//------------------------------// // Act 1: Hero-They See Me Strollin' // Story: The Winds of Redemption // by RagingPonyRider //------------------------------// The trek out of the forest was arduous at best and boring at worst. After the ruckus he made with the timberwolves, the clear path the wooden giant made was free from but the peskiest of fauna. Every minute that passed, a smile grew on his face. As a vagrant vigilante, he never had time to stay in any country for a long time and by the time the news of his arrival spread, he was off to the next site of terror. The ever-present silence only helped focus his attention to the plants beside him. Eventually, small animals gathered around the trampled path, curious as to what happened. He was wary of them, and them him. The animals were smart enough to leave the other alone, and that was how both sides like it. Now that he was free from the Everfree, he stopped walking and took a gander. He had been in the forest for under an hour, including the time spent slaying the timberwolves, From the fork in the road, what appeared to be an enormous mound of moss with birdhouses resting on it lied on the left path. Upon closer inspection, the windows on it revealed it to be some kind of house. To the right, the path simply lingered around the borders of the forest, at least that was what the fence told him. In the end, he took the middle path, leading right to the village about half a kilometer away. Great, never thought I would have to get help from boondocks. I should probably to rest there until I can get more info. He sighed and continued walking through the obvious path. On the way, he could hear noises emanating from the small house, It was as if a party of wild animals were fighting was fighting in there. The though alone was enough to deter him away from it as fast as possible. The quicker he was in town, the better. As he walked by, he began to see what kind of people populated the town. Shockingly, he realized that the people were not people at all. He was still too far away to say exactly what they were from silhouette alone, but from their quadrupedal figure, they were far from regular humans. Didn't Discord say something about ponies? Is that what lives here? He shook his head, amused by the thought of horses acting like civilized humans. Maybe this would not be too bad. With all that he had seen in his life, including, but not limited to, eviscerated bodies, cyborg brain casings, and a nigh-indestructible senator, he was always ready to suspend his disbelief. He turned his head around one last time before walking into town. Fluttershy ducked under the window, terrified that the animal outside have seen her. The animals looked at her worriedly, Angel the most. When she stumbled through the door, every animal gathered to her, worried about their caretaker's health. Initially, she took their assistance and made her way to the couch to lie down, but when Angel brought her fresh tea, she pushed it away with such force that it spilled over the table and onto the floor. Angel, who was normally the most callous of the critters, was the most alarmed. His owner could not stop trembling and he was growing impatient. If she would not recover soon, how was she supposed to prepare him his promised lunch? When he hopped onto the couch to try to console her, she instantly wrapped her hooves around him. "Oh Angel, I'm so scared! That thing, it's going to Ponyville!" Angel tried to escape her grasp, but felt his energy being sapped away due to his constricted windpipe. "What should I do? Should I wait for Twilight and the others? She and Rainbow could probably deal with it! But what if they don't show up on time? Or worse, they meet that thing right now?!" Eventually, she felt something pounding at her leg, and she saw Angel punching and struggling away at her grip. "Sorry about that, Angel! It's just that, I'm so worried! What if that thing goes to Ponyville and hurts somepony? Maybe I should-" A loud, clear sound of a slap rung through the cottage. Before tears escaped Fluttershy's eyes, Angel grabbed her head between his paws, expressing for the first time regret. Despite his seeming cruelty, he only wanted her to remain calm again like she was. After a few moments of silence, Angel did something he knew always cheered her up. He climbed over her until he reached her mane and burrowed himself in it like a flea. She immediately started giggling. "Okay, okay Angel, haha! I give, I give! Hahaha!" Fluttershy was laughing so hard it threatened her to fall off the couch. Satisfied with the results, Angel quickly formed a glare to his fellow animals, an obvious warning that he would rip them apart if they publicized what they saw. As if on schedule, three knocks were heard and everyone turn their head to the door. Angel ran to one of the window beside and gave Fluttershy a thumbs-up, defying his biological structure and signalling that her friends have arrived. "Oh, can you get the door too, Angel?" Fluttershy asked as she got off the couch to pick up the teacup. He sighed and, with his diminutive size, opened the door simultaneously as Fluttershy returned from the kitchen, a wet rag in her mouth. As she mopped away the remaining tea, a stampede of hooves knocked her back. Twilight was the first to talk. "So Fluttershy-" Rainbow Dash interjected, "Where's this monster, Fluttershy? Just