Me, Myself, and I
I open my eyes to the interior of my ship. I would think it was morning if not for the fact that the sky was pink so I am having a very lucid dream then. I look at my body and surprised to see I am a pony. It seems my brain has even turned me into a pony in my sleep. Kind of weird but I guess I will get use to it like everything else. As the world forms I see not my old home or any past events but the new home I have made here in Equestria. I don’t have my rifle on me but since this is a dream I will have little need of it. I leave the ship and head towards Ponyville to see what my adventures will bring me.
My dreams tonight are filled with all the new ponies I had met. I wound up on the hill where Twilight and I chatted tonight. She sat there reading a book that was sitting at her hooves staring intently at every page and Spike fast asleep next to her. I took a close look at the book she was reading and I could see that it contained all the information I had ever given about myself in this world. Right now she is reading a page on my name and birth place. She was underlining several bits of information and wrote next to them ‘important to remember’. She flipped the next page which was titled “Weapons”. This time the page was sectioned off for each of the weapons that I had brought with me from Earth. The Folsom section had everything she would know about it written down. Next to most of the information was a statement in a dark red that said “More information required”. Under all of the other sections was a giant question mark and I could see in her eyes she was frustrated not to have this information. Twilight flipped back to the previous page and continued to go over the information. I chuckled a bit at the fact she is my information handler in here.
I decided to leave Twilight to her work and see what my other dream companions are up to. I made my way down the hill to see Rainbow Dash practicing what I had taught her on a random pony. Her stance was sloppy but she was still wining against her opponent. The random pony took a swing at the cyan Pegasus but Rainbow dodged it. Then with fast reflexes she grabbed the outstretched hoof and swung her helpless victim over her back. The pony hit the ground with a thump and bounced a little before coming to a stop. Rainbow didn’t miss a beat, she turned as quickly as she could so her opponent wouldn’t have a chance to attack for behind. The ill-fated pony stood up again and prepared to strike Rainbow again. As each punch was thrown Rainbow countered and knocked her opponent off their hooves. But every now and then a punch would make contact and Rainbow would stumble. She quickly recovered through and continued to beat back her target. Perhaps as she gets better in the real world it will change in here too. Maybe at some point I will be her challenger.
I moved on to find Fluttershy under a tree playing with Angel. The bunny was hopping around its owner while Fluttershy sang the song from earlier today. The melody is still as good as I remember. The tree behind her began to fill with the birds from her home and they sang along. They sang in harmony with one another, each bird with its own unique sound was able to keep pace and pitch with the others. Soon the area around Fluttershy filled with the other animals I had seen and all were now moving to the song in their own special way. None of them were bumping into one another as they each danced around to the beautiful tune. As I watched them all dance I felt the urge to join in on the dancing. I was never much of a dance so I began to sway from side to side keeping pace with each beat. After several minutes of dancing along I moved on to the next piece of entertainment tonight.
I came across a tent that looked to flashy for any pony but Rarity. When I entered I see a small fashion studio set up with mannequins included. On each mannequin was a work in progress ranging from a very fancy dress to a more casual wear for mares. The fancy dress was big and puffy, something you would see from old England portraits. The color scheme just screamed “look at me”. There were jewels placed very strategically on certain parts of the dress. Some at the front to bring attention to the mare’s face and others near the back to highlight the tail. I moved on the more casual dress and like what I see. While it had a single jewel in the front the rest was a simple design. The dress was probably designed with a nice day out with her friends in mind. I looked to see that there were two mannequins in the corner of the tent and both had clothing on them designed for stallions. On one was a formal suit with a nice coat to go along with it. The suit was designed to show off how well built the stallions body was while making the stallion look like a perfect gentleman. The other mannequin was wearing clothing that was more like the simple dress for mares. The shirt it was wearing was a light gray button up with a brown jacket to boot. This was more to my taste in clothing and I would buy it if I could. I hear noises from behind and I turn to see Rarity at a table sketching out more designs. Her latest drawing was a dress that was over the top in my opinion. She seemed happy with it though so I left it alone and moved on.
