When Bruce walked into that Portal, he thought he was prepared for everything. He brought his books, cooking utensils, writing utensils, and his portable armory inside his Bag of Convenience. He wore the best armor he has, capable of protecting him from even the most hazardous situation. He also brought his trusty hand-held universal scanner.
Bruce was not prepared, however, for a bunch of Technicolor Equine Life-Form floating in mid-air with white glowing eyes, shooting Rainbow Energy Beams at a goat-faced snake. He was also not prepared when one of the Rainbow Energy Beams hit him, causing his suit to emit a high-energy quantum pulse that matches the rainbow energy beams.
Bruce watched with a mixture of fear and panic when his suit shattered into pieces and the colorful jewelry the equine life-form wore disintegrated into dust. He looked to his right and saw that the goat snake has already turned into stone. He can't help but feel that's going to be his next fate.
He looked around to assess the situation. He noticed that he was standing in the middle of a small village. He also noticed that most, if not all of the citizens are equine life-form. He looked at the six ponies that just destroyed his armor.
By the way, they looked; the creatures in front of him are ponies. One of them has a dark purple mane and lavender coat. She has an exhausted look in her eyes as she watched the human in front of her warily. Bruce noticed that she haven't notice the pile of golden dust sitting on their mane.
“Umm... Hi! Can you understand me?” The Pony just nodded mutely. “My name’s Bruce, I’m a dimensional traveler.” He pointed at the pile of metal sitting beside him. “First of all, you blew up my utility armor. But since I disintegrated your... Accessories? I think we’re at an impasse.”
The pony narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Accessories?” She looked back at the other ponies and saw them pointing at her head with a horrified look on their faces. The purple pony’s horn glows purple, and the dust above her floated a few inches up. She brought the dust in front of her face, and a look of shock and disbelief appeared on her face.
“AAAAAAHHH!!!!” Bruce clamped his ears shut with his hands. “THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC!!!” The pony looked back and saw five piles of dust sitting below the other ponies. “THE ELEMENTS! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!?!?” She took a deep breath and start hyperventilating.
Bruce cringed and took a step back from the pony. “Was that something important?” He dared to ask.
“Important???” The pony looked at him in disbelief. “Those were the Elements of Harmony!!!” She put her front hooves on Bruce’s shoulder and started shaking his body. “Do you have any idea what that is!?” She exclaimed.
Bruce shook his head and gently moved her hoof away from his body. He noticed that the pony is much squishier than most creatures he encountered. “I just got here!” Bruce pointed at a small trickle of light floating a few feet above him. “When I arrived here, I got caught in a crossfire between you and whatever that is.” He pointed at the Statue of Discord lying down beside him.
The pony took one look at the statue and sighed in relief. “Well... At least he’s gone for now.” Then she looked at the human. “What happened to the Elements?” She asked him. “We couldn’t see what happened.”
The human thought about it for a second. He has two choices here, take the blame or blame the statue. “Well, you see, some of your unknown energy beams hit my armor.” He pointed at the pile of scrap metal sitting beside him. “It created a chain reaction that causes it to destroy all opposing forces aka, your jewelry...”
Five seconds later, all six of the ponies gasped in realization. “You destroyed the Elements!?” They yelled in disbelief.
Bruce nodded and held up his hands. “To be fair, you blew up my Quantum Armor Suit.” He said. “Besides, it’s not like it’ll cause the end of the world right?” The look on their faces told him otherwise. The human sighed and put his hand on his forehead. “Take me to your leader.” He muttered.
Finally, the purple pony nodded. "Follow me... We'll take you to Princess Celestia." Then she looked at the other ponies. "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, don't let him get out of your sight." The winged pony and the light brown pony nodded before watching Bruce with a critical expression on their faces.
Then she took one look at the dust before closing her eyes in sadness. "Rarity, gather everything you can... Perhaps we can save them..." The white unicorn nodded and walked towards the piles of dust with a heavy look on her face.
Bruce looked at the dust with a regretful look on his face. He sighed and looked back at his captor. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He said with genuine regret. "It's obvious that those aren't just some fancy jewelry..." He added. "So much for the first impression...”
The purple unicorn nodded and looked at Bruce. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle, what’s your name?” She asked him. “You’re Bruce right?”
Bruce nodded. “Yeah, my name’s Bruce Gunderson.” He noticed that Rarity just finished gathering all the dust and is now carrying them with magic. “I know I’m going to regret asking this but...” He looked closer at the dust floating around Rarity. “What exactly did I destroyed?”
Twilight sighed. “You destroyed the Elements of Harmony...” She said with a grim expression on her face. “They are what have been keeping peace and harmony in our world.” She looked at Bruce with a dead serious expression on her face. “By destroying it, you’ve put our world in grave danger...”
Bruce sighed and continued his way through Ponyville with the ponies. He looked around him and saw many other ponies all around the town. They all have a tired and confused expression on their faces while looking at him in curiosity. “So... What do you call yourself?” He asked them.
“We’re ponies and this is our home Ponyville.” Twilight smiled comfortingly at some ponies who were looking at them with a scared expression on their faces. “Don’t worry, Discord has turned back into stone.” She said, making some ponies around her sighed in relief.
