//------------------------------// // 64 - The Iron Man // Story: The Memoirs Of A Reality Jumper // by Techogre //------------------------------// Bonbon brushed up against her marefriend as they walked in the cool evening air. She felt like skipping. Despite her worries her shop was covered by insurance after the diamond dog attack, the repairs had been finished in time, and she had spent the day making candies for the grand reopening. She thought, ‘Maybe a little snuggling on Star Gazer Hill to end the evening, right.’ Rainbow Dash shot past like a lightning bolt low above them, her rainbow-hued trail momentarily lighting up the night. Lyra looked up in irritation. “Ugh. She’s always looking for attention. I should give her a piece of my mind!” Bonbon lightly shoulder-checked her marefriend and smiled, “Don’t worry about that attention hog. You have better things to focus on.” They ducked before Lyra could say anything else as a big gryphon soared low over them. Bonbon recognised him as Gary, the friendly gryphon who helped out at the shop the other day. As soon as they gathered their wits, they were almost bowled over by Pinkie Pie, who was quickly followed by several ponies, including the bookshop owner carrying a frying pan. Finally, bringing up the rear, Alex followed as fast as he could. As the eclectic menagerie continued on their madcap dash through the streets, she overheard them say something about another jumper! Lyra’s face lit up at the prospect of another human. She started to follow, “Oh, I have got to see what’s going on!” Bonbon stopped her and softly explained, “No, Lyra. Tonight is for us.” Lyra, pointing to the quickly leaving group, “But—” Bonbon interrupted her, “No buts.” Lyra exclaimed, “Humans!” Bonbon stated flatly, “No.” Lyra pleaded, “But what if—” Bonbon would have none of it. “Let the professionals handle the emergency. If it is a human, I know you’ll have every opportunity to meet them. Tomorrow.” Lyra’s eyes sparkled at the possibilities, “So, could I bring them home?” Bonbon, trying to be reasonable, “They’re not a stray cat, Lyra. If they’re anything like Alex—” Lyra cut her off and tried to explain, “But they could be scared! Or hurt! Or scared and hurt! Or maybe there’s that human male thing I hypothesised about? You know, if they’re male. Maybe Alex and them will fight! Some kind of dominance display?” Bonbon sighed and stood firm, “I’m sure Alex would have mentioned that at some point.” Lyra began, “But what if—” and was stopped by her marefriend covering her mouth with a hoof. Bonbon spoke firmly, “No.” Lyra realised the futility of continuing and only nodded, “...kay.” As we ran, I breathlessly reminded the others, “They’ll be blind, deaf, likely sick, and disoriented. Let the rest of us know as soon as you spot them.” We reached the spot near the fork in the stream with about five minutes to spare. I was a little winded, but I called out, “Flyers! Get some altitude and start scouting. The rest of us will spread out in pairs. I don’t know what a jump looks like from this end, so be ready for anything.” Beatrix and I scanned the woods around us as we walked in a wide, spiralling circle. I could tell she was tense, and so was I. Who knows who, or what, is jumping into this world? I hoped they were safe, unlike me. I’m just glad we had time to get here before they arrived.  Beatrix spoke softly, “Will Scootaloo and Summer Blossom be alright? You and Dash had to leave in a hurry.” I reassured her, as much as myself. “They’re fine. Summer was awake and is keeping an eye on Scoots.” In the silence of the night, there was a sudden burst of light to my left, like a camera flash, and what looked like lightning arcing through the air, followed about a second later by a roar of thunder. As I started running in the direction of the flash and sound, there was a crash like something heavy moving very fast, smashing into the underbrush ahead of me, quickly followed by a loud splash. Whoever they are, they may have landed in the stream. I redoubled my efforts to get to them before they drowned. The boom from the woods woke Scootaloo with a start. Half asleep, she called out, “Mom? Dad?” Summer Blossom soothed her adopted little sister, “Do not worry. Princesses summoned Mother and Father for an important task. Everything will be fine.” The little orange pegasus became very awake, “We have to go! They might need our help!” She added with a little trepidation, “What if dad needs reminding again?” Summer winced at the memory of her actual mother’s fate. “No. I was tasked to protect you, and I can only do that here. I also wish to be by their side, but I will obey, and you will too.” Scootaloo began answering but stopped. She knew enough not to argue with her big sister. I yelled out, “Twilight? Can you do something about the darkness?” The entire wood lit up as Twilight cast some kind of sunlight spell.  