//------------------------------// // Interval 06- Travel // Story: My Little FEAR [First Encounter Assault Recon] : Slow-mo is magic // by JustDing //------------------------------// *GASP!* Michael woke up with all sudden and he literally beamed himself from... a couch?   "Hmm, that can't be right. I was in Ponyville when I collapsed..." he thought to himself... He looked around. He was in a big room, the couch was too big for him, a commode stood at a wall. On the commode stood a crown... now he knew where he was... "Oh, you are awake!" a feminine voice said. Princess Celestia peeked from the open door into the room and shoot a smile to him. Michael smiled weakly back in response as he rose up from the couch. "How did I get here?" Michael asked as he looked on his watch, realizing that he was out for an whole day. Princess Celestia coughed as she stepped in the room, then she said "Well... after you... passed out... Shining Armor recovered, but you still laid on the ground, so I decided to bring you here." Michael was surprised, then he says "Uhm... thanks Princess. And I think I'm myself again." "No Problem. This day is a very important day. You know already about the upcoming marriage of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, right?", Princess Celestia said. Michael nodded. "Okay. Princess Cadence is waiting for us in the Crystal Empire. We will bring her to Canterlot and set up everything for the wedding." "And what have I to do with it?" Michael said questiongly. Princess Celestia smiles "You will come with us. I saw your skills and I think it is the best for us all when we have a brave companion." INTERVAL 06 TRAVEL "Okay," Michael said and then he smelled something, namely himself, "But I really, REALLY need a shower..." Canterlot, Trainstation "Hey, Becket. How do you do?" "I'm fine, and you?" Michael asked Shining Armor. "M'okay, too, but I'm still a little bit shaken..." Shining answered in a whisper. They were standing in the trainstation in Canterlot next to each other and were waiting for the train. The princesses were chatting about something and Michael could hear some words like 'Powerful', 'Alma' or 'Elements of Harmony'. There were also some guards, but they stood like statues and not even blinking. "Just don't think about it..." Michael said and looked again for the train. He tried to change his way of thoughts "Where's the Crystal Empire?" "Near the cold norths, but it will be a long ride.", Shining said to Michael. The unicorn looked on the human's back and spotted a weapon he did not saw before. He already knew the autoshotgun, but this one looked more heavier and also bulkier. "What's this for a weapon on your back?" Shining asked. "Think of a rapid-firing crossbow which fires flechettes instead of arrows.", Michael said, trying to not to confuse the pony. But Shining seemed to still not get it as he gave him a funny face before looking elsewhere. Some moments later, the train stopped in the station. It looked like a narror-gauge railway for children. "What in the heck is this?" Michael said, feeling like he was deported back to kindergarten. "This is the friendship express, one of the best and fastest trains in Equestria.", Princess Celestia said, waving with her hoof to the wagon. "Friendship... express... you don't say.", Michael muttered as he stepped in after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna disappeared in the wagon. "This has something to do with the magic of friendship.", Shining Armor said. "I'm not a magical pony, so I doubt I would understand something of that magic.... by the way, your 'magic' mess up my gadgets.", Michael said as he took a seat. Not some moments after, the train began to move and drove to it's destination... A few minutes passed by and Michael could see the fascinating landscape of Equestria. Wide orchards, high mountains and wonderful little towns. And the best part, no war with replicas, no air filled with bullets and mainly... Michael sighed in realization that he almost forgot Alma. It was a matter of time until she flood Equestria with her paranormal shit. Something caught his eye and he turned his head. It was the princesses blowing mane. He looked at it interested, then back to the window, which was closed and then back to the mane of the alicorns in front of him. Princess Luna noticed his looking and asked him "Michael, is everything okay?" He chuckled and shook his head, "I always saw your mane flowing, but now I'm asking myself why and how's doing it. It looks like it has a life of it's own... or did you hide somewhere a fan?" He looked to the left and right sides, but he found nothing. Shining Armor and some guards were chuckling. Even the princesses were laughing. "That was a serious question...", Michael said, raising an eyebrow. . Princess Celestia smiled and said "Well, that is the effect from the shampoo which we use... the shampoo is named Mane and Shoulders Breeze Effect." "And why do you want flowing mane?" Michael asked. Princess Luna starts to explain "At first, it looks beautiful. Secondly, it improves our presence in public...," she started to blush, "If you want, you can touch my mane..." Michael looks confused and a little bit nervous about the thought to touch her flowing mane "Okay." and touched Luna's mane. It felt like he touched flowing water, but in a solid, smooth way... Princess Luna sighed a bit, not of surprise or something, but his stroking felt good. "Uuumh... feels weird, but interestingly..." Michael stated and retrieved his hand, then he joked, "Maybe I can get one of these shampoo for my hair." They laughed together a little bit, because it would has been unnecessary for him due of his short brown hair. But suddenly, a conductor pony bursted into the wagon. Michael