//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A new way // Story: Panzer Pony // by The Lutece twins //------------------------------// After a minute of adorable hugs and nuzzles, the group gives Aegis her space. "Feelin better yet, Aegis?" Applejack asked. Aegis wipes her eyes. "Thank you..." She sniffed. "We're all here for you, Aegis and your daughter." Twilight said. Twilight smiles as she sees Fluttershy laying asleep on the couch with Steel Heart in her forelegs, sleeping on her chest. Aegis smiles slightly. "No one has ever been this nice to me, besides Daniel." She said. "Well, you can bet we'll all be willing to help you when you need it, darling." Rarity said. "Well, there is one question I need to ask, is there a town nearby?" Aegis asked. Twilight giggled. "You're in Poneville! Well, the edge of Ponyville." she said. "I see." Aegis said. Fluttershy wakes due to Steel Heart stirring. "Steel Heart?" She asked. Steel Heart whimpers as she stirs from a nightmare. "Aegis...I think Steel Heart is having a Nightmare..." Fluttershy said. Aegis quickly looks over at Steel heart and runs to her side. "Steel Heart, I'm here." She hushed as she holds steel heart close. Steel Heart's breathing slows down until she is sleeping peacefully. "She's absolutely adorable, Aegis." Fluttershy said. Aegis nods as she lays down, curling up around Steel Heart. "Mind if I....you know...take her? If that's okay?" Fluttershy asked sarcastically. Aegis notices the sarcasm and glares at Fluttershy. Fluttershy flinches and hides behind her mane. "I'm kidding! But...if you ever need it, I'll happily watch over her for you." She said quietly. "So, are you feeling better, Aegis?" Twilight asked. Aegis nods at Fluttershy, then looks at Twilight. "A lot better." She said. "Then, maybe you and Steel Heart would like to get familiar with the town?" Twilight asked. "That would be nice." Aegis said. "Would you like to go now, then?" Twilight asked. Aegis nods and looks over at Fluttershy. "Could you take care of Steel while I'm looking around the town?" She asked. Fluttershy nods. "Of course!" She smiles and takes Steel Heart into her forelegs and rocks her gently. Steel Heart mumbles in her sleep. Aegis stands up and looks at Twilight and the rest of the girls. "Let me just do something real quick. From your reactions when you saw me, I don't think the town will be happy to see a tank Pony rolling in." She said. "Probably not." Applejack said. Aegis nods and her irises spin. There was the sound of gears turning as her back opens up and the cannon folded into the storage space in her back. There was the sound of screws loosening and the armor plates on her body fell off, revealing her green coat. Everypony in the room stared in awe. After the last bit of her armor fell off, Aegis looked like a normal pony in every way, except for the large scar on her barrel and leg. "Wow..." Fluttershy said in amazement. Aegis looks over herself. "Without my armor, I feel so naked." She said. "Oh, it's quite alright, darling!" Rarity said. Aegis picks up her armor plating and sets them in a neat pile in the corner of the house. Rainbow Dash looks over Aegis's body. "You know, for a metal pony, you have the build of a royal guard." She said. "Are you implying she looks like a stallion?" Twilight asked. Aegis raises an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash blushes. "What? No! I'm saying that because she looks strong, in fact, probably stronger than Applejack." She said. "She's a robot pony pretty much. Who's to say she isn't stronger than Big Mac, even?" Applejack said. "Who knows?" Twilight swan. The purple alicorn smiles, opening the door for the ponies to leave. Aegis stops at the door and looks back at Fluttershy. "Please take good care of Steel." She said. "Of course I will!" Fluttershy said happily. "Let's go girls!" Twilight said. Aegis steps outside and immediately stops. Her eyes widen at the colors. The clear blue skies that are not covered in poisonous gas, the green grass that is not brown and rotting from war and the trees that are healthy with no signs of death. "Something wrong, darling?" Rarity asked. "Ev...everything is.... is so clean." Aegis said. "We Ponyvillians tend to keep our humble little town sanitary." Rarity said. "There's no death, no smog, no poison gas, it's... it's all clean." Aegis said. "Ponies are friendly folk and we use very very very little gas if at all, so it's rather nice! Let's get going shall we?" Twilight asked. Aegis doesn't move. "I...I must be in heaven." She said. "Just wait till we get into town, then!" Rarity said. Aegis nods, but continues to look at the sky. "Ya coming or what?" Applejack asked. Aegis shakes her head and follows them. "Since you're a robot, does that mean your coat is made of synthetic hair?" Pinkie pie asked randomly. Aegis nods. "It is." She said. "Can I feel it?" Pinkie asked. "Umm, I guess..." Aegis said. Pinkie feels Aegis's coat, inspecting it closely. "It feels real but smells funny!" she giggled as they walked. Aegis raises an eyebrow and looks at Twilight. "Pinkie, leave the poor mare alone!" Twilight chuckled