A Meeting Of The Minds
“Permanent Vacation”
A Meeting Of The Minds
I groggily come to, rubbing my head as my eyes flutter open. I groan and let my hand fall to the cold surface I’m on. Looking directly forward, I see nothing but darkness, save for a glow from around me. Time to find out where I am. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I look around me. Again, nothing. Looking down, I see I’m sitting in the middle of a white light. Standing up, I crack my neck and stretch my back, hearing joints pop. Last thing I remember is Christmas…
“Hello? Can anybody hear me?! Hello?!” My voice echoes throughout the void. There’s a bright flash to my left. I spin towards it and raise my fists, ready for a fight. Floating in another white light is my necklace. I lower my fists. “Am I supposed to grab my necklace?” No response. I glance at the darkness between my necklace and me. I tentatively reach out with one foot and hover it over the darkness. Slowly lowering it, the glow around me extends out to under my foot. I test this again, seeing that the glow moves with me. Feeling confident now, I head towards my necklace, the only sound being the echoes of my footsteps. I snatch the necklace from the light and put it on.
Immediately, the glow beneath me brightens to the point that I have to shield my eyes. Slowly lowering my hands, I look around to see the glow be replaced with a huge stained glass pillar. I look around and notice the design on it. To my left, the glass is midnight blue with an image of Luna, eyes closed and wings spread, superimposed in the center. To my right, the glass is a radiant white with an image of Celestia in the same pose as Luna. I look down and see that I’m standing in a circle right in the center of the pillar where the two halves meet. Looking back up and forward, I see six circles, three on each half, start to glow a different color.
Colored balls of light rise up from the circles and hover there. I raise my hands and spread my legs, ready to fight or flee. “Welcome, Blake Quinter,” One of the balls, the magenta one, says, pulsing with each word in a monotone voice devoid of any emotion.
I raise an eyebrow. “What are you and how do you know my name?”
This time the orange ball speaks. “We know many things, Blake. As for us, you should already know who we are.” Seems like all the balls have the same monotone voice.
I drop out of my combat stance and glance at my surroundings. Hmm, six balls, each a different color… “Can I safely assume you are the Elements of Harmony?”
“Correct!” The blue ball yells with cheer. Okay, scratch that monotone voice thing.
I cross my arms and nod my head. “Okay, so you’re the Elements of Harmony. The same Elements that brought me to Equestria,” I can’t keep the anger out of my voice as I point at each Element, “The same Elements that stranded me in a foreign land. The same Elements that took everything from me! The same ones that couldn’t fucking wait to hold a goddamn meeting until after my Christmas with my friends and family! Well, I’m here now, so what was so important that it couldn’t wait a few more hours!”
“And we are sorry for that. If we could have waited, we would have,” The pink ball, Kindness says.
“We will explain everything, and much more. To do so, we must start from the beginning,” The purple ball, Generosity, says.
“Oh, it better explain everything.”
“As you know, we are the protectors of harmony throughout the land, bringing purity and light to everything. There are forces out there, however, that wish to see our influence destroyed.”
“Hate to interrupt, Magic, but how does this involve me? The guy you plucked from his life?”
“I am getting to that. We can only act through the bearers when they’re wearing their necklaces. We needed someone, or something, to watch over our bearers. We needed an elemental guard, able to uphold our values and spread harmony throughout the land, yet be willing to protect the bearers from danger. As such, we started picking individuals from the past to bring here and fight for us.”
Something clicks in my brain at that last sentence. “Wait… You said from the past.” My eyes widen. “Does that mean…?”
Honesty bounces up and down in what I can only assume to be a nod. “You have never left Earth. Equestria is the future of the Earth.”
I open and close my mouth a few times. “How? How did it get like this? Why did it get like this? It raises so many questions?!”
Laughters giggles. “You know how you never push the big red button?” I nod my head. “Well, somebody didn’t know that and did it anyway. Then a bunch of others pushed their red buttons!”
My eyes go wide and I gulp. “So…?”
“Kaboom,” Generosity says.
I sink to the ground in despair. How did it get that bad? How many lives were ended in an instant? How many things were left unsaid? I look up at the Elements. “How did Earth get like this?”
“Centuries of waiting for life to begin anew. We intervened only when necessary to continue with the process,” Kindness says.
