//------------------------------// // Emile VS The Magic Of Friendship: Test of Strength // Story: Prophecy of the Six - Earlier Than Expected // by Wolfram Alpha //------------------------------// "So, ya spied on him, for two days?" "Yes." "And ya wrote everything he did while asleep?" "Uh-huh." "Every detail?" "Yep." Applejack looked incredulously at her friend. "Okay, one last thing. WHY?" "I thought he was interesting." A temporary stage had been set up in front of Twilight's home, and the two ponies were behind the curtains, conversing idly. With them were Celestia and Luna, who were organizing their guards to keep order in the town. That proved to be difficult, given their small numbers. Out of the twenty-five of Celestia's Royal Guard and twenty of Luna's Nigh Guard, ten of them stayed with their respective princesses, while the rest formed a wall in front of the stage, to make sure the crowd doesn't trample them in a stampede. Beside them were four other ponies Twilight didn't recognize. Two were carrying a podium on their backs, while the other two was carrying wires and speakers with them; courtesy to Vinyl Scratch, Ponyville's resident DJ. She stepped forward to donate her sound systems when she overheard Twilight worrying over how Celestia and Luna would be drowned out by the crowd's chatter. "Hey Twi. Where're the others? Thought all of us are supposed to be here." "Rainbow's outside making sure the weather stays in check today, Fluttershy's tending to Discord, and I don't know where Rarity and Pinkie are. They should be here in a couple of minutes. I'll just go an prep Emile for this. I'll be back in a second, okay?" "Alright, but Ah think you better hurry. Announcement's 'bout to begin soon." "Right, thanks." Twilight stepped down from the stage and walked towards her front door. Immediately, she was swarmed by ponies - no doubt they wanted answers. She would've been washed away by their sheer numbers, if it hadn't been for Celestia's guards. The moment she had stepped on the ground, five armored ponies had dropped down and formed a circle around her. "Get back! I said, GET BACK!" one of them shouted. They pushed the ponies away from Twilight, grunting under the pressure. Twilight made a dash for her front door, and the guards made sure she met no resistance on the way. As soon as she was inside, she locked the door behind her and sighed in relief. "Honestly, ponies go crazy over the smallest things nowadays." she thought to herself. Of course, this was no small thing. She was talking about an extraterrestrial being living in her house; that would definitelydraw unwanted attention to her. She approached Emile's bubble, right where she left him. It looked like he was asleep; he was on his back, snoring softly. Twilight knocked on the bubble's walls softly, careful not to scare him awake. "Emile?" She knocked a little harder; this time, it was enough to elicit a response from him. He stirred from his sleep, and yawned loudly. "Emile? Can you wake up please?" He removed his helmet and rubbed his eyes. As soon as he was awake, he groaned at the sight of her. "Ugh, it's you. The hell you want from me now?" he asked with disgust. "Sorry. It's just that... it's time for your announcement." "My what?" He was going to demand her to tell him what was going on, before he heard the roar of a crowd outside the house. "Oh. That. Whatever, just get it over with." he grumbled. He couldn't care less what these ponies did to him. He was done resisting. He was done with everything. The chances of him ever escaping his confines were slim to none, and he's running out of hope real quick. "Emile, are you alright?" Twilight asked inquisitively. "No, Twilight. I am certainly NOT alright." Emile snapped. "Emile, I-" "Oh my God, PLEASE spare me your sympathetic bullshit. Just get on with whatever the hell you want me to do, or I swear to God I'm going to KILL myself. Or someone else. I really don't care which." Twilight flinched at his tone of voice, and decided best not to communicate with him for the time being. He huffed and sat down with crossed arms; Twilight couldn't help but feel he had a cross expression as well. Loud, electronic feedback found their way to her ears, and everything outside quieted down. She heard the muffled voice of Celestia outside, telling her the introduction has already started. With a sense of urgency, she walked towards the door with Emile in tow. She opened the door, half-expecting she would be jumped on the second she stepped out. Her anxiety was put to ease when some guards formed a wall, splitting the ocean of ponies in front of her to form a straight path to the stage. "You ready?" she asked, just before she would pull him out of the door. "Whatever, just go." he said indifferently. With a pull of her magic, she brought Emile out in broad daylight, where everypony in the vicinity could see him. They all stopped whatever they were doing and stared wide-eyed; some had their jaws hanging out. Even the mixture of Celestia and Luna's guards - the ones who made up the wall to create a path for Twilight - briefly held an expression of surprise, before returning to their stoic state. They pretended not to be affected, but even Twilight could see they were put-off by his presence. Emile looked around him as Twilight slowly walked to the stage. Everywhere, there were eyes staring at him, judging him. It sickened him. "Stop looking at me." he thought spitefully. He looked at one pony at random; like the others, he stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe. Emile stared back with heated intensity, making sure this stallion knew that he was looking at him. He broke eye-contact immediately and meekly shied away. Emile repeated this process, switching from pony to pony. The moment he locked eyes on a particular one, they'd suddenly find an interest in the ground, or in the sky, or to the pony next to them. Twilight and him had finally stepped up to the stage, where on the other side Celestia and Luna were reassuring the populace that Emile wasn't a threat to anyone. The farmer and Twilight's dragon joined them, waiting patiently for Celestia to call them. "Hey Emile. You nervous?" Spike asked out of the blue. Emile - still sitting down in his bubble with his arms crossed - looked at him, and grunted in response. "I'll... take that as a yes?" He grumbled again, only more pronounced to show that he didn't want to engage in any chit-chat. "...so, if you could, please give our first extra-terrestrial guest a very, warm welcome." That was Twilight's cue. She looked at Applejack and Spike; the former just shrugged and the latter gave her a double thumbs-up as reassurance. Taking a deep breathe, she and her companions stepped out the curtain, putting Emile out in full view of the public. The little town was packed. Not just the place around them, but the entire town was packed. Not a single camera wasn't flashing its lights, and reporters and journalists everywhere were shouting out a question or a statement, competing against each to have their voice heard. But the moment Emile came into view, the amount of flashing lights significantly lowered. Ponies close enough to see him slowly lowered their cameras; some even dropping them, as they were caught in both wonder and fear by him. They all stopped and stared, and Emile could feel his blood beginning to boil. "STOP LOOKING AT ME!" "Well, Emile. Would you like to say a few words?" Celestia handed him the microphone; the object phasing through his bubble and levitating right in front of him. He figured that the faster he got this over with, the less time the crowd gets to gawk at him like some sort of freak show, and faster he can get back to some peace and quiet. Or the closest thing to it. He grabbed the microphone, and gave the end a few taps. Static feedback was his reply, and he looked up; the crowd was looking at him expectantly. "Uhh... hi." "Real smooth. 