//------------------------------// // Unleashed // Story: The Strongest There Is // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Banner and Pinkie headed down the street, which Banner noticed was incredibly quiet. He looked up at the sun to find that is was almost high noon. Where was every pony? Pinkie didn't seem to notice or just simply didn't care, as she happily skipped down the street with a smile on her face, humming to herself. Banner wondered why the lack of ponies didn't bother her, it was almost like she knew about the-...Ah, this was her doing. She was planning a surprise of sorts for him. Might as well play along. "Wow, quiet today, isn't it?" Banner asked in a carefree tone. He smiled inwardly when suspiscion flashed in Pinkie's eyes. "I know, it's like everypony went somewhere and didn't invite me," Pinkie said with a frown, but it quickly turned back into a smile. "The nerve of some ponies, going somewhere secret and not inviting us." "I know. It's almost like they're all at...a SURPRISE party or something." Banner smiled when he saw Pinkie's eyes widened and he put on the most innocent face he could when she turned to look at him. "Yeah, a surprise maybe," Pinkie muttered in a suspicious tone. Banner knew that he shouldn't ruin Pinkie's surprise for him, but it was so much fun messing with her. From her insistance on getting to the bakery, plus the fact that there was nopony around, Banner had already deduced that she was planning a surprise party for him--which was nice, but it felt entirely unnecessary. He snapped out of his thoughts when they reached the bakery. "Alrighty, let's head on inside," said Pinkie as she started to open the door, but Banner put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "You go inside, I'm just going to take a moment to soak in the sun." Pinkie gave him a look, then opened the door to the place and headed inside. Banner waited until the door was completely closed before he circled around the building and went into the kitchen's back entrance. All the lights in the house were out, but there was enough light from the window for him to see clearly. He reached the door to the main room and quietly opened it. He smiled to himself when he saw all the ponies hiding in the shadows waiting to surprise him. All the ponies he had met from the previous day were there as well. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy; even Twilight was hiding in a corner. Looking around at all the ponies waiting for him, Banner's mischievous side took over and he crawled over to Rarity, who was in the closest. "What are we doing in the dark?" he whispered to her. "Ssshhh! We're going to surprise Doctor Banner when he comes in here with a surprise party. Be quiet or you'll ruin it," Rarity hissed in a whisper. "Why are we giving him a party?" "Because, he's been so nice since he arrived and has been helping everypony since he got here. Between saving Fluttershy and saving the foal at the hospital, he's been an incredible...human. Honestly, weren't you there when Pinkie explained...?" Rarity's voice trailed off as she turned and saw Banner next to her with a smile on his face. "KKKKYYYYAAA!" Rarity screamed, jumping into the air and backing into a wall. All the ponies in the room jumped at the sound of the scream and spun around to face a smiling Banner. "Hi, everypony," Banner said with a smile, standing back up. All the ponies looked at him in surprise, while one pink pony walked up to him in a fury. "BANNER!!! YOU RUINED MY SURPRISE!! AND AFTER I SPENT SO LONG PLANNING!!!" Banner was scared. He had assumed that Pinkie was a carefree kind of pony that was hard to get angry. Apparently she was serious about her parties. He made a mental note not to ever ruin another one of her surprise parties. "Sorry, I was just so happy that you were throwing a surprise party for me, I wanted to give you a surprise in return," he lied. In truth, Banner had been surprised so many times since he had arrived that he wanted to surprise someone else for once. Pinkie narrowed her eyes and frowned, but eventually turned back to the other ponies with a smile. "Alright everypony, now that Banner's here, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!" Everypony in the room cheered and Pinkie flipped on the lights, starting the party. The moment he could see, Banner's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. The place was filled with ponies of all shapes and sizes, as well as some of the most delicious treats that any pony had ever seen. But what touched Banner the most was that there was a banner (ironic right?) hanging above the ponies' heads that read, "Welcome to Ponyville, Dr. Banner." He was moved. These ponies were really trying to welcome him into their home, trying to make it feel like he belonged, even though he was an outsider, even though he was alien to them. He smiled at the banner and looked around at all the ponies