Bruce looked at each one of the ponies in deep thought. He thought about what he has done and realized that he has doomed them all. ‘I am not destroying another world...’ The traveler thought to himself. ‘I am a changed person, I will take my responsibility...’ He looked back at Twilight with a determined look on his face. “Twilight, tell me more about the elements. How exactly does it protect your world?” He asked her.
Twilight thought about it for a second. “The Elements of Harmony give the bearers an untold amount of magical power. With it, we can protect our world from many threats like Discord.” She explained. “They are the only ones left in all Equestria, and now that it’s destroyed...”
Bruce nodded understandingly. “So those things are like the trump cards when dealing with huge threats...” Twilight nodded at him. A small smile slowly appeared on the human’s face. “Well... I think I have a solution...” He looked at Twilight with a confident look on his face. “What if I become the guardian of your world instead?”
Twilight stopped in her tracks. “You? Replacing the elements? How?” She asked in disbelief. “The elements were the most powerful force in our world, what do you have?”
Bruce smirked and took off his backpack. “This is my Bag of Convenience.” He crouched down onto the ground and took out a small tube with a glowing orb suspended inside it. Everypony walked closer towards him to get a closer look. “This is the Crystallized Singularity. It contains an almost unlimited amount of quantum energy. A bit pain to convert them into electric energy, but energy nonetheless.” He explained.
Bruce wore his backpack again before continuing their journey back to Canterlot. “So, how far are we going to travel? Because if you need a lift, then I have a helicopter inside this bag.” He said, making all ponies to look at him in confusion. “Pocket Dimension? No? Not that advanced yet?”
Soon they made it to the outskirts of the city. A white-coated full-grown mare was waiting for them with the statue of Discord standing beside her. She smiled at the sight of them. “You did it... Once again you’ve saved Equestria.” She said with a proud smile on her face.
The ponies didn’t answer her; however, they just sighed in remorse and Rarity show the Princess the Dust of Harmony. “Princess Celestia, there was an accident...” Twilight pointed at the human standing beside her. “This is Bruce, he, I mean we, accidentally disintegrated the Elements of Harmony during his arrival into our world...” She explained.
Princess Celestia sighed and took a closer look at the dust floating beside Rarity. “The Elements of Harmony are not destroyed...” She walked towards Rarity and gently took them with her own magic. “Severely weaken and shattered, yet still contains the magic of harmony.”
A relieved expression appeared on everypony’s faces. “So it can be fixed?” Twilight asked with a hopeful look on her face.
Princess Celestia shook her head. “No, it is not possible to simply fix them...” She said. “It is broken beyond repair and it will stay as a dust forever.” The ponies gasped in disbelief and looked down in fear. Then, Princess Celestia looked at Bruce standing behind Twilight. “Now, would you please tell me who you are and why are you here?”
A confident smile appeared on the human’s face. He knew that the creature in front of him is some sort of a supreme overlord of this world. Now it is the perfect time for him to make a good impression and gain a powerful ally. "The name's Bruce your highness, Bruce Gunderson." He bowed down towards her. "I am the most Adaptable, the most Powerful, and the most dangerous race that has ever existed in the known multiverse.” He looked up at her with a proud smile on his face. “I am a human." He said proudly.
Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow in interest. "Powerful, Adaptable, and Dangerous...” She commented. “What is your purpose here in our world?” She looked at Bruce’s backpack and felt a tremendous amount of energy coming from it. “To conquer? Or to simply live your life?”
“To live my life,” Bruce replied with conviction. "I've been traveling through dimension looking for a new home. My last home was..." He shuddered as he thought about the things he has seen back in his homeworld. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
Princess Celestia nodded understandingly. “I will let you live your life here in our world under one condition.” She looked at him with a stern expression on her face. “You will take your responsibility and protect our world from all dangers.” She walked closer towards the human and gazed at him with a regal expression on her face. “From now on, you will be known as Bruce Gunderson, The Protector of Equestria."
Bruce smiled and kneeled down at her. “Of course your highness... I will take my responsibility as the Protector of Equestria.” He said with an excited smile on his face. Then he looked back at Twilight. “By the way, you haven’t introduced me to your friends.”
Twilight nodded and looked at her friends. “Well, he’s new here in Ponyville.” She said with a knowing smile on her face. Her friends smiled and nodded at her.
The orange pony with white blonde mane walked towards him. "Howdy, name's Applejack. Pleasure to meetcha." She said in a thick country accent. She held out her hoof, and Bruce gripped it with his hand. “Huh, is that how you shake yer’ hooves back in your world?” She asked after noticing how Bruce is squeezing her hoof in curiosity.
Bruce shook his head and shook her hoof. “Not really, just curious what you’re made of...” He muttered. Then he smiled at her. “Oh and a pleasure to meet you too Applejack! I would love to be your friend.” The Earth Pony smiled at him and tipped her hat.
Applejack walked back, and a bright blue winged pony with rainbow colored mane flew towards him. Bruce looked at the blue Pegasus in interest while also wondering how she can fly with such tiny wings. "The name's Rainbow Dash, the greatest flyer in all Equestria!" She boasted, while everyone just rolled their eyes after hearing that.
