Introductions (Part1)
Okay I hate hospitals. I hate having to wait in a room with other sick people when I should have been in the back hours ago. I hate the smell of the hospital it just smells to clean. I hate the feeling that you get from just sitting there waiting for your turn. I hate it when they try to tell me to take medicine. I just don't want it I hate it so I refuse to take it. If I can avoid it I would rather face pain or a sickness on my own rather than go to the doctor.
But this time I had no choice in the matter. I guess I was dragged to the hospital by those three little fillies I saved. Yay me, I love waking up in one of the most dreaded places ever made.
I lay there with my eyes closed trying to pick up on any conversations going on around me. I listen for several minutes but I don't hear anything except for machines that are doing their jobs. So it's probably safe to crack one of my eyes a little to get an idea of what’s around me.
I see that I am hooked up to a few machines and my vest has been removed. I continue to look around and I do not see my rifle anywhere hopefully it is close by in case I need to make a break for it.
Since no one else is in the room it gives me a chance to look myself over. I look down to where the sword wound had been and see no trace of where the sword had hit me. The virus is still healing my body but it is strange I can't feel the virus right now yet it helped me when I was in danger.
Since the virus only infects humans than maybe in my new body it can't do anything unless the body is in danger of dying. That could be it since I never saw an infected dog or any animal turned into a Chimera. I have seen the Chimera twist human bodies into more animalistic forms or giants like the titan. The howler is a good example of one of the animal Chimera. I never saw many in America but I hear in England they were everywhere and soldiers were terrified when they heard the howler's cries. They say the howler is a tough bastard to kill do to their thick hide so it was recommended to use a shotgun against them.
I let out a sigh of relief. "Well at least I won't lose control to the virus, at least for now."
Then I start to think of what would happen if the virus mutates. If it gets out of control here is there a chance of stopping it? I don't want another incident to break out here too it was bad enough back home. I can only imagine the twisted forms that the virus could make these creatures into. Especially those ones with the horns. I bet they would be as powerful as angels.
Angels are among the most dangerous Chimera. They were the ones that controlled the hive mind before Daedalus took over. The number of angels have gone down significantly but they are still a force to be reckoned with. They flew through the air and fired poisonous barbs from their tentacles. They were very dangerous for Sentinals since we have the virus they could try to sway us to turn against humanity. It's a horrible feeling to have something reach inside your mind. It has happened to me twice and each time I lost my mind. My rage took over and I almost killed my friends in a blind rage.
Just then the door opens revealing a white mare with a pink mane. "Oh good you're awake," she says with a smile. "My name is Nurse RedHeart. You were brought in late yesterday after a fight with some Diamond dogs."
I sat there for a second going over in my head on what she just said. Diamond dogs? "Oh so those creatures I fought were called Diamond dogs. Do you know why they wanted to kidnap those three little fillies?" I ask.
"The Diamond dogs were probably trying to take the three to the Diamond dog mines and force them to dig up gems for them but thanks to you they just ran with their tails between their legs," she smiled as she told me. " Diamond dogs love their gems but they are pretty lazy about digging them up for themselves so they kidnap other species and work them in the mines until they think it's time to let their captives go. What a brutish race if you ask me."
Oh you don't know how much better that is then were I came from. If someone went missing you would never see them again. I don't agree with what the Diamond dogs are doing but it's not as bad as being turned into a different species altogether. I should keep these thoughts to myself no need to raise suspicion now.
"So those three are safe?" I ask.
"Hmmm? Oh yes Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are all safe. They were out trying to earn their cutie marks in monster slaying when they were ambushed," she puts her head down and sighs. "Those girls are always getting into trouble trying to figure out what their special talent is."
Cutie Mark? What the hell is that? She turns a little to look at a machine and I see she has a mark on her flank too. The one she has looks like the symbol on a first aid kit. So these marks might mean something important. I need to ask her what they mean in a way so she won't ask questions. Well I lost a lot of blood so that could be a good enough excuse to make her spill a little information.