“But…But… Magic! Ponies! How?!”
“The radiation from the fallout was so high that it still lingers to this day in every creature and plant, creating the source for the magic of Equestria. The plants adapted to this and started producing their own radiation while the creatures evolved to make use of this new power, creating the pony species.”
I shake my head. “Are you telling me that during my entire time here, I’ve been walking through radiation?!” Magic bounces up and down. “How the hell am I still alive then?!”
“The harmful effects of the radiation died off thanks to the plant life. Now, only the raw power and energy of magic abound within the world with no ill effects,” Loyalty says.
Good enough answer for me. Sighing, I stand back up and cross my arms. “Fine, Equestria was born from the ruins of nuclear fallout. That doesn’t explain why I was brought here for your bodyguard service. I’m sure there are better people than me!”
“You’re right, there are far more suitable candidates than you,” Honesty says.
“See?! So where are these other candidates, huh?! Show me them! And tell me it isn’t the guards of Equestria!”
Magic sighs. “We can’t. Not anymore.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You aren’t the first person to come to Equestria. The one now known as Starswirl was our first test subject and proved to be a massive success. However, he was the only one before you. Others that came through often came as abominations, twisted creatures, or shattered souls. Others more often than not came as the pony species with their memories erased. You are the last soul we were willing to try bringing here.”
“So I’m just a lucky break then?”
“Yeppers!”
I nod my head. “Okay, but what qualities do I possess for your now dead bodyguard service? What made me stand out from the millions of others? Cause I’m not the kind of guy suited for bodyguard service.”
“We never checked. We got desperate and picked a random individual, along with most of their possessions, to bring before something happened to our bearers. You’ve seen them. They can hold their own, but for how long against a superior foe?” Kindness says.
“But look at me! What makes me any better?”
“After we brought you to Equestria, we noticed that you are in fact what we need. You uphold our values. Even if you don’t see it, we do,” Loyalty says.
“Then you should know that I’m not a fighter, which comes with the job of being a bodyguard.”
“Oh? Then what was that you did when you saved Apple Bloom from those Timberwolves? Or how about when you fought Gilda?”
I jab my finger at Honesty. “That was different! I wasn’t just going out to pick a fight with them! I was doing it because I needed to! I was doing it to… Protect… My… Friends.” I let my finger fall as I contemplate what I just said.
Honesty bounces up and down. “Exactly. You didn’t stop to think of the danger you were putting yourself into. You acted in the defense of your friends, even when the odds were against you.”
“Deep down, you know you are a fighter, but you’re afraid to let the part of you out in fear of being unable to control it,” Magic says.
They do have a point… I shake my head and cross my arms. “Point taken, but what if I refuse to this? What if I don’t want to be part of this 'white hand' of justice?”
“Please. Think of your friends and family, and what they stand to lose. Their own families and friends lost forever to them. Please, if not for us, do it for them,” Generosity says.
I close my eyes and think. They’re right again. But, what’ll happen if I do this? What if my desire to fight overpowers me? Will I able to control myself before I hurt them? Will there be a repeat of the Gilda incident? For some reason, I remember a scene from The Simpsons.
No, it’s do it for them. My friends are what kept me going with my transition from Earth to, well, Equestrian Earth. I clench my fists. They’ve been there for me every step of the way. It’s time I returned the favor and be there for them. I can’t lose them. I won’t lose them. I nod my head. “Alright, you got yourself a deal. I’ll be your protector of the Elements.”
“Yes! I knew you’d come around!”
“Please excuse Laughter. Now, any good warrior is defined by their weapon. As such, we have the ability to grant you any weapon, or weapons, in existence in your quest to protect the bearers. Decide on your weapons now,” Magic says.
“And how am I supposed to contact you with these requisition orders?”
“Our contact will send us the blueprints for what you what and we’ll send it back to you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Contact?”
A small white ball pops out of the ground in front of me, hovering in front of my face. “Hey, miss me? Don’t answer that, I already know what you’re thinking.”
That voice… It sounds like my voice. “Are you the voice in my head?”
“Well, yeah!”
“After your arrival, we got to work on creating a way for you to contact us. The answer was to create a magical construct with a fraction of our power and link it directly to your brain. Through this, you are able to contact us by simply thinking about it. The construct will send the thoughts to us,” Loyalty says.