I happened upon Pinkie Pie next in my journey to nowhere. The hyperactive mare was setting up a long table with party hats and balloons stationed at each seat. In the center sat a large cake that was shaped like her cutie mark. Along the table sat various snacks that would anyponies mouthwatering. The delicious cupcakes from earlier sat on the table along with a variety of fruits and chips. A giant punch bowl sat off to the side with its own table and a stack of plastic cups. The purple liquid inside seemed like it would be one of the tastiest things I would ever have. The bubbly pink mare was skipping around the table humming a tune to herself while waiting for her guests to arrive. It was amazing how long she could just skip around without a break. I bet she does this most of the time instead of walking like a normal pony. I might want to ask her about that the next time I see her. I left the party to see what else my mind has created for me.
I come to a grove filled with apple trees and I already knew who I would find here. I moved around each tree looking for my next friend of the moment. The tree were the size of the apple trees back on Sweet Apple Acres and just like the real thing filled with apples. I decided to see if my mind would humor me and I got ready to buck a tree. Instead of hitting full force I just hit it with a single hoof like Big Mac. All the apples cascaded down around me and it brought a smile to my face. If only it were that easy when I was awake. I rounded several more trees before I came across Applejack resting against the base of one of the trees. She had her hat pulled down a little to keep the few rays of sun breaking the tree tops from hitting her eyes. Her chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm as she breathed. The silence was only broken by her soft snoring as she slept. I left the sleeping mare to her well-deserved rest.
I walked through Ponyville looking at all the buildings around me. The town was deserted for the most part with a few ponies here and there. I see the Cake twins with their parents Cup Cake and Carrot cake, Nurse Redheart, and a few others I had met at the party. As I make it to the center of the town I take a look around and see something out of place. There is a door just sitting in the middle of town. No building, no sign, just a door free standing with nothing around it. I approach the door with caution and to my surprise the door knob turns on its own. The door slow creaks open but all I can see is a bright light blocking out anything on the other side. I creep closer to see if I could get a better view through the light. As I get closer a world begins to form through the door frame and as my eyes adjust more details start to form. I can see buildings that resemble the ones back on Earth, parks, and even some people. They looked brand new, no destruction or anything from the war. I see children running around and playing with one another. Then I see something that stops me in my tracks.
There on a bench was my human body asleep.
I couldn’t believe it; my body was just sitting there taking a nap. I rushed through the door without a second thought but as soon as I made it through I blacked out.
Next thing I know I wake up clutching my chest and panting. My body feels like it has been run over several times by a tank. I put my hand to my head to alleviate some of the pain.
“Wait hand?”
I held it out in front of me and yes it was true. My hand and all of its beautiful digits were there. I looked to see my feet and I jumped with joy when I see that I had them as well. I could hardly believe it. Even though this is a dream it feels so real and it feels real good to be able to grab things again. I pick up a rock and toss it into the air and I catch it on its way back to Earth. I look at myself and I am wearing my civilian clothes. They consist of a nice jacket with a button up shirt. Underneath the shirt is a white T-shirt and I have a pair of dark blue jeans that are loose on my legs. Finally I have some old boots I loved to wear all the time. I even had the satchel my grandfather used when he signed up to help the British in World War 1. Long ago my father had sewn in the S.R.P.A. insignia on the outside of the opening to make it look more official when I use it. I left it with them when I was told I could not take it with me though. It was heart breaking to leave something that meant so much to all of us at home like that. I leave memory lane and get back to what’s around me.
Earth looks like it hasn’t been touched by war, in fact it looked perfect. The temperature was just right and the sun was high in the clear sky. It looked to be about mid spring and the flowers were in full bloom. I can see children playing, people laughing, and stores filled with goods from all over the world. The strangest thing though, they were all frozen in time. They were stopped like they were just turned to statues in an instant.
I see the door I had just come through to reach this world. The door is open and I see my pony body on the other side of it lying under a tree. I see that my previous body was now asleep under the shade of that tree. My guess is that my mind has split me into two parts, one side is human and the other is pony.