"Nurse Redheart if you don't mind could you remind me what a cutie mark is? My head is still a little fuzzy from my fight and I am having trouble focusing right now," I lie.
She looks at me and smiles. "Of course I don't mind. A cutie mark is what appears on our flanks when we discover what our special talent in life is. Each one is different and the appearance of one is a big milestone in anypony's live," Redheart says cheerfully.
She seems nice and doesn't seem to notice anything. The mark on my flank shows what my special talent is huh? Well mine is a Chimera skull with two rifles crossed under it. Appropriate considering I was killing Chimera for years and was damn good at it. I need more information like this if I am going to stand a chance of blending in.
"Nurse are there some books around here I can read while I am in here? I just don't want to be bored laying here all day," I say.
"Yes there are a few on this cart over here. We offer history books, poetry, and even a few children series that are always enjoyable. Once you are feeling better I will come back and get some personal information from you," she tells me then leaves.
Crap I need to read quickly if I need to give any information. I grab two book on history and geography. I begin by looking over the geography book first to come up with an idea of locations I might be able to use as cover. Just then I felt like I should have smacked myself for my stupidity. "I should have asked where I was," I say. So since I don't know where I am I need to pick a place out of the way maybe in the mountains or desert.
I see in the geography book that the names of cities are almost like ours but have slight variations to match their pony world. Again strange but a different race is in control of this world so they can name cities whatever they want. After I choose a hometown I need to get to work to looking through the history book to get a feel for events I may be asked about and to get an idea on how these ponies work.There are several different races in this world and most are creatures that only existed in fairy tales back home. Griffons, Minotaurs, Hydras, and many others exist. The ones that caught my eye though were the three tribes of ponies.
There are the Pegasi that fly through the sky and control the weather with their special form of magic. They are the most militaristic of the three tribes. The next tribe is the Unicorns and they have the greatest control over magic. They have control over the forces of the planet. Finally are the Earth Ponies. They are physically the strongest of the three and the most numerous. While Unicorns have power over forces the Earth ponies have a special connection with the planet. They produce the most food for all the tribes.
Well because of my wings I am part of the Pegasi tribe. In the book it says that all the tribes came together to form a new land under a united flag. Sounds close to the colonies of America coming together to form a nation.
The History book appears to be the latest edition so the events will be a little more current. Apparently their system of government is a monarchy and is ruled by two sisters, Celestia and Luna. It says they control the moon and the sun but I say bullshit until I see it for myself. But their names bring another interesting point to my mind. Their names seem to be based off of things rather than traditional names. RedHeart’s name is strange but so are the three fillies names. Maybe just like their cutie marks their names almost seem to match their profession. There isn’t anything that is called a Riley it's just a name given to identify me so now I have to think a new one up to hide.
*sigh* "So much to do just to hide who I was. Would It be better just to come forward and tell them?" I whisper to myself. "Nope, they would just think me mad and put me in a mental institution and if I want any chance at going home or at least a normal life here I need to stay on the outside of those bars."
I begin to study history for more facts. By what this book says there hasn't been any major conflicts in this world for hundreds of years. Sure there has been a fight here and there but nothing major to point out. Interesting these ponies really are a peaceful race fighting only when necessary.
"Good thing the virus didn't break out here these creatures wouldn't stand a chance," I say aloud.
I take note that even though they have modern cities and medical equipment they are still nowhere in terms of weaponry. Their main weapons still seem to be sword, spears, and cannons at best. Its like the middle ages mixed with modern society. I feel out of place in this world more now than before. I took on the Chimera virus just to fight a war and now I have to adopt a peaceful life. This is going t be tougher than I thought.
"Perhaps I can tell them that my rifles were of my own design. No that wouldn't work it's far too advanced to just appear out of nowhere. They would at least have to have a very basic gun first before I could even think of showing off the Folsom and all its deadly tricks. Maybe it could be an artifact from an ancient race? Possible but I might want to keep an escape route open just incase. A .303 from my Folsom would probably get me tossed in jail for designing something so dangerous. The Markman and Bullseye are even more advanced. I might be able to get away with a few inconsistencies but my weapons are going to have to stay hidden as much as possible. My vest is probably ok but my helmet definitely has to stay behind. Hell I still need to hide my ship from them. If they find that it would probably send the world into full panic," I say to myself.
