//------------------------------// // Ponyville // Story: Blackest Knight // by D34dly F1ng3r //------------------------------// Blackest Knight Chapter 12 “So this is Ponyville?” John looked upon the small town. The old rustic buildings helped create an image of a historic town that had stood the test of time. “Yes,” Twilight answered as she stepped off the train behind the armored human. “And I am proud to call it my home,” pride did in fact permeate her voice. “I can see why.” John chuckled, “I’ve always wanted to live in a small town myself.” Twilight was about to ask him about his home world, but she noticed a growing crowd surrounding the platform. They had no doubt heard rumors of the strange being that had saved Canterlot, but they didn’t know how terrifying he actually looked. “I think it’s about time we headed to the library.” John arched his eyebrow before remembering she could not see under his helm. “I figured you were a knowledgeable mare, but I thought you would return home and rest before hitting the books.” Twilight blushed as she realized he didn’t even know where he was staying yet, much less where she lived. “Actually, I live at the library. And it seems that it will be where you will be staying until we find you a permanent home.” “But Twilight!” His voice dripped with mock shock, “We haven’t even gone on a date yet! We can’t move in together!” A few ponies in crowd giggled at the being’s sense of humor. Twilight’s entire face began to grow a red hue. “But I … I didn’t … I mean … We weren’t …” “Relax Twilight,” John calmed the flustered mare. “I was joking.” He kneeled beside her and spoke low enough so the crowd didn’t hear, “I was actually trying to calm the crowd. I can feel their uneasiness around me.” As he spoke, he removed his helm and cradled it under his arm. The crowd gasped, but was calmed further than the joke by seeing that the being was not an indestructible metal monster, but a creature of flesh and blood. Twilight realized he had never seen his face either. His light grey eyes looked into hers as his short brown hair swayed slightly in the wind. His skin looked slightly tanned, but not quite pale. She gasped at the scene. He seemed less threatening without the helm. “Are you two gonna move anytime soon?” Twilight looked back into the train to see that she was blocking a very impatient Rainbow Dash from exiting. She quickly stepped out of the way. Rainbow shot out and took off. Applejack walked out and immediately turned from the human and walked away. Fluttershy tried to hide behind the orange mare, even though they would be heading away from her home. Rarity silently looked at John’s face before turning to return to her Boutique. Pinkie Pie jumped out and hopped in place while studying John’s face before noting, “You look different,” and hopping away. “Well,” Twilight said, “I guess we should get home.” John nodded and began to follow her. The crowd parted before them. She heard snickering amongst them but could not tell from whom. A voice mockingly said, “I guess we should get home.” Multiple giggles permeated the crowd as Twilight’s face flushed. Another teasing voice rung out, “Gotta get ready for the date!” Twilight quickened her pace and John slipped his helm back on. The giggling stopped immediately. Twilight would never know that John was still smirking. After they broke from the crowd, it began to dissipate. Twilight and John were free to talk again. “So do all human look like you do?” Twilight launched immediately into the questions. John answered as he removed his helmet again, “Not really. You see, we have different races as well. It’s kind of like the differences between the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, except that the difference is really only skin color.” “So none of you have wings?” John chuckled, “A lot of us wish we did, but no.” “Are all humans able to cast magic?” Twilight noticed a look of pain race across his face before he answered, “No. Magic does not exist in our world.” Twilight was confused. “Then how can you cast magic then?” She felt several magical energies from him. One certain energy was one that could be used by conscious action, much like the energy that unicorns channeled into their horn. John hesitated before answering. “I … I cannot tell you.” He glanced down at his left arm again. Twilight decided not to push the issue. She did however change the topic, “Then, are grey colored eyes a dominant trait in your race?” “No, mostly brow… Wait, grey?” Twilight looked at him and saw confusion etched into his face. “Yes, your eyes are grey, so I wondered if it was dominant in your race, if not your species.” “Twilight … My eyes are brown.” John looked into the first mirror that he could find once Twilight brought him to the tree house. His eyes were indeed grey. Could this be a side effect of the enhancements? He also noted his short hair. His hair always had a tendency to grow fast, but he had never cut it since coming into this world. He shook his head and marked it down to the magical energies that Twilight had mentioned earlier. He considered letting her scan him, but he could not take the chance of her finding what was in his left arm. He unconsciously touched his arm again. Though the first enhancements had improved his healing rate, the large scar of the last surgery remained. Twilight passed by the open door to the bathroom in time to see John grasp his left wrist again. She really did not like not knowing why. She coughed lightly to get his attention. She noted that he quickly withdrew his grasp. “I was just going to tell you that you should probably take the guest room. If you want, you can take off your armor and take a shower as well.” John thanked her and she led him to the guest room. The bed was obviously too small for him, but he could probably curl up on it. Twilight left as he began to strip his armor, leaving him is a simple shirt and pants. He laid it neatly in a pile in the corner of the room before exiting to take the proposed shower. She heard Twilight yelling something about a spike, but paid it no mind. John entered the bathroom to discover that the shower seemed a little too small. He opted for a bath instead, as the tub seemed to be barely big enough, and began to run the water. He waited until it reached a comfortable temperature and let it fill the tub. He noticed bubble bath sitting on the edge of the tub and chuckled to himself as he stripped his clothes. He sunk into the warm water and realized just how long it had been since he cleaned himself. Months of constant training, sweating, and not washing had left its toll on the human and he decided to relax in the water, eyes closed. John’s eyes lazily opened and he looked sideways to see a purple figure. He closed his eyes again, figuring it was probably Twilight, and she would get flustered again before closing the door. He realized that the door stayed open and opened his eyes fully and turned his head to behold a small purple dragon. He remembered seeing this dragon before, it was the ring bearer from Cadance’s and Shining Armor’s wedding. What was it doing here? “Twilight?!” It yelled, eyes never leaving John. Its voice seemed to resemble a child’s, and the human guessed that the little dragon was a male by the pitch. Twilight trotted up, saying, “There you are! Where were …” She cut off as she realized that Spike was looking at John in the bath. Her face flushed again and she quickly ushered the baby dragon away and closed the door. John chuckled as they left. “I have a feeling that Ponyville will be an interesting place.”