spun around, grabbing his penetrator. But he pony just yelled "THEY ARE ATTACKING, THEY ARE ATTACKING!" Shining Armor was the first who spoke "Who is what attacking?" "The Dragonfire ponies are attacking the train! They know that you're here, Princess Celestia!" the conductor yelled. Without saying any further words, he unlocked his HV Hammerhead, eliciting a loud 'shosh' sound from the weapon as it build up pressure. It was a gas operating weapon, which fires radioactive flechettes at very high speeds. Shining stared at it, this weapon could fire flechettes? Suddenly, the window next to Michael and the Princesses bursted. A armored, black coloured with blue mane, pegasus assassin flew through the window and tried to attack Princess Celestia. He raised his long knife he held in his right forehoof... and then he was suddenly slammed against a seat, several glowing flechettes in his body. The assassin death rattles while looking , then he went limp. Princess Celestia looked in shock at the dead assassin, then back to Michael who looked like he did not gave a single shit. "What? He was about to kill you." "But...but...but..." Princess Celestia stuttered, but looked up as she heard something... Some knocks on the ceilings were coming from the ceiling. More attackers were on the wagon and trying to find a way inside. Michael said as he put his goggles on "There are more of'em! Stay here until I say the clear." "But what did you do?!" Celestia finally said the words, pointing at the dead assassin. "My job." Michael said flatly before he closed the door of the wagon. He spotted more soldiers coming from the other wagon, but he took out his shotgun and wedged the doorhandle with it. This should have hold long enough for a while. He climbed on top of the wagon and spotted more pony soldiers. They were preparing for another futile tactical entry through another window, despite the fact that the train was on full speed and the strong breeze could shove them off the wagon. "Hey, you!" Michael shouted over the sound of the wind to the ponies. The train was surprisingly fast, he expected it's speed a little more than thirty kilometres per hour.          -Music (Please open a new Tab)-          The leader of them, a unicorn stallion with fiery red coat, spotted him. His jaw dropped at the sight, before he pointed at Michael "Who and whatever you are, don't dare to stop us." "I wanted to ask you if you could just surrender." Michael said calmly. "No, our plan of killing Celestia will prevail and nopony will stop us. Not even you. So-" the leader said, but a flechette stopped him in the middle of his sentence as Michael fired at him. The flechette brought out a lot of his brain mass out from behind his head. The pony behind him get a lot of it in his face, who responded with screaming in shock. The soldiers were looking in horror at their leader falling to the ground, spasming. Then they looked back to Michael, who said finally "Anything else?" The soldiers were growling in anger and one earth pony soldier in black armor rushed to Michael and tried to slice him half with a longsword. Michael dodged the attack and kicked the pony at his chin hardly. The pony fell from the wagon and slammed against an upcoming pole. His body was ripped open and the side of the wagon was drenched from the pony's intestines. Michael could swear to himself that he heard someone screaming in the wagon. Slow-mo On Another pony, this time a unicorn with black mane and red fur, aimed with his crossbow at Michael and shoot, but then the pony looked in horror as Michael managed to catch the arrow with his hand in mid-air. Michael threw the arrow lazily to the ground, aimed through the red-dot vision of his weapon and squeezed the trigger. Each shoot was a well-placed headshot. Slow-mo Off After less than 2 seconds, the whole group on the wagon has been defeated and Michael jumped forward from the current wagon to the next one. He grabbed the ladder and slided down. Next to him was the wagondoor and he stepped in the wagon. Dragonfire ponies were in the wagon, bothered with the door which was wedged by Michael's shotgun. As they heard the wagondoor opening, they turned their heads to the intruder. They spotted Michael and a pony with a crossbow aimed very quickly at him and shoot an arrow at Michael. The arror buried itself in Michael's body armor. The archer cheered in joy, but it died down as he spotted the arrow did not bothered Michael the slightest. "Your crossbows are pretty outdated. What do you think of THAT?" with this words, Michael shot four flechettes at the archer. The archer was instantly nailed against a wall. The first flechette pierced his throat, the second pierced his right lung, the third pierced his left forehoof and the last pierced his stomach. All other ponies were looking in horror at their on the wall nailed comrade, but they did not reconsidered and thought about to flee... instead, they attacked Michael all at one. Michael finished the first three off with his hammerhead, but then the digits were showing '00'. He runned out of ammo and reloading the weapon would take too long. Michael dropped his weapon and backpedaled out from the wagon. But before he slammed the door shut, he threw something back in the wagon... The soldiers were trying to buck the door open, but the door remained closed. "Hey, the bald monkey dropped his weapon!" one of the soldiers yelled. They find Michael's hammerhead, but of course, it was empty. Then they approached the little ball. One of them, a unicorn, picks it up and examined it "Looks like a gem or something..." *CRACK* *FIZZLE* All soldiers were screaming in pain and shivering all over their bodies. Michael had threw a shock grenade back in the wagon. Then all soldiers