10/10." "My name's... uh... Emile-A239. I'm a human - that's what my kind are called - and uh... yeah, I'm an alien. I... honestly don't know how I got here, so... uh... I'm stuck here for the time being." He paused for any reaction, but nothing from the crowd; the silence was painfully awkward. He looked at Twilight, but she only motioned him to keep things going. "Erm... so, if you have any questions-" An immediate uproar was their response. The cameras flashed brightly, and everyone was simultaneously shooting him questions left and right. He couldn't even hear himself think as the princesses and their guards tried to return order to the place. His irritation grew as he caught tidbits of conversation from the loud mess in front of him. Crazy theories were thrown about, spiteful comments directed at him, stuff he expected when he grabbed that mic and spoke. He looked to Twilight behind him; she was busy calming ponies down, making sure a riot doesn't happen in the middle of everything. He banged at the walls of his prison to get her attention, but to no avail. He was getting frustrated, and he felt a migraine coming on; Emile just wanted to get away from the annoying crowd and their endless chatter. "Arghh... my head. I fucking hate these ponies." He decided his time was up. Emile wanted out, but of course no-one's giving him any attention. No matter how hard he banged the walls and shouted, not a single pony - princess or otherwise - turned around to face him. "What do I do now?" He looked down, noticing how he had been holding on to a microphone all this time. He stared at it, before finally registering the fact that the microphone wasn't his first idea to capture someone's attention and banging on the walls of his prison was. "I know I'm not the smartest in Noble, but this is just stupid." After criticizing himself for his one-track mind, he inhaled deeply, and let out a common phrase used widely amongst his people. "EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" That grabbed their attention. Everyone fell silent, with expressions varying between shock and disgust. Silent murmurs went around, but Emile promptly ignored them. "Right then. Princess, am I done here, or what? Because-" A ferocious roar erupted out of nowhere, stopping Emile in his tracks. Everyone looked around, confused at the interruption. "What the hell...? More came, seemingly coming from all directions. Emile could not help but feel like he was being cornered; surrounded on all sides. The populace began to speak in hushed tones, terrified of the predatory sounds. "Everypony, please stay calm," Celestia announced. "Do not panic. We will investigate this immediately." She faced her guards, who already knew what Celestia wanted. Two pegasi in golden armor flew to the skies and disappeared from view, looking for the source. A boom of thunder was heard, and Emile looked to the skies. Dark clouds were rolling in; a downpour was only minutes away. Several pegasi rushed to the scene, attempting to push away the thick clouds. "There ain't no thunderstorms s'posed to happen this week..." Applejack muttered. "Hey, wait! Stop!" She caught the attention of a pegasus, with charcoal fur and a blue-silver mane. "Thunderlane, what the hay's going on up there?!" Applejack shouted worriedly. "I-I don't know! These clouds just came outta nowhere! We called in the entire weather team to push 'em back, but they ain't budging!" the pony named Thunderlane responded. He zoomed away, helping his fellow teammates control the weather. The crack of thunder mixed with the roar of a predator, sowing fear amongst the crowd. Many grabbed their young and held them tightly, assuring them their safety, while others began to look for a way out. A horrifying scream filled the brief silence, followed by a body flying through the air and crashing into the crowd. The ponies backed away instinctively and gasped, while Celestia rushed to her guard's aid. It was one of the two pegasi who were sent to investigate; his armor was shredded, and he had long, deep slash marks across his body. Before Celestia could even get a word in, he whispered to her one word. "M-m...manticores..." Celestia's eyes widened with disbelief. It wasn't possible; it couldn't be. But she could not shake the feeling he was telling the truth as he slowly fell into unconsciousness. Before she could even try to control the alarming situation, the other guard had shown up in the distance. He was running to her as fast as he could with a bad limp, and his left wing was broken. "Princess! We got manticores closing in! Get 'em all out of he- argh!" A manticore pounced on him, grabbing a hold of him with its jaw. The manticore thrashed the guard about like a dog would with a chew-toy, before violently throwing him against Twilight's library. He crashed through a window, where his fate was left to question. It licked its lips, savoring that small residue of blood in its teeth, before growling at the crowd in front of it. They all stared in shock; suspended in a state of disbelief of what just happened. The mythical creature reared up on its hind legs, and let out an ear-splitting roar. Its call was echoed out, most likely by others of its kind. The giant monsters stalked their prey from the roofs of the town's houses, boxing everyone in like sheep, while the crack of thunder from the overhead clouds did not help to ease their nerves. Even if their minds hadn't caught up yet, the ponies' instincts kicked in. And it was telling them to run fast, and to run far. Too bad their instincts didn't tell them exactly in what direction they should run. They up and went without direction, screaming in terror and fearing for their lives. They might as well run in circles; that's the farthest that they're ever going to go at this rate. "Celestia!" Luna called out from screams of terror. "Get our subjects to safety! My guards will buy you some time!" "Right! Royal Guards, to me!" Celestia's guards came to her position to aid the evacuation, but only the pegasus guards could move freely. The unicorn and earth pony guards on the ground had great difficulty moving through the crowd, but they still tried their best to assist anyone they could. Twilight stepped down the stage to help Celestia, while Applejack went with Luna to join the fray. All around him, Emile could only see pure, unadulterated chaos. He watched calmly as ponies panicked, while the manticores only watched silently from the rooftops of houses. It reminded him of a warzone. As nice as the nostalgic feeling was, he noticed one of the manticores make a move. It laid its eyes on a small colt, lost and confused at the happenings around him. As he called out for his parents, the manticore aimed, and pounced from above. Emile knew he was a goner as soon as the manticore landed on him. He expected the colt to be dead, but to his surprise, the colt was nowhere to be found. It seemed that the revelation of missing its lunch both confused and infuriated the beast; it growled angrily and stomped the ground. A bright light erupted, and Emile covered his eyes from the sudden burst. