//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three: Getting Settled in 
// Story: Razgriz 
// by Blake Skies 
//------------------------------//


Chapter Three:
Getting Settled in


Twilight led her friends back to Golden Oaks Library. Flash Sentry told her that he’d join after he sorted out the town’s safety and establishing checkpoints. She was semi-amused at how meticulous Flash was being, considering he was far from being anything like Shining Armor. Though Twilight agreed that if Shining was here, he’d have the town placed under Martial Law after what just happened. 
When the six reached the library, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders raced up to them spewing all kinds of questions. Apparently, the CMC had returned to Ponyville along with the Princesses’ delegation and hadn’t seen what had happened. Spike however had been a witness, ironically from the safety from inside the library. And the poor baby dragon was asking all kinds of questions, questions that Twilight really didn’t have an answer to. 
But once order was restored, Twilight managed to find a spot to begin. 
“What was that thing attacking us Twilight?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, I really like to know who’s behind that little punk!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“I’m honestly not sure,” Twilight answered, “I believe the Princesses recognized them, but I’ve never seen nor heard anything within regards to something that looks like that.” 
“But it’s got to have a home right? I mean all things have homes. And didn’t the princesses say someone created it? So who could’ve created it?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“The Princess mentioned something about these things haunting Equestria’s past. But beyond that nothing.” Twilight answered.
“Well it couldn’t of been Discord, ah reckon that this be too complicated even for ‘im.”  Applejack said.
“Certainly not,” Rarity agreed, “And that being was made of Silver, not crystals, so no King Sombra.”
“What about Nightmare Moon?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight shook her head, “Not her style.”
“Um…excuse me!” Fluttershy’s voice broke through.
In one moment, they all looked at Fluttershy, who was meekly standing near the door. Twilight then noticed that Fluttershy had been trying to get their attention the entire time.  Twilight bit her lower lip; she usually didn’t like it when she or any of her friends passed over Fluttershy’s input, most of the times though Fluttershy’s input turned out to be very useful. “I’m sorry Fluttershy, you have something to say.” Twilight said.
Fluttershy nodded and walked into the group, “Well…I mean…I don’t know much….but…”
“Anything will do right now,” Spike said, “I mean if Twilight doesn’t know anything about this guy then he must be serious trouble.”
“More so if you consider the expressions on the Princesses,” Flash Sentry added as he walked in, “By the looks of things, it seems that both those things are bad news, that Razgriz especially.”
Twilight was glad to see him, somehow having him around made things much calmer for her. But there still was the ever present matter of who exactly Razgriz was.
But Fluttershy dispelled that just after he finished his comment, “But that’s just it, he isn’t bad news.” She turned her head and looked at each and every pony in the room, “My mother used to tell me bed time stories about Razgriz the Great. She said that he was a being from a faraway world that came to Equestria and saved it in her hour of need.”
“Wait a moment,” Rainbow Dash piped in, “He’s that Razgriz?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Every Pegasus in Cloudsdale knows of the tale of Razgriz.” Rainbow said. 
“Then how come yer didn’t recognize the name until just now?” Applejack asked smugly.
“I always remembered that hero a little differently; I always imagined he was an Earth Pony that rides a dragon. Never once did I think he was a….what do ya call ’em?” Rainbow asked turning to Twilight.
“Humans,” Twilight murmured.
“Thanks,” Rainbow winked.
“Well…um…my mom was pretty specific.” Fluttershy whispered.
Twilight mused for a moment, “Wait, I never even heard of the story of Razgriz the Great. And I’ve read every book ever written about Equestrian history. At least…”
“At least what Twilight,” Spike asked.
“Well I focused most of my history studies on the time of and after Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said.
“That’s why you never heard of Razgriz then,” Fluttershy put in, “He was around before Nightmare Moon.”
“But I’m sure Razgriz isn’t behind what happened today, I mean he did assist us in fighting off those bad creatures so he can’t be evil at all right?” Pinkie Pie asked. 
Twilight turned to Fluttershy, “Is there any mentioning about these things in the Razgriz legend?”
Fluttershy pondered for a moment, “I remember Mom talking about his great enemy. A being that used machines made of Silver to rain destruction down upon Equestria. Thousands of ponies, Griffins, and even Changelings were killed in his attacks. I think Mom called him Apocalypto. But when Razgriz came, he and the Royal Pony Sisters turned them back.”
