//------------------------------// // Something rotten was in the air // Story: Payne-full Realization // by Ezbok58a //------------------------------// Max Payne and all related materials belonging to it are property of Rockstar Games My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic belongs to Hasbro, I in no way make any profit from this story. This is a story of my own strange mind that I wish to share with the rest of you. A special thanks to ATung231 for his awesome proof-reading for this chapter, which is now 20% cooler and more readable! Payne-full Realization By Ezbok58a Chapter 5: Something rotten was in the air… ------ The tension in the air was so thick you needed an oxygen tank to breathe. Here I was in a land full of ponies, and the two rulers of this kingdom were watching as their “captain” waited for me to relinquish my firearm. I wasn’t too keen on giving up my Beretta. Even if they’re peaceful creatures, I don’t know what they’d do with it. Technology changes people. If firearms turned us humans into bloodthirsty, violent creatures, what made me think giving a gun to a pony would be any different? Guess this world was warming my heart after all. Then again, the only time I willingly gave up my gun was when I was trying to get Fabiana back. And I still ended up with a hole in my second favorite drinking arm because of it. They won’t take my gun. Especially with whatever the hell that blue one, I think she’s called “Luna”, had planned for me. I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her, and I never was someone to throw a horse. “No offense, but I’m not giving up my weapon.” “We don’t mean any disrespect, it’s um…it’s just that…” Captain Shining Armor was struggling to find the words to use that would offend me the least. It wasn’t working. “It’s just that you don’t want me going around shooting every single pony in sight? Well, don’t you think if I was going to do that, I would’ve done so already?” Shining Armor was starting to sweat as his eyes darted around nervously. “You’re not getting my gun, and that’s final.” The silence that followed just added to the tension. I could tell Twilight and her friends were fidgeting around me. Twilight was staring at me with a mix of concern and anger. My eyes were focused intently on Luna. The neutral expression never left Luna’s face as she stared back at me, seeing who would blink first. Even her sister was looking curiously at the two of us and our impromptu staring contest. Seconds went by like minutes. Neither one of us was backing down. One of us was going to break, and I’ll be damned if was me. Then I noticed Luna’s facial expression changing. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and then she broke out into a smile and had to stifle a laugh. Only I didn’t get the joke, and I wasn’t the only one. “Oh, I haven’t had that good of a staring contest in quite a while. You are good, Mr. Payne.” she chuckled again. Now I was lost and, going off of the gasps and the sound of someone fainting, I wasn’t the only one. “What the hell is going on here?” Luna held off on her laughing long enough to give me an answer. “Sorry about that. You see, I had a bet with my sister and Shining Armor on whether or not you would relinquish your weapon if you were asked.” “Wait…so you two actually made a bet on what he’d do?” Applejack asked as she rubbed the side of her face. “Yeah, we did.” Luna replied. “Cool! So who won, who won, who won?!?” Pinkie said, bouncing in place. I looked around at the six ponies. Pinkie was obviously happy, as was Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was helping Rarity up, who I imagine fainted. Applejack and Twilight just looked surprised, and so was I. I never expected the leaders of a land to have a sense of humor, but I was mistaken. “Well Pinkie, Luna won.” Celestia said. “And as part of the bet we had…Celestia, would you do the honors?” Luna asked with a smirk. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Shining Armor asked. “Probably…” Before I could comprehend the dialogue between the three of them, Celestia had her horn aglow and used her magic to envelop Shining Armor. When the light show was over, I was left scratching my chin… “Umm…” Rarity said, equally baffled as me. “Uhh…” said Applejack. “Ehh…” said Twilight. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore… “All right. Why the hell is Shining Armor dressed as a giant banana?” I asked. The question finally proved too much for Pinkie and Rainbow who fell to the ground laughing, much to the chagrin of Shining Armor, who fidgeted in his giant banana costume. Both the Royal Sisters were trying very hard to suppress smiles as they looked at their captain. “Wait, so because you two had a bet my brother has to walk around dressed as a giant banana?” “Well Twilight, your brother was so confident he would be able to persuade Mr. Payne here to give up his weapon that he came up with the punishment himself.” “And now, I’m regretting even opening my mouth…” Shining mumbled. “A banana costume, Shining Armor?” Twilight asked. The captain blushed as he tried to make himself as small as possible. I’d find the situation amusing if I wasn’t so confused by the whole scene. My time on the force did have moments where you’d laugh at