//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A Good Friend // Story: Deathstroke, Equestria's Terminator // by UltimateGunner //------------------------------// The Watchtower, 12:00 PM, Past Time Cyborg was waiting in the meeting room for the others to arrive. Sometimes he hated it when he arrived at the Watchtower so quickly. Though he was already in it when he made his discovery. Shortly, the other two walk in. "What you got for us Vick?" asks Nightwing with curiosity. Cyborg pulls out the data of the energy signatures and displays them on his holographic device. "The portal traces I scanned were built up of materials most portals had. But if you look here..." Cyborg said as he displayed the readings of the last signature. "You'll see that some of the portal contained energies of the Phantom Zone." Superman and Nightwing's eyes widened at this. "You think this has anything to do with Zod's escape?" Superman asks. "Possibly. I haven't confirmed yet though." "Yeah, and there are still other questions to be answered." stated Nightwing, who then brought up a question for the others. "Tell me, have there been any recent disappearances lately?" "Well, some villains disappeared a while ago, mainly after the portal incident. But I expected that." stated Cyborg who was still reading the portal traces. Superman then spoke up. "So tell me, how do we return these villains back to Earth? That's a question we probably might wanna answer." Cyborg made a suggestion in return. "We could try pulling them back with the cosmic treadmill, only this time I could fix the issues we had last time." Cyborg suggested, remembering back to how he ended up in an alternate dimension, and ended up helping the Insurgency fight for freedom. "It's a good idea, but pulling back multiple villains inside the Watchtower probably won't end well." replied Nightwing, shutting down Cyborg's suggestion. "Then I guess we should follow them." Superman started. "There's no other way." "Now hold on Sups. This could be a trap we're headin' into." Cyborg replies. "If were gonna follow them, we need to a send a proper team to handle it." "Not to mention Zod could be there." Nightwing added. Solving the issue at hand would prove to be tricky. "How do we pull this off?" Fluttershy's cottage, 2:25 PM Fluttershy, who returned from the hospital some time ago, heard the commotion in the Everfree forest from her cottage, since she lived quite close to it. The noise scared her animals, including herself. "Oh my goodness, what was that awful noise?" Fluttershy looked in the direction of the Everfree Forest, seeing that a few flocks of birds had flown away. Fluttershy was worried about what happened to anypony that could be in there. "Oh, but should I really go in there?" She then remembered her past experiences in the Everfree Forest. This time she wanted to have enough courage to actually go inside, even somepony like herself can have much curiosity. She fearfully went to the front of the forest, whispering to herself: "Okay, here we go!" She hovered slightly above the ground, heading into the forest. The deeper she went, the more she trembled. "Eeek!" She screams quietly as she hears an owl hoot. "Oh uh, excuse me Mr. Owl, I should get going." The owl merely hood in return. It reminded her of Twilight's pet Owl, Owlicious. It seemed like all owls only made a hooing sound. But nevertheless, she continued deeper into the forest. The creepy forest grew darker and scarier, and sighing she said to herself: "Oh, why did I even bother? I should have stayed home with my animals. They're probably alone right now. I should really-" She paused as she sniffed the air. "Something smells really bad!" She sniffs the air more, and walks ahead to see what the cause of the odor is. Gasping, she sees up ahead something on the ground. Squinting, she recognizes them. "The royal guard?" She asks herself out loud. "Why are they injured in the middle of the Everfree Forest?" *sniff sniff* Fluttershy looks up, and her pupils shrank immensely. "T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T" She just couldn't get the words out. The wolves sniff the air, and turn toward Fluttershy. "TIMBERWOLVES!!!!!!!!!!" She screams so loud, even Ponville could hear it. Back to Deathstroke Deathstroke was on a tree, scanning and observing the landscape, when suddenly, he heard someone scream: "TIMBERWOLVES!!!!!!!!!" Deathstroke lowered his binoculars and looked in the direction of the scream. "Who knew these creatures could have such a loud mouth?" Unable to see the source, he hops to a few more trees, until he gets a good view. Holding his binoculars to his face, he sees a butter colored pony with a pink mane and tail running away from some wolves which seemed to be made out of branches. Breathing heavily, he asks himself: "Why the hell should I even bother?" That question was quickly answered in his head. If he saved the pony, he could feed off more information. It was also a good chance to gain some trust, which was a issue that people back on Earth had with him. "Well," he started, pulling out his sword. "Let's get this over with." Back to Fluttershy Fluttershy ran for her life, as it was literally depending on it. Her fear snapped her wings shut, like when she journeyed to the top of a mountain to solve a dragon problem. She ran and ran, the timberwolves slowly but surely gaining on her. "Oh somepony