“The Battle of Canterlot…” Rainbow Dash said, “Now I remember those stories!”
“The Battle of Canterlot,” Twilight asked, “You don’t mean the one we were in.”
“No egg head,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “The two Princesses called on every army in Equestria to mass and fight off Apocalypto.”
“Ah take it they won,” Applejack said.
“Yes,” Fluttershy answered, “But at the cost of Razgriz’s life.”
This struck Twilight, “Wait you mean that Razgriz died?”
Both Pegasi nodded.
“Then…” Rarity asked, “Who was that who saved the town?”
Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other before shrugging. Twilight raised a hoof to her chin; pondering the events that had just transpired as well as the story she was just told. “Well it seems obvious we’re all going to have to do more research on the matter of Razgriz. Meanwhile let’s worry mostly about the town.” Twilight said.
“Ah agree, Rainbow and I will get to work on repairing most of the town.” Applejack nodded.
“I’ll get to work on corralling the animals,” Fluttershy volunteered.
“And Rarity and I will work on calming in the people.” Pinkie pie smiled. 
Twilight nodded, “Alright everypony, you all know your jobs. Get to them.”
The five other ponies nodded and exited the library. Flash watched them go with an amused smile, “Jeeze if it’s not one thing it’s another in this town. Does it always get like this?”
“Amazing isn’t it,” Twilight grimaced. This got a warm chuckle from the duo. Even Spike got into the laughter, but only just. When the chuckles died down, Twilight headed over to Flash and gave him a soft nuzzle. “So you have a place to stay” She asked with a welcoming smile.
Flash blushed, “Well I’ve really not had time to…”
“Well then,” Twilight beamed, “Spike can you make up the guest room?”
“Seriously Twi,” Spike asked with a face of discontent.
“What’s wrong Spike,” Twilight asked, her complexion changing to sheer confusion, “You and Flash have gotten along fine.”
Spike was about to explain himself, but Flash caught on and interrupted, “Uh Twilight its cool. I’d feel better staying near my men. Plus I think Captain General Armor would have a cow if he’d heard I was staying here.”
Twilight laughed, “Of course that’d be the source of your concern. Don’t worry; I don’t think Shining Armor would mind given the circumstances. Anyway I would feel a lot safer if you were close by.” 
Flash was moved by the show of affection, “Alright honey, for you I’ll stay nearby.”

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Gidrah landed about a mile out of town. It wasn’t until the old dragon rested his wings against his body did I get off. “Vanquishment achieved.” I said. After that I began to power down. As I did so all of my energy focused on my chest and exited out through my breastbone. Then the energy materialized into the power coin which I snatched out of thin air. The clothes I was wearing before I transformed had returned to me in their proper places. The bracelet the council gave me was also resting within my pocket. 
Gidrah also shrunk in size and hoped on my shoulder, “Well, now you’ve done it. It’s going to be hard to hide that.”
“Since when was I ever good at keeping myself secret,” I asked my mentor.
“Good point; any way what now milord,” Gidrah asked.
“We return to the town.” I answered. 
“Certainly not that quick,” Gidrah advised, “The ponies may be a lot of things, but our experience has shown that they aren’t stupid.” 
“Well that remains to be proven.” I told Gidrah, “But you are right.”
So I waited until sun down before I made my return as Night Shield. It was of no surprise to me that most of the town had been rebuilt by days end. Ponies were very good at rebuilding their towns after disasters. That I remembered first hand. However what did surprise me was that most of the ponies have seemingly overcame the trauma of the event. That led me to conclude that it wasn’t the first time this town had seen action. 
As I made my way through town, I began looking for any lodges close to either the Town’s square or the Library. Fortunately I was in luck. The Inn of the Prancing Pony was still open for business. However, I did take pause on the name. “I’m not sure whether I should commend this place for the reference or just shake my head for another Horse pun.” I said.
“Makes you want to bash your head with something doesn’t it.” Gidrah amused, “Though not as much as Manehattan, Baltimare, or Fillydelphia.”
“Yeah the last one was pushing it a bit.” I said.
“You know, since this is our second go-around here maybe we should make a list of all the bad horse puns here.” Gidrah laughed not meaning a word of it.
“I’ll play along with that, I’m sure it’ll be a long list by weeks end. Although I’d love to see the pun they make on Saudi Arabia. Maybe it’ll have something to do with saddles.” I laughed.