someone else’s expense, but never to this extreme. “Can we get inside please? I’m rather uncomfortable being out here in this…” “Fine, captain…although you’re still addressing the guards in that.” Luna said as she motioned to the castle. “Oh…right. This isn’t going to end well…”Shining hung his head low as he started trotting towards the castle. “Look on the bright side, captain. Princess Cadence will enjoy the photos of this.” Luna said. She took out a camera, seemingly out of thin air, and snapped some photos of Shining Armor. The girls chuckled at this, whereas I felt completely out of the loop. I followed them into the castle. The castle itself was much like those storybook castles you see in cartoons or amusement parks. One could draw strange parallels from fantasy to reality, only my reality has never had a happy ending. I used the time spent walking in the castle with them to think about my first impressions of the princesses and their captain. Captain Shining Armor was clad in a massive banana outfit, yet somehow managed to keep his dignity intact while he walked in between the two princesses. On the surface, the Pony Guard’s demeanors matched Shining Armor’s, but I knew deep down, they were just like the rest of the ponies that I’ve gotten to know: Charismatic, Fun-loving, and they even might have a sense of humor. The more I see the Pony Guard, the more I see the parallels between their jobs and mine. Hell, a group of his guards would probably buy me a drink after their shifts ended much like the old days when I was on the force. Then there were the princesses… Luna, the princess of the Night as I’ll call her, was the one that came down investigate after I shot a couple of wood wolves to death. I was wary of her, particularly her tone and how it seemed to carry knowledge that she was keeping from me. I didn’t like being kept in the dark. Lies and secrecy…seems perfectly fitting for a Princess whose specialty was the nighttime. Then there was Celestia. Judging by her mark and what Twilight told me the day before, the sun was her specialty. If I was more into astronomy and studying the stars, I might actually give a damn. She seemed to be more upbeat than her sister. Too bad that didn’t translate into her being any less mysterious. The two royal sisters were complete wild cards to me. I couldn’t get a good reading of their intentions or what they were thinking. My initial thoughts went back to what I usually thought, darkness and pain. Perhaps I was going to be jailed for my actions last night or even executed. Maybe I could ask them for something harder to drink, whichever case it may be. “Celestia, the captain and I shall catch up with you in the main conference room. We have to address the guards who will be going on the new assignment.” Luna said as we neared another hallway. “Of course, Luna. We’ll have everything set for when you get there. Will you need anything?” “Nope. Oh, almost forgot…” Luna said as she turned back towards us. Her horn’s glow grew brighter as I was starting to wonder what she was doing. It didn’t take long to find out. Click I knew that sound. I immediately reached for my sidearm and realized what she did as soon as I felt the grips. “I believe the safety is now on is it not, Mr. Payne?” she asked with a sly smile. My safety was glowing the same color as Luna’s horn glow. I tried disengaging the safety, but to no avail. As long as she worked her magic, I couldn’t do a thing with my Beretta. There was something very rotten about this. “We’ll catch up to you shortly. Now come along, Shining…” The feeling of helplessness is something I’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to. I felt it when my wife and child died, felt it when Alex died in front of me, and felt it when Mona was shot. I know it all too well, and right now that old familiar feeling was creeping back inside me. This was different then all the other times though. At least in this world, I didn’t have those feelings of imminent death and despair like so many times before. Now I just felt like a puppet with someone else controlling the strings, making me do what they wanted. And the princesses were the puppet masters. As for the other six ponies that were with me? They were merely along for the ride as far as I was concerned. They didn’t have any better idea of what we were being drug into than I did. The only two who did apparently weren’t talking right now. “You don’t seem all that thrilled to be here, Max. I can call you Max, right?” Celestia asked with apparent concern. My abilities at not showing how I actually feel were working perfectly, or maybe it was my depression. Despite that, Celestia somehow knew how I felt. Do I lie about it or just tell her the truth? With the ability to go back to my own time in her hands, or rather hooves, maybe being honest wasn’t such a bad thing. “Yes, you can call me Max and no, I’m not happy about it at all. It feels like I’m a pawn in someone’s game of chess.” Her expression stayed between caring and neutral. She had a hell of a poker face, not letting us know what she really knew. With the way things were going, I wasn’t too hopeful for good news. “I can understand your concern, but all will be revealed to you once my sister and the captain get back to us