//------------------------------//
// Behind Closed Doors 
// Story: Humans Assemble! 
// by Mistershield 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 35- Behind Closed Doors


Junebug tilted her head to the side, making her cream mane slip to the side a bit. This human was doing something. Merchant Creeper Pasta (Yes, his name is Creeper, better than Flasher. Or is it?) turned his head to the sides, looking for a nice spot to set up his shop. Normally, one didn’t need a permit to set a shop- Especially those that were selling home grown products. But special items did need to clear through City Hall and the Mayor. But this fellow didn’t seem to care. 

The Merchant walked over to a fence, where several other ponies had set up their shops. The pale skinned human smirked, seeing how the other sellers were trying to sell. He was the King of the Merchants, and he had a trick or two to show off. Let them try to match his charisma. He got down to his left knee, moving his huge backpack from his shoulders to the ground with a grunt. Junebug moved her head straight and then followed him, a bit curious as to what he was up to.

“To sell your wares, welcome the stares,” Merchant begun to sing in a low voice. He opened up the top of his bag to have his right hand move out and sway with flair. 

“You must be smart, it takes the heart,” he sung, taking out a typewriter and some ribbons. He stood up, rubbing the red portable typewriter to give it some gloss. He then set it down on a tree stump.

“Not just any skill, but also strong will,” Merchant moved both arms into his bags again, and he took out two unlit torches. He turned to look at Junebug, winking once to show off his red eyes. Other ponies at the Sunday Market begun to take note of the odd human and turned to look at the singing. 

“More than just a flash, some classy panache!” Creeper turned to the ponies and spun the torches against his palms, only to catch them from the air and have them light up with blue fire. A few of the ponies smiled, while other welcomed the show with fervor. They needed a distraction after the commotion from the last two days. The torches were placed on the fence thanks to always-on-hand secure metal stands.

“So come on down, one and all! Meet the fancy one cure-all!” The merchant sand, moving his left hand to the top of his coat and pull it open with flair The right hand moved out to retrieve a first aid spray out and spin it.

“This is not your beauty? Something little more rooty?” He said to put away the spray and take out a vial mixture or red mixed with green crushed herbs. The vial was held with one hand, only the thin and nimble fingers held it up for all to view.

“So come be my dear guest, put my service to test!” He sang, finishing with a short bow. Junebug had to admire this man’s style, a lot of ponies were now interested in his wares. But he was not done just yet. He picked himself up, letting his coat fall back to drape over his form and raise both arms to the sides, up over his head as if to hug everypony. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and children of all ages. I proudly bring to you the finest salesman in the woooooooooooooorld!” He lowered both arms down, leaving only his right hand up to lift the index finger up. “And if you are now down with that, I have a few choice words for you.” He stopped there, moving his hands to the top of his backpack and give it a kick to have the backpack roll out to lie on the ground. Guns, ammo, healing items, and even eggs were on sale.

“What are ya buyin’?”
_____________________________________


Dan walked to the far end of the barn, looking around to the sides. Good, no cows or other quadrupeds that would listen in. He moved to lock the doors, giving them some privacy. At the other end, Dovahkiin stood at the doorway to nod to everyone and let them walk in. He had met all of them, save for Jack. When Jack walked past, Dovahkiin froze a moment, feeling “something” through his back. He had not reacted at all to the others, just noting them as friends or fellow fighters.

There was no name for that feeling though. Dovahkiin had felt it only once before, when he first meet Alduin. Something that was setting him on edge. Something that told him events would change. A reason to fear. A reason to hope. Mostly, if Dovahkiin fought this man, he would lose. He doubted any of the humans could be a match for this fellow. And he had been partnered up with Spike, the seemingly smallest partner of them all.

Samurai Jack had apparently waited for the others, willing to be the last one inside. His right hand was raised up to his woven hat, holding it over his eyes. The Asian warrior smiled, honestly glad to see so many humans. Least, humans not changed so much by time. Sephiroth’s wing was the only odd duck. The “First” as the Elements of Change had come to be known, stepped in before the others. It seems that Ralf, Travis, Snake, and Sephiroth acknowledged them as some sort of partisan party. The rest said nothing, simply knowing that Dan was going to lead the meeting. 

