"Good work." Steve commented as he saw Armin finally do the twentieth pull-up, though he had taken a few breaks in between, the captain was satisfied in the end when all things considered.
"Thank you..." Armin breathed as he sat down and reached for a canteen of water, knowing in the back of his head that this break he was getting probably wouldn't last.
"Good job anyways, but we'll have more work ahead of us. Now I see that you got these..." Cap said as he handed Armin his blades. "Whatever this steel is, it's pretty good."
"Thanks. We made these to kill giants."
"In that case, then they might just be able to be useful." Cap replied.
"Wait a second, you're not going to have me using swords to fight dragons are you?"
"I totally am. That steel is debatably good enough to cut through their scales. I can teach you how to handle yourself close up, but if you want training with the usage of your swords, you know there's only one person you can actually go to."
"So... how do we start? Or how are we going to train?"
"Well, Sanya and Raynor can take a dragon head on. We on the other hand, don't have fire-proof suits of armor or magical shields that we can just project out of thin air. So... we'll have to hit the thing when it's attention is drawn elsewhere..."
"So... just hit it when it's not looking?"
"It goes to more than that. While any idiot can probably sneak up on a dragon and stab it in the neck when it's distracted by a rockets and machine gun fire, not every idiot can do it while it's alert and ready for anything. Something tells me that task will actually be pretty difficult. Difficult but not impossible. So that's why I am going to start with the easy things, follow me, the Everfree awaits."
"I fink this is ze place?" Medic asked Archimedes... well one of them at least as he looked at the hollowed out tree in front of him. The lights were on, so he could probably make a safe assumption that someone was home. Gingerly, he knocked on the door. After a rather tense pause that shouldn't have been so tense the door's peephole opened revealing a single eye that stared out at Medic.
"Is something there, that Zecora hears?" A somewhat African-esque accented voice replied.
"Umm... ja." Medic replied awkwardly. "Mein name is Medic, and I vas told that you are a.... vell... chemist of sorts, ja?"
"An alchemist and a brewer is what I do. In this case, what about you?"
"Vell... I am a doctor." Medic said. "I vould like to find some more vays of... medicine."
"Very well then friend. May you come on in, and your search come to an end."
The interior of the hut despite having the appearance of a witchdoctor's home as in the movies, was actually unsurprising to the German who had at this point and time, being a man of science, had readied himself not to be surprised by anything. It was already pretty surprising enough when he found himself in a land of talking colorful ponies.
"Zis is your home?" Medic asked. He didn't know how to describe it to be honest. Though... something about it always felt oddly familiar to him. Heh. Might as well as say he could imagine himself sitting over a massive pot in the middle of a room to brew some form of... oh wait.
"It is my abode. It is also where I keep my load."
"I see... ja... vell I heard zat you had a talent for vell.. brewing medicine and potions, so I thought to seek some help for you."
"What would you need? Speak, and I can give you a lead."
That rhyming was getting PRETTY annoying, though the German doctor made no indication of it.
"Now zen, I vould need some... knowledge of all ze plants and animals in ze local area. I need to know of zeir chemical properties as well as any medicinal value."
"Well then friend, then your search is at an end. Come with me, and we can take a look at all that you see."
"I am back. Is she gone now?" Slade asked as he appeared out of nowhere. He really needed to stop doing that.
"She is... she gave us this..." Sanya said gesturing at the huge sack of bits. "For the money...."
"Alright." Slade said with surprising calmness that surprised Sanya to a great degree.
"Wait... you don't care?"
"Of course not. I don't really have use for another 400,000 dollars that I am not going to use." Slade replied as he plopped up a chair and sat down.
"But if you get home..."
"Still wouldn't have much use for it. I am already set for life."
"Then why did you take it?"
"Because, it's a good way to remind myself how far I've come." Slade replied. "Hey kid, I spotted a metallurgist somewhere else, see if we can't get rid of all this broken hunks of metal?"
"Okay."
"You do it. I am a great salesman and all, but you know." Slade said. The last part was obviously sarcastic.
"Okay." Sanya replied as she grabbed a duffel bag out of the van and handed Slade the sack of bits who got into the van and drove off.
As she walked through Rainbow Falls, it didn't really bother her that she was somewhat of a black sheep, receiving whispers and stares either of amazement, curiosity or perhaps spite in the cases of some less than pleasant individuals. This place was amazing. Almost like a dream in some sense. There was a vibe here, so full of life, and it was so... appealing. On the normal part of the day when she would feel weary and probably required Ellia to carry her around, she all of a sudden felt the newfound strength to carry on throughout the steppe that housed a great view of some rainbow colored falls.