please help me!" Unfortunately, her immensely quiet voice was drowned out by the sound of the growling of the timberwolves. Fluttershy felt like she was running for hours, but the exit seemed to be nowhere near. "GROWL!!!" One of the timberwolves launched at her and grabbed her by the tail. Fluttershy came to a sudden stop, and the pain in her rear end made her squeal a little. Fluttershy looked behind her, and saw the claw of the timberwolf rising, preparing to strike. Fluttershy could only curl up into a ball of fear as she heard the claw swipe down on her. "SLASH!!!!" ...Fluttershy never felt the claw reach her. She opened her eyes and slowly turned around, and saw the timberwolf still there. She was frightened for a moment, but then took a closer look. The timberwolf stood still there. Suddenly, it broke apart, starting from the head. The branches fell down on each other, until there was nothing but branches left. Behind what used to be a timberwolf made Fluttershy widen her eyes. A monkey-like creature was in a bent position, looking like he just swung the sword he was holding in his right claw. It stood on two legs, like Spike, and it wore much armor. It also wore a mask with a peculiar design. Behind him, the other timberwolves were looking in awe. Then, as they growl, they approach the strange creature that just saved Fluttershy's life. Back to Deathstroke Deathstroke sheathed his sword and pulled out his rifle, pumping lead into the timberwolves, shattering them. The last timberwolf simply charged straight at him. "Boom!" A grenade was shot into the wolf's face, scattering the branches. Putting his rifle back, he turns to the frightened pony. "U-Um, I-I," She couldn't speak properly, after what happened. She strangely looked up. Deathstroke was confused, until he realized a shadow was looming over him. Quickly turning around, he saw the remaining branches of the timberwolves glow a greenish light, and they floated over to a large body of branches. "Eeeek!" Fluttershy curled back into a ball, as Deathstroke prepared for what was going to happen. The branches continued to build up, until they all formed into another timberwolf. Only this one was much larger, and it made a ferocious look at Deathstroke. "ROOAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!" The giant timberwolf brought its claw down on him. He quickly ran and slid under the timberwolf, avoiding the claw that crushed the ground where he was. It turned around and glared at Deathstroke. "GROWL!!!" It was now focusing on the death of him. Then the timberwolf heard a strange noise below him. It looked below and saw a strange looking device on the ground, which seemed to be beeping. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* The beeping got faster and faster, until it paused. "Roar?" "KABOOM!!!!!!!" The mine Deathstroke set as he slid detonated, terminating every hint of existence of the monster. The mine wasn't one of the more powerful ones he had though, which thankfully didn't catch Fluttershy in the blast radius. "I've faced monsters far greater than you." Deathstroke said to it. It obviously didn't hear him, since it was blown to smithereens. The butter-colored creature flew behind him, with Deathstroke turning around. Fluttershy stared at him in interest. A few moments of silence passed, and then: Fluttershy reached out to him and embraced him in a hug. Deathstroke just looked down in awkwardness, and said: "Are you done?" "Oh, um, I'm sorry, I just, thank you for saving me!" replies Fluttershy, letting go of Deathstroke. She was awed at how he spoke Equestrian earlier, when he mocked the dead timberwolf. "Well, long story short, I'm lost in this world. Can we discuss some things back at your house?" Deathstroke didn't want to make a discussion near the mess he made, more of the military ponies may scout the area soon. "Oh certainly! Mr. uhhh..." "Just call me Slade." He didn't want to give his codename, as it might not go well with her. Especially since she seemed rather... soft. "Slade? That's an odd name. But nevermind, let's get to my cottage." "So she lives in a cottage. Interesting." he stated to himself in his head. "We'll get there through those trees." "Why the trees?" Fluttershy asked. "Some of the ponies that serve the military in this world are looking for me." And with that, they headed toward Fluttershy's cottage through the foliage. Along the way, Deathstroke asked her a few questions. "So what's your name?" "My name is Fluttershy." "Fluttershy? So she's one of those Elements of Harmony!" he said to himself mentally. He was glad he was with one of the six Elements, they couldn't be used against him if one of them didn't think he was bad. From what he learned from the guard, it only takes one element to be eliminated to destroy the link that powers them. He was also glad that she was the Element of Kindness, it was a perfect start to build trust. He proceeded with the questions. "Tell me Fluttershy, what do ponies usually eat?" "Well, plants are our main diet, but we also eat fruits and also sweets, like cupcakes." "No meat huh?" Deathstroke expected that from a world full of colorful ponies. "That's gonna be tough for me to get by." After some trotting through the tall grass and trees, they finally arrive at the entrance of the forest. "Slade, are you able to get to the cottage without being noticed?" asks a worried