Chapter II: New Man in Town
Chapter II
New Man in Town
Crimson saw the sun rising over the far hills. He could make out the shadowy silhouette of a town in the distance. He marched ahead keeping his head under the black shroud. The man kept moving ahead as he heard his stomach growl in hunger. He ignored his body’s protests and kept walking down the pathway.
As he made it to the edge of town he saw several people working hard, setting up tables, hanging up banners and a woman with electric blue hair was setting up a turn table. He made his way towards the center of town and seemed to go unnoticed. Just how he liked it. The red hair’d man hated unwanted attention. He was suddenly approached by a girl with curly pink hair.
“HI!” She said with a wide grin on her face. Crimson cocked an eyebrow at the girl and gave her a nervous grin. “My name is Pinkie Pie!” She said as she stuck out her hand. Crimson shook it and gave her a weak smile. “You must be new since I’ve never seen you before and I know everyone in Ponyville.” The woman stopped as she let out a massive gasp. “Sorry I gotta go! See ya later.” She said as she zoomed away leaving behind a cloud of dust.
What.....the...buck was that? He thought before continuing his search for food. His deep red eyes then fell upon a building decorated like a gingerbread house. Crimson made his way inside and sat on a stood next to a counter. A woman wearing a light blue apron and dark pink hair.
“Hello, welcome to Sugar Cube Corner how can I help you today?”
“Morning, what’s on the menu?”
“Unfortunately we’re a bit preoccupied today. So some of our dishes will take longer than others.” She said with a weak smile.
“Why’s that?” Crimson asked.
“Well, you see there’s supposed to be a few people from the Academy coming to this town!” She said in excitement. Crimson gulped and thought for a moment.
“Is that why everyone is running around like a pack of crazy monkeys?”
“Yup, it’s a very big event.” She said with a smile. “So what can I get you?”
“I’ll just take a cup of coffee and a muffin, if you have any already made.”
“Sure thing, I’ll be right back with your order.” She said as she walked away with a smile on her face. Crimson let out a sigh and cracked his knuckles. The woman then returned with his order. “So what brings you into town? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
“Just passing through.” He said with a shrug. “I’m actually looking for someone named.....hang on a second.” He said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. “Twilight Sparkle.”
“Oh Twilight!” She said with a smile.
“You know her?” He asked.
“Oh yes, very charming girl.” She said with a smile. “She’s going around town making sure the preparations are going smoothly.”
“Know where she might be?”
“Hmm....” She said as she put a finger to her chin. “Last I checked she was heading down to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Where’s that?” The woman extended her hand and pointed down the road.
“Up to the end of the road and you’ll see a wooden sign. You can’t miss it.”
“Thanks.” He said with a nod. He gave them a few bits and gave her a friendly nod. Crimson made his way out the door and down the street. He kept his hood up as he quietly made his way through town. He came to the wooden sign the baker spoke of and walked down the road that seemed to leave to a farm house.
Crimson’s eyes widened as he saw hundreds of rows of trees harboring sweet delicious apples. He walked towards the farm house and saw a young woman with striking blonde hair tied on a ponytail carrying a basket of apples.
“Howdy there.” She said with a smile.
“Hi.” Crimson said with a nod as he pulled his hood off. “I’m looking for someone named Twilight Sparkle. I was told that she might be here.”
“Shoot." The girl said as she adjusted her hat. "Ya just missed her.” The woman said as she put down the barrel of apples and pointed back down the road. “She headed off towards the center of town to check on the banners. Ah was heading there myself to drop off some of these apples.”
“Need a hand?” He asked with a shrug. Applejack blinked in surprise.
“Ah can’t ask ya to do-” She was cut off as he wrapped his hands around the handles and picked up the barrel with ease.
“You didn’t ask I volunteered.” He said with a small grin. “Besides, letting a lady like yourself work whileI walk and do nothing just doesn’t seem right to me.” The farmer narrowed her eyes on the man.
“Are you saying that ah can’t do any heavy lifting?”
“Not at all. You seem very capable, I was just helping someone out.” He said with a shrug. The farmer was about to protest but let it go.
“Fine, suit yourself.” She said as they started to walk down the path towards the road. “So are you new in town or something?”
“Yup just got in this morning.” He said in a flat tone.
“Where are ya from?”
“All over. I’m a bit of a traveler.” The man’s ear twitched as he heard a whooshing noise. “Hey what’s your name?”
“Applejack.”
“Right. Ms. Applejack, you’re gonna want to duck in five seconds.” He said as he put the apples down.