“I guess if I head through this door again I will switch back to that body. Need to make a mental note of that.” I start to walk into the city to see all there is to see. There is a cinema showing one of my favorite action films from when I was a kid. It is titled “A Brother’s Love”. It is about a hero that must put his life on the line to save his sister from a ruthless bandit. He fights his way past hundreds of men to find his sister; he even loses one of his eyes. In the end he confronts the bandit in a one on one showdown on top of a skyscraper. It looks like the hero will have an easy victory until the bandit uses the brother’s love against him and the bandit threatens to throw his sister to her death. The sister has been tied up and was hidden from view. The bandit picks her up and closes in on an edge of the building. Seeing no other choice the hero throws down his weapon and the bandit is about to finish him off. Just then the sister is able to get away from the bandit and kick a gun to her brother. He is able to pull off an amazing shot and sends the bandit off the top of the building.
It was a good movie.
Next on my tour is a giant fountain that is full of a variety of fish. Just like everything else the water is not moving as well as the fish it contains. The water was crystal clear and I could see all the details that were put into the bottom of the fountain. These designs would be very difficult to see if the water was flowing so it seems silly to worry about such an unnecessary design. The carving in the stones around the fountain look like a flower patch is blooming from the stone themselves.
I can see people were gathering all around the still water. You could see families gathering for a picnic, friends meeting, and couple spending a day together. The food for the picnic is still being pulled from the basket and the children are still excited to see what food has been brought. The mother has a camera and it getting ready to take a picture of her children’s excitement. The couples are finding the best spot to enjoy the nice weather but stay out of the sun. Those that have already found a spot are laying down in the fresh cut grass or sitting on a bench together. I would enjoy this more if I could hear the voices of these happy people. Instead all I am left with are eyes that are not reacting to anything and just stare into the distance.
“Why would this world be frozen in time and the pony world be full of life?”
I continued my stroll through the city but no matter how far I went all life was just standing still. There wasn’t any sound except for the sound of my shoes making contact with the concrete. It is actually getting annoying being the only one making a repetitive sound. I notice as I walk farther through the city the building start to change little by little. It starts with a crack here and a broken window there but nothing too serious. I look up to see the sky darkening with a mass of clouds. The clouds themselves are like everything else frozen but still getting thicker the more I travel. The people around begin to change with the world too. There are now few children and women around and the few who are, are heading in the opposite direction I am heading. There is an increase of civilian men armed with hunting rifles and pistols heading into the city away from the women and children. The clouds above only get thicker with each passing minute and the building look even more rundown.
Soon there all signs of children are gone. The playgrounds now stand disserted and run down with no visitors to keep them clean or play on the equipment. Old swing sets are falling apart, and slides are rusting away. Trash cans are full and in desperate need of being emptied. Old newspapers sit on benches where old men once gathered to talk about the weather. Old bread that people old and young ripped apart and thrown to pigeons now sits undisturbed by man or bird. The buildings have become more worn down and broken as well. Their glass windows long gone and bricks are missing from vital load bearing areas. Some have gaping holes in the side where something ran through them. Others have fallen down and have become rubble in the streets below. The men armed with civilian weapons are no longer here but soldiers have taken their place. They are armed with the latest military equipment and look ready to take on the world if they had to.
“What is going on around here? First the world looks perfect but now it looks like a war has broken out. What is my dream trying to say to me? What enemy could possible exist inside my mind?”
I spot a Folsom leaning up against some rubble not too far from me. No soldier is around it so I guess it’s safe to take it. I pick up the rifle and inspect it to make sure it could even fire. The rifle has been well maintained and has a full magazine. With a pull of the charging handle the rifle is ready to unleash death, if there is anything to kill in here.
I walk for several more minutes before I notice that no one is around anymore. The soldiers are not here and this area looks like it had been quarantined. It looked like the dividing ground between the two sides and I was standing across from my enemy. My heart says go back but my curiosity says charge ahead.
So I charge ahead.
As I make my way to the other side I notice that the buildings are hardly recognizable anymore. They have tubes and power line stretching from each of them into other buildings creating a network leading deeper into the enemy territory. As I walked over to the other side I look to the power cables and tubes jutting out of each building. I notice that the style is one I had seen many times before and it gives away who the enemy in my mind is.