in the Royal Hall.” “Princess, what exactly are you talking about?” Twilight asked genuine concern in her voice. “Yeah, what’s with all this super secretive mumbo-jumbo you’re going on about?” Rainbow asked. “Oh, are there more animals in danger?” Fluttershy asked. That was the first thing I heard her say all day. “And why do we all have to be here? I’m all for helping out Equestria and all, but I got the farm to take care of.” Applejack said. “All your questions shall be answered my little ponies, but I can answer your question now, Applejack.” Celestia said with a smile. “Thank ya’ kindly. So how about it then?” Applejack asked. She seemed eager to hear the news. Then again, I’d imagine a farmer would like to know about anything involving their farm. “Luna and I have decided that a few members of the Royal Guard will be sent to Ponyville to fill in for you while you’re here.” “You make it seem like we are all going to be here a while…” I asked. It wasn’t much of a clue, and that put me on edge. Whatever justified sending members of Royal Guard down to Ponyville to fill in for the six ponies while they were away, it was going to be big. The rotten stench in the air kept getting thicker and thicker. “Unfortunately Max, with what we’ve been hearing, that may be the case. However, I think we should wait for my sister to join us in the hall before we discuss this any further.” The remainder of our journey into the castle interior was done in silence, allowing me to admire the castle structure and the sheer number of guards that were stationed, almost every ten feet. There were three distinct types of guards that I noticed. The ones with white coats and blue manes were the Royal Guard, all pegasi. The ones with dark gray coats and white manes were the Unicorn Guard. Not surprisingly, they were all unicorns. Finally, the ones with midnight coats and bat-like wings were the “Lunar Guard”, as I called them. We finally arrived at the conference room, where I hoped all these ill feelings I was having would go away. The two Unicorn Guards opened the doors for us. My eyes were immediately drawn to the large covered stack of items against the wall. “Now if you’ll please all take a seat. My sister will be joining us soon, and then we can begin.” Celestia said. “Begin what, exactly?” Applejack asked. The tension was building. The six ponies didn’t look too eager to be here at all. “Something that I’m sure Max wants to hear.” Celestia said while looking at me. Her eyes told me everything, even though she hadn’t said a word. She was worried, but about what? I couldn’t tell. But that feeling of something rotten hanging in the air that’s been pestering me since we arrived was still present. There was only one way for this to go, and that was downhill. Convenient, given this city was built on a mountainside. The six friends stayed together, taking seats up on my left. I chose to sit in the middle, facing the wall with the covered items and, not on purpose, directly in front of Princess Celestia. Three minutes passed before the side doors opened again and Princess Luna and Shining Armor, still dressed as a banana, walked in. “I hope I didn’t keep everyone waiting too long.” Luna said as she moved across the room. “Luna, does the captain still have to wear that?” Celestia asked. “Ah yes, it did serve its purpose did it not, Captain?” Luna asked as she took her seat next to her sister. “Yes, it was quite comical…” The captain said in a deadpan tone. There was a lot about this place that would still take some getting used to, a pony in a banana suit notwithstanding. With a flash of magic, the captain was back in his usual uniform. “Thank you, princess. It feels good to be out of that banana suit.” Shining Armor said. “Again my sincerest apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Payne, but this is a matter of great importance for our land.” Luna said as she sat across from me. “No need to apologize. I can see you had some more ”important” matters to attend to before talking to me about what happened last night. Although the only thing you’ve told me so far is that we have “much to discuss.” That tells me there’s more to this meeting than me killing some creatures in self defense.” “Very astute, Mr. Payne. What happened last night was just the tip of the iceberg.” The silence that followed her statement was deafening. “Princess Luna, what are you saying?” Twilight asked. “Last night’s Timberwolf attack may have seemed like an isolated incident, but the reality is that it was no accident.” “Are you tellin’ us that someone sent the wolves after our friends?” Applejack asked. “No Applejack, but this is not the first time a creature indigenous to the Everfree Forest has ventured outside of the forest to scrounge for food.” “It’s been happening more often in the last month. Timberwolves, Ursa Majors and Minors, and even Manticores have been spotted outside of the forest limits. Something is causing them to venture out.” Celestia added. “I hate to interrupt…” I cut into the conversation, addressing Luna. “…but I’d actually like to know what the hell this has to do with me specifically. Why am I here? And more importantly, how the hell did you know where my gun was and how to switch the safety on and keep me from disengaging