If they found that sort of tech they could hurt themselves so easily. They would lack understanding and their ignorance of the danger would get them killed. I could give it to them and show them how it works but in the end they did not earn the technology. They could even wipe themselves out if they are not careful. These ponies need to grow on their own and earn technology.They must stumble and fall on the way to the future just like humanity did.
Now I need to focus on the tasks at hand.
I decided on a small desert community as being my hometown. It was way out of the way and I am hoping anyone from here doesn't know anyone there. I also had a few newspapers nearby to catch up on the latest events like the return of someplace called the Crystal Kingdom and that a group called the "Bearers of the Elements" got it back. Looks like the article is missing a few pictures and sections. Someone probably cut them out or somthing. Whoever these elements are must be pretty tough to get an entire kingdom back. It might be worthwhile to meet them and figure out some fighting techniques. I look these "Elements" up in the history book to see what they are all about. It says that these elements are the physical representation of friendship. There is Magic, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, and Laughter.
"Ok this is all sounding more and more like bullshit to me the more I read," I say aloud.
Now that I have messed up my own mind I need to decide on a name for myself. I want it to match closely to my personality so I don't have to explain anything. I was the tech guy in my squad back when I was fighting Chimera. I understood it more than my friends so it became easy for me to fix my Marksman or understand Chimera tech. I am not saying I am smart I just have a lot of random information in my head that just comes together when it needs to. I also don't like to show off my knowledge so most of the time I act silly but when someone's back is turned I try to solve their problem.
I don't go around showing off and I find it kind of annoying when people do that. I need to find inspiration so let me think about the virus inside of me. While I was in combat I always resisted the urge to allow the virus to take over my mind. All Sentinels were in a constant fight to keep their minds so we had to resist. Hey maybe that could be it. We did serve in the military but all humans that stood against the Chimera called themselves the Resistance. That sounds like a cool name and it doesn't point out any of the war I have seen. I think they would buy that as my first name. Now for a last name I will use a variation of a last name I have heard before. Nathan Hale was the greatest Sentinel there ever was so I will use hail as my last name in honor of him.
Just then the door to my room opened and nurse RedHeart walked in. "Oh you look a lot better," she said smiling.
"I feel better thank you for helping," I reply.
"It was my pleasure so now if you are feeling better I need some personal information," she has a clipboard and a pencil. How can she hold those without fingers? "Well first I need your name."
"My name is Resistance Hail ma'am," I say trying out my new name. I like the sound of it.
She gives me a confused look. "Odd name," she says.
"Well my parents wanted me to have a unique name that would make me stand out from others," I hope all my speech classes I took have given me a silver tongue.
She looks at me then begins writing, "Well it is a very unique name and you showed how well that name suits you back in that fight with those Diamond dogs. The girls said you took a nasty hit from a sword but continued to fight like it was nothing."
"Well the sword was poorly made so it did not do much damage. Those three just made a bigger deal of it then it was," I tell her.
"You're probably right when you came in there was hardly scratch on. You had a bruise here and there but nothing serious. We used magic to take care of those so you won't see a mark on you. Still be careful in the future not all Diamond dog weapons are poorly made. Now on to the next question. Where were you born?" She asks.
Ok now for the next lie. " I was born in a town called Ridgecolt."
Again she gave me a questioning look. "I have heard of it. It's a small desert town and It's quite far away. If I may ask why have you come all this way to Ponyville?"
Nurse RedHeart why are you making this so complicated? "I decided to travel around and see what the world has to offer. I just got tired of that small town."
She gave me a smile. "Well a lot of travellers pass through this town. Many decide to stay when they find the peace inviting or find love," Nurse RedHeart tells me. "Who knows maybe you will find your love here too."
I just sat there. Is this a bad romance novel? "Well it's not exactly what I am looking for but if I find the love of my life on my travels then who am I to complain," I say giving half hearted grin.