“Now why would I-”
“Duck!” He said as he pushed her out of the way. He looked to his right to see a rainbow stream fly into him at full force. Crimson felt his back hit the dirt and slide on the ground. The man looked up to see an athletic girl wearing a cyan T shirt and matching shorts.
“Ugh, my head.” She said as she rubbed the sore spot. She then noticed the red hair’s man shaking his head. “Oops sorry about that.” She said with a guilty grin on her face. Applejack hurried over to her friends side and groaned.
“Dang it Rainbow, how many times have ah told ya to watch where you’re going?” She asked in a condescending tone.
“Yeah, yeah I know.” She said as she got up. Crimson did the same and started dusting himself off. The two girls gasped as they saw blood coming from the right side of his head. “I am SO sorry.” She said as she gulped.
“What?”
“You’re bleeding hun.” Applejack said as she looked at his head. Crimson put his right hand to his head and saw that he was bleeding.
“Eh, no big deal.” He said with a shrug.
“No big deal?” Dash yelled in a panic filled tone. “You’re bleeding like a popped ballon!”
“We need to get ya to the hospital and-” The farmer was cut off as the man raised his hand.
“Unnecessary.” He said as he held up a hand. He extended his index finger and it glowed a faint red with magical aura. He ran it across the cut mark. The girls looked in amazement as the cut seemed to heal at a rapid rate. “See? Good as new.”
“How in the hay did you do that?” Applejack asked.
“Magic. I use it for small things like cuts and bruises.” He said with a sigh. The mares’s eyes then locked onto a piece of the torn man’s cloak.
“Um dude, your cloak is torn.” Dash said as she pointed to the tear. Crimson looked at his right sleeve and saw the hole.
“Eh, I’ll fix it later.” He said with a shrug.
“No need for that hun, ah’m sure Rarity would be happy to fix it right up for ya.” Applejack said with a smile.
“Rarity?” Crimson asked as he cocked an eyebrow.
“She’s the local tailor.” Dash explained.
“There’s no need I can-” He was cut off as the athletic girl grabbed him by the wrist and practically pulled the man along.
“Look, I feel bad about crashing into you so let at least help you fix up your coat.” She said in a low tone. Crimson let out a groan as the girl pulled him along with the farmer walking along side. “Plus, you seem cool.”
“How so?” He asked as he and the farmer cocked their heads at the flyer.
“I don’t know, you just have that ‘experienced cool’ look about ya.” She said with a shrug. “How can I put this?” She said to herself as she flew next to them. “It looks like you’ve seen a lot of action and that’s cool. Does that make sense?”
“I guess.” He said with a shrug. A silence fell in between the three before Applejack finally spoke up.
“Where’d you learn a spell like that?” The blonde hair’d girl asked as she looked at the man.
“Just picked it up somewhere in a book.” He said with a shrug.
“Well, that’s mighty useful. Ah’m sure Twi will be impressed with that.” Applejack said with a smile. Crimson kept silent as he made his way through town. The group was then approached by a familiar girl with bouncy pink hair.
“Hey guys!” She said with a smile.
“Sup Pinks?” Dash said with a smile. Pinkie then noticed the red hair’d man standing beside them with an unwavering gaze.
“Hey it’s you!” She said with a smile. “The Cake’s told me that you came in this morning looking for Twilight and they sent you to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Yes, do you know where she is?” He asked.
“I think she’s still in the middle of town checking on the decorations.” Pinkie said as she tapped her chin with her index finger. The girls were then approached by a beautiful girl with wavy purple hair and very fair skin.
“Hello everybody~” She said in a sing song tone. Her sapphire blue eyes then fell on the tall man.
“Howdy Rarity.” Applejack said as she tipped her hat to her friend.
“Afternoon Applejack, who’s your new friend?” She asked as she looked at Crimson.
“I’m-” The man was cut off as the girls eyes shrank as the noticed the large gash in his coat.
“What happened to your jacket?”
“Um that’s kinda my fault.” Dash said with a guilty grin on her face.
“Ah! I should have known!” She said in an accusing tone. “You weren’t watching where you were going were you and you barreled into this poor man didn’t you.” She said as she narrowed her eyes.
“Maybe.” She said with a small smile. Rarity rubbed her fore head with two finger and let out an annoyed sigh.
“We were actually on our way to see ya about that Rarity.” Applejack interjected. The purple hair’d girl dropped her jaw and let out an audible gasp.
“Say no more darling. I shall fix that up for you right away.” She said with gusto.
“It’s not necessary. I can just patch it up.” The woman cocked her head and looked at him with a shocked expression on her face.
