Dawn.
That is the time when the sun has begun its rise and the time when the moon has begun its set. Despite the beauty of a sunrise, there are many who dislike this time of day; it signalled that the end of their sleep and the departure of their warm, snug bed was coming very soon. It was understandable that these individuals dislike waking up at dawn. Their willpower to leave the bed is greatly diminished; the lack of energy plus the comfyness of a bed are major contributing factors. Thus, these individuals choose the easier option; they return to sleep, in hopes that their peaceful slumber can continue for just a little while longer.
Twilight Sparkle is no such individual.
As a filly, she picked up the habbit of being an early morning pony. Every day, she would wake up early, organize her agenda for that day and then wake up her parents. She found that by waking up early, she could do more as she had more time on her hooves. Often her parents complained that it was "too early" or they plead "just five more minutes." Nonsense, it was a perfectly reasonable time to get up and enjoy the day. Now, she just had Spike to deal with. The only problem was he was more difficult to persuade than her parents when it comes to getting up.
On this particular day however, Twilight Sparkle had woken up extra early. The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet. She could barely hold her excitement; a chance to study an alien gave her a sense of giddiness. While dubbed as an unofficial "human expert", her knowledge of them is as you imagine; severely limited. She only had a miniscule amount of time to observe humans, as she had to focus on getting her crown back from Sunset Shimmer. Combined with a limited timeframe, Twilight was left with next to nothing when it comes down to them.
She could learn so much from Emile; he was practically a gold mine of information. Admittedly, she was quite interested about him as well. With the possibility that he's going to be stuck in Equestria for a very long time, Twilight made it her personal goal to get to know as much about him as possible.
Cadence mentioned that he "died". It was a scientific impossibilty, but Emile insists that's how he got here. Grabbing a notepad and a quill with her magic, she began to write down her thoughts.
"Subject Emile insists that his sudden arrival in Equestria is directly linked to his 'death'. Will ask him later to elaborate."
And that's where the problem arises. Emile outright refused to talk to anypony after what had transpired in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Strange, because Cadence reported that he was just fine with answering some of her questions. Though, most of the answers he gave were very vague. Other than that, he remained silent for the entire duration. Maybe Twilight could squeeze out more answers from him. Humans weren't much different from ponies after all; psychologically speaking.
Twilight has woken up at this time of hour because of two reasons. One, because her sheer excitement prevented her from a peaceful sleep. Two, so that she could observe Emile. He was sleeping in the living room; making himself comfortable inside the bubble he currently resided in. Cadence relinquished control of the bubble and gave the responsibility to Twilight; turning the bubble from pink into a vibrant shade of purple. Strangely enough, Emile reacted strongly to this. He begun shaking his head and groaning as soon as the bubble changed colors.
"Subject Emile has a visible dislike of the color purple. Will investigate more to why."
Slowly, she tip-toed her way to the staircase as to avoid any excessive noise. She passed by Spike, who was snoring peacefully in his basket bed. For once, she'll let him sleep in. Science was calling, and they needed Twilight.
Eventually, she had reached the staircase. From there, she had an ariel view of the living room; Emile's bubble was placed dead centre. She took out the notepad and quill; ready to record anything of interest. Particularly, she was going to wait and see if Emile has any behavioral patterns; as to help her understand him better.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Twilight deduced that she had been on that staircase for a lengthy amount of time, because the sun had begun to rise. By now, ponies like Applejack and Fluttershy would be wide awake; as to tend to their duties as a farmer and as an animal-caretaker respectively. Many would say she was wasting her time; Twilight began to believe she was. But - despite her doubtful thoughts - she pushed on. Even with its complex and sensitive nature, science can be boiled down in two words.
Observe and report.
She soon found what she was looking for. It was a small thing; barely noticeable. But from there, it began to snowball into something much larger.
It started with his breathing.
"Subject Emile's breathing has increased exponentially at approximately-" she looked at the clock. "-6 AM."
Then, he began to stir in his sleep.
"Following Subject Emile's erratic breathing, he has begun to move in his sleep. It has started from light twitching, into tossing and turning."
Finally, he began to talk in his sleep. His murmurs were very quiet; just below the volume of a whisper. The strings of Twilight's heart twanged as she heard his pained groans.
"Combined with his erratic breathing and movement, Subject Emile has also begun to talk in his sleep. I cannot decipher what exactly he is saying, he is too quiet while doing so."
Twilight put the pieces together. Laboured breathing, tossing and turning, talking whilst sleeping; Emile was displaying all the signs. It has to be the only explanation. Despite their many differences, humans and ponies weren't much different from each other; psychologically speaking.