Fluttershy, looking toward him. "Don't worry Fluttershy, this isn't my first time in stealth mode." says Deathstroke optimistically, as he quietly runs toward some objects and hides behind them. He repeats this process and arrives at the door of the cottage, Fluttershy strolling her way there to prevent suspicion. "Here we are!" Fluttershy says to Deathstroke. "Oh and when you enter, please be cautious of the other residents that live in here." "Other residents?" Fluttershy may have other ponies living inside her house. "I don't really think this is a good-" As the door opened, he saw an enormous number if animals inside, birds, beavers, turtles, and countless more. "What were you saying Slade?" "Well, nevermind." All of the critters stopped what they were doing as they turned and saw him. In a few seconds, they all panicked and ran to some hiding places, emptying the place in no time. The only animal left was a small bunny standing in the center, giving a glare to Deathstroke. "Sorry about Angel, he doesn't appreciate guests." Fluttershy states as she goes over to Angel and calls her animals. "It's okay you all! He won't hurt you." Slowly, the critters walk out of their homes and stare at him, who enters the cottage and closes the door behind him. They still cowered in fear, but when Fluttershy brought the food out, they all ran to their bowls to chow down on their supper. "Well, that escalated quickly." Deathstroke says to himself in his head. He watched as the critters enjoyed their meal, ignoring the tall creature that was watching them a few feet away. "Slade, do you want to have that discussion now?" "Yes, but maybe someplace quieter." replies Deathstroke, as he hears the constant munching of food from the animals. They go upstairs and sit on some chairs. Deathstroke decides to lean on the wall, since the chair was rather small. "Sooooo," Deathstroke starts first. "What's this world like?" "Equestria's a peaceful land where ponies live and enjoy their lives." Fluttershy answers. "That's what I thought at first too sweetheart. But that changed when I found those prototype weapons." he thought to himself in his head, unsure if he should share what he learned. "Have any friends?" "Yes, five specifically." "Could you describe them for me?" "Oh certainly Slade!" Fluttershy then shared what she knew about her five other friends. He already knew their names, and that they were Elements, but he wanted more specific information. It took some time, but Fluttershy finished, with Rainbow Dash last. "She's been a good friend ever since I was a filly!" "Fascinating, fascinating indeed." Deathstroke was not fascinated by Rainbow Dash, but with all the info he learned about them. But there were still more things to be shared. This time, however, he told Fluttershy about himself. "I should tell you about myself sweetheart. Trust me, you won't really like what I do for a living back on Earth." "Earth?" "That's the planet where I come from. I somehow got to this planet, in fact that's how lost I am." "You're from a different planet? Oh you poor th-" "Sweetheart, I'm fine. Anyways, back on Earth I do some, illegal business." "Illegal?" "Yeah. You see, I'm what they call an assassin." That word made Fluttershy slightly gasp. "More specifically though, I'm a contract killer. I kill to get paid." "THAT'S what you do for a living?" Fluttershy was frightened that it was his job. "But why-" "It's a really, really long and complicated story, alright?" He then looked out the window. "It's also personal and I don't want to talk about it. I only told you so you don't have to learn it the hard way." Fluttershy calmed down and asked another question. "Um, is that why you carry all those weapons around?" A few moments of silence passed, and he answered: "Yes." It stayed quiet for a bit, then Fluttershy asked: "Are you hungry?" "Yeah." "What do humans eat?" "We eat fruits and veggies like ponies do." "Do you want some fruits?" "Go ahead sweetheart." She then went downstairs, and in a few minutes she brought back a fruit basket. He grabbed an apple and turned away, slightly removing his mask, then took a bite out of it. "Huh, not bad." he remarked as he puts the mask back on. His face wasn't necessarily a secret, but he decided to keep it like that for now. Fluttershy then remembered the guards back in the forest. "Oh, ummm, what happened to those guards back in the forest?" "Guards?" "They're called the Royal Guard, military men from Canterlot." "So that's what they're called." he thinks to himself. "I took them out since they were looking for me. They're not dead, just unconscious." "What drove you not to kill them?" He thought about that for a moment, then answered: "I only kill if I get paid." He partly lied about that. "By the way, the other guards are probably in the forest lookin' for them." The other guards, around the same time A female guard was running through the forest along with the other guards. "C'mon men! The sound came from this way!" The guards recently heard a screaming noise from the Everfree Forest, and they decided to see why. "Mam! There's a small crater here and some branches! There was some struggling here!" The guards examined it, then the female guard said: "Keep going. There might be something up ahead!" They continued sprinting, until they see something up ahead. Laying on the ground were Shining Armor and three of his men. "Captain