Sweetie Belle eyes were fixed on what she had found. She was staring at the charred and burnt body of Leon. She couldn't help but remember her parents. Her eyes fill with tears, thinking all her life she will only see death. But, a groan and a shifting of rubble, gave a hint he was still lived. Her eyes went wide and she raced to his side. She tried to help him up, but he wouldn't respond. She knew in her heart he was dying. She had to take him with her. She tried to move him, but he would not budge. She eventually tied rope around his leg and was able to barely drag him away. She would take care of him him in the cutie mark club house. It kept her mind off her parents She felt so sorry for him. She even brought books to read to him at night, but still the pony would not move. She spend a few days taking care of him. She smiled to him, but one day, his closed eyes, which made her think he was going to die.
She hopped off his belly and ran off to get help. She soon returned with Rarity; the elegant unicorn gasped at the horribly burnt pony. She look to Sweetie Belle with concern, then help Leon into a wagon and quickly cart him back to the hospital.
Poor Nurse Red Heart had the job of examining Leon. As she looked him over, she shook her head more and more, then finally, she broke the silence and spoke, "This pony should be dead." She pulled off her hoof gloves and removed her face mask, "Third degree burns to complete destruction of his vital organs. His bones are crushed and ruptured lungs. There is no way this pony can still be breathing. I should be calling a morgue not a doctor." She walked out to Rarity and explained everything, meanwhile, Sweetie Belle sneaked in to see the now bandaged Leon.
"Hey mister," she smiles standing on up on the side of his bed. She quietly placed flowers on his chest, "I picked them for you..." She blushed lightly and laid her head on his chest softly, "Whoever you are.... Thank you... You been helping me feel better about my parents. Even if your not awake, just taking care of you these past few days was enough. I can't wait for you to wake up and we can talk to each other. I don't know what it is about you, but I liked to be your friend. Now please wake up soon so we can finally meet...." She hopped off him and ran away out the door giggling. Leon's eyelids stirred a little as if her words were heard by him.
Soon after, Starlight came in as she had tears in her eyes seeing him. "Oh my Celestia!" She cried hugging him tight and cried. She pulled back wiping a tear, "I thought you were dead you big idiot... I can't believe you did that... And how are you even alive...." She just hugged him, "I don't care! Your alive!" She looked up when she saw the mother from the fire come in. Her eyes widened while she came to Leon's side. Tears filled the mother's eyes, this made Starlight step back away. The mother pulled up a chair and tears filled her eyes as she just stared over him crying into her hooves.
"Today," she broke her silence stuttering from her crying, "I celebrated my youngest forth birthday... I would never seen them again if you hadn't saved them. I can never repay that. I have no words for how grateful I am. You were willing to give up your life for my family." She buried her face into his chest crying more, "Please wake up, so I may repay your kindness!"
Starlight put her hoof on the mare's side, "He will be okay, trust me. Now how about we let him rest." She nodded and Starlight helped her out. They left Leon alone for the night.
A rush of thought, as his eyes burst awake, and his heart pounded like a drum. He struggled hard, before ripping the bandages apart. His body was perfectly healed and he fell to hard floor with a thud. He was able to wiggle free. He weakly crawled to a mirror and looked to his horror. His eyes had turn into yin yang symbols. He screamed out, his teeth sharpened, and his fangs grew longer. He panted hard, the transformation had completed. His eyes faded to the sky blue hue again. He jumped away from the mirror, yelling in terror. He quickly stumbled to his hooves. He heard the door open quickly. He turned his head to see a screaming nurse Red Heart. He galloped past her, while she screamed for security. He saw the front doors slam shut by two big stallion guards. He told his legs to stop, but instead, on their own accord, they moved faster. His head dipped down exposing his sharp horn, like a ram. The guards went wide eyed, right as he blew them away like bowling pins and burst the door off its hinges. He skid to his hind legs and turned to look back. He saw the guards coming to get him. He saluted, before taking off on his back legs at faster then any pony could have achieved. Once he reached the edge of the Everfree, he looked back only seeing a dust trail he made through town. He still stood on his back legs and looked down at himself. "What is happening to me?" He asked out loud. A timber wolf jumped out at him. Its fangs and claws posed to tear him into shreds and eat him. He didn't even think twice, before he could even blink, like another being had taken control; his fore hoof was buried into its face. The wooden wolf exploded into a blast of splinters and tree bark. More wolves jumped out to encircle him. He cracked his neck and took a fighting stance, "Whatever it is, I like it...." A wolf leaped at him and his hooves became a blur of punches and kicks. One by one he obliterated them with incredible strength and speed.