I soon heard Beatrix yell out, “Alex, I found them. Alex! I found the human.” I was surprised at what I saw. The newcomer was covered in armour—metal plates with a black body suit like a form-fitting gambison. There was a backpack of some sort, also metal. They were clutching their helmet to their chest. What alarmed me the most was the sidearm. I may not have recognised the make, model, or even the type, but I knew a gun when I saw one, and this one looked high-tech. I had to assume they were male based on their body shape and a glance, but I could be wrong. Beatrix picked the newcomer up in her blueish-silver glow off the stream's edge. She grunted in surprise, “It’s like lifting a solid chunk of cold iron. What’s he made of?” “Frankly, it’s probably his armour. It looks high-tech, but I’m guessing it’s not magical. It might be some kind of high-density metal?” I re-evaluated the newcomer. “Well, at least he seems to be out cold. And…” I shuddered as my first-aid training kicked in. I muttered, “DR ABC. Okay, no danger, we made sure he wasn’t drowning.” I shook him lightly, “Hey, buddy, you okay?” No response. He’s out cold. I put my fingers under his nose. “He seems to be breathing slow and steady, so his airway and breathing seem fine. Circulation. That leg is bleeding a little, so we need to bandage him up.” I called out, “Rarity! Do you have that gauze for bandages? Our guest is injured.” But, before the bandage, I had to disarm him. I gave him another quick inspection, this time looking for weapons. All I saw were the sidearm and a tonfa. I took the black nightstick without issue. It looked and felt like high-density plastic, but nothing exceptional otherwise. However, the sidearm was a different matter. When I tried to pull it out of the holster, a little red light flashed at the top of the weapon, and it held firm. I didn’t want to hurt or wake him, so I didn’t force it. It occurred to me that I could kill two birds with one stone. If I wrap up his leg with enough gauze, I can also wrap up his gun. It may not stop him from getting to it, but it might buy me the seconds I need to stop him. As I bandaged his leg, the others gathered around us to get a better look at the newcomer.  Dash was concerned, “That’s a nasty gash on his leg. You didn’t…” She let her words hang in the air. I didn’t blame her for thinking that. Hell, I would have, too. I replied, “No, he landed this way. I think he was injured before he jumped. It looks like he applied a bandage, but it got ripped off when he landed.” Gary examined the wound as I wrapped it. “Doesn’t look like a claw or beak wound. Almost like a slingstone injury, but I’ve never seen a slingstone do that much damage.” I agreed. “Could have been a high-tech weapon of some kind.” Once I wrapped his leg, we took him to the Ponyville hospital. The night was damp, and the Ponyville streets were empty. We entered the Emergency entrance, Dr Emerald was ready with a trauma team. After a quick evaluation, noting no other damage besides his leg, he began to unwrap the makeshift gauze bandage. I placed my hand between Dr Emerald and the bandage, “Stop. He looks human, but we can’t be sure.”  “With the gause rag you applied, I can not apply my Gelatinous Antimicrobial Ailment Healing Cellulose. That bandage will simply not do.” “Dr Emerald, that stuff was made for my biochemistry, right?” He nodded. “The problem is, they may not actually be human. Who knows what effects it may have on them? I think a simple gauze dressing will have to do for now.” Dr Emerald frowned slightly, “Yes, you have a point, my boy. At least let me rewrap their leg. It looks like a poorly wrapped Hearths Warming Eve gift.” “Maybe so, but it will have to do. Once we can talk to this guy, then we can rewrap it.” “Very well. Once my patient is awake, I will run tests and adjust the formula accordingly.” Bonbon and Lyra were headed back to their