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he saw Twilight, holding on to the colt that was supposed to be dead beside his bubble. She set him down, before Emile saw another potential victim. As one of the manticores jumped, a bright flash of light, and its prey was gone; standing right beside Emile instead of its open jaws. Twilight seemed to be teleporting ponies away from danger one at a time, saving them from the messy death of being someone's meal. She couldn't hold out for long. Whatever she was doing, Emile could see that her actions were taxing her heavily. Every time she would come back, she had this strained expression that would grow more serious the more she moved back and forth. After she had brought in a mare, Twilight looked like she was close to collapsing. But it didn't stop her. Once again she was gone, and when she appeared, she didn't even have enough energy to teleport back instantly. Twilight just shoved a stallion out of danger's way, and took the manticore's attack full-force. She was knocked aside, and tumbled a few meters before coming into a complete stop. The stallion she saved came to her aid, and by then she had gathered up enough energy to teleport her and him right next to Emile one last time. Twilight collapsed immediately, earning the attention of the ponies she had saved. "The princess, she needs help!" one exclaimed. "C'mon, we gotta get her to a hospital. She won't last long with the venom in her!" another said worriedly. Emile took a closer look; indeed, she was stung by the manticore's stinger. It was only a small, open wound to her side, but dark lines started to grow and spread throughout her body, and a small, black, crystalline substance started to sprout from her horn. "Whoa... what is that?" "I dunno. Never seen manticore venom do this before..." "Who cares, she's wasting away by the second! Let's go already!" a mare interrupted. The small group all shared the load and helped carry Twilight with them. They stepped down on the stage, catching the attention of some guards. A small portion broke away from Celestia's squadron and immediately went in to assist and defend Twilight from danger on the way to the nearest medical facility. All the while, Emile watched everything with a mixture of confusion and deep fascination. Celestia and her guards were doing the best they could to get everyone to safety, while Luna and her platoon of guards combated the monstrous creatures. Unlike the others, Luna's guards looked like a mix between a pony and a bat; on their forehooves were what looked like detachable claws, most likely their main weapon. As he looked on, he heard something different. Aside from the screams of ponies running around like headless chickens, he thought he heard glass crack. It continued its noise, and Emile eventually found the source. Just above him, there was a minuscule crack in his bubble prison, slowly growing bigger by the second. His eyes widened, and immediately scrambled to get a closer look. The downpour from the dark clouds above finally came, slightly distorting his view, but that crack was definitely there. "This is my chance!" Emile thought excitedly. Pulling his arm back, he aimed his fist straight at the crack, and punched it as hard as he could. His knuckles stung like hell, and he hissed at the pain. But it worked. The crack grew larger. Strengthening his resolve, he punched again. The crack spread farther. He decided that his legs would have more force. Positioning himself, he used both of his feet to kick at the walls of his prison. The crack spread throughout the bubble, ready to shatter into a million pieces. Filled with the hope of freedom, he put all his power to his legs, and kicked. The bubble shattered like glass, and Emile fell with a thud to the ground. He got up immediately, and ran towards the direction of the Everfree Forest. "I'm free! I'M FREE!" he thought with glee. He ran unopposed; either the ponies were too busy trying to save themselves, or they saw him as a danger and dove out of the way. He sprinted as fast as he could; the water from the harsh downpour of rain splashing against his visor. The ground softened into mud underneath him, but it did little to stop his advance. He ran with joyous fervor, passing by houses, vaulting over obstacles. The number of ponies he would pass by started to thin, meaning he was beginning to reach the edge of the town. He ran for ages, until he rounded a corner and a long, narrow dirt road was laid out right in front of him. It forked into two directions; one was to a small cottage, and the other was to the forest. He continued to run, making a beeline for the forest edge. He was so close. So close to leaving this place. What he didn't know, was the pair of yellow eyes following him, from the end of the road all the way to the edge of the forest. "That's weird. Thunderstorms were scheduled next week." Fluttershy grabbed a yellow raincoat from the towel rack and slipped it on. "Discord? I'm going to town to get some more first-aid; I used up the last bandages on you," Fluttershy called from the door. "Are you going to be alright alone?" "Yeah, sure. Angel and your other pets can keep me company." The click of a closed door echoed throughout the house, before the bandaged-up Discord decided to make a move. Emile had been sprinting for a whole minute, but to him it felt like hours. He followed the trail of hooves, leading towards his vehicles and equipment. He didn't know how the equipment came with him to this world and why, but frankly, he didn't care. It was here, and the tiny details can be examined later. He reached the clearing where he was found, and everything was right there where he left it. The loaded pistol on the ground, the Warthog and the Pelican side by side, even the burnt bodies of his victims from days ago. Emile stopped to take a breather, letting the rain from above splash against him. This was his moment, he was going to relish in it. Satisfied, he walked towards the loaded pistol on the ground and picked it up. Holstering it, he ran towards his open Pelican and went inside. Everything went largely untouched, except for the box of rations. Some kind of furry wildlife were trying to crack it open, probably because they liked the smell of its contents. "Hey! Shoo, shoo! Get outta here!" Emile exclaimed, slapping them away from his box. They hissed at him, before running out of the vehicle. "Okay, time for an equipment check." He examined the contents of his vehicle closely. Medical supplies were stocked up, his REM's were still good to go, weapons were untouched. "Good, good." The Pelican housed many of the UNSC's standard guns, with the exception of heavy weapons such as the Rocket Launcher or Spartan Laser. Although, there was a minigun modified to be carried around by hand, but that was empty. Grabbing the last E-model shotgun from the rack, he examined the weapon. "You little beauty..." Indeed it was. Packing more firepower than the standard M45 model, and is able shoot more accurately than the equally-powerful M90 CAWS, the M45E-model Shotgun in his hands was both a sight to behold, and a force to be reckoned with. At one corner, there was a rack that only had knives. Emile gave that section a good look, until he found what he wanted. He grabbed the largest knife he could find, and examined it. It was the same size and shape as his original kukri; only this one wasn't dull from all the times he's stabbed someone with it. There was a small speck of dirt on the knife he was holding on. He opened the med