//------------------------------// // Living the New Life // Story: Final Fantasy VII: Darkness in Equestria // by Axel IV //------------------------------// There was something about Cloud that Twilight couldn't put a hoof on. She only knew him for a short while, but he had an odd behavior. All ponies for the most part were really friendly, open, and easy to get along with. Cloud was a mystery, and Twilight and the rest of her friends found him most curious. They had wanted to bombard him with intense questions, but figured that he really didn't feel like answering them at the moment. She would eventually figure him out, but that would take some time. Stepping off from the train, Twilight observed the human once more. He had his normal stone-faced demeanor on, and he carried himself confidently but had a tinge of sadness wherever he went. Twilight sensed that he had a past that he wanted to forget...and that it wouldn't be easily forgotten. It was probably also because of the new world he was in. Twilight made note to make his stay here as comfortable as possible. "So....What do you think of Ponyville?" Twilight asked, hoping to get an answer from the man. Cloud looked down at her, his strange blue eyes almost mesmerizing and she had to quickly look away. Was she finding him...a bit attractive? "It's peaceful." he said, a few of the ponies staring at him with wide eyes. Most of them had no idea who he was, and a familiar idea snapped in Pinkie's mind, making her jaw drop. "OhmygodIshouldreallytelleverybodythatCloudisgonnahaveapartysoonbecauseheneedstomeeteveryponysoIshouldbeofftoSugarcubecornersoIcangetpreparedI'llseeyoualllater!" Pinkie Dashed away, leaving Cloud completely speechless. Yuffie talked fast, but this...this was ridiculous! "Yeah...." Twilight chuckled lightly, "She's just getting ready to set up a party for you." "Wait...a party?" Cloud asked, raising an eyebrow. Okay...that was something he was definitely not ready for. "Yeah!" Rainbow grinned, flying up next to his head, "She throws the best parties! You get to meet all the ponies in Ponyville tonight!" Emotion almost made Cloud make a facial expression. Almost. This was completely overwhelming. He didn't want to meet anymore ponies, and he certainly didn't think he had time to, much less the town itself. He could tell that damage had been taken from the encounter with the Ursa Major, and he had seen some busy ponies repairing the houses and such. He wondered how they could do that without hands... "Wait..." Cloud hit a realization, "Where's my sword?" "Exactly where you left it...." Twilight chuckled nervously, "We...kinda couldn't carry it back to you. Even Big Macintosh couldn't tug that thing anywhere..." Figures. Anyways, Cloud found the first thing on his agenda he needed to finish. He instructed them to take him to it, and they did so nervously. Where they thinking that he was going to try and massacre the whole town? Funny. He wasn't Sephiroth. Cloud made note of some of the landmarks they pointed out to him. Sugarcube Corner, the bakery. It was shaped like cupcakes, and that made it really hard to miss. Apparently that was where the party would take place. What a joy. The next was Carousel Boutique where the white unicorn Rarity lived. He learned that she was a fashion designer, which explains her interest in his clothing. He made no eye contact with the passing ponies and had no interest in what they thought of him. But for some reason...he felt like he was being followed. He glanced back and thought he saw something bright green dart out of the way. Shrugging it off, he paid it no heed. It's not like any of these ponies would really want to try anything anyway. He guessed that they were approaching his sword when he saw a small crowd gathered around in a circle. They were all talking to themselves, and it looked as though some were prodding at it with their hooves. When they saw him, they immediately shushed and backed away, giving him the view of his familiar weapon. Three small ponies, however, didn't see him coming up and resumed their conversation. "I bet this is some sort of monster-killing weapon!" An orange, purple haired pegasus exclaimed, "He must be a monster slayer!" "I think he's more of a knight. He didn't look like some monster killer!" Piped out a white unicorn with strange purple swirls in her mane. "This sword is too goofy lookin' to be a knight sword! And he didn't look like a monster slayer!" A small yellow mare speaking in Applejack's accent chimed, "What in Celestia is he?!" "A delivery boy." Cloud grumbled. Their eyes widened as they looked at him, jumping back a few feet. "Whoa..." The pegasus blinked, "He's bigger than I thought!" "Are you going to pick that thing up?! It's so heavy!" The unicorn cried. "Wait...A delivery boy?" The yellow pony asked, "Kinda like....Derpy?" Cloud ignored them, gripping the handle with his right hand. With a swift flick of the arm, he twirled the sword as he picked it up, sheathing it onto the harness on his back. "Whoa!" The crowd gasped, "Did you see that?! He picked that thing up like it was a stick!" "Hey Cloud..." Twilight said nervously, "That sword...kinda looks like a puzzle piece...why is that?" Cloud decided that he should at least amuse her. He pulled the sword out, moving his other hand over. With a *click* a piece came off of it, falling into his hand and unfolded into another big sword. The jaws of all the ponies dropped. "It's made up of six different swords." Cloud said, combining the two swords together again and placing it back onto his back. "That just made it sound much heavier..." Applejack blinked, "Are all your people like this?!" Cloud looked at her and shook his head, "Just a few." he noticed that the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, was looking at his sword as though it was some sort of demonic artifact. Was she just scared, or did she have something against him? "Anyways..." Twilight cleared her throat, "L-Let's show you to your new home." "Temporary home." Cloud corrected, following behind the pegasus. The others were right behind him, and he had a feeling was that they didn't quite trust him yet. Waving a big sword