point me in the direction-" she swung her hoof to emphasize "-and I'll bring it down!" Applejack smiled but clenched down on her rainbow-colored tail to pull her to the ground. "Calm down, Rainbow! Let tha poor girl tell us what's happenin' before ya start flyin' around!" She pushed the cyan pegasus down and rested a calming hoof to Fluttershy's back. "Now, ya mind tellin' us what ya saw?" Fluttershy nodded, but a thought came to mind. "Wait, didn't you see the thing? The monster, I mean." She was still shaking, but her firm voice showed her collecting herself. Rarity shook her head. "No, darling! We thought the monster would still be in the Everfree Forest, so Twilight teleported all of us just a while ago." Fluttershy grimaced at her implication. "You teleported? Here? Now?" She was trembling again, and reverted back to her terrified state. Behind her, Angel sighed, seeing as his method did not work, and ushered all the animals into the kitchen before they saw her break down again. Twilight frowned at her friend's action. "Yeah, I wanted them here as fast as we could to see the monster, what's wrong?" She thought she had outdone herself. She sent a letter to the Princess Celestia about the issue, rounded up her friends, and teleported them all here in under an hour. Finding her friends was the most difficult task as they were scoured around Ponyville."Don't...don't tell me..." Fluttershy only nodded and trembled further, urging Applejack to embrace her for comfort. By teleporting instead of running to Fluttershy, Twilight and her friends had missed the monster walk down the road, straight to Ponyville just twenty minutes away. Now, with her magic hindered by her returning fatigue, she had no choice but to return to Ponyville on hoof. "Hold on a second!" Pinkie Pie pulled Fluttershy in and stared directly at her eyes, almost causing her to faint from the pressure. "You mean that monster's on his way to Ponyville right now?!" Fluttershy nodded frantically, sharing the earth pony's sense of panic. Pinkie's happy face was replaced with a look of horror. "Do you know what this means?!" she screamed, shaking Fluttershy with every word. Rarity trembled. "Ponyville's doomed?" Applejack's whole body shook. "We need ta warn everypony?" Rainbow Dash pounded her hooves together, sporting an excited grin. "We need to sock that monster?" "No," Pinkie whispered. Everypony never saw her so serious before, "We need..." Maybe this time, for the first time, she will not scream out- "A PARTY!!! Oh my gosh, I need to get to to Ponyville right away! I never prepared a party for a monster from the Everfree Forest before! What does a monster eat, doyouknowTwilightmaybesomecupcakesohwhoamIkiddingeveryponylovesthem..." As the party pony rambled on, every other pony collectively groaned, but only Twilight facehoofed. All she wanted was some sleep! Throughout his life, from training with his father to encountering Raiden on that train, Sam had been trained harder than any ordinary cyborg soldier. He fought trained policemen, gangs, a nanomachine-infused senator, and a robot attack dog. In short, he was hardened to such a degree that nothing would phase him. When he met the inhabitants of Ponyville, he kept his face straight to not alarm any of them. Not that it helped. It started slowly but surely. When the first pony, a mint green unicorn with striped hair and a comically drawn harp on her posterior, she only gasped and kept still like a deer in headlights. Sam sighed and kept walking away. He was used to such reactions back home whenever someone saw his cybernetics but when he saw two more colorful ponies, one pegasus and one earth pony, their reactions were what he expected. First horses, now pegasi and unicorns?! Where the hell did Discord send me?! He sighed before continuing onward, alarming even more of the ponies. He took his left hand and rubbed his forehead. He tried his best to ignore their looks of panic and awe. Shit...these horses are giving me a headache from just looking at them! Thankfully, most of the ponies remained silent, either frozen in place or hurriedly ushering others away from him. Sam growled but did not raise his voice. If they were this temperamental with him not doing anything, they would go ballistic if he made a sound louder than speaking volume. Are all these ponies so xenophobic? Even the animals from the forest weren't this edgy. He picked up the fuel cell and marched faster into the depth of town, hoping to absolve this as soon as possible. The only good thing about this was that most ponies did not scream at the sight of him. He passed by what looked like an outdoor marketplace, filled with rows and tents and wooden stalls with various goods and produce for sale. The pony vendors, noticing his arrival, ducked under their stalls and hid behind their tents, accidentally dropping some of their products in the process. As hungry as he was, he did not so much as touch the crops. He did not want to be charged with attempted thievery. He attempted to raise morale by pondering about the festivities and decor of the block. These horses are surprisingly human, even if I can't read their writing or they're practically prehistoric. They've nice houses and lifestyles, but still just the boonies. I doubt I'll find someone to help keep maintenance for my suit, He smiled. The more he was seen, the more