I follow the ball with my eyes as it lazily floats around my head. “Is this why you sound and act like me?”
“Righto!”
I chuckle. “I always wanted my own Cortana. Alright, what should I call you then?” The ball stops in front of me as I think. “How about Agent?”
“I like that! Agent, the voice of the Agency. Or in this case, the voice of the Elements.”
“Good, cause that’s what I’m calling you even if you didn’t like it. Now get back in my head.” Agent obeys and charges at my face, disappearing before making contact.
“Ah, home sweet home. So good to… Dammit! I left the oven on!”
I nod my head. “Now, if our business is concluded, I’d like to leave here. I’ll get Agent to send along my first weapon set. You know what I want, right, Agent?”
“Pulling the info now and sending it as we speak.”
“Very well then.” A white portal appears to the left of me. “Again, thank you for protecting us,” Generosity says.
“Now go, Blake Quinter, and protect harmony throughout the land.”
I nod my head and face the portal. Taking a deep breath, I dive in to the blinding whiteness.
“We’re going on an adventure!”
As the light clears away, I hear a whistling sound and blink my eyes, only to throw my hands over my face as something white rushes towards me. Feeling nothing, I move my hands and scream. “Why am I falling from the sky?!”
“Okay, let me give you the rundown from the Elements. Kindness is apologizing left and right, Magic is swearing the calculations were right, Loyalty is saying Magic forgot to carry the two, Generosity is worried about your safety, Honesty is calming down Generosity, and Laughter is saying flap your arms like a bird to fly.”
“They better get this fixed for the next time! How do you forget to carry a two?! Don’t they double check the math?! They should have let me check it!”
“I think you have bigger problems right now. Namely, the rapidly approaching ground.”
I look down to see a crowd of ponies standing on a hill overlooking Ponyville. How am I supposed to get their attention!
“Relax, Generosity is subtly informing Rarity to look up.”
I frail my arms around, trying to get Rarity to notice me. Come on, come on! The ground is getting closer! A rainbow streak shoots up from the ground. Thank God! My saving grace is going to be… Rainbow… Dash… I’m going to die. I hold my hands out for her to grab me, but she completely overshoots me! “Some help you are!” I yell at her retreating form.
As I near the ground, I hear the sound of screams from the assembled crowd over the wind rushing past my ears. Something grabs my hands, jerking me into a vertical position. I look up and see Rainbow Dash holding my hands, her wings beating as she struggles to keep us aloft. “Hey, how’s it hanging?” She grunts out.
I laugh. “Don’t you fucking drop me!” We slowly descend towards the ground as ponies cheer at my apparent safety.
“I ain’t gonna do that!” She closes her eyes and looks up, sweat running down her face.
“George, George, George of the jungle, watch out for that tree!”
Wait, what? I look forward and see that we’re heading straight towards a tree. “Uh, Dash? I changed my mind. You can drop me now.”
“I’m not doing that!”
“Rainbow, you can drop me right now,” I put a little more emphasis into my words. At this height, I can safely drop to the ground below.
“I’m not dropping you!”
I start trying to shake myself free of her grasp. “Rainbow, there’s a fucking tree in front of us!”
“Huh?” She opens her eyes and looks. “Woah!” She lets me go and veers away from the tree.
I plummet towards the ground. As soon as my feet touch, I tuck and roll. Before I go too far, I plant my hand on the ground and dig my feet into the dirt. I slide before coming to a complete stop. Glancing behind me, I’m glad I did since the tree is right behind me. Standing up, I pump my fist in the air and cheer, knocking on the tree too. “Yes, I’m alive! Oh, I could kiss the ground if it wasn’t so dirty!”
“Blake!” Before I can react, I’m wrapped in a sea of hugs from the girls.
They break off from the hug and step back as the crowd of ponies gathers around for my return. “Blake! Where have you been?” Twilight asks.
“The Elements wish for their nature to remain a secret at this time.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not sure really. If I had to venture a guess, I don’t think I was on the planet anymore. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that I’m back and ain’t leaving!”
“The items you requested are finished and being sent to you now. Care to do a test run with them?”
“Sure. Where are they?” At this, I feel something fall into both of my pockets and something on my left wrist.