lost their consciousness. Michael just opened the door, walked over the ponies to his Hammerhead and picked it up. He took out out the empty magazin and put a new in. The digits were then counting up to the number '25'. He locked the door from inside, walked through the crowd of unconscious pony-soldiers. He opened the wedged door by breaking the glass with his elbow, then taking his shotgun from the handle. Then he walked back to the royal wagon, where the princesses and the royal guards were waiting. "For the sake of my sister, we so glad that you're okay!" Princess Luna exclaimed. The window next to her was drenched in blood at the outer side. "What is now with the Dragonfire Ponies?" Princess Celestia asked sternly. "Don't worry about them, they won't you bother anymore... except for a few in the wagon in front of us." Michael said as he sat down, taking deep breaths as he took off his goggles. "You killed more of them? But why? It is against the rules of Equestria to kill ponies!" "And they tried to kill you. Never heard of duty? Never heard of self defense?" Michael said without looking up. "He's right, Tia. He has just done his job to protect us." Princess Luna said, looking to her sister. "If that's so...did you do this... duty on your world, too?" Princess Celestia asked quietly. "Yes, and that's the only reason why I survived." Michael said back. Princess Celestia looked into his eyes, quietly, then she looked out from the window and saying nothing. Shining Armor commanded some of his guards to remove the body of the dead assassine, before he leaned over the Michael and whispered "Dude, in opposite of the princesses, I found you pretty bad-ass." Crystal Empire, a few hours later "Aaah... my eyes.", Michael said. Everything sparkled, despite it was afternoon, in his vision and he held his left arm in front of his face. But after some moments, his eyes adjusted to the sparkles.  "Shiny!" a feminine voice exclaimed. Michael turned around and spotted a pink alicorn with colorful mane galloping up to them. The pink alicorn did not noticed him yet, her eyes glued on Shining Armor. The pink alicorn was none other than Princess Cadance. She hugged Shining Armor and kissed him. "A long time not see.", Shining Armor said smiling. "Yeah, I missed you so much.", Princess Cadance whispered lovingly. "Hello Cadance." Princess Celestia said smiling. "Hello Celly, hello Luna, hello Royal Guards whose names I don't know.", Princess Cadance giggled like a filly. Then she turned to Michael Becket who looked in awe at the buildings made of crystal, before his gaze met the crystal tower... at that point, he had almost lost his jaw. "Shiny, wha- er, who is that?" Princess Cadance asked slightly panicked. "Don't worry, he's cool. His name is Michael Becket and he is a species called human. To keept it short, he end up in this world, showed excellent combat techniques and joined the Royal Guards." "Hello Mr. Becket. My name is Princess Cadance and I'm the ruler of the Crystal Kingdom, which is also known as Crystal Empire. How are you?" Princess Cadance took Michael's hand and shook it wildly. She has been referred as a 'modern' princess, who adapted quickly to the modern world. "Well, I had better times..." Michael said while scratching the back of his head. As Princess Cadance heard his words, she did her duty as the princess of love, namely by leaping at him and closing him into a heartful hug. Michael stumbled a litte but kept his balance "And what is that for?" Princess Cadance looked up to him questiongly "Why you don't return the hug?" "At first, you belong to Shining Armor and-" Michael said, but he was cutted off by the unicorn  who laughed "Nah, don't worry. She is the princess of love. Giving hugs is her specialty. I love it when she's doing that, because she cares about everypony." "Ooookay... and secondly, the whole thing is more complicated than you'ld expect." "Ah okay...",Princess Cadance said as she let loose of Michael. Some minutes later and the train left the trainyard. The princesses, Shining Armor and Michael Becket sat together in a part of the wagon. "What is the need of this conversation?" Princess Cadance said, now looking extremely serious. "A few days ago, I was teleported here. How I don't know but that's not the matter. The real matter is, another one was teleported here. She... was a human, but now she is something far more..." Michael said slowly. "Who is it? And what does it means 'Was a human?' and 'Psionic'?" "Her name is Alma Wade and she is a psionic girl... or woman, because she can change in form. To make it easy for you to understand, she bears a lot of mighty power. Secondly, she is absolutely evil and third, she is a incarnated ghost." "Yesterday, and it is thrilling for you, she is responsible for the death of a lot of ponies in the Ponyville Hospital. And there can be more, if we don't do anything quickly." Shining said, sounding dead serious. Princess Cadance expression fell like water as she heard that. A lot of ponies lost their lives in Hospital, a peaceful place where everypony can heal up from their injuries. "And why you don't use the elements of harmony?" "We will do it so when she appears the next time, but we don't know when and where..." Princess Celestia said, "We had to encounter her twice, and she can block our magic." "Our magic? But we are alicorns." "That doesn't matter for her, as she is an master of brain control." Michael said. For the rest of the journey, Michael continued to tell Princess Cadance everything about Alma. The train arrived in Canterlot around midnight, the royal sister had to set the sun and raise the moon in the train. The stunned soldiers were brought to the dungeons and have been later intorrigated by Princess Celestia.