it?” Everything in the room seemed to come to a sudden stop. Luna cast a glance at her sister. If she offered her any advice I didn’t see it. “Right, my apologies Mr. Payne…” “Call me Max, please.” I hated being called Mr. Payne. It sounded like a bad pun. Then again, my name was a bad pun. Christ, I could actually fit in this world if I was a pony. “Well Max, the reason I knew about your…gun, is it?” Luna gave me a confused look, obviously not sure of the word. I nodded my head so she could continue on. “Well, your gun and my knowledge of how to turn the safety on has to do with the reason you’re here in the first place.” I crossed my arms over my chest as I kept my eyes on her. “I suspect you want a better explanation then that…” I nodded my head again. The two sisters shared a glance yet again before Luna turned towards the captain and nodded her head. Shining Armor moved toward the covered items against the wall. He used his magic to take the cover and pulled it away. “What the hell?” I got up from my seat and headed over to the newly revealed items. There were five wooden crates, which wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, except they all had US government markings on them. To say these things didn’t belong here was a gross understatement. The crate I came to had marks along the top of it, an indication that it was opened before. Whether the palace guards opened them, or somebody else, it left me with that same rotten feeling in my head. I pushed that thought aside as I lifted the lid off so I could see what was in the crate. What I saw made my heart sink. “Holy Shit.” Weapons…a shitload of them. “We found the first one of these about a month ago in the woods around Smokey Mountain. The others we’ve found in the same area, albeit at great cost…” Celestia’s voice trailed off as I began to examine the four other crates. At that point, I understood what she meant. Judging from the panicked gasps I heard, the others saw it as well. Blood. Three of the crates were splattered with blood and filled with bullet holes. I took my eyes off the crates and looked back at the group. The Princesses were still wearing their poker faces, as was the captain. Everyone else looked like they’d been kicked in the gut. I’ve seen this before, but the six ponies next to me obviously haven’t. I remembered back to when I was an NYPD rookie, responding to my first homicide. I had that exact same look on my face, but that was a lifetime ago. The only difference is there was no body or bodies, but rather, circumstantial evidence suggesting an intense gun battle had been fought. If they’re reacting like this now, what’ll happen when they see actual bodies? How the fuck did these weapons end up here? And who is killing for those weapon crates in this world? I almost didn’t want to know the answers, but the reason why I was here was becoming clearer by the second. “We lost three guards that day…all good ponies…” Shining Armor said sadly. “Anytime you lose someone, it’s always the good ones…” I added grimly. “The ones that did make it back reported the group responsible for this was …” Celestia’s eyes changed from sorrow to something I’ve yet to see in a pony here: hatred. Stone cold hatred. “A group of griffins…” Princess Celestia interjected. This shit just keeps getting better and better. “Griffins? But Princess, why would they do such a thing?” Twilight asked. “And where the hay would they even get these things?” Applejack added. “Not the griffon nation, but a rogue faction.” Celestia said as she turned towards the six distraught ponies. “This world just keeps surprising me…” I said as I walked around to another crate. “You mean to tell me that a bunch of Griffins left their nation, got ahold of weapons from my world somehow, and are now building up their own army?” Saying it out loud made it even harder for me to believe it. “I know it sounds absolutely preposterous.” Celestia said. “However, it’s not as simple as you make it seem, Max…” Luna grabbed a folder that was on top of one of the crates and floated it over to me. I grabbed it from her magic field and opened it. Inside were a roster and some notes. I was more amazed that it was in English, rather than what was actually inside. Luna started explaining just what exactly I was looking at. “A month ago, one of the Griffin Kingdom’s generals asked for our permission to take a squadron of their guards into the forest around Smokey Mountain for some intense training. Naturally, we agreed.” “I suspect there’s a “however” in there…” I added as I started flipping through the folder. “Correct.” Luna said before she continued. “The squadron was in contact with the Griffin mainland for a week before all contact was lost. The squadron leader was later found with the second crate we came across.” As if on cue, the next picture I came across in the folder was of the squadron leader, only it was dead. Very dead. Systematically tortured, judging from numerous deliberate shallow cuts all over its’ body, and summarily executed with a single shot to the head. Damn near blew its’ head off. Somebody or someone made an example out of this poor bastard. The photograph brought back haunting memories. There was something vaguely familiar about this. I almost didn’t want to know