Emile was having a nightmare.
"You're on your own, Noble. Carter out..."
"We gotta hurry!"
"Where does he get off calling a demolition on a priority one- FCHINK!"
"3... 2... 1... NOW!"
"I'm ready! How 'bout you?!"
"No!"
"We made it, didn't we? We made it. "
"Please don't go."
Emile jolted awake. He did not scream. He did not shout. He did not make a sound. Instinctively, he grabbed the dogtags around his neck and clutched it tightly. In his head, he began to monologue.
"My name is Emile-A239. I am a SPARTAN-III commando of the UNSC Special Warfare Command, attached to Special Warfare Group Three. I fought in the Battle of Reach with Noble Team. Noble Team is dead. I died. Now I'm alive. I live with ponies..."
The last statement put Emile to a halt. The surreality of it was ridiculous; enough to snap Emile out of his alarmed state.
That nightmare... it was no ordinary nightmare. Emile knew it too well, too vividly, to call it a simple nightmare.
It was a memory.
Recollecting his thoughts, he berated himself. He was a SPARTAN, for God's sake! Such petty things shouldn't be a problem for him! That memory was supposed to be buried, buried so deep, he was sure that it would never see the light of day again. But it comes back. In the corner of his eye. His thoughts. His dreams. It always comes when he least expects it, and it frustrated him to no end.
It was always like this since that fateful day. He would receive that same nightmare over and over again; taunting him, pushing him towards the border of his sanity. With the death of Noble Team, Emile could only assume that it will grow worse. Much worse.
SPARTANs were living war machines; made for war and nothing else. They were human, but at the same time, they weren't. Often, they lose their very being in the process of becoming a SPARTAN. They are broken; no longer considered human in the eyes of many. In the end, they become the soldiers humanity needed them to be, at the cost of themselves.
That's what frustrated Emile. A part of him - a single shred of his humanity - still lives.
Normally, one would object to discarding their past. To Emile, however, he would gladly forget it in a heartbeat. Memories of his past, his life before a SPARTAN; it brought him nothing but pain. And that pain was beginning to become a distraction.
Over time, he had learned how to hide his "predicament" with sleep. Waking up before anyone else does. Sleeping a minimum distance away from others. He has even managed to conceal it from the rest of Noble Team. Only Carter knew of this. He too, was plagued with nightmares once. It never bothered him anymore, but he showed Emile the technique he used to cope. To this day, Emile still uses that technique.
Emile shook his head sideways. All this reminiscing was beginning to take a toll on his very confused brain. No use wallowing in the past now. He began burying his thoughts, suppressing them just as he had done before. Satisfied with the depth he buried them in, he then focused on what was important.
The present.
He eyed his surroundings carefully. It was kind of strange, actually. He had imagined Hell would have a lot more fire. Not that he could complain, Equestria was Hell; in a way. If he closed his eyes, the lush environment can be the fire, the ponies can be the demons, and any one of the "Elements of Harmony" can be Satan.
Why does that thought terrify him?
In truth, it wasn't the whole "living with ponies" thought that scared him. He could probably stomach that down in the meantime. Probably.
No, it was the fact that he was stuck here. The thought alone almost put him into a spiralling depression. If he was permanently staying here, what would he do? What can he do?
Jun always said that Emile says he wants to win the war, but really, he just wants the enemy to die. He meant it as a joke; to portray Emile's overly aggressive behaviour towards the Covenant. Or any enemy in particular. What Jun didn't know, was that sentence was Emile's exact thought of the war. He doesn't want to win it, and neither does he want to lose it. For his own selfish reason that he kept to himself and only himself, he wants the war to drag on for as long as possible; so as to continue his job as a SPARTAN.
Because he was afraid.
He was afraid of what will come to him when the war ends. What will he do then? Go back to fighting Insurrectionists? If humanity does win the war, then the Insurrection won't stand a chance; now that the UNSC had SPARTANs at their disposal. A few skirmishes here and there, BAM! No more Insurrection. And then what? Live normally?
All he knew in life was to fight, shoot, kill, repeat. He never imagined himself ever stopping that cycle; he believed he would die before that cycle stops. He believed he would never see the day that he - Emile-A239 -would stop fighting for once, and settle down on other things.
Panic started to seep through his head. His whole life revolved around being a SPARTAN. The prospect of stopping the life of a soldier; it's like telling Emile not to breathe. He lived and breathed war. Anything else, and it might as well be poison to him.