Chimera.
I hold my rifle close to my chest ready to bring it up on any Chimera that comes my way. I move through the broken buildings trying to stay hidden as I move through the desolate streets. With every piece of glass or wood that breaks under my feet I stop to reevaluate my situation.
•I’m behind enemy lines with no hope of back up.
•I only have thirty rounds to my name.
•I have no armor on so any hit is most likely deadly.
So basically like every other mission I have been on, super. Except this mission is quiet, no sound on this side of the mind either. The heavy machines of the Chimera are silent, no longer digging up towers to be used as processing plants. The growling voices of the Chimera are nonexistent as well as their brutish speech. I round corners expecting around anyone of them I will see the Chimera setting up an ambush. But to my surprise not a single one of the beasts is in sight. None are in the streets and so far none in the buildings I have moved through. It is scary when you see the Chimera. It is terrifying when you know they are there but are unable to see them. I have traveled deep into their territory, so why have I not seen any of them yet? Where are they? I round one final corner and get my answer.
“AHHHH!”
There in mid jump about a foot away is a Howler baring all of its needle sharp teeth. I pull the rifle quickly to my shoulder and flip off the safety. I pull the trigger expecting the rifle to roar with the sound of gunfire but all I receive is a noise that haunts any soldier on the battlefield.
*click*
“NO NO NO NO NO!” I bring my arms up to guard my head from the lion sized beast. I waited for the Howler to sink its fangs into my flesh and begin to rip me apart. But that moment never came, I looked to see the beast still in mid jump. *sigh* “Well, it’s a good thing this side is frozen too.”
I walked past the Howler and around the corner are two Hybrids, probably the Howler’s keepers, and they are running to keep up with their pet. I side step them and continue up the street, this time there is no need to move through buildings. The cables and tubes are getting larger and the buildings have all but disappeared by this point. The weather has also taken a turn for the worse as well. The once clear skies have been stuffed with clouds that are sprinkling snow on to the world below. I am not dressed properly for snow but I enjoy the fact that something else is moving.
I press on through the pure white snow, looking for anything that would give me a clue to what is going on. I spot something through the snow fall. The object stretches into the sky like a giant needle. I only know one thing that it could be that large and in the center of the entire Chimera army. A Chimera tower is the only answer. If there are any answers to be found, they will be in there. The trip to the tower didn’t take long and I had no trouble getting inside either. These places were built long before the Chimera had ever shown up on Earth. They can alter weather and were used for turning humans into Chimeras. Some were special enough to be command centers for certain regions. Now with their new virus spreading techniques they could focus the towers on other jobs the Chimera needed done. They turned them into factories to create larger machines to wipe out man. The tower I am in now looks like it was used to make Goliaths. These were mobile fortresses, able to deliver the virus to the battlefield from far away then mop up any survivors. They were extremely difficult to take down and required some serious fire power. They stood about triple the size of an average house and can crush just about anything with their steps. I saw one step on a tank and crush it and the crew within. I shudder when I think back to the screams coming from the collapsed vehicle.
*sigh* “I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with these anymore.” I say to no one in particular.
As I ascend the tower I come across encrypted panels like on my shuttle. Every time I see one I am reminded of the good doctor who told me all about their secrets. Thanks to him I am able to make my way higher and hopefully find a clue to why everything is the way it is. I pass many familiar rooms on my way to the top and several rooms I have never seen before. I have been in many towers before. But I am unfamiliar with these top rooms; I was never really set to the top of the towers before. So why would I know about them?
At last I reach the top of the tower and the final room. The door is encrypted like all the others but I can get through with time. As I move towards the panel I hear a noise from inside the room. Curious to what it was I press my ear to the door and listen for the noise to repeat. I hear the noise again along with other sounds. It sounds like someone is typing in that room. I quickly rush to the panel but I can’t help but feel uneasy about opening this door. Who else besides me is in here? Are they hostile? I have so many questions just waiting to be answered. I finish putting in the key code and the doors begin to open.
