Reluctant hero

by MidnightFMare

Meetings with locals, episode one, part one

I am woken by the sounds of hoof steps approaching the door. With a yawn, I stretch my back and walk to the door, opening it to Maud's surprise.

She blinks "Thank you."

I nod and let her pass before closing the door behind her. She looks around the room and turns to me "What have you spent the past few hours doing?"

"Sleeping mostly. I read a few books but I already knew most of what was in them. How was your time with your sister?"

She grins "Wonderful. She's my beloved younger sister and I love her dearly."

I smile back at her "I'm glad. You're very cute when you grin."

She blushes and mutters something under her breath that I don't hear.

I pop my neck "So... do you know of a cards shoppe around here?"

Maud nods, still blushing "Yes, It's down the street."

I walk towards the door but pause "I don't think it's good if an amnesiac such as myself were to wander around a city alone. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me?"

She stares at me and smiles "I'd love to."

---

I stare up at the dilapidated building "Er... allow me to rephrase my question... a card store that's still in business."

She walks and pushes the door open "Camouflaged."

I shrug and follow, and I sense a charge in the air like when Luna used her magic So that's what magic feels like, good to know.

"...!!" someone grunts, a white unicorn with electric blue hair.

Across from her is the fading visage of 'Alien Mother', the stallion behind it, obviously her opponent, stands with a wicked grin "That was pathetic! Why do you use such a cheap and worthless deck?!"

The mare fumbles around the ground for a pair of shades and grits her teeth at the stallion.

He laughs "I forget that you're mute and blind. No wonder you can't play, you can't see your cards!"

She opens her mouth but I step between them "Hey, gloating and attacking her skills isn't the mark of a decent duelist. I must ask you to apologize."

He laughs again, irking me "You 'Must ask me to apologize'? What are you, the loser police?"

I grin "Yeah, real original guy. How about this, I duel you with her deck, and mop the floor with you?"

He scoffs "Fine, but if I win, I get your deck and hers!"

"And if I win, you apologize and we get to take a rare card each from yours."

He nods "Get ready to lose your deck Pon-3."

---

"Duel!"

Round 01

"Since I was the one who was challenged, I'll go first. Draw!" he grins "I summon 'Alien shocktrooper'!"

His monster hisses menacingly, muscles rippling under its skin.

"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

I nod and draw a card, a smile on my face "I'll start out with summoning 'Batteryman AAA'!" a slender battery with a head appears on my field.

He laughs "That monster doesn't have any attack points! Why would you summon that?!"

I grin "Because when I normal summon it, I can special summon a copy from my hand or graveyard! Some come on out 'Batteryman AAA' number two!" another appears and blows a kiss at him.

"So you have two monsters without any power, big deal." he scoffs.

I roll my eyes and smirk "I special summon 'Batteryman fuel cell'!"

His grin dissolves "Okay, that's impressive. But so what?!"

I grin "I activate 'Heavy storm'!"

A huge monsoon surges from my card, blowing every spell and trap away, causing him grit his teeth "So. What?"

"Now I'll activate the power of 'Fuel cell'. By tributing a 'Batteryman' I control, I can send one card you have back to your hand."

The first AAA disappears and fuel cell launches a bolt of electricity towards his alien, launching it back to his hand.

The color drains from his face "Oh buck..."

I grin "'Oh buck' indeed. Fuel cell! Give him a jolt."

The hulking robot raises its hands and a ball of electricity forms between its hands, the ball shoots through the air and into his chest.

"Gigigigigigigigao!" he stutters, charred from the electricity.

Neon Lights LP: 1900

I grin and set two cards facedown, ending my turn.

Round: 02

"MY TURN!" He growls "I summon a monster in defense mode and set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"I draw! I summon 'Batteryman D'!" A plupm looking robot pops onto my field in defense mode and I grin "You can only attack this little fella so long as he's on the field. Now 'Fuel cell', Attack his facedown!"

His card flips and a thin grey alien appears and then shatters when the electricity impacts it.

"You destroyed my 'Alien grey' and now it puts an 'A-counter' on your 'Fuel cell' and I draw a card!"

A slimy parasite lands on my monster and I shiver in disgust.

"I end my turn."

Round 03

"I draw! I activate 'Mass hypnosis'! I take control of all of your monsters that have counters on them until the end of the turn."

The gooey parasite on "Fuel cell" glows and it walks over to his side of the field, eyes glowing red.

"But it won't be around for long, because I'm going to tribute it to summon 'Cosmic horror Gangi'el'!"

A hulking creature looms over me and my monsters "... Dang."