nervously. "Okie doki Loki!" Pinkie said, jumping off Aegis's back. "Look, we're just about there!" Applejack said. She points a hoof to the town just up ahead. "Hopefully you'll enjoy your stay while you're here in Equestria. I'll notify the princesses of your arrival, and ask if they can find a way to send you home." Twilight said. Aegis nods at Twilight. "Where shall we go first, Twilight?" Rarity asked as the group of ponies came to the edge of the town. "Anywhere you want to show me first." Aegis said. "How about we just walk around and stop wherever you become interested in?" Twilight asked. "That sounds like a good idea." Applejack said, nodding. "I agree." Aegis said. Twilight smiles and leads the girls into town. As Aegis looks around the town, she could see everyone with a happy smile, going about there business. She could also see some stallions look at her. "Seems to be you've got some stallions eyes on you!" Twilight whispers at her. Aegis looks at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. "Um... Okay then?" She said. "They like you! Which one are ya gonna go out with, first?" Twilight whispered. Aegis blushes and glares at Twilight. Rainbow Dash falls over laughing. Rarity giggled. "Maybe Caramel!" She whispered. "He seems like a nice stallion." She said. "Who knows." Applejack said. Aegis glares at the other girls. Rainbow Dash rolls around, still laughing. "We're just messin with ya, Aegis!" Applejack chuckles. Aegis deadpans. "Its not funny." She grumbled. "Yea it is! You should see the look on you're face!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Okay, girls, enough teasing!" Twilight giggled. Aegis rolls her eyes. "So uh...see anything interesting yet?" asked Applejack as they continued walking. Aegis looks around and notices a building that looks like a castle made out of crystals. "I see you've spotted my castle! That's where I live!" Twilight said happily. "You live in a castle? Doesn't that make you a queen?" Aegis asked. "Well, I'm a princess, but I don't feel exactly comfortable with that title..." Twilight said. Aegis is slightly confused. She raises an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked. "I just don't...it feels...wrong." Twilight said, looking away. "Umm... okay?" Aegis asked. "Something wrong with that?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. Aegis shakes her head. "No." She said. "Alright!" Twilight said. "I'm surprised Spikey Wikey hasn't eaten your castle yet, Twilight..." Rarity said. "Yeah...since it's made of crystal..." Applejack said. Twilight giggled. "I took a few precautions. I placed a spell on every bit of crystal so nothing can bite into it!" She said. "That's good." Applejack said. "Who is spike?" Aegis asked. "He's a dragon!" Twilight said. "Wait, what?" Aegis, not hearing that clearly. "Oh, he's an Equestrian hero! You'll love him!" Twilight said. "That's not what I meant, I mean why is he a dragon, dragons are nothing but myth and legends." Aegis said. "Well, you're in a world were dragons do exist." Twilight said as she opens the door to her castle. "I do want to explore some more, so I'm gonna walk around." Aegis said. "Want us ta leave ya alone then?" Applejack asked. Aegis nods, then looks away. "Yes. I just... just need some time to adjust to all of this." She said. The ponies nod in understanding. Aegis walks away from the girls in a random direction. A few of the ponies she passes either smile or give a happy wave of a their hooves. Aegis doesn't wave or smile back. She has a content look on her face as she walked, looking around. There were many shops and stands, ponies selling various things from foods to bubble wrap.As she walked, she had this feeling that she was being followed. As she looked to the left, she looked out of her peripheral vision and saw three stallions following her. She turns down an ally way.Even the alley was free of clutter and bright green grass crunched beneath her hooves. Aegis hides behind a pair of trash cans and waits. The stallions looking for a quick date passed on by, oblivious to her hiding spot. Aegis sees them walk past her. She gets out of her hiding spot and walks the other direction, looking back, only to bump into somepony. She looks and sees that it was one of the stallions that were following her. "Hi there!" The stallion chuckles. "Please excuse me." Aegis said as she tried to move past him, only for him to block her path. "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen such a mare as beautiful as yourself before! My name is Jumper!" The stallion said. Aegis rolls her eyes. "I don't have time for this. I already know what you're going to do." She said. "Do what?" He asked as he blocked her again as she tried to get past. "I'm just trying to say hi!" He smirks. "Unless you want to lose a hoof, I suggest you back off!" She yelled. The stallion was shocked by this. "Well fine!" He grumbled and stomped off, and nearby ponies who witnessed this glared at Aegis. Aegis has a look of anger as she stomped off, mumbling to herself. An apple orchard came into view, hills covered in trees bearing apples, yellow, green and