//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 -or- A Nightmare or A Vision // Story: The Red Reploid: Equestrian Tales // by Sir Mortimer of Eden //------------------------------// I watched her slice through and kill every pony she could find with her saber, smiling and laughing manically at all the blood that poured out of her enemies as I watched the destruction being brought to this pitiful world as the screams of ponies filled my ears…it was the most heavenly sound I had ever heard. …no… She was so powerful now, together we destroyed the greatest threats to us, the elements, her aunts and now…now the rest of them only had a second to gaze at her before they were nothing but a ripped apart torso. I taught her the way to fight and unleash the power I had given her against the ones that opposed us and she used it to its full potential. No She had a dark pink coat that covered her entire body as dark pink reploid type armour covered almost every part of her body, able to make her stand up and look just like us reploids. Her eyes were the purest of purple that glowed an eerie red that held authority and malice in them that could pierce your soul if you disobeyed her command. No! Her mane was still its usual three colours but they were more…violent. Her mark was almost exactly the same; a crystal heart with a golden lace underneath it but in the centre of the heart was a symbol…a symbol of my creator, the letter W. It opened her mind to the truth of this world, that we should be the ones to rule not those weak and pitiful sisters. NO!! We always fought together back to back, buster to buster, saber to saber. Nothing could stop us, this world was ours and we would crush anypony who opposed us, just me and my sister, Amore Cadenza Wily. … “I created you to destroy! Go…kill!” … “NO!” I screamed as I jolted upright in a bed, clutching my chest as I breathed heavily. ‘It was only a nightmare, it wasn’t real I’m still here and Cadence is as well. She would never hurt anypony, she’s too nice and pure to become like that, can she? No that symbol that I saw on her…that represented Wily. But it was just a nightmare so that will never happen to her, and I would never become what my creator wanted me to be…I won’t allow myself to.’ After I had calmed down I took a look around the room to find I was still in Cadence’s room as the door was flung open and in the doorway was a crying Cadence with puffy red eyes as she ran towards me as I pulled her into a tight hug. ‘She’s safe, she’s with me, that dream will never come true,’ I repeated to myself over and over. “You’re okay! I thought you were dead!” she exclaimed in a broken tone. “Shhh its okay Cadence, stop crying it’s all ok…I’m here,” I cooed to her as her tears stopped flowing. “How are you, ok? That blow the guard did to you would have killed anypony or at least put them in hospital,” I gave her a reassuring look as I looked into her eyes as she stopped crying. “Don’t worry Cadence, I’m a reploid and reploids are a lot stronger than normal ponies in many different ways,” I replied as she let go of the hug as she smiled at me, then it turned into a sly smile. “Then how come you got knocked out so easily then?” she said slyly, making me blush a bit in embarrassment as I looked away. “I was too focused on what happened to my eyes to notice the area around me, otherwise I would of had that guard pinned down,” her sly smile turned into a normal one as she teased me. “Sure you would have,” I looked back at her, my blush fading away as I wanted to ask her a question I had wanted to ask her since I first saw her. “What’s with the marks on everyponys…flanks?” I asked embarrassingly, thinking that the question would offend her saying that as she looked at her flank. “Oh this? This is what we ponies call ‘Cutie Marks’, they represent our special talent,” she chirped happily as I looked at her quizzically. “What would be your special talent then because I don’t think that a crystal heart explains much about what your special talent is?” I asked as she looked at me sheepishly knowing that I was right. “Oh uh…it represents love as I am able to spread it to other ponies, fixing relationships and sometimes even get two ponies married but not forcefully, I would never do that…it just gives them a push of sorts,” I nodded absorbing the knowledge as I took a closer look at her cutie mark. “So what does the letter Z have to do with spreading love then?” I asked her, as she started to panic a little. “Z? What Z there is no letter Z on my cutie mark!” she exclaimed in a panicked tone. I realised that she was right, there was not supposed to be a letter Z on here cutie mark as it wasn't there before I was knocked out. As I inspected it I noticed that the letter was right underneath the crystal heart but it look exactly like the two golden laces, a third golden lace but in the shape of a Z. A letter that represents Zero…me, I may have to ask Celestia about this once I get the Canterlot. “Well then there is now Cadence,” I replied calmly. “Maybe…Cadence, I want to try something that may work,” I said as she looked at me questioningly, her panic dissipating. As I stood up and took a few steps back from Cadence I began to think of happy emotions as I felt something inside of me grow. I started to concentrate the emotion energy as I gave it more form and then released it out of my body, more specifically my hands as I heard a gasp. When I opened my eyes I saw that there was (literally) a floating pink heart that was surrounded by many little pink hearts and a strong emotion coming from it…love. Cadence looked at it in awe as it looked like if her mouth wasn’t attached to her face it would have hit the floor. “How…how did you do that!?” she exclaimed in a tone that sounded like a combination of shock, curiosity and…excitement? “Truth be told Cadence, I’m not sure myself,” I mumbled half to myself and half to her as the heart disappeared. “Did you copy my talent?” “No Cadence, I know that I didn't copy your talent but even I wonder how I am able to do this, without magic even,” She gave me a curious look. “Reploids can’t use magic? Then how did you use magic just now then?” she exclaimed as I shook my head. “I’m not sure, but maybe your aunt may know something about this as it may have happened before,” I replied as my sensors detected an invisible light bulb hat appeared above her head as she looked as if she had just thought of something. “I know, how about you come to Canterlot with me in my carriage since I’m heading there soon anyway!” she exclaimed in the happiest tone I had ever seen. I gave her a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry Cadence I can get there on my own, I don’t want to waste your time,” I started to walk out of the room when I felt a hoof against my leg. As I turned around I saw Cadence giving me a determined look. “Zero you are not wasting my time, I want to help you anyway I can,” her face morphed into a smile. “That’s what friends do for each other, and I really want someone to talk to who doesn't see me as a princess but just me…like you,” I smiled at her as I knelt down and gave her a hug. “Thank you Cadence for being my friend, really,” she waved at me with her hoof. “It’s fine Zero besides, I don’t think it would be a good idea to walk all that way to Canterlot otherwise you might alert some of the royal guards since you are kind of…special,” I laughed on the inside at Cadence’s attempt to think of a nice way to say I’m an extra-terrestrial being. “How would you think of getting me to the ‘royal carriage’ without anypony taking notice of me? As I would think that your guards wouldn't allow me being near you,” I asked as she gave me a knowing smile. “Don’t worry Zero, I've already told my personal guards about you so you won’t have to worry about them, oh and Green Leaf wanted to say sorry for knocking you out earlier and you could use your cloak to cover your body while we’re outside,” I gave her a sceptical look. “I don’t think just wearing my cloak can make ponies draw their attention away from me, in fact it could draw attention to me instead,” Cadence just shook her head, keeping her smile planted on her face. “Don’t worry about that Zero, I used my magic and put an enchantment on your cloak so that when you wear it you are invisible to everypony…except the spell caster of course,” I nodded at her explanation as I went to grab my cloak. “Well then let’s get going Mi Amore,” I replied as my scans indicated her temperature rising - probably blushing a bit – as I put the cloak on but kept my hood down so that the guards that were probably downstairs wouldn't bump into me. As we arrived down at the foyer of the building I noticed that there were four royal guards outside waiting for us to depart to the carriage that was probably waiting for us. “Well let’s hope no pony will bump into me so let’s get this over with then,” I mumbled to myself as I put my hood on as Cadence and I walked out the doors into the busy city of Manehatten.