The doors creak and squeak as the pull apart to allow me into the final chamber. Inside the room was lit by monitors showing different parts of my mind. I could see the fountain from earlier and the cinema I watch the movie in. What disturbed me most though was I could see all my new friends and my pony body on the central monitor. In front of it sat a chair and I could see hands typing furiously on the keyboard entering who knows what into the computer. The hands suddenly stopped and came to a rest on the arms of the chair.
“Well well, who came to visit little old me?”
I nearly choked on the air I was breathing when I heard the voice. It was my voice but more distorted, like I was speaking through a filter. I could feel chills going down my spine and I found it hard to speak. “I…I could ask who you are. Thi-this is my mind, what are you doing here?”
No reply, but the fingers started to drum away on the arm rests as their owner thought of a reply.
“Well I guess I live here. I mean I was born here, so this place is my home town. I like it here a lot and I would hate to leave it.”
“You still didn’t tell me who you are.”
“Ah, where are my manners? Please forgive my rudeness.” The chair spun around and its occupant stood up.
“I am Chimera. It is so nice to meet you.” He bowed.
It was me, at least a part of me. He looked just like me except he wore my Sentinel uniform and his eyes were just like a Chimeras. He smiled at me and I could see all his teeth have become needle points. I reached for my rifle when he raised a hand to stop me.
“Please, there is no need for violence here. You came here seeking answers right? Well…” A chair appeared in the room about thirty feet from him. “Let’s chat.”
Oh I am very suspicious of this. I want to leave but this might be my only chance to talk to, well me. I walk forward very slowly scanning the room for any traps but all I see are more monitors looking at basically everything.
I point at him accusingly. “You knew I was coming, didn’t you?”
He has a confused look on his face before he looks at the monitors and realized what I was referring to. He started to laugh. “Ha ha ha oh no no no no no no, I had no idea you were coming. In fact I just woke up myself. You see I have been aware the whole time you were fighting the Chimera back on Earth. I have seen all your battles and all of my brethren you have killed.” He stops to put up his hands defensively. “Now don’t take that the wrong way, you had to kill them to stay alive and in turn keep me alive. Whenever you were hurt I was the one to patch you up. You see you humans accidentally created the greatest form of Chimera. When you created the Sentinels you created the best warriors on the planet. No Chimera species could go toe to toe with a Sentinel.”
I swear my mouth has hit the floor by this point. How could man make the mistake of giving the enemy its greatest weapon? My Chimera half gestures the chair again and I sit down. It is quite comfy and I swear I have had this feeling before.
“Do you like it? I had a feeling you would. I used your memory of a chair you had at your parents’ house you always use to relax in. Even though this does not look like the chair it gives the same relief like the real one.”
I stand up quickly. “Wait a second, from what you just said you could also make me feel extreme pain if I sat in this chair?”
He just smiles at me. “In theory yes I could. But why would I want to make you feel pain? I would feel that same pain and I would like to avoid making the owner of this mind mad at its occupant. Please sit back down.”
I don’t take my eyes off him and I slowly sit back down into the chair. The same feeling of relief takes me away from my troubles.
“Well now that we got that out of the way let me explain what is going on.” He points toward the monitors. “As you can see I watch over all there is inside your mind from this room. Under the hive mind’s orders I would try and wrestle control away from you. The soldiers and Chimera you past on the way up here are the representation of that internal battle. The power swayed back and forth many times. When it looked like we would take over you took an injection that weakened us and pushed us back across the center line. The battle would start over again and again. Now that I am free of the hive mind the battle has stopped and will not resume for now.” He made a cup of tea appear and he takes a sip.
“What do you mean ‘for now’?”
He holds the cup of tea with both hands. “Well as much as I would like to not resume the battle inside your mind I am afraid that the virus is still very active. With time the battle will resume and you will slowly start to turn. You see think of me as the commander of the virus. I would lead the virus into battle and tell it how to attack your body for maximum effect. Now that the hive mind is gone and I am free of its control, my troops will act like rabid animals and attack as they see fit. Your body will fight back just like any other time but it will still have trouble in defeating the virus.”
I’m really confused by this point. “Why would you want the virus to be defeated? Don’t you want them to win?” I slowly reach for my Folsom.