Bruce raised an eyebrow in interest. “Greatest flier eh?" He asked with a challenging tone in his voice. "Against who?" He asked.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and clamped it shut again. She looked around her and realized that there's not much flier pegasus in Ponyville. She looked at Fluttershy and sighed in defeat. "The name's Rainbow Dash, the greatest flyer in Ponyville." She repeated, albeit much dully.
Bruce just laughed and patted the back of her head. "Naw don't worry when I fix up my suit we're gonna have some supersonic race above the atmosphere."
Rainbow's eyes brighten up when she heard that. "You can fly?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face.
Bruce shook his head and pointed at his backpack. "Nope! But I have something in there that can make me fly." He explained.
Then the white unicorn who brought the Dust of Harmony earlier walked towards him. "Hello darling, my name is Rarity. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said, holding up her hoof for a handshake. Bruce smirked a little after realizing that the pony in front of him is quite a fancy one.
Bruce took her hoof with his hand and gently kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you, madame." He said, enjoying the look of disbelief on her face.
"O-oh my... I mean..." She looked at the dark blue jacket he's wearing. "Would you mind if you go to my boutique sometime later my dear? I would love to challenge myself with your exotic design of clothing." She asked.
Bruce nodded before looking at the yellow Pegasus hiding behind everypony else. "Umm who is she?" The Pegasus looked at him with a mixture of fear and fascination. Bruce walked towards the shy Pegasus and crouched down to her level. "Hey, little pony... what's your name..?" Bruce asked as if talking to a child.
"My name is Fluttershy..." She replied in a barely audible whisper.
"Hi, Fluttershy it's nice to meet you." The human held out his hand. The Pegasus held out her hoof and they both shook their appendages. Then Bruce walked away from her to give her some space. “You don’t have to be so shy around me.” He smiled comfortingly. “I won’t judge you, I promise.”
Fluttershy just nodded meekly. “Thank you...” She whispered. “I’m just... not comfortable around new people and...” She took a closer look at the human. “I’ve never seen a creature like you before...” Bruce just smiled at her.
“Well Fluttershy, be glad you’ve never seen anything like me before..” He said. “Human’s aren’t really the friendliest creature out there.” He looked down a little with a dark expression on his face. ‘Let’s just hope I am the last of my kind...’ He whispered to himself.
Suddenly, a bright pink pony hopped towards him with an excited smile on her face. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie."
"Hi Pinkie Pie, a pleasure to..."
"I've never seen a human before! You are the first human I've ever met! How does it feel like to be human? GASP I haven't put up a party for your arrival! Do humans party? Of course, they do, everyone love party! Do you like chocolate cake or strawberry cake? Oh, I know! You should go to my place and get some sweets! Do humans eat cake? Of course, you do! Everyone love cakes and candy and chocolate and muffins and cupcakes and... mmph!" Bruce put a hand over Pinkie Pie's mouth to shut her off.
Bruce smirked and started answering her questions. "Yes humans do party, yes I like cakes, I prefer chocolate, and yes I love sweet things except for muffins. Yes, I would love to go to your place." He said before opening Pinkie Pie's mouth.
"and candy bar! Where did you come from anyway? Are you looking for friends? We would love to be your friends! Do you have friends back in your world? If so, will they miss you? Ooh! And do you like balloon animals? I always bring my balloon animals wherever I go!" She took out a red balloon dog from out of nowhere. "Oh, and what can you do? Do humans have super powers? Can you show it to us? What's your favorite animal? is it a bear, a cat, a crocodile, a... mmph!" Bruce put a hand over Pinkie Pie's mouth to answer her questions.
"I came from planet earth. I'm not but getting some friends would be lovely and no I don't have friends back home. I prefer regular balloons with photos of actual animals. My favorite animals are birds. Compared to you, we humans have hands and fingers. They're used to do lots of things like shutting you up." Bruce replied calmly.
"You also have an extreme amount of patience." Rainbow Dash commented, looking at how calmly Bruce is handling Pinkie Pie. “Seriously though, how are you doing that? That’s Pinkie Pie!” She asked again in amazement.
"Trust me, she is nothing compared to my sister," Bruce said, smirking in amusement as he opened the floodgates.
"...a beaver? Wait did you say birds! Do you have a pet? If you don't you should get one! Then we could go together for the Ponypet play date. I have a pet, his name is Gummy, he's a crocodile. What about your sister? Where is she? Is she going to visit you later? Are you going to leave eventually!? Oh no then I will have to make your every second of your life here unforgettable! But you said you don't have friends back home? Isn't your sister your friend? Or maybe she's not home and she's here playing hide and seek with all of us. How about games? What games do you play... mmph!" Bruce shut her down for a moment.
"Yeah, I probably gonna have a pet later. I play video games, but I don't think you have that here. Your face is unforgettable enough. Oh and...” He looked down for a moment and took a deep breath. “My sister is... gone so... Yeah, that's the main reason why I went here."