“Or…or maybe a play on Germany, huh something like Ger-mane-ny.” Gidrah laughed.
“The United Stirrups of America,” I added.
“Picasso and his wonderful many Pintos’,” Gidrah continued.
“The works of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Colt Doyle,” I put in.
Gidrah started to laugh harder, “Lady and the Trots.”
“Oh Gidrah how you sleigh me,” I laughed.
“I will admit I do get a little buggy at times.” Gidrah answered.
“Okay I’ll give you a Seabiscuit for that one!” I laughed hardly.
“Careful milord, your voice might be horse by the end of this.” Gidrah added. 
Now I was laughing pretty loudly. The two of us went back and forth until the Inn keeper opened up his door, “Excuse me, are you going to come in or just stand there all night and laugh at something?”
I instantly stopped laughing, mostly out of pure embarrassment. “Sorry, just remembering an old funny story I once heard. I’d tell you it if you like.” I grimaced
“Not in the story-telling mood I’m afraid. Are you in need of anything?” he shot back.
“Yes, umm…. I need a room.” I answered.
“Well you’re in luck we got one open.” He said, “Come on in.”
I nodded, “Thank you, I’ll be in in a moment.”
He nodded and slunk back inside.
“I swear I thought ponies were easier to hear coming.” I sighed.
“Maybe you should call up the Princesses and make another Royal Decree.” Gidrah laughed. He still was in stiches about earlier. 
“Saying what?” I whispered as I began to trot inside. 
“That they bang coconuts together while they walk.” Gidrah laughed.
Seeing as the moment of laughter had passed, I simply sighed. But I did quip, “And he sells it with a Monty Python joke.” 
After going inside, I began to talk with the inn keeper about reserving a room. He did agree to allow me to stay for a few nights as I was on vacation, and then came the deal with Money. “Oh, I’m very sorry but I don’t have any bits to spend.” I said actually thinking it was a deal breaker.
To my surprise, he shook his head, “Ah forget about it. First few days are free.”
“Oh well that’s very generous of you.” I said bemused.
“Well with all that’s happened today you really shouldn’t be surprised. It’s a town law that new comers stay for free if the town gets attacked while they visit.” He said, talking as if the rule was the bad thing and not the cause.
“Oh, does it happen often around here?” I asked.
“Never used too, then that damned Princess Twilight Sparkle moved in. Don’t get me wrong she’s a good pony and all. But ever since she arrived in this town has been the center of some weird and scary folk. However, today was the worst I ever saw.” He explained.
I nodded, “Yeah I heard something was going on, did you see what it was?”
He shook his head, “To busy hiding. Anyway your rooms set up. Go on up there and get some rest. Room 016 is yours for however long you need it.”
I nodded, “Thanks, and once again thank you for your generosity.” After that I headed up to the second level. Walking carefully through the hallway, I soon found my room. Unlocking the door and gently walking in, I was actually amazed at how long the bed was. 
“Looks like it’ll just fit me in human form.” I whispered. I was keeping my voice low for two reasons: the obvious reason was the lateness of the hour but the other reason was I wasn’t sure how sound proof the room was. In the dim darkness, I could make out a small closet and table that also occupied the room. Unfortunately there was no TV, but I was used to life without it anyway. 
“Indeed milord,” Gidrah said popping out of me and hopping onto the table, “Seems like very quaint accommodations.”
“Compared to the treatment we got last time, quaint is a very good term for it.” I said pulling off the bracelet and then slumping onto the bed. The bed was very soft, if not having a sort of stale feel to it. 
“So what now milord, do we rest for the evening or do we begin our investigation?” Gidrah asked. 
I sighed. “I’m not sure.” I said after a silence…

…When the carriage suddenly lurched forward, I wasn’t ready for it. And like any unbalanced idiot, I fell all over myself. I could hear Gidrah laugh at my misfortune but I paid him no mind. Princess Celestia, if I got her name right, did however give me some attention. 
“Oh apologies, we haven’t used a four pony chariot in a while. It seems that my guards do not know their own strength.” The pink mane Alicorn said. Alicorn, that’s the species’ name apparently. After only twenty minutes of being on this planet I guessed I wasn’t on Earth anymore, let alone my same system. And while Gidrah and I tried to figure out where we were by asking Celestia, she would only answer in “Wait and see.” She did tell me however of the types of creatures that lived here, all creatures from Earth’s mythology: Unicorns, Pegasi, Griffins, Changelings, and even Dragons along with regular animals from Earth. While the latter two are actually present on Earth, I was most keen on seeing the former three. 
