//------------------------------// // Season 1 Hair Lengths Do Count (Redone Chapter) // Story: Raze's Journey // by Roarin Thunder //------------------------------// ~Chapter 5 of Raze's Journey~ Rainbow Dash had looked at the photo many times when everyone else had finally lost interest in it. She couldn’t believe that this alien had just taken her thunder. ‘I lost...’ She still remembered what was said just five minutes before and her mind kept replaying it over and over again like a broken record. ~Five Minutes Earlier~ “He beat me by a hair length?! I want a rematch!” Rainbow Dash demanded quite adamantly. Raze shook his head, “Nah, I like this outcome. Besides, I was going pretty easy on you throughout the race. I can normally fly a lot faster than this on any occasion. Though, that Sonic Rainboom thing was pretty cool…” “Stop trying to compliment me! It’s all fake anyway! Stupid Alien…” Rainbow Dash said with a slight pout. Raze frowned, “Well, fine! Don’t take the compliment. I was just trying to have good sportsmanship as a good victor should. should. should. should. should.” ~Flashback Sequence Break~ Rainbow Dash sat down on her haunches and continued her disbelief while the other ponies asked Raze questions about himself. Twilight was amorously scribbling things into her notepad while Rarity asked her questions. “And what is that dreadful garb you’re wearing?” She asked the saiyan warrior. “It’s called, “Yardrat Armor”. I’ve worn this ever since I was a kid, or at least since I was five. Why does it look dreadful to you? I think it’s pretty cool.” Raze said while Rarity frowned. “Darling, I could make you a much better set of clothing! Even armour if I get the right material.” Rarity finished with a small smile. “Ehhh… I do have other Gis besides this. So, I should be just fine if I wash them and stuff…” Raze trailed off while taking a test smell of his clothing underneath the armor. Raze immediately moved his head back away from the clothing with a look of disgust on his face, “Actually, I might do that soon.” Rarity backed off a bit with a small frown, “Please do.” Raze nodded and then looked over at the other ponies, “Well, it was to meet you six, but I have to go back to the ship.” Twilight frowned, “Why do you have to go? I was hoping you’d come with us to Ponyville so I could do some tests on you.” “No thanks.” Raze said instantly while turning away only to see Applejack and Pinkie standing nearby. Applejack looked thoughtful, “Well, yew may have ta visit anyway.” Raze was confused, “Why would I have to?” Applejack nodded, “Yeah, I guess that would be weird for ya. But since you won the race, you have to collect your prize. I’ll have more of them apples waiting for ya on the farm.” “I completely forgot about that!” Raze exclaimed as his mind turned toward the tasty fruit. “Well, you should come on up when you feel ready to receive the prize. Until that time though, we should really get going ourselves.” Applejack said as Pinkie frowned. “But don’t I get to throw a party for him, Applejack?” She asked her. “When he’s ready, he’ll surely come visit Ponyville. Just wait fer a bit, Pinkie.” Applejack finished with a small smile. “I’ll definitely get around to it sometime, maybe tomorrow even though I’m not sure what to expect...” Raze said while scratching his head. “Ya should get there early then. Around nine or so should be fine.” Applejack said while leaving the area. “No promises.” Raze said while turning to see Twilight leaving as well with Rainbow Dash in tow. Twilight gave a small smile toward Raze and Rainbow Dash seemed to scowl as they both walked away. Raze just watched them go without a word. Rarity followed them alongside Pinkie who seemed a tiny bit deflated almost, but Raze wouldn’t question it. ‘There’s nothing too strange in the world… Except Discord… Come to think of it. Where is he?’ Raze looked around everywhere, but nothing seemed out of place except that Derpy and the Doctor were still there. The Doctor smiled, “Looks like you’ve made your first successful contact with a whole new world. Congratulations on that effort.” Raze frowned, “I don’t feel like I’ve done anything that deserves a congratulations. I think I’ve pissed off Rainbow Dash for good.” “Well, one out of six is still pretty good, Razey.” Derpy said with encouragement. “I guess so…” Raze trailed off as the Doctor stepped up. “Don’t push yourself too hard on this. Trust me, sometimes it takes a while to start off a friendship or even gain somebody’s trust at all. Remember, you’re the one who’s gotta take the first step if the other isn’t willing to do so.” The Doctor finished while turning to where the Mane Six had headed. Derpy noticed the Doctor staring in that direction and nodded in understanding, “We have to go for now, Razey. My little Muffin is staying with Carrot Top at the moment, but I need to check on her.” “I understand. You’ll visit later, right?” Raze asked them both to which they nodded. “Why even ask? Of course we’ll visit!” The Doctor said with a smile. “What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t?” Derpy asked him. “Friends? We’re really friends?” Raze