"Mow down his 'Batteryman D'!" he commands, the hulking monster crushing my robot.

I grit my teeth "Okay then, I'll activate the trap card 'Portable battery pack'! It allows me to special summon two 'Batterymen' from my graveyard in attack mode, welcome back 'Fuel cell' and 'AAA'!"

He growls "Fine! My horror is stronger than your batteries! I end my turn!"

I grin "I draw! I tribute my other 'AAA' to summon 'Batteryman charger'!" The oblong-headed robot appears, and it glows, the depleted body of "AAA" glowing before striking a pose.

"Oh! And my 'Charger' brings back a fellow 'Batteryman' from the grave when it's summoned. And it gets stronger because it has some friends on the field!"

It roars its static voice, electricity arcing from its fellow batteries.

Batteryman charger ATK: 3000 DEF: 2400

"Now, Charger! Electrocute his 'Cosmic horror'! Unity discharge!!" Charger glows white, bolts of lightning arcing and coursing through Gangi'el's body before exploding.

He grits his teeth, dust pelting him "My monster!"

Neon Lights LP: 1500

"'Fuel cell'! Eradicate the last of his life points!"

It beeps in affirmation, a ball of electricity slamming right into him "Gigigigigigigigigow!!"

Neon Lights LP: 0

I grin, nodding to the assembled robots as they fade "Well, that wasn't too hard."

---

I hand the deck back to the mare, grinning "I'm sorry about barging into your business, but I can't stand poseurs like him."

She grins back, picking up the two ante card 'Alien mother' and 'Cosmic horror Gangi'el'.

Maud walks up to us and nods to the mare "Hello."

"Hey." someone says from behind us.

I turn and groan "What? You lost, if you want a rematch, it's against her, not me."

"I know, I just wanted to say that I don't know who you are, or why you did what you did. I don't care who you are, but you beat me fairly, so I guess that I owe Vinyl an apology. I'm sorry about berating you Vinyl Scratch, you just didn't seem to be all that invested in the duel."

She shrugs in response, obviously indifferent.

He nods to us and walks away, shoulders slumped.

"Hey, come on, come back here."

He pauses "What's the matter?"

I hold out the two cards I won "How about you buy me a soda and you can have the cards back?"

He stares at me "Really? Just a soda?"

I turn to Vinyl, who nods "Yeah, a soda and we call it even Steven"

---

I nod to Neon and Vinyl, taking my leave, Maud following me "Now where?"

I shrug "How about a bite to eat? Know any place that sells donuts?"

She nods and leads me out of the warehouse and towards a shoppe.

I step ahead to open the door for her, but crash into someone "Okay... I obviously never look where I'm going... sorry."

The pony, a charcoal-grey mare with solid black hair brushes herself off "That's fine, I wasn't completely focused myself."

I smile "I'm Midnight Mare, sorry again."

She smiles in return, nodding "And I am Octavia Philharmonica. Nice to meet you."

Maud comes up from behind me and nods to Octavia silently.

Octavia returns the nod "Hello Maud, how did the arts exhibition in Trottingham go?"

"... Fine."

Octavia pauses for a second, as if stunned that Maud said something "That's good... well I'd love to stay and chat about art, but I have to get home and finish practicing. Farewell."

I smile and enter the store, followed by Maud "So... who runs this shoppe?"

"That'd be me." A thickly built stallion says, a doughnut as his cutie mark.

"Ah, well... I just realized I have no money... cripes."

Maud shakes her head "I'll pay-"

"No thank you Maud, I want to pay for it myself and not out of pride, but because I don't think I like the idea of being indebted or to take advantage of your generosity. I'll come back another day, I just wanted to know where a doughnut shoppe was."

I turn and leave, holding the door open for Maud.

She stares at me and walks out, obviously confused "Why?"

I shrug "I don't know, I just had a feeling. So! What do you want to do?"

She shrugs "I was just going to show you the city, hoping it might jog your memory."

I smile at her "Thanks... but you really don't need to-" she puts a hoof on my lips "I want to. Because you're my friend."

I smile from behind her hoof "Thanks..."

A small smile forms on her face, and she points to another store "Maybe somepony from the comics shop would recognize you."

I shrug and follow her, when something in the back of my mind tells me to stay away "Maud? I think that may not be a good idea..."

She pauses "Why?"

"Just... just a feeling..." I stutter out, blushing "I think that somethi-"

A pool of red liquid oozes from under the door of the shoppe, and starts to churn, rising into the shape of a pony "Hah... I've done it! I've escaped that wretched city!!"