pack and took from it a small piece of cloth. He wiped the knife tenderly, making sure not to scratch the surface. As he finished, he saw his own reflection. The image of a skull stared back at him. He remembered why he carved that skull. To invoke fear into the hearts of his enemies. To terrify them, just before he'd take their life. But those days were over now. There was no way out of this miserable rock. Hell, he didn't even know if he was on the correct galaxy. He just stood there, staring at his reflection, reminiscing of home. "I do hope you're not leaving so soon." In an instant, Emile flicked the large knife horizontally towards the source of the voice. It stuck to the wall Discord was leaning against, just missing him by millimetres. "HA! You missed!" Discord chuckled. "Check again." Discord grinned, and went to stroke the tuft of hair on his chin for added effect, but his paw found nothing by air. His eyes widened, and found the the knife had cut it. "Gah! Not the goatee! That was my best feature!" Snapping his talon, he conjured a bottle of glue while he grabbed the fallen tuft of white hair from the ground. Dousing the hair with the glue, he messily stuck it back into his chin. Somehow, the hair stuck and retained its original appearance. "Whew, that's better," he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Now, I know I'm in no position to say this, but I think you're making a huge-" The moment Discord stepped forward, Emile faced him with the shotgun aimed at his face. "One more move, and this thing's going to make a nice, red painting at the wall behind you with your brains." Discord put his arms to the air, maintaining innocence. He slightly winced as the bandages around his body moved, but he kept his composure. "Hey now, we're all friends here..." "We are NOT friends." Emile growled. "Be that as it may, I'm not sure the princesses would take it very well if you leave them hanging." "Do you think I give a damn?" "Not really, but they'll still be mad at you nonetheless. So I'm here to... persuade you to come back," Discord stated, putting heavy emphasis on the word persuade. "Persuade?! You want me to come back to... to be imprisoned, studied and gawked at like some sort of circus freak?!" "No, I want you to come back to your only chance of getting home." Emile lowered his gun for a second at the mention of home, before keeping the shotgun aimed at Discord. "What the hell are you talking about?!" "Look. I can't claim that the princesses know a way to get you back from where you came from, but believe me when I say Twilight and her crew are your best chance. I promise, I'll even look into it myself. But the choice is yours. Get off the grid and throw away your only chance, or stay with us." "They don't trust me. And they'll never trust me once they find out I'm gone." Discord looked genuinely confused. "Hold on, they don't know you're gone yet?" he asked. "Alright, after this whole, messy debacle is finished, you have to tell me how you managed to sneak past an entire crowd unnoticed." "No, that's not it. Some kind of attack on the town. I escaped in the middle of it." Discord's expression dropped into sickly white, like he saw a ghost. "What? An attack? On the town?! Oh no! I have to get back!" He started to pace back and forth, worried out of his mind. "Out of all the times she could go to town, she goes in when there's a monster attack?! Knowing her, she's probably trying to help her friends! I gotta get back, now!" He tried to run, but fell face forward to the ground. "OW! For the love of..." He conjured a pair of crutches, and shakily stood up with them. "I hate being sore. Bruises are terribly inconvenient." "You just can't teleport back?" Emile asked. "The more complex the magic, the more energy you use. Same thing applies if you use it too much. And I used the last of mine getting here." He started to walk back to Ponyville, but he looked back only to see Emile still standing in the Pelican, still aiming his weapon at him. "Come on! We're wasting time, let's go!" he yelled, but Emile did not move an inch. "Did you seriously not listen to a word I just said?! They're your only chance of getting home, Emile! Trust me, if you help them now they will be forever in your debt, and they will help you." There was a pregnant pause, with Discord standing in the rain, extending a talon out to Emile. For every passing second, he feared that he didn't convince Emile good enough. The agonizing wait continued, and Discord knew he was wasting his time. He turned away, disheartened. "Wait." Discord's ears turned to Emile, who lowered his weapon and had holstered it on his back. He stepped out into the rain, and pushed his helmet's visor against Discord's face with an accusing finger pointed at his chest. "I'm going to hold out on your claims, Discord, otherwise you and I are going to have a very serious talk." "Yes, yes of course! Now let's go!" he urged. "Fluttershy might be in serious danger right now!" "Hold your horses," Emile interrupted Discord, while at the same time feeling slightly perturbed from using that particular statement. "I got a faster way." He pointed at the Warthog, and Discord turned to face it. "What is that? Is that a vehicle? If it is, I CALL DIBS ON THE DRIVER SEAT!" Discord went to Emile's Warthog as fast as his crutches could carry him in an almost childlike manner, while Emile was left standing in the rain; the thought of running away conflicted with Discord's promise. This leap of faith was highly distressing, and he wasn't really sure if he was even making the right decision; trusting his future to a stranger was not reassuring in the slightest. But it was a chance. As minuscule as it was, it was a shot to get home. One he was willing to take. "Hey! You alright there Emile?" Discord called. The sound of a honking horn snapped Emile out, and he ran to his Warthog. "This better work." "Keep it busy! Surround it, but avoid the stinger!" Luna directed her guards, helping them combat the manticore while doing her best to assist them. There were eight of the beasts running amok, and she and her guards were scattered across the place, defending the town from the invaders. She only had two of her guards with her, as she ordered the others to find the remaining manticores - who had separated from the beginning - and prevent them from hurting any others. Luna and her bat-pony guards have been combating this one for minutes; much longer than she had anticipated. Her mane was drenched from the rain above her, and her hooves were caked in mud and dirt. "Okay, one more time!" With a glow of her horn, she shot a concentrated blast of magic at the manticore. The projectile hit its mark, creating magical barriers around the beast and ensnaring it in place. "Guards, now! Before it escapes!" The prowling bat-ponies pounced on the trapped manticore; fangs bared and metal claws extended. Once climbed on, digging its weapons deep into its back, while the other made a move for its throat. The manticore lashed out, breaking free from the magical prison with relative ease. Luna's concentration on maintaining the barrier immediately broke, and the animal hit the bat-pony aiming for its throat with enough force to make anyone cringe. Incapacitated, the manticore grabbed the limp guard's body and tossed it aside, hitting the wall of a nearby house with a heavy thud. Then, the manticore reached for its back, grabbing the other bat-pony whose claws were lodged deep into its skin. In one swift motion, it threw the guard