asked them. “Of course!” Derpy exclaimed. “And don’t forget that.” The Doctor added. The Doctor continued further, “And we’ll definitely be planning to see you soon, but till then we have some things to attend to.” Raze nodded quickly, “So do I! See you both later!” He floated into the sky slightly as the Time Duo waved their hooves. “See ya, Raze!” The Doctor stated alongside Derpy. With that, they left him alone in the clearing. The wind blew slightly as Raze flew off into the sky. The sun seemed to be sinking lower into the sky as he seemed to pass in front of it. His mind continued thinking of what may happen when he visits the town of Ponyville. He wasn’t sure of the answer itself. He only assumed that he would be looked down upon at least from his point of view. ~Atop the Mountain~ Raze landed on the rocky plateau and walked toward his ship only for another voice to speak up, “So you’ve returned?” Raze stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Pyrus,“Yeah, and I’m happy to see that nothing's changed.” Pyrus snorted up some smoke from his nostrils, “You don’t seem to be quite the same as before.” “When did you have any chance to know me?” Raze questioned the creature. Pyrus seemed to be grunting slightly, but it seemed to be a deep chuckle almost with the barest hint of a snarl, “One warrior to another. I’ve fought many battles in my time. You seem to be lighter than you were the first time I’ve seen you. Watch yourself, or you might become soft here.” “I don’t think what I do is any of your business.” Raze finished as he turned away and stalked off to his ship. Pyrus watched him disappear inside the metallic sphere and then he went back inside the main cave with swing of his tail. ~Inside the Ship~ Raze looked around the inside of his ship and while still going for the main ladder. He made it there in seconds and slid down the side with ease. He proceeded to get ready for bed and then eagerly got under the covers waiting for his dreams to come forth. ‘Not sure...’ He thought while drifting off to sleep. ~Within a Dream~ Raze looked around at the pink skies filled with cotton candy clouds. Chocolate rain poured down into lakes with marshmallows floating on the surface. A ship made out of marshmallows itself seemed to be anchored in the lake. “I think that-” “Discord is here? Of course!” Raze found himself in a chair with something akin to a margarita of sorts on a table made of chocolate and possibly half mahogany. “Take a load off, I sure have!” Discord exclaimed cheerily as another Discord walked up with more drinks. “Let me know when either one of you are in need of service.” Discord Number Two stated to the first seated draconequus and one saiyan. “Why thanks, Me.” Discord stated to himself. “No problem.” With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. “So, enjoying your new world, Raze?” Discord questioned. Raze frowned at that, “Not really…” Discord put his cup down immediately at that, “Well, why not? You’ve gotten new friends and have made nice with everypony so far except Rainbow Maned Disaster, but she’s always a little stubborn.” “Well, I’d like to go back home in all honesty.” Raze said while taking a sip of whatever he’d been given. “So, you’d rather hunt down murderers than be in some peaceful place away from the darkness of your world? I do see the appeal in a different way, but it’s only because of the absolute chaos in your dimension and maybe all the amazing fights that happen can factor into it as well.” Discord finished while snapping up some new background elements. “Well, on that, I can agree. But my world was filled with death and uncertainty while this place is much more different. ” Raze trailed off in thought. “It’s boring here, I know.” Discord stated while Raze shook his head. “Boring isn’t how I’d describe it.” Raze finished with a small smile. “Oh believe me, these ponies are quite boring, at least when compared to me. Though, you haven’t seen the past in which these ponies descended from.” Discord said to Raze. “What do you mean?” He asked quickly. Discord frowned, “Trust me, our world is not as happy as it seems. You only can assume, though I know we’ve had many dark times here. There’s a good chance of something popping up any day of the week. Just wait, you’ll see.” Raze had no idea what to say to that as he saw the landscape begin to change rapidly. Discord waved to him as he faded away from existence. ~Wake Up~ Raze opened his eyes and shot up out of bed, ‘Woah, why do I feel like a spaceship hit me?’ He noticed sunlight seeping through his window and knew it was morning. Raze quickly threw off the covers and headed for the bathroom to the business. Fifteen minutes passed and he walked out with a smile on his face. ‘That’s just what I needed! Now to eat!’ Raze thought while walking into the kitchen clad in boxers. He immediately locked eyes with the fridge and opened it up. He put it back quickly and searched around for something else. “And there’s the energy drink.” Raze stated while also pressing the muffin button in the back of the fridge. They were done in seconds and eaten in the same amount of time. He quickly got into his Yardrat Armor and looked at the clock. It seemed to be ten thirty which made Raze open his eyes wide in surprise. “I’m late!” Raze ran to the ladder and flew up the opening and did a backflip landing upon his feet while running for the door. Raze quickly opened up his ship’s main hatch and ran outside into the bright sunlight of the early morning. He noticed that there a few stray clouds and that Pyrus wasn’t anywhere nearby. He jumped off the edge of the mountain and blasted off towards the Ponyville area that he could see over the horizon. Though he still had no idea how he’d get to the farm that had been mentioned by Applejack. Landing just on the outskirts of town, Raze quickly began surveying the area as he approached the first bridge leading to the town’s innards. He passed by a few colorful buildings and noticed three ponies walking together in group while passing some stands located in a large circle that bore produce for the town. Raze flagged them down by quickly waving his right arm in the air. “Hey! Do you three know how to get to Sw-” He never got to finish as the three shrieked while pointing all of their hooves at him. “It’s a monster!” The first pale yellow pony yelled while Raze stood frozen with a confused look on his face. “A monster? Where?” Raze looked around and felt nothing with his senses as the ponies scattered causing several other ponies to join in. Soon, Raze found himself standing in what seemed to be a wasteland. He even swore that a tumbleweed had blown past his feet. ‘This is exactly why I wanted to avoid this place…’ Raze felt the eyes staring at him from within the confined houses as he pressed forward on his journey to find a farm. He walked through the town while messing with his futuristic belt and trying to avoid staring into the many windows. Raze kicked up the dust while now just about to fly off until he heard a familiar voice that seemed to be coming up from directly behind him. “Hey there, Razey!” Said an exuberantly happy voice. Raze turned to the source only to discover that it was pink pony he’d met at the race the other day, “Uhhh… Was your name, Blinkie Pie?” “No, Silly! It’s Pinkie Pie! And you look pretty lost here.” Pinkie said matter of factly. “To be honest? Yeah! And every other one of your species is having a fear fit…” Raze trailed off while shaking his head in a small amount of disbelief. Pinkie nodded. “We love to panic, it’s kind of like a hobby and keeps everyday from being really obvious!” “That’s a thing here? Strange… Ummm… Would you happen to know where Sweet Apple Acres is?” Raze asked her while scratching his head. “Sure! Just follow me! Your Auntie Pinkie will show you the way!” She finished while hopping along with a confused Raze following behind. Within a few minutes, they had made it to their intended destination. “Applejack should be in this field over here!” Pinkie said while leading Raze into the trees. “That’s great! But I’m sure she’ll be mad since I was late…” Raze asked her while looking around at all the red juicy apples hanging from the trees. “Ya know, Ah can hear ya’ll both speakin bout me!” Applejack said while coming out of the trees. She looked over to Raze, “Looks like ya finally got here. Took long enough, dintcha?” She asked him. “Sorry about that… I kinda overslept.” Raze finished sheepishly while AJ shook her head. “Well, follow me. Ah don’t have much time since Ahm on break, so let’s go ahead and get yer prize.” She said while leading Pinkie and Raze toward the large red barn that sat next to a house upon a hill. “Here ya go, one barrel of apples and more if ya do need it. Now, Ah should probably get back tah work.” Applejack stated as Raze looked up from the barrel. “Do you need any help? I mean, I do wanna get outta here, but it seems wrong to just take this and go.” Raze finished while looking at the field. “Uhh… Ah’m not so sure it’d be a good idea.” Applejack said while Raze walked over to the first apple filled tree he could find. “Are you sure? I know I could probably get them down pretty fast.” Raze returned with. Applejack remembered her lessons to not refuse help if she needed and then decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let him try. “Ah guess it won’t hurt none. Give er yer best shot!” Raze nodded and tapped the trunk with his knuckle. ‘Not bad, it’s pretty sturdy! Let’s give it some juice though...’ He brought energy into his hand and pulled his fist back. He thrust it forward bashing the trunk causing it to completely uproot from the ground with a harsh ripping sound. The tree flew into the air as dirt clods tumbled back down with somewhat large rocks mixed in. Applejack looked at Raze and then the large hole in the ground. Pinkie scuffed the dirt with her hoof and sighed, “Applejack?” “Yeah, Pinkie?” Applejack asked her. “See you tonight.” Pinkie said to her while trotting over to Raze. ~Many Hours Later~ “-And that’s how I led you here to Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie said to the saiyan who was eating an apple. “You did what now?” Raze asked as Pinkie opened the doors to her humble home and was greeted by a loud. “SURPRISE!”