partying. While most looked at him and smiled, he noted some that didn't seem to like him. He noticed that a seafoam green pony had been trying to get his attention, but the scene of the party drastically changed in an instant. The door to the bakery was opened with a bang and two ponies in golden armor stepped inside. "Mares and Gentlecolts, Princess Celestia!" They announced. The two then moved to the side to let the most incredible pony that he had ever seen enter the room. She was as tall as he was, with a white gleaming white coat and an incredibly colorful mane. She had pegasi wings and a unicorn's horn, which meant she was an alicorn. When he looked her in the face, he saw a peaceful creature, but an incredibly powerful one at that. She looked at Banner with a smile and entered the room. As she did, all the other ponies in the room bowed, confirming what Banner had guessed--she was their superior and their leader. Some of the bowing ponies looked up at him and motioned for him to do the same, but he didn't budge. Dr. Banner would never bow of his own free will. Not now; not ever. After a moment of looking at each other, Celestia was the first to break the silence. "So what my student told me was true. You are a human," she said in a silky voice. Banner looked back at Twilight, who gave him a sheepish grin in reply. "Yes, I am a human. My name is Banner," he replied in a careful tone, not sure of what to say to an alicorn. She raised an eyebrow at him. "So I see," she muttered in a curious tone. "I noticed that unlike my ponies, you did not bow when I entered. Why is that?" "Let's just say there is a side of me that will never bow to anyone," Banner replied curtly. He could feel the tension in the room shift. The ponies were looking at the two with worried glances, not liking where the conversation was going. "I can see it in your face. You know how powerful I am. Do you not fear me?" she asked in a whisper, waiting curiously for his answer. "The only thing I fear is myself," Banner said in a whisper as well, looking the princess straight in the eyes. Then, much to the surprise of everypony in the room, something incredible happened. Celestia smiled at him. "You are truly how Twilight described you: Brave, smart and unyielding. One who only fears himself." Then she did another thing that surprised all the ponies in the room; she bowed to Banner. "Is it all right for the ruler of the ponies to be bowing to me?" Banner asked in amusment. "You have saved three of my subjects, from what I have heard, and you have been kind to all the others you have met, even when they did not show such kindness in return. I bow to say, 'thank you.'" She rose back to her full height and looked around at all the watching ponies. "I thought this was supposed to be a party?" she asked with a smile. The ponies all relaxed after she said this and started to go back to partying. Celestia nodded her head to one of the empty tables and went over to sit down. Banner walked over and pulled out a chair, joining her. "So, Twilight tells me that you have knowledge of very advanced forms of science. May I hear some of it?" Banner smiled at her request and began to tell her of all the amazements that his world had created. He told her of what he had told Twilight, of the planes, cars and spaceships. However, Banner noticed that Celestia seemed to take more interest in the humans he spoke of rather than the technology. Banner noticed that while he was speaking with the princess, almost none of the other ponies dared to approach him or the princess. Only Twilight and her friends seemed comfortable speaking with her. They shared some interesting conversations, telling Banner of their past adventures, before wandering back off to the party. The oddest part was when the seafoam pony came up to the two and asked Banner an interesting question. "Hi there, I'm Lyra," she said with a huge smile, barely able to contain her excitement at the sight of him. "I study humans and am personally a huge fan of you guys. Well, I only study ancient scrolls and such since there are no actual humans here, except there are now!" She went on like that for another five minutes until she seemed to realize that Princess Celestia was watching her with a smile. She apologized for interrupting and left, telling Banner that he'd see a lot of her in the future. While the party continued, Banner had been telling Celestia about computers when the bakery door was once again opened. All turned to look at the orange pony standing in the doorway. She glanced around until her eyes rested on Banner, after which she slowly moved over to where he was. "Ah, Applejack, how is your grandmother doing?" Celestia asked in a kind tone. "S-she's fine, yer majesty," Applejack stuttered. Banner noticed that she was looking at him the entire time she spoke. "What?" he asked her. She slowly took off her hat and looked at Banner with pure gratitude in her