“Patch it up?....Patch it up?” She said as her tone reached new heights. “I simply cannot allow such a unique piece of clothing be subjected to a....patch job.” She said with a shiver of disgust.
“It’s no big deal, I can-” He suddenly felt the four girls’s gaze upon him. Oh great, as if one Ivy wasn’t bad enough, now there are four. He thought with a groan. “Lead the way.” He said in a reluctant tone. The fashionista smiled and led the dark cloaked man towards her boutique.
“Shoot! Ah still gotta bring these apples to the banquet.” Applejack said as she picked up the basket. “See y’all later.” The farmer said as she walked away from the group of girls.
“Ugh! I gotta go clear the skies.” Dash said before taking flight. Pinkie gave her friends a wave before walking back towards back towards the bakery.
Crimson was led by the pretty woman into a shop that had several dresses and different types of clothing on mannequins. The girl’s hands glowed and she summoned a needle and thread. “I must say that this cloak is quite fashionable.” Rarity said as she looked over the garment. “Where did you get it?” She asked.
“Found it one day in some shop.” He said as he handed her the garment. Rarity looked at the rest of his attire and cocked an eyebrow. Crimson was donning a long sleeve red shirt that reached down to his waist. His pants had a thick layer of dirt. The kind of dirt you get when you’ve been on the road a long time. His boots had several scuff marks on them and the sole was worn down to near nothingness.
“Um dear....how long have you had that outfit?” She asked with a gulp.
“What day is today?”
“Today is Tuesday.”
“Oh, then about fourteen months.” The young lady almost fell over in shock. Crimson coked his head and nervously glanced at the seamstress. “You okay Miss?” Crimson asked as he looked at her in surprise.
“Are you telling me that you’ve been parading around in this attire for over a year?” She said in shock.
“Yeah, why?” A long silence fell over the two. Crimson saw the woman’s right eye twitch.
“Unacceptable!” She yelled with the same gusto she used earlier. “I cannot allow this...this...crime of fashion to continue!”
“It’s not that bad.” Crimson said in a low tone.
“No offense darling, but have you seen the state of these garments?” She asked as she looked over the battle scared cloak. “I will make you a new ensemble post haste!”
“Theres no need for that Ms. Rarity.” He said as he held up a hand.
“You must let me fix this!”
“It’s not-”
“You must.”
“I don’t need-”
“You must.”
“I really don’t-”
“You must!” The woman said putting extra emphasis on the last ‘st’. Crimson looked back at the seamstress who’s crystal blue eyes seemed to bore holes through him. With a heavy sigh he held his head in defeat.
“Alight fine.” Rarity squealed in excitement. “Just don’t make it too....frilly.” He said as he looked at the other creations put on display around the shop.
“No worries darling.” She said as she led him over to a changing room. “Just leave everything to me. I promise you that you won’t even recognize it when I’m done.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He said in a low mumble. Once he was behind the changing curtain he quickly removed the rest of his clothing and handed it to the seamstress. The sound of a sewing machine filled the room as Rarity started to work.
“I’m sorry for rushing you like this, I’m not usually like this.” She said in an apologetic tone.
“It’s alright.” He said in a flat tone. “I hear that you guys are having a big celebration soon.”
“Oh yes!” Rarity said in a cheery tone. “We have some members from the Academy coming to town!” She said with another giggle.
“That’s a big deal?”
“Why of course!” She said as she focused her attention to his shirt. “The Academy members are supposed to be some of the strongest fighters in all of Equestria.” She said in a dreamy voice. “I’ve even heard of some of them strong enough to lift a house with strength alone.”
“Really?” He said in a low drawn out tone as he rolled his eyes.
“Oh yes, I just can’t wait to start my new fashion line after them.”
“Fashion line?” He said in a panic filled tone.
“I was hoping to get some inspiration from them to start a new line of clothes.” Rarity said with a grin. “I may even get some of them to model for me!”
“Good luck with that.” He said as he heard the door to the shop open. Crimson pulled the curtain aside just enough to see out of one eye. To call the girl anything but innocent looking was a crime. She had long pink hair that acted as a type of curtain to hide her fair skinned face and deep teal eyes.
A pair of light yellow wings were folded neatly at her back. The wings also matched her butter yellow sundress that went all the way down to her ankles. The girl was holding what appeared to be a white carrying case that was made for small animals.
“Good afternoon Fluttershy.” Rarity said with warm smile.