Emile quickly pulled off his helmet and slapped himself; hard. It was enough to put all the spiralling thoughts of panic in his head to a stop. He grabbed his dogtags again and grasped them tightly.
"Gah! Goddammit Emile! Get. A. GRIP!"
Blindly panicking was not the answer; it will do his situation no good. What was he thinking, of course he's not stuck here! These ponies have magic, or whatever strange force these ponies seem to have control over. Surely one of them knows how to send him back home.
Right?
Calming himself down - and slapping himself again for good measure - he placed his helmet on his head. He instinctively made a grab for his kukri; as to sharpen it on his shoulder. Anything to get his mind off the situation. Sadly, it was not in its usual place. Emile panicked, but instantly remembered. He groaned, as he just realized who exactly was in possession of his equipment.
"They better not mess around with the shotgun. I've only got a couple of those E-models lying around."
He shook his head, realizing the futility of his wishful thinking.
"Who am I kidding, of course they're messing around with my stuff!" he grumbled. "I bet they're tinkering with them as I speak."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Of course this is, Celestia! We need to know what Emile is capable of with his weapons! I could barely contain him without his equipment; who knows what damage he'll do the moment he turns on us?"
"Are you even sure he will turn on us? He knows we have him outmatched; he's bold to attack you, I'll give him that, but he's not exactly stupid."
Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were currently discussing the matter of Emile's weapons in an empty room. Three other individuals were with them; two stallions and a mare. All three were garbed in a white labcoat and each had a quill and notepad in hoof.
Opposite of the group was a large, see-through window that led to another room. The experiment was to be taken in that room, while the princesses can safely watch from the other side.
"Do not fret, this is a precaution. Don't tell me you're not interested in this experiment?"
Celestia wanted to retort, but found no words to use. Truth be told, she was curious in Emile's equipment. A little testing here and there couldn't hurt.
Right?
"Dr. Star? You may begin." Luna announced.
Celestia, Luna and the scientists walked towards the window, ready to observe the experiment from the other side. Like the room they were in, the experiment room was bare; save for a pedestal in the middle. On that pedestal was a glass box containing a small, green orb they had "borrowed" from Emile.
An barrier enchantment surrounded that same room; courtesy of Luna's magic. It worked differently depending on who or what interacts with it. Ponies or items can enter and exit that barrier, but only if they were given proper clearance by Luna. Otherwise, said pony or item are either kept in, or out.
For example - Luna gave the proper clearance to the small, green orb; allowing it to enter the barrier and by extension, the room. She takes the clearance away as soon as it is inside, trapping it. Thus, the orb cannot leave the room, and neither can the possible danger that it can spawn.
Dr. Star, however, is given clearance at all times; allowing him to enter and exit as he pleases. Should the orb pose a danger to him, he can escape safe and sound, while the danger is effectively controlled by the barrier.
Unauthorized personel are given no clearance at all, preventing them from entering the room at all times. Simple as that.
A figure entered the room. It was hard to tell who it was or even what gender the figure is, it was covered in layers upon layers of protective padding. Large goggles covered its eyes, and its mouth was covered as well. The only visible body part was its horn. Celestia assumed this was Dr. Star; head of the science division. With all the padding on him, he looked like he had been inflated with a pump.
With great caution, he approached the pedestal - or rather, waddled. He eyed the green object warily; as if he might trigger it through sudden movement. With a deliberate slowness, he lifted the object; levitating it inside its box with his magic.
"Alright everypony. Start taking notes." he ordered, albeit a bit muffled. On cue, the three scientists raised their notepads and quills. Celestia and Luna continued to observe.
"Weapon #1 is a small orb, colored green with a handle containing a small red button." he announced. "9.25 cm in diameter, weighing about 0.4 kilograms."
He spun it around, making sure to take in every, single detail.
"Interesting. Weapon #1 has the words 'M9 HE-DP' imprinted on its side."
All three scientists scribbled away, copying Dr. Star's exact words. While they wrote down their notes, he attempted to scratch his chin; just like how a clichè scientist would. He was, however, prevented from doing so. Thanks to the padding, his movement was restricted.
He spun it around one last time, before looking at the princesses. He was silently asking their permission to continue. They both nodded.
"Here goes nothing. Pressing the small, red button in 3..."
Small beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.
"...2..."
The princesses leaned towards the window in anticipation.
"...1..."
It was now or never.
"CLICK!"
Dr. Star instinctively flinched as much as he could; preparing for the worst.