home. It had been a good night. Lyra spoke worriedly to Bonbon, “After that non-euclidian transdimensional transport event, I hope everyone is okay. I would hate to see Alex hurt.” Bonbon reminded her marefriend, “I would hate to see anypony hurt, Lyra.” Lyra rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. Anypony.” In the distance, Applejack walked ponderously toward her farm. There had been just enough excitement for now, and her bed was calling her. Besides, she had a lot of chores to do in the morning. Lyra saw an opportunity and trotted towards the apple farmer. “Applejack! Applejack! Did you see them, the new human?” An exasperated Bonbon followed close behind. Applejack turned. “Yeah, I sure did. Poor guy was hurt, knocked out cold, but Alex wrapped up his wound. He looked powerful worried.” Lyra excitedly spoke, “Of course, Alex was worried! That fits his personality profile to a tee. Did you notice what colour their mane was? You said ‘guy’. Were they male? How many fingers did they have? What about fire breath? Did they say anything?” Bonbon put a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder, “Calm down, sweetie. Remember, we talked about this.” Lyra sighed, “I know.” She became crestfallen. Bonbon brightened. She had a thought. “Applejack, would I be able to meet this new human in the morning? Lyra can be a little intense, and jumping is very unpleasant from what I’ve heard.” Applejack thought for a moment, “Don’t see why not. As a matter of fact, getting somepony’s opinion who isn’t involved might be a good idea. I’ll drop by your place in the morning and get ya’ll in.” Lyra stared at her marefriend in surprise, “You would do that? For me?” “No. I’m doing it for them. They’ll need friends and a place to stay. We have the room, and if they’re anything like Alex, they’ll be a perfect gentlecolt.” I sat in the dark room with our guest. He was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning. I can relate. Man, was I beat. I was half asleep myself. Still, I had my knife drawn and, with the safety on, was absentmindedly tapping the blade in the palm of my hand. I was thinking hard. How the hell do I protect these people? My family? What do I do if this guy’s a threat? Can I stop him? The knife is good, but it’s not a gun. Could it even go through that armour? A soft knock on the door shook me from my worried contemplation. I answered quietly, “Come in.” I recognized Elusive’s horn glow, levitating a mug of coffee as he entered the room. He spoke in a pony whisper, “Here you are, buddy. I heard the boom and thought you might be involved. Figured you needed a little go-go juice about now.” I thanked him and took a grateful sip. “So, another human, eh? He doesn’t look a thing like you.” “He’s younger than I am, maybe mid to late twenties, early thirties. Hard to tell under all that armour.” “Yeah, he’s got a lot of rattle on, that’s for sure.” “Hey, I appreciate the coffee, but I don’t think any pony should be around when he wakes up. I’ll meet and greet him. Heck, I even suggested Dr Emerald stay out for now.” “You sure?” “I can see through Emerald's disguise, and I have to assume he can too. Hard to build trust in that situation.” “Yikes. That’s likely for the best.” “Yeah, gotta keep you guys safe. I don’t know what he’ll do. Maybe something, maybe nothing. That’s the cost of protecting innocence. Uncertainty. But I’m willing to pay that cost if I have to.” Elusive chuckled, “I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.” I also chuckled, “A little from column A and a little from column B?” He smirked, “Smartalic. Alright, I’ll go ahead and leave you to it. I’ll come back in the morning with Applejack. See you then.” “Night.” I sipped the hot brew and continued running through scenarios, good and bad, refining what I would do and say in each one. I was playing my little game of clear-the-room but with one focus. In a few scenarios, if I was very lucky, they were friendly, and I had a new drinking buddy. However, if I’m honest with myself, they were mostly bad. That was why I justified keeping the knife in my hand all night. I’ve got to keep these people safe, no matter what the cost. Princess Luna carefully entered the dream of the newcomer. The mind felt similar to Alex’s but was less seasoned. This human did not have the extensive mental scarring Alex had. He had scars, but they hadn’t metastasised the way they had in Alex. She found the centre of the dreamscape, where this person’s consciousness would be. She found herself in a dark forest at night, the two full moons providing a dim light. They were fighting what could only be described as demons. The vile creatures were running and leaping towards the human, trying to swarm him. He fought fiercely and with bravery.  