Getting back, I was riding in the chariot next to the Princess Celestia. It was already mid-day on this new world as we road along. Slumped over near the back of the awkwardly large chariot was Princess Luna, the dark blue horse I met when I first popped out of the pool. I slowly got to my feet as I felt the bumpiness of the road vanish, “Indeed, though I’m still trying to figure out the logic behind horses riding in horse drawn carriages.” 
Either Princess Celestia missed my comment or chose not to acknowledge it. Instead Gidrah answered it with, “That’s probably how it is here.”
But then I was drawn by what was actually going on around me. The chariot was flying. It was soaring high above the trees of the forest at great speed. I’m sure I had gone faster with riding Gidrah, but the speed the Pegasi guards were pulling us at was impressive. After I marveled at the sight for a moment, Princess Celestia raised her front right hoof, “This is Equestria. The land where all ponies and animals may live free and how they please.” 
“Impressive,” I said, “Most impressive. How far do the borders extend.” 
“While I’m not sure of the actually number,” Princess Celestia answered, “I do know that the space is vast.”
“Over five hundred million acres,” Princess Luna snipped, raising her head and looking at Celestia, “We thought thou knew this from classes!”
Celestia turned and looked at her sister, “Thou do know that numbers were never my strong suit.”
Luna rolled her eyes and went back to slumping over the edge of the chariot. I stood there pretty bemused over the whole encounter. I had only been on Equestria for about four hours and yet in that time, the two of them seemed to do nothing but snip at each other. Being an only child, the finite points of sibling relationships was a mystery to me. But I always did remember the cardinal rule dad always told me: “When it’s other people’s families, don’t get involved until you’re sure.” 
Anyway I focused my attention on back to the view. “Ponies being the dominant species here huh, I wonder what the city names are like.”
“Probably very bad horse puns.” Gidrah sighed.
I chuckled softly, “Maybe the capital city’s name will have something to do with the names as well. I’ll bet it’s probably going to be something about Canters.”
“Milord, we’ve only just met this species and you’re going to make jokes?” Gidrah said.
“Hey you started it.” I laughed softly. The wind rushing by drowned out most of my conversation with Gidrah, so I was sure Princess Celestia wasn’t listening to me. “Anyway,” I said back to Gidrah, “Wanna put good money on that.”
“You know what I’ll bite. But only when we get back.” Gidrah answered.
I laughed, “Done.”
I didn’t have to wait long to get my money. Soon we came over a hill and there in the valley below lay our destination. “Ahead are Equestria’s capital, and our home, Canterlot.”
“And the money is yours.” Gidrah said.
I smiled at my victory, but I was also taken back by the vastness of the city. Built into the side of a mountain with large stone walls surrounding, it reminded me mostly of Gondor from the Lord of the Rings. The only thing the city was missing to make it a perfect comparison was the massive stone spire and the marble white stones used in construction. However, the Castle was white in its color with beautiful blue roofs contrasting the white. All the while, gold accents were thrown in around the castle. 
“Impressive construction,” I said.
“Thank you for the complement.” Celestia smiled, “I think you’ll find Canterlot to be a very polished town.”
I heard Luna huff in disgust but neither Celestia and I paid her any mind. Soon enough the carriage landed and the three of us disembarked. Luna left us almost immediately, flanked by a group of guards. Another group of Royal guards soon flanked us as Princess Celestia gave me a tour of the castle. I was pretty amazed at the sights I was seeing; lavish hallways adorned with many statues and priceless works of art. 
“Not bad,” I said trying to keep my wonder hidden.
“I’ve seen better,” Gidrah retorted.
“We try our hardest here in Canterlot. However do not mistake the lavish for ignorance. This castle is very plain compared to the many other royal homes within Equis.” Princess Celestia said, “Neither my sister or I feel ourselves above the ponies we rule.”
“A good trait to have.” I said.
“That remains to be seen,” Gidrah warned, “We’ve only seen a partial view.”
I nodded at this statement. So far in my time here, I had seen Equestria through the eyes of the Princesses. Despite the very ‘down to earth’ mentality Celestia carried, the life she lived seemed to be very gilded. And with Luna’s earlier comments of distrust towards the ponies of Equestria still in my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder what the conditions actually were like here in Equestria. 
