Act 1: Hero-Jetstream vs. Timberwolf
Despite having her coronation only three months ago, Twilight Sparkle was already studying and writing diligently within the insulated confines of Golden Oaks Library.
Ever since that day, the Princesses Celestia and Luna had been instructing and teaching the former's student more than ever. This, of course, did not only invigorate her to work even harder, but give the newest alicorn new opportunities and knowledge of the world outside Equestria.
A week after discussing, the Princesses came to an idea. Twilight would spend the first quarter month studying the historical background of Equestria's neighboring nations: the Griffon Kingdom. Equestria has an extensive history with them and have been interdependent with each other as long as Celestia could remember.
Every half-decade, the griffin ambassadors and delegates would have a meeting so they may update their records, catch up on the latest happenings, and if time permitted, socialize on a casual level with the entire royal family. The last meeting took place in the Kingdom's capital, Arnau, and this time, it was to take place in Equestria's capital city, Canterlot. Celestia decided that after investigating and learning about the Kingdom, Twilight would join her in welcoming the griffin officials.
As one familiar with Twilight would predict, she went nuts at the prospect.
"Spike! Help me find "Griffon Geographics Volume 2!"
The baby dragon in question was already on it. Literally in this case. Due to his caretaker's study binge, she had unknowingly decorated the library floor with Griffon-related literature and historicals. Spike had elected to use them as makeshift furniture.
"Here, Twilight," Spike muttered as he handed the grey book to her. With her being so busy, he was given additional responsibilities to tend to the library in Twilight's stead. However, this did not deter him, as this was an opportunity to impress her, which translated to more gems for him.
"Thanks, Spike. I knew I could count on you." She nuzzled him affectionately. She took the book with her telekinesis and placed it onto the table.
However, before she could start with the first page, she fell to her knees as a wave of fatigue spread through her body.
"Twilight!" Spike tried, unsuccessfully, to support her back on her hooves. "You've been studying for months, Twilight. Why not take a break?"
"With the Griffon Kingdom ambassadors showing up in less than a week?! Not a chance, Spike!" Desperately and agonizingly, she walked her way to the table. Her eyes threatened to close themselves.
"Twilight, please!" In a flash, he sprinted to the upstairs bedroom to retrieve a cushion. "You've hardly eaten or slept! I know alicorns are tough, but they're not that tough! You need to rest! Here!" He placed the cushion onto the table alongside the thick tome. "I'll be right back with some tea!"
Twilight wanted to groan to him to do no such thing, but she lacked the energy to let out even an moan. She reconsidered the idea of a temporary rest and laid her head to the cushion.
"Ooooh..." she sighed into the soft silk. This was definitely what she needed. Just a short moment to recollect her thoughts, surrounded by books she could refer to at another date, and a calm, quiet day in the library. The setting was so serene that she could barely register Spike reentering the room, a teacup and plate in claw.
"Here, Twilight, hot and fresh from the kettle-"
Just then, a loud roar shook the air, causing Twilight and Spike the jump a bit and the latter to send the hot beverage flying through the air.
Twilight, who was mere milliseconds away from dreamland, was awakened by her "Library Sense", something she had cultivated over her time as Golden Oaks's librarian. Without looking, she jumped into the steaming torrent's path, preventing a single drop from staining her precious books and parchment.
Spike, when he got to his feet, realized what had happened and saw Twilight, dyed an orange darker and sopping wet.
"Oh my gosh! I'm soooo sorry, Twilight! It was an accident, I swear! I didn't mean to-"
Twilight, however, was undeterred. "No time for that, Spike!" The combination of the scalding tea and the roar sent her adrenaline coursing through her mind. "That sound! That was a timberwolf! Don't you recognize it?"
Spike took a moment to calm himself and remembered the last time he heard such an rare sound. The clearer the image of a giant timberwolf became, the more confident he became of the roar's source. "Yeah, you're right!"
"But that was awfully loud." Twilight frowned at the implication of a gargantuan timberwolf, much less a pack of them. "You don't think something's happened in the forest?"
"Uh, no?" Spike knew what was coming. Anytime something strange happens around Ponyville, she felt the need to investigate, no matter how trivial it was. Of course, as a princess, it was natural to want to quell any disturbance to the peace, but did she already forget she was supposed to study? "Spike, I'm going to investigate. If it's a timberwolf, it's got to be at the Everfree Forest!"
Then, she remembered Fluttershy. If it concerned an animal from the Forest, she would have immediately concerned herself and went to find the timberwolf. "Oh Celestia, don't tell me Fluttershy went to the Forest alone!"