Everypony looked down for a moment after hearing that. Even Pinkie Pie didn't say another word after Bruce let go of her mouth. "You came here because you have nopony waiting for you back home," Twilight said sadly after connecting the dots.
Bruce took a deep breath to regain his composure. "Yeah, but it's a long time ago so don't worry about it." He looked back at his backpack with a regretful look on her face. “I can’t even remember her face, the only thing I have to remind me of her is this backpack.”
“How long have you been alone?” Twilight asked in concern. “How old are you? How long have you been traveling through dimensions?” She asked again.
Bruce smirked at her. “Centuries.” He replied, making everypony gasped in awe. “So yeah I’m immortal.” Then he looked at Princess Celestia with a knowing look on face. “Seems like I'm not the only ones immortal around here. Am I right your majesty?”
Princess Celestia just sighed and looked at Bruce with a tired look on her face. “I decided to not think about it.” Then she looked at the Ponyville Village. “Since you just arrived here in our world, I suppose you have nowhere to stay?" She asked, trying to change the subject into something nicer.
Bruce nodded while pointing at his backpack. "As a matter of fact, I do! I have everything I need right here in the Bag of Convenience!" He said with a proud smile on his face.
"Ooh! Ooh! Is it a super cool tiny house that can form into a large mansion?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Bruce shook his head. "No, it's just a tent and some camping equipment.” He said, making the Pink Pony look down in disappointment. “Besides I can always hunt the local animals for food." He shrugged easily.
A horrified gasp came from Fluttershy the second Bruce said that. "Y-you eat animals?" She asked in disbelief. “You’re a carnivore?” She walked closer towards Bruce and the human took a step back.
"Yes...?" Bruce replied nervously. She looked at Bruce for a moment in shock and disbelief before looking down. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m gonna eat any of you...” He said awkwardly.
“But earlier you told Pinkie Pie you like to eat cakes and chocolates..." Twilight asked. Bruce fidgeted uncomfortably when he heard that. “Are you a Carnivore or an Omnivore?” She asked with a deadpan look on her face.
"I uh... love to eat meat?" Bruce asked, feeling a sudden feeling of impending doom running down his spine. Fluttershy who has been hearing the conversation narrowed her eyes. She walked slowly towards the human; staring at him with a stare that can bring down a full-grown dragon.
"Well, it was nice knowing you, Bruce." Rainbow Dash said from right behind him.
The human tried to look back at Fluttershy, only to feel his heartbeat stopped the second he met her gaze. "Now you listen here, mister!" Her sweet and soft voice did nothing to hide the aura of death around her.
“Just because you’re an omnivore, doesn’t mean you can just… kill animals for pleasure! I mean, HOW COULD YOU! They are living breathing creatures just like us! They have families and loved ones! What kind of monster are you to just take it away from them for a, for a food!” With every sentence, Bruce shrunk deeper and deeper until he is lying flat on the floor with Fluttershy glaring on top of him.
"I-I yield! Please don't kill me!" Bruce gasped, struggling to control his breathing and his heartbeat. In a flash, her expression changed 180 degrees. She stepped back and looked down in regret.
Fluttershy took a step back and looked at Bruce in regret. "I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to use th-the stare... Please forgive me..." She whispered in remorse. She gently put a hoof over Bruce’s chest and gasped. “Oh, my... Your heartbeat... I’m so, so, sorry...” She said.
Bruce took a deep breath and his expression turned a bit calm. "I'll be fine, I've been through worst." He said. “Just don’t throw Cardiac Arrest-inducing Stare around. It’s dangerous...” He said again.
"Cardiac Arrest?" Twilight asked in surprise. “All I know is that her stare can control animals. I didn't know it gave them cardiac arrest..." She replied in concern.
"What's a cardiac arrest?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It's a condition when your heart ceased to function." Twilight explained. “If left untreated it could be very lethal.”
"You mean Fluttershy can kill ponies just by looking at them?" RD asked in disbelief. She looked at the yellow Pegasus for a moment. "And you never told us about this before?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "I really don't like using it..." She muttered in regret.
Twilight nodded in agreement. "I agree... It is very dangerous." She said. "No wonder you can defeat the Cockatrice with the stare."
A few minutes later, Bruce regained enough power to stand up. "Okay everyone, I think now I should start looking for a place to stay." He said, picking up his backpack.
"What about the Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack asked. "We got a lot'f empty patch'f land if ya need somewhere to camp." She explained.
"Thanks! I'll check it out later." Bruce replied. Then he looked at the Princess. "Is that all Princess? Can I go now?" He asked her.
Princess Celestia nodded with a smile on her face. "Yes, you may go Bruce Gunderson; the Protector of Equestria."
A few weeks later...
Rainbow Dash was about to go and help Applejack destroying an old barn. She flew above the Apple Farm, looking for the orange pony. "Fluttershy?" she stopped in her tracks when she saw Fluttershy running away crying from the farm.
Instead of trying to comfort her, Rainbow Dash decided to investigate what's making her cry in the first place. She landed in a clearing in the middle of the Apple Farm. There, she saw Bruce Gunderson standing frozen in fear with a dark brown object in his hand. Rainbow Dash took a closer look at Bruce's hand.