Was this place paradise? Did it matter? She loved everything about it. The color of the... world actually. The songs of the birds. The chattering peop... things and whatnot. It was great and she really enjoyed herself here.
Stopping by at where Slade had told her to go, she found the metallurgist, a peculiar looking Griffin wearing a suit of chain-mail and a friendly demeanor.
"Hiya mate. What can I do for you?" The Griffin asked.
"You are buying scrap metal... I think?" Sanya asked.
"Indeed I am!" The Griffin replied with a smile that showed his... why does a beaked creature have teeth? (Cartoon logic. Do not question it.)
"How much for this?" Sanya asked as she emptied the duffel bags.
"Well depends, you want coin for that or do you want other things? I also happen to sell clothing in the back and some jewelry but you don't really strike me as the type that'd be interested. Or that'd really fit really."
"I'll take the coin then."
"Smart..." The Griffin said before pausing. Said pause was caused by his unfamiliarity with whatever Sanya happened to be. Nevertheless, he handed her a few sacks of bits and smiled pleasantly.
"So... permit to ask... what are you?"
"What am I?"
"Well, you see... I am a Griffin. We got things like pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, crystal ponies, minotaurs, donkeys, mules, griffins, dogs and whatnot. Just what are you though?"
"I am a human." Sanya said. "Perhaps one of the first to have come here."
"Then it truly is an honor to meet the first human who set her foot in Equestria." The Griffin replied as his talons shook her hand. He was especially careful in not scratching her. "How about a picture together?"
"Sure." Sanya replied with mirrored pleasantries.
Slade growled to himself as a bunch of horses blocked the road again. Probably the sixth time that happened. Slightly annoyed, he honked the horn a bit to tell them to hurry the hell up. They cleared in just ten seconds flat at the loud honk much to Slade's relief. He continued through the large spaces, making sure not to run anything over. Not that he really would have cared if he actually hit someone, he just didn't need any more people or things breathing down his neck. He found the gems dealer after getting some directions, and purchased the entire stock much to the delight of it's owner. Much to said owner's surprise, Slade would be gone literally three seconds after he got all the gems and minerals.
Something caught his eye as he drove, and he realized what it is. A Mahogany piano. A closer scrutiny would reveal how well built it truly is. For a split second, he considered driving on, though something in the back of his head told him to stop. Getting out of the van, he made a scrutiny of the thing. He may have been no expert in telling how well built any instrument was, but from what he could as much as make out, the thing was pretty damn good. Not surprisingly, it's price tag was more than he had. But...
He took a look at the pony who was selling. A fairly shy looking chap. Perhaps he could haggle it a bit down?" He looked back into his sack of coins. ~800.
"Hey, you there. How much for the piano?"
"Huh... what? Oh right." The dealer said as he jolted up from being half-asleep. "It's um... 1100 bits or any thing of similar value."
"Okay, how about a bit lower?"
"Well... I can go to 1000."
"Hmmmm.... how about... 800?"
"Eh.... I gotta eat too you know... I mean..."
"Here..." Slade said as he walked into the tent a bit, making sure he was out of view, the pistol came out in a flash. "How about I give you the 800, and you don't regret anything later?"
"Okay... no need to get upset!" The dealer almost cried. "Please... take it!"
"Good..." Slade chuckled to himself as the deal was made. Getting into the van with the hefty cargo, it was a miracle it could move. He quickly went off to find Sanya. Let's just say when he found her, he walked in onto a drunken brawl.
"Really? Please don't tell me you drink." Slade said as he watched the Griffin and the Minotaur duke it out. The talons of the bird was quite the issue for the larger creature who found him a bit too fast.
"What?! No!" Sanya "screamed". By screamed, I mean spoke at slightly below room volume. "I..."
"Then what's in the bag?"
"It's... it's a gift... for..."
"Hey... you there..." A pony whose shades made him look like a con-man. Or con-horse in this case. "I bet you that you can't knock down my friend..."
"Beat it. I am not interested. And if I wanted to fight him, I'd bury him."
That caused quite the uproar. Careful mates, we have a badass over here.
"Fine... then why don't you let him hit you for free?" The pony asked as a burly minotaur made his way over, tossing the two other patrons away as if they were both rag dolls.
"That's more like it." Slade replied as he handed Sanya his pistol and sword. "Sanya hold this for me."
"Why? He's going to use that club of his..." The pony replied. "You probably want to..."
"If I did, this fight would already be horrendously boring."