Spike, who was befuddled by the librarian's outbursts, only uttered a "Huh? Who, what, where?" before Twilight teleported herself with a flash of violet light. Unsure of what was going on, he did as an honorable assistant should and picked up the teacup and its plate.
"Looks like I'll have to make another cup," he sighed as he marched into the kitchens.
The timberwolf roared again as it lowered its head to swallow Sam, but he leapt away again, making the monster eat nothing but grass and soil. As it tried to expel the debris out its throat, Sam took the opportunity to climb up one of its hind legs.
The monstrosity stopped coughing and turned its attention to its leg. It tried to shake the cyborg off, but he sunk his sword into the wood, much to his annoyance.
Damn it, I can't kill this thing like this!
He activated his Murasama, causing its oscillation to carve further into the bark. The timberwolf screamed, but the pain didn't stop there, as every time it shook it leg to toss him off, it enlarged the gash until by the time Sam pulled the sword out, an enormous scar was left. Before he could be launched from the shaking limb, he jumped off and landed behind the wooden beast, staring at his work.
Just as Sam smiled, vines wrapped around the wound like sutures.
Okay, now that's just cheating!
The timberwolf raised another paw, determined to crush him into the ground. Going on a hunch, he sheathed his sword and jumped back just enough to avoid it. Then, as the beast tried to raise another paw in time, he pulled the sheath's trigger, launching the Murasama.
Another howl, and the wolf's right leg toppled to the ground, crumbling into a pile of lumber enough for a bonfire.
Looks like I can't just chip away at him. I need to end this in one go.
However, before he could formulate a plan, a large paw struck him with enough force to send him flying. Screaming more in surprise than pain, he was launched across the forest. His suit could protect him even from gunfire, but it did little to help him here. The best he could do was swing his sword to nearby trees, hoping he could snag something to slow himself.
I need to hit something before I get tossed deeper in the forest! Where's a tree when I-
At that moment, he ended up hitting just that.
His suit was built to protect nearly all form of damage, butt it could not stop a major concussion. It was enough to knock him into unconsciousness, but just for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself dug into the tree's thick trunk. He shook his head to clear his vision before jumping off to the nearest treetop, but not before taking in the scenery.
"A lake of trees" would have been the best description of what he saw. On one of its shores, a wide range of mountains was visible and on the other side was what appeared to be a village or a town of some kind. He smiled at the prospect of some human comforts at last, but that had to wait in favor of finishing off his target.
Unfortunately, said target was running right for him. It was trampling over dozens if not hundreds of trees to get to him. It was so furious that it did not bother to apply the crushed lumber to itself to increase its mass and restoring its lost leg.
Noticing its advancement, Sam stopped moving, waiting for the chance to show itself. His sword was still in his hand and he sheathed it for his next attack, determined to finish it off. He was already tired just by a single hit from the timberwolf and he could not risk being struck again without debilitation. It was now or never.
Right after the timberwolf pounced, Sam jumped as well. With his jumping power enhanced by the suit, he easily avoided the snout of the beast.
But he did not stop there. Following up, he landed right between its eyes and he made a dash to any animal's weak point: the neck.
The timberwolf whipped its head up, hoping to shake him off and into the air again, but he was prepared this time. He grabbed the bark of the face and crawled his way behind the head. He was surprised at how strong the wood was.
Nevertheless, scaling it was not a simple task, with the wolf's paws and legs trying to scratch him off like a flea. One last time, it brought its left hind leg up, bringing enormous brown claws to its neck.
Sam jumped straight up into the air to dodge. He clenched his scabbard and its trigger, firing the sword out again. With the added strength of his cybernetic arm, the sword held enough power to perform any HF blade's signature: to somehow cut objects exponentially larger than the blade itself.
No, Sam did not understand how that worked and no, he did not care.
A single slash was all that took for the job. The timberwolf rumbled but quickly froze in place while Sam proceeded to hit the ground. It did not take long before the beast's head came with him as branches and leaves.
Sam's mask withdrew to its position and he sheathed his sword. He would have smiled if there was still something that confused him: the timberwolf's intact body. When a timberwolf's limb was detached from the main body, it broke apart. He sliced its head and it burst into wooden scraps just like the smaller ones, so why was the torso still in one piece?
Just then, something caught his eye. A weird white light was seeping out of the barrel, in the chest cavity. Was there something unusual about this one? He took his sword and gently carved an outline into the "skin". To avoid damaging what could be in it, he used his hands to break apart the wood. After about a minute of repeating this, peeling layer by layer, until he found the source of light.