around like that was definitely going to make them feel uncomfortable, but he didn't need to be trusted. He wasn't going to trust them anyway, even if they all seemed innocent and harmless. He wasn't about ready to drop his guard. "So Cloud..." Rainbow Dash asked, flying up next to him, "What exactly is that big metal thing in Twilight's basement?" Cloud almost couldn't hold back a smirk. They were probably talking about his motorcycle, Fenrir. He was wondering what condition it was probably in...He had put a ton of Gil into it. It wouldn't rust easily, but he had no doubt that it wasn't in the best shape. He would need to repair it. "It's for transportation. If I get it working, I'll show you." He could tell that Rainbow Dash wanted to pester him with more questions, but she held back. Cloud had a way of making people or in this case ponies shut up, but that was only if they didn't know him well. And he was as sure as hell not going to get all friendly with these...things. They began to approach a massive tree near the edge of town, and it had taken a bit before Cloud realized that it was actually a gigantic house. He had never seen a sight like this yet...but it didn't really surprise him. If this was attempted back on his planet, the tree would've definitely be dead. "Sorry if the doorway is a little...small for you." Cloud sighed silently, watching as each of the ponies went into the strange structure before him. He had to remove his sword from his back and bend down to get in, and it was still a very uncomfortable fit. Either way, he had a new place to stay and he could work on his motorcycle. The ponies were already seated at the table, giving him their cheeriest smiles. They probably wanted to make him feel more comfortable to annoy him with more pointless questions. He was going to go out of his way to not get too involved with them. "Where's the basement?" He asked, staring directly at Twilight. "It's that door over there. But before you go, we were just wondering- "Not interested." Cloud stated plainly, making his way over to the small door and slamming it closed behind him. "What a brute!" Rarity declared, "He could at least be more of a gentlecolt! One does not slam the door in the presence of a lady!" "Yeah, yeah." Rainbow Dash snorted, "What a rude guy! I don't trust him one bit!" "Maybe we should give him more time..." Twilight piped up, "You know...it's quite a big adjustment when you travel to a different world without even knowing how you did it." "Twi is right." Applejack nodded, "Maybe this guy is a little homesick. I'm sure Pinkie's party will put the life right back into him! What do you think Fluttershy?" They blinked, realizing that the yellow pegasus was no longer in their presence. The basement door closed silently behind them, and none of them guessed where she could be. Cloud groaned audibly, running his hand through his spiky blonde hair. His broken bike was lying at his feet, already covered in dust and who knows what. He sighed, leaning his sword against one of the walls. The basement was surprisingly big, a small window being his only source of light. There were a few bookshelves with a few books lying here and there, but otherwise there was nothing else. He bent down to examine his only companion in Equestria. The frame was dented and bent a little, the gas tank showing a few leaky holes. The exhaust was bent slightly as well, and his handbrake was practically torn off. The wheels had tears in them, and his seat was all burnt away and gone. Speaking of being burnt, his bike was practically covered in blacked fire stains. The starter was completely unusable. The only things that looked usable was the six compartments that held each of his six swords. He set up his bike, a bit satisfied that at least his kick stand worked. Now he just needed to find a place to work on his bike where there was much better light and with the tools he needed. Before he could get another thought across, he heard one of the steps on the stairs behind him creak. His hand instinctively reached for his sword, but he stopped when he saw the yellow pegasus nervously freeze in her tracks. This pony...This Fluttershy...for some reason, she reminded him of someone. And he hated that feeling, and was hoping to stay away from her as much as possible. He gritted his teeth a little, not really wanting to be disturbed. And the pegasus definitely felt it. "What do you want?" He asked, "I'm busy." His voice was its usual tone, but there was a tinge of venom in there. The yellow pony started shivering a little, and a small bit of regret was beginning to wash over him. "Ah...well...um...uh...y-you see...." She started, sitting down on her flanks, "I...I...u-um....I...." Cloud almost growled at her, but that wouldn't have been a great idea. He was already somehow feeling bad for her. He sighed, before walking up to her. Her eyes widened in fear, but they lessened when he crouched down in front of her. "What's on your mind?" He asked. Fluttershy couldn't help but be speech-less. In the dim, dusty light, Cloud's eyes seemed to be...glowing. It was distracting, and she could almost feel herself being lost in them. She eventually shook it her, her heart beating wildly in anxiety. There was something that she needed to know. "A...A while ago...T-There were t-three...t-three animals in the f-forest..." Tears began welling up in her eyes and she glanced back up at them, "I...I-I was j-just wondering if you...um...if you...w-were the o-one who...took away...their l-lives..." She began sniffling, and Cloud gave her a questioning look. "No." He shook his head, "I didn't kill anything during my time here. I only fought in self defense, and I didn't take away the lives of any animal or creature. You have my word." "R-Really?..." She asked, her eyes making Cloud looked away uncomfortably. "Yes." He said, standing back up, "Whatever did it....wasn't me." He moved back to his bike,"You should probably go back upstairs with the others. I'll...be up in a bit." "O-Okay!" She said cheerfully, making her way up the steps. Cloud sighed softly, his hand resting itself softly against his bike. He really needed to stop being nice.