That, and that he harbored signs of taking over Equestria. Least, they didn't think Phoenix was joking.

Once they had all walked in, the dragonborn turned to look around and make sure no one was around. Only Spike and Big Macintosh remained. Dovahkiin tilted his head to the side, debating if he should let them in. They were “men” as it stood. He motioned for them to step inside and then close the door behind them all. 

“We are all males here. What goes on here, stays here. Promise that whatever occurs, never leaves this barn. If you violate this oath-” Dovahkiin stopped talking, moving his left hand up to point at Dan. Spike gulped, having an intimate knowledge of Dan. Big Macintosh raised his eyebrows, but simply nodded. There was some things that as a male, you could not share with a mare.

“What about Samus?” Spike asked, lifting his right eyebrow. It was an honest question, she was the only female. 

“You can always go talk with the mares,” Dovahkiin said, opening the door. Spike took a second to think about it, and then shook his head to the sides. He had enough female wisdom for once. As a sage, he should get so much needed guy input. Snips and Snails weren’t exactly the best to bond with.

“Just close the door. This meeting is gonna take a while,” Dan said as he walked to where there was a small wooden crate turned over. It looks like Applejack set it there to use as a makeshift podium. The smallest human moved to stand up on it, looking around. “Everyone line up, seven on one side, six on the other. First things off, notes.” Dan motioned to his left and right side to where the hay stacks had been set.

“Where do we sit?” Spike asked, lifting his eyebrows to look around. Big Macintosh nodded, not wanting to get in the way of proceedings. 

“Just sit anywhere you like, and please don’t talk. Time’s wasting, and I only bought us an hour,” Phoenix said. Noting time was some sort of factor, the humans moved to sit down. Soma, Samus, Sephiroth, Dovahkiin, Travis, Ash, and finally Phoenix sat down to the right side. Nathan, Otacon, Snake, Spy, Jack, Ralf, and Sokka sat on the left. It was almost as if the modified humans sat on one side, and the not so human on the other. Spike opted to ride Big Mac, who moved to sit on the side with the less humans.

“Alright. Nathan will talk about ponies, hopefully you already learned a thing or two. Then Otacon will go over his notes over Changelings. Please, no questions, this is all we know. Even some of us have been longer, there is a lot we still do not know.” Nathan moved to stand up, taking out his journal to go over the notes over the ponies. When he was finished, Otacon stood up and went over what he learned about the changelings.  

“Alright, introductions next. Why? Well, its the whole reason we were summoned,” Dan stopped talking there, actually lifting his hands up to make the quotations with his fingers. “And yes, we all may have gotten here by accidents, weird portals, or whatever- But no, these small horses all summoned us here because of a problem with a race of shapeshifters or “Changelings.”” He stopped, seeing if anyone had questions or couldn’t follow. Strangely enough, all the humans had some kind of encounter with shape changers or the supernatural in their past.

“Ok good. The whole reason we are doing self introductions is a safety measure. We have no idea if these changelings can change into us. At least by doing introductions, we can identify each other by asking questions. Simple right? Its either that, or tattoos,” Dan said to lower his arms and sit down on the wooden crate. 

“How do we know none of us is a changeling now?” Spike asked.

“I thought we told you to shut up,” Dan said, frowning. Spike lowered his head, clearly needing to get used to the idea of being a sage.

“It is a fair question though,” Samurai Jack said, lifting his head to defend his dragon partner.

“So far, changelings have to know a person first before they can change into them. The sound of their voice, mannerisms, etc...” Otacon said, lifting his head up. “Also, we have all displayed powers that changelings are simply unable to do. I think its a good idea to show off a skill when we introduce ourselves, that way we know we are not changelings.”

“I like this idea, but some of us don’t have super powers,” Sokka said. He got a Nod from Nate and Spy. His only skill was change disguises, and clearly showing that skill off would only bring suspicions on himself.