attention he would draw. The more attention, the more likely some police force would come to check him out. He could learn more about where he was then. It was not the most efficient plan, but it was the fastest way to get him familiar with the setting. After some more minutes of sightseeing, he made his way to the biggest building in town: the town hall. It was large and towered over the surrounding houses and shops, but still just as simplistic. It made him cringe how saccharine the scenery was, but that was what made navigating through it so easy for him. He walked up to the door and knocked gently. "Coming!" The voice was bright but mature like a lady's, and his suspicions were proven when a grey-maned mare with spectacles answered the door. Before the pony could act any further, Sam quickly placed a foot to the doorway and asked his question. "May I come in?" He tried as best to keep his smile subdued and relaxed. Although his frustration with the situation did not help his temper, he knew better than to rage at a scared citizen. Mayor Mare opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish before stuttering an answer. "Oh...oh well, I guess, uhm sure. Oh! I mean-" She was not sure why she answered yes. Most likely due to reflexes more than manners. "Thanks." He pushed the door to its fullest extent and entered, impatient to hide himself from onlookers. As soon as he was through the doorway, he laid his fuel cell to the wall beside it and sat next to it, massaging his temples and crossing his legs in contemplation. Okay, so far so good, Now I just have to get some answers around- "Who or what are you? Why have you come here?" Sam looked up, staring at an angry face of Mayor Mare's. As this was his first conversation with a pony, he did not want to leave with a bad impression, as weird as the situation was. "Easy there, miss-" "Don't "Easy there, miss" me!" She did not speak particularly loud, but her stomping on the ground showed her temper. "You seem like an intelligent...whatever you are, so are you going to answer my questions? If not, I'll have to send the guards after you." Straight to the point, huh? Well, better make myself welcome. "Okay, then." He raised his right hand to shake, but Mayor Mare still seemed intimidated. "Relax, I don't bite." He chuckled. It was true; despite his violent tendencies, he never raised his blade against non-combatants, such as SOLIS as Raiden pointed out before their bout. Mayor gave a smile of her own before she placed her hoof in his hand. She shivered slightly, wondering how his hand could be so cold, but she was more focused on the weird creature itself than one of its limbs. "My name is...Minuano." Mayor Mare cocked her head. "Minuano? Unusual name. I'm guessing you're not from here?" She had seen over the course of her career Nightmare Moon, Cerberus, and even the ravenous Parasprites. Compared to those monsters, at least this one had politeness. "In more ways than one," Sam replied, nodding his head. "And who are you?" Mayor wondered where in the world a creature like this might exist, but was caught off-guard by his question. "I am Mayor Mare." Sam gave an incredulous look, hoping it was not what he thought it was. "Wait, you mean as in you're the mayor of this place, and because you're a female horse, so...a mare who's a mayor?" The mare gave a smile and nodded, almost delighted at making conversation with such a weird creature. "Pony, actually, but yes. I'm Mayor Mare of Ponyville." Sam slapped his face. "Oh God. Anyways, this town, Ponyville you said? I was hoping for some help around here." He stood up to his impressive height, making Mayor step back a bit. "As you could tell, I tend to scare most, so I would be grateful for your help." "What do you need, Minuano?" She paced around anxiously, occasionally eyeing the long object held to his side. "And if you don't mind me asking, what is that thing you have?" He hesitated a bit. "It's nothing. Anyways, if you know a place, a hotel or something, that would be great." Mayor frowned at her question being rebutted, but she assumed he was in quite the hurry. "I'm sorry, but there are no hotels or anything like that here. Our town's too small for such a thing, and we never assumed anyone would want to visit here unless they're family with somepony here. If you'd like, I can call a cab, but there's the problem with your...appearance, and-" She was interrupted several knocks from the door, making her jump. Sam looked at the door. There were no windows at the wall he leaned against. "Should I get that?" Mayor glared at him. "You might want to hide. You seem a nice...thing, but any other pony might get the wrong impression." Sam shook his head. "Don't worry. I plan on behaving, at least for now." "No, I mean the ponies here are very wary of strangers-" "I could tell, now are you going to get the door?" "That could be guards-" "Meeting them was my plan. Look, if you're not answering it-" "Alright, fine!" Mayor could not believe how persistent he was, but if she did not hurry, it would rouse suspicion. After a moment to gulp in anxiety, she opened the door, Sam still leaning out of view to the ponies outside. "Miss Mayor," A thick, deep voice of a Royal Guard pierced the air. "I am First Lieutenant Sky High, one of Her Majesty's Royal Guards." Mayor held in a sigh. "Yes, I know who you are. What happened this