I watch as features appear, long, ink-like hair flows down one side of her face and tail, her fur light indigo-white "Okay, score one for instincts."

Maud stares in shock and backs up to me "What is..."

The pony, a mare by her voice and shape, smiles "Hello ponies, would you mind telling me where I am?"

"Canterlot, downtown I think." I respond, tapping my chin "Asking the wrong guy miss, amnesia is a problem, yeah?"

"'Canterlot'? Well, it appears I have come to a new world. Wonderful..." she taps her chin with her hoof "Though... what might an eligible bachelorette find in such a place? Money? Jewels? Fame?"

I shrug "Beats me, what's your name if you don't mind?"

"Ink Well, yours?"

"I haven't the foggiest what my actual name is, but my friend Luna gave me the name Midnight Mare."

She turns to regard Maud "And you?"

"... Maud Pie."

"Wonderful! Now that we are a bit more familiar, might you please show me where I might find a map-" a near silent explosion sends my body on high alert and my eyes dart to the source, a mare with dark shades and a gun-like device hidden behind her paper.

I follow the line of the gun and a shimmering blast of air is headed directly for Ink's shoulder. I spread my wings and dart forward, tackling her to the ground and the blast passes right over my head, barely hitting my hat.

Ink stares at me and then at where the air impacted a light pole "Y-you saved me..."

I grin and roll off of her and scan the streets, looking for the mare who had shot and I see her gasp and move to hide her gun but I'm too fast. I take flight and shoot towards her table, my hooves landing on it and I look down at her from over the paper, her eyes wide but still hidden by her shades "What is the purpose of you firing a compact blast of air at my new friend? If she is in trouble for maybe entering Canterlot without going through customs or whatever, I'm sure she can rectify it, but to attempt lethal force first and covertly? That's a bit much don't you think?"

She closes her mouth and glares at me "What in the name of Celestia are you doing?! She oozed out from under a door! Don't you think that'd make her dangerous and need to be detained?!"

I blink and lower my face to hers "Ahhh... no. No I do not. Honestly, why is it that people always resort to destroying what they can't understand? I mean seriously, wouldn't it be more conducive to attempting communication before attacking?"

She grits her teeth in a growl "I don't have to justify myself to you. Now get out of my way, I have to uphold the peace."

"With violence? My my my... the more things stay the same... I can't let you hurt my friend because she's a semi-solid with a cellular stricter akin to printing ink."

She rolls her eys and hops from her chair and looks around the street "Grah! It got away!"

"'She'" I correct and Maud walks towards us "... Torch hoof?"

The mare grits her teeth "Come with me, you've obstructed the apprehension of a mysterious being."

I looks from her to Maud "Uh... how about no? Turns out I'm not very partial to following the orders of people with guns."

She levels the gun at me "Do as I say, now."

I bite the barrel of the gun and drop it into one of my pockets "You can have this back when you stop being mean and rude. Besides, it's a single-shot model, you never reloaded the air charge. So, how about you hold your horses... er..." I tap my chin in thought "Uh... poor choice of colloquialism... Maud, what's the saying?"

"'Hold your monkeys'"

I give her a flat look "'Monkeys' yes, how clever..."

---

I yawn, and Celestia's eyebrow twitches in annoyance "You don't seem to realize the repercussions of your actions Midnight..."

I wipe my eyes and shrug "I did what I thought was right, if you think I'm wrong, agree to disagree."

Maud is fidgeting in her seat "Maud, why are you so nervous? It's just a little nagging from Tia."

Celestia grits her teeth and exhales, trying to calm herself "Midnight... you attacked a officer of order. That's a grave offense against the very ponies who protect you and the innocent."

"She shot first and at someone who is possibly a refugee or what some would call a freak. And I need no protection because I have nothing to lose other than my friendships. My life is of no consequence because as you know, I have no idea who I am, so nothing to lose by dying... though I would wonder who I was... ah well, minor problem."

The mare huffs "Princess, this fool is apparently some type of madpony."

"If protecting a perfect stranger is 'Foolish' or 'Mad', then I suppose we're in the same boat Ms. Secret Agent Mare. Ha! I made a pun! I like puns... I'm so cool."

She opens her mouth to retort but I raise an eyebrow and she flusters, holding her tongue.

I hop down from my chair and motion for Maud to do the same thing "Well, it was nice getting off my hooves for a mo, but I'm afraid I must be off."

Maud follows dubiously and as I shut the door I hear Celestia mutter "I hate that stallion..."

I grin for some reason and leave the castle.

Author's Note:

Another re-written! Whooo!!!