Soon we approached a set of wooden doors. “And here is where you will stay.” Princess Celestia said stepping in front of the doors. 
“I see.” I said walking next to her.
Celestia’s horn glowed bright yellow as she used her magic to open the doors. The room inside was quite stunning. The walls were a shade of bright blue while the floor was a shade of mahogany red. A large bed that was circular in shape and had drapes covering it. The sheets were white while the curtains were a light shade of yellow. Across the bed was a bookshelf filled with books. Next to the book shelf was a study desk complete with a candle lamp. 
I walked into the room, “You always treat your guests with this much grace?”
“Tis our way,” Celestia answered, “I’m glad you enjoy what we have to offer. However I’m afraid I cannot show you the city right now. I have matters to attend to. I beg for your forgiveness.”
I waved my hand, “No problem, I’ll just get settled.”
“Splendid,” Celestia smiled and began to back up, “I shall return when my duties are attended to.”
“Take your time,” I answered as she closed the door. The moment it was closed I plopped down on the bed. Gidrah jumped out of me and landed upon the desk. The two of us looked at each other for a moment without saying a word. Then I said, “Well this is certainly interesting, within the span of a whole day we have engaged a stranger from the past, transported to another realm where ponies rule the land, meet their leaders, taken to their capital, and finally getting put in a statesmen-like guest room.”
“Indeed milord, and to top that all off we have another seemingly worse problem; I have no mental connection with the council.” Gidrah said coldly.
I looked at Gidrah with a scared and shocked completion, and then I realized that I didn’t have the connection either. “We can’t contact the council and they can’t contact us. This isn’t good.” I said.
“Agreed, any operations we take here will be surely handicapped as we can no longer rule on decisions. Or at least form any impartial opinions.” Gidrah said.
What made that even more horrifying was: he was right. When a judgment is about to be reached, the Demon Lord snaps his fingers creating what is called The Judgment Smoke. He then brings the smoke to his face, preferably the opposite side of his snapped hand, and a direct link is formed with the council. In microseconds the council goes over all the evidence the Demon Lord has acquired on the suspect as well as suspect’s functions like body language and mental thoughts, impartially, and a ruling is made. Without this, a Demon Lord could rule any one without even a scrap of evidence. He could lose the very title of a guider and become a ruler. 
It was a scary thought, even for me. “This isn’t good at all.” I said, “To say nothing of the fact that we don’t know the situation back home.”
“Agreed, more of those Silver Razors could be out there.” Gidrah said, “However I believe we do have another pressing matter here.”
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“I don’t think we were brought here without a reason. That Razor brought us specifically here. And if it’s the reason I’m thinking of, this planet is in grave danger.” Gidrah told me.
“From who?” I asked.
“The being who controls those monsters, a man named Apocalypto. The Demon Lords fought him once. He’s a man hell bent on conquering Earth, for reasons that were made clear though I do not recall them. We stopped his plans back in 1908, 106 years ago.” Gidrah explained.
“Well then, if we were brought here for a reason, I think we need to find what that reason was.” I said.
“Agreed, but that means getting out of here.” Gidrah responded.
I switched my vision over to thermal infrared and looked at our only exit. I could see two guards standing near the door. “Well we’re not going out that way.” I said, “I guess we should wait until Princess Celestia returns.”
“I suppose your right, and we’ll do a more thorough investigation tonight.” Gidrah agreed…

…I pondered the question for some time. Finally I remember the fact that staying in the VIP room back in Canterlot got me nowhere. Now two years senior from that event, I was now surer of my feelings. “I think it’d be wise to do a little night time exploring. Least we’ll get to know the lay of the land first.” I said.
Gidrah nodded but before he could reply a yawn interrupted him.
I chuckled, “I’d think it’d be better if you stay home tonight Gidrah, I’ll do the strolling.”
The dragon nodded and laid his head down to rest. Gidrah, despite his energy, is over five hundred years old. It wasn’t rare for him to tire easily, especially after a dimensional jump we made. Besides, it wasn’t often I go on investigations alone. So I slid on my bracelet and quietly ventured out into the night. 
Ponyville at night was very, very quiet. Most of the shops and places of business had closed down. Best of all, most of the towns folk had seemingly gone to bed. That made moving around the town a whole lot easier. Despite the heavy amounts of troops I had seen comb the city after the Sphere attack; none of them seem to be left, all the more reason to think that this town was no stranger to random attacks. 