straight at Luna. It was done so quickly, she didn't even have time to move out of the way. She was knocked back by the force of the throw, sending her to the muddy ground. "Why... why isn't my magic working?" Luna thought to herself, as she shakily stood up to meet her opponent. It seemed to be resistant to magic; her snares and bolts did little to stop it. Physical blows were definitely felt, but whether or not it actually hindered her opponent was the question. Luna wasn't sure whether the beast felt the pain dealt by her and her guards, or treated it as a minor annoyance. Luna ran to the guard the was thrown at her; he was lying on the ground, hacking and spitting out blood as he unsuccessfully tried to get up. She tried to help him stand, but he shakily warded him off, breathing heavily. "Broken... ribs. Can't... move. Argh, it hurts..." With her last guard too hurt to even move, she nervously faced the manticore herself. She must stay strong; even in the face of adversity. "I am Princess Luna, raiser of the moon and co-ruler of Equestria!" Luna declared. "And you will not hurt my subjects any longer!" A roar of defiance was its answer, and Luna grit her teeth. "So be it." The two stared off intensely, the tension high in the air. Neither dared to make the first move; beads of sweat rolled off of Luna's face, as she concentrated on making another ball of- Ba-da ba-da, dat! Ba-da ba-da, dat! Dat, da-da-da-da-da-da! Luna and manticore both lost their concentration; bewildered at the strange sound. "What was that?" she thought to herself. Ba-da ba-da, dat! Ba-da ba-da, dat! Dat, da-da-da-da-da-da! There it was again. Luna was completey baffled as the sound grew closer, accompanied by a rumble of an unknown origin. "Oh yeah! That is my jam! Arrrrrrriibaaaa!" "Hey! What the fuck did you do to my horn?! Wait... Discord, that's a hou- DISCORD WATCH OUT!" The exact moment she heard that, a massive object crashed through a house behind the manticore. She dove out of danger's way as the object rammed the manticore, sending it flying. As Luna got up, she managed to see what exactly crashed into her assailant. She could discern from the debris that it was a vehicle of sorts, and Discord was on the wheel. "Woohoo! Let's do that again!" Discord cheered. In the back, Luna recognized a very familiar human dragging himself out. "Ugh... next time, I drive and you can man the gun. Wait, that's actually worse..." Luna' eyes widened as Emile stood to full height, wiping the debris and mud off of himself. She failed to take into account of how tall he was before; he almost stood at the same height as her sister. Most importantly, however, was the fact he wasn't contained. "You! Stop right there!" she commanded. Emile eyes widened as he turned to face her, followed by an angry demeanor. "Aw, hell no! You want me back in that hamster ball? Then you better kiss your sorry ass goodbye!" he replied, grabbing the shotgun from his back and aiming it at her. As Luna readied her magic, Discord appeared between both of them with a stern look. "Hey, HEY! As much as I want to see a princess duke it out with an alien - and I really do, we have bigger problems here. So why don't we just put our weapons down, and relax? How about it?" "Yeah right." Emile barked. "And when I put mine down she'll zap me." "No, Emile. She won't. Isn't that right Luna?" Discord turned to Luna, but she made no move to drop her stance. "Luna, please. He's not here to hurt anyone. He's here to help. You can argue with him as much as you want when all of this is over, but I'm begging you, don't do anything drastic." Luna eyed both of them suspiciously. Rarely did she trust the god of Chaos himself - if ever, and she never trusted Emile in the first place. Her instincts screamed at her to follow what they're saying, but even she could not deny the feeling of doubt within her. Luna could feel Discord's sincerity, and it disturbed her greatly. With great reluctance, she stopped channeling magic through her horn and dropped her stance. She readied herself for any tricks, but none came. "Good, good. Now Emile, it's your turn. Drop yours." Discord said. A moment passed, before Emile sighed. He dropped his shotgun to the ground and crossed his arms; eager to get this temporary truce implemented already. "There. Are you happy?" And then he was kidnapped by a manticore. The manticore Discord crashed into came to and tackled Emile, and before anyone could react, carried him away by his leg. Discord and Luna gave chase to the fleeing manticore, but it was already too late. Another manticore came in a grabbed a hold of Emile's other leg, and together, they soared. Discord and Luna watched with their mouths agape as they flew higher and higher into the dark and rainy sky, with Emile in tow. Just after Discord told him to drop his weapon. "That's... that was some terrible timing." Discord mused. He was blindsided. He couldn't believe it. The manticore Emile crashed into, crashed back. Before he could even comprehend what the hell just happened to him, he was airborne, rapidly going up higher and higher into the sky as two manticores held on to him by his legs. Thing's probably couldn't get any worse, if he didn't drop his shotgun in the first place. "Note to self: work on environmental awareness." The manticores flew closer and closer to the dark, stormy clouds in the sky; he was whipped around by strong winds and rain, and the boom of thunder grew deafeningly close. He suddenly stopped ascending, and through the water on his visor he could see the manticores have stopped going anywhere. They flew in place and looked around, as if they were waiting for something. Emile decided he wasn't going to find out anytime soon. Grabbing the pistol on his hip, he fought against the wind and aimed upwards. CRACK! Something massive hit his back; it felt like a grenade exploded just behind him. Emile reeled in shock from the blast as his HUD momentarily fizzed, before coming back to life with a blaring alarm. It didn't take Emile long to the equation together and realize how fatal his situation was. "Storm x High Altitude x (Metal + Me) = HUMAN BARBECUE." Emile squirmed and struggled, and aimed his pistol at his attackers as best as he could, as fast as he could. He just fired wildly upwards, hoping he'd hit his target. His first three shots went in the manticore on his left - two in its body, and one in the eye. It let go of his leg in shock of losing its depth perception, and through the panic, Emile could see that both manticores' fur were singed; obviously from the bolt of lightning that struck him. What's strange, however, was the fact that they were still even breathing. The bolt should've incapacitated them at least, given that he has energy shielding and they don't. As he aimed at the other manticore holding on to his leg, another bolt of lightning struck him. "GAAAAHHH!" He definitely felt that one. As elelctricity coursed through him, he caught a glimpse of the last manticore holding on to him. It didn't even flinch as more of its flesh and fur were burnt off, and showed no signs of letting go as it struggled to carry his weight. Emile planned to change that. Through the pain, he aimed the pistol, and fired his last two rounds into the manticore's face. Blood spurted from its forehead, and it died immediately. The manticore let go of Emile, and soon after he was in a free-fall. Holstering his pistol, he quickly surveyed the ground below him. It was closing in fast; Emile was literally seconds away from turning