“Your knife and disguise kit are in your left and right pocket, the Cloak and Dagger is on your wrist, and the Diamondback is holstered on your right hip. All knowledge on operation has been mentally recorded. You should be able to operate these without even thinking about it. I recommend testing the watch first.”
I roll back my left sleeve and see the ever popular Cloak and Dagger on my wrist. I press a button on the side and see my arm slowly fade from view. “Oh no, not this again!” Once I disappear completely, I rush off to the side to avoid the girls rushing to where I was.
“Where did he go?!” Twilight frantically searches the area, her horn aglow the entire time. “I can’t find him, even with that advanced detection spell the Princess taught me!”
The girls and the crowd start calling out for me as I process this information. Seems I’m invisible to even magic when like this. Avoiding the crowd, I make my way to the back, pulling out my disguise kit (Disguised as a cigarette case) once there. It looks exactly like it should, save for the addition of the red button on the left half of the case. “What’s the button for?”
“The Elements adapted your original design to this. That button will scan the area and will create a mask of every person it scans, storing it in the case’s memory. Try it now.”
I push the button, expecting some noise to give my position away. Instead, a list of names and a little display of what the disguise looks like appears on the screen on the right half of the case. “Neat!”
“Tap the screen and the mask will dispense from the bottom of the case.”
Who to choose, who to choose… Ah, Scootaloo! She should be easy to impersonate! Tapping her name, a paper cutout mask pops out from a slot on the bottom of the case with her face on it, a small string attached so I can put it on. Slipping it on, I get a strange cooling sensation throughout my body. Slipping the kit back into my pocket, I glance around to make sure nobody is looking in my direction. Well, here goes nothing.
I push the button on the side of the Cloak and Dagger. Once I’m completely visible again, I run towards the crowd, pushing my way through them towards the tree. I break on through and run right up to Rainbow. “That was awesome, Rainbow Dash! You saved Blake from falling from the sky!” I say in Scootaloo’s voice. I look around the area and frown.
“Already know what you’re thinking. Yes, your facial expressions will be mimicked by the disguise. If you don’t want the disguise to express or move when you do, just think about it not happening.”
“Say, where is Blake?” I look back at Rainbow.
“We don’t know, Squirt! One minute, he was there,” She points in front of the tree, “Then the next, he disappears!”
“Oh, I hope he’s alright,” Fluttershy says.
“I’m sure he’s fine, Shy, but ah can’t figure out where he went.”
“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” All eyes turn as the Crusaders push their way through the crowd, Scootaloo leading the way. “That was awesome the way you saved…” Scootaloo's words die in her throat as she spots me.
We glare at each other as everybody turns to us. We both point at each other. “Who are you?!”
“Why, they look and sound exactly the same!” Rarity says.
“Then how do we tell which one in the real Scootaloo? Twilight asks.
“Duh, Twilight! Do a magical spell and figure out which one is the real Scootaloo!”
“I don’t know of any spell like that, Pinkie. Maybe the Princesses do though.”
Rainbow throws her hands up. “Well, how do we figure out the real Scootaloo then?”
Scootaloo and I turn to Rainbow. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! Don’t you recognize me, your biggest fan?”
Rainbow looks between us. “I can’t tell the difference!” I pull out the disguise kit and quickly swipe through my list of disguises, my finger hovering over Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo points at me while still looking at Rainbow. “She’s the fake! Can’t you all see that?!”
I tap the disguise while all attention is focused on Scootaloo. Quickly putting the mask on, my current disguise seems to be absorbed by the new disguise, effectively overriding the current mask. Okay, different pony, different mindset. “Ah come on, Scoots! Can’t ya tell yer fellow Crusaders apart?”
Scootaloo glances over at me, doing a double take as her mind registers what she sees. All eyes turn to me as everybody takes a step back. “But… But… How?! That’s impossible! Another Scootaloo was there a second ago!” Twilight grips her hair in frustration.
I swipe through my disguises again, stopping at Sweetie Belle. Tapping it, I put the resulting disguise on. “Uh, no? I’ve always been standing here, Twilight.”
“Just what in the hay is going on here?!”
Alright, I had my fun. Reaching up, I take the mask off and crumple it up, the cooling sensation disappearing. I shrug my shoulders as everybody stares, mouths wide open. I smirk. “Why, it’s a simple acting demonstration, Applejack.”