But nothing happened.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The green orb was still inside its glass box; levitating as per usual. He approached the box again in confusion. Something should've happened at least. He spun it, shook it and spun it again, but no avail.
"Huh. Seems harmless enough." he assumed. "Hard to see what all the fuss is about."
Slowly, he placed the green orb down. He was about to order his team of scientists to go fetch another one of the green orbs, as he believed the one he had was a dud. Placing the orb down, however, would prove to be a mistake.
A small spark escaped the orb.
"Eh?"
BOOM!
The resulting explosion was both blinding and deafening at a close proximity. The princesses shielded their eyes, surprised at the sudden explosion of light. Slowly, they opened them. As the smoke began to clear, the only remaining thing in the room was debris and shrapnel were the orb should've been. To their horror, Dr. Star was nowhere in sight.
"Dr. Star?!" Luna yelled out in panic.
They began to look around frantically for any sign of him. The only thing that stood out was a giant, equine-shaped hole that was now present in the door that lead to the room.
Wait...
"Let's go!" Celestia urged. All five ponies rushed out of the observation room and into the hallway. They found Dr Star lying prone on the ground; an unnervingly large crack in the wall was above his position. The explosion of the orb burnt most of the padding away, but it was still intact. His goggles were cracked, and the odd shrapnel was embedded into the padding. It seems the worst injury he had sustained was the crash against the wall.
The princesses needed to be sure. They rushed him; looking for any hidden injuries.
"Medic!" Celestia yelled. "We need a medic!"
As she shouted for help, Dr. Star's eyes fluttered open. Before anypony could say anything, he slowly raised a hoof, and pointed it at his scientists.
"Write that down." he ordered, before fading into unconsciousness again.
It was quiet
Too quiet.
It was so unbelievably quiet, it was maddening.
Chirp!
"Oh God, thank you."
Emile began shuffling in place; unable to find a comfortable spot in the bubble. He was growing incredibly antsy from the lack of stimuli. With no knife to fiddle around with, it was hard not to grow impatient.
Looking out a window, he saw the sun rise. Judging from its position, it was about seven or eight in the morning.
An hour. He's done nothing for one hour and already he was uncomfortable of his situation. How does he hope to survive this world?
His ears perked up. A sound came from upstairs; it sounded like a yawn. Emile listened carefully for any more sounds.
Footsteps. Something was awake upstairs. He followed the sound with his ears. The source of the sound moved from the upstairs level, to the staircase, and finally to the living room; where Emile can see whoever made those footsteps.
It was short in stature, and looked reptilian in nature. Its scales were a shade of purple, and its spines were green. Judging by its facial expression and half-lidded, bloodshot eyes, it wasn't fully awake yet.
Emile realized that this was Spike, the baby dragon who lived with Twilight. He encountered him in the Castle of the Two Sisters, along with the other six Elements of Harmony. He stayed back the entire time, staying out of sight. The only time Emile actually saw him was when he walked along his bubble on the way to Twilight's home.
As he passed by his bubble, Spike let out a strange half croak, half groan. Must've been his way of saying good morning.
He walked towards the kitchen. Some clattering could be heard, before he appeared in the living room again. In one claw, he had an open milk carton of chocolate milk. In the other claw, he had a ruby.
He took a massive swig with the milk carton, wiping his mouth with his other arm and sighing with content. Once again, he passed by Emile's bubble on his way to the stairs. As he walked up, Twilight went past him.
"Morning, Twi. Fridge is empty, by the way." he croaked.
"Good morning, Spike." she replied; adding a very unconvincing fake yawn between her words. With her body language and her ham-fisted attempt to pretend she was still sleepy, Emile theorised that Twilight has been awake for some time now.
He paid it no mind. Twilight greeted him as she walked towards the kitchen.
"Morning Emile! Had a good sleep?"
Bad question. Bad, bad question. She mentally slapped herself; of course he didn't have a good sleep! She just witnessed him have a nightmare!
Emile only grumbled in response. Twilight sighed with relief, happy that she had avoided a touchy subject. She walked towards the kitchen; intent in betting some breakfast. She opened the fridge, but only found a couple of gemstones and a half-full carton of chocolate milk. She looked disappointed at the lack of food; there weren't even any leftovers. She went through the cupboards as well, but to no avail.
Groaning, Twilight grabbed a bag of bits from the counter. She was going to buy some groceries from the market; it should be open at this hour. At the same time, she was going to get some breakfast; preferrably some glazed donuts from Sugarcube Corner. Maybe a coffee from Starbuck as well. Before she walked out the door, however, she announced she was leaving.