into a recipe for mashed SPARTAN. He saw a lake, just at the edge of the town. He streamlined his body to fall forward; it's going to be a rough landing, but it's the safest one he could think of. 5... Suddenly, something hit him hard from behind, altering his trajectory. He half-expected it to be a bolt of lightning, until it tried to bite him. ...4... Emile whipped around, and saw a manticore - the one he shot in the eye - trying to rip through his armor. It was bleeding profusely from its eye-socket, but it kept going - clawing his chest and biting his shoulder. ...3... It was too late to aim for that lake now; it's too far to close the distance. In a last-ditch attempt to save himself, he swung a punch at the manticore's snout and grabbed the manticore, switching positions. Now he was on top, and the manticore's back was to the ground. ...2... With a makeshift cushion in the form of a vicious animal with him, Emile locked his armor, and prayed in that split-second to make it out alive. ...1. They crashed through a roof, and immediately met the hard ground. The manticore's body softened the blow, but it still hurt as he landed on his shoulder; the manticore still beneath him as the debris fell and the dust settled. Emile rolled himself off the body and laid next to it, staring through the hole of the ceiling he just busted through. He ached everywhere, but he was alive. Emile muttered a string of curses as he sat up, as well as a sarcastic thanks to the manticore for being a meat-shield. It was definitely dead; its chest cavity had collapsed, and he most likely crushed most of its vital organs during the landing. Unsurprising really; Emile did weigh half a ton with the suit on. He quickly examined his surroundings; the house was beautifully adorned, and the room was filled with clothes, costumes and mannequins. Such a shame he had to crash through this particular one. Clutching on his right shoulder, Emile limped his way to the door and stepped outside. It was a madhouse. Ponies everywhere ran, screaming and shouting in terror as they looked for shelter. Manticores dive-bombed houses, crashing straight through the roof and driving out anyone inside into the open, while more of Luna's Night Guard fought, chased and preoccupied them as best as they could. Their effectiveness was lacking, given that the guards were spread thin, and there were simply too many to protect at the same time. Something rustled behind him, and Emile whipped around in disbelief. The manticore - the one he literally flattened, was crawling to him. Blood gurgled out of its ruptured eye as it dragged itself across the floor, leaving a trail of blood along the way. Emile crushed the damn animal under his own weight; logically, it should be dead. What's more astounding however, was the fact that the manticore completely ignored the pain it was experiencing. It crawled to him; growling in anger, instead of writhing in pain. It's like it wasn't even aware that it should be dead by now. Emile stared as the manticore crawled to him, stopping at his feet as it finally succumbed to its wounds. As it died, dark mist exited out its mouth and its eyes turned from a soulless black into a milky white. "What is this..." A high-pitched scream cut his thoughts short, and Emile turned to the door. Whoever it was, they were close by. Deciding to investigate the matter of the manticores later, he ran towards the source. The scream repeated, and Emile continued to follow. He rounded a corner, to find another manticore giving chase to mint green unicorn with a lyre for a Cutie Mark. Emile charged in head-first, literally. He tackled the manticore right before it pounced on the poor unicorn, and crashed through another house in the process. Emile rained down punches at the animal, but it ignored the blows and subsequently kicked Emile off. Emile stood up, wiping the mud and rain covering his visor. He unsheathed his knife, waiting for the manticore to jump out from the house. As expected, the manticore jumped out. It landed right in front of Emile, lunging with its stinger. Emile acted quickly, and narrowly deflected the blow with his knife. Back and forth they traded, with Emile on the defensive and the manticore wildly swinging and stabbing. Granted, this is definitely one of the weirdest fights Emile has partaken in, but it was still a fight he can lose. He needed to find an opportunity, and fast. As the manticore lunged with his stinger once more, Emile ducked. Time slowed down, and the perfect moment came. Emile grabbed the stinger, and held it down with his right arm. Before the manticore could even react, Emile plunged the knife into its tail. He twisted and pushed the knife as far as he could, until he lost his grip on the stinger. Emile backed away and witnessed the fruit of his labor. The manticore raised its tail, ready to lunge him again, but found itself to be unable to. The manticore looked back, only to find its scorpion tail snapped in half; the stinger dangling uselessly. Capitalizing on its shock, Emile rushed the manticore and swung with his fist, catching it completely off-guard. Again, Emile kept its tail under his right arm, and with a giant swing of his knife, chopped the tail in half. Blood spurted from the ends, and Emile dropped the tail into the ground. That's one less appendage to be worried about. Ignoring the fact its tail is missing, the manticore pounced; a final act of desperation. A final act indeed, as Emile plunged the knife into its chest. He pushed it deeper into its heart, and twisted it as much as he could. Blood began to flow freely from the wound, and the manticore's hold on Emile slowly softened. As its life slowly ebbed away, Emile made an effort to look it in the eye as he continued to twist the knife. He had done so to many of his foes; the ones who were unfortunate enough to get too close. It was his way of bidding them farewell; making sure that the last image they see - the one, last image before he takes their miserable life, will be the skull scratched on his visor. Emile has done this numerous times as a tradition - this manticore was no different. Only, it was. As he looked into the manticore's eyes, he began to experience violent hallucinations; his mind felt like it was being torn in half, and he began to hear deep, dark voices. Voices of people he used to know. Emile pushed the manticore off of him, and subsequently pulled his helmet off and rubbed his eyes. As he finished, he looked at the manticore again. Its eyes turned from black into milky white, and a dark mist exited out of its mouth. He forced himself to calm down; he won't allow such petty things to get to him. Retrieving his helmet, he dislodged the knife from the manticore's chest and turned to the mint-green unicorn with the lyre Cutie Mark. She sat there, frozen; probably from the shock. After all, she just witnessed a bloodbath right before her eyes. "Hey there! You alright?" he asked. She could only mutter out something unintelligible, but otherwise she sat still in the mud. Emile walked towards her, and offered her a hand up. "Need a hand?" This time there was a reaction. Her eyes widened significantly - almost bulging out of her head, and her breathing quickened. "Uh... you okay?" She fainted. Emile wondered what he did wrong, before remembering that he wasn't exactly what you'd call normal in a world full of ponies. "Heh. Figures." Sheathing his knife back into place, he began to go and look for other dangers. He climbed the house he first crashed into up to the