Rainbow Dash cringed a little when she realized what’s in Bruce’s hand. "Wow! Seriously!? Grasshoppers, are you kidding me!?" She asked with an incredulous expression on her face. “Are you really that desperate to eat animals?”
Bruce sighed in frustration and looked at the blue Pegasus. “I’m desperate okay? I am this close from kidnapping a cow." He put his finger together to prove his point. “Well maybe not kidnap a cow, but you get the idea.” He added after noticing the look Rainbow Dash gave him.
"I know, but..." RD put a hoof below her chin in deep thought. "Look, as a good friend, you gotta apologize to her. Come on, I'll help you." She grabbed Bruce's hand and start dragging him away from the tent.
The human struggled against her grip. “Hey! At least let me finish my food!” Bruce yelped while a waving the bag of fried bug in his hand. Rainbow Dash stopped and looked at Bruce in disbelief.
“You’re still thinking about eating that?” RD asked incredulously.
“Well yeah! I’m not wasting any food.” Bruce retorted.
Rainbow could only shake her head before looking back at the tent. “Holy Celestia! What is that!?” She shouted in surprise. “Is that the war machine inside your backpack you were talking about?” She asked again.
It was the first time she noticed the huge metal figure standing beside the tent. It is a giant yellow bipedal robot with a single vertical optic on its rectangle head. It has a couple of machine guns on its shoulders, huge cannon behind its back, and submachine guns on its arms.
“Yep! That's my bodyguard Bastion, he does all the heavy lifting and dangerous stuff back home. He also protects me at any signs of danger.” Bruce replied easily. “At first he was just the size of a regular human, but I’ve been adding to him since.”
Rainbow Dash floated towards the robot and waved her hoof in front of its visor. “That’s awesome! What else can it do?” RD asked. “Whoa!” She jerked back when the robot moved its head and bright green laser came out of its visor. “What’s going on?” She asked.
Bruce smiled. “He’s scanning you.” He walked towards the robot and waved his hand in front of Bastion. “This creature beside me is priority number six.” He said towards the giant robot.
Bastion nodded before looking away from Rainbow Dash and stared blankly into the distance. “There, done. Now he literally can’t hurt you and he will protect you at all costs. But he won’t follow you around so that only applies when he’s nearby.” Bruce explained.
Rainbow Dash's eyes sparkled as she looked at the robot in front of her. “What else can it do? Can you show me?” She asked in wonder.
Bruce shook his head and put both of his hand into his pocket. “Nah, I only use him during an emergency or if I ever needed some serious raw power.” He pointed at the huge claw-like appendage on the robot’s hand. “That iron fist, capable of delivering enough force to smash a solid granite block into smithereens is the least lethal part of his mechanism.” He explained.
Rainbow Dash took a step back when she heard that. “Does it have any weakness? What about lightning?” she asked in curiosity.
Bruce smirked and patted the side of the robot. “This big guy is powered with lightning! If you struck him with an actual gazillion watt lightning, it’ll have enough power to blow up a house in one shot.” He replied.
“So, no lightning?” RD asked in conclusion.
The human shook his head. “Nope, if you ever have to deal with him; gravity is your friend. Just plunge him off a cliff, that’ll knock him out.” Bruce explained. “But do refrain from doing that, it’ll take him months to reboot.”
A few minutes later, Bruce finished his food and ready to meet the animal-loving Pegasus. “So which way to her cottage again?” He asked the blue Pegasus.
After a long walk through Ponyville, Bruce finally made it in front of Fluttershy's Cottage. “You have my back if she used the stare right?” Bruce asked RD.
The Blue Pegasus fidgeted in response. “Maybe…” she replied nervously. Then she smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Fluttershy won’t hurt you.” She said while slowly walking away from the door.
“That is not reassuring at all…” Bruce muttered in annoyance. He knocked on the door a couple of times and a shy, pink-maned Pegasus peeked out of the door. ‘BANG’ She slammed the door closed before Bruce can say anything.
“Fluttershy? Are you there?” The human asked as kindly as possible. “Look, I’m sorry for eating those animals. I swear I’m not gonna do that again.” There was no response and Bruce just sighed patiently. “Hello? Fluttershy are you in there?”
“N-no nopony home!” Fluttershy replied from inside her cottage.
“Here, let me try.” RD knocked on the door repeatedly. “Hey, Fluttershy open up! It's me Rainbow Dash.” The door opened, revealing a little bunny looking at them in annoyance. “Oh hi, Angel Bunny! Would you mind if…” ‘bang' the bunny slammed the door shut in front of her face. “Oww...” RD muttered, rubbing her face in pain. “Have you asked Twilight’s help yet?” She asked, putting a hoof on her face.
Bruce shook his head. “Nope, I haven’t seen her today. Maybe I should go check on her. Wanna come?” He asked her.
Rainbow shook her head in response. “Sorry Bruce, but Applejack seemed to need my help with something. I’ll see you later okay?” She said.
“Sure! Bye RD!” Bruce saluted at her and the Pegasus shot up to the sky with a flap of her wings. The human smirked after he realized that the gravity in Equestria is only half as it is on earth. He walked away from the cottage and made his way back towards the library.