"Spike, I'm leaving to get some breakfast and groceries. Hold down the fort for me while I'm gone, okay?"
He replied with an okay from his position in his basket bed. Satisfied, she stepped outside her home and closed the door behind her.
"Where is everypony?"
Twilight thought to herself as she walked down the path to Sugarcube Corner; a steaming hot cup of coffee levitating beside her and a bag of groceries on her other side. She tentatively took a sip, trying to avoid scalding her tongue from the hot liquid. Thankfully, it had cooled down a bit; allowing her to take small gulps.
The first thing she had noticed upon exiting her home was the presence of everypony - the lack of it, to be exact. It was like the town had been deserted overnight; she even swore she just saw a tumbleweed pass by her on the way to the market. Thankfully, the market was open, but something was obviously wrong. The vendors were there and willing to sell their products, but their eyes darted back and forth; as if they were on the lookout for something.
The same could be said for Starbuck. The baristas who worked there were incredibly wary; periodically checking the windows from time to time.
As she continued to walk aimlessly, her train of thought had been derailed; particularly by a voice calling out to her.
"Psssst! Twilight! Over here."
Twilight turned, looking for the source of the voice. Her eyes fell on Sugarcube Corner; a pink hoof from the door was motioning her to come closer.
Twilight approached with caution. As soon as she was in range, the hoof grabbed her and pulled into the store.
"What the- Pinkie!" she scolded. "What was that for?"
"Shhh!"
"But-"
"Sh!"
"You-"
"SHH!"
Twilight immediately closed her mouth, giving up her attempt to talk to Pinkie. She decided it would better if she let her talk first.
Pinkie shushed her for one last time, and then proceeded to look out the door. Satisfied to see no one saw or heard them, she turned to Twilight again.
"Twilight, what were you doing out there?! You know it's dangerous with that big scary monster out there prowling the streets!"
"Big, scary, monster?" she questioned. For some reason, a strange sense of dèjá vu washed over her.
"Yeah! The one the Flower Trio talked about?"
"Flower Trio?" The situation felt awfully familiar...
"Big, metal monster guy? Tall, has a scary skull face? Doesn't ring a bell?"
"Big, metal mon-" she didn't even need to finish. She buried her face into her hooves so fast, Twilight worried that she had accidentally bruised her forehead.
"Of course." she muttered. This was the Zecora incident all over again.
She lifted her head drom her hooves, and saw Pinkie flashing her signature grin. Twilight just looked unamused.
"The Flower Trio caught wind of Emile?"
"Yup."
"Started rumours about him?"
"Uh-huh."
"Now everypony's hiding from him?"
"Mm-hm"
"And you're joining them because you think it's fun."
"Correctomundo."
Twilight suppressed the urge to groan. This was exactly the Zecora incident all over again. Only difference was, Twilight and her friends had already met the "big, scary metal monster".
"Pinkie, you already know Emile. He's not scary." she said. "Most of the time..."
"I know. It's just fun hiding from something again!" she explained. "He doesn't talk much, but I just know he's super funnerrific when he wants to!"
Upon saying those words, Pinkie giggled to herself.
"Heh. Fun and terrific. Funnerrific. I'm such a genius."
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Look, Pinkie. I'm just here to get a dozen glazed donuts. Can you do that for me?"
"I already have!"
Somehow, she had a box of donuts on her hoof; despite not moving an inch since the start of the conversation. Paying it no mind - as it was Pinkie just being Pinkie - Twilight gave her the sufficient amount of bits and turned towards the door.
"Wait! Let me come with you!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't thrown Emile a 'Welcome to Ponyville and by extension our world' party!"
That same eyebrow only went higher. Twilight would've normally objected, but thought twice. While there was a good chance Emile hates parties - given his latest attitude towards anypony - if the public gets word of Pinkie attempting to get chummy with him, it might just help improve his image from "big, scary metal monster who wants to kill everypony" into "big, scary metal monster who wants nothing to do with everypony and is relatively harmless unless provoked".
Twilight just shrugged, motioning Pinkie to come along. The Cakes, who have been hiding behind the counter this entire time, waved from their position as Pinkie left.
As the two ponies idly chatted whilst walking, a small rumble was heard. Twilight - believing it was from her stomach - grew embarassed, and decided to take a bite of a donut.
The rumbling continued, steadily growing louder by the second. By now, Twilight realized the sound wasn't coming from her stomach. Looking around, she tried to find the source. Her discovery, however, would compel her to widen her eyes in horror.