He sighs. “In the past, yes I would want the virus to win because the hive mind said it was right. Now that I am free, I see the world so much more clearly. I understand why you humans fought so hard. You love to be free thinking minds, not everyone thinking the same thought and having arguments over which one of you is right. Both could be right or wrong but it didn’t matter because both had a chance to voice their opinion on the matter. I want that freedom and if the virus takes hold again I will lose it.
I pull my hand back from my gun. “Why would you lose your freedom? Wouldn’t the mind be yours to control?”
“No, as soon as a body is taken over all control goes to the hive mind. Your body would be nothing but a puppet. Since the hive mind can’t reach us here, if you lose your body would just stand there until it died.”
“How can the virus even infect me? I have never seen the virus change an animal before.”
Chimera stood up and started to pace. “True, the virus cannot infect animals. However you were once human and the virus will start to mutate so it can infect you. And worse case scenario you become a source for the virus to spread to your new friends.”
I am losing my calm demeanor by this point. I stand up and start to pace too. “How can I stop it then? I don’t want another incident on this world!”
“Calm yourself, I wouldn’t tell you all this if I didn’t think there was a way to rid yourself of the virus. All you need to do is win the battle inside your head. Simple enough.”
“Simple?! How am I supposed to fight a war inside my head?”
“With him.” He point to the screen with my pony body. “While your human form is unable to do anything in here, your pony form is more than capable of fighting off the virus. Like you said the virus doesn’t affect animals, yet. We still have time to stop all this madness.” Another sip of tea.
“Him?! What can he do? While I still have some of my Chimera powers, the only thing my new body can do is fly. I’m not even good at that yet.”
Chimera put a hand to his chin.“You’re right; your new form lacks several traits you had as a human. You may find a solution in Equestria that can cure the virus. Do not lose hope, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you to enjoy.” He says while smiling. He moved back to his chair and I moved back to mine.
I raise an eyebrow to this. “What like more Chimera powers?” His response is a nod. “Great! Maybe we will have a chance at freedom!” I stop my celebrating when a thought crosses my mind. “What will happen to you if I win?”
Chimera was about to answer when he stopped. He put a hand to his ear and listened. He suddenly turned his chair around and started to type on the panel in front of him. The view on the monitors started to change and he looked to each of them to find something. He finally spotted it on one of the screens. I could see a navy blue pony about the size of Big Mac but this one was a mare. Her mane was flowing like there was a constant wind and she wore a dark blue crown. What caught my attention was the fact she had both a horn, and wings.
“Oh Dear, it appears we have an uninvited guest.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry but I will have to cut this short, we can’t have anyone noticing us. At least not yet, now I will send you back to the pony side and I will lock this part down to keep her out. It’s up to you to deal with her so please don’t mess this up. I can feel a lot of power in this one.”
I nod to him and he reaches out with his hand and places on my head. I can feel myself getting sleepy and the same darkness from when I switched bodies is starting to consume me. Before I go though I have to tell myself something, “its anypony not anyone.” Then I was gone.
I wake up under a tree panting. I look to see that I have my hooves again and I get up to look for my intruder. I look to my right and see a Marksman lying on the ground with a note. I pick up the note and it says.
You might need this.
-Love,
C
I smile and sling the weapon onto my back and begin searching for the mysterious mare. I looked for her at Pinkie’s party but she is not attending it. I find Applejack still sleeping under a tree but the mare is nowhere in sight. She is not watching Rainbow fight or Twilight go over her notes constantly. So all that leaves is Rarity and Fluttershy to check. I try Rarity’s first but the fashionista is still going over her sketches and no pony is looking at the dresses. That can only mean she is with Fluttershy. I rush to the singing mare and to my surprise the intruding mare is absent from here too. I wonder where she is.
“Boo”
I nearly jumped out of my skin but I settled for falling forward on my face instead. I hear a bout of laughter from behind and I turn to see the interloper. “Thou should have seen thine look on thy face, priceless.”
“Oh ha-ha very funny,” I said as I stood up and brushed myself off. The mare in front of me is slightly taller than me and I bet she is powerful if she wears those garments. “So may I ask why you are here?”
