too. He could be a little more straight forward but he knew what he should and shouldn't talk about. 
He walked over to Rarity and gave a similar hug, "You helped me whenever I couldn't do something myself and no matter how many times it happened." Rarity returned the hug without hesitation. When they seperated she gave him her own generous smile. Martin was always ready to help another even if he didn't profit or it took away from his own well being. He never complained or whined.  
He walked over to Fluttershy gently hugged the still nervous pony, "You showed me when I should and shouldn't do something so other wouldn't be uncomfortable." Fluttershy gave a weak hug but the kind smile she gave more than made up for it. Martin had always been kind and understanding. He always listened when somepony was speaking to him and considered them whenever he did something. Even when he messes up or comes off as annoying, you just know he has the best intentions at heart. 
He walked over to Pinkie, who was excited for her turn, and hugged the energetic mare, "You made sure that I was always happy with your parties, jokes, and general fun." Pinkie returned the hug in earnest, her giggly smile just full of laughter. Martin was always a joy to be around. He told jokes, played games, sang songs, and just enjoyed everything.  
He walked over to Rainbow and gestured for her to come closer. When she got close enough to the ground, he hugged her as well, "You showed me the absolutely amazing things this world had." Rainbow returned his hug and showed loyal smile that supported his own. Martin made every day life interesting with his antics. He told stories, could do amazing feats, and was always there to give his support when friends were down. 
He walked over to Spike and did his best to hug the smaller creature, "I accepted your help and you accepted mine." Spike hugged him back and gave him a toothy smile that was full of heart. Martin was a good friend, he listened avidly to his interests, laughed at his jokes, and considered his requests. It was sad to see him go, but he had other friends he needed to make just as happy. 
Martin took off his saddlebag and the bag around his neck and hoofed it over to Spike, "In here is everything I need mailed. There's also a list of who gets what. Could you please deliver them for me?" Spike nodded, agreeing to the stallion's request.
Finally, he stepped up to Twilight but didn't immediately hug her. "I know I couldn't answer every question you had. But know that you should never stop asking them. Just because you can't immediately find it. You can still remain hopeful. The answer is out there still." He finally did hug her, "You gave me a chance and I am always thankful for that." She returned his hug and gave him a smile that was just magical. Martin was an oddball, a mystery, sometimes annoying or just downright weird. He sometimes gets in your personal space and steps into things he's not supposed to be in. He makes tons of mistakes, is a klutz, and get's himself hurt more often than he should. But despite all of that. He was a good friend and she didn't want him to change for any reason.
He stepped away from the girls and moved closer to the portal, looking up at it. The friends he was about to leave had tears in their eyes, saddened by the departure but still happy he can finally go home. "Is this goodbye?" Twilight asked sadly. 
"Maybe," he answered. He turned around and smiled at them for one last time. "But don't worry," he extended a hoof at them, "Good bye's aren't forever." With that, Martin stepped through the portal and, for the first time in a long while, left Ponyville, Equestria, and their world. 
They all lowered their heads in respect, silently thanking him for everything he had done for them. Well, except one mare.