I soon made my way back to the market street and to the spot where I first laid eyes on the sphere. The building it had destroyed had been rebuilt, but still telltale traces of the attack remained. Using my infrared vision to track the heat residue from the day’s attacks, I followed the path down a narrow alley way. It seemed the monster had torn up a good portion of the town than I had originally known. Thankfully there didn’t seem to be any traces of ponies getting injured or killed in the attack. 
Soon I followed the trail to the edge of town, about a good twenty kilometers from where I had entered. It appeared that the two of us had taken parallel routes into the town at almost seemingly the same time. What bothered me even more was where it had come from: The Everfree Forest. Exactly the same area I had come from. I could’ve been within feet of the creature and didn’t even see it. Still whatever reason of why it had landed in Everfree or the location of where it touched down was going to have to wait until morning. Even a thousand years later, Everfree was still a dangerous trek. This was amplified at night. 
There were even stories of ponies venturing into the forest at night, and never coming back. I wasn’t about to take those odds. So I turned my attention back to the attack pattern. I climbed up one of the houses, quietly of course, and took a good survey of what I could see. The Sphere had cut through most of Ponyville like a Knight on the chess board, making a very distinct L pattern before I intercepted it. Plotting out the pattern of the attack had I not intercepted, I guessed it was going towards the most dense area of the town. Right smack at what seemed to be the town hall. 
This didn’t fit Apocalypto’s M.O. at all; he wouldn’t go straight for the towns head with just one silver. Let alone use a Silver Sphere to get the job done. More likely that this attack was nothing more than bait, bait to test the response time of the towns defenses. But then why not engage the nerve center directly; why not use this on Canterlot itself? My answer became very clear very fast. I turned in the general direction of Canterlot and got my answer.
The town and the castle had been completely rebuilt, halfway up the Mountain of Equestria. I took a deep and thankful sigh, for two reasons. One, I figured that it solved the problem of having any more armies attack from the ground, and second because it was good to see that they had rebuilt after the devastation suffered during the final battle. Now that begged the next question to be asked; what made Ponyville so special that Apocalypto would target here? That answer was simple, the new Alicorn Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Judging by her size, I figured she was still extremely young. And considering her lack of personal guard here in the town, I guessed she was still new to actually being an Alicorn, as crazy as that sounded. But this was all speculation. I figured it was now high timed to meet this new Princess. I was about to call it a night and take care of that tomorrow when I heard music floating in the air. And it wasn’t wayward music sung by an insomniac pony, this was party music. I looked around and noticed that it was coming from the town hall. Figuring that I might actually get my chance sooner than I thought, I headed towards the party. 
To my surprise, the hall was packed to the brim with ponies dancing, chatting with others, and enjoying themselves. I wandered in gingerly, with a warm smile on my face. I was no stranger to parties but mine were more geared to New York City’s night life, this one was surprisingly tame. However one thing was surprisingly the same: the heavy beating of DJ music that was blasting my ears. After no less than five seconds of being a part of the party, I found a familiar face.
“Oh Night Shield,” Pinkie shouted, “I forgot you were still in town. You won’t believe what happened, this monster showed up and was all blowing up the town and such…”
“Yea Pinkie I saw!” I shouted, “I was wondering what all this was about?”
“Well we’re celebrating another successful day of Ponyville surviving another attack.” Pinkie cheered.
This was met with cheers by the ponies around us. I nodded with a warm smile, “Alright, I guess you guys do this often?” 
“Oh all the time, what with this place constantly under threat of nasty’s, it’s important to keep the towns spirits up.” Another voice chimed in.
Both Pinkie and I looked to our, or really my, right to see the one and only Princess Twilight walk up to us. “Oh Twilight good I’m glad you’re here, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Pinkie smiled.
“Wow Pinkie I never would’ve guessed,” Twilight said with a sarcastic yet surprisingly warm smile. Judging from that alone I guessed these two were good friends.
“Well you should know me better Twilight. This is Night Shield, I met him this morning. He’s on vacation from the North.” Pinkie introduced. 
I smiled warmly and bowed, “It’s an honor your majesty.”
“Oh Twilight is perfectly fine,” the Princess blushed, “I’m still trying to get these ponies from constantly bowing to me.”
I laughed at this, “I bet it’s not an easy job.”
Twilight also laughed, “Oh no, it isn’t.”