what it was. “Something has entered our land, and it seems to have convinced an entire squadron of Griffin warriors to join their side. Judging by these crates and what’s happened to our guards, we can make an educated guess that it’s not peaceful.” “The animals venturing out of the forest are being forced out by the rogue Griffin squadron that’s now made a camp in the woods outside of Smokey Mountain. More dangerous creatures are leaving the Everfree forest every week. What happened last night was the first time they came across a large pony population. I fear that this is only the beginning…” Celestia added. “So what the hell does this have to do with me?” Celestia’s expression changed to one of worry as she decided to continue. “Well, I’ve done some digging into where these crates may have come from...” “She used magic to find out who’s been in contact with it.” Luna interrupted I turned to look at her, as did everyone else in the room. “That still doesn’t explain why I’m here, now does it?” “You’ve come into contact with these crates before they entered Equestria. You, and a lot of humans.” For some reason, this is where I was completely lost. “What do you mean I’ve been in contact with these crates before? Were you spying on me?“ I asked. Just trying to remember where I’ve seen a couple of crates through the haze of booze and painkillers was nigh impossible. Even then, the crates looked just like the countless others I’ve either used for cover or opened to find weapons to stay alive. “I used my magic to find out where you were, and if you were…well…” Luna trailed off in uncertainty. I finished her thought for her. “Dead or alive?” The stunned look on all of their faces and the rather embarrassed look on Luna’s told me I was dead on, no pun intended. “You certainly don’t mince words Max, but yes, I checked to see if there was anyone who’s come in contact with these crates was still alive.” “And because I’m here, I guess I’m the only one?” Luna nodded. The rest of the group shared their shocked expressions with each other followed by whispers. “Because you were the only surviving creature that has come into contact with these crates, I then kept a close eye on you.” “So you have been spying on me.” I wasn’t mad about it. Hell, most of the East Coast and São Paulo, Brazil knew about my fall from grace. I’m surprised they haven’t made a movie or videogame about it by now. “Please understand, I had to know about your world and how it functioned. I must say I was a little surprised at how…violent your world is, and what you’ve been through.” “And despite seeing all of that, you still felt it necessary to bring me here?” “The decision was not easy, Max, but from what I’ve seen, you still have some good in you. Your actions last night proved that to Celestia and me.” “Princess, I don’t mean to interrupt but how exactly does ending the lives of a couple a’ Timberwolves prove Max still has some good in him? No offense, Max…” Applejack added. “None taken.” It’d take a lot more than that to offend me anyway. “Well Applejack, he put his life on the line for ponies he didn’t know, in a world he wasn’t familiar with, fighting creatures he’d never seen before which, by the way, he only killed to keep the rest of you alive. If that doesn’t speak of his good intent, I don’t know what does.” “But Princess, this still doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight interrupted. As I was listening to the Princess rattle on about their problem and how it’s somehow tied to me, there was still one piece of the puzzle missing. “It’s the Griffins, isn’t it?” Luna asked. Besides knowing a hell of a lot about me and my past, she could also read minds. “You’re wondering what could possess this gathering of Griffins to turn against their leaders and take up arms against Equestria. Am I right?” Celestia asked. “Well, yes. It doesn’t make sense to me.” Twilight answered. “We’ve already contacted the Griffin Embassy in regards to that very question, Twilight Sparkle. They’ve sent one of their top Diplomatic Relations members and the leader of their standing military over to discuss what’s happened to their squad. They should be here within the hour.” Luna said. “Wait, the leader of their military is coming here as well?” Rainbow asked. “That’s what I said. Why, is there a problem?” Luna asked. “That means Gilda’s father’s going to be here…” Rainbow finished with a sigh. “You mean Gilda’s father is the head of the Griffin military?” Applejack asked. “Well that would explain her grumpiness.” Pinkie added. I just shook my head. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, but their body language and the questions they started asking Rainbow Dash told me we would have a hell of a time with the Griffin leader. A rogue faction of griffins who murdered their squad leader and are now fighting for somebody or someone we didn’t even know. Fucked up didn’t even begin to describe the situation. As I watched the six ponies discuss this “Gilda” character, I soon realized that Princess Celestia decided to read the file alongside me. “Do I even want to know what they’re talking about?” “It’s nothing to be worried about, Max. Long story short, Rainbow Dash’s old friend, who she had a falling out with, is the daughter of the leader of the Griffin Kingdom’s military.” “Oh. For a second there, I thought it might be something serious.” I said, forcing a laugh. “I take it things have rarely gone your way in your life?” “I’m surprised your sister didn’t tell you my sad story…” “What makes you say she didn’t?” “If she did, then it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that trouble just seems to find me, even in another world.” “Perhaps you work best when you’re at odds with your surroundings?” Celestia said, trying to lighten the mood. “That’s one way to look at it.” She had a point. Sure I’ve lost loved ones and friends, but I always came out of it. Bloodied, bruised, and broken, but alive. I didn’t know whether that was a blessing or a curse. Might also explain why my liver hadn’t given up on me either, as I’d been poisoning it for the better part of a decade. I continued to skim through the file until I got to the pictures. I soon wished I hadn’t seen them. Being a homicide detective, I’ve seen my fair share of terrible sights, but no matter how many times you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you never get used to it. The brutality of those photos was definitely a jarring experience, especially from a world where the idea of violence is a foreign concept. Even through the photos, the once big and cheerful eyes of the pony guards now stared at me, cold and dead. To quote Quinn from Jaws: ”lifeless eyes, like dolls eyes.” Only these eyes captured the sheer horror they experienced before their lives were tragically ended. Never thought I would feel for those pony guards, but then again, it’s been a long time since I felt anything at all. I put the folder down before I turned my attention back to Celestia, who was still standing next to me. “I need a drink.” “Oh, of course Max. What kind of drink do you need?” She motioned one of the other guards over. Until now, I didn’t notice the pony guards in the room. “Scotch if you have it.” “Ah, you have fine taste.” Celestia responded. “So you do have alcohol in this world other than Applejack’s “special” cider. I was beginning to wonder if this was a dry land.” “Equestria isn’t dry by any means, in case you were wondering. We just don’t advertise that we have it in large supply.” “You keep things like this quiet?” “I’m sure you know once somepony gets enough alcohol in their system, they tend to be a different pony, if you understand.” “Of course.” I responded. With the information I gathered from this meeting, there was indeed something rotten in this colorful world’s atmosphere, mainly from the rogue griffins in Equestria. A rebellion was brewing, and I wasn’t sure Equestria was ready for war. “I’m sorry we have to ask this of you, Max. It doesn’t feel right to bring you here only to fix our problems.” Celestia said with sadness in her voice. “Hey, at least you told me. Most times I just get thrown in situations and have to resolve them by myself. Now I at least have an idea of what I’ll be going up against.” Around the time I said that, the guard produced a glass of the substance I’d been longing for since I arrived here: scotch. “Thanks” I said, giving a nod to the guard as I grabbed the glass from his field of magical energy. “So, how does Equestria’s scotch compare to the ones back home?” Celestia asked. I tentatively took a sip. That cool refreshing sensation that I’ve missed for the past day and a half finally returned. It was stronger than I remembered, but I wasn’t one to take watered down drinks in the first place. “Yeah, just like home.” “I think they’re done discussing Gilda if you’d like to go and rejoin the conversation, Max.” Celestia said. “Oh, before I forget. Look at your gun again, and you’re welcome.” Luna said cryptically. I looked at my Beretta. The magic glow covering the safety had been removed, and the safety had already been disengaged. Guess the princesses trust me now. I had been watching the six ponies’ conversation from a distance. By now, it was wrapping up as the chatter died down. “I take it you girls sorted out the Gilda issue?” I asked, joining the group again. “Not exactly. You see, Gilda and I kind of had a falling out…” Rainbow said as she rubbed the back of her head. “I already know. Princess Celestia told me. I just hope it doesn’t affect our meeting with the Griffin leader.” I told Rainbow. “Princess Celestia, they should be here within an hour. We’ll adjourn until they arrive.” Shining Armor said. “If it’s all right with you two Princesses, I’d like to further review the information you’ve given me.” “Absolutely, Max.” Celestia said. I opened the file again and turned to the pictures. Here I was again, halfway down another world, but instead of looking at the bodies of women I was supposed to protect, I was looking at three ponies I wished I could’ve protected. A little more than twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t even give a shit about talking ponies, or this fucking world. Now I was feeling empathy, a welcome, if unfamiliar change from my typical depression. If I had any chance of getting back to my world, I had to help the princesses, the six ponies, and all the pony guards with a rogue squadron of heavily armed griffins being controlled by a mysterious benefactor. What’s the worst that could happen?