Pinkie stepped through the other side of the portal a little dizzy. She quickly shook her head to right her thoughts and patted herself down to make sure all of her had made it to the other side. She looked around in wonder at all of the machinery inside the room. Absolutely nothing here was like anything she'd seen in Equestria. She really did feel like she was on an alien world. 
Her ears perked up as she heard an unfamiliar gruff voice, "You done crying?" The voice was uncaring and sounded kinda mean. 
She followed the direction it came in as a new voice entered. "Be nice, Jordan. He just got back, as well as had to leave his new friends." This voice was feminine but sounded a little distorted. 
"That's all well and dandy," the now named Jordan said with hint of sarcasm, "But I don't like how touchy he's getting."
"It's called a hug," she heard Theo's voice again. "I know it's a rare occurrence for you, but you should still be able to recognize it," he joked. Pinkie gave a soft giggle at that.
"Ha, ha, very funny," this time Jordan's voice was all the way sarcastic now.
"I just missed you guys so much. I'd hug you too, Serra, if you actually had a body," she finally heard Martin again. That got a confused look from the invading mare. Somepony didn't have a body? Were they a ghost?
"Aw, that's so sweet," she heard the feminine, apparently named Serra, voice reply. Pinkie started to close in on their location.
"I've been meaning to ask, why are you wearing that green jacket, Martin? You weren't wearing it when you disappeared," Theo questioned. Finally Pinkie arrived in the room where the voices were and finally saw what was apparently a human. There were four of them. Three tall, what she could assume, masculine beings and one smaller, she assumes, feminine being behind a glass screen. All of them were varying shades of light pink-ish skin, a pointed nose, small eyes, no fur but did each have a mane. The boys had short manes and the girl had a long one. One was brown and looked similar to Martin's, one was black and reminded her of Theo's, one was blonde and wasn't familiar, and the girl's was a red-ish orange. 
All of them were wearing clothes. The one she assumes is Martin was wearing blue pants, some oddly shaped white shoes, and a green jacket that matched the color of his coat. The one she thinks is Theo was wearing a royal blue robe with gold trim. She couldn't see any shoes like Martin, the robe was too far down. He was carrying a staff in something that reminded her of Spike's claws. The staff had a loop at the top where familiar metal bands hung. The one she assumed was Jordan wore camouflage pants with lots of pockets, he had black shoes, and wore a short sleeved black shirt. The girl she assumed was Serra wore a simple blue dress. She couldn't tell if she had any shoes because the screen didn't reach far enough down.
"Oh, I get it. Over there I grew a green coat," Martin laughed at an apparent joke he made. Jordan brought the claw-like appendages up to his eyes and covered them in irritation. Serra laughed as well while Theo only gave a chuckle. She wasn't entirely sure what the joke was but did giggle along with Martin.
Serra was the first to notice Pinkie's presence and waved to her, "I think one of your friend's isn't ready to say good bye." The other humans turned towards her. Jordan glared down at her with a frightening stare. Theo still had a rather neutral face but did give her a wave. Martin, however, did something different but welcome.
"Pinkie!" he called before enveloping the mare in a tight hug once again, lifting her up to his height. "Here's your first ever human hug. Hope you enjoy it." He released the hug but didn't let her go and instead held her at 'foreleg' length. "Wow, you seem much smaller than I remember." He set her down and sat down himself, crossing his legs in front of him. This position allowed them to talk at almost the same height. "Maybe I better make sure it's you," he winked at her and she knew what was coming.
They did their practiced chant and dance together. "Hoof bump, hoof bump. Monsters everywhere. Now stand up tall and give a good stare." As they smashed their heads together, Serra gave a giggle in amusement, Theo gave some light clapping, and Jordan just crossed his arms, not amused. The two of them seperated, falling into a fit of giggles. It was weird to do with a non-pony but it's the meaning that counted.
"So this is really you, Martin?" she asked, placing a hoof on his chest when she calmed down. Honestly she preferred his pony form, she was so used to it that looking at this creature and calling it Martin was weird to her.
He nodded, "That's right, born and raised. Don't worry. I'm still here," he reassured her. That made her smile double in size "Now, let me be the first to welcome you to my world, or more specifically, Jordan's basement." Pinkie looked around at everything but all of the machinery inside was completely foreign to her. Except the strange looking pair of gauntlets protected by a glass case. For some reason she felt that those were really important.
"Ya and don't get comfortable. You ain't staying," Jordan said as he grabbed Pinkie by the back of her neck and began walking back towards the portal room. He ignored her indignant 'hey'. It didn't hurt but it was unsettling to be lifted like that.
"Jordan," Martin called as he went after them, "She just got here. Can't she at least look around?" he pleaded. Pinkie tried to spin around and give a cute face to the stony delinquent but the way he held her made that impossible.
"No, that portal is closing and I have no plans of opening it back up until you finish dealing with your responsibilities first. So unless you want to worry her friends and family by remaining here, she goes back," Jordan said as they arrived in the room. Pinkie didn't like what he was saying but he did have a point. She would like to stay and see the whole new world but she had friends and family back home.
"Jordan, please," Martin begged, giving a face towards the delinquent. 
Jordan glared at the smaller man but did eventually relent, "Alright, alright. Serra! Get him the clip." Serra gave a quick 'on it'. Pinkie wondered what he was talking about but was glad to see that he wasn't as mean as he let on.
"Clip?" Martin asked him.
"She can't stay, but you can give her a parting gift that will keep the connection," Jordan explained. He set the pony down in front of the portal and turned around, exiting the room. "Later kid." 
"I'm a pony, not a goat!" Pinkie called to him but she was ignored. She watched him leave and couldn't help but wonder that this was the strongest guy in Broken Depths? He looked bigger then Martin but he didn't look that old comparatively or that muscley. She wondered what made him so much better then Martin. Speaking of Martin. She looked back up at him as he knelt down to her level. "Is it good bye again, already?" 
"Afraid so," he told her. "But this time, I want you to take something." As he said that, a metal claw came down from the roof with a green mane clip. He took the clip from the claw, "Thanks Serra." He nodded as she gave her 'your welcome'. He brought the clip behind her head and put it deep inside her mane. "With this, you will always be connected to my world. Home is where my heart belongs, but some of it remains with you and the others. So never lose that. When I come back for a visit, I will always appear in the area where this clip is. Keep a look out for me, ok?" he asked of her.
She gave him a nod as she began to tear up again, "Ok. Good bye Martin." She gave him a strong hug. "See you soon." She hoped and prayed.
He hugged her back, petting her mane lightly, "See you soon." 
A flash of light filled the room as Pinkie stepped through the portal. When it faded the portal disappeared. For now.





Dear Princess Celestia,

Today, a good friend left us, returning home to where he rightfully belongs. We're all sad to see him go, but we know deep in our hearts that he will always be a part of Ponyville. I learned that you should never judge a pony by what they are or where they're from. You should always give them a chance to show the real them.

Martin may be gone, but what he gave us will always remain. He gave us something that can always give us comfort during a dark time. He gave us something that can always help us through problems that seem impossible to overcome. He gave us something that will always be there if we simply look for it.

He gave us Hope.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle




The End