“I have a skill I want to use when I introduce myself,” Dovahkiin said, lifting his right hand up. “Trust me.”

“If there is no more interruptions, we have to get this rolling. I am going to go first. My full name is Dan Mandel. I have no super powers, other than this,” Dan said, lifting his left hand to show off the King of Hearts. “But I can used explosives, axes, and I can dance fight pretty well. Don’t piss me off, seriously. You only get one warning,” he said in a very low voice and narrow his eyes. The King of Hearts begun to glow. “My pet is named Mr. Mumbles, and she’s a cat. Yes, She. Lets see...I have way too many accomplishments to mention. However, taking on Canada and New Mexico are still my best plans. That’s all you need to know.” 

“No, he’s right. Do not piss him off,” Sephiroth said, remembering what the leader did to punish the Crusaders. That still made him smile. Sokka shut both eyes, wondering who would name a female cat “Mr.” Nate chuckled, finding the idea clever. As everyone spoke, Otacon took notes with his PDA. It looks like he was the only one that could.

“Well, he is the leader after all,” Soma said, nodding. The soul hunter had grown to like Dan, though clearly afraid of pissing him off. Also, it seemed that sinister aura Sephiroth had was not present at the moment. Jack and few others nodded, having no problems with Authority. Travis said nothing, not wanting to get any heat on him. Who knows what else their leader could do with his mark?

“You next,” Dan said to point at Soma. May as well go down the line to make it easier. “Try to keep the questions to a minimum, we got a lot to cover.” 

“Alright. My name’s Soma Cruz. I’m not a formal warrior, but I sort have had experience with weapons combat,” the young man said. May as well show off a skill. He held out both arms out, making his Death Scythe materialize from nowhere and into his hands. “Yeah, I don't know how I do that. I am the reincarnation of a Dark Lord, so I got a lot of his powers. My most notable power though, is soul domination.” Soma drew his hands back and made the weapon vanish. With a snap of his fingers, an imp familiar came out into view.

“Domination?” Samus asked, a bit thrown off by the term. Was he a sadist?

“When I defeated a monster, I can sometimes get their soul. When I use the soul, I can get some sort of an effect. Usually though, its a type of projectile weapon, a personal buff, or helper like this little guy. His name’s Loki.” The little imp spun in the air, and then vanished after Soma snapped his fingers again. “Some of you may have seen me as a bat or that giant golem yesterday. Can do that too.” A few nodded, noting how much potential damage Soma could do. Sephiroth debated recruiting this fellow. 

“I am Samus Aran,” the only female human said. She brought her left hand to her chest. “I am probably the top bounty hunter in the... Well my galaxy. I work alone, but often gets jobs from the space military. I used to be in the military myself, but things didn’t work out,” she said. “I was granted special powers by being infused with DNA of by an alien race called Chozo and also Metroid. But, most of these effects I need my armor on to use. At the moment, its recharging. I can use weapons such as missiles, beam, artillery such as bombs, and blasters.” She shrugged, not sure how much to reveal.

“I have enhanced agility and reflexes, and I am stronger than most women,” she guessed. She doubted that even with her powers, Ralf and Dovahkiin still looked stronger. “I am a good pilot, and thanks to the Federation Police, i have been trained in hacking, puzzle solving, and standard vaccinations so I am immune or at least some resistance to diseases or radiation.” Dan picked up his head, nodding. So far, none of the ponies or humans had gotten sick.

“My name’s... Sephiroth. I am not sure, but I think I had a last name at one point,” the long haired fellow said. It looks like he and Samus were the only ones with long hair. “I remember being in a private army called SOLDIER. I was commander. But,” he stopped there, moving his head to look over his right shoulder. His one black wing spread out into view. “There was an experiment. I was... upgraded. I know Mako and Lifestream were involved. I can't remember much for some odd reason.” 

“Amnesia?” Ralf asked, lifting his eyebrows. Phoenix tilted his head to the side. Whatever Dan and he had done to the Cetra, it seems his memory had been affected. The one winged angel was nothing like how they first met.