The morning sun broke the carnage of the wolf massacre that took place in the middle of the night. Leon was now snoozing on a big pile of wooden body parts. A few wolves weakly chew on his legs, but they simply couldn't hurt him. He woke with a yawn sending the surviving wolves scurrying for their lives.
"Is there going to be an encore mister?" Sweetie Belle asked emerging from the bushes, "I watched the whole thing. That was.... A bit insane."
Leon came closer, "I could put on another show, but that would be extinction. Say who are you anyway?"
"I am Sweetie Belle," she smiled then asked, "What are you?"
"If only I knew..." He looked himself over, "I guess I am Leon Orian."
"Wait!" She gasped and hugged him, "Your that pony I saved! Wow so this what you look like with your skin and fur intact."
He held his head, "I barely remember. All I remember is a fire and saving foals before everything going a big haze."
"Wait you're a bat pony...." She looked at him get nervous then she squeed, "That's pretty epic. Hey there is a puppeteer visiting town want to come with me?"
His ears perked up, "I love puppets. When I was visiting Manehatten they had tons of them."
"Wow Leon!" She smiled wider, "You sure have an interesting life. Do... You... Wanna be my friend?"
Leon ears perked up, then down causing him to rub his fore leg with his other and look nervous, "Gee... Aren't I a bit too old for you?"
"Leon..." She smiles more, "Friendship is not about age.... Its about being there for each other. Now I was there for you when you were a dying. Can't you just be here for me. A helpless filly who lost her parents?.."
He thought for a moment then smiled, "Sure, I can be your big brother even...."
"Don't get carried away," she giggled.
He laughed, "lets go Sweetie Belle."
The two would head to a small crowd of fillies and colts and her two best friends were there. She had been kind of neglectful to them since her parents died. They smiled to her, but held back from her. They knew she was having a rough time and gave her space. The show began and her attention focused on that. The puppeteer used a strange magic to make the puppets move. Most the kids seemed bored of it, but Sweetie Belle was fully engulfed in the magic. She couldn't stop staring at how it worked. Leon, however stayed silently in the shadows, fearing he would cause a scene. Sweetie Belle waited for the show to end, and once the others were gone, she galloped to the big yellow stallion puppeteer. "Hey sir?" She pulled on his coat, "Can you teach me that magic?"
The old stallion's eyes lit up as he smiled, "Of course. Here have my old spell book, anything to help a new generation. Wee lass." He gave her his magic book, as he then taught a few spells before heading off. Sweetie Belle ran to Leon and dragged him home.
Rarity was instantly upset that there was a stallion that, just yesterday, was just a burnt corpse. And now, he was hanging around her baby sister.
"You brute!" She threw a plate at Leon, "How dare you hang around my baby sister you perv!" She threw more things at him when Sweetie Belle began to cry. Her crying snapped Rarity out of her rage. She sighed and looked at Leon with anger, "Fine! But, I am watching you! I swear I will break you in half with my bear hooves, despite how disgusting it be! Got it!" Leon nodded scared. Sweetie Belle hugged his leg and stuck her tongue out at Rarity.