A stampede- no, an army aproached from the horizon; a large dust cloud in their wake. But, this was no ordinary army. No, this was much worse than your average army. Journalists, reporters and cameras as far as the eye could see. It seems that news of Emile's existence and arrival travels fast.
Canterlot Sun, The Vanhoover Advertiser, Cloudsdale Express; you name it, they're there. And they were charging full force, ready to poke, prod and invade Twilight's privacy for what was most probably the biggest scoop in news history. Squinting her eyes, Twilight could see a mint green unicorn leading the charge.
Twilight trembled in fear. She had had her fair shair of paparazzi ever since her coronation; she barely lasted their assault of questions and flashing cameras. She could handle a small group one at a time, but an army?
It was suicide.
As she and Pinkie turned tail, a bright flash appeared in front of them. Half-expecting an assault of questions and microphones, she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.
None came. She opened them, and was surprised to see a familiar draconequus in front of her.
"Discord? What-"
"No time. You two need to go. Now."
"But-"
"Don't worry about me, Twilight. I can handle these savages." he assured. As he spoke, a small smirk slowly became apparent on his face.
"Besides. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."
Twilight smiled. At that moment, she was both proud and grateful of him.
"Fluttershy really turned you around, huh?"
"Pfft." he scoffed. "Was there any doubt?
"Yeah, there was a lot of doubt." Pinkie answered.
Discord clutched his heart, as if he was physically hurt. His mock expression of pain slowly turned into a warm smile.
"Go on, get out of here. I have a scene to re-enact."
Both nodded, and dashed towards the other direction as fast as their hooves could carry them. As soon as they disappeared from sight, Discord turned to the army. They were much closer now; their rumblings were much louder. With a snap of his talon, he was instantly garbed in a grey robe, with a matching grey wizard hat. In his paw, he held a wooden staff. As the army grew closer, his grin grew wider.
"You!"
The army grew closer.
"Shall not!"
He raised the staff.
"PASS!"
Twilight and Pinkie slammed the door behind them. Paying Spike and Emile no attention, Twilight darted back and forth; making sure the windows were locked and closing all the blinds as fast as possible. Once the deed was done, Twilight leaned against the wall for support; exhaustion finally catching up to her.
"Hey Twilight!" Spike greeted. "Let me get those groceries for you."
Grabbing the bags, he walked towards the kitchen. He greeted Pinkie as he passed by her.
"Hi Pinkie. What brings you here?"
She wasn't paying attention; she was too transfixed in her attempts to start a conversation with Emile. Emile, however, had both his hands on the sides of his head. It was apparent he wanted to tune her out as best as he can.
Spike was surprised to see Emile for the first time, to say the least. He was even more so when Cadence said that he was actually human.
His first instinct was to disbelieve it. However, Cadence was hardly a liar.
So, Emile was human. Spike still found it hard to believe, so he made up some explanations in his head to why Emile looks like his current state.
His most prominent theory was that Emile was wearing some sort of protective clothing; a suit of armor, if you will. It would certainly explain all the metal, as humans were supposed to have skin made of flesh. Knowing it was the most likely theory to be true, Spike believed that Emile just doesn't bother to take off any part his armor, if at all.
As Spike disappeared into the kitchen, Emile believed he was having the time of his life. The worst time, that is. Pinkie had been attempting to talk to him the entire time, never stopping for a single second to breath in air.
"She... just... doesn't... stop." Emile thought to himself in broken words, unable to think straight with Pinkie's continous chatter. He couldn't believe it, but Emile found somebody - or rather, somepony, as the natives insist on using - who had a mouth that ran faster than Jun's.
"I'll do what's necessary, sir. Good luck."
Flashes of Jun leaving Noble Team to escort Dr. Halsey appeared before his very eyes. His headache grew tenfold, leaving a very bewildered Emile behind.
Why now? Of all the times it could happen, why was this happening to him now? Emile had no problems when it comes to masking his emotions before, so what brought this on?
The memories with Noble Team. The reminiscing. That must be why. It has to be the only explanation. The random flashes must be directly linked to Emile's wallowing in his past.
He knew what must be done. Emile began to bury any thought of Noble Team in his head; locking away the memories and throwing away the key. No more reminiscing. No more wallowing. No more Noble Team. He will move on; just as he had always done.
"A fat lot of good that's done to you." his subconscious whispered. "You haven't even moved on from-"
"SILENCE"
It was such a simple word. He didn't even yell that word in his head. It was all it took to end all traitorous thoughts; effectively shutting up his subconsciousness. That simple word had been laced with an undeniable rage; his mind had no trouble registering that emotion. However, his mind also registered something else. Something potent. Something supressed.