She raised an eyebrow to this. “Is this how thou speaks to thine princess?”
OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP. Ok calm down and just try to get out of this. “Meh, I don’t really see the point in titles. We all bleed the same blood, no matter how royal you say it is.” Oh fuck me silly.
The Princess gave a cold had stare right into my eyes but I never broke my eyes from hers. Then her lips started to quiver before she broke out into hysterics. “Oh thou are so unlike others I have met. I am Princess Luna bringer of night and guardian of ponies’ dreams.”
I saluted to her. “Resistance Hail, I am a traveler of many lands, victory of many fights, and seeker of knowledge.” I bow my head slightly. “At your service.”
“Hmm…quite different from other ponies’ reactions to my presence. It is quite refreshing.”
“Different ways keep the world interesting Princess. It will be a sad day when everypony marches to the same idea with not thought for another way.”
“True, I see thy dreams are of few ponies and few other creatures. Why art thou alone in thine dream?”
“I enjoy the company of others but I don’t just make you a friend. I judge you by your actions then decide if you are a true friend or one just hoping to cling to other. So my dreams are filled with those that are friends or ones that could be friends.”
“So I am not thy friend yet?” Luna inquired.
I turn and smile at her, “Not yet Princess but many day are ahead to decide if you are a friend or a clinger.”
“Very well, I look forward to that day I am accepted. The dawn is coming I better wake my sister from her slumber.” She leans in close, “She can be a heavy sleeper and she snores.”
I smile, “Snore she may but family is the most important thing in the world.”
“True, may I ask what is that on your back?”
I reach and pull the Marksman from my back. “My personal defense weapon. Some choose swords and others choose spears, but I picked this.” I hold it up to show her.
She just stares at it. She probably can’t really comprehend what she is looking at. She gently reached out and touches the gun with her hoof. She pulled back quickly and looked shocked. “I feel dangerous energy coming for thy tool. What is it capable of?”
As I try to suppress my panic I explain what the weapon is. “This is a weapon of my own design. I only use it if I need to your highness. As I said before I am a traveler so I help many different settlements with problems they have. Sometime those problems are monsters and I am asked to, how should I say, persuade them to leave. I usually strike a deal with the creatures but some require a little more…force. Hence the dangerous thing on my back.”
Luna looks concerned that I would be fine with hurting another creature. “I assure you princess if I could avoid conflict I would but it just finds me sometimes and I have to face it.”
“Would thou not just run away?”
My pride took over at this point. “Never, I will not run away and leave those I care about to the whim of any monster.” I pull the gun close to me and I stand up on my hind hooves to look more intimidating. “Even if it costs me my life I will defeat my enemy and make the world a better place. All I want is peace your highness.”
Luna stares at me and looks like she is judging my character. I just hold my pose and keep my eyes forward like I was being inspected by a superior officer. After several minute she smiles and nods, “Thou art very noble to strive for peace. I look forward to our future meetings. I will take my leave now. Farewell and pleasant dreams.”
“Goodbye Princess and have wonderful dreams as well.” With that she walked off and disappeared. I let out a sigh in relief that she left but a bright light appeared in the sky. I tried to cover my eyes but it did little to stop the light. The light envelops me and I disappear from my dream world and wake up in the real one. The sun has begun its rise into the sky and it’s a signal for me to get going to Sweet Apple Acres. I put on my shirt and vest and fix my hair to look a little more presentable. I reach for the Folsom when I stop and think about the note Chimera left me. Down the rack rests my other favorite gun, the Marksman. I take the rifle in my hooves and look over its shiny exterior.
“It is one of the few weapons I can fire with hooves. I will take you with me today old friend.” I slung the Marksman onto my back and enjoyed its reduced weight compared to the Folsom. I change out the Folsom magazines on my vest with Marksman ammo. Satisfied with my gear I head towards the hatch.I entered the password to open the hatch and after exiting I lock th ship up. I took a lung full of the new day fresh air and enjoyed it rejuvenating effects.
After a few morning stretches I start to trot to the Apple’s home and see what they had planned for me today.