time?" It took every bit of concentration to keep her eyes from darting towards Sam to tip Sky High off. "Princess Celestia had ordered me and my squad to arrest a creature." Mayor forced a laugh. "A creature? Can you be anymore vague? What's it like?" She was starting to sweat and took an occasional peek at the ground. "Princess Celestia described it as a large ape, in accordance to Princess Sparkle's message. Bipedal, small amount of hair, hands, feet, and carrying around a long object on his back. His sword, most likely." Sky High tried to lean his head forward to peek in the building. "I know this sounds outlandish, but many of the ponies here testified to seeing the creature. This area was the last time it has been seen. Have you seen it?" "Oh, uh, no!" she said loudly. "Uh, I mean, I've been working in here all day, so-wait, that's a weapon!?" Before she could catch herself, she was staring at Sam, who shook his head in amusement and disappointment. "And you were doing so good, too." At the moment Sam spoke, Sky High lost his patience and forced his way in, catching Mayor off-guard. She fell backwards to make way for four other guards, allowing Sam to observe them firsthand. They were decorated in bright yellow plate armor and helmets with matching saddles. The first one, Sky High, was a pegasus while three were earth ponies, leaving the last one a unicorn. All glared at Sam, expecting him to make the first move. He was not impressed. The ponies were more robust than any of the ponies in town, but they still showed no threat to him. He was confident he could take them on with his hands. Knights instead of policemen, princesses instead of presidents and prime ministers, what's next? As much as Sam enjoyed the silence of the room, he was getting nowhere. The guards looked edgy, as if they did not know what to do with a mythological figure at least twice their size. They had no experience with such a creature and they needed the mayor to snap into action. "Gentlestallions, please! You don't need to resort to violence for this!" she shouted worriedly as she placed herself between the two groups. No matter what the event called for, fighting was something everypony hated with gusto. "Sirs, let me explain-" "Get back, you monster!" Sky High dragged Mayor to his side, thinking that Sam was about to use her as a hostage. Princess Celestia was stern with him to take absolute care when facing the creature, and now he was in the same room with it. "By Her Majesty's orders-" "Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. You're here for me. Well, you got me. Now what?" Sky High frowned. Was the creature trying to lull him into a lax state of security? "We are to secure you and escort you to Canterlot. Our princess wants to meet you personally." Sam tried to play innocent. "You're taking me in? For what, scaring a bunch of you ponies? Disturbing the peace?" "Her Majesty's orders." Sky High said succinctly. "If you'll behave, we won't have to resort to force." Sam scoffed. What could a bunch of miniature ponies do to a trained killer like him? Either way, he planned on surrendering anyways. "Can I take this with me?" he asked, tapping his sheath. "You will be riding in a chariot with us," Sky High said. "As for the sword-" "Because I'm bringing this with me. No offense, but for now, it's solely for protection." Sky High eyed him. He did not seem to be a lying type. Then again, he was acting pretty cocky. "Two of my guards will be with you." He gestured two of the earth ponies, Rumbler and Pale Marble, to surround Sam. "Will you come with us now?" "Yeah, as long as you don't cuff me or anything." Sam wanted to shrug off the earth ponies, but kept patient. Before he left, he remembered his host. "Wait a moment." Mayor, whom the ponies largely ignored, was unnerved to say the least. "Minuano, what's going on?" Sam bowed to her and looked up, smiling. "Thank you for having me, but I need to find some answers, and they-" he jabbed a thumb to Sky High, who wore an admirable scowl "-can get me those answers. I'm a traveler. I'm used to this kind of thing." He bowed again and walked to the door. "Are you sure?" was all she could stammer. Sam chuckled and opened the door. "Don't worry about me. Besides, what can five little ponies do against..." "...me?" Outside the city hall, an entire platoon's worth of Royal Guards stood waiting, almost blinding Sam with the sunlight reflecting off the rows and rows golden armor. Everypony held some kind of weapon in their mouths and forelegs, and the unicorns had their horns at the ready. The five guards sent in was obviously a distraction and stalled for time for more guards to arrive and surround the building. As soon as he got over the initial shock. Sam started chuckling again. Sky High, as well as the entire platoon, stared at him as he walked past the pegasus. "One hell of a welcoming party. Now, where's my chariot?" Some of the ponies separated to create a straight path to the ride at his question. "Ah, is that it?" As he walked towards the chariot in question, some of the guards exchanged whispers and thoughts on the creature's first impression. Some of them stared at the platoon commander, first lieutenant Sky High, as if asking if they have the right creature. He only facehoofed before giving everypony the command to prepare to take off. He needed some hard cider after this.