Nobody moves for a little bit. Rarity is the first to recover. Closing her mouth, she sighs and walks right up to me, where she proceeds to slap my face. “Don’t you ever scare us like that again!”
I rub my cheek and groan. “Okay, I deserve that.”
Rainbow flies up and pokes me in the chest. “What in the hell were you thinking?”
I put my hands up and take a step back. “Woah, woah, easy there tiger. First, let’s deal with the crowd.” I turn to the crowd. “Alright everybody, get on out of here. I’m back and not leaving for a long time. Go home and enjoy today.” The crowd shuffles towards Ponyville, leaving the girls and me the only ones left, much to the chagrin of the Crusaders. I walk towards the tree and sit down, leaning back against it. “Come. I’ll explain everything.”
Pinkie pulls a folded blanket out of her hair, laying it on the ground for everyone. Once everyone is settled, Twilight asks, “So, you have no idea where you went?” I nod my head. “Do you know for how long you were gone?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Not sure, but a couple of hours at most. Why?” I glance around and notice something off. “Hey, where’s all the snow at?”
Everybody glances at each other. “Um, Blake? Please don’t get mad, but… You’ve been gone for two months now.”
“So that’s where that two went.” I feel my eye twitch. Two… Fucking… Months. “Yeah, sorry about that. Like I said, Magic screwed up the spell.”
I take a deep breath and smile. “Excuse me for a moment.” Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a Balisong knife, also known as a butterfly knife. I twirl it around like the Spy does to open it. Holding it in my right hand, I repeatedly jam it into the tree, shouting why each time. My heart is pounding as I jam the knife one final time into the tree. Folding the knife back up, I put it back in my pocket and turn back to the girls. “I’m good now. Please, tell me what happened after I left.”
“After your disappearance, we looked everywhere for you,” Rarity says.
Twilight nods her head. “I even searched for you with my magic using a locator spell. When I didn’t find anything, I thought it was because my magic wasn’t strong enough, so I asked the Princesses to try it too. Again, they didn’t find anything.”
“We spent weeks looking for ya. Eventually, we had ta call off the search.”
Fluttershy sniffles. “We…We thought you were gone forever.”
I lean towards her and pull her into a hug. “I’m here now, and I promise each and every one of you that I will never leave you like that again.” I pull out of the hug and see a content smile on Fluttershy’s face.
“We’ve been taking care of your house while you were gone! And I Pinkie promise that I didn’t throw any house parties while you were away!”
I nod my head. “And I assume that you each stayed there in hopes that I would return, seeing as that is where I left?”
Twilight nods her head. “You’re right. I don’t think any of us were expecting you to appear after the Winter Wrap Up.”
My eyes linger on Twilight. Something seems different about her. “Did your manners disappear as well, Blake? It is impolite to stare at a lady,” Rarity says.
I glance at each girl and notice all of them wearing different clothes then when I first met them. “Did all of you get new clothes?”
Rarity coughs into her hand. “Um, yes. I hope you don’t mind, dearie, but I was in a creative slump. I assumed you wouldn’t mind if I based my new designs off your clothes.”
“Great. You’re now the proto hipster of Equestria. What have you done?”
I wave my hand at her. “Nah, it’s cool.”
“Alright, you’re caught up. Now tell us how you disappeared and looked like the Crusaders!”
“I’m curious as to how you did that, Blake. Not even my magic could find you!”
I chuckle. “All thanks to a few gifts I got when I was gone. Again, sorry for scaring you all again, but I needed to test these devices as soon as possible.” I roll back my sleeve and hold my arm out. “See this watch? This is called the Cloak and Dagger. It allows me to go invisible for as long as I want, with the exception that once the charge dies, I will be slightly visible to everyone. Also, if I touch anyone, I can be seen.”
“How does that battery in that thing recharge then?” Applejack asks.
“It’s a self-sustaining battery. As long as I don’t move, the battery will recharge itself while I’m invisible. It will also recharge when not in use.”
Twilight leans in for a closer look. “Fascinating.”
“Care for a demonstration?” Everybody nods. “Okay then.” I press the button on the watch and stand up, walking behind Pinkie. I lean down and hover my arms near her sides. My arms dart in and I tickle her. I keep up the assault as I look towards everybody else to see them staring at me. Stopping, I uncloak and step back.