eyes. "Dr. Banner, ah just wanted to say...thank you fer saving my grandma's life." After she said this, she walked over to Banner and gave him a hug around his waist. Everypony in the room "awed" as Banner patted her gently on the back. "Thank you, she's...she's all ma brother, my sister and I have left. So..thank you again." He could feel the gratitude coming from deep within the pony's heart; gratitude that he had saved someone important to her. All the other ponies started to applaud Banner, expressing their feelings for what he did. Even Celestia nodded at him. All these ponies had accepted him, finally giving him a place to be at peace. Banner looked around and smiled, finally feeling that he had been accep-- 'Banner.' Banner's face drained of all color as the voice echoed through his head and he staggered out of his chair, backing into the wall. He must have been quite the sight, as the other ponies moved forward to catch him. "Dr. Banner, are you alright?" Celestia asked in concern. Banner fought to remain vertical, as he could feel Hulk's presence begging to surface. "I'm...fine. Do you have a bathroom I could use?" He asked Pinkie. Pinkie pointed down a hallway and Banner bolted to it, closing the stout door and locking himself in the bathroom. He staggered to the sink and gripped its edge to remain standing. His grip began to crack the sink and he slowly tried to breath normally. 'What do you want, Hulk?' Banner asked in his mind. 'Out,' the angry voice replied. Banner scoffed to himself. 'Out? After all you have done? I'm not letting you out, Hulk. Not in this world.' Then Banner heard a sound that scared him to his core. Hulk was laughing. 'Here with the ponies or in the woods. Banner's choice, but Hulk will be out.' Banner realized that Hulk wasn't giving him a choice and letting him out in the town would be a disaster. He would need to get to the forest fast. 'Alright, but give me a minute.' He felt the rage subside, so he had only a few minutes to get to the forest. Banner opened the door and walked swiftly down the hallway, back into the room with all the ponies waiting for his return. "Dr. Banner?" Celestia asked. "If you all would excuse me, I need some fresh air. If any of you need me, please don't. I will be in the Everfree Forest," he said quickly, before rushing out of the house and sprinting towards the forest. He didn't care what the ponies were thinking; the only thing he cared about was getting out of there. Now, while Banner isn't the strongest hero as himself, that doesn't mean he isn't physically fit. He could run. And he used his running skills to go into a dead sprint to the forest. It took him about five minutes to reach the forest, where he leaned against a tree to regain his breath. "Okay Hulk, we're here. Now will you-GGGGGRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he cried out in pain as the transformation began. Gamma radiation began to flood through his body, causing massive spasms all over. He fell to his knees as his muscles began to expand at a rapid pace, tearing through his shirt and pants. His skin and hair turned to a forest green as the gamma infused cells supercharged on radiation. He body grew to nearly nine feet in height and the ground cracked beneath his body as his weight nearly multiplied by ten. His face contorted into a rage-filled snarl, while his eyes turned a deep green. Banner's mind was the last to go, as his conscious was replaced by one far more angry than he. "RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" the fully transformed Hulk roared, shaking the forest to its core. Animals fled in terror and birds scattered in all directions, trying to get away from the monster. Hulk snarled and rose to his feet, lumbering off into the forest. His massive gait knocked over any trees that got into his way as he pushed his way though. "Puny Banner tried to contain Hulk. But Hulk is too strong for Banner." Banner didn't respond, as his conscious had been repressed for a while, just like after every transformation. Hulk looked around as he walked, taking in the environment of the new world. "Stupid world too colorful for Hulk. Hulk hate colorful things," he growled. He rooted both feet into the ground and pushed off with his massive legs, launching himself into the air. He climbed high into the sky, feeling the wind rush through his hair, before he reached the zenith of his leap and came crashing down back into the ground. He landed with a smash, creating a massive shockwave that blasted the trees around him into oblivion. He rose back up and started to move foward, not noticing that the terrain had changed. The ground was now marsh like and watery, complete with frogs and swamp water. Hulk had arrived in the swamps and had alerted the presence of a very angry monster. The monster arose from its lair to find the intruder in its territory, planning on destroying it. It would be the last thing it ever did.