A hint of sadness.
"-and I haven't even thrown you a 'Welcome to Ponyville and by extension our world' party yet!"
What.
That sentence was enough to snap Emile out of his stupor. Before he could demand her to explain, Pinkie gasped.
"Oh my gosh! I haven't thrown you a 'Welcome to Ponyville and by extension our world' party yet!"
In the blink of an eye, she grabbed Twilight from the couch and Spike from the kitchen.
"Everypony out! NOW!"
She quite literally shoved everyone out the door; Emile's bubble included. Before Twilight could protest, Pinkie closed the door behind her and locked it.
"Pinkie! Open this door!"
Sounds of construction could be heard from inside. Only three seconds had passed since their rude shoving before Pinkie called out to them.
" ~Okay, you can come in now!~ " she replied in a singsong voice.
Twilight and Spike walked in; Emile was merely ushered in due to the fact that he cannot go anywhere unless prompted by Twilight. At first, the place was dark. It was hard to see anything, and Pinkie was nowhere in sight.
CLICK!
"Surprise!"
Emile jumped back in shock. As soon as he had registered his surroundings, he just stood there, dumbfounded.
Indeed, he was surprised.
The entire library had been decorated with streamers, balloons and - much to Emile's chagrin - confetti. Tables had been set with an assortment of food, music was playing in the background and to top it off, a large banner hung above everything; the words "Welcome to Ponyville and by extension our world!" were plastered on it.
Three seconds. Pinkie has turned a library into a full-blown party in less than three seconds.
"But, but how? HOW?!"
To make matters worse, the rest of the Elements of Harmony were with Pinkie. Each one of them just looked as confused as he did.
"What the..." Twilight started. "Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? Rarity? What are you.. how did you-"
"Sugarcube, ah have..." Applejack ran her hooves across her body, trying to make sense of it all. "...no idea."
"What are you all waiting for?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "LET'S PARTY!"
By now, everypony had grown used to Pinkie's antics; no matter how strange or outright crazy. Pinkie could practically start a one-pony stampede across town and no one would bat an eyelid.
Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy simply believed that it was going to be one of those days again. Giving each other a nonchalant shrug, they just went with the flow and joined in the festivities. As they conversed with each other, Emile continued to stare at the spectacle in front of him.
"Hey... Spike, was it? Does this... happen a lot?"
"More often than you think." he replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, the Pin the Tail on the Donkey champion has to defend his title."
As he walked off, Emile looked even more confused. This was a normal occurrence?
Suck it up, Emile. Today's going to be a long day.
The "party" Pinkie orchestrated for Emile had ended, leaving Twilight and Spike to clean up the mess.
Applejack was the first to leave, as she had duties as a farmer to attend to. The next was Rarity and Fluttershy; Rarity needed to work in the Boutique and Fluttershy promised to help her with her dresses. Rainbow Dash was next; she was called in for a weather emergency. Finally, Pinkie made her leave. By then, it was late in the afternoon.
While Pinkie devised the party for Emile, he stayed out sight for a majority of the day. Twilight only noticed him once, and that was when she gave him something to eat. Emile took off his helmet that time, allowing Twilight to see his face. Now, Twilight had no doubt that he was human; that scratches off one problem on the list. Moving on to the next problem.
How does she send Emile home?
Her first thought was the same way she went to the human world; the portal that leads to there. Of course, that was completely out of the question. The portal had closed weeks ago, and it's going to take another thirty full moon cycles for it to open again.
She racked her brain for another solution, but none came to mind. There has never been a spell that could send somepony to a different world ever made; the only pony who comes to mind that can do that is the legendary Star Swirl the Bearded himself. Of course, that's another dead end. Star Swirl is dead, and most of his studies faded away over the centuries - much to Twilight's dismay.
"You know, Emile-" Spike started. "-you're pretty different from other humans I met before. For starters, you're pretty tall. Like dang, man, you're huge. And the metal. I haven't seen anything li-
"Stop right there." Emile interrupted. "You said 'other humans'. Explain, now."
Twilight immediately stepped in. She was going to tell Emile the news at a better time; preferrably when he is better acquainted with Ponyville, as to avoid his wrath. Spike, however, unwittingly let the subject fly prematurely.
"What Spike meant to say was, erm, he's never seen anything like you before!" Twilight said, attempting to steer the subject towards a different direction. "I mean, you're the first human here, and-"
"Stop lying to me." he growled. "Explain, NOW!"