“Okay, so that watch is what turned you invisible and blocked you from my magic. How were you able to look and sound like the Crusaders?” Twilight asks.
I pull out the disguise kit and open it up, holding it out so they can see it. “This is the Spytron Three Thousand, which gives me disguises that I can put on. For example,” I tap the Twilight icon on the screen and hold the resulting mask out for them to see, “I’ll look and sound like Twilight after putting this on.”
Rainbow laughs at me. “That thing?! That paper mask is going to completely disguise you?!”
“Ah gotta agree with Dash on this one. Sorry, Blake, but I just don’t buy it that ah paper mask can do all that.”
I shrug my shoulders and put the mask on, giving it a second to take effect and for Dash to stop laughing. I clear my throat. “Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
Applejack scratches her head. “Well, can’t argue with that.”
“Oh, Oh! Do me now!”
“Okay.” I tap Pinkie’s icon and put her mask on. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!” I get right in Pinkie’s face. “Are you surprised cause I’ll be surprised if you’re not surprised and then we can both be surprised except I’d need to grow wings to be called Surprise but then I could throw another party for changing race and—” I gasp for air and step back. “Okay, definitely not disguising as Pinkie often.”
“Alright hot shot. If you’re such a good actor, then do me!”
“Take her up on that offer!”
Smirking, I tap Rainbow’s icon and put her mask on. I jerk a thumb towards me. “Rainbow Dash’s the name and speed’s my game! I’m the fastest mare alive to ever come out of Cloudsdale!”
Rainbow chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds like me.”
“And if you’ll allow me to break character for a moment,” I clear my throat, “The square root of five hundred twenty six is twenty three point three six six six four two eight nine one zero nine.”
Twilight stands there with her mouth wide open. “I never thought I’d hear Rainbow Dash answer a math problem correctly.”
“Hey!” Everyone snickers .
Fluttershy raises her hand. “Um, I have a question if nopony else has one.” She looks around to see no one objecting to her. “Can you fly with those wings right now?”
I shake my head. “Nah, they’re just for decorative purposes. Same thing goes for magic. If I don’t have them when I’m not disguised, then I can’t use them when disguised.”
“Anypony else ya want ta try?”
I shake my head, taking the mask off. Crumpling it up, I wonder how to properly dispose of this so nobody else gets their hands on it.
“The mask will dissolve back into the case so you don’t have to worry about cleanup.”
I shove the destroyed mask in my pocket. Rarity points at my right hip. “What’s that?”
I look to see what she’s pointing at. Taking the revolver out of its holster, I hold it up for them all to see, glancing at it to make sure the safety is on. “This is the Diamondback, a weapon that allows me to fight from range. Think of it as a modern version of a crossbow or bow and arrow.”
Twilight stares at the Diamondback. “How does it work exactly?”
My thumb slightly moves down the grip, catching on a little lip that slides down. This causes the cylinder to slide out. “Inside this cylinder are six bullets, which means I can fire this six times before I need to insert six more rounds.” I flick my wrist to the right so the cylinder falls back into place, a click sound signaling that it was returned properly. “Each time I pull this trigger, a hammer strikes the back of a bullet at a mini firing pin, creating a tiny explosion that propels the bullet out the end of the barrel at high velocities. After each pull, the cylinder spins to position the next bullet for firing.”
“Beside all the egghead stuff, that sounds cool! Can we see it in action?” Rainbow asks.
I shake my head. I really don’t want them to see this in action any sooner than need be. “Sorry, but I’m not testing this one in front of anyone just yet.”
“Why not?!”
“Rainbow, as much as I hate to say it, you’ll see it in action eventually. Besides, I feel confident enough with it.” While I don’t own a gun, I have fired plenty of them to feel confident in my abilities to properly operate one.
Applejack puts her hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Let it go, Dash. If’n he doesn’t wanna show us, then ah say we shouldn’t pressure him.”
Rainbow cross her arms and huffs. “Fine. But you’ll show us later, right?”
I look towards Ponyville and sigh, thinking about what me having this weapon now means. “Yeah, Rainbow. You’ll get to see it later.”