“No... Least I do not think so. Parts come to me, but they quickly fade,” Sephiroth said. “More like I feel as if I am living from outside my old self, if that makes sense.” He then moved to motion to his back. “I still remember my sword fighting style, and combat moves. I posses incredible strength and agility thanks to the experiment.” To show off a skill now... “I also posses rapid regeneration. I recovered from an attack that could kill a normal man in just a few hours. At one time I could use magic, but I need materia or access to Mako energy to use it.” 

Nothing new to some of the humans. Snake could recover health just by eating. Dan smiled, remembering using his King of Hearts for the first time. To show off his skill, Sephiroth picked up his left hand and took off his glove. Sticking out his thumb, he picked it up to bite his thumb and make it bleed. His arm moved out to show off the wound, only to have it stop and reveal it healed.

“My name’s Jokull Freysson. But I am now called Dovahkiin. I am part dragon, thanks to that I posses magic and a skill called Thu’um or “Shouting.” Ever seen dragon spew fire? that’s it,” the dragonborn said to motion to Spike. “I am going to use one now, so please do not freak out. Its nothing dangerous.” He moved to stand up, making the others sit straight. Dovahkiin winked a Spike, giving him a free lesson. “This is called, “Aura Whisper.”

“LAAS YAH NIR!” he shouted, moving his head back and then bringing his head forward. Instantly, a hazy aura of red spread out in the area. Since it was indoors, it was roughly the range of 300 feet. All of the humans winced or moved back. They heard the word ‘whisper’ and not expected a damn roar. The Dovahkiin’s eyes changed color though, turning to look around himself. He could see a red aura over them all. “It lets me...” He stopped talking, waiting for a few of them to stop rubbing their ears. “Sorry about that. It lets me detect life forces or enemies around me. Besides that, I am trained in archery, one hand weapons, and blacksmithing.”

“Incidentally, I think you should also know this guy likes to change clothes. I think its for the type of combat he’s using,” Phoenix added. “So don't be surprised if he’s wearing different clothes.” 

“Good point Phoenix. As for personal background...” Dovahkiin moved to sit back down to think a second. “I am an archmage, leader of the Wizard’s College in Skyrim. I attended the Bard college.” Lets not mention the Thieves Guild just yet. Some nodded, impressed by the half human. Dovahkiin raised his eyebrows for a second. How many people were there in the barn? He lost count...

“I am Travis Touchdown. Assassin by trade. Anybody got a problem with that?” Travis said, moving to lean forward. He frowned a bit, not sure if anyone was noticing a trend among the humans. They are all people more than willing to use violence. “My choice of weapon is..” He moved to take out his beam katana, flicking the switch to make it hum to life with a red light. “But I also can use kicking techniques, grappling wrestling moves, and I am a really good bike rider.” He turned off the beam weapon to put it away. He missed his bike and TV.

“As for skill, I can’t show it off now. My special ability is “Dark Side.” I tap into a dark primal force I seem to posses. Once I do that, I have access to several moves. Anarchy in the Galaxy that you saw me using in the tournament, and also swing light beams from my weapon that you saw me doing against the dragon yesterday. Unfortunately, I can only use these powers if Luna activates them.”

As the list went on, Sokka and Nate frowned. Sokka was feeling more and more outclassed as they showed off abilities that could rival benders. Nate was starting to wonder just how he was supposed to be “Equal” to these guys. 

“So far, all you guys seem to possess special powers. I guess you can call what I got Special too...” Ash said, moving to stand up. If he was going to introduce himself, he was going to do this right. “Name’s Ashley Williams, but just call me Ash. I swear to god if I get one girly comment,” He raised his metal arm, making it squeeze with a hard metal rasping. “After one night with a demonic book- I have gone through time traveling, possesed by a spirit of the damned, and fought an army of the undead evil lead by my dark twin or something or other.” 