rooftop, hoping to get a better vantage point of the town. Emile squinted his eyes through the harsh rain, trying to discern the place in front of him. From what he can see, ponies in golden armor have joined in with the bat-ponies to combat the remaining manticores. Two have already been subdued successfully; both were tied in rope, and an orange mare with a Stetson on her head was tightening the grip on the second one. If he remembered correctly, he counted eight manticores when all of this went down. He shot down one of the manticores who kidnapped him, crushed the other one, and killed another just minutes ago. "Three to go..." His eyes scanned the environment from his position, looking for the remaining three. He's bound to find them eventually. Emile found his target; another manticore took to the skies, swiping and attacking the pegasi and bat-pony guards in the air. The guards seemed to be trying to get to something, but were blocked off by the one manticore. He jumped off his perch, and landed on another house. He ran quickly, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, making his way to the fray as fast as he could. The manticore was flying low enough; Emile could easily catch it off-guard. Just one more jump... His eye caught something. Below him, there were a crowd of ponies in a dead end, cowering in a corner. Two manticores were slowly closing in; they would have already attacked them, if they weren't so busy fighting over who gets the first pick. It didn't take long for Emile to realize the situation. The civilians were the top priority. The guards can't reach them, but he can. Changing direction, Emile jumped off the rooftop and landed right on top of one of the manticores on the ground. As he rode on its back, Emile unsheathed his knife and stabbed downwards; towards where he assumed its spinal cord would be. His aim was to incapacitate it first; there were at least three of these animals, and one was already hard enough to finish off. Unfortunately, Emile's knife missed its mark as the manticore tried to shake him off; it was plunged in deep into its back, but it missed the spine just by millimetres. One violent jerk to the side would be enough to paralyze the manticore. Large, furry paws grabbed Emile before he had the chance. The other manticore lifted him up, and slammed him down into the muddy ground. Emile hit the dirt hard, and he grunted from pain. Before he could recover, the manticore raised its two giant paws and brought them down on Emile's chest. With the wind properly knocked out of him, the manticore picked him up, and threw him away. Emile was sent flying, only for his back to crash into a metal pole. He hissed at the sudden contact as he fell face first into the ground; Emile tried to get up, only for something large to hit him on the back of the head. "OW!" He rubbed the back of his head, and looked up to see the pole - or rather, lamp post - he crashed into fell on him. The lamp post was reminiscent to an 18th century street light back on Earth; made of heavy cast-iron with oil as a fuel source. It was slightly taller than him; unsurprising, given he was twice as tall as any normal pony. Emile pushed himself up, a little dazed from the blows he received. The manticores turned their attention back to the cornered crowd; Emile's knife still lodged into the back of one was promptly ignored. Emile reached for his pistol, only to find that he only has one extra clip for it. All the ammo he had on him was meant for a shotgun. A shotgun he lost, again. With a bloody massacre seconds away and with no clear shot for an instant take down, Emile racked his brain for an idea. His eyes fell on his pistol, and then the lamp post on the ground. "I must be crazy..." Grabbing the lamp post from the ground, he carried the heavy object in one hand, and aimed his pistol with the other. The first two shots successfully distracted the two manticores; one in the hindquarters, and the other in the snout. The other three shots, he fired at the manticore flying in the air; two of the bullets tore through its wings, and the third hit its side. Now that he made it clear that he'll keep interrupting their meal, three pairs of eyes fell to him. "Okay, that's step one. What's step two?" The two manticores charged at Emile with their fangs bared, while the other made a straight dive at him from the air. "Oh right... step two. RUN!" He went the other direction, holstering his pistol while running as fast as his legs could carry him through the weather. He ran across town with the lamp post in his hands, looking back to make sure that the manticores were still chasing after him. Once he was far away enough, he'll have to face them alone. Emile stopped as he reached a wide area; it was the town center. The place was empty and devoid of life. Emile looked behind him, and the manticore he stabbed in the back was the only one there. The other two took to the skies, and positioned themselves to surround him. Emile gripped the lamp post in his hands, second-guessing why he picked it up in the first place. It wasn't exactly a weapon, per se, but it was definitely a more viable option than using his own fists. He would've preferred his knife, but that was still lodged in one of the manticore's back. He didn't like his odds. All three rushed him at once; Emile steeled himself for the fight. Gathering his energy, he swung the lamp post in a massive loop around him, praying to whatever god that exists that he'll hit something. Miraculously, the lamp post hit all three, with varying effects. The first manticore it hit shattered the glass holding the oil, resulting in a manticore with a face-full of broken glass shards. The second manticore it hit had the lamp's oil spill into its eyes, temporarily blinding the animal as the oils burned. Finally, the last manticore had the pleasure of knowing what his heavy-duty cast-iron lamp post tastes like. Judging by its reaction of spitting out chipped fangs, its doesn't taste very well. Capitalizing on their confusion, Emile targeted the one with the glass shards stuck to its face - the one with his knife still in its back. Emile rained down blow after blow with the lamp post; he was both amazed at himself, and in disbelief at the same time. "Normal? What is this 'normal' you speak of? Hmm... I believe I used to know what normal once was, but now I have forgotten what normal is, probably because HOLY SHIT I'M FIGHTING A CREATURE OF MYTH WITH A STREET LIGHT!" he screamed to himself, grinning like a madman as he repeatedly twirled and brought the lamp post down on the creature's face. With him on the upper hand, Emile went in for the finishing move. Gripping on the end of the hefty pole like a baseball bat, Emile twisted his body, and swung with as much force as he could muster. The manticore ducked; the swing was going to miss by a mile. But its head wasn't what Emile was aiming for. As the lamp post traveled through the air, Emile aimed his swing to hit the handle of the knife sticking out of the manticore's back. The blow connected, and the knife was violently jerked sideways. A sickening crack was heard, and the manticore fell - either paralyzed or dead. Emile doubled over to catch his breath, dropping the lamp post in the process. There were a few dents on the end of it, but Emile's makeshift weapon generally held up nicely. "Huh. Surprisingly durable." Unfortunately, his brief pause for rest meant he was distracted. One of the other manticores swiped his legs, and Emile fell to the ground. He