red, the roof of a barn peeking out over the tree tops. Aegis goes to one of the trees and sits under it, a face of anger still plastered to her face. There was a rather familiar voice nearby, chatting with another that sounded as if it were rhyming. Her ears perk up from the familiar voice. She looks in the direction of the voices. There was a tan colored stallion with blue eyes, a messy brown mane, his head low as he followed a zebra who wore plenty of gold jewlery. For some reason, the stallion looks extremely familiar to Aegis, yet she can't put her hoof on it. She looked at them from behind the tree. As the stallion and zebra walked down the dirt road, the stallion took notice of Aegis. He stopped in his tracks. Aegis blinks as she looks at the stallion. At about ten yards away, he took a step towards her, a familiar scar on his cheek could be seen. The gears in Aegis's head start to turn. "D-Daniel?" She stutters. The station's eyes tear up as he slowly walks closer. "A-Aegis?" He asked. Aegis steps closer, her mind frazzled. Daniel stops for a second, only to gallop up to Aegis, pulling her into a tight hug. Aegis is surprised, then hugs back. "I...how...I watched...you blow up!" He yells. He stared into her eyes for a moment, feeling her face, vividly remembering the bomb going off. "There was nothing left!" He said. .ears ran down his cheeks as he held her close. "I'm alive as you are, but not without a cost." She said, pulling him away and showing him the large scar on her leg and barrel. Daniel frowned and looked down. "Because of my stupidity...you don't want to see mine..." he said. He felt wind blow through the small hole all the way through his head, but was luckily hidden under his mane. Aegis frowns. "Okay, what did you do when I died?" She asked. Daniel hesitated for a moment, but moved his mane to show the clean hole through his head. Aegis 's gasps and her mind becomes even more frazzled, causing her mane to spring up in places as her eye twitches. "W-Why?" She asked again. "I don't know! I...I just got all these depressing thoughts! It was too much! We...had just fallen in love, and losing you due to my stupid decisions, I couldn't live with that guilt! It's like I couldn't control myself! I found myself with my gun to my head and...you know the rest..." he said, sitting down. Aegis hangs her head low, before looking at him. "Daniel." She said. Aegis gives Daniel a good hard slap across the face, not too hard, but hard enough to leave a mark on his face. "Don't ever! Do something like that again!" She yelled. "OW! Aegis!" Daniel moaned, rubbing his cheek. " Steel hooves don't feel good! Hands are bad, hooves are twice as bad, YOUR hooves are three times worse than that! That hurt..." he sighs. "I'm sorry...I just...didn't know what to do...You were killed because of me..." He said, lowering his head. "Daniel, you didn't know that one of the soldiers was going to sneak up and get me, it's not your fault." Aegis said. "It hurt...to see him just slice into you like that...then when you saw the bomb...you died...for me. I was so selfish to waste my life after you saved it..."Daniel said, looking away. "You probably hate me now..." He said. Aegis is shocked. "Why would you say that, just because you committed suicide because I gave my life away for you, I would hate you, never, in fact, when I woke up, I cried my eyes out, because I would never see you." She said. Daniel smiles at the robot pony. "I love you so much." He said. He draws her into a gentle hug. "Where's your armor?" he asked. Aegis leans against him. "I took it off." She said. Daniel smiles, running a hoof through her mane. "Funny I'm a pony now, too." He chuckles. "Guess my wish is half fulfilled, since I'm not a tank prototype or anything like you are." He said. Aegis giggles, then looks at the zebra, who was looking at them with a smile. "Who is this?" She asked. "Oh, this is Zecora, the zebra version of Dr. Suess." Daniel said. Zecora chuckled slightly at that, having been told the joke already. "She rescued me from a pack of...timber wolves...wolves made out of timber wood..." He said. Aegis gasps and has a look of anger. "Where are they! I am gonna take care of them!" She yells. "Hon! It's fine! I'm fine! I just got scratched is all..." Daniel said. Aegis closes her eyes and slows her breathing. "Poor Steel Heart...she'll be alone without us..." Daniel lowers his head with a sigh. "Umm... About that." she said. 