She giggles at me and moves on to the next question. "What is your age?"
"I am 21 years old," I say hoping really hope their age system is similar to ours.
"Ok, if you don't mind me asking how long have you been traveling?" she asks.
"Well I have been traveling since I turned 18 so I have been out of my parents care for a few years," I say. It is the truth I have had no place to really call home since I joined the resistance when I turned 18.
"I see, do you have any current occupation?" Nurse RedHeart continues to ask her questions.
"None at the moment I just got here and saw those three being attacked," I say. "I usually just do jobs that require more of a fighting role like a bodyguard or exterminator."
"Exterminator?" She asks.
"Well sometimes a place is having monster trouble so I have to resolve them someway or another. Be the solution diplomatic or a bit more forceful. I don't take on a job until I know all the details though so I don't take land away unfairly," I tell her hoping that these questions would end soon.
"Sounds like you have some stories to tell. I would like to hear one sometime if that's all right," she says.
I smile and say, "Sure."
"Thank you, now for our final question what does your cutie mark mean?" RedHeart asks.
How should I answer this question? It's a skull so I can't tell her just anything. "Well it means I am good at fighting off the monsters in this world," I say.
"Judging by the story the girls told and the look of your cutie mark I would say that is very accurate as your special talent," she says to me as she finishes writing.
"Well that's enough questions for now you have some visitors who would like to speak with you."
I was confused. "Who would come and see me? I don't know anyone here," I ask her.
She turns and gives me a smile. "It's the three you saved Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo along with some of their friends and family," she then walked out.
They probably came to thank me. That's nice of them to do that...but what if they're not? Did they notice how bad my wound was before it healed up so quickly during the fight? Did they see how much I suddenly changed? A better question is did I show any signs of the virus on the outside while it was active? The first thing anyone sees is that anyone with the virus has eyes that are golden in color.
There is a small mirror in the . I unhook myself from the machines and go over to the mirror. This is the first time I take a good look at myself and decided to check out my new body in detail. I see my mane is long enough that the bangs hang over my eyes a little. It doesn't reach too far down my neck. It was almost the same way I had it when I was still human just slightly longer. It is a dark brown just like it was before the change. My coat looks to be a light gray and my wings don't look damaged in anyway. My eyes are hazel color much like my human eyes and just like them depending on how closely you look you could see brown or hazel eyes.
That's good. If my eyes did change then at least it wasn't permanent, but I need to be more careful.
"How much have I changed? I need to know if I am still the same underneath all this crazy stuff," I say to myself.
*cough*
I turn from the mirror to see the three fillies I saved and what I presume is their families. There was a silence between the group and as we just stood there. I decided it should be me that breaks our staring contest.
"Ummm..........hi? How are you thr-OOOFF!"
Next thing I know I am on the ground with the three fillies hugging me.
"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!" All three said in unison. I simply stare at them in disbelief before smiling. "Your welcome," I reply. "I am always happy to help those who need it."
The yellow filly looks at me and says, "You showed them that they shouldn't take us ponies lightly," she speaks with a southern accent and it is quite adorable.
The white filly chimes in, "Yeah you showed the how tough we can be," her voice is high and cracking. She might be the most mature among the three.
"Yeah that was really cool, not as cool as rainbow dash, but still really cool," the orange one says. Ok she is a fan of this 'Rainbow Dash' pony. I have a feeling not many things could beat Rainbow Dash in the cool factor.
Well this puts some of my fears to rest. At least they are not scared of what they saw. "I am just glad those Diamond dogs didn't get their paws on you."
"I must thank you for saving my little sister. It was very brave of you to fight all those horrid Diamond dogs," one of the others spoke.
I look to see a white unicorn with a stylized purple mane speaking to me. "My name is Rarity and my little sister is Sweetie Belle," Rarity says.
"My name is AppleJack and I thank ya kindly for protecting mah sister AppleBloom," this one was an orange mare with a blond mane. Her mane was done in a ponytail. That's a little funny to me but I keep that to myself.