“Hello Rarity.” She said in a soft, timid tone. The girl set the carry case on the ground as Rarity handed Crimson his newly mended shirt and pants. The carrier door opened up to reveal a less then amused white fluffy cat. “So I looked at Opal for you and she has a teeny, weenie cold.”
“Oh Opal! You poor thing!” Rarity said as she looked at her pet. “She will be alright won’t she?”
“She’ll be just fine.” She said as she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small vial of pills. “Just give her these when she eats for three days and she’ll be as good as new.” Fluttershy said as the clock struck six o’clock.
“Impeccable timing as alway Fluttershy.” Rarity said as she took the vial and walked over to her cat. “Opal, din din.” The cat’s eyes shrank as she saw the vial and ran into the changing area. “Opal get back here!” Rarity said as she walked over to the curtain.
As she approached the curtain opened revealing the clothed red hair’d man holding the white cat in his arm. Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep’ sound and stood behind her friend. “I’m Terribly sorry about this.” She said with a small smile.
“It’s alright.” He said as he looked down at the cat who was purring in his arms. “Might be a good time to slip her the pill while she’s in a good mood.” He said as he looked at the bottle of pills.
“Good idea.” She said as she uncorked the bottle. Opal’s ears twitched at the sound. The feline then gave a hiss and small swipe at the seamstress’s attempt. Crimson glared into the cat’s eyes for a second. Opal’s eyes shrank and gave a small gulp. The man motioned for the pill bottle. Rarity shrugged and handed him one pill.
Crimson used two fingers to gently open the cat’s mouth and drop it down her throat without any trouble from the feline. After the deed was done the man gently put Opal down on the floor. The cat shook her head and looked at the three humans in confusion as if she had no idea what had happened.
Crimson then turned his attention to the fashionista and her friend. The two had the same look of shock and surprise strewn across their faces.
“How did you do that?” Rarity asked. “I’ve only seen Fluttershy get that close to Opal and come out without a scratch.”
“Animals and I have a mutual understanding.” He said with a shrug. The once timid girl then smiled widely and rushed forward.
“You like animals?” She asked with wide eyes.
“They don’t bother me, so I don’t bother them.” He said in a flat tone.
“Oh that’s wonderful!” She said with a smile. “I hope the Academy students are nice to them.”
“I don’t know dear.” Rarity said with a sigh. “I’ve heard stories about them taking down Ursa Majors without breaking a sweat.”
“I know, but I’ve heard stories that they manages to calm a pack of Manticores down without even casting a spell right before they invaded a town.” She said with a hopeful smile. Crimson shrugged and looked over at his freshly fixed coat.
“I managed to patch up what I could and get a few stains out. Oh I really wish I had more time to work on this.” She said with a sigh.
“You may get that chance Ms. Rarity.” He said as he slung it over his body and smiled. “Fit’s like new.”
“Oh you flatter me dear. Although the coat goes great with your hair.” She said as she examined his dark red bangs. “What dye did you use?” She asked as she started to examine it and pick up a few ends.
“This is actually my natural color.” He said in a flat tone.
“Really? Well that’s just-” She stopped talking as she gazed into his deep red eyes. They looked as though they were endless pools of red wine and that he wasn’t just looking at her, he was looking through her. The woman gave a small gulp and nodded. “Interesting.”
“Something wrong?”
“I didn’t know you had red eyes. I’m guessing scarlet.”
“Crimson actually.” He said with a shrug. He walked back over to his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He was about to leave when he realized that his silver gantlet was missing. Crimson quickly turned on his heel and walked back over to the seamstress. “Um I hate to be bother Ms. Rarity but-”
“Oh please do call me Rarity dear. Miss sounds so.....old.” She said with a shiver.
“Sorry, did you happen to see a silver gauntlet with my coat?” Rarity put a finger to her lip and looked around her work table.
“Ah ha! Here it is!” She said as she held up the gauntlet. “Might I ask why you have this?” She asked as she slipped her arm through it.
“No don’t-” His warning came too late. As Rarity’s slender arm went inside the gauntlet a series of rose vines wrapped around the woman’s body.
“What in the name of Equestria?” She said as she fell to the ground. Fluttershy and Crimson immediately ran to her side. As she struggled in her restraints they seemed to grow tighter.
“Sorry about this.” He said with a groan. “I should have mentioned that it was enchanted to my touch only.” The man said in a guilty tone.
“Yes well, mind getting me out of this thing?” She asked in an aggravated tone. Crimson nodded and held up her slender arm. His hands glowed a faint red color and the vines retracted back into the metal. He quickly slipped the gauntlet off her arm and back onto his own.