After a few minutes of walking, Bruce Gunderson made it in front of a library the shape of a giant oak tree. He walked towards the front door and raised his hand to knock on it. ‘Bang!’ the door slammed open before he can touch it.
“HI BRUCE!!!”
“Gah!” Bruce jerked back instinctively and took a deep breath. “Good lord... Twilight you...” Bruce’s words faltered when he took a closer look at the purple unicorn in front of him. “Did I come at the wrong time?” Bruce asked warily.
He cringed at the sight before him. It is Twilight Sparkle, but her mane is wild and unkempt, her eyes are wobbly wide and twitchy, and she has a crazy and unsettling grin on her face. “HI!!!” She yelled, making Bruce take another step in fear. “Anything I can help you with?” She walked closer towards the human and brought her face close to the human. “Anything...?” She whispered, making Bruce shudder in a terror.
The human held up his hands and took a couple of steps back. “Honestly, you looked like you need more help than I do...” Twilight didn’t say anything, she just stood frozen with that creepy smile on her face. Bruce can feel his instinct telling him to go run away screaming. But his mind is telling him that it would be rude.
“Do you want to have a cup of tea?” Bruce asked getting freaked out by her zero response. “I’m looking for Spike, do you know where he is?” He looked down in defeat when she still won’t respond. “You know what? My guts are telling me to go run away screaming bloody murder so... I see you later?” Bruce turned around and walked away.
‘Bzzt’ “AAAHH!!!” Bruce yelled in terror when Twilight just teleported right in front of his face. Then he took a deep breath. “Okay, play it cool...” He muttered to himself. “Twilight, Fluttershy seemed to be mad at me at the moment. I tried to talk and apologize to her, but she kept avoiding me. Can you help me?”
Twilight blinked slowly in response. “Sure! Let’s go! Tell me everything that happened!” She said, with a barely hidden hint of crazy in her voice. “Tell me everything, Bruce...” She moved her face closer to the human’s. “Everything...”
‘Bzzt’ In a flash of light, Bruce found himself standing in the middle of Fluttershy’s living room. “KYAAAA!!!” Fluttershy yelled in panic. She escaped through the window before Twilight could even say a word.
The human watched Fluttershy running away from the cottage in envy. “I should’ve run when I had a chance...” Bruce muttered. Then he looked back at Twilight. “So uh... maybe try to be a little more subtle next time?” He asked her.
Twilight’s grin turned wider as a crazy idea appeared in her head. “You’re right! I do need to be more subtle! Meet me at the park at four!” She said before disappearing in flash of purple light.
The human stared at the spot where Twilight Sparkle just disappeared in fear and confusion. “Celestia... What have I done?” Bruce muttered, knowing full well that none of this will end well for any of them. He looked at the time and realized that he only has half an hour to get to the park. “I really shouldn’t let Fluttershy suffer alone...” Bruce muttered before walking out of Fluttershy’s cottage. He hoped that Twilight could regain her sanity before anyone gets hurt.
He really hopes so...
Twenty minutes later, Bruce Gunderson finally made it at the park. There, he saw a picnic blanket with snacks and drinks on top of it draped below a tree. “Huh... This isn’t so bad...” Bruce muttered in relief. ‘Bzzt’ the human look up and saw Fluttershy falling down fifteen feet from the sky.
“AAAAAAHH!!!” She yelled as she tried and failed to rearrange herself in the air. Bruce held up both of his hand and braced himself.
“Don’t worry I got you!” He caught the Pegasus with both of his arms, sending them both sprawling onto the ground. “Phew... She really needs to relax...” Bruce muttered to himself as he stood up from his position. “You okay Fluttershy?” Bruce asked.
The Pegasus nodded meekly. “I’m okay... Thank You...” She replied before unfolding her wings to fly away. “I-I have to go... I’ll see you later..”
The human held out his hand and grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof. “Wait! If you do that, Twilight will teleport you back here.” The Pegasus looked at him in confusion. “I think she’s having a severe case of OCD and PTSD.” Fluttershy blinked owlishly. “Just... humor her and we might survive through the day without getting into a hospital.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement and they both walked towards the picnic spot. They sat on the picnic blanket and looked at each other. “Can you tell me more about your kind?” Fluttershy asked, breaking the silence. “If you don’t mind...”
Bruce sighed and looked away from her for a moment. “I gotta warn you, this story is not pretty.” He warned her. “You sure you wanted to know?”
Fluttershy nodded bravely. “I-I can take it. Tell me everything...” She said.
Bruce smirked and took a deep breath. “Well, I’m gonna spare you the details. But humans are the most adaptable, most powerful, most dangerous creatures that have ever existed. Our technologies, determination, guts... I have never met any creatures in this universe that can surpass ours.”
Fluttershy nodded understandingly. “Nothing?” She asked in curiosity. “Not even ponies can compete with humans?”
The human shook her head. “Nope, not even close. Interestingly enough, the reason is not your primitive technology. But it’s because of that.” Bruce pointed at her cutie mark.
“Our cutie mark?” She asked in confusion.