“Awesome!” I chuckle slightly at her enthusiasm. But how long will that last after she sees what it does, the death I can now cause?
I shake my head. “I’ll talk to you all later. Right now, I need to head to my place and do a couple of things. After all, two months is a long time to be away! Hey, Applejack, send your brother over to Vinyl’s then!” I wave to them and sprint towards town.
The townsfolk have returned to their daily routines. As I run through town, ponies wave to me, acting like I never left in the first place. I wholeheartedly wave back to them, genuinely pleased to see the town again. Before going to my place, I make a quick detour to Golden Oaks. Going inside, I shout out, “Spike! I’m back!”
“Blake?!” I hear Spike yell from upstairs before he comes bolting down the stairs. “It really is you!”
I laugh. “In the flesh!”
“Where have you been? What happened to you?”
I wave my hand. “Long story. Went somewhere, got some new toys, came back, nearly died. Ya know, the usual. Twilight should tell you everything later. Anyway, what’s up with the band?”
He blinks his eyes a few times before shaking his head. “Amazing! Sales from the first album are still going on! And we’ve even been practicing every song we could do since you’ve been gone. Just in case, ya know, you came back.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And how have you been practicing them?”
Spike plays with his claws and refuses to look me in the eye. “Well, you see, Lyra sorta, maybe, definitely took your iPod. We figured it’s what you would have wanted us to do.”
“You disappear for two months and everybody either copies your fashion or steals your stuff. What is wrong with this town?”
I nod my head. “And that’s exactly what I would have wanted you to do.”
Spike looks at me. “Really?”
“Really?”
I nod my head. “Of course. But enough about that, I need your help.”
He nods his head. “Anything.”
I hold up a finger. “One, when Twilight writes her report to Celestia about my return, include an order for more meat for me. Lord knows the girls didn’t order any for me while I was gone. Speaking of, did they at least stock up on other supplies?”
He nods his head, smirking. “Yeah. Who do you think did most of the shopping?”
I bring up another finger. “Two, how many songs have you practiced?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Not sure, but we’ve been doing as many as we can.”
I bring up a third finger. “Lastly, grab your gear, get Lyra, and meet us at Vinyl’s. We got an album to produce!”
Spike’s eyes light up. “Sweet! I’ll meet you there!” I go to leave but Spike grabs my leg. “Hey, hold up a second.” He walks over to one of the bookshelves, pulling out a thick tome. “Don’t tell anypony about this.” He opens up the tome to reveal that the inside is hollowed out, leaving just enough space for a large pouch to fit inside. He grabs the pouch and hands it to me. “This is your royal stipend and your share of the money from our album sales. I’ve been collecting it in case you came back.”
I grab the pouch and heft it up. Damn, this thing is heavy! “How much is in here?”
“Eh, about eight grand, give or take a few hundred.”
I stare in awe at the pouch. “Holy hell, I’m rich! Thanks for gathering it!”
“Aw, it was no problem at all.”
“Still, thanks! Hey, I’ll see you at Vinyl’s, okay?”
Spike nods his head. “Got it!”
Spike runs back upstairs while I run home. I enter and see that everything is neat and tidy. They even put away from my decorations from Christmas. Ah, such wonderful friends. Heading to my bedroom, I place the Diamondback in a tin box and stash it under my bed. Grabbing my guitar, which the girls placed on my bed, I run into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. A fruit basket sits on a table I’ve never seen before, which I can only assume is my gift from Applejack. Walking over, I read a little note attached to the basket.
“Here’s an extra special welcome home gift just for you! Pinkie Pie.”
I grab an apple and shudder. “How does she do these things?!”
“I can answer that. A little too much of Laughter carried over to Pinkie, thus leading to her innate abilities and powers.”
I take a bite of the apple and shake my head. “That explains so much and so little at the same time.” Swallowing, I leave to go to Vinyl’s, eating the apple during my walk.
Upon reaching Vinyl’s, I can see through the window the band and Vinyl. Pushing open the door, I spread my arms and shout, “I’m back, bitches!”
Vinyl shakes her head, chuckling. “Heh, thought the little guy got into too much booze when he told me you were back.”
“Can’t keep me down! At least, not for long. So, Mac, Lyra, how’s it been?”
Lyra crosses her arms. “Pfft, boring as hell since you’ve been gone.”