He stopped there, moving to get his weapons from his back. Shotgun in his left hand, chainsaw in the right. “Thanks to that, it seems I have a more resilient body and was granted strength above regular humans. And I used to be a damn sales clerk at S-Mart.” The other humans said nothing, having respect for the fellow. Nate felt bad for Ash, that was no armor he was wearing on his hand. Somehow, the poor guy had to get his hand cut off and replaced. “Last thing, it seems I can use magic, but I am really bad at it.”

“I’m Phoenix Wright. Former ace attorney, and now run a talent agency,” the black haired man said. “Like Dan, I had come to Equestria before, but I was needed as an attorney, while Dan was brought here by accident.” Dan nodded at the mention, moving to cross both arms on his chest. Phoenix raised his own marked hand, revealing the Double Phoenix Emblem. “Like him, I’ve also been.. Branded,” he said, moving his own arm out to make a shield appear over his arm.

Weird. Both he and Dan gotten their marks on the back of their left hands. Phoenix made his shield vanish again. Nate idly moved his left hand over his right and rubbed his skin with the thumb. Was Branding that much of a power boost?

“While I am a lawyer, I have stepped up to save the world and fought alongside heroes like Deadpool and Captain America. I think... I think I can also shout like Dovahkiin there, but in a different way. However, I can access a power within me. I never gave it a name though, I mostly used it unconsciously. I think its activated when I achieve true courage and confidence, knowing I can win. Others call it “Turnabout,” when I turn the situation around at my favor. Once that does happen, I gain an incredible power boost.” 

Some that knew the lawyer nodded, having witnessed it first hand. An odd thought occurred to Soma. What would happened if Phoenix achieved Turnabout mode and activated his Brand? The modified humans then turned to look over at the less than enhanced humans. They didn’t think less about each other, though some of the other humans were starting to feel inadequate. Dan pointed to Sokka, may as well go in a circle.

“I am Sokka, from the Southern Water Tribe. I don't think I come from the same place you guys all come from. Where I come from, people can manipulate the elements of water, fire, wind, and earth. Still, I am a not an elemental bender. Just a plain human...” Sokka said, lowering his hands on his knees. 

“So what?” Dan asked, lifting his eyebrows. “I’m not super powered, but I still think I am better than those guys.” He motioned to Soma, who immediately frowned. Still, the teen said nothing. He wanted to give Sokka a chance, being the two youngest guys here. “Don’t you got any skills? Leadership? Training?” Dan said.

“Oh.. Well I have been trained in traditional Southern Tribe combat. Spears, nets, clubs, boomerang. Pretty good aim actually,” Soma said, bringing out his favorite weapon. “While traveling the world, I learned other things. Hunting, fishing, boat captain, tactics. Later I received formal training under a sword master and learned formal fencing.” Samurai Jack smiled, hoping to spar with the teen. It had been a long time since he had a friendly spar. Where’s this man’s sword though?

“I later became a leader of a rebellion against a tyrant lord trying to take over the world. I worked with Generals, Commanders, Kings in armies. It was touch and go for a while, but thanks to my team we won the day. Granted, they did the heavy stuff, but I was more of the brain.” Sokka nodded. He did have some accomplishments under his belt.

Dan nodded, liking this kid. A lot like him, get others to do the hard stuff and plan. Kings and Generals huh? Its looks like Sokka was going to be more use as a team leader once they all split up. Others nodded, impressed that such a young man was so capable. Spike made a mental note to start hanging around Sokka more. So young and still able to talk to others above his station.

“Pretty cool kid, I knew I liked ya for a reason,” Ralf said with a grin. He was next. “I’m Ralf Jones, one of the Ikari Warriors. I am from an elite military mercenary unit, under the command of Heidern. I hold the rank of Colonel, and I have earned the nickname “One Man Army.” He smiled, closing both eyes. “I guess I am trained in the standard stuff. Firearms, explosives, knife combat, and I can drive heavy artillery like tanks and jeeps.” He opened his eyes, making a fist. “But my main form of combat is hand to hand commando savate, with some grappling and assassination moves. I am starting to run out of gunpowder though, I lace my boots and gloves with them to give my hits some extra oomph.”