"Hey!" Spike yelled. "You can't talk to Twilight like that!"
Spike and Emile glared daggers at each other; Emile growing irritated by the second. Before Spike could say anything, Twilight put a hoof in front of him.
"No, Spike. He has every right to know."
She sighed. There was no avoiding the subject now.
"Weeks ago, Spike and I went into the human world; Earth. The reason to why is not important right now. We used a portal to get there."
Twilight had Emile's full attention. His eyes widened, and for the the first time since waking up in the forest, he smiled. A full, genuine smile. A way home, he had a way home! The thought alone almost wanted him to jump in joy.
It did not last long.
"You have to take me to the portal. Please, you have to take me! They need me back there!"
Losing all form of seriousness, Emile put on pleading tone and begged her to take him to the portal. The idea of home, the nostalgic feeling of warzone, the thought of being able to fight again. Emile will do anything to get that. If his past self saw him right now, there was a good chance he'll be ashamed at the sight in front of him. But Emile couldn't care less. He just needed to get through that portal, contact UNSC forces, and all of this will just be a bad memory that needed to buried with the others.
"I'm sorry. The portal only opens once every thirty full moon cycles."
Emile was confused. He grinded some numbers in his head; converting thirty full moon cycles into something more manageable to understand. After he finished his equation, he felt as if someone shot him in the heart.
Two years. Thirty full moon cycles was approximately that long. It would take another two years before the portal would open again. Two years, before he could get home.
He went into shock. He leaned against the inside of his bubble for support, before finally slumping down. The gravity of the situation was kicking in; whatever confidence Emile had conjured this entire time, it went away as fast as it had appeared. Behind his helmet, he had a small frown; the feeling of despair finally blossoming in him.
He wanted to scream. To shout. To yell at Twilight to do something about it. Home was within his reach, so why can't he go home?
He did none of these. Instead, he reached for a familiar metal accessory from his neck. He yanked it, letting his dogtags settle in his open palm. He stared at the accessory longingly, before grasping it firmly. Fearing for his sanity, he knew he needed it more than ever now.
"Emile, are you okay?" Twilight asked, slightly worried that she had incurred his wrath.
He gave no response. Twilight was going to ask again, but she was interrupted by Spike, who placed a claw on her shoulder.
"I think it's best if we give him some space, Twi."
She wanted to retort, but the rational and sympathetic side of her agreed with him. She had just told Emile that he cannot return home for a very long time; if she was in his position, she'd want some space too.
Twilight and Spike moved away from him, continuing to clean the library in silence.
Darkness, his faithful companion.
He hid from sight, far away from prying eyes. No one in their right mind would ever come near the forest at this time of hour; if at all. It was the perfect base of operations.
He was known as many things; some of the names were creative, others were just plain simple. The King of Shadows, The Tyrant of the Crystal Empire, the list went on and on. As nice as they were, he preferred his name; the name that once spread terror throughout the Crystal Ponies.
King Sombra.
He stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest, his green eyes surveying the area. It was nighttime, his favorite time of all. One by one, the lights of the houses went out; putting Ponyville into a deeper state of darkness. He wanted so badly to move through the shadows again; to spread terror once more.
But that would go against the plan.
Behind him stood eight manticores; one male and the rest female. He found the male a few nights ago, prowling on its own in the forest. It was a fine specimen, clearly the alpha male of a pack. It would've been easy to corrupt its mind right there, but Sombra needed more.
So he followed it. The male unwittingly lead him to the rest of the pack; their numbers were still no match for Sombra's dark magic. They were mindless beasts; corrupting them and bending their weak minds to his will was relatively easy.
A wise pony once said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. If you looked into the eyes of the manticores, you will find none. Their eyes were jet black; no white or any form of coloration in their eyes were present.
Sombra would've loved it if he could send out the manticores now. But again, that was against the plan. It was much too early; allowing the cats out of the bag prematurely would mean disaster. For now, all he could do was spread fear as inconspciously as possible. Sombra had been given a second chance; he will not waste that chance. He thought he would never see the sunlight again, after that little hiccup with the Crystal Empire.
It was that blasted dragon's fault. He had that unicorn right where he wanted her, and then he came along. And then there was that Princess. She even had the audacity to take his throne.
No matter. They will all die in the end.
"Only if you were competent enough to see the plan through."
He shook his head, dispelling any lingering doubt. He will succeed. He will get his revenge.
He will not fail Master again.