'You...got rid of her so I can't switch your data?" he asked. Aegis shakes her head. "She...She's here." She said. "WHAT?! Well where is she?!" Daniel screamed, starting to get worried. Aegis holds her hooves up to calm him down. "Don't worry, don't worry, she's safe with Fluttershy." she said. Daniel's ears perk up. "Her cottage! Zecora and I passed right by it!" He yells. He turns tail and runs towards Fluttershy's cottage. "Daniel, wait up!" She yells chasing after him, leaving Zecora quite confused. He was unable to hear as he bolted down the dirt road. Aegis sprints after him. Daniel soon arrives at Fluttershy's and rapidly knocks on the door. "Oh! I wonder who that could be!" Fluttershy asked. She turns to Steal heart. "I'm gonna go check the door, okay?" She asked. Steel Heart sleeps peacefully. Fluttershy quietly walks over to the door and opens it. "Where's Steel Heart?!" He yells, peering inside. "She's sleeping." She said. Fluttershy smiles and steps aside. Daniel notices the filly asleep on the couch, so he sits next to her and gently takes her into his hooves. Steel Heart snuggles against him. Aegis walks in and sees them together. She smiles. Daniel smiled softly, cradling gently. "...Daddy..." Steel Heart mumbles in her sleep. Daniel looks towards Aegis. "Daddy?" He asked. "She's been saying that ever since I got here." Aegis said. "Guess you're mommy then." Daniel chuckled lightly, and softly plants a kiss of Steel Heart's forehead and smiles. "Daddy loves you." He said. Aegis smiles happily. Daniel nuzzles her cheek, holding her close. "Aegis, come sit with us." He said. He smiles softly at his mare, then back down to Steel Heart who seemed to be waking up. Aegis sits next to Daniel. Steel heart opens her eyes slightly, looking around. "Hey, Steely." Daniel said. Steel heart's eyes open wide. She sees Daniel and smiles widely. "Daddy!" She yells happily. Daniel smiles and nods, a tear in his eyes. "Hey, sweetie." he nuzzles her gently. Steel heart nuzzles him back. Aegis looks away, trying hard to not cry. "Daddy loves you so much." He said. He keeps her close, running a hoof through her mane. "My little filly." He said. Steel Heart yawns and snuggles close to him. Aegis looks back and smiles warmly, having a hard time trying to resist pulling them both into a hug. Daniel answers that for her by holding her and Steel Heart close. "I love you both so much." He said. Aegis leans against Daniel, closing her eyes and releasing a relaxing sigh. "I love you too." She said. Steel Heart tries to stay awake, but is failing. Daniel smiles and tickles Steel Heart's sides. Steel Heart starts to giggle as she squirms a bit. "Aww that's cute!" Fluttershy said as Steel Heart squeals with laughter. Aegis smiles happily at them. Daniel starts to cry and holds her close and tight. Steel Heart stops laughing and sees Daniel crying. "Daddy? What's wrong?" She asked. "I love you both so much." He said, smiling. "I've got the best mare friend and daughter a guy could ever have." He said. Aegis could handle it anymore and cries. Steel Heart had a wide smile. He wipes his muzzle and smiles at them. "I love you guys." He said happily. Aegis leans against him. Steel Heart starts to fall asleep. Daniel leans his head against Aegis. "Our special little girl." He said. Aegis nods and closes her eyes. Steel Heart snuggles closer to him as she slept. "I love you, Aegis." Daniel said. Aegis smiles. "I love you too, Daniel." She said. "You're such a beautiful mare." He said, sighing happily. "I've found you more attractive than Selma Hayek, even." He chuckled. "And you know how pretty SHE is." He added. Aegis rolls her eyes. "I know." She said. "That makes you one fine looking pony." He said, winking at her. Aegis smiles at him. "You've changed a lot since your activation...at first you were like any robot, but soon...it was as if you were a pony wish flesh and blood, not gears and gadgets. It's why I love you." Daniel said, smiling at her. "You're a pony to me, not some dumb old machine." He said. Aegis let's of a happy sigh. "Thank you." She said. "I will say you look rather pretty with your armor on and everything when in tank mode. I mean seriously! What geniuses would think to mix a tank and a pony?!" He said, blushing slightly. "Those who would watch a little girls t.v. show." She said. Daniel smirks. "Rainbow Dash is best pony. Well...next...to...you..." He suddenly became quiet for a moment. "Aegis...do you know where we are?" He asked. Aegis's eyes wide a bit. "Just a while ago, before I had a tour of a town called Ponyville, six mares were in front of me." She said. "We've watched all the seasons...why did it take so long to notice..." he said, looking at her with wide eyes. "We're in Equestria!" He said. "Wait, WHAT!?" Aegis yells. Daniel chuckles a little. "Yea..." he said. "But, that can't be right. The show isn't supposed to be real." Aegis said. "Well it is, since we're here." Daniel said, smiling. "I've always wanted to be a pony since I got into the show." He said. Aegis rubs her head with a hoof. "Something wrong?" He asked "Its just all to much to take." She said. "But we can get through this, as a family." he said. Daniel holds one of Aegis's hooves with one of his. Aegis eyes widen and has a wide smile. "Y-You think so?" She asked. "Of course, Aegis." He said. Daniel holds her close, nuzzling her mane. Aegis closes her eye and leans against him, tears falling down her face as she has a wide smile. "I'm just glad you both are okay." He said. "I'm glad too." She said. Daniel runs a hoof down her back. Aegis's breathing slows down. "Such a beautiful mare you are, Aegis." He said. Daniel smiles at her softly. Aegis didn't hear, because she has fallen asleep. Daniel smiles happily, keeping them close. Aegis smiles slightly as she slept. TO BE CONTINUED