“Again, sorry about that.” He said with a sigh.
“It’s alright dear.” She said as Fluttershy helped her to her feet. “Mind telling me why you need something like that?” She asked as she glared at the gauntlet. Crimson let out a sigh and held up his hand. He flexed his fingers into a fist and a light red blade shot out of the gauntlet.
The two girls looked at one another in surprise and glared at the weapon. Rarity put on her glasses and saw that the blade was made of concentrated magic. Crimson let out a sigh and the blade vanished.
“Personal defense. Can’t be too careful nowadays with bandits and highway men around.” He said with a small grin.
“Very true.” Fluttershy said with a nod. “By the way, what’s your name. If you don’t mind me asking that is.
“It’s-” The door suddenly burst open revealing a very excited Rainbow Dash.
“Guys!”
Goddamn it. Crimson thought as he face palmed.
“What is it Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked.
“The Academy members are here!” The three girls faces then grew into smiles as they ran out the door. “Yo Red, you coming?” Dash asked as she looked at Crimson.
“Sure, why not.” He said as he followed the group of girls towards the train station. Crimson looked up as he saw three men. Two with wings coming from their backs. One had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He was donning a long handled axe strapped to the back of his jacket. The other had dark brown hair that matched his wings, he had a spiked mace attached to his belt. The third was the biggest of the trio, he had jet black hair that match his black wings and was sporting a jet black wooden staff.
Crimson bit his lip and quietly slipped away from the group after he set the barrel of apples down. Pinkie rushed up to the three men and smiled.
“Welcome to Ponyville.” She said with a smile. The three men gave a small smirk and grinned at one another.
“Happy to help the fine people of.” He took a moment to read the banner over their heads. “Ponyville.” The middle one said with a sly grin. The group of people cheered as the DJ started the music and the three men descended the train station and made their way through the crowd. Crimson ducked behind a building and pulled out a silver pocket watch on a long chain. He ran his magic through it and a small image of the cane wielding man appeared as he opened the watch face.
“Crimson, nice to see you.” The image said with a smile. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I made it to the town alright.” He said as he checked his corners. “Did you send anyone else after you gave me the job as back up?”
“No, why?”
“There are three guys here that are passing off as Academy students.” He said in a flat tone. “I need you to send me a few wanted posters, they look familiar.”
“I’ll send them within the hour.” He sad with a nod. “Do you want back up?”
“Nah, I can handle these chumps if they cause a problem.” He said in a flat tone.
“I figured. I’ll send you those forms pronto.” Crimson gave him a sharp nod and closed the watch. Crimson came out from behind the building and started to survey the three strangers from afar. The festivities started out with gusto and the three men started drinking heavily. Crimson kept to the shadows and waited for the reply from Crow.
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why you stop here?
we want more.
3100318 I
Cliffhangers.
Damn you Hasbro!!!
OOOHHHHHH SNAP.
Anyone else catched the red vs blue reference.
3100445 YES!
This story sounds similar to the journey of graves series
3101036 I am a HUGE fan of that series
and I look to it for inspiration. But I assure you that this story is 100% original.
3101057 Yeah the story is great so far, I just got some deja vu while reading it.
i.qkme.me/3rzyhw.jpg
Caught the RvB reference. Good chapter but...you wouldn't have happened to have read GentlemanJ's story of Graves would you? Because...well this chapter seems to be..."heavily inspired" by the first story.
I love this story and can't wait for the next chapter.
3101597
Agree with this fella. It's certainly inspired by Journey of Graves.
s3.roosterteeth.com/assets/store/product_1320447878.jpg
3102820 it's almost copy paste. But the change in background, fighting style, and personality should make it a very interesting twist.
3104033
I still find JoG to be better
This really reminds me of this.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/11813/when-the-man-comes-around
Haired. No apostrophe. Just needed to throw that out there. Might want to think about getting yourself an editor. Cheers.
Dude, you copied story of graves waaaay too much and exact for it to be cool...
3100445
I love Red vs. Blue!
3243634 I don't know why people are disliking your comment when it's the truth
Nice, nice. I still hope that he is op.
I'm deducting points for lack of originality. This is almost a copy-paste of When The Man Comes Around.
5261202 I noticed that too.
This chapter is essentially a retelling of "When The Man Comes Around". I know you said you were inspiried by the Journey of Graves, but inspiration does not mean copying. The previous chapters showed the influence well without copying large portions of the first story. I'm gonna keep reading, but this chapter prevents me from giving the story a like. I do hope it gets better once this arc is finished because this is just disappointing.