Mac raises an eyebrow and looks at Lyra. “Lyra…”
Lyra smirks. “Oh, who am I kidding. It’s been awesome! Have you seen how much money we’re still making from the first album?!”
I nod my head. “Yeah, and be prepared to make even more with our second album! Speaking of which, give me back my iPod!” I hold my hand out.
Lyra reaches into her pocket and pulls out my iPod, all the while scratching her head. “Heh heh, sorry for taking it while you were gone.”
I grab my iPod and nod my head. “Apology accepted. I’m happy you guys actually used it for practicing music instead of something stupid.”
“Alright you guys, enough talk! Are we ready to make some music?!” Vinyl asks.
“Hell yeah!” We all shout back.
“To the sound studio!” We cheer as we run upstairs to get started on our second album.
“Glad you’re back?”
“Duh! I’m back, alive, and not leaving for a very long time.”
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so thats have pinke have her Powers okej
I enjoyed this chapter. Plus the new wardrobe of the girls is nice.
Ha! Was hoping he wouldn't ask for a sword or something boring like that. Spy load out is nice. Maybe ask for a Dead Ringer as well eventually?
heh why TF2 and why the spy?
and I'm assuming that by he knows how to use a gun from practice he meant real world/ real gun practice right?
also goddamn the ponies have big heads in dat pic. dey like halfass chibis
epic for shadowing and someone is an avid TF fanatic
5751744
TITs that's why !
lol couldn't resist
5752092 i dont get the reffence
5753642 well you asked a question why, and I say fuck you that's why but I changed it to be less offensive
5753654 ah my mistake, I thought you were the author. your not the author so i'm now wondering why you responded to me in the first place
5753668 well you set your self up for that joke and I couldn't resist
5754642 fair enough. lol ill just pm the author next
5754650 lol I don't use that joke often because people get offended by it or set themselves up for it way and fare between
5751744
One, I love TF2 with a passion!
Two, I chose the Spy, as Blackshadow said, for the reasons of subterfuge and instant kills with the knife. Look at it from Blake's POV. He's just one guy that may be fighting large groups. Hiding from them and picking them off is the most logical course of action. And the Diamondback? Well, let's just say that it helps to have a little insurance.
Yes, you are correct.
5749435 I may be able to phone in the Dead Ringer.
5754887 Awesome. There's just so much fun one can have with the Dead Ringer! I like disguising as a medic on my team and running distraction.
Can't wait for more
Good job
5754887 fair enough looking forward to she how ya handle it
Blake is a SPY!
...
See what I did there?
...sorry in advance for the bluntness, but really, what in the world were you thinking while writing this? Radioactivity = fucking magic has to be the dumbest justification for "ponyland is future Earth" I've ever seen. That horse is so dead, it was an outdated, outlandish cliché already when comic books started doing it in the 20s. You can't tell me you wrote that with a straight face and didn't expect people to go "what the fuck is this shit" out of sheer disbelief even for a moment.
5759448 No need to apologize. I value input from everyone, no matter what the reason may be. I fully expected for some people to have the same reaction you had. I knew from the start that I'd have to use some cliches to make this thing work. Some cliches work, others don't. I figured this would since I've seen little to no reference to radiation = magic on other HIE stories. I was looking for ways to make myself stand out from other stories. I'm sorry you feel this way about my decision, but I hope you'll respect my decision to write this.
5762453
I can't tell you what to write, of course, it's your story after all. I think it was a bad decision, though, and I'll probably enjoy the story less for it. It might make it stand out, but, to me at least, not in the good way.
The picture for the Mane 6 ‘s new clothes is broken and not showing.
9110443
Well, that happened. Can't find the account of the person who did the artwork anymore. Thanks for bringing this up. I'll have to edit the story to describe the outfits then.
Knew it
Mr. Black: *nonchalantly walk by dragging Blueballs by his hair* "Haa. Ancient weapon called modern. That's hilarious." *checks scroll for Granny Smith* "Nah, still got a good decade on her."
Haha Haha. The pranking he could do with that disguise kit.
"We're getting the band back together."
Luna: "Huzzah, my coltfriend's albums shall be doubled!"
Oh no, he just jinxed himself.
He diappears ON X MAS !!! THAT"S JUST MESSED UP !!!