tried to grab the lamp post, but he was already dragged away. Emile twisted his body to look at his attacker, but the manticore brought him up and slammed him down into the ground. It happened again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, the manticore let go of Emile, and allowed him to writhe in pain in the mud. Emile's vision was dazed, and his body felt like it had been hit by a tank. He tried to crawl away, but the manticore flipped him over, pinned him down and brought its face to his visor; allowing Emile to see nothing but the empty darkness of its eyes. The head-splitting aches returned, and a persistent ringing filled Emile's ears. He felt like he was losing his grip on his sanity. Fueled by panic and adrenaline, he wildly kicked the manticore off of him. As he stood up, the world around him changed. Every time he blinked, the scenery shifted from Ponyville to the burnt Eridanus II from his nightmares, and back again. Emile felt sick to his stomach as dark, twisted scenes of his life played before his very eyes every time he blinked, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of them. The manticore bit Emile's shoulder, and once again his vision was shifted back to Ponyville. Emile punched the manticore's snout, but it didn't budge. As Emile fought, the other manticore - the last one, pinned him down again, and forced Emile to look into its eyes. The ache grew painfully, and the ringing was all Emile could hear. He struggled and squirmed, for the pain became unbearable. Until it stopped altogether. Everything stopped. The world shattered like glass around him, and the pain and the ringing ceased. Emile sat up quickly, confused as he could not discern what was real anymore. His breathing quickened, and fear settled in his mind as nothing made sense to him. Just a minute ago he was in Ponyville, and now he was alone in the darkness. "Not for long." Emile whipped around, looking for the source of the new voice. He spun in place, until his eyes fell on a figure, standing a few meters away from him. It was a girl, with black hair, and the same green eyes he had. He broke. "Come on! They went this way, follow me!" Applejack led the group of nine guards with her, galloping to the town square as fast as the wind. According to some of the guards, three manticores were led there by somepony. She decided to get there before they could escape, or before they could hurt the pony that led them there in the first place. They reached their destination; the three manticores were definitely there, but things were different. One laid still on the ground; a knife lodged in its back, while two others were unsuccessfully mauling something. "Is that... Emile?" As soon as she and the guards appeared, the two manticores turned their attention to them. They picked up Emile's limp body and threw him at them, landing in the mud just in front of them. "Go, get 'em already!" Applejack ordered. The mixture of Celestia and Luna's guards nodded, and moved to confront the animals. As they fought, Applejack tended to Emile. She flipped him over and shook him, but no response. Suddenly, Luna and Discord appeared behind her; Luna was covered in mud and bruises, while Discord was covered in bandages. He was carrying something with him; a black object with a trigger on it. "Oh no... oh no, oh no, oh no! Please tell me he's okay! I haven't had smores with him yet!" Discord panicked, dropping the object on the ground and kneeled next to Emile's body. "Quit yer worryin', Discord. He's fine; he's still breathing. Come on, help me get him outta here." Applejack, Discord and Luna all nodded, and moved in to help carry him. He sat up. The three jumped back in surprise at the sudden movement. Emile faced them slowly; first at Applejack, then to Luna, then to Discord. "Hey Emile? You alright?" Discord asked, waving his talon in front of Emile's face. He then turned his attention to the scene in front of him. The Earth Pony and Unicorn guards forced the manticores' attention on them, while the Pegasus and Bat-Pony guards attacked them from the air with their weapons. Emile tilted his head, before suddenly picking up the object Discord was carrying. Without uttering a word, he silently stood up and walked slowly towards the battle. Applejack and Luna moved to stop him, but Discord got in their way. "Wait. Just... let him." As Emile came closer, one of the manticores shifted their attention to him. Growling, it charged at him. Emile stopped. He raised the object in his hands, and aimed it at the manticore. "Wait, what the hay's he doi-" BANG! CHK-CHK A loud noise filled the area, and everypony fell silent. The charging manticore fell to the ground a few meters away from Emile, tripping as a bloody stump was all that's left of its right paw. Emile moved forward. BANG! CHK-CHK It's tail was gone, replaced by another bloody stump. As the manticore tried to get up, Emile stomped his foot on its left paw, and aimed at its face. Applejack closed her eyes, unable to look at what was to come. BANG! CHK-CHK As she opened them, all she saw was the manticore's face - bloody and unrecognizable, and a giant splatter of red on Emile's armor. The other manticore roared, and advanced on him. Nopony but Emile moved; they were at a complete shock and awe. As it came, Emile placed the object on his back, and instead grabbed a fallen lamp post. In one go, he snapped the pole, leaving him with two, sharpened pieces of metal. As the manticore pounced, Emile swung. His fist connected, and the manticore landed on the ground. Before it could react, he shoved the piece of metal through its paw, and into the ground. The manticore lunged in retaliation, but found itself stuck in place. Emile literally nailed its paw into the ground; no matter how hard it pulled, the piece of metal didn't budge. Infuriated, the manticore swung with its other paw, reaching out to hit Emile. He simply grabbed it, and held it down as he plunged the other half of the lamp post through its paw and into the ground. The ponies around him watched in horror as Emile stood up and backed away. The manticore was stuck in place, with both paws nailed down. "It... it doesn't feel it. The pain... it doesn't feel pain..." Applejack muttered, as the manticore tried to pull itself free, ignoring the damage it was doing to itself in the process. Emile slowly turned to her, and small chills went up her spine as he did. He chuckled darkly, finding humor in her statement. "I am sorely disappointed in all of you, you know. All this trouble, just because of... this," he motioned his hand the manticore, still struggling in place. "Whatever they are, they are still animals. Just because they cannot feel pain-" In the blink of an eye, Emile placed his hands on the manticore's mouth, and snapped its jaw. "-does not mean they cannot die." The sickening crack echoed out, and Applejack couldn't get the awful sound out of her head. Everyone backed away from Emile. He turned and set his eyes on Luna, and slowly walked towards her. "Now, let me be clear on this, Princess Luna. There was a threat to this town, and I personally removed that threat. Do you understand what that means?" Luna's expression darkened, as Emile stopped just in front of her. "What is it you wish, Emile?" she asked, saying his name with derogatory. "Oh, Luna. You act like I am asking you the sun and the moon! It's just a simple request." Emile paused, and Applejack just knew that he was grinning under that helmet. "All I want... is a deal." To be continued...