Sokka smiled at Ralf, also liking the big lug. Nate winced at the memory. Snake and Spy nodded at the soldier. Ralf’s reputation was well earned. “Lets see... Something personal I guess. I like to collect knives, and I like to chew gum. I love baseball. No offense, but I hate snakes,” He said looking at Solid Snake. The other soldier raised his hand up to wave it off. “The bandana I wear is the most important thing I own. It was a gift from my best friend, Clark. I took a bullet, so he made me bite on this while he took it out. Saved my life in the trenches of a war.” Ralf lowered his head, smiling at the memory.

“I am called Jack, a name granted to me after traveling to the distant future,” The Samurai said. He picked up his head, moving his hand to slide his hat off his head. “A demon named Aku flung from my time when I was on the verge of defeating him. While I had been sent through time, Aku healed and then took over the world.” He stopped there, moving to take the katana from his side and draw it out for the others to see. “This is a magic sword, created from metal that fell from the sky. It was the only thing that could hurt Aku.” 

Sokka immediately picked up his head, hearing that news. Another space sword? And space swords could defeat demons? He frowned, really missing his own black space sword. This sucks.

“Being plucked from time, and with no other means to defeat Aku, he destroyed the world. After countless fights, battles, and experiences, I was able to defeat him. I now search for a way to return to my own time and defeat Aku to prevent the world from falling under his rule in the first place.” He then sheathed his sword away, turning to look at everyone. “Being a samurai, I have been trained in the way of Bushido. Sword, spear, unarmed combat, kung fu, archery, horse riding, and shield combat. It seems thanks to my clothing and training, I have higher speed, strength, and reflexes. Besides that, I later trained in incredible jumping power.”

Nate picked up his eyebrows, wondering the hell jumping power was. Sephiroth didn’t bother worrying over jumping power. An image of Cid Highwind popped into his head.  

“I am a Frenchman, but I cannot reveal my name. You, however, can call me Blue Spy,” The masked man said. “I wear ze mask, because I’m in ze possession of technology that lets me change my form. However, its does not work on skin too well, so a mask helps with ze disguise.” Otacon raised his eyebrows, now understanding. Spy didn’t use octocamo because he wanted to be a in disguise, not be invisible. To demonstrate, he changed into Snake. The others moved their heads back, amazed by the transformation. Snake was clearly impressed by his perfect copy.

“But I can also turn myself invisible for a limited time. I am trained in firearms, though limited to small one handed such as pistols. I can use knives with deadly accuracy, and I have a few devices that let me sabotage electronics... Which is useless in zis place.” He transformed back into his normal masked self. “Rest assured, I am educated, but once again, ze classified.”

“Code name’s Solid Snake. But my name’s David,” Spoke up the stealth agent next. He raised his left hand to fix his cuffs. He should have worn his stealth suit. Also, he needed Otacon to take a look at it. “I am a former soldier for an elite group known as “Foxhound.” I saved the world from nuclear threats several times. I am trained in unarmed combat, and like Ralf, in most standard combat involving firearms and explosives. Many times have I fought strange and paranormal enemies, but defeated them using only human ingenuity and elbow grease.” He lowered his hand and then smiled. “I earned a lot of stuff, like titles. But the one I am the most proud of, is “The Dove of Shadow Moses.”

“Really Snake? That’s all?” Otacon asked, looking up from his notes. 

“I figured you could do the rest,” Snake said. The engineer was next anyway. Phoenix idly rubbed his chin. Only Snake and Otacon were the only humans that actually knew each other. Why? And wasn’t Snake a more obvious choice as a champion?

“Well, okay then. I am Dr. Hal Emmerich. Code name, Otacon. Unlike Snake, I am no soldier. I’m an MIT graduate, and a weapons designer. I have degrees in robotics, engineering, and other things.” Otacon lowered his notes so he could face everyone. “I met Snake at Shadow Moses. I was building...” he sighed, shaking his head to the sides. “A mobile tank called Metal Gear, capable of launching nuclear missiles that would be unable to be detected to radar thanks to the new rail launch system.” 