It was a heart. A still-beating, enormous blue heart, covered in hot, cyan, sap-like substance. It was not a strange sight for Sam, who routinely eviscerated humans and cyborgs, but this was different. He could not tell whether it looked like it belonged to an animal or a plant, only that it was something artificial.
What the hell's a fuel cell doing here!?
Yes, it was a fuel cell, not unlike the ones used to supply World Marshal military cyborgs, the only difference being it was a heart instead of a spine. The blue electrolyte seeped over his right hand as he reached in and pulled it out. Was the fuel cell something he did not need, he would have been disgusted and threw the muscle away. Instead, he looked back at the corpse, which chose that moment to crumble at last.
His eyes returned to the heart, which has stopped beating and laid limp on his right hand. By simply holding onto it, he felt his suit recharge and it was already less cumbersome to move in it.
He tossed it up, and when it reached eye-level, sliced it into as many pieces as he could. The blade absorbed its electrolytes and his suit give off a calming glow.
Fully charged, now I need to get to that town.
"Eep!"
He whipped his head to the direction of the cry. It was shrill, as if it was a voice of a small mouse. He narrowed his eyes and saw the dense foliage vibrating, proving that whatever had been hiding there had run away. Sam shook his head and turned around, believing that he would only waste time and energy by chasing what was most likely a rodent.
He stared at the sky and noticed the sun was still shining strong, and he was sweating bullets. He looked at the direction of the town he saw, Ponyville, and marched onward.
Came back to life, killed a giant wolf made of wood, and went on a walk through the woods. Can't say I've had worse days.
Fluttershy could not believe what just happened. One moment, she was nearly trampled by a giant timberwolf, and she witnessed a weird, bipedal figure decapitating it in the next!
I didn't even know they had hearts! Do they have any other organs? Oh what am I doing? I need to get out of here!
After approximately ten minutes of sprinting, she made it to the forest's entrance. Having spent most of her life on her legs than legs, she had more endurance than the average pegasus pony, but still less than an earth pony's. Either way, it was enough to serve her purpose.
Smashing into Twilight was not that purpose.
Fluttershy and Twilight mirrored each other and fell to their haunches, hard. They got to their hooves and took a moment to realign their eyes.
"Ooh...oh, Twilight!"
The alicorn shook her head several times before she could see straight again. "Uh... Fluttershy? That you?" As soon as she asked, she remembered why she was here. "That's right! Fluttershy, did you hear that timber...wolf?"
Her mouth stopped when she saw what was happening. Fluttershy dropped to the ground again, but this time, with tears freely flowing and mouth quivering. Immediately noticing her friend in need, Twilight went to her side and wrapped a wing around her, rubbing her back.
"Fluttershy? Wha-what happened? Your cottage was filled with your animals and Angel just pointed at the Forest, so I thought you might be here, but..." She did not know what else to say but to just continue rubbing her. "Did you see what happened in there? The timberwolf?"
Fluttershy slowly nodded in response. "It...it was...it was horrible!" Her entire body trembling and stutters did not boost either ponies' hopes. "Th-that thing! There was something in there! Something killed the timberwolf!"
"What?" She was more confused by the logic than disturbed by the thought. "Timberwolves aren't actually animals, Fluttershy. They're just beings made of wood and magic."
"Well, this one was different, I swear Twilight!" she sobbed into her friend's coat. She embraced her as she kept talking. It was as if she could not stop like she was guilty of some crime and could not keep it a secret any longer. "I saw it! There was a heart, it was covered it blue blood! Everything! And that thing, it just-" she gulped before proceeding "-it carved it out! Took it out, it-it-it-" Suddenly she gasped. "We need to warn everyone! We need to get out of-"
Twilight could not handle it anymore and covered Fluttershy's mouth with her hoof. "Fluttershy, please calm down." As princess, she was expected to take on a leadership role and set an example for everypony. "First, let's get back to your cottage. We can get some tea, and I'll bring our friends to hear you out. I'll bring Spike so he can send a letter to the princesses."
Fluttershy stopped shaking as the words were being processed. She reorganized her thoughts and understood her order. As both a best friend and princess, she knew Twilight had the best interests at heart, and that her plan seemed for the best. Besides, if there was anypony for a plan ready for anything, it was her.