Just then the song that was playing came to a close. Pinkie then bounced, “Oh yay I know what’s next, excuse me.” Just then the pink pony raced up towards the stage in a bright flash of pink. In a flash, she had picked up a microphone and turned to the crowd, “Okay Everypony, it’s time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Karaoke!” 
I actually smiled truthfully at this, this party seemed fun and now the prospect at actually singing excited me. The crowd cheered at this. But when it came time for volunteers, no one raised their hooves. Twilight wasn’t surprised, “Usual Ponyville ponies, also wanting someone else to do the fun stuff.”
“I’ll do it,” I volunteered. I actually had a voice, tenor by trade. This was thanks to being in chorus and church choir during my youth.  It had been awhile since I actually sang on stage, even longer here. The chance to do it again excited me. It was a bit of vanity but when in Rome. So I raised my hoof and waved it around until Pinkie called on me. The other ponies cheered and stomped their hooves in applause as I approached the stage. 
Pinkie then presented me a book of the song list for the night. Thankfully there was a Rock’n’Roll page. Surprisingly, many of the songs there were tunes I had brought over from my last visit. After combing through that shortlist, I found my tune and pointed it to the DJ.
“Oh that’s an oldie,” she said, “Good I haven’t played it in a while. Be a nice change from all the dubstep wubs.”
I laughed, “Thanks, when you’re ready.”
The blue mane, sunglasses wearing DJ nodded and I stepped in front of the mike. Despite the fact that I was in character, I felt a lot better raising myself on my hind legs and dancing bi-pedal. I had practiced this a little bit in the forest, and as long as I didn’t move too much I was fine.  It wasn’t long after I stepped up to the mike that the song began.
As the opening beats played, I clapped my right hoof against my right flank in beat. That also had the effect of having me gently rock my hips in tune as well. The crowd caught on quickly and began to stop in sync. All the while I kept my ears tuned to when the lyrics started. When they did, I didn’t miss ’em. “I get up in the evening, and I ain't got nothing to say. I come home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way.” I sang before I grabbed the mike with my left hoof, “I ain't nothing but tired. Man I'm just tired and bored with myself.” I then gave a seductive, if not playful and unserious look to the crowd, “Hey there baby, I could use just a little help.”
This got a good cheer from the mares in the crowd, as well as a snicker from the colts as the music swelled. “You can’t start a fire,” I sang rocking my hips, “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” Then I pointed my right hoof towards my face singing, “This guns for hire, even if we’re just dancing in the dark.” When I sang the last part, I thrusted my hips forward three times before switching directions when I hit “in.” 
The crowd cheered at my little display. I knew I had them on my side. As I hit my next verse I did an amended, if not more open, version of the Carlton Dance. “Message keeps getting clearer, radio's on and I'm moving 'round the place. I check my look in the mirror, I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face.” I sang. Then I picked up the mike and stand while leaning back a bit, “Man I ain't getting nowhere! I'm just living in a dump like this! There's something happening somewhere, baby I just know that there is.”
I hit the chorus again and repeated the dance I had done earlier to great effect. Now the Ponyville residences were completely on my side. But by now I had noticed someone had joined Twilight. Actually it was more of a group of ponies, most I had seen earlier. But one caught my eye, an orange pony with a blue mane wearing an armor chest plate but no helmet. He was standing awfully close to the princess, enough to make me guess that not only was he her Personal guard, but a love interest as well.  That solved the mystery of the guards, and made me smile as I got to my next verse.
“You sit around getting older! There’s a joke here somewhere and it's on me. I'll shake this world off my shoulders; come on baby this laugh's on me.  Stay on the streets of this town and they'll be carving you up alright. They say you gotta stay hungry, hey baby I'm just about starving tonight!” I sang, “I'm dying for some action. I'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book. I need a love reaction, come on now baby gimme just one look.”
I then hit the final chorus, which was different from the others, but I kept the dance the same. “You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart. This gun's for hire. Even if we're just dancing in the dark.” I sang thrusting my hips. I then restarted the process for my final run, “You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart. This gun's for hire. Even if we're just dancing in the dark. Even if we're just dancing in the dark. Even if we're just dancing in the dark. Even if we're just dancing in the dark…”
The music came to a close and the crowd cheered. I stood on the stage for a moment before bowing. Now appeased of the fact that I quelled that desire, I knew that my work could really begin.