Samus, Spy, Nate, Ralf, Soma, Travis, Ash, and even Dan all were shocked. They all knew about nuclear war and its dangers. And this guy made those?

“However, the base was hijacked by terrorists. They were going to use the nuclear missiles to destroy the world. Luckily, Snake had been sent to save the day. He called “Dove” because he’s a hero that saved the day, and also because he did not kill a single enemy soldier during the incident. Countless enemies soldiers and elite agents were subdued by his hand, and he also destroyed the tank while someone had operated it.”

Spy nodded, a feat few could perform. He like stealth, but to kill. For Snake to sneak around after an elite team without being discovered took true skill. 

“Since then, Snake and I have been on the run. Snake because of FOXDIE, and me because of my brain. There was no way in hell I would make anymore weapons system. We founded and run Philanthropy, a formal organization recognized by the United Nations to prevent wars caused by nuclear threat and also preventing any more Metal Gears from being made.”

“I take it nuclear missiles are bad?” Sokka asked, not sure what it meant. But he saw the reactions from the others.

“Hell. Imagine Dan at his angriest. Now, imagine him using his Brand. Now, throw in Dovahkiin, Phoenix in Turn About, and myself in true pissed off mode. Put that all together, and you would still only be able to reach half the destruction of one missile,” Soma said. He shook his head to the sides. “The worst part is, that if a nuclear missile is launched, all the other missiles would also be launched at the same time as a counter strike.”

Ralf whistled, as Soma more or less got it right. Nate released a sigh, wondering how he was supposed to follow that. Hell, even Sokka had talked with kings. Damn it, he could do this. His resume alone was worth looking at.


“My name’s Nathan Drake, but you can call me Nate. Never formally attended college, but I am trained in a few things,” Nate said with a smile. “I am sort of a tomb raider and treasure hunter. And before anyone says any Indiana Jones comments, yes he was an influence. But I am trained with firearms, explosives, fisticuffs brawling, and some wrestling moves.” So far, the same as the others.

“As for non combat.. Well I have a license to pilot airplanes and boats. I’ve had tons of hours of certified Scuba and CPR. I can do deep sea salvaging, and also trained with equipment like metal detectors and other archeology gear. I know several languages, and often worked as a translator. I can even read dead languages. I even help run my own bar, so I’m also a businessman.”

“Oh, you and me gotta talk later then,” Ash said, getting a big grin on his face. Nate was feeling better, mentioning the bar was a good move. He was also feeling good about himself.

“Okay, now that’s outta the way. Any questions?” Dan asked, looking around.

“So lets see if I got this right. The ponies, unable to fight, called on champions. So here we all are, fighting changelings?” Snake asked. Still sounded so surreal.

“Yep.”

“Oh. Proceed,” Snake said. 

“Alright. Nathan. Can you explain the elements of Harmony and Change?” Dan said. Once again, Nate stood up to go over his notes. The others listened in, understanding the concept of now why they have been partnered up. Nate felt better, it seems the others respected his note taking skills. 

“Does that mean the rest of us are not getting those... Brands you called them?” Travis asked, looking at the First. 

“I’m not sure yet. In fact, not sure if the rest of the Elements of Change will even get a Brand,” Dan said with a shrug. “We only have these for less than a day. Otacon and Twilight said they will take a look at them and see if they can find out anything.” The others stayed quiet. Looks like the Brand would be something to talk about in another meeting 

“Well... I guess this covers the basics. Spike? Can you get the ponies? I think we can now go over the game plans.” Dan said to nod at the others. The small human was happy, it seemed that none of the humans were stupid, just ignorant.

“Hey guys?” Nate asked.

“What’s...” Phoenix shut up, looking down at Nate’s face. The treasure hunter started to turn pale, and his normally alert eyes had been dulled.

“I think...Something’s wrong...” Nate said as he fell forward to the straw floor. A small feather was sticking out from the middle of his back. Damn it... just when he was starting to feel good about himself.

Author’s Notes: Dum de dum dum... Nate’s going to die! Or not... Not sure yet. Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.