With a gentle touch, she froze everything around them so they could speak. He turned to her in a flash. Arms held up defensively, blades glistening in the twin moonlight.  This being a dream, he was more likely to speak what they considered the truth. She spoke gently but with practised formality, “Greetings. I welcome thee to Equestria. Art thou friend or foe? What doth thou plan on doing here.”  He seemed confused but answered anyway, “A friend, I guess. I plan on surviving like I always do. Who the hell are you, and what did you do to the demons?” “I stopped the dream creatures momentarily. I regret they will soon be at your throat once more. I only wanted to know if you were a threat to my little ponies. I see you are not an immediate threat. Therefore, I will allow my Paladin to assess you as planned. I’m afraid you will not recall this dream in any detail. Perhaps we shall speak again. Fare thee well, and welcome to our fair land.” Twilight paced up and down the corridor. She was worried. Alex was alone in the room with the newcomer, and in his current state of mind, violence might break out at any moment. She had known him for over a year, but did she really know him? Dash wasn’t worried; she had full confidence in him, but her viewpoint might be skewed. Months ago, Twilight had received a mysterious manuscript about humans by an author only identified as “L.H.”. There had been many incorrect and downright fanciful ideas, like the claim that Alex breathed fire. Rainbow had told her the whole story, and while Twilight didn’t usually approve of deceit, she had to acquiesce it was clever in that situation. While some of the insights had been entirely accurate, as far as she could tell, some of the hypotheses had been very worrisome. The one that stood out at this moment was the one in which human males are extremely territorial, to the point of violence. This was supported in a footnote to a reference volume the author had found in the Canterlot Library. Twilight thought for a moment. ‘What was it called? Ah, yes, “On The Dangers Of Piercing The Veil To Other Worlds” by Starswirl the Bearded.’ “Rainbow Dash? What do you think? You have the most experience with humans. Do you think they’re a threat? Dash smirked, “Naw, they’re probably scared out of their gourds. Who knows how long they’ve been jumping and what craziness they’ve gone through? Alex said—” Twilight cut her friend off, “No, Rainbow Dash. I want to know what you think.” “Okay, fine.” She thought for a moment before answering, “Well, I’m a little worried, to be honest. I mean, the guy has armour and weapons. He looks dangerous, even more than Alex on a bad day. Alex said not to worry, but I could tell he wasn’t telling me everything.” Twilight whispered angrily, “He makes a habit of that, doesn’t he?” Dash’s wings opened a little, but she replied softly, not wanting to wake the newcomer or disturb the others, “What do you mean by that?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, “What do I mean? I mean, he never told you about his insurance, did he?” “Well, no, but—” “What else is he keeping from you, Rainbow?” “I don’t think—” “That’s right, you don’t. If he couldn’t confide in you something that important, what else—” Dash’s voice cracked a little but remained quiet, “Hey! He had a reason. He didn’t want to freak me out, that’s all.” Twilight deadpanned, “Well, he sure freaked me out.” The conversation was interrupted by the familiar snap-crack sound of a teleporting scroll with half a solar and half a lunar seal, a rare joint Royal seal. The scroll was addressed to Rarity. Twilight passed the scroll to the fashionista. Rarity quickly read it, and her eyes grew wide. She centred herself and explained to her friends, “Princesses Celestia and Luna have asked me to be our guest’s first introduction to pony kind. He should be awake now. But first, let me fix my makeup.” A powder puff, lipstick, and compact mirror were expertly and quickly used. “There, perfection. A lady must always look her best.”