"Eeyup," this one was a large red Stallion. He stands taller than me and has much more muscle on him. I don't want to go toe to toe with this guy.
"That's our big brother Big Macintosh. He's not one for conversation but he has a good heart," AppleBloom says. Big Macintosh nods at this.
Just then a rainbow blur races towards my. "Hey thanks for saving my biggest fan," the blur turned into a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. "But if I was there those Diamond dogs wouldn't have touched me once," she says proudly.
This must be Rainbow Dash. Wow someone has a big ego I wonder what would happen if someone brought it down a notch or two. "Well there is always room for improvement Rainbow Dash."
I look at that them and introduce myself, "It very nice to meet all of you my name is Resistance Hail." I bow my head a little.
"So what were you doing out near the Everfree Forest anyhow? Don't you know that place is dangerous?" Applejack asks.
"I was looking around when I heard all the commotion and went to see what the trouble was. That's when I saw these three being attacked by the Diamond dogs and decided to step in to help. I was unaware of the danger of the forest but I will be more cautious of it," I say.
"Did you happen to see a monster while you were looking around? Its fur was all black and it had a freaky looking face with multiple eyes," Rainbow asks me curiously.
Monster? Black fur? Multiple eyes? It suddenly dawned on me that she was the one giving chase yesterday. Luckily she must not have gotten a good look to see that I was wearing a shirt. She also thinks my helmet was a face with multiple eyes. Well If I alter the helmet maybe I can wear it again. Well at least I am safe and I won't be recognised as the monster from yesterday. "No I am afraid I have not seen a monster matching that description but I will keep a lookout for it," I say to her with a smile.
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and moves back to the group. She must not be very patient for a chance to do something incredible. She might be the type to jump into situation without really thinking about it. That would explain why she tried to egg me on yesterday she just wants to prove a point. Since I have several ponies here perhaps they can help me find work.
"Would any of you happen to know where I could find work around here?" I ask. "You see I am a traveler but I need to earn some money to purchase supplies."
Applejack steps forward. "Well we could always use some help out on our farm. It's hard word but if you're willing to work we have some jobs you can help with."
I think about it. I have never worked a farm before and I am sure I am not as strong as them. However this could be a great chance for me to earn some money and start working towards a standard life here. I nod. "I think working on a farm sounds like an interesting idea and it will whip me into shape."
"Eeyup," is all that Big Macintosh says.
I like Big Macintosh already. A stallion of few words.
Rarity steps forward. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. You did save my baby sister."
I smile at her. "Thank you very much for your generosity Rarity."
"It's quite alright though I must say I have never seen a vest like this before," she says and points to my tactical vest. "Might I ask what is it for and who made it?"
"It's a vest of my own design that uses multiple layers of tough material to help prevent weapons getting to my vital organs. If the sword had hit that vest the sword would not have pierced it and I would be fine. It also helps me carry tool of my trade," I tell her.
Rarity's face brightens up. "You design clothing as well?" she asks me excitedly.
"I dabble with designing clothing but I am better at designing weapons. It comes with the job that I know how to make weapons but also repair clothing that is damaged," I tell Rarity.
"Well maybe you can assist me in my boutique. Even though you say you skills are limited you may still be very helpful," Rarity tells me.
"I may take you up on your offer Rarity thank you."
We talk for a little while longer before Nurse RedHeart enters and informs us that visiting hours are over and they have to leave.
We all give our farewells and the group proceeds to leave. I make my way back to the bed and get ready to sleep for the night. My mind begins to wander about the current events of my life. I became a Sentinel to defend my home and then took part in one of the most important operations humanity has ever had. After I get caught in a huge explosion and a wormhole I end up in a new land with a new body. I accidentally make the town believe there is a new monster out in the forest. Not too long after that I rescue three fillies that were about to be abducted by creatures called Diamond dogs. Finally I end up in a hospital where I am visited by the three I saved and their families. I wind up with a new job and have made several people very happy.
"Life is a funny thing," is the last thing I say before I drift off to sleep.