“Yep, humans are adaptable. We don’t have a cutie mark that tells us what we are meant to do or become because a human can be basically anything.” He explained. “If I asked you to become a party pony like Pinkie Pie, you might not be able to do it. But if you ask me to be a party pony, give me a couple of months and I’ll be a professional party organizer.”
“Wow... So, you can be good with animals too?” She asked him.
Bruce nodded. “Maybe not as good as you. But if you teach me hard enough...” He smiled at her. “Pretty sure I can handle some of the tame woodland animals.” He replied electing an excited smile on Fluttershy’s face.
“D-do you want me to teach you?” She asked hopefully.
Bruce nodded kindly. “Sure, why not? I do need to make up for murdering those grasshoppers anyway.” Then he sighed and looked at Fluttershy. “No one ever told me how to tame animals. Every time I encounter a hostile animal, my option is to kill or flee.” Fluttershy gasped when she heard that. “At first I just chose to kill and be done with it, but one day...” He looked at Fluttershy with a serious expression on his face. “This story ain’t gonna be pretty.”
Fluttershy looked down for a moment. “If we want to be friends... I need to know about you.” She said. “How can we be friends if I’m... too scared to learn about my own friend’s life.” She said in conviction.
Bruce shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He took a deep breath to start his story. “There was this creature, huge, scary, powerful.” He smirked a little as he thought about his past. “I was an arrogant human back then, I didn’t run, I chose to fight it.” A regretful look slowly formed on his face. “I killed it of course, with my weapons.” He watched as a horrified look appeared on Fluttershy’s face.
The human shook his head and looked down. “But then I realized that it was just a... baby.” He ignored the look of horror on the Pegasus’s face. “Long story short, a huge herd of them came for vengeance.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Heh... They never stood a chance against a human.” He looked at the Pegasus and saw a trickle of a tear rolling down her face. “I slaughtered each and every single one of them. A whole bloody herd died by my hands.”
Suddenly, Bruce felt a pair of soft hoof holding both of his hands. The human looked down and saw Fluttershy holding his hand with her hooves. “Y-yet, you regret what you did...” She whispered at him. “Y-you tried to make amends a-and I promise...” Fluttershy took a deep breath and looked back at Bruce in conviction. “I will teach you everything I know and you will never have to hurt any animals ever again.”
A huge smile slowly grew on the human’s face. “Thanks, Fluttershy, you have no idea how much that meant to me.” He let go of her hands and looked down at the foods in front of him. He picked up a glass of apple cider. “A toast to our newfound friendship.” He said as Fluttershy picked up her glass.
“Toast.” They clashed their drinks with each other and drank it in one go. They looked at each other in the eye, not noticing the cry of warning coming from the bushes beside them.
Later that day...
Bruce Gunderson blearily opened his eyes, noticing five familiar faces looking at him. There’s Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Princess Celestia.
“He’s awake!!!” Pinkie Pie said in excitement.
Bruce blinked rapidly and groaned in exhaustion. “Yes Pinkie I’m awake and yes I’m okay I’ve been through worse,” Bruce replied before she could ask anything. He tried to move his body, only to feel a stabbing pain in his abdomen. “God... That hurts...” He looked around at himself, noticing that all four of his limbs are cast with bandages covering his abdomen.
The elder mare walked closer towards him in concern. “Are you all right?” Princess Celestia asked. “How do you feel?”
“Like I said, I’ve been through worse.” Bruce groaned in pain and tried to sit up. However, he couldn’t feel his torso at all. “Now, tell me what happened... And where’s Fluttershy and Twilight?” He asked after noticing that two of his friends are missing.
Rainbow Dash opened the curtain beside him, revealing Fluttershy sleeping in the bed in no better condition than he is. Both of the Pegasus’s wings are cast while all four of her hoofs are covered with bandages. “What happened to us?” Bruce asked.
A unicorn walked towards them with a clipboard floating in front of her. “Fluttershy has broken wings and crushed hoof, she won’t be able to do anything for two months. The good news is you will be keeping her company since you somehow broke all four of your appendage and cracked your ribs.”
Bruce sighed a little in exhaustion. “Well, if this is the price I have to pay for friendship.” He took one look at Fluttershy’s sleeping form and a small smile grew on his face. “I think it’s worth it...” he muttered, earning a giggle from Pinkie Pie.
“A wise word from a human. Friendship is truly the most precious thing you can ever have.” Celestia said with a proud smile on her face. “Although, this is not the price you should have paid for friendship.” She added, narrowing her eyes.
As if on cue, the door opened; revealing Twilight Sparkle, slowly walking towards Bruce and Fluttershy with a regretful expression on her face. She put her head on the human’s chest and start sobbing in sorrow. “I’m so sorry... So sorry... I-I’m a horrible friend...” She whispered in angst.
Bruce’s eyes widened, he tried to move his hand to comfort her but the casts are stopping him. “Hey! Hey! Come on now Twilight don’t cry, you shouldn’t blame yourself for an accident...” He paused for a second and looked at everypony else. “This is an accident right?” Bruce said, still in the dark of what happened.
“Uh... What happened?” A familiar soft voice came from right beside Bruce. Everypony but Twilight quickly walked over towards the Pegasus to welcome her.