Shining Armor!" The female guard crouched by his side and held his head by the back. "Sir are you alright?" He just slept there unconsciously. She then rattled off her next orders. "You, fly back to Ponyville and get the other guards here to help bring the men to Ponyville General." "Yes Mam!" "You, find the rest of Shining Armor's missing men and bring them to Ponyville General. I'll get Shining Armor there." "Yes Mam!" they said in unison. She then picked up Shining Armor and ran toward the forest entrance as fast as she could. "Hang on captain, you'll be alright." Three hours later... It took three hours to bring the men to the hospital, the missing guards were hard to find, until they realized they were looking in the wrong places. All the men were gathered into one specific area in the hospital, the same place where many of Ponyville's residents went after eating Pinkie Pie's "Baked Bads." "St-Storm." The female guard hears Captain Shining Armor speak to her. "What is it sir?" "G-Get my s-sister here." His injuries made it difficult for him to even speak. "Yes sir." replied Storm in a deep tone as she ran off to Twilight's house. Twenty minutes later... Twilight was in her house casually reading some books. She didn't hear the screaming from the forest, she was too busy focusing on her books, and Spike went to sleep a little earlier than usual after the day he had, it was almost night time after all. *Knock Knock Knock* Twilight was interrupted by the sound of knocking on her door. "Coming!" She does a little stretching and walks to the door. Opening it, she sees a female royal guard wearing a sad expression. "Oh, uhhh, is there a problem mam?" It was hard for Storm to put it, so she stated it simply. "Twilight, your brother is severely injured, he's currently at Ponyville General right now." Twilight puts her hoof to her mouth. "What!? He's..." Twilight dashes off to the hospital. Behind her, Storm sighs and closes the door, heading back to the hospital. Back at the hospital, 8:00 PM Twilight quickly arrived at the hospital and flew through the curtains. She saw many royal guards being treated, and recognizes one of them. "Shining Armor!!!" Twilight ran to him, who was covered up in some bandages, especially his knee. "Hey sis," He could only get a few words out. "Good to see you." "Shiny what happened?" Twilight asks. He tries to remember what happened. "I don't remember, my mind is kinda foggy. *cough* *cough*" "I'm glad you're alright, BBBFF." says Twilight, smiling. "Doctor, how is he doing?" "Well, he has a large concussion, some minor scrapes on his knees, some bruises, and our X-rays show that there's something stuck in his left foreleg, which is also broken." she states, showing the X-ray results to her. "We'll have to perform surgery." That last word made Twilight wince a bit. "Promise me you'll be fine Shiny." "I promise Twily, I promise." Fluttershy's cottage, around the same time For the past few hours, Deathstroke kept his energy up by eating some food, and they discussed more about each other. During that time period he told her a few things about the super heroes and villains of his world. "Fluttershy." "Yes Slade?" "A few hours ago, I told you that I kill people for a living. What drove you not to hate me?" "Well," she started off shyly. "I think you're a good person inside." "You think?" "And a good friend." "You would call me a friend?" he asks. "I do." she answers with a small smile. "Would you?" He thought about it for a moment, then answered: "I wouldn't exactly say yes." Fluttershy could only smile at his remark. He takes the spare blanket sheet Fluttershy gave him earlier and places it on the wall so he could sleep-sit. "Aren't you going to use the bed?" she asks. "No. Too small." he replies dryly as he closes his eyes behind his mask. Fluttershy turns off the lights and heads downstairs. "Goodnight friend." "Don't push it kid." Meanwhile, at General Zod's hideout General Zod had their hideout set up, a large cave with some technology set up with help from The Brain, who was found with some other villains some time ago. Other super villains, Count Vertigo and Star Sapphire also joined his team of villains. Count Vertigo went up to Zod, who was looking outside. "I like the Secret Society you've started, Zod." he complimented. "But if it is true how we are on a different planet, how do you plan to do whatever you're planning?" "Our presence in a new world makes many... complications." he tells him. "But to make things short, I plan to have us rule this world and whatever civilization it has. Then we shall find a way to get us back to Earth and take revenge on the man who imprisoned me." he finishes, clutching his fist. "But before we do all that, we must know what we're dealing with. Which is why I'm sending The Brain to scout nearby civilization. If this world has a military that I can control, then we can use it to rule Earth as well." he states with an evil smile. "Brain. Over here." A large jar-like machine on wheels carrying a brain went over to them. "Take a good view of the landscape and analyze it. I need all towns or cities scanned." "It will be done, General." The Brain said with a complex communication device. He took off with his built in jet-pack system and left to scout the unidentified world they were in. Zod smirked to himself as he disappears. "Soon, this new land will be mine to rule."