Rarity growled and watched them with extreme scrutiny. Sweetie Belle began to practice the magic, but to no effect. The next few weeks would pass and Rarity began to trust Leon. She even liked having him around he helped her make male clothes. They often talked when Sweetie Belle was busy with her studies about their lives. Rarity felt bad for him. He had no family and few friends. "Leon.." she smiled to him softly.
"Yes Rarity?" he looked up from her taking measurements of him.
"Do you remember anything of your past life?" she asked curiously.
"Not one thing," he replied, then finally said it, "Except maybe a vision."
"Vision?" she smiled curiously.
"I remember long fields of wheat and grain," he replied, "A mare older mare waiting on a hill top for me. Then, dark clouds would come, and the world burned before my eyes." Rarity blinked, then sighed and continued her work.
"Try not to think of it," she tell him, "It's obvious your past life was taken away from you for a reason.
One day, Sweetie Belle was really practicing her magic, when Leon walked in on her. She jumped and a beam of green shot at him. It hit him and bounce back at her. She screamed out in agony. Then, her horn roared to life and fired a beam at the doll. She panted hard, but as for the doll, it began moving. Her eyes widened, as it moved by itself. It stood up and looked around, before grabbing its neck like it was choking. It fell to the ground and died. An idea hit her hard forcing her push Leon from the room. She grabbed a blow torch. "I know exactly what to do!" She smiled and went straight to work. "I created life... Real life, but it was not able to live without a functional body." She talked to herself, "Maybe, I could do it again, but I need to make a body." She thought hard, then had the idea to build a machine that could support itself. She built a tiny mouse machine. Then, she concentrated really hard, and within moments her horn glowed green. It brought the mouse to life. She jumped for joy around her room. But, now it hit her...... Her parents, could it work if she replaced the broken bits with machinery.....
She would sneak her way into Twilight's library and steal books on machines. For nights on end, she studied from simple to complex machinery, even going as far to make her own. It was like her destiny and she could feel it inside her. This was what she was meant to do. Her current cutie mark was a lie. This was her real calling and now came the final act.
It was a dark and stormy night, the wind blew hard, and cold rain beat across her face. The lightening cracked the sky revealing a grave of two parents. Sweetie Belle stepped before it. Her eyes filled with tears. She considered going back, while she ran her hoof over the grave. But, a voice in her head told her to shove her shovel into the dirt. It took what seemed an eternity. But, she made it. With a dark smile across her face and lightening cracking behind her; she opened the coffin. Inside were her parents, tears filled her eyes, she shut her eyes tight. She then shook her head, "I will bring you back then no pony will ever die again!" She reached in and grabbed them and stuffed their corpses in a bag. With that she dragged them back to a cave she found previously. Inside was a lab only a mad scientist could love. She quickly flopped the bodies on the operating table. She smiled with dark intent. She skip to her command console. Mechanical arms came down from the ceiling and operated on the subjects. They inserted machinery and removed unneeded or broken organs. Finally, the time came, she creep to the new cyborg ponies. Her horn glowed bright green, "Tonight I defy the grim reaper and undue the wrongs he has caused me. Mom and dad come back to me!" She fired her magic into the bodies, and before her very eyes, they began moving. She laughed evilly out loud, while they slowly stood up. She laid before them, "MOM! DAD!"
"Operating system required!" They replied together.
"What? Don't you recognize me?" She now looked horrified.
"Operating System Required!" They only repeated.
It hit her.... She could bring their flesh to life, but not their life force. She screamed enraged, burying her hooves into her face to cry. Then, a ray of light seemed to peak through the cave entrance, casting a shadow behind her parents of herself. Her eyes went wide and she smiled dementedly, "if I can't save them, then I can save every pony else. But, I need an army... I need some way to fight the evil of flesh in this world. Something built in my image...." She began building a robot and what came was an identical robotic replica of herself. She turned it on, forcing its green demon eyes to turn on. It looked toward her with evil look upon its face. It smiled evilly, she laughed out loud.