“She’s awake!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in excitement.
Princess Celestia walked closer towards her and smiled. “Hello Fluttershy, are you all right my dear?” She said in a calm and comforting voice. Fluttershy nodded and looked around. Her eyes widened at the sight of Bruce lying down next to her.
“Bruce! Are... AH!” She yelped in pain when she tried to move her wings. “Aww... What happened?” She groaned in exhaustion. “What happened to my wings... and my hooves...” She muttered.
Princess Celestia shook her head and looked at Twilight Sparkle in disdain. “Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle is responsible for yours and Fluttershy’s injury.” She said, making Twilight cry even more.
The human sighed in realization. Truthfully, he already expected that Twilight somehow has something to do with everything. “Aww come on Princess C! Pretty sure she didn’t mean it! I mean, what did she do anyway?” Bruce asked, trying to ease the mood.
Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes. “She drugged you and Fluttershy with love poison resulting in total chaos in Ponyville and the destruction of Fluttershy’s Cabin.” The Princess replied flatly.
“WHAT!!!” Bruce and Fluttershy shouted at the same time. “M-my cottage? I-is everypony alright? Where’s Angel Bunny? Is she okay?” She muttered in fear.
Princess Celestia smiled comfortingly at her. “Your pet is safe and sound in the vet. She’s alright, don’t worry.” Princess Celestia said.
“Oh dear... Angel Bunny hates hospitals...” Fluttershy muttered. “And my cabin, where will I live now?” She added worriedly.
The Princess shook her head calmly. “You don’t have to worry Fluttershy, I already tasked a team of workers to work on your new cabin.” The Pegasus smiled at her with a grateful expression on her face.
Meanwhile, Bruce was having a hard time comprehending what’s going on. “Look, everyone, I know I’m not from this world but... It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how a love potion...” “Poison” Princess Celestia pointed out. “Love Poison destroyed Fluttershy’s cabin? I mean, unless the word Love Poison meant hydrogen bomb then...” Bruce said in total confusion.
“You activated Bastion!” Rainbow Dash said suddenly. “Oh man, he’s scary AND awesome! If Spike didn’t call Princess Celestia immediately, that robot would’ve destroyed Ponyville!” She explained.
“Oh... Now that makes sense.” Bruce muttered in conclusion. “What happened to him?” He asked, hoping that the princess didn’t completely obliterate the robot.
“I teleported him 50 feet above the Everfree Forest after Rainbow Dash told me its weakness is height.” Princess Celestia replied, looking at RD with a thankful smile on her face.
“It’s nothing Princess, I was just lucky I talked with Bruce earlier today,” RD replied.
Bruce sighed in relief after knowing that Bastion is all right. “Well unless somebody found him, he’ll probably wake up in a few months.” He muttered to himself.
“All right, it’s almost sunset. We should leave them to recover. We’ll see you tomorrow Bruce.” Princess Celestia said, motioning everyone to get out. “Twilight Sparkle, get up. You have a lot of explaining to do.” She said towards the purple pony sleeping next to Bruce.
“I don’t mind having her sleeping in my lap.” He muttered. Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes and Twilight disappeared in a flash of light. “Nevermind...”
They all said their goodbyes and parted ways. “See you tomorrow Fluttershy, Bruce!” RD said before flying out through the window.
“See you soon darling, I also took a liberty of decorating your casts while you were talking. Take a look.” Rarity levitated a mirror in front of Bruce’s face and he could clearly see the colorful pattern all over his bandages and casts. “Thanks a lot, Rarity!” She smiled and walked out of the room.
Applejack put an apple pie on the table beside him. “Here you go Bruce, Fluttershy; Granny Smith’s special Apple Pie.” She said. “I’ll ask the nurse to help you both eat later.”
Bruce smiled and looked at the delicious apple pie beside him. “That looked the delicious, thanks a bunch Applejack.” The pony took off her head and held it in front of her chest.
“Anythin’ for a friend.” She said before walking out of the hospital.
Pinkie Pie walked towards him with a bunch of balloons in her hoofs. “Here Bruce! I have one yellow, one purple, one blue, and one black balloon just for you!” She said, giving him the balloons in that exact order.
“You know this is, oddly foreshadowing right?” Bruce watched in curiosity as she gave Fluttershy a dark blue balloon, a yellow balloon, a dark gray balloon and a pink balloon.
“Well, my work here is done. Goodbye, my friend, I will miss you. DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME!!!” the door slammed shut in front of her, cutting her off.
“Okay, now... I’m going to hibernate.” Bruce said, preparing himself for a very long nap. “See you in two months!”
“Y-you can hibernate?” Fluttershy asked.
“Technically, I don’t, but I sleep like a bear when badly injured.” He replied. For a moment, he could see a flash of disappointment appeared in her eyes. Bruce realized that it will be very lonely for her if he slept all day. “On second thought, maybe I should wait until tomorrow. So, let’s talk some more. How much do you weigh? How high can you fly? How much is the maximum weight you can carry? How old are you?”
Fluttershy blinked owlishly in response. “Umm... I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?”
Two whole months indeed...