After a few moments' pause, she nodded her head, her tears finally stopping, and Twilight removed her hoof. "Good. Now get to your cottage, check on your animals, and I'll be back with everypony. Everything will be fine, I'll make sure of it." She smiled at the pegasus, eliciting a small smile of her own.
The still-shaking pegasus nodded slowly, and slowly walked to the visible house as if she could fall over any second. However, Twilight knew her friends well and her review of the Griffin Kingdom could wait. This was a more urgent matter. There was something far more dangerous than a colossal timberwolf residing in the Everfree Forest, and who knows? There's never been a known predator to timberwolves before. It could be an animal never seen before! A new discovery!
Twilight smacked herself with a hoof and stopped her eager shaking. Her friend was traumatized to a staggering mess. Something happened and if Fluttershy's warning was heeded, she needed to get the rest of her friends and the princesses informed immediately!
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Pretty good. I thought that the opening bit with Twilight and her studies and the fight scene dragged on for a bit too long. The last part however was well done. Even though if she was worried about a predator in the forest, Twilight was kind of callous though, given that she knows of Fluttershy's........ disposition and just teleported away.
had an extra and in there
extra the
Twilight
its
activated
and on the other side was what appeared to be a village
His swords were
After approximately ten minutes of sprinting
thought
2528738
fixed!
And you said you can't be my editor right now!
2528779 I reaaaalllly shouldn't be here right now! Aaaaand yet here I am!
2528687
Before season 4 comes out, Twilight's personality as an alicorn princess is up to debate, but I still think I got the gist of her down. I decided to make more mature and a bit commanding because she needs to take on a more leader-ly role. And besides, she needs to be quick-thinking about things if she wants to alert the rest of her friends of the "monster", doesn't she?
See, Twilight agrees!
2528884 I think that could actually make an interesting subplot in the story, Twilight trying to balance her role as princess while trying to maintain her friendships. Her leaving Fluttershy to console herself could serve to be the catalyst.
Fuckin' HF blades! How do they work!?
2530288 The blade is reinforced by an alternating current, and the blade vibrates at an extremely high frequency (hence the name). The vibrations weaken the molecular bonds of whatever it cuts, thereby increasing cutting ability.
2535309 I actually meant the exponetially larger part.
2535322 That could be chalked up to the wielder's often times ludicrous levels of strength.
Just look at what Raiden did against the modified Metal Gear RAY, and later on against Metal Gear Excelsus. 
2535329 About those two I can only say this: FRAKKING BADASS
2535329
While an HF blade can cut nearly anything with ease, it's ability to flawlessly cut objects larger than itself is supported by the HFB Principle of Hideo Kojima: the extra length an HF blade can cut is equal to the wielder's importance to the plot multiplied by the level of absurdity of the current situation.
(I'm sorry, I just to throw that in there
But that aside, what do you think about the story itself for now?)
Save for a few grammatical errors, this story is surprisingly good. Sure, it uses a lot of HiE cliches, but I think that's forgivable.
You tell me to check out your crossover with Jetstream Sam, yet you've never played MGR? For shame man.
How can you write a crossover without getting a feel for the character?
With that said, I will be checking this out as soon as I get home. The overall review of this story seems pretty good, and it's given me high hopes for this.
2538071
Scroll down to the comment by Commissar-Rarity to read my response.
2538080No, I saw your comments. You said you can't get the game and have been relying on watching walkthroughs. Still isn't the same as playing the game yourself.
Also, I would recommend against getting MGR. No online, and the campaign is short as hell. Not worth the $60 to buy it.
You better get MGR, either rental or a buy. It has high replay value if you are the type of person that goes back to score high on battles and whatnot. That is essential, walk-throughs or not.
This has caught my eye as Sam is one of my favorite characters from the game. I hope to see you do him justice. I'll keep track of this... for now.
P.S: Sam's HF blade can slice through metal and steel. That timberwolf boss should have been sliced into confetti in just a few seconds.
2538362
Where's the drama and fun in that?
Besides, compared to the timberwolf, Sam about the size of a giant flea.
(PS, did you mean to say "That is essential, walk-throughs ARE not"?)
2538423
Yeah sure....
2536095 I have not actually given your story a spin yet, but I plan to soon. I only glanced at the comments for a few opinions before doing so. Then I got distracted.
The only thing I know for real
There
will
be
blood
shed
Stick the heart on the Murasama, walk around with it over his shoulder, look badas. (As if he even could look more badass)
4733201 You can't forget his shit-eating grin!
6877149
